Television
ESPN
Mike Corey, Rene Ingoglia and Alex Corddry

National Radio
ESPN Radio
SiriusXM 80

Cincinnati Radio
WLW-AM 700 (flagship)

THE GAME
The Military Bowl is the only bowl game to be played in the Washington, D.C., region and the first to be played on the campus of one of the nation’s service academies … The Military Bowl has provided more than $700,000 to the USO and other organizations that support the nation’s military … American Athletic Conference teams are a combined 2-2 in the Military Bowl since the league’s formation in 2013 … Navy has provided both of the wins — a 44-28 winner against Pitt in 2015 and a 49-7 victory against Virginia last year … Teams that are current members of The American are a combined 2-5 in the Military Bowl since the game’s inception … This year’s game is a rematch of the 2014 Military Bowl, won by Virginia Tech … It will be the 12th meeting between Cincinnati and Virginia Tech and the fourth meeting in a bowl game since the schools first met in the Sun Bowl Jan. 1, 1947 … Virginia Tech holds a 6-5 series lead and has taken two of the previous three bowl matchups … The teams’ last meeting in 2014 saw the Hokies get four field goals and a defensive touchdown in a 33-17 Virginia Tech win … Virginia Tech director of athletics Whit Babcock served in a similar capacity at Cincinnati from 2011-14 … Cincinnati safeties coach Jon Tenuta is the father of Virginia Tech freshman OL Luke Tenuta.

MILITARY BOWL RESULTS (2-2)

12-20-08	Wake Forest 23, Navy 19
12-29-09	UCLA 30, Temple 21
12-29-10	Maryland 51, ECU 10
12-28-11	Toledo 42, Air Force 41
12-27-12	San Jose State 29, Bowling Green 20
12-27-13	Marshall 31, Maryland 20
12-27-14	Virginia Tech 33, Cincinnati 17
12-28-15	Navy 44, Pittsburgh 28
12-27-16	Wake Forest 34, Temple 26
12-28-17	Navy 49, Virginia 7

 

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Head Coach
Luke Fickell (Ohio State ’97)
14-10, second season at Cincinnati
20-17, third season as collegiate head coach

Notes
Cincinnati returns to postseason play for the first time since 2015 … The Bearcats will make their 10th bowl appearance in the last 13 seasons and their 18th appearance overall … Cincinnati is 8-9 all-time in bowl games … A win against Virginia Tech would give Cincinnati its third 11-win season in the 131-year history of the program … It has been a remarkable turnaround for the Bearcats, who were 4-8 last season and have improved by six wins 2018 … Head coach Luke Fickell was named as the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in his second-year in the Queen City … Cincinnati has registered two shutouts this season and has held three other opponents to single-digit scoring … Cincinnati ranks seventh nationally in scoring defense (16.1 ppg) and is eighth nationally in total defense (291.9 ypg) … The Bearcats are fourth nationally in third down defense, holding opponents to 27.2-percent efficiency … Accordingly, Cincinnati has allowed 176 first downs, the second-fewest nationally, behind only Southern Miss (161) … Freshman QB Desmond Ridder was named as the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year … Ridder, who took over as the regular quarterback in the first half of the season-opener against UCLA, has thrown for 2,382 yards and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions and has 563 rushing yards with five TDs on the ground … RB Michael Warren II is averaging 107.9 rushing yards per game with 17 touchdowns … WR Khalil Lewis has a team-high 55 catches for 768 yards and nine touchdowns … TE Josiah Deguara has 37 receptions for 465 yards and five TDs … The defense is led by DT Cortez Broughton, an all-conference first team selection who has registered 6.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss … LB Perry Young was named as a first-team all-conference pick after he had 45 tackles in eight games before suffering a season-ending injury … LB Malik Clements leads the team with 53 tackles and two forced fumbles … S James Wiggins has a team-high three interceptions  P James Smith was named as a second-team All-America pick by the Football Writers Association of America and was a third team selection of the Associated Press … Smith averages 47.0 yards per punt and had 16 kicks of at least 50 yards.

2018 RESULTS

September
	1	at UCLA	W	26-17
	8	at Miami (Ohio)	W	21-0
	15	Alabama A&M	W	63-7
	22	Ohio	W	34-30
	29	at UConn *	W	49-7
October
	6	Tulane *	W	37-21
	20	at Temple *	L	ot 17-24
	27	at SMU *	W	ot 26-20
November
	3	Navy *	W	42-0
	10	USF *	W	35-23
	17	at UCF *	L	13-38
	23	ECU *	W	56-6
December
	31	vs. Virginia Tech		Noon

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Head Coach
Justin Fuente (Murray State ’99)
25-14, third season at Virginia Tech
51-37, seventh season as collegiate head coach

Notes
Virginia Tech extended the nation’s longest active bowl streak to 26 consecutive season, a mark that stands as the third-longest in college football history, with wins in its final two regular-season games … The Hokies scored a 34-31 overtime win against Virginia before taking a 41-20 win against Marshall to get to six wins and extend their streak … Virginia Tech’s current streak of 26 straight bowls trails only Nebraska (35 from 1969-2003) and Michigan (33 from 1975-2007) in college football history … The Hokies have played in 31 bowl games in program history and are 13-18 in the postseason … Virginia Tech fell 30-21 to Oklahoma State last season in the Camping World Bowl … Head coach Justin Fuente went 2-1 against Cincinnati as head coach at Memphis … Virginia Tech went 4-2 in its first six games, but dropped four straight games in advance of the back-to-back wins to close the regular season … Virginia Tech leads the ACC in red zone offense (91.9 percent) … The Hokies are 5-1 this season and 22-1 under coach Justin Fuente when leading at halftime … Virginia Tech has held five opponents this season to 21 point or fewer … The Hokies have won 24 straight games when the opponent scores 21 points or fewer … The Hokies average 426.9 yards per game and have allowed 436.7 yards per game in 2018 … Virginia Tech has outscored its opponents 210-146 in the first half, but has been outscored 222-144 in the second half … QB Ryan Willis has taken over as the starter after a Sept. 22 injury to QB Josh Jackson … Willis has completed 193 of 333 passes for 2,497 yards and 22 touchdowns with eight interceptions … RB Steven Peoples is the leading rusher with 760 yards and five touchdowns on 149 carries … WR Damon Hazelton, an All-ACC second team selection, has a team-high 45 receptions for 745 yards and eight TDs … The defense is led by LB Rayshard Ashby, who has a team-high 100 tackles with 9.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles … DT Ricky Walker, a second-team All-ACC pick, leads the team with 10.5 tackles for loss, while DE Houshun Gaines has a team-leading 4.5 sacks … K Brian Johnson has made 11 of 16 field goal attempts … P Oscar Bradburn is averaging 42.2 yards on 65 punts.

2018 RESULTS

September
	3	at Florida State *	W	24-3
	8	William & Mary	W	62-17
	22	at Old Dominion	L	35-49
	29	at Duke *	W	31-14
October
	6	Notre Dame	L	23-45
	13	at North Carolina *	W	22-19
	25	Georgia Tech *	L	28-49
November
	3	Boston College *	L	21-31
	10	at Pitt *	L	22-52
	17	Miami (Fla.) *	L	14-38
	23	Virginia *	W	ot 34-31
December
	1	Marshall	W	41-20
	31	vs. Cincinnati		Noon