San Diego, California - The San Diego State football team has accepted an invitation to play Army West Point in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Saturday, December 23 at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be played at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, and will be broadcast nationally by ESPN.
The Aztecs (10-2) have won four consecutive games by a combined score of 157-47 and have reached double-digits in wins for a school-record third straight season. Army West Point, meanwhile, is 8-3 and plays Navy this Saturday (Dec. 9) in Philadelphia.
It will be the eighth consecutive bowl appearance for SDSU (longest streak in school history) and 16th bowl appearance overall (12th in Division I play).
San Diego State will be playing in the Armed Forces Bowl for the first time.
The Aztecs are 2-0 all-time against the Black Knights, winning 23-20 at Army in 2011 and 42-7 at home in 2012.
“We are extremely excited to announce that the United States Military Academy and San Diego State University will square off at Amon G. Carter Stadium this year,” Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl executive director Brant Ringler said. “We are honored to host Army West Point for the second time and to have a service academy playing in the game for the ninth time in the past 11 years. We also are very pleased to be able to bring in a strong San Diego State program that has enjoyed so much success this year and over the past decade.
“This promises to be an exciting matchup between two talented, well-coached teams,” Ringler said. “We are looking forward to welcoming both programs and their great fans to Fort Worth in a little over two weeks.”
The Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, played in honor of the armed forces of the United States, is the only collegiate football bowl game that has hosted all three U.S. Military Academy football teams. Air Force has appeared in the game five times (2007, 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2015), while Navy has played twice (2013, 2016). Army, which made its debut in 2010, will be making its second appearance.
The annual game has featured the “armed forces” theme since 2006. Patriotic overtones recognizing all five branches of service are prevalent throughout the game. Past Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowls have included fan-fest adventure areas showcasing armed forces hardware; flyovers; demonstrations by several of the military's top skydiving teams; custom homes awarded to wounded warriors; on-field induction ceremonies; armed forces bands and honor guards; and the annual Great American Patriot Award presented by Armed Forces Insurance.
Tickets will be on sale shortly to the general public online (GoAztecs.com), and in person (SDCCU Stadium Window E) and over the phone ((619) 283-7378) beginning on Monday, Dec. 4.
