West Virginia gets new opponent for Liberty Bowl matchup
Neal Brown and the West Virginia football team began preparations Monday to play Tennessee in the Liberty Bowl on New Year’s Day.
On Monday evening, the Volunteers (3-7) announced they will not be playing and have completed the 2020 season.
Army was happy to step in to play the Mountaineers (5-4).
“I have great respect for the Army football tradition and the sacrifice the Cadets make daily for our country. Coach Monken and his staff have done a terrific job at West Point with 43 wins in the last five years,” WVU coach Neal Brown said in a statement. “We started the day preparing for one opponent and will end it preparing for another but that’s how crazy 2020 has been.”
The Black Knights (9-2) expressed interest in playing in a bowl game after they were not selected for a game Sunday.
“The opponent might have changed, but that’s it. As I said before, the Mountaineers are looking forward to playing in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and coming to Memphis,” WVU Director of Athletics Shane Lyons said in a statement. “Our team deserves to be in a bowl and so does the 9-2 Army squad. While we are disappointed that Tennessee couldn’t be in the game, Army needed a bowl and an opponent, and the Mountaineers are glad to solve the problem. Even though the two teams have not played since 1961, we are honored to face the Black Knights in a tradition rich bowl game.”
Take two: THE MATCHUP IS SET: @ArmyWP_Football will play @WVUfootball in the 62nd @AutoZone Liberty Bowl on December 31! #AZLB62 #GoArmy #HailWV
? Tickets ? https://t.co/gAwlqBKoQo pic.twitter.com/HWYdbMJPaX
— AutoZone Liberty Bowl (@AZOLibertyBowl) December 22, 2020
After receiving its latest covid-19 test results, Tennessee decided to pause all team activities.
“The test results revealed an increase in positive cases among student-athletes and staff and subsequent contact tracing,” Tennessee athletics said in a statement.
“The decision was made in consultation with health officials, the Southeastern Conference and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The student-athletes and staff affected are taking the appropriate safety measures in accordance with university, CDC and local health department guidelines.”
NEWS: After our latest COVID-19 test results, we have postponed all team activities and completed our 2020 season.
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) December 21, 2020
Among those who tested positive was Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt. In a statement, he said he is isolating at home after learning of his positive test Monday.
“I am experiencing mild symptoms but doing fine,” Pruitt said in a statement. “We are obviously disappointed that we will not be able to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, but the health and safety of our student-athletes will always remain our top priority.
“I am especially proud of our team and medical staff in safely navigating through a unique season where we played all 10 of our regular-season games.”
We are game! Let’s play ball @ArmyWP_Football
— Neal Brown (@NealBrown_WVU) December 22, 2020
WE'RE BOWL BOUND‼️#GoARMY pic.twitter.com/QQZUEVoU3d
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) December 22, 2020
Bill Hartlep is the TribLive sports editor. A Pittsburgh native and Point Park graduate, he joined the Trib in 2004, covering high school sports. He held various editing roles before assuming his current position in 2019. He can be reached at bhartlep@triblive.com.
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