Brenden Welper | NCAA.com | December 30, 2019 Kansas State vs. Navy: Liberty Bowl prediction, time, TV channel, preview These are the must-watch bowl games (outside of CFP) in December Share Kansas State (8-4) and No. 23 Navy (10-2) will meet in the 2019 Liberty Bowl. Find the game time, television info, preview and prediction below. Kickoff is 3:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. ESPN will televise the game. It will stream on WatchESPN. Kansas State vs. Navy: Liberty Bowl preview This will be the first-ever meeting between these two programs. Each team is making its second appearance in the Liberty Bowl. Kansas State lost to Arkansas 45-23 in 2016, while Navy fell to Ohio State 31-28 back in 1981. The Wildcats had a strong regular season under first-year head coach Chris Klieman. They started 3-0 before dropping two straight, but would later complete one of the biggest upsets in 2019. Kansas State stunned then-No. 5 Oklahoma 48-41 on Oct. 26. It was the Sooners' only loss heading into the College Football Playoff semifinal against No. 1 LSU. The Midshipmen finished the regular season at No. 23 in the College Football Playoff rankings. A 35-23 loss to Memphis on Sept. 26 and a 52-20 beatdown to then-No. 16 Notre Dame on Nov. 16 were the only blemishes of Navy's 2019 campaign. With a win over Kansas State, it would mark just the second time in Ken Niumatalolo's 12 seasons that his team reached 11 victories. BOWL CENTRAL: Complete bowl schedule, TV listings As is often the case with service academies, Navy's offense relies heavily on its running game. But not from a traditional tailback. The Midshipmen's leading rusher is quarterback Malcolm Perry, who has run for more yards (1,804, the fourth-most in FBS) than he has thrown for (1,027) in 2019. Perry's 21 rushing touchdowns are tied for the third-most in the country. Navy ranks first among FBS teams when it comes to total rushing yards (4,364) and rushing yards per game (363.7). Fullbacks Jamale Carothers (712 yards, 14 touchdowns) and Nelson Smith (570 yards, seven touchdowns) help form the Midshipmen's triple-option attack. Kansas State's rushing defense (which ranks 60th out of all 130 FBS teams) will certainly be tested. The Wildcats allowed 152.3 yards per game on the ground during the regular season. That's slightly above average, but they also gave up 18 rushing touchdowns. CONFERENCE COMPARISON: Tracking each conference through bowl season So it'll be imperative that Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson works quickly and efficiently, because Navy's offense will eat up plenty of time. Thompson has thrown for 2,191 yards and 12 touchdown passes in 2019. He's completed 59 percent of his passes, and has also run for 10 touchdowns on just 402 yards. Kansas State vs. Navy: Liberty Bowl prediction It's no secret as to what this game boils down to, and that's the matchup between Navy's rushing attack and Kansas State's run defense. Whichever side prevails will likely decide the outcome. The prediction: Navy 34, Kansas State 21 kansas state navy 8-4 (5-4 Big 12) Record (Conference) 10-2 (7-1 AAC) 30.7 Points per game 38.6 21.5 Points allowed 22.8 374.7 Yards per game 458.7 185.7 Passing YPG 95.0 189.0 Rushing YPG 363.7 364.0 Yards allowed per game 326.1 211.7 Passing yards allowed 215.3 152.3 Rushing yards allowed 110.8 Skylar Thompson 2,191 yards (12 TD, 5 INT) Passing Malcolm Perry 1,027 yards (6 TD, 3 INT) James Gilbert 698 yards (5.2 per att.), 6 TD Rushing Malcolm Perry 1,804 yards (6.8 per att.), 21 TD Dalton Schoen 567 yards, 4 TD Receiving Mychal Cooper 355 yards, 2 TD Denzel Goolsby 56 tackles, 2 INT Defensive leader Diego Fagot 93 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF LATEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL NEWS COVID-19 UPDATES: Schedule tracker | Game times, TV info | Bowl schedule RANKINGS: AP Top 25 Poll | USA Today Coaches | CFP top 25| Every poll, explained MORE: How accurate are Lee Corso's picks? | 13 of the most successful walk-ons HISTORY: National champs | Winningest teams | Coaches with most titles How to pick a March Madness dark horse in your NCAA bracket Here's how to pick a March Madness dark horse. READ MORE 2021 Big 12 baseball preview: Texas trio headlines packed Big 12 The Big 12 could be on the verge of having its best showing since 2017. Here's how the conference's baseball teams stack up. READ MORE The 10 greatest upsets in NCAA volleyball tournament history We gathered what we think are 10 of the greatest upsets in the history of the tournament since its inception in 1981 and ranked them. READ MORE