2018 Military Bowl vs Virginia Tech
The 2018 Military will feature two non-conference teams that have played each other 11 times dating back to 1947 and will be the fourth matchup since 2009.
January 1, 2009 – Orange Bowl – we were in Miami when the 10-2 Bearcats took on the 8-4 Hokies. We remember the build-up: the Bearcats first Big East Championship, the students throwing oranges onto the field during final game of the season vs Pitt (and prematurely rushing the field), the 19 hour drive to Miami, New Years Eve with hundreds of Bearcats in Ft Lauderdale…and unfortunately, we remember the game itself. VT 20 – UC 7
September 29, 2012 – “home” game at FedEx Field – we were in Landover, MD that day. In fact, it was the first “official” tailgate of the Republic of Cincinnati (picture below). While “Pike to Binns” will be the radio call that Bearcats fans will never forget, “Legaux to Julian” was pretty special as well. UC 27 – VT 24
December 27, 2014 – Military Bowl – we were at this one too. We witnessed the brutal hit that ended Gunner Kiel’s day, Michael Colosimo running for his life, and the highlight of the day, the Bearcat drop kicking President George Washington. VT 33 – UC 17
This one seems different though. The Bearcats are looking for win #11 vs a 6-6 Virginia Tech team (that needed to schedule a make up game in order to become bowl eligible). This is a young team that overachieved by everyone’s expectations but was still overlooked in the end – finishing the season in the “others receiving votes” category at #29 with an 11-2 record, behind numerous 3-4 loss teams.
It’s time to get win 11. It’s time to get revenge on the Hokies and forever turn the page from Tuberville’s terrible bowl preparation (and to “thank” VT AD Whit Babcock for hiring his buddy instead of conducting a real search). It’s time for this young team to get a bowl win against a “brand” name and start looking forward to the gauntlet to come in 2019.