Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Army (6-6) vs. SMU (7-6)
V
S. 
12 PM, ESPN, Thur. Dec. 30, Fort Worth, Texas
Why Watch: Anyone who watched the ESPN 30-for-30 on SMU should know how important a bowl appearance is to the Mustangs following the NCAA death penalty. In 2009 SMU returned to a bowl for the first time since 1984, rolling over Nevada 45-10. That same importance is felt on the Army sidelines, though. The Knights haven’t been bowling since 1996 and are looking for their first win since ’85. The game should be intense on both sides of the field.
Who to Watch: You’ll be seeing a lot of SMU quarterback Kyle Padron, who earned freshman All-American honors last season. Padron’s favorite deep threat is wideout Aldrick Robinson, who brought in his second 1,000 yard receiving season this year. A senior from Waxahachie, Texas, Robinson averaged 20.4 yards a catch with 13 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball, Army middle linebacker Stephen Anderson fits the bill of what an Army linebacker should look like. He also led the Knights in tackles with 94, including 10.5 for a loss.
How it’s Going Down: There may not be two other teams that want to win a bowl game more so than SMU and Army. The Mustangs ended the season on a good note, earning a trip to the CUSA championship game with wins over Marshall and East Carolina, before losing to UCF in the title game. The Knights may have a disadvantage against SMU because of the quick strike June Jones offense. Army ranks dead last in the country in pass offense, averaging just 86.8 yards a game. So if SMU can slow the Army rushing game, there won’t be enough offense to match the Mustangs. Pick: SMU 34 – Army 21
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