Memphis Tigers win first AAC Championship
Gibson named the AAC title game Most Outstanding Player
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Cotton has never felt so good!
Right, Tiger Nation?
The University of Memphis football team used Antonio Gibson’s 234 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns (1 rush/1 receive) to lift the Tigers to a come-from-behind 29-24 victory in the 2019 American Athletic Conference Championship Game at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon. Gibson was named the AAC Championship Game Most Outstanding Player.
With the victory, the Tigers win their first outright American Athletic Conference title and a trip to a New Year’s Six bowl game.
The conference title is Memphis’ second AAC crown. The Tigers won a share of the 2014 AAC championship – shared with Cincinnati and UCF – with a 41-10 victory over Connecticut. There was no conference title game that season.
The Tigers now are a perfect 5-0 when playing for an American Athletic Conference title in the Liberty Bowl. In addition to Saturday’s and 2014’s overall crown, Memphis also won three-straight AAC West Division championships on its home field from 2017-19.
Gibson rushed for 130 yards on 11 carries, caught three passes for 32 yards and returned three kicks for 72 yards. Tigers quarterback Brady White threw for 253 yards on 18-of-40 passing and one touchdown. Memphis kicker Riley Patterson was 3-of-3 on field goals, including two from 50 or more yards (50, 52). His 52-yarder to cut the Cincinnati third-quarter lead to 21-20 tied a career- long.
Sanchez Blake led the Tigers defense with nine total hits (7 solo). Chris Claybrooks had an interception and a forced fumble, and La’Andre Thomas had a fumble recovery.
Down 24-23 with 4:23 left, White directed a 10play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a six-yard scoring pass to Gibson with 1:14 left in the contest. Memphis’ two-point conversion failed, and the Tigers led 29-24. On the drive, Memphis did not face a third down until the Tigers drove inside the Cincinnati 10-yard line, where on 3rd-and-goal White connected with Gibson for the go-ahead score.
On the ensuing possession, Cincinnati drove to the Memphis 26-yard line with under a minute to play. The Tigers defense, though, stiffened and forced Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder into two incomplete passes near the end zone on third and fourth downs.
The Bearcats led 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter, but a Patterson 50yard field goal 13 seconds into the final period put Memphis in the lead at 2321. It was the Tigers’ first lead since a 17-14 advantage at the 11:59 mark of the third quarter.
After an exchange of possessions, Cincinnati got the ball on its 30-yard line with 10:50 left. Ridder drove the Bearcats inside the Memphis 20, where the drive stalled at the 16-yard line.
Following a timeout, Sam Crosa knocked through his only field goal attempt of the game, a 33-yarder for a 24-23 lead with 4:23 left.
The game was close throughout, with Cincinnati holding the largest lead at seven points after the Bearcats scored a touchdown on their opening possession of the contest. The game had seven lead changes.
The Bearcats struck first following a Memphis onsides attempt on the game’s opening kickoff. The Tigers were flagged for interference, and Cincinnati took over at its 30yard line. Six plays later, Michael Warren hit pay dirt from six yards out for the 7-0 lead.
Memphis answered with consecutive scores for a 10-7 lead on a Patterson 29-yard field goal and a Gibson 65-yard touchdown scamper.
Ridder had the only score of the second quarter, a 15yard scoring run, to give Cincinnati a 14-10 lead at the break.
Memphis and Cincinnati exchanged touchdowns in the first eight minutes of the third quarter for a 2117 Bearcats’ lead, setting up the back-and-forth between the two squads down
the stretch.
