Air Force scored a touchdown on their first possession (though the extra point was blocked) and a field goal on their second to take an early 9–0 lead.

After a missed 38-yard field goal midway through the second quarter, the Bears pulled within two points going into halftime with a touchdown of their own on a pass from Blake Shapen to Hal Presley.

[9] The Armed Forces Bowl was televised by ESPN, with a commentary team of Brian Custer, Dustin Fox, and Lauren Sisler.

[13] The game's officiating crew, representing the Mid-American Conference, was led by referee Jeremy Valentine and umpire Willian Steinke.

[15] The game began at 6:34 p.m. CST with the opening kickoff by Air Force's Matthew Dapore returned to the Baylor 21-yard-line by Monaray Baldwin.

Air Force started back at their own 42-yard-line, and a 34-yard rush by John Lee Eldridge III put the Falcons near the red zone quickly.

A kickoff return by Baylor to their 22-yard-line and a Bears first down on a 13-yard pass from Blake Shapen to Gavin Holmes set up a 1-yard rush on 1st & 10 for Qualan Jones, which ended the first quarter.

[17] A 6-yard pass from Shapen to Kelsey Johnson left two yards to go on fourth down for Baylor early in the second quarter, and they converted with a 4-yard Williams rush.

Baylor unsuccessfully attempted a 38-yard field goal on 4th & 11 with the kick drifting wide left, giving Air Force the ball back at their own 20-yard-line.

On the play, Jones rushed for 5 yards to move the chains with 18 seconds remaining, and Shapen followed that up with an 11-yard pass to Cameron.

Baylor started slower on offense, with a pair of Richard Reese carries gaining four yards apiece and an incomplete pass bringing up 4th & 2.

Baylor was unable to capitalize on the good field position as they too went three-and-out, though they lost possession with a failed fourth down conversion rather than a punt; Shapen rushed for 2 yards on 4th & 4, giving the ball back to Air Force.

On the next play, Daniels passed to Caleb Rillos for a 15-yard touchdown, giving Air Force a sixteen-point lead.

An offside penalty on Baylor moved the ball to the 4-yard-line and the second of two more rushes by Roberts reached the end zone for a touchdown.

Baylor got the ball back on their own 15-yard-line and took a downfield shot right away, as Shapen connected with Jaylen Ellis for a 57-yard gain and followed it up with a 14-yard pass to Johnson.

Two plays later, the Bears scored on a 14-yard Shapen-to-Holmes pass, and converted the two-point try to cut the deficit to 15 points.