Armed Forces Bowl: Houston and Pitt meet without their head coaches

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Houston (7-5) vs. Pittsburgh (6-6)
Fort Worth, Texas
Jan. 2, 2015

Both Pittsburgh and Houston had up and down 2014 campaigns. On top of that, both will play the Armed Forces Bowl without their head coach.

Pitt’s Paul Chryst left the Steel City to return home to coach Wisconsin while Houston decided to part ways with Tony Levine. Both schools have new coaches in place – Pitt hired Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi and Houston hired Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman – but neither will take over until after the bowl game.

Joe Rudolph, Pitt's offense coordinator, will coach the game on an interim basis. For Houston, defensive coordinator David Gibbs will serve in the interim role. 

After an impressive early season win at Boston College, Pitt looked like a team that could potentially compete for an ACC Coastal Division crown. It didn’t turn out that way as the Panthers had to win their final two regular season to get to 6-6 and clinch bowl eligibility.

When you watch the Panthers, you know who’s getting the ball: sophomores James Conner and Tyler Boyd. Conner, the ACC Player of the Year, is a 250-pound workhorse running back who gained 1,675 yards and 24 touchdowns on 277 carries. Boyd, who caught 69 passes for 1,149 yards and eight touchdowns, was far and away the favorite target for quarterback Chad Voytik. Voytik, also a sophomore, threw for 2,011 yards and 15 touchdowns on the year. He also showed a sneaky ability to run the football and racked up 426 yards and three touchdowns.

Pitt was 27th in the country in total defense, but it faces a tough challenge in Houston’s dual-threat quarterback Greg Ward Jr. Ward Jr. is a converted receiver who took over for an ineffective John O’Korn for the final seven games, leading the Cougars to a 4-3 record in those games and a 7-5 record overall.

Ward Jr. threw for 1,736 yards and nine touchdowns while also running for 481 yards and six scores. The Cougars have two good backs, juniors Kenneth Farrow (934 yards, 12 TDs) and Ryan Jackson (597 yards, 5 TDs), along with go-to receiver Deontay Greenberry. Greenberry, a 6-foot-3 junior, caught 68 passes for 756 yards and four touchdowns to lead the team.

Houston’s defense allows only 19.5 points per game, so this one has the makings of a defensive struggle. Will the Cougars be able to contain Conner and Boyd? That should ultimately be the difference.

ODDS

Pittsburgh (-3)

FUN FACT

Conner set a number of school and ACC records this season. First, his 24 touchdowns broke Tony Dorsett’s record for touchdowns in a season (22 in 1976) and the ACC record for rushing touchdowns in a season (21, Virginia Tech’s Ryan Williams in 2009). Additionally, Conner’s 1,675 yards is the best ever for a sophomore in Pitt and ACC history.

PREDICTIONS

Graham: Both of these teams had disappointing seasons and are playing for interim coaches. I'm not sure who will have motivation in this one, but I do know that James Conner will be the key to a Pitt victory. Pitt 24, Houston 16.

Nick: It's the interim-coach bowl! Pitt's James Conner may be the best player on the field, but Houston's Greg Ward has been improving mightily. If that improvement continued through bowl preparations, Houston is the team to beat. But Pitt is the pick here in a close one. Pitt 24, Houston 23.

Sam: Pitt sets everything up off of James Conner and the running game. Houston will have to key in on Conner, allowing Voytik to hit Boyd in the play-action game. It will be close, but I like Pitt to win this one. Pitt 24, Houston 17.

For more Pittsburgh news, visit Panther-lair.com.

For more Houston news, visit CougarsDen.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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