Houston, Air Force to meet again in Armed Forces Bowl
The Houston Cougars will face an opponent in the Dec. 31 Armed Services Bowl that could only be described as its polar opposite: the Air Force Falcons.
The Cougars led the country in passing this season, on the strength of quarterback Case Keenum’s nation-leading 5,449 yards and 43 touchdowns. On the flip side, the Falcons led the country in rushing and have played multiple games this season in which they didn’t attempt a single pass.
These teams are more familiar with each other than most that square off in bowl games; Houston and Air Force played in the same bowl last season (a 34-28 Cougars win), and also played a nonconference game in 2008 (a 31-28 Houston victory).
Despite a disappointing loss to East Carolina in the Conference USA title game, the Cougars can use this bowl game to finish strong and create some buzz heading into 2010. Keenum should have a little extra motivation. As a junior, he finally received some national attention for his video game-like numbers, and a strong game should firmly supplant him as a Heisman frontrunner next season.
