Armed Forces Bowl at-a-glance: Will Cal limit Air Force’s triple-option attack?
After dropping four consecutive games, the Bears won two of their final three to ensure their first postseason appearance since 2011.
[...] the Bears were left accepting an at-large bid to a rematch of the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl.
Cal players were adamant Sunday that Sonny Dykes’ headline-grabbing interest in other jobs hasn’t distracted them from their chief objective: reach eight victories for the first time since 2009.
Between Oct. 24 and Nov. 20, the Falcons won five straight games to clinch the Mountain West Mountain Division title.
Though it fell to San Diego State by three points in the conference championship game Saturday, Air Force finished with six Mountain West wins for the first time since 2007.
Since their two-win season in 2013, the Falcons are 18-8.
Head coach Troy Calhoun, like Dykes, has been mentioned as a candidate for several head-coaching vacancies.
The 6-foot-1, 202-pound junior is the fourth player in school history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in two seasons.
In the Falcons’ loss to San Diego State in the Mountain West championship game, Owens needed just 17 carries to rush for 156 yards.
The 6-foot-3, 260-pound senior was one of three players on Air Force’s defense to earn first-team all-Mountain West honors.
Having a bowl game in Texas should help Cal in one of its most fertile recruiting grounds.
Six Bears players, including running backs Daniel Lasco and Vic Enwere, are from the Lone Star State.
In their most recent meeting, the Bears overcame a 21-point deficit to beat Air Force, 42-36, in the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl.
Cal safety Stefan McClure on what he hopes to accomplish in the Armed Forces Bowl