University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Meets BYU in Miami Beach Bowl December 22
Dec 07, 2014 | Football
MIAMI, Fla. - The 2014 American Athletic Conference Champion Memphis Tigers (9-3, 7-1) have accepted an invitation to meet BYU (8-4) in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl. The first-ever meeting between the Tigers and Cougars will take place at Marlins Park in Miami, Fla., on Monday, Dec. 22 at 1 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN and will be accessible on multiple mobile platforms via the WatchESPN app.
"We're thrilled to have two red-hot teams to showcase in our first bowl game," said Carlos Padilla, II, Executive Director of the Miami Beach Bowl. "Memphis has won six straight games and BYU closed out the year winning its last four games."
Memphis has enjoyed a tremendous turnaround this season under third-year coach Justin Fuente, who has led the Tigers to their first conference championship since 1971. The former TCU co-offensive coordinator took over a football program that hadn't posted a winning season since 2007 and is now one victory away from tying the school record for wins set back in 1938. His team's nine wins this season are the most by the Tigers since 2003
The Tigers turnaround has been due to exceptional play on both sides of the balll with the offense averaging more than 34 points per game while the defense has been among the nation's best, surrendering only 17.1 points per game to rank No. 5 nationally.
"The University of Memphis is honored to represent the American Athletic Conference in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl," said Memphis Director of Athletics Tom Bowen. "This has been a tremendous season as our Tigers are conference champions for the first time in more than 40 years. Playing in the Miami Beach Bowl is a great reward and our student-athletes, coaches and fans couldn't be more excited about the opportunity."
"We have a special group of kids who have worked extremely hard for what they have accomplished this year," said Fuente. "They have adhered to the values of selflessness, teamwork and playing together. This bowl invitation is a reward for the season they have had. We look forward to representing the American Athletic Conference in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl and playing a quality, tradition-rich opponent in BYU."
The University of Memphis Athletics Department has setup the website, www.GoTigersGoBowl.com, to be the central location for all information relating to the game. Tickets, travel and fan information, bowl merchandise, Memphis' bowl history and much more is available on the page.
Memphis will be playing in its seventh bowl game all-time, and first since the 2008 St. Petersburg Bowl.
The Tigers' roster is well-represented by players from the state of Florida with 10 student-athletes calling the state their home. The list includes Miami native and Monsignor Pace High School product Fritz Etienne, a starting safety for the Tigers. Also from south Florida are defensive backs Chauncey Lanier (Davie), Chris Morley (Plantation) and Dion Witty (Coral Springs).
More information on the matchup will be released leading up to the game on Dec. 22.
