There was a noticeable hint of reticence in the voice of Navy football coach Ken Niumatalolo on Sunday night.

Niumatalolo was participating in a teleconference to promote the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, and it was understandable if he was not fully focused on that matchup Dec. 23.

After all, the Midshipmen, at No. 25 in Sunday's final College Football Playoff rankings, are still recovering from a 34-10 loss to Temple in the American Athletic Conference championship game Saturday and are beginning preparations for this Saturday's showdown with archrival Army West Point.

Niumatalolo noted the difficult situation facing Navy when asked whether he would give players time off between the game against Army and the bowl game.

“We're coming off a devastating loss for our football team. To come straight back and play Army in another physical game will be tough. We'll definitely need some rest. We will give them a break,” Niumatalolo said.

The Mids had a contract to appear in the Armed Forces Bowl provided they did not qualify for a New Year's Six bowl game. That possibility existed until Saturday's conference championship defeat.

On Sunday, Navy learned that its opponent in the Armed Forces Bowl, at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, will be Louisiana Tech of Conference USA. The Mids were supposed to face an opponent from the Big 12 Conference, which did not have enough bowl-eligible schools.

“In regards to the Big 12 Conference, we were supposed to pick seventh. However, the Big 12 only had six bowl-eligible teams,” said Brant Ringler, executive director of the Armed Forces Bowl. “I think we got a team that is high-flying and will bring a lot of dynamic to this game. Louisiana Tech offers a complete contrast to what Navy brings. It will be an air-versus-ground dynamic.”

Louisiana Tech, under fourth-year coach Skip Holtz, finished the regular season 8-5 overall and 6-2 in Conference USA. The Bulldogs won the West Division to earn a berth in the league championship game, where they lost, 58-44, to Western Kentucky.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area is prime recruiting turf for the Mids, which is the main reason athletic director Chet Gladchuk brokered the deal. That agreement was signed before Navy became a member of the AAC, which has affiliations with six other bowl games.

AAC commissioner Mike Aresco agreed to allow the Mids to honor their previous commitments through this season. Starting in 2017, Navy will be slotted into conference-affiliated bowls.

“This is the last of our alignments as an independent, and we're very appreciative of the commissioner allowing us to fulfill this commitment,” Gladchuk said. “This is something we're looking forward to, with fond recollections of our last time there.”

Navy appeared in the 2013 Armed Forces Bowl and beat Middle Tennessee State of the Sun Belt Conference, 24-6.

“It was a great game, and we really enjoyed it. This is a tremendous destination for our team and our fans,” Gladchuk said. “We've been to 13 bowl games, and I would rank Fort Worth and the Armed Forces Bowl as one of the best.”

This marks the eighth time in the past decade that a service academy will have participated in the Armed Forces Bowl, which is played on the campus of Texas Christian. Air Force has appeared five times, the most of any school.

While Navy has seen two of its primary goals for the season fall by the wayside, failing to capture the conference championship and watching Air Force reclaim the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, Niumatalolo said the team's focus is to bounce back.

“To finish off strong by beating Army and winning a bowl game would be a tremendous accomplishment for our team and would really mean a lot,” he said.

“That's our goal right now; to finish strong.”