In a battle of runner-ups in their respective conferences, the Louisiana Tech and Navy Midshipmen will battle it out in the Armed Forces Bowl.
The Navy Midshipmen and Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will try to put their losses in their respective conference championships aside when the duke it out in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Friday. Both teams come into the game with two-game losing streaks, and will be looking to end their seasons on a high note. This one has shootout written all over it, but it also could be a one-sided contest as well.
Navy comes into the game looking to secure as ten-win season for the second year in a row. If they can accomplish that feat, it would be the first time in the history of the program they will have done so. They have been bitten by the injury bug as of late, and will go into the game Zach Abey under center, who started the season as the team’s third-string quarterback.
Last season, Navy had Keenan Reynolds as their quarterback, and he was one of the best players in the country. The Midshipmen opened the 2016 campaign with Tago Smith as their quarterback, but he blew out his ACL in Week 1. Will Worth has done a tremendous job in his absence, but he and star running back Toneo Gulley were injured last week in the AAC Conference Championship Game.
Navy will have to deal with one of the more high-powered passing attacks in America on Friday, and they might not have enough talent on the offensive side of the ball to keep up.
Here is how to watch all of the action online:
Date: Friday, Dec. 23
Start Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Venue: Amon G. Carter Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Abey rushed for two touchdowns against Army last week, but he does not have enough talent around him to hang with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs for four quarters. The Bulldogs are led by quarterback Ryan Higgins, who threw for over 4,200 yards and 37 touchdowns this season. Wide receivers Trent Taylor and Carlos Henderson each went for over 1,000 yards receiving for the year, and both should have big games on Friday.
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This one could get out of hand early, as Higgins and company should find plenty of room to work against a very bad Navy secondary. The Midshipmen are coming off their first loss against Army since 2001, so they are going to be fired up to end the year on a high note. The Bulldogs are extremely fun to watch, and while this game is a ten-point spread in their favor, they most certainly could win this one by three scores.