Virginia football has accepted a bid to the 2017 Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. The Cavaliers (6-6) will take on Navy, which is 6-5 heading into its regular season finale versus Army on December 9.
The Military Bowl is held at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, and is scheduled for Thursday, December 28 at 1:30 p.m.
With the exception of graduate transfer offensive linemen John Montelus and Brandon Pertile and grad transfer quarterback Kurt Benkert, no players from this current Cavalier team have been to a bowl game before. Virginia last reached postseason play in 2011, when the Cavaliers lost to Auburn in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl.
“To be selected to play in this year’s Military Bowl is a special honor for our team,” Bronco Mendenhall, who is in his second season at the University of Virginia, said in UVA’s official press release. “This is a defining moment for these players who have worked tirelessly to accomplish this goal of returning Virginia football to a bowl game. The opportunity to play in the shadow of the nation’s capital will be a remarkable way for the team to compete together one more time and to end this season.
“Seeing the joy on the faces of these players when they became bowl eligible after the Georgia Tech win was an incredible moment. The only members of our team who have been to a bowl game are three graduate transfers, so I can ensure you our players will enjoy every moment of the experience. They will take great pride in representing our athletics program, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the University of Virginia in Annapolis. We look forward to our alumni and fans joining us for the Military Bowl.”
Virginia and Navy each enjoyed a strong first half of the 2017 season. The Cavaliers won five of their first six, including an impressive blowout victory at Boise State, while Navy opened the year with five straight wins. Both programs have since lost five of six.
The Military Bowl represents the 40th meeting between the two schools. UVA has won five straight in the series — the most recent meeting occurred in 1994.
Click here to read the official press release courtesy of Virginia Athletics. The release includes ticket information.
