2022 First Responder Bowl – Memphis vs Utah St
posted December 23
The Game
We’ve got an AAC vs Mountain West match-up brewing down in Dallas, Texas as Memphis battles Utah St in the First Responder Bowl. Memphis rolls into town with a record of 6-6 and they needed to win two of their final three contests to gain bowl eligibility after competing in the rough and tough AAC. Utah St also boasts a mark of 6-6 and they recovered nicely after starting the season at 1-4. They didn’t come close to defending their Mountain West title but getting back to a bowl game is a decent achievement for this program. Can the Aggies SHOCK the WORLD?
The Details
Memphis -7.5 Utah St (60.5)
MEGALOCKS LINE – Memphis -9.5
“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: Memphis 34 Utah St 26.5
Memphis offense vs Utah St defense
The Tigers have been pretty average on offense this year (#8 AAC rush, #4) pass and they’ve actually seen their total yardage output per game decline for the 5th consecutive season. They don’t have a 500Y rusher nor a 600Y receiver but have some decent depth at the skill positions. RBs J Ducker and A Martin average 4.8 and 5.2 YPC respectively and they’ve got three players with 500+ receiving yards including their dangerous TE C Prieskorn (593, 12.9, 6 TD). QB Seth Henigan has been ok (19-8 TD to INT) and has probably done as well as he could with the good (but not great) weaponry. The good news for Memphis is that they should be able to do WORK vs a Utah St defense that’s struggled mightily vs the run (198 YPG, #118 FBS) and been mediocre vs a weak set of THROW GAMES (#62 pass efficiency defense). One potential bright spot for Utah St is that they’ve been decent in the PENETRATION department (#2 MW TFL/game) and Memphis ranks 2nd last in the AAC in TFL/game.
Utah St offense vs Memphis defense
The Aggies have been a major disappointment on offense (#92 total offense, #99 scoring offense) after displaying decent firepower in 2021 (#22 total offense, #33 scoring offense). QB Cooper Legas has been inconsistent (61%, 11-9 TD to INT) and plagued by mistakes along the way after taking over for Logan Bonner. The THROW GAME has been MEH but the good news is that it appears as tho 1,000-yard RB C Tyler will be a go for this BAD BOY and Utah St will need all the help they can get on offense. Memphis has been rock solid vs the run (122 YPG, #25 YPG) and is seems as tho Utah St will be in deep trouble if they can’t find a way to get Tyler rolling.
Trends, Intangibles and More!
Utah St HC Blake Anderson is 3-4 in bowl games (1-0 with Utah St) and recall that the Aggies took down Oregon St in the JIMMY KIMMEL FESTERING DUMP OF LA BOWL last season….Memphis HC Ryan Silverfield is 1-1 in bowl action…..Memphis had their Hawaii Bowl date safely and effectively cancelled last year…..Utah St is DEAD LAST (#131) in the country in penalty yards per game….Memphis is #9 in that regard……The Tigers lost some close games to good teams (Tulane, Houston, UCF, East Carolina) but could only find a way to defeat one bowl team (North Texas)….Utah St took down three bowlers….UConn, Air Force, San Jose St.
Summary
Utah St doesn’t really stack up that well in terms of overall talent in either side of the football. Memphis should be able to SCORE the FOOTBALL often enough to get the cover. Of course, you can never be too sure about motivation, but we’ll take a small taste of the favorite.
Conclusion
Lean – Memphis -7 -123
Note:
‘Official play’ implies we have played the game for our standard wager amount.
‘Lean’ implies we are comfortable suggesting ‘small potatoes’ on the game if you want to get down on some sweet action.
‘No leanage’ implies we won’t be involved in the game from a betting standpoint. In-game wagering possibilities only.