TIGERS GOING BOWLING IN BOCA
The University of Memphis football program is Boca-bound. After winning eight games in Mike Norvell’s first regular season as a head coach, the Tigers have accepted an invitation to play Western Kentucky in the Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at FAU Stadium. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. and be televised nationally on ESPN.
“This was the game that we had highlighted as an exciting opportunity and destination,” Memphis coach Mike Norvell said in a conference call Sunday afternoon. “We knew if you get matched up against a team the caliber of Western Kentucky, it’s going to be a really exciting game, a game that the nation wants to see. Two teams that finished the season in extremely strong fashion. It’s going to be an explosive game in all aspects.” Who: When, where: 11 a.m., Dec. 30, Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium TV, radio: ESPN; 92.9 FM Tickets: Call 795-7700 or go to AutoZoneLibertyBowl.org Who: Memphis (8-4 overall, 5-3 in AAC) vs. Western Kentucky (10-3 overall, 8-1 in C-USA) Date/time: 6 p.m., Dec. 20, FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida TV: ESPN
Memphis, which will be playing in a bowl game for a third consecutive season, had long viewed Boca Raton as its most logical and preferred postseason destination. Athletic director Tom Bowen said that he received a positive review of the bowl from his counterpart at Temple, Pat Kraft, whose team participated in it last season. Bowen added that the Tigers were hoping to be placed in a game before Christmas.
“We’re excited,” Bowen said. “Our fan base is excited. My phone’s been blowing up all day. Everybody’s looking forward to coming down (to Boca Raton) and being a part of it.”
Western Kentucky has won seven consecutive games and claimed its second consecutive Conference USA championship Saturday by defeating Louisiana Tech, 58-44. The Hilltoppers are 10-3 this season and have posted a 30-10 record in coach Jeff Brohm’s three-year tenure, which has made him one of the hottest coaching candidates on the market this winter. The 45-year-old was scheduled to interview for the headcoaching vacancy at Baylor on Sunday, according to Yahoo Sports, and has also been mentioned as a possible candidate at Cincinnati after Tommy Tuberville stepped down Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, the Tigers (8-4, 5-3 Amer- ican Athletic Conference) are in the midst of the winningest three-year stretch in program history and fresh off a 48-44 victory over then-No. 21 Houston in their regular-season finale late last month.
“That last game against Houston absolutely blew me away,” Boca Raton Bowl Executive Director Doug Mosley said on the conference call. “I knew that the Tigers were the team that we wanted to have down to this game.”
Memphis and Western Kentucky have met five times in football, splitting the all-time series 2-2-1. All five games have been shutouts, with the Tigers winning the most recent meeting, 42-0, in 1956.
This year’s meeting will feature two of the nation’s most potent offenses and could be one of the highest-scoring games of the bowl season. The Hilltoppers rank second in the Football Bowl Subdivision in scoring (45.1 points per game) and seventh in total offense (517.4 yards per game), while the Tigers rank 17th and 33rd in those categories, respectively.
“Mike Norvell’s come in and picked up right where they left off,” Brohm said. “They’ve got some explosive talent on offense. They had a tremendous victory against Houston to end the season, and I know they’re feeling very good about themselves . ... I think it’s two teams with very comparable rosters, and it should be a great matchup.”
To purchase tickets for the Boca Raton Bowl, visit GoTigersGo.com. The Hilltoppers: You should also know: