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 Both teams put on a terrific show Monday in the inaugural Miami
Beach Bowl at Marlins Park.
Memphis prevailed 55-48 in double overtime when Tigers quarterback
Paxton Lynch hit wide receiver Rod Proctor for an 11-yard touchdown.
Memphis cornerback DaShaughn Terry then ended the game by
intercepting a Christian Stewart's overthrown pass.
"This was the craziest and most emotional game I've ever been a part
of," Lynch said. "It was an amazing game."
There were 17 scores, and 13 of them either tied it or put one of
the teams back on top.
BYU battled back from a pair of 10-point deficits, including one in
the fourth quarter.
Memphis showed resiliency, too, coming from down a touchdown in the
final minute of regulation and then getting a do-or-die 55-yard
field goal in the first overtime from Jake Elliott.
 In that first overtime, BYU's Trevor Samson kicked a 45-yard field
goal to put the pressure on Elliott.
"They called a timeout," Elliott said of the moments before his
kick, "and that gave me a chance to get a few more kicks in (on the
side)."
The first football game played at Marlins Park -- the home of MLB's
Miami Marlins -- was obviously a high-scoring affair. But there was
defense, too - Memphis turned the ball over five times and BYU four.
Lynch, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, ran for three touchdowns and threw for
four to lead Memphis (10-3) to its seventh straight win.
Although he was intercepted three times, Lynch passed for 306 yards
and achieved a milestone. He needed 275 yards to get to 3,000 for
the season, and he did that and more.
It was Memphis' first 10-win season since 1938, when the school was
known as West Tennessee State.
Despite 348 passing yards and three touchdown throws by Stewart, BYU
(8-5) had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Stewart is a senior and a former walk-on who had never been a
starter at this level until nearly midway through this season.
"At the very end, we may have run out of gas," said Stewart, who was
intercepted three times.
BYU was 3-0 this season against "Power Five" conference teams but
just 5-5 against other competition.
In this game, there were four touchdowns in the first seven-plus
minutes, producing a 14-14 tie.
Early in the second quarter, Memphis surged ahead 24-14. But BYU
rallied to take 28-24 lead with 3:11 left in the first half, getting
the go-ahead score on a 3-yard run by fullback Paul Lasike.
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On the first possession of the third quarter, Lynch scored on a
1-yard run to put Memphis back on top, 31-28.
The Tigers increased their lead to 38-28 on Lynch's 17-yard TD pass
to tight end Alan Cross with 3:45 left in the third quarter. BYU
cut its deficit to 38-31 on a 23-yard field goal by Samson. The kick
was set up by linebacker Manoa Pikula's interception at the Memphis
47. Lynch, throwing off his back foot, underthrew the pass into
coverage.
Lasike's 7-yard run with 10:52 left tied the score 38-38. The score
was set up by Memphis kickoff returner Joe Craig's fumble, which was
recovered at the Tigers' 26 by linebacker Va'a Niumatalolo.
BYU middle linebacker Zac Stout gave BYU a 45-38 lead on an 18-yard
interception return with 7:48 left in the game.
Memphis coach Justin Fuente said he had faith in Lynch -- even after
the key interception.
"When he came to the sideline, I told him that nothing was going to
change," Fuente said. "He brought us all this way, and we were going
to ride with him."
After the interception came Memphis' dramatics, but it didn't dim
the pride BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall felt for his team.
"Our execution level wasn't up to theirs," Mendenhall said. "But I
was appreciative of how hard our kids tried. That's really all I can
ask."
NOTES: Attendance was 20,761. ... With 86-degree weather, the roof
was open at Marlins Park. At game time, the temperature was 55
degrees at Memphis' campus and 36 at BYU's. ... While this was BYU's
10th straight year playing a bowl game, it was a rarity for Memphis.
The Tigers hadn't played a postseason game since the St. Petersburg
Bowl in 2008. ... Memphis has just one player with prior bowl
experience -- Alabama transfer Kiewone Malone, a senior WR. ... BYU
was 4-0 and ranked 18th nationally earlier this season before QB
Taysom Hill broke his leg against Utah State. ... Memphis has 10
Floridians on its roster, including one from Miami: senior S Fritz
Ettienne. ... This was the first meeting between BYU and Memphis.
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