The strangest football season in Tiger history came to a close on a happy note Wednesday night as Memphis beat Florida Atlantic to win its first bowl game since 2014. Senior quarterback Brady White threw three touchdown passes — including the 90th of his Tiger career — to help Memphis finish the season 8-3 and end a five-game bowl losing streak. (The Tigers’ last bowl victory had been in the Miami Beach Bowl, over BYU, six years ago.) The Montgomery Bowl replaced the Fenway Bowl this year only, an adjustment made for the ongoing pandemic. Attendance at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery was limited and social-distance restrictions were in place.
Julie Bennett/Memphis Athletics
Asa Martin
Among the stars for Memphis was senior defensive lineman Joseph Dorceus who entered the game as a fullback late in the second quarter and caught a touchdown pass from White in the front-right corner of the end zone. Asa Martin rushed for 96 yards on 15 carries to lead the Tiger ground attack.
The game was the first rematch in Memphis bowl history, FAU having beaten the Tigers in the 2007 New Orleans Bowl. The Owls finished the season with a record of 5-4.
The Tigers took the lead on a 53-yard field goal by Riley Patterson midway through the first quarter. White found Javon Ivory for a five-yard touchdown to complete the Tigers’ second possession of the game and give Memphis a 10-0 advantage. The Dorceus touchdown and an unconventional two-point conversion made the score 18-0, Memphis, at halftime.
Owls quarterback Nick Tronti threw a three-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Chase to close the Tiger lead to 18-7 five minutes into the third quarter. The Tigers fumbled the ensuing kickoff and FAU took over at the Memphis 24-yard line, but the Owls were held to a field goal. White’s third touchdown pass — to Calvin Austin III — on the Tigers’ next possession completed the game’s scoring.
White finished his 28th win as Tiger quarterback with 284 yards passing. Ivory caught seven passes for 126 yards and Tahj Washington pulled down eight passes for 105.
The Tigers gained a total of 469 yards and held FAU to 290.