University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Finalizes Preparation for Miami Beach Bowl
Dec 22, 2014 | Football
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Game 13 : BYU Cougars (8-4) vs Memphis Tigers (9-3) |
| | Monday, December 22, 2014 - 1:00 p.m. CT | Marlins Park l Miami, Fla. |
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BYU Cougars (8-4)
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Memphis Tigers (9-3)
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Baptist Children's Hospital Photo Gallery The Last Blast Photo Gallery
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. - It was another upper 70s day on the beaches adjacent to the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Sunday, but Memphis Football student-athletes were noticeably absent.
On the eve of the Memphis program's first bowl game since 2008, the Tigers' focus was almost solely on game preparation. The day included the team going through a walkthrough at Marlins Park, site of Monday's Miami Beach Bowl. The game against 8-4 BYU is set for a 1 p.m. Central kickoff.
Monday's game will be televised by ESPN, while Memphis' flagship WREC 600 will have the broadcast call of the game with its pregame show beginning at 11 a.m. The audio stream of the radio broadcast is also available through GoTigersGo.com's All-Access link. The game can also be heard in Jackson on WJAK-AM 1460 and FM 96.1 as well as in Nashville on WNQM-AM 1300.
Memphis takes on a BYU team that has a different appearance than the Cougar team which started the year 4-0. BYU suffered through a rash of midseason injuries that sidelined a group of key players including quarterback Taysom Hill. The Cougars rebounded from losing four straight during the middle of the year, closing out the regular season with a four-game winning streak.
Senior quarterback Christian Stewart took over for Hill and started the final seven games of the regular season. Stewart threw for 2,090 yards and 22 touchdowns while throwing just three interceptions during the year.
Senior wide receiver Jordan Leslie is coming off a season-high 155-yard receiving game against Cal in the final regular season game. Leslie had two fourth-quarter touchdowns to help lead the Cougars to a 42-35 win in Berkeley. BYU's top receiving target this season has been junior Mitch Mathews who has caught 64 passed for 840 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
"Offensively, they have really hit their stride with a new quarterback lately," said Memphis third-year coach Justin Fuente. "Defensively, they are big and aggressive. On special teams, they are incredibly sound.
"They are well coached and play tough. It is a very good football team we are going up again. We will have challenges across the board and in every facet of the game."
While BYU is averaging 272 yards passing this season, Monday's bowl game could certainly come down to the running game.
BYU is averaging 190 yards rushing this season. Memphis is averaging 191 yards an outing.
Free safety Skye PoVey is another BYU player who has flourished in a role which has included more playing time since the loss of teammates. The senior leads BYU with 69 tackles and has two interceptions, a sack and four pass breakups.
Outside linebacker Bronson Kaufusi leads BYU with six quarterback sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss among his 39 total stops despite missing nearly three full games to an injury.
Headlining the Cougars' special teams is punter Scott Arellano who has keyed BYU ranking 11th nationally in net punting while kick returner Adam Hine ranks 10th in the nation with a 26.9 yards per return average. He had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in BYU's 41-33 win over Virginia. BYU is certainly one of the most-sound teams the Tigers have played this season.
Fuente said he just wants to see his team execute in all phases of the game.
"The other team is going to make plays, that is just going to happen," Fuente said. "I just want to see us play with great passion and toughness and play with great execution."
While the Tigers' primary focus Sunday was game preparation, the day began for several team leaders with a visit to Baptist Children's Hospital. Seniors Al Bond, Charles Harris, Brandon Hayes, Martin Ifedi and Terry Redden joined a group of Memphis cheerleaders for the hospital visit Sunday morning.
"This is living up to my dream, coming out to Miami, enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery, getting ready to prepare for a bowl game and not forgetting people who are not as fortunate as us," Harris said. The players and spirit squad members passed out Tiger backpacks with souvenirs from Memphis.
"It's hard to be sad in a place like Florida with all of the sunshine, just to bring a little light to these kids that are in the hospital actually brings more light to our day," Harris said. "Coach Fuente said that this would be one of those experiences that you are going to walk away from feeling a lot better about yourself and he was definitely right."
Noting Monday's Game
Memphis is 4-3 all-time in bowl games ... BYU will be playing in its 10th straight bowl game and is 13-18-1 overall in bowl games played ... Both Memphis and BYU will be playing their second straight bowl games in a Major League Baseball stadium ... Memphis' last bowl game was the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg ... BYU played in last year's Fight Hunger Bowl held in AT&T Park ... While BYU has won its last four, Memphis is riding a six-game winning streak ... The Tigers would earn only the program's second, 10-win season with a win Monday ... Memphis has won 416 points this season, just 14 points shy of the school record of 430 set in 2004.
