VS.

The Cougars and their top-rated passing offense led by Davey O’Brien Award finalist QB Case Keenum look to overcome the Falcons’ top-ranked passing defense in Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 31. Houston (10-3) ended an eight-game losing streak in bowl games with a 34-28 victory over Air Force (7-5) last year. Keenum threw for one score and ran for two more as the Cougars avenged a 31-28 home loss to the Falcons in the regular season.

12:00 PM ET, December 31, 2009
Amon Carter Stadium , FORT WORTH, TX
ESPN

Houston Cougars finished their season on top of the C-USA West with an overall record of 10-3, pretty solid record for a team that usually doesn’t get the attention other big schools do. Houston’s best tool to win this bowl will be the QB position. After throwing 44 touchdowns as a sophomore, QB Case Keenum will enter the final game of his junior season leading the nation in total offense (429.3 yards per game), passing (419.2) and touchdown passes (43). The Cougars have the top-rated pass offense with 450.0 yards per game, led by the player who lost to Texas QB Colt McCoy for the O’Brien award as the nation’s top quarterback. Keenum had a total of 614 yards passing in the two games against Air Force last season, but the Falcons have improved to own the nation’s top-rated pass defense, yielding 148.7 yards per game. Houston was ranked most of the season and went 3-0 against teams from BCS conferences (Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Mississippi State). Basically Houston will take advantage of their huge difference on offense and their all-star QB will take them to victory. Other players involved in the offense will be QB Cotton Turner, RB Bryce Beall, RB Charles Sims, WR James Cleveland and WR Tyron Carrier.

Air Force Falcons have lost back-to-back Armed Forces Bowls under Calhoun. They have lost three straight bowls since beating Fresno State in the Silicon Valley Bowl in 2000. Air Force’s offense offers a complete contrast to Houston, featuring the fourth-ranked rushing attack in the country at 273.6 yards per game. That’s clearly a bad matchup for the Cougars, who rank 112th in allowing 213.1 yards per game on the ground. RB Jared Tew and RB Asher Clark each gained more than 700 yards and combined for 12 touchdowns. Tew rushed for 149 yards and two scores in last year’s bowl as Air Force held the ball for more than 38 minutes. The Falcons are 0-6 at Fort Worth’s Amon G. Carter Stadium, falling four times to TCU in addition to their losses in the Armed Forces Bowl. Other players cooperating on offense will be QB Tim Jefferson, QB Connor Dietz, WR Kevin Fogler and WR Jonathan Warzeka but mainly the running game will be the only tool they will be using against Houston.

GAME ODDS

HOUSTON U -4
AIR FORCE 62½

THIS WILL BE A GREAT CHALLENGE BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF OFFENSE. WHETHER THEY THROW OR RUN IT WILL BE ONE OF THOSE HIGH SCORING GAMES IN WHICH DEFENSE WILL PASS BY WITHOUT ANY GLORY, UNLESS THEY FOCUS ON STOPPING THE AVALANCHE THAT IS COMING FROM EITHER SIDE OF THE FIELD. MY PICK WILL BE HOUSTON COUGARS -4.

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