2019 Liberty Bowl

The 2019 Liberty Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2019, with kickoff at 3:45 p.m. EST (2:45 p.m. local CST) on ESPN.[5] It was the 61st edition of the Liberty Bowl, and one of the 2019–20 bowl games concluding the 2019 FBS football season. Sponsored by automotive retailer AutoZone, the game was officially known as the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

2019 AutoZone Liberty Bowl
61st Liberty Bowl
Navy Midshipmen Kansas State Wildcats
(10–2) (8–4)
The American Big 12
20 17
Head coach: 
Ken Niumatalolo		 Head coach: 
Chris Klieman
APCoachesCFP
212123
1234 Total
Navy 3773 20
Kansas State 01007 17
DateDecember 31, 2019
Season2019
StadiumLiberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
LocationMemphis, Tennessee
MVPMalcolm Perry (QB, Navy)[1]
FavoriteNavy by 2[2]
RefereeTra Blake (ACC)[3]
Attendance50,515
PayoutUS$4,700,000[4]
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN & ESPN Radio
AnnouncersESPN: Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (analyst) and Lauren Sisler (sideline)
ESPN Radio: Bill Roth (play-by-play), Dustin Fox (analyst) and Taylor Davis (sideline)

Teams

The game featured the Navy Midshipmen of the American Athletic Conference (AAC) and the Kansas State Wildcats of the Big 12 Conference. This was the first meeting between the two programs.[6]

Main article: 2019 Navy Midshipmen football team

Navy entered the game with a 10–2 record (7–1 in conference), ranked 21st in the AP Poll. The Midshipmen finished tied with Memphis atop the West Division of the AAC; the Tigers advanced to the AAC Championship Game due to their win over Navy in September. Navy faced two ranked FBS teams during the season, defeating SMU and losing to Notre Dame.

Navy averaged 360.82 yards rushing per game during the regular season, 49 yards more than any other FBS team.[7] Their 10 regular season wins, including a December 14 victory in the Army–Navy Game,[8] was a seven-win improvement over their 2018 team that finished 3–10. This was Navy's second Liberty Bowl; their 1981 team appeared in that season's Liberty Bowl, losing to Ohio State, 31–28.

Kansas State
Main article: 2019 Kansas State Wildcats football team

Kansas State entered the game with an 8–4 record, having recorded three more wins than their 2018 team. They were 5–4 in conference, finishing in a four-way tie for third place in the Big 12. The Wildcats defeated both ranked FBS teams they faced, Oklahoma and Iowa State. Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman previously led North Dakota State to four FCS titles.[7]

During the regular season, the Wildcats allowed only 21.5 points per game and had the third-best passing defense based on passing yardage. Jordan Brown led the offense with 698 yards in only 10 games; as a team, they averaged 189 rushing yards per game.[9] This was Kansas State's second Liberty Bowl; their 2015 team appeared in the 2016 Liberty Bowl, losing to Arkansas, 45–23.

Game summary
2019 AutoZone Liberty Bowl
1 2 34Total
No. 23 Navy 3 7 7320
Kansas State 0 10 0717

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, Tennessee

  • Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2019
  • Game time: 3:45 p.m. EST (2:45 p.m. CST)
  • Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 50 °F (10 °C) • Wind: SW 10 mph
  • Game attendance: 50,515
  • Referee: Tra Blake
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (analyst) and Lauren Sisler (sideline)
  • ESPN game summary
Game information
First Quarter
  • (4:26) NAVY – Bijan Nichols 21 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 6:38; Navy 3–0)
Second Quarter
  • (13:13) KSU – Phillip Brooks 66 yard punt return, Blake Lynch kick (Kansas State 7–3)
  • (9:31) NAVY – Malcolm Perry 27 yard pass to Keoni Makekau, Bijan Nichols kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:42; Navy 10–7)
  • (2:27) KSU – Blake Lynch 39 yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 49 yards, 6:59; Tied 10–10)
Third Quarter
  • (10:15) NAVY – Chance Warren 20 yard rush, Bijan Nichols kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:45; Navy 17–10)
Fourth Quarter
  • (5:17) KSU – Skylar Thompson 1 yard rush, Blake Lynch kick (Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards, 3:12; Tied 17–17)
  • (0:02) NAVY – Bijan Nichols 23 yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 70 yards, 5:12; Navy 20–17)

Statistics
StatisticsNAVYKSU
First downs1910
Plays–yards63–42141–170
Rushes–yards54–32327–46
Passing yards98124
Passing: Comp–Att–Int6–9–010–14–0
Time of possession36:3123:29
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
NavyPassingMalcolm Perry5/7, 57 yards, 1 TD
RushingMalcolm Perry28 carries, 213 yards
ReceivingChance Warren1 reception, 41 yards
Kansas StatePassingSkylar Thompson10/14, 124 yards
RushingJames Gilbert8 carries, 39 yards
ReceivingWykeen Gill2 receptions, 57 yards

References
  1. @munzly (December 31, 2019). "Malcolm Perry is the Liberty Bowl MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 31, 2019 – via Twitter.
  2. "Navy vs. Kansas State - Game Summary". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  3. "2019-20 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  4. "2019 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  5. "2019-20 college football bowl schedule, games, dates, times, TV channels". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  6. "Navy Midshipmen vs. Kansas State Wildcats football series history". winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  7. "No. 21 Navy to match up with Kansas State in Liberty Bowl". Fox Sports. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  8. Fornelli, Tom (December 14, 2019), "Army vs. Navy Game 2019 score, takeaways: Midshipmen snap streak behind historic Malcolm Perry performance", CBS Sports, retrieved December 15, 2019
  9. Engels, Sully (December 8, 2019). "K-State to face Navy in Liberty Bowl". KSNT. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
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