Army Football: 3 reasons to watch 2018 Armed Forces Bowl vs. Houston

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 02: Mike Reynolds #29 of the Army Black Knights reacts after his interception with teammates John Voit #59 and Calen Holt #42 in the fourth quarter against the Temple Owls at Lincoln Financial Field on September 2, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Black Knights defeated the Owls 28-13. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

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The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl will take place on Dec. 22 in 2018. Here’s why you should watch Army football and Houston face off.

The Army West Point Black Knights are slated to take on the Houston Cougars in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.

The Armed Forces Bowl will be played on Saturday, Dec. 22, during the 2018 bowl season. Army coach Jeff Monken has Army at 9-2 overall (they play the Navy Midshipmen on December 8th) and ranked 83rd by the S&P+. On the other sideline Major Applewhite has the Cougars sitting at 8-4 overall and 41st per the S&P+.

If Army has proven anything over the past three seasons it’s to never count out the Cadets. Army’s run based triple option offense is ranked 52nd per the S&P+ while Houston boasts the nation’s 11th-ranked offense. On defense, the Cadets are ranked 77th while the Cougars are a lowly 100th. However, Houston did fire defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio and will look for a new scheme in 2019.

Houston needs their defense to improve and their offense to maintain in order to beat the Black Knights. Houston is without star quarterback D’Eriq King and star defensive lineman Ed Oliver heading into the bowl game. That’s not good for a four-loss Cougars squad heading into a game against a tough, disciplined Army West Point squad.

Here are the three reasons to watch the Armed Forces Bowl.

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