Army is coming off its first win over Navy since 2001.
The seventh edition of the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl will feature 7-5 Army against 5-7 North Texas. The Black Knights are coming off an uplifting win over No. 25 Navy — the first time in 15 games they defeated the Midshipmen. The Mean Green lost four of their final five games this season and while their 5-7 record may not seem like much, it was a vast improvement over last year’s 1-11 campaign. North Texas beat Army 35-18 when these teams met earlier this season on Oct. 22. Army committed a whopping seven turnovers that game and was held to 53 fewer rushing yards than its then-nation-leading average.
Game info
Army (7-5) vs. North Texas (5-7)
Dec. 27, 2016
Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
How to watch
Game time: Noon ET
TV channel: ESPN
Live stream: You can live stream the game here.
Players to watch
- Army quarterback Ahmad Bradshaw has run the ball (167 carries) almost twice as often as he's thrown it this season (88 attempts). With four touchdown passes against nine interceptions and a 43.2 completion percentage, you can see why. Bradshaw’s 697 rushing yards were second on the team, as were his seven rushing touchdowns.
- Jeffrey Wilson has been the workhorse for the North Texas backfield, with team-highs in carries (149), rushing yards (855) and touchdowns (13). A junior, Wilson is averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Key stats
- Despite being one win short of the six-win threshold for bowl eligibility, North Texas received an invitation thanks to the program’s Academic Progress Rate scores.
- Running back Andy Davidson leads the Black Knights in carries (178), rushing yards (905) and touchdowns (11) this season — although he’s yet to catch his first pass.
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- Punter Eric Keena and safety Kishawn McClain, both of North Texas, were named to the Conference USA 2016 All-Conference football team.
- Army is making its sixth all-time bowl appearance, and first since 2010.
- North Texas is playing in its ninth bowl game and is the first team to play twice in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl, defeating UNLV at the conclusion of the 2013 season.
- This bowl game, which began in 2011, was first known as the TicketCity Bowl.
- Army leads the all-time series 4-1.
