2020 Armed Forces Bowl (December)
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| 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 | Tulsa by 2.5[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 | ||||||||||||||||||
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. The game was officially named the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl after its corporate sponsor Lockheed Martin.
Mississippi State
Following 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 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
Tulsa 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
| 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
| 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]