• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Air Force faces Houston in Armed Forces Bowl

Dec 31, 2008 - 12:17 PM Air Force (8-4) vs. Houston (7-5), 12:00 pm EST

FORT WORTH, Texas (Ticker) -- Air Force returns to the Armed Forces Bowl for the second time in as many years to face Houston on Wednesday in a rematch of a regular-season contest won by the Falcons.

On September 13, senior quarterback Shea Smith rushed for 97 yards and three touchdowns to lead Air Force to a 31-28 victory over Houston in a game moved to Dallas because of Hurricane Ike. Overall, the Falcons rushed for 380 yards against the Cougars.

However, Air Force never has won a game in Forth Worth, going 0-5. That includes losses to TCU in 1989, 1998, 2006 and this season and a 42-36 defeat to California in last year's Armed Forces Bowl.

The Falcons' last postseason victory was a 37-34 win over Fresno State in the 2000 Silicon Valley Bowl.

Air Force (8-4) is looking to rebound after ending the regular season with a pair of decisive losses to ranked teams in Brigham Young (38-24) and TCU (44-10).

Midway through the season, freshman Tim Jefferson took over for Smith. The Falcons throw infrequently, averaging just 10 passes per game, as they rely heavily on their traditional option attack.

Seven different Air Force players ran for at least 200 yards this season as the Falcons rank fifth in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing, averaging 268.9 yards per game.

Houston, by contrast, features a pass-happy attack as Case Keenum threw for 4,768 yards to lead the FBS along with 43 touchdowns. His favorite target is Tyron Carrier, who has 75 receptions for 977 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Cougars (7-5) led the FBS in total offense, but missed a chance to play in the Conference USA championship game by losing to Rice, 56-42, in their regular-season finale. Keenum passed for 494 yards and five TDs in defeat.

Keenum set a FBS record with 25 straight pass completions against Rice and is one game shy of tying the NCAA record of 14 consecutive 300-yard passing games.