Miami Beach Bowl Spooky Express Bowling for Dollars

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MIAMI BEACH BOWL

 

BYU vs MEMPHIS

Monday, Dec. 22, 2:00 p.m.ET

ESPN

 

We’re taking our talents to Miami Beach. Or, at least the BYU Cougars and Memphis Tigers are. These two strong programs are set to square off in the Miami Beach Bowl to kick off the second day of the bowl action, on Monday, December 22nd. If you have to work, here’s to hoping you can stream it through your phone, because this game kicks off at 2:00pm EST, and will be aired on ESPN. The Cougars and Tigers both had similar roads to get to this point, but it was mostly about how these two teams finished the year that leaves us the most impressed. Let’s take a look at both teams, and also give a prediction and pick on what should be a great early bowl-season matchup.

 

BYU Been Slumping a Bit

 

The Cougars come into this game with an 8-4 record, but it wasn’t easy getting there. While they started the year off 4-0, they dropped their next four games, and all of the sudden their bowl hopes were a bit up in the air. The Cougars turned it on when it mattered most, though, as they reeled off four straight wins to end the year on an incredibly high note. This team does quite a bit well, and they even rallied back after losing star quarterback Taysom Hill to a broken leg. When Hill went down, it was Mitch Mathews who stepped up, as the receiver has 840 yards and eight touchdowns on the year. Christian Stewart has stepped in for Hill, and he’s done a beautiful job for this Cougars’ offense, posting 22 touchdowns to just six interceptions, which includes a brutal first game, where he threw three interceptions in a loss.

 

Defense is Key for Memphis

 

As for the Tigers, this team is simply a defensive juggernaut. They have stepped up huge on the defensive side of the ball, and rank 5th nationally in points per game allowed at just 17.1. While Memphis started the year out 3-3, they reeled off six straight wins to finish out the year with an impressive 9-3 record, and a 7-1 conference record, which was good enough to claim their first conference title since 1971. Memphis will look to sophomore quarterback Paxton Lynch in this game to continue his incredibly impressive year, as he’s thrown for 2,725 yards with 18 touchdowns, while also rushing for 283 yards and 10 touchdowns. His touchdown total actually set the school record for most touchdowns by a player in a season. Lynch is simply on fire right now, and he could be a matchup nightmare, even for a talented BYU defense.

 

Interesting spot here, as these two teams are a pickem, and on paper that’s probably the right line to put out. With that said, when you pair the Tigers’ ridiculous defense with the fact that they are led by a quarterback who is rolling along the way that Lynch is, it’s a dangerous combination. I think that Memphis gets the job done and makes a statement in a big way with this win. After four straight losing seasons where the team won just 10 total games, expect the Tigers to end this season on a very high note and win this game by a touchdown.

 

Memphis Tigers

 

Check back closer to game day for any changes to the spread and/or prediction here and at the Spooky Express