BYU Cougars vs Memphis Tigers Match Player Stats On Dec 22, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 22, 2014

Memphis 55, BYU 48 (2OT): Paxton Lynch threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns, including the winning pass to Roderick Proctor in the second overtime, and added three rushing scores as the Tigers outlasted the Cougars in the Miami Beach Bowl.

Jake Elliot extended the game with a 54-yard field goal in the first overtime and Keiwone Malone caught a pair of touchdown passes, including the tying score in regulation, as Memphis (10-3) finished the season with its seventh straight victory. The Tigers forced a short punt to give themselves a last chance in the fourth and Lynch converted two fourth downs, including a fourth-and-4 with 45 seconds left as he scrambled out of trouble and directed the receivers before lofting a pass over the middle to Malone to force overtime.

Christian Stewart went 23-of-48 for 348 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions for BYU (8-5), which scored 17 straight points in the fourth quarter to take the lead. Paul Lasike ran for two touchdowns and Zac Stout returned an interception for a score for the Cougars.

Lynch’s 1-yard rushing TD capped a 13-play drive to open the third quarter and his 17-yard scoring pass to Alan Cross later in the period made it a 10-point gap before BYU turned three turnovers into scores. The Cougars converted Lynch’s interception into a 23-yard field goal before the Tigers fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Lasike ran for the tying 7-yard score two plays later, and Stout’s 17-yard interception return for a touchdown put the Cougars up 45-38 with 7:48 to play.

Lynch and Stewart traded long TD passes within the first three minutes and Stewart’s 25-yard scoring pass to Mitch Mathews knotted it at 14 less than eight minutes into the contest. Lynch’s 3-yard TD burst with 12:44 left in the half put the Tigers in front 24-14 before the Cougars went for it on fourth-and-3 from the Memphis 23 and Leslie made a juggling catch for the TD, and Lynch’s interception turned into Lasike’s 3-yard scoring run to leave BYU up 28-24 at the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: BYU’s 45 points marked the most allowed this season by the Tigers, who had not allowed an opponent to score more than 28 points since a 42-35 loss at UCLA on Sept. 6. … The teams began a brawl after the game-ending interception that left some players bloody. … Trevor Samson’s career-long 45-yard field goal put the Cougars in front in the first overtime.