2020 Liberty Bowl

The 2020 Liberty Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 31, 2020, with kickoff at 4:00 p.m. EST (3:00 p.m. local CST) on ESPN.[4] It was the 62nd edition of the Liberty Bowl, and was one of the 2020–21 bowl games concluding the 2020 FBS football season. Sponsored by automotive retailer AutoZone, the game was officially known as the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

2020 AutoZone Liberty Bowl
62nd Liberty Bowl
West Virginia Mountaineers Army Black Knights
(5–4) (9–2)
Big 12 Independent
24 21
Head coach: 
Neal Brown		 Head coach: 
Jeff Monken
1234 Total
West Virginia 3768 24
Army 01470 21
DateDecember 31, 2020
Season2020
StadiumLiberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
LocationMemphis, Tennessee
MVPT.J. Simmons (WR, West Virginia)[1]
FavoriteWest Virginia by 9.5[2]
RefereeStuart Mullins (ACC)[3]
Attendance8,187
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN and ESPN Radio
AnnouncersESPN: Wes Durham (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) and Eric Wood (sideline)
ESPN Radio: Jay Alter (play-by-play) and Brad Edwards (analyst)
International TV coverage
NetworkESPN Deportes

Teams

Based on conference tie-ins, the bowl was expected to feature teams from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Big 12 Conference.[5] After a matchup of West Virginia of the Big 12 and Tennessee of the SEC was announced on December 20, the Tennessee program had to withdraw on December 21 due to positive COVID-19 testing.[6] Army, who had accepted an invitation to the Independence Bowl before it was canceled due to a lack of available teams, was named as their replacement.[7]

West Virginia Mountaineers
Main article: 2020 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

West Virginia of the Big 12 entered the Liberty Bowl with a 5–4 record, 4–4 in conference play. The Mountaineers' most recent bowl game was the 2018 Camping World Bowl, and their most recent bowl win was the 2016 Cactus Bowl (January). They had two prior appearances in the Liberty Bowl, losing in the 1964 and the 2014 editions.

Army Black Knights
Main article: 2020 Army Black Knights football team

Army, which competed as an independent, entered the Liberty Bowl with a 9–2 record. The Black Knights' most recent bowl game, and bowl win, was the 2018 Armed Forces Bowl. This edition marked Army’s first Liberty Bowl appearance.

Game summary
2020 AutoZone Liberty Bowl
1 2 34Total
West Virginia 3 7 6824
Army 0 14 7021

at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, Tennessee

  • Date: Thursday, December 31, 2020
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST (3:00 p.m. CST)
  • Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 38 °F (3 °C) • Wind: NE 13 mph
  • Referee: Stuart Mullins (ACC)
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Wes Durham (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) and Eric Wood (sideline)
  • ESPN game summary
Game information
First quarter
  • (1:47) WVU – Tyler Sumpter 31 yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 2:33; West Virginia 3–0)
Second quarter
  • (9:31) ARMY – Tyhier Tyler 1 yard rush, Quinn Maretzki kick (Drive: 14 plays, 74 yards, 7:12; Army 7–3)
  • (4:21) WVU – T.J. Simmons 5 yard pass from Jarret Doege, Tyler Sumpter kick (Drive: 12 plays, 77 yards, 5:04; West Virginia 10–7)
  • (1:14) ARMY – Tyhier Tyler 6 yard rush, Quinn Maretzki kick (Drive: 2 plays, 7 yards, 0:38; Army 14–10)
Third quarter
  • (7:00) ARMY – Tyhier Tyler 2 yard rush, Quinn Maretzki kick (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 8:00; Army 21–10)
  • (3:23) WVU – Mike O'Laughlin 3 yard pass from Austin Kendall, two-point conversion failed (Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 3:37; Army 21–16)
Fourth quarter
  • (5:10) WVU – T.J. Simmons 20 yard pass from Austin Kendall, two-point conversion good (Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:11; West Virginia 24–21)

Statistics
StatisticsWVUARMY
First downs1915
Plays–yards69–32265–239
Rushes–yards27–4259–182
Passing yards28057
Passing: Comp–Att–Int23–42–14–6–1
Time of possession26:1833:41
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
West VirginiaPassingJarret Doege15-for-25 for 159 yards, 1 TD 1 INT
RushingLeddie Brown65 yards on 20 carries
ReceivingT.J. Simmons56 yards on 4 receptions, 2 TD
ArmyPassingChristian Anderson4-for-6 for 57 yards, 1 INT
RushingTyhier Tyler76 yards on 24 carries, 3 TD
ReceivingChris Cameron32 yards on 1 reception

Tyhier Tyler tied the Liberty Bowl record for rushing touchdowns, with three.[8]

References
  1. Coniglio, Sam (December 31, 2020). "Kendall leads WVU on second half comeback to beat Army in AutoZone Liberty Bowl". WBOY-TV. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  2. "ESPN Game Summary - West Virginia vs. Army - December 31, 2020". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  3. Austro, Ben (December 23, 2020). "2020-21 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  4. "College Football Bowl Schedule | 2020". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  5. "2020 Bowl Schedule". collegefootballpoll.com. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  6. "Tennessee Football Pauses Team Activities, Completes 2020 Season". utsports.com (Press release). December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  7. Scarborough, Alex (December 21, 2020). "Army to face West Virginia in Liberty Bowl, replacing Tennessee". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  8. Bailey, Clay (December 31, 2020). "West Virginia rallies to beat Army 24-21 in Liberty Bowl". apnews.com. AP. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
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