There will be several firsts happening when the Air Force Falcons face No.24 James Madison University Dukes in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl at TCU’s Amon Carter Stadium on December 23.
The teams will meet for the first time in college football history, but that is just one of the many firsts.
For the Dukes, it will be the first game for new head coach Bob Chesney and a near-clean slate of coaches. It will also be the first bowl game for the Dukes since joining the FBS in 2021. The NCAA had denied JMU a bowl appearance despite posting an 11-1 record this season. Rules bar teams that transfer from the FCS to the FBS from any postseason games including championships and bowl games.
The Dukes will make their first FBS bowl appearance after not enough teams qualified this season. Before the selection for the Armed Forces Bowl, former head coach Curt Cignetti accepted a position at Indiana, gutting the JMU football coaching program in the process. Chesney steps into a program in flux. Interim coach Damian Wroblewski spent two weeks scrambling to assemble a coaching staff that Chesney says will remain intact for the game.
“I’m not gonna get involved in things I see schematically,” Chesney said, reported CBS Sports. “For me, it’s really gonna be about just evaluating our coaches, evaluating our players and … building those relationships.”
Air Force makes the trip to North Texas for the second consecutive year. The Falcons roll behind a triple-option offense that resulted in an 8-4 regular season record. Unfortunately for the Falcons, the season ended on a four-game losing streak.
The loss of starting quarterback Zac Larrier to an undisclosed injury led to three different QBs taking snaps for the Falcons throughout the losing streak. Larrier is on track to play on December 23. Starting running back John Lee Eldridge has entered the transfer portal and is expected to miss the game. Fullback Emmanuel Michel, who led the team in rushing with 721 yards and nine touchdowns, will be on the field in hopes of ending the disappointing 2023 season on a high note.
The contest will be the first time since 2002 that the Falcons have faced a ranked opponent in a bowl game. The Falcons have never won a bowl game against a ranked opponent and enter with a record of 0-2-1. Air Force defeated the unranked Baylor Bears last season in what was one of the coldest bowl games in NCAA history.
The Armed Forces Bowl will begin with the annual Kickoff Luncheon starting at 11:30 a.m. CT and featuring this year’s Great American Patriot Award winner Florent Groberg. There will be a free Fan Fest area in Lot 6 showcasing military hardware and booths supporting service members and veterans. The Bowl for the Brave will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT. Patriotic themes, flyovers, and airborne demonstrations will highlight all six branches of the armed forces throughout the contest.
