University of Memphis Athletics
Saturday, December 30
Memphis, Tenn.
11:30 a.m.
University of Memphis
vs
Iowa State University
Photo by: Joe Murphy
Tigers Football Preview: Iowa State/AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Dec 29, 2017 | Football
Kickoff is set for 11:30 a.m. at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Well, Tiger Nation, how 'bout making more history to close out 2017?
The University of Memphis football team looks to do that Saturday when it steps on the field at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and faces Iowa State in the 2017 AutoZone Liberty Bowl Classic. For the first time in the 59-year history of the postseason game, the hometown Tigers play in the hometown bowl.
But, making history has become common for the Tigers in 2017. Let's take a quick recap of some of those moments:
A school record-tying 10 wins.
A school record-tying seven conference victories.
The program's first appearance in a conference championship game.
A perfect 7-0 regular-season home record at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, the first in program history.
A season-record 572 points scored.
Two wins over ranked foes in a season, the first time in program history.
Nationally ranked for a program-record, eight-straight weeks.
And, on Saturday, more Tigers football history looks to be written.
2017 AutoZone Liberty Bowl Quick Facts
| Opponent | Iowa State |
| Day/Date | Saturday, Dec. 30 |
| Time | 11:30 a.m. (CT) |
| Site | Memphis, Tenn./Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium |
| Television | ABC (WATN24/LocalMemphis) |
| Radio (Flagship) | 600 WREC AM/Rock 103 (102.7 FM) |
Memphis Head Coach Mike Norvell
"It's been almost a month since we've played a football game, so we have to go out there and continue to focus on what we've been building this season. It's all got to come together this week, and we have to play our best football on Saturday.
"I was glad the players got to go home and spend a few days with their families over Christmas. We came back on Christmas night, and it was good that everyone returned safely. Now, it's all business. I told the team that bowls and the experiences that come with them are incredible and are a time of celebration, but the most important thing about playing in a bowl game is to win it. I've been fortunate to be in a few bowls in my coaching career, and the ones you win are the ones you remember the most.
"Collectively, Iowa State has one of the best defenses that we will play this year. They have some players that have received the recognition they deserved and others that did not receive that recognition. Their safeties and defensive backfield have done an exceptional job of controlling the passing game against every opponent they played. They do a wonderful job of tackling in the open field. Their linebackers, as group, are probably the best we will play this season. It's a great defense. On offense, they are balanced. David Montgomery, their running back, forces you to tackle him. They have big-play receivers on the edges, and they also have a great offensive line that creates movement and seams inside. Iowa State presents a great challenge in every phase."
Tigers Tidbits/Five Notes To Know
- Saturday's Liberty Bowl postseason classic is the first meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.
- If Saturday's Liberty Bowl is anything like the previous bowls Mike Norvell's coached in, then expect a lot of points. In his previous eight bowls (seven as an assistant/one as head coach), Norvell's teams averaged 41.0 points (328 total points). Of those previous eight bowls, Norvell's teams scored 30 or more points six times and have a 5-1 record in those games.
- Although they are the visitors Saturday, the Memphis Tigers are one of four Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs playing postseason bowl games in their home stadiums. The other three schools are Florida Atlantic (Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl), Navy (Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman) and Miami, Fla. (Capital One Orange Bowl). So far, the schools playing bowl games in their home stadiums are 2-0 with Florida Atlantic's 50-3 win over Akron and Navy's 49-7 victory over Virginia. Memphis and Miami, Fla., both play Saturday.
- Saturday pre-noon (CT) wake-up calls are early for fans, but they've been rather good for the Tigers in recent seasons. Memphis is an impressive 8-3 in games that kick off before 12 p.m. (CT) since 2014, including a perfect 7-0 mark at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. This season, the Tigers have a 3-1 record in pre-noon (CT) kickoffs, with the lone setback the 62-55 double-overtime loss to UCF in the American Athletic Conference championship game. Iowa State, though, also has an impressive pre-noon (CT) kickoff record at 6-2 in 2017. One of the Cyclones' morning kickoff victories was their upset win over No. 3 Oklahoma.
- Although the two programs have never played, Memphis and Iowa State have a connection. Tigers offensive line coach Ryan Silverfield served on Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell's staff at Toledo in 2014. The Rockets posted a 9-4 overall record and a 7-1 Mid-American Conference (MAC) mark. Toledo earned a 2015 GoDaddy.com Bowl berth and defeated Arkansas State 63-44.
Know Your Foe/Iowa State Facts-Stats Leaders
| Quick Facts | 2017 Statistical Leaders |
| 2017 Record: 7-5/5-4 Big 12 | Rushing: David Montgomery (234 carries/1,094 yds/11 TD) |
| Head Coach/Yrs: Matt Campbell/2nd in in 2017 (at Iowa State); 6th overall | Passing: Kyle Kempt (1,473 yds/13 TD) |
| Starters Returning: 22 (11 Off/9 Def/2 Special Teams) | Receiving: Allen Lazard (61 catches/799 yds/9 TD) |
| Letterwinners Returning: 43 | Tackles: Joel Lanning (110 total/48 solo/10.0 TFL/5.0 sacks) |
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