WEST POINT, N.Y. – For the final time this season, Army West Point Football is getting game-ready as the team will close out its campaign against Missouri in the Armed Forces Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 22 in Fort Worth, Texas.

The clash, which will be played at TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium, is set for an 8 p.m. EST kickoff on ESPN with Tiffany Greene, Jay Walker and Kris Budden on the call. Check your local listings for channel information. The radio call will be found across 25 stations in nine different states via the Army Sports Network. Additionally, the call can be heard for free via the Varsity App.

HOW TO FOLLOW
TELEVISION • ESPN • watchespn.com• ESPN App
RADIO • Army Sports Network • Armed Forces Bowl Radio Network
TICKETS • Army West Point Ticket Office
GAME NOTES • Army Notes • Missouri Notes
LIVE STATS • GoArmyWestPoint.com
TWITTER • @ArmyWP_Football

Setting the Scene

• Army enters its fifth Bowl appearance in six years looking to improve its postseason record, which stands at 6-3.
• Since head coach Jeff Monken took over the program, the Black Knights are 3-1 in Bowl games and have put up 30-or-more points in each of the three victories.
• The Cadets have won four of their past five outings with the lone loss coming against the Midshipmen in the 122nd Army-Navy Game.
• In their recent successful stretch, the Black Knights have outscored their competitors 161-74.
• Wednesday’s Bowl game will mark the Tigers’ 34th all time and sixth in 10 seasons.
• The team has a record of 15-19 in the games and will be making its first appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl.
• Missouri (6-6, 3-5 SEC) finished the regular season by splitting its final four games, 2-2.
• The Tigers posted a 5-2 mark in Columbia, but struggled to a 1-4 mark in road games with their lone victory coming at Vanderbilt.

On, Brave Old Army Team

• The Black Knights have gotten stronger as the season has progressed, having won four of their past five outings.
• The stretch includes a four-game winning streak that helped Army turn in its sixth-straight season with a winning record at Michie Stadium.
• Monken is just one victory away from tying Charles Daly (58-13-3; 1913-16, 1919-22) as the second-winningest coach in Army Football history.
• He recently coached in his 100th Army Football game, reaching the centennial mark during the 122nd Army-Navy Game.
• Army will enter Wednesday’s Bowl ranked in the nation’s top five in numerous categories, including rushing offense (second, 286.4 ypg), time of possessions (second, 35:50), team passing efficiency (third, 174.84) and turnovers lost (third, eight).
• The nation’s top defensive unit from a season ago is in the spotlight once again, as outside linebacker Andre Carter II was recently named a Third Team All-American by the Associated Press.
• After breaking the program’s single-season sack record earlier this season, he has gone on to record the second-most sacks of any player in FBS Football with 14.5 and sits at 10th in the nation in TFLs (16.5).
• Carter was additionally named a Phil Steele Second Team All-American and was one of nine Cadets to land on the All-Independent Team. He was joined by quarterback Christian Anderson, defensive back Marquel Broughton, nose tackle Nolan Cockrill, offensive lineman Noah Knapp, offensive lineman Jordyn Law, corner back Jabari Moore, punt returner Tyrell Robinson and linebacker Arik Smith in receiving the honor.
• Robinson has rushed for a team-high 603 yards in his sophomore season and is one of four Black Knights to have run the ball for at least 400 yards. He is joined by Anderson (586 yds.), quarterback Tyhier Tyler (478 yds.) and running back Jakobi Buchanan (436 yds.) in achieving the feat.
• Together, the group has helped Army score a nation’s-best 44 TDs on the ground.
• Buchanan leads the Cadet offense with 11 touchdowns, good for 66 points. The next-highest scorer is kicker Cole Talley, who has racked up 62 points (seven field goals, 41 PATs).

Series History

• Wednesday’s game will be the fifth all-time in the history between Army and Missouri, which dates back to 1968.
• The Tigers own a 3-1 record over the Black Knights, whose lone victory was a 22-6 result in 1971.
• The Armed Forces Bowl will mark the Cadets’ first time playing an SEC opponent since 2011 when the team took on Vanderbilt.

Scouting the Tigers

• Mizzou averages 29.67 points per game, while its defense has allowed opponents to put up over 34 per outing.
• The team averages 412.1 offensive yards per game, with over half coming in the air.
• On the ground, the team is led by All-American running back Tyler Badie, who is third in the nation in rushing yards with 1,604.
• With 108 of the team’s 356 points, the First Team All-SEC pick ranks just outside of FBS Football’s top 20 scorers.
• Kicker Harrison Mevis also highlights the Tigers’ offense as he is tied for the lead among all FBS players who are primarily field goal kickers with 24 points.
• An All-American, he is 20-of-22 in field goals and is 3-of-3 on 50+ yard attempts, while also converting on all 40 of his PAT attempts.
• Defensive back Martez Manuel leads Mizzou on the other side of the ball with 77.0 tackles, a figure that includes 8.0 TFLs (54 yards). Manuel is one of three players with at least 60 tackles this season, joined by linebacker Blaze Alldredge (75.0) and defensive back Jaylon Carlies (68.0).

The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

• The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, played in honor of the armed forces of the United States, is the only collegiate football bowl game that has hosted all three U.S. service academy football teams–Air Force five times (2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2015), Army three times (2010, 2017, 2018) and Navy (2013, 2016).
• Previously ranked the No. 3 Bowl game by CBSSports.com, it is the highest scoring of the nation’s three dozen bowl games with 511 points scored since 2014. The Rose Bowl (494) and Orange Bowl (471) are the next highest scoring games.
• The annual game has featured the “armed forces” theme since 2006.
• Patriotic overtones recognizing all five branches of service are prevalent throughout the game.
• Past Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowls have included fan-fest adventure areas showcasing armed forces hardware; flyovers; demonstrations by several of the military’s top skydiving teams; custom homes awarded to wounded warriors; on-field induction ceremonies; armed forces bands and honor guards; and the annual Great American Patriot Award presented by Armed Forces Insurance.
• The Armed Forces Bowl is one of 17 games owned and operated by ESPN Events, a subsidiary of ESPN.

For ticket information, please call 1-877-TIX-ARMY, email [email protected], or visit www.armygameday.com.  

FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of Army West Point football, follow the Black Knights on Twitter and Instagram at @ArmyWP_Football and online at www.goarmywestpoint.com. 

COURTESY ARMY ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS