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Bowl season is underway, and the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Army West Point Black Knights will compete for postseason bragging rights in the Liberty Bowl at Liberty Bowl Memorial at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday. Neither West Virginia nor Army could muster much offensive firepower in their last games, so look to the defense to decide this one.
A win for the Mountaineers just wasn't in the stars three weeks ago as the squad never even grasped a temporary lead. They played a matchup they are hoping to forget as they lost a 42-6 blowout to the Iowa State Cyclones. West Virginia was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 21 to nothing. QB Jarret Doege wasn't much of a difference maker for West Virginia; Doege passed for 209 yards on 41 attempts.
Meanwhile, things were close when Army and the Air Force Falcons clashed last week, but the Black Knights ultimately edged out the opposition 10-7. Army's only offensive touchdown came from RB Jakobi Buchanan. Army's victory came on a one-yard rush from Buchanan with only 1:16 remaining in the fourth quarter.
A pair of defensive stats to keep an eye on: West Virginia comes into the contest boasting the fifth fewest yards allowed per game in the nation at 297.2. As for Army, they enter the game with only 149.9 passing yards allowed per game on average, which is the best in the nation.
