AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL
MEMPHIS TIGERS vs. IOWA STATE CYCLONES
Saturday, Dec. 30
12:30 p.m. ET
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
(58,318/AstroTurf)
Memphis, Tennessee
Television
ESPN
Mike Patrick, Tommy Tuberville and Paul Carcaterra
National Radio
ESPN Radio
SiriusXM 80
Bill Roth, Barrett Jones and Dawn Davenport
Memphis Radio
WREC-AM 600 (flagship)
19/18 MEMPHIS
10-2, 7-1 American
Head Coach
Mike Norvell (Central Arkansas ’95)
18-7, second season
Notes
Memphis saw a seven-game winning streak snapped in the American Athletic Conference Championship as the Tigers dropped a 62-55 thriller in double overtime … Memphis has registered its second season with 10 regular-season wins in program history, and its first since 1938 … The Tigers won 10 games in 2015, but picked up their 10th victory that season in the Miami Beach Bowl … Memphis has been ranked in the national polls for a program-record eight consecutive weeks after debuting in the Oct. 15 Associated Press poll … Memphis is making its 11th bowl appearance overall and its ninth in the last 15 years … The Tigers are 5-5 all-time in bowl games … The Tigers were the preseason favorite in The American’s West Division and went on to win the outright divsional crown … The Tigers’ only two losses this season are to UCF … The Tigers will play in a bowl in four consecutive years for the first time in program history … The Tigers’ senior class has produced 37 wins in the last four seasons, the most in school history … Memphis has averaged 548.2 yards of offense and rank second nationally with 47.7 points per game … QB Riley Ferguson has completed 278 of 441 passes for 3,971 yards and a league-record 36 touchdowns against nine interceptions … WR Anthony Miller, a consensus All-America selection, enters the game as the holder of every major receiving record with the Tigers … Miller has 92 receptions for 1,407 yards and 17 touchdowns … RB Darrell Henderson has rushed for a team-high 1,154 yards and nine touchdowns and is averaging 8.9 yards per carry … RB Patrick Taylor has a team-high 13 rushing TDs and has gained 798 yards on 140 carries … The defense is led by LB Genard Avery, who has 75 tackles to go with 6.5 sacks and a league-leading 19.5 tackles for loss … Freshman CB T.J. Carter, The American’s Rookie of the Year, has a team-high five interceptions … WR Tony Pollard has scored four touchdowns on kickoff returns this season, has six in his first two seasons, and is averaging 42.4 yards per return in 2017, a mark that would break the NCAA single-season record (40.3 ypr by Kylen Towner of Western Kentucky last season).
IOWA STATE
7-5, 5-4 Big 12
Head Coach
Matt Campbell (Mount Union ’02)
10-14, second season at Iowa State
45-29, sixth season as collegiate head coach
Notes
Iowa State returns to the postseason for the first time since the 2012 season as the Cyclones end a four-year absence from bowl participation … Iowa State will make its 13th bowl appearance in program history … The Cyclones are 3-9 all-time in bowls and look for their first bowl victory since a 14-13 decision against Minnesota in the 2009 Insight Bowl … Iowa State, which had not won more than three games in any of the last four seasons, enjoyed a turnaround in 2017 under second-year head coach Matt Campbell, who was named as the Big 12 Coach of the Year … The Cyclones matched the school record with five conference wins and won seven regular-season games for the first time since 2005 … Included among the wins were victories against both participants in the Big 12 Championship — a 38-31 decision against Oklahoma and a 14-7 win against TCU … Iowa State is one of three teams (Auburn, Ohio State) with two wins against teams ranked in the Associated Press top five … None of the five losses, meanwhile, have been by more than 10 points … The Cyclones’ average margin of defeat is 5.0 points … The Cyclones held eight of their nine Big 12 opponents below their season scoring average … Iowa State has scored at least 40 points five times, tying the school record set in 1971 and 1976 … Iowa State is 19-185-2 all-time against nationally ranked opponents, but is 2-1 against ranked teams this year … Iowa State is 7-3 all-time against current members of the American Athletic Conference … The player to watch for Iowa State is QB/LB Joel Lanning, who sees regular action on offense, defense and special teams … Lanning has made 14 career starts at quarterback, and is the Cyclones’ second-leading rusher this season, but also ranks second in the Big 12 in tackles (9.2 per game) and is the team leader in sacks (5.0) and tackles for loss (10.0) … QB Kyle Kempt has thrown for 1,473 yards and 13 touchdowns in eight games … RB David Montgomery leads the squad in rushing with 1,094 yards and 11 touchdowns on 234 carries … WR allen Lazard has team highs with 61 receptions, 799 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches.