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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) Army went from left out of the bowls to replacing Tennessee in the Liberty Bowl on Monday night, hours after the Volunteers withdrew because of COVID-19 test results. ''WE'RE BOWL BOUND!! (hash)GoARMY,'' Army football wrote on Twitter. The Black Knights (9-2) were left without a bowl Sunday night after a nearly two-month-long commitment to the Independence Bowl when the Dec. 26 game in Louisiana was called off without an available team to play. A spot became available Monday when Tennessee became the first team to back out since bowl berths were announced and paused all football activities after receiving the results of Sunday's testing. ''The test results revealed an increase in positive cases among student-athletes and staff and subsequent contact tracing,'' Tennessee said in a statement. ''The decision was made in consultation with health officials, the Southeastern Conference and the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.'' The change in opponent was no problem for West Virginia, the other original team in the game scheduled for Dec. 31 in Memphis, Tennessee. This will be the first game between the teams since 1961. ''Our team deserves to be in a bowl and so does the 9-2 Army squad,'' West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons said. ''While we are disappointed that Tennessee couldn't be in the game, Army needed a bowl and an opponent, and the Mountaineers are glad to solve the problem.'' West Virginia coach Neal Brown agreed, saying Army coach Jeff Monken and his staff have done a terrific job winning 43 games in five seasons. ''We started the day preparing for one opponent and will end it preparing for another, but that's how crazy 2020 has been,'' Brown said. The Volunteers will end their season at 3-7 with losses in seven of their final eight games. They lost 34-13 to No. 5 Texas A&M on Saturday. Third-year coach Jeremy Pruitt is among those who tested positive for COVID-19. Pruitt said he was informed earlier Monday that he had tested positive and began isolating at home. ''I am experiencing mild symptoms but doing fine,'' Pruitt said. ''We are obviously disappointed that we will not be able to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, but the health and safety of our student-athletes will always remain our top priority.'' --- More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25
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