W. Virginia rallies to beat Army 24-21

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Reserve quarterback Austin Kendall threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Simmons with 5:10 left and West Virginia held off Army 24-21 on Thursday in the Liberty Bowl.

Army (9-3) had a chance to tie it with 1:50 left, but Quinn Maretzki’s 39-yard field goal was wide left. Josh Chandler ended Army’s final possession with an interception, and led the Mountaineers (6-4) with 13 tackles.

Simmons also scored on a 5-yard pass from starting quarterback Jarret Doege.

Army quarterback Tyhier Tyler had three rushing touchdowns — from 1, 6, and 2 yards — to tie a Liberty Bowl record.

The Black Knights were scheduled to play in the Independence Bowl but it was canceled. They got to play in the Liberty Bowl after Tennessee (3-7) opted out because of COVID-19 cases.

The game was played in overcast conditions with occasional showers and sub-40-degree temperatures. The weather and local COVID-19 restrictions limited the crowd in the 60,000-seat Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, leaving clusters of the announced 8,187 fans.

What began as a defensive battle, changed after halftime. Army’s rushing offense got untracked, while a change in quarterbacks to Kendall for West Virginia gave it more firepower through the air.

The takeaway

Army: The Black Knights’ vaunted rushing offense couldn’t move early by not picking up their initial first down until the final play of the opening quarter. Part of the reason the Black Knights had eight players not play for safety and health protocols.

West Virginia: While the defense controlled things early, the Mountaineers couldn’t capitalize enough to build a significant lead. Turnovers hurt West Virginia, especially Doege’s fumble deep in his own territory late in the first half.