Army receives bid to Liberty Bowl

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Army went from left out of the bowls to replacing Tennessee in the Liberty Bowl on Monday night, hours after the Volunteers withdrew because of COVID-19 test results.

The 9-2 Black Knights were left without a bowl Sunday night after a nearly two-month-long commitment to the Independence Bowl when the Dec. 26 game in Louisiana was called off without an available team to play.

A spot became available Monday when Tennessee became the first team to back out since bowl berths were announced and paused all football activities after receiving the results of Sunday’s testing. Thirdyear coach Jeremy Pruitt is among those who tested positive.

The change in opponent was no problem for West Virginia, the other original team in the game scheduled for Dec. 31 in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Volunteers will end their season at 3-7 with losses in seven of their final eight games. They lost 34-13 to No. 5 Texas A&M on Saturday.

In other bowl news Monday, No. 15 Iowa said it was pausing football activities for at least five days because of an increase in positive COVID-19 cases but still hopes to play in the

Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 30. The Hawkeyes (6-2) are scheduled to face Missouri (5-5).

Former Tech QB rejoins staff

Former Texas Tech quarterback and assistant coach Sonny Cumbie is returning to the Red Raiders as their new offensive coordinator after seven seasons at Big 12 rival TCU.

Cumbie’s hiring was announced by second-year Tech coach Matt Wells on Monday night, a week after David Yost was fired following a 4-6 season.

Before going to TCU as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2014, Cumbie had been a full-time coach for the Red Raiders for four seasons, as inside receivers coach from 2010-12 before serving as co-offensive coordinator and outside receivers coach in 2013.

Military Bowl off as teams opt out

The Military Bowl has been canceled after a host of teams opted not to play in bowl games this season.

The announcement was made Monday. The bowl game has been held annually in the Washington, D.C.-Maryland area since debuting in 2008.

The bowl matches teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the American Athletic Conference.

Appalachian St. trounces N. Texas

Camerun Peoples ran for a bowl-record 319 yards and tied a record with five rushing touchdowns as Appalachian State beat North Texas 56-28 Monday in the Myrtle Beach Bowl in Conway, S.C., to start college football’s pandemic-affected bowl season.

North Texas (4-6) of Conference USA fell behind 28-7 and had no answer for Peoples or the App State rushing game, which finished with 508 yards.

Tight end Henry Pearson had first-half touchdown catches of 22 and 11 yards before the Sun Belt’s Mountaineers put things out of reach with a 70-yard touchdown run by Marcus Williams Jr. and Peoples’ 64yard burst to the end zone to lead 35-14 at the half.

Peoples piled on with a 62-yard scoring run in the third quarter. He finished the period with a 76-yard run that set up a 1-yard touchdown run and added an 11-yard touchdown run in the final period.

Pelini leaves LSU after one season

LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini is leaving the program after one difficult season in which the Tigers allowed six opponents to gain more than 500 yards, a person familiar with the situation said.

Pelini, who was hired after Dave Aranda left the Tigers to become Baylor’s head coach, signed a fouryear contract with LSU worth more than $9 million. He would still be owed nearly $7 million under the terms of his contract, but could agree to a buyout for less than that as coaches routinely do when leaving earlier than planned.

Pelini was in his second stint as defensive coordinator at LSU, having served in the same capacity under Les Miles when the Tigers won a national title in the 2007 season.

Swinney’s ballot has Ohio St. No. 11

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney placed the Tigers’ College Football Playoff opponent Ohio State at No. 11when he voted in the final Amway Coaches’ rankings.

Swinney had Alabama No. 1 ahead of the Tigers. Notre Dame was third with Texas A&M fourth. He had Florida fifth, with his top 10 filled out by Georgia, Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Iowa State and the Chanticleers.