Editor’s Note: Heading into the Holiday Season and the end of 2014 we thought it would be nice to look back at some of the great moments from this past fall. We scoured through lots of video footage and came up with our “12 Plays of Christmas”. Every day we will reveal a new play or moment that we consider to be one of our best from the year. The list will end with play number 1 on Christmas Eve.

Day 8– Memphis Clinches Share of American Football Championship
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“Wait ‘Til This Year.”
 
That was the tagline for the Memphis football team as the Tigers entered the 2014 campaign. Despite a 3-9 season in 2013, there was optimism in Memphis surrounding the upcoming year. The slate began with a 63-0 drubbing of Austin Peay before the Tigers went toe-to-toe with UCLA at the Rose Bowl. A win over Middle Tennessee followed, followed by another strong showing in a clash with Ole Miss. The conference slate began with an emphatic 41-14 victory over Cincinnati, then, following a loss to Houston, the Tigers rattled off six consecutive wins.
 
Memphis hosted UConn Nov. 29 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium with a chance to prove the tagline true. Paxton Lynch threw for four touchdowns, the Tigers picked up 178 yards on the ground, and Memphis delivered on their preseason slogan. The Tigers won 41-10 to capture a share of the American Athletic Conference Championship. The celebration ensued, with Memphis engineering a six-win turnaround from a year ago entering the Miami Beach Bowl. It was the Tigers’ first conference title since 1971.
 
There was no more waiting in Memphis. “This Year” was the year of the Tigers.




Scroll over interactive graphic and click on buttons to watch the plays and read stories from past days