Virginia Tech is headed back to Annapolis to play in the Military Bowl.
Sunday eventually brought clarity to the Hokies’ selection for the Dec. 27 bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, where they’ll play Tulane. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Tulane (11-2, 8-0 AAC) just missed out on an opportunity to get the Group of Five’s automatic berth to a New Year’s Six bowl by losing to SMU in the American Athletic Conference title game on Saturday.
The Green Wave, which was ranked as high as 17th this season in the AP poll, also just lost head coach Willie Fritz to Houston and will be operating under interim coach and offensive coordinator Slade Nagle in the bowl game.
The Hokies and Green Wave have played nine times in their history but not since 1989, a 30-13 Virginia Tech win.
Tech holds a 5-4 advantage in the series, one that famously pitted a Mack Brown-coached Tulane against Frank Beamer’s Hokies in 1987, a 57-38 Green Wave victory.
It’s Tech’s third appearance in the Military Bowl and is the first to feature a matchup against someone other than Cincinnati. The Hokies split their first two games there.
In 2014, with Frank Beamer up in the booth while recovering from throat surgery, Shane Beamer stepped in as acting head coach on the sideline in a 33-17 Hokies victory over the Tommy Tuberville-led Bearcats. J.C. Coleman earned MVP honors after running for 157 yards and a touchdown, with Tech getting major contributions in all three phases, a quintessential Beamer Ball effort.
In 2018 under Justin Fuente, the Hokies lost 35-31 to a Luke Fickell-coached Cincinnati squad, a game that featured five second-half lead changes and was decided on a Michael Warren touchdown run with a minute and a half left.
Print
The main thing is the extra practices.
Yes.
Let’s Go!
Hokies!
I am trying to figure out how Tulane can be 8-0 in conference if they lost to SMU in the title game.
Because the conference record is from the regular season.
+1
I like the match-up. Very winnable game for us.
Tulane is tough! But yes it’s winnable. Their coach has taken the Houston job. Who knows how that will affect them? I assume Pratt will not opt-out.
I like it because they are a decent enough team, and I am at my in-laws 1 hr away. I can’t wait.
Highway goes almost directly from my house to Annapolis, just need a ticket and I’m set, really a perfect fit when your team is 6-6, no muss, no fuss, have fun and be home in my bed that night. I will be 3-3 for Military Bowls. Hey Whit! remember that bbq thing you set up free for Hokies the first time? (wink-wink!)
Andy, what’s the real story behind the delay?
+1
Frank Beamers bowl runs and success started with a great win in the Independence Bowl. Tech needs to start Pry’s bowl tenure off right with a win over Tulane. 7-6 looks better to recruits than 6-7.
7-6 will sit MUCH better with us fans too.
Go Hokies
Concur. 7-6 looks so much better than 6-7. Also, with a bowl win & 7-6 record, the fans will be in a good mood all during the long off season. Certainly helps in the money raising business. Also, the players would, I assume, be in a good place mentally.
Fans care a lot more than recruits about 7-6 vs 6-7. The things recruits care about are quite different from what fans care about.
Coming together.
Wanted El Paso but it’s all good. I live in NoVa so it’s easy. Tulane will be tough but beatable!