The 2020 Armed Forces Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2020, with kickoff at noon EST (11:00 a.m. local CST).[4] It was the 18th edition of the Armed Forces Bowl, and was one of the 2020–21 bowl games concluding the 2020 FBS football season. Sponsored by aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin, the game was officially known as the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
| 2020 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| 18th Armed Forces Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | December 31, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Amon G. Carter Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Fort Worth, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Lideatrick Griffin (WR/KR, Miss. State) & Christian Williams (DB, Tulsa)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Mississippi State by 1[2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Jeff Servinski (Big Ten)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 9,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Chris Cotter (play-by-play) Mark Herzlich (analyst) Ian Fitzsimmons (sideline) | ||||||||||||||||||
| International TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN Deportes | ||||||||||||||||||
Teams
editFollowing the cancellation of the Las Vegas Bowl, it had been announced that the game would feature its tie-ins with the Pac-12 Conference and the Southeastern Conference (SEC).[5] The presence of a Pac-12 team did not come to fruition, with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane of the American Athletic Conference ("The American") accepting a bid for the Armed Forces Bowl instead.[6] This game was the first matchup between the two programs.[7]
Mississippi State
editMississippi State of the SEC accepted their bid on December 20, 2020.[8] The Bulldogs entered the bowl with an overall record of 3–7; they were ranked at number 16 in the AP Poll early in the season after defeating the defending national champions, LSU. This marked the second time in program history that Mississippi State had entered a bowl game with a losing record (the prior instance being the 2016 St. Petersburg Bowl). This was the Bulldogs' first appearance in the bowl.
Tulsa
editTulsa of The American accepted their bid on December 20, 2020.[9] The Golden Hurricane entered the bowl with an overall record of 6–2 (6–0 in conference play); they were ranked at number 22 in the AP Poll entering the bowl. Tulsa was 0–2 in prior editions of the bowl, having lost in 2006 and 2011.[6]
Game summary
edit| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 24 Tulsa | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 26 |
| Mississippi State | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, Texas
- Date: Thursday, December 31, 2020
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST (11:00 a.m. CST)
- Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 37 °F (3 °C) • Wind: NNE 16 mph
- Referee: Jeff Servinski (Big Ten)
- TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst) and Ian Fitzsimmons (sideline)
- ESPN game summary
| Game information |
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Statistics
edit| Statistics | TLSA | MSST |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 27 | 16 |
| Plays–yards | 86–484 | 60–271 |
| Rushes–yards | 40–137 | 30–123 |
| Passing yards | 347 | 148 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 26–46–2 | 19–30–0 |
| Time of possession | 31:19 | 28:41 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tulsa | Passing | Zach Smith | 26/46, 347 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Corey Taylor II | 20 carries, 85 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Keylon Stokes | 9 receptions, 117 yards, 1 TD | |
| Mississippi State | Passing | Will Rogers | 19/30, 148 yards, 1 TD |
| Rushing | Jo'Quavious Marks | 11 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Austin Williams | 3 receptions, 42 yards |
Emmanuel Forbes, cornerback for Mississippi State, set a school and Armed Forces Bowl record for the longest interception return (90 yards).[1][10]
Post-game
editFollowing the conclusion of the game, a brawl broke out between the two teams.[11][12]
References
edit- ^ a b "AFB Postgame Notes". armedforcesbowl.com/. December 31, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "ESPN Game Summary - Tulsa vs. Mississippi State - December 31, 2020". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Austro, Ben (December 23, 2020). "2020-21 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "College Football Bowl Schedule | 2020". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
- ^ "Armed Forces Bowl announces Pac-12, SEC partnership". 247Sports.com. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
- ^ a b "No. 22 Tulsa, Mississippi St to meet in Armed Forces Bowl". USA Today. December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ "Tulsa Golden Hurricane vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs football series history". winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "Mississippi State to play Tulsa in Armed Forces Bowl". The Vicksburg Post. December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ "TU Football Accepts Bowl Invite To Armed Forces Bowl". NewsOn6.com. Griffin Communications. December 20, 2020. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Selby, Zach. "Five things to know about CB Emmanuel Forbes". Commanders.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ Horka, Tyler (December 31, 2020). "Nasty brawl erupts at end of Armed Forces Bowl between Mississippi State and Tulsa". USA Today. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ Bonagura, Kyle (December 31, 2020). "Tulsa, Mississippi State players brawl after Armed Forces Bowl". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
External links
edit- Official website
- Game statistics at statbroadcast.com