2015 Military Bowl, Navy vs. Pittsburgh: Date, time, location and more

The Military Bowl (not to be confused with the Armed Forces Bowl) is an annual matchup between schools that don’t usually have military affiliations, with the exception of the time Air Force played in the game in 2011.

Originally founded as the EagleBank Bowl in 2008, it was renamed the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman in 2010. From its inception, it pitted teams from the ACC against a Conference USA opponent or service academy. In 2014, it switched to its current format of the ACC against the American Athletic Conference.

The game annually benefits the USO with a six-figure donation and thousands of tickets distributed to military personnel and their families.

Here is everything you need to know to get ready for this year’s Military Bowl:

Date and time: Monday, Dec. 28, 2:30 p.m. ET

TV channel: ESPN

Location: Annapolis, Md.

Stadium: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, 34,000

Last year’s score: Virginia Tech 33, Cincinnati 27

Last year’s attendance: 34,277

Last year’s TV rating: 1.8

Last year’s payout for each school: $1 million

Team with the most all-time appearances: Maryland, 2

Team with the most all-time wins: Seven teams, 1

Over the course of four years, Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds elevated a good Midshipmen team and turned them into the program that no Power 5 conference team wanted to face. Along the way, he rewrote NCAA record books and became a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate thanks to his penchant for finding the end zone.

Reynolds executed Navy’s triple-option running attack to perfection in Annapolis, earning accolades as his team climbed as high as 15th in the College Football Playoff rankings. However, a look back at his past performances shows that his swan song in blue and gold hasn’t been all that different than the high-level performances he’s been putting on since stepping behind center as a true freshman in 2012. While he’s been more effective as a passer (71.1 QBR, up from 46.8 in 2014), he’s running the ball less and scoring fewer touchdowns than he had as a sophomore or junior.

That works just fine for Navy, whose only defeats have come against top 25 teams Notre Dame and Houston. Their defense has held bowl-bound teams like Air Force, South Florida, Tulsa and Memphis to 21 points or fewer in a series of quality wins.

Last bowl game: 2014 Poinsettia Bowl (17-16 win over San Diego State)

All-time bowl record: 9-10-1

Head coach’s bowl record: Ken Niumatalolo is 3-4 in bowl games, all with Navy.

Pat Narduzzi’s first season at Pitt was an unqualified success. His team recorded Pitt’s first eight-win season since 2010 and its first winning record in the ACC since 2011. Pitt’s only losses came to three Playoff contenders -- Iowa, North Carolina and Notre Dame -- and a surging Miami team in the season finale.

Narduzzi’s fingerprints -- a physical, run-stopping defense and possession-heavy, turnover-averse offense -- were all over the turnaround. The Panthers finished in the national top 30 in total defense, rushing defense, tackles for loss and sacks. Pitt’s offense committed just 13 turnovers.

The Pitt offense is led by receiver Tyler Boyd, who finished second in the ACC in all-purpose yards. Boyd has caught 85 passes this season for 873 yards and six scores, added 294 rushing yards and completed two pass attempts for fun. While quarterback Nathan Peterman has attempted to spread the ball among his receivers -- nine other players have caught at least five passes -- Boyd remains the most prolific and dangerous target he has.

Last bowl game: 2014 season’s Armed Forces Bowl (35-34 loss to Houston)

All-time bowl record: 13-18

Head coach’s bowl record: Pat Narduzzi is coaching in his first bowl game.