CFB WEEK 9 @INDYBOWL OCT. 26 - NOV. 1 INSIDE THE I-BOWL /////////////////////////// OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE INDEPENDENCE BOWL FOUNDATION & RADIANCE TECHNOLOGIES INDEPENDENCE BOWL THE OFFICIAL INSIDE THE I-BOWL NEWSLETTER OF ARMY ACCEPTS I-BOWL INVITATION CATCHING UP ON CFB //////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////// ARMY ACCEPTS INVITATION TO 2020 INDEPENDENCE BOWL WEEK 8 COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD AP TOP 25 - WEEK 8 The Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl extended the first bowl invitation of 2020-2021 Bowl Season to Army West Point on Saturday, and the Black Knights accepted the bid - securing their first ARMY WEST POINT CONFERENCE USA 1. Clemson (52) 14. Oregon trip to Shreveport since 1996. Army - 49, Mercer - 3 Jacksonville St. - 19, Florida Int'l - 10 2. Alabama (10) 15. North Carolina “We want to thank the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, Chairman Frank Auer and the ULL - 24, UAB - 20 3. Ohio State 16. Kansas State entire bowl committee for this incredible opportunity to play in this outstanding bowl game,” said 4. Notre Dame 17. Indiana #22 Marshall - 20, Florida Atlantic - 9 Army West Point Director of Athletics Mike Buddie. "We are very excited to accept the first bowl BYU 5. Georgia 18. Penn State invitation of the 2020-2021 season and to make our first trip to Shreveport since 1996.” BYU - 52, Texas State - 14 Charlotte - 38, UTEP - 28 6. Oklahoma St. 19. Marshall Liberty - 56, Southern Miss - 35 7. Cincinnati 20. Coastal Carolina The invitation extended from the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, which was 8. Texas A&M 21. USC subsequently accepted by the Army West Point Black Knights, is the first bowl invitation of the 2020 Bowl Season. The Black Knights have enjoyed a great AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE Middle Tennessee - 40, Rice - 34 (OT) 9. Wisconsin 22. SMU start to their seventh season under head coach Jeff Monken, as they now sport a 6-1 record after a 49-3 win over the Mercer Bears on Saturday. Army has Tulsa - 42, South Florida - 13 Western Kentucky - 13, Chattanooga - 10 10. Florida 23. Iowa State five games remaining on their 2020 football schedule. The 2020 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl will be their fourth bowl game in the Monken 11. BYU 24. Oklahoma era and their fourth in the last five years. Army has only one previous Independence Bowl appearance in their program's history - a 32-29 loss to the Auburn #9 Cincinnati - 42, #16 SMU - 13 UTSA - 27, Louisiana Tech - 26 Tigers in 1996. The Black Knights are off to their best start since they began that historic 1996 season with nine consecutive victories. 12. Miami 25. Boise State Memphis - 41, Temple - 29 13. Michigan "We are absolutely delighted to extend a bowl invitation to the Army West Point Black Knights football team," remarked 2020 Radiance Technologies UCF - 51, Tulane - 34 *Denotes 2020 I-Bowl partner Independence Bowl Chairman Frank Auer. "The Independence Bowl celebrates the independence and freedoms we enjoy in America, and we are well aware Houston - 37, Navy - 21 Navy bold italics denote I-Bowl partner 2020-25 that those freedoms are protected by our Army and the other armed forces. We deeply appreciate the role they play in our national landscape and will roll out the red carpet for them for their trip to Shreveport." The Black Knights are slated to face an opponent from the Pac-12 Conference, who will begin their truncated football season on Saturday, November 7. READ FULL STORY WHAT TO WATCH FOR ////////////////////////////////// 2020 I-BOWL MATCHUP BOWL PROJECTIONS WEEK 9 MATCHUPS TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND ARMY vs. PAC-12 MEMPHIS (3-1) @ #7 CINCINNATI (4-0) | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 @ 11 AM CT | ESPN //////////////////////////////// FAST FACTS: • Cincinnati continues to roll along this season - posting a dominant 42-13 win over No. 16 SMU this past weekend. The MEMPHIS Bearcats held an SMU offense that was averaging 563.2 yards per game to 290 yards. STANFORD ARIZONA ST. • The Bearcats are allowing 12.5 points per game (fifth overall nationally among teams that have played more than one game) and limit opponents to just 302.5 yards per game (11th among teams that have played more than one contest). COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS KYLE BONAGURA (ESPN) • The opposing offense is a powerful, as Memphis averages 548.8 yards (4th nationally) and 38.8 points per game (11th in ARMYARMY ARMY CINCINNATI the FBS). It is a balanced attack for the Tigers - one that posts 343.8 passing yards per game but also top 200 rushing yards per game at 205.0 per contest. It will be fun to watch to see if Cincinnati can limit another high-flying offense for the second consecutive week. CALIFORNIA WASHINGTON NAVY (3-3) @ #22 SMU (5-1) | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 @ 6:30 PM CT | ESPN2 FAST FACTS: JERRY PALM (CBS SPORTS) ARMYARMY MARK SCHLABACH (ESPN) ARMY • SMU looks to bounce back after being throttled by No. 9 Cincinnati at home last Saturday, 42-13. Shane Buechele passed NAVY for season-low 216 yards against the Bearcats but still boasts a stat line of 1,926 yards, 13 TD's and just three INT's on the season. The Mustangs are averaging 517.7 yards per game offensively (335.2 passing/182.5 rushing) but were held to just 292 yards against Cincinnati. They'll get to face a Navy defense that allows 427 yards per game on Saturday. CALIFORNIA STANFORD • The Midshipmen have won five of their last seven road games and are looking for their third road win of the season. Coming off a deflating loss in which they allowed 313 yards rushing, the SMU defense gets the tough test of facing Navy's SMU triple-option attack. The Navy offense has not been nearly as efficient or powerful this season without Malcolm Perry - they ERICK SMITH (USA TODAY) BRETT MCMURPHY (STADIUM) average just 288.2 total yards this season and just 186.3 yards on the ground. Coming off of a big loss against Houston, the ARMY ARMY 3-3 Midshipmen continue to look for answers on both sides of the ball. 1 Inside the I-Bowl RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com @IndyBowl RadianceTechnologiesIndependenceBowl.com @IndyBowl Inside the I-Bowl 2 THE OFFICIAL INSIDE THE I-BOWL NEWSLETTER OF WHAT TO WATCH FOR I-BOWL WEEKLY RADIO SHOW ////////////////////////////////// /////////////////////////////////////////////// WEEK 9 MATCHUPS TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND (CONT.) WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28 | 6-7 PM CT GAME OF THE WEEK UAB (4-2) @ LOUISIANA TECH (3-3) | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 @ 2:30 PM CT | STADIUM Tune into 1130 The Tiger every Wednesday from FAST FACTS (via C-USA): 6-7 p.m. for the official radio show of the Radiance SAT., OCT. 31 @ 1 PM CT • UAB’s defense limited Louisiana Tech to 270 total yards and had nine pass breakups in Birmingham last season, including Technologies Independence Bowl! Director of Media one on 4th-and-3 from their own 23 courtesy of A.J. Brooks with 1:43 remaining to seal the 20-14 victory. HOUSTON, Texas • UAB’s defense has yet to allow a team to throw for more than 200 yards in any game this season and ranks third nationally Relations Erik Evenson and 2019 I-Bowl Chairman & ESPN+ in pass defense (153.8/game). The Blazers have also held their past three opponents to under 300 total yards of offense. former Lou Groza Award-winning kicker Art Carmody IV • Blazers Sr. RB Spencer Brown had 28 carries for 128 yards and 2 TD's against ULL. In the process, Brown became the school get you set for each weekend of college football. They'll record holder in total TD's with 40. He also notched his 17th career 100-yard rushing game and fourth this season. Brown update you on all the best games of the weekend and increased his school-record career total to 3,722 rushing yards, second among active rushers in the FBS (behind Clemson’s Travis STATS & LEADERS Etienne), and he is now No. 11 in C-USA history. Brown is also UAB’s career leader in rushing TD's with 39. He is having the best update on everything you need to know about the 2020 season of his career and enters this game ranked fifth nationally in total rushing yards (600) and fourth in rushing TD's (8). Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl! 3-2 OVERALL RECORD 2-1 • In just 24 career games, RS-Sr. WR Austin Watkins, Jr. has compiled 1,547 yards and has a catch in all 24 games. His 1,547 2-2 (AAC) CONFERENCE RECORD 2-0 (AAC) UAB yards rank eighth on UAB’s all-time list. This season he has 28 receptions for 373 yards and three TD's. • UAB has made 26 trips to the red zone this season and has converted that into points 25 times. Of the 25 scores from SPECIAL GUEST 45.2 POINTS PER GAME 37.3 within the red zone, 20 have been TD's (10 throwing, 10 rushing). UAB ranks 5th nationally in red zone offense (.996). 33.4 PTS. ALLOWED PER GAME 31.7 • LA Tech Sr. LB Trey Baldwin was named co-Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. He led the Bulldogs with a career-high 18 LOUISIANA TECH tackles, including 14 solo tackles, in a 27-26 loss at UTSA. His 18 tackles tied for the seventh most in a single game nationally BOB BERETTA 646.8 (435.6/211.2) TOTAL YARDS (PASS/RUSH) 444.7 (321.0/123.7) this season, while his 14 solo tackles rank second in the nation. Baldwin was the first Bulldog to record 18 tackles since Jay Senior Associate AD/Strategic Initiatives, 482.2 (286.6/195.6) YDS.