Army wins Armed Forces Bowl after gutsy two-point conversion call
By Jack Crosby
When the game was on the line, the Army Black Knights went for it all, and the call more than paid off.
The 2017 Armed Forces Bowl between the Army Black Knights and San Diego State Aztecs was everything we could have asked for and then some. It had Army dominating the time of possession game absurdly and San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny putting on a show for the nation one last time before he departs for the NFL, among some other craziness.
But in the end, there had to be a winner in this one, and that winner was the Black Knights, as they showed some guts in the end to secure the win.
After Penny had scored his fourth touchdown of the afternoon to put San Diego State up 35-28 with just under six minutes to go in the game, Army drove 72 yards down the field in 15 plays, and they capped off that drive with a 1-yard scoring run from running back Darnell Woolfolk. After the score, it was decision time for head coach Jeff Monken and the Black Knights. Should they play for overtime with the extra point, or should they push all the chips onto the table and go for two.
They ultimately decided to go for two, and it paid off, as they ran a beautiful sweep with Kell Walker to take the lead by one with 18 seconds left in the contest.
That gave Army the 36-35 lead at the time, and they would end up winning the Armed Forces Bowl by a final of 42-35 as they thwarted the last gasp attempt by San Diego State with time running off the clock by running a fumble in for a score.
The first bowl game of the day between USF and Texas Tech delivered, and the Armed Forces Bowl between Army and San Diego State took this Saturday bowl game slate to another level with this thrilling finish.