2009 Armed Forces Bowl

This was the second year in a row that the two teams finished their seasons against each other in the bowl game played on the TCU campus.

The Cougars, the Conference USA runner-up after losing to East Carolina in the championship game, beat Air Force 34–28 last year for their first bowl victory since 1980.

The only other meeting between the two schools was in 2008 when the Falcons defeated Houston 31–28 in a game played in front of just 2,546 people at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the campus of SMU in Dallas, Texas.

After Houston was held without a touchdown before halftime, Tyron Carrier returned the opening kickoff of the second half 79 yards for his fourth TD the season.

He took the ball near the left sideline, then ran to the middle of the field before shooting through a gap and running untouched to get the Cougars within 24–13.

According to STATS, it was only the sixth major college game since 1996 with kickoff return touchdowns on consecutive plays.