This year’s Armed Forces Bowl between Louisiana Tech and Navy, which falls on the day before Christmas Eve, should be a pretty entertaining one. Both teams enter this game looking to cap off impressive seasons that had disappointing endings. Louisiana Tech finished the year 8-4 but had a disappointing last two games, with back-to-back losses to Southern Miss and Western Kentucky.
Navy vs. LA Tech, 2016 Armed Forces Bowl: Time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
The game before Christmas Eve looks to be a decent matchup.
Navy’s season didn’t end as planned, either. The Midshipmen let a 14-game win streak over Army come to an end with a 21-17 loss to the Black Knights. Still, these two teams, as most in the country who get bowl berths, should be excited to play football one last time in 2016, and enjoy being rewarded for positive seasons.
The biggest question for this game looks like it surrounds Navy’s quarterback position. Zach Abey made his first career start for the Midshipmen against Army, and his performance now makes it unclear as to who exactly will start against Louisiana Tech.
How to watch, stream, and listen
TV: 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Online streaming: Friday afternoon’s game can be live streamed through WatchESPN.
Spread: Navy is currently just a 1-point favorite.
Three big things to know
- Navy’s quarterback situation remains a question mark: As we mentioned before, Abey made his first career start against Army. The problem is, his turnover issues in the game may prompt head coach Ken Niumatalolo to make a change. Abey threw for two interceptions against Army, and two more when he stepped in for injured Will Worth the week before against Temple. With Worth out, and the Midshipmen already losing its original starter (Tago Smith) at the start of the season, Abey might be Navy’s only real option.
- Louisiana Tech’s Skip Holtz has won two straight bowls: In his first season as the Bulldogs’ head coach, Louisiana Tech went 4-8. But in 2014 and 2015, Holtz’s teams won nine games. What’s even more impressive is that Louisiana Tech won both the Heart of Dallas Bowl and New Orleans Bowl in both of those seasons.
- The Midshipmen have to take care of the ball: That’s been the biggest problem in Navy’s last two games. In the Temple loss, the Midshipmen had three turnovers, and had three again against Army. Louisiana Tech’s defense, on the other hand, had gained 17 turnovers on the season.
See More:
