The 2023 Liberty Bowl features the 9-3 Memphis Tigers against the 7-5 Iowa State Cyclones. Here is the 2023 Liberty Bowl Preview.
Memphis Tigers (9-3)
Memphis won nine games to make their 10th straight bowl game. They defeated three bowl-eligible teams this season: Arkansas State, Boise State and USF. All three of their losses were to teams that made bowl games.
The Tigers score 39.2 points per game, ranking seventh in the country. They pass for 301.7 yards (ranked 13th) and rush for 150.8 yards per game (ranked 75th).
Seth Henigan returned as starting quarterback for Memphis this season. He has passed for 3,519 yards, 28 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 66.5 percent completion. Seven pass-catchers have at least 200 receiving yards this season for the Tigers. Roc Taylor and Demeer Blankumsee are the go-to targets with 981 and 825 receiving yards respectively.
Blake Watson has been the workhorse back for the Tigers. He has rushed for 1,045 yards and 14 touchdowns. Behind him, Sutton Smith has 283 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, the Tigers allow 29 points per game, ranking 90th in the country. They give up 168.2 rushing yards (ranked 95th) and 253.2 passing yards per game (ranked 112th). Chandler Martin leads the team with 86 total tackles. No Memphis player has over 2.5 sacks on the season. Cameron Smith has made plays in the secondary with six passes defended and three interceptions.
Iowa State Cyclones (7-5)
Iowa State won seven games to make their first bowl game since 2021. They defeated two bowl-eligible teams this season: Oklahoma State and Kansas State. All five of their losses were to teams that made bowl games.
The Cyclones score 26.3 points per game, ranking them 73rd in the country. They pass for 228.3 yards (ranked 62nd) and rush for 129.9 yards per game (ranked 98th).
Freshman Rocco Becht has taken the reins of the offense this season. He has passed for 2,674 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 63.5 percent completion. Four pass-catchers have at least 200 receiving yards on the season. Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel have led the team with 769 and 741 receiving yards respectively.
Three players have over 300 rushing yards on the season, but two of those players are in the portal. Their leading rusher is playing in this game, Abu Sama III. He has rushed for 610 yards and six touchdowns on the season.
The Cyclones’ defense conceded 21.7 points per game, ranking 33rd in the FBS. They allow 131.6 rushing yards (ranked 36th) and 217.7 passing yards per game (ranked 55th). Beau Freyler has led the team with 95 total tackles. R.J. Singleton has the team-high with 3.5 sacks. Jeremiah Cooper has a knack for making plays on the ball with nine passes defended and five interceptions.
Prediction
Iowa State has a young team and a lot of their players will be suiting up for the bowl game. They can score on Memphis’s defense and the Tigers may not be able to keep up.
Iowa State Cyclones 33 Memphis Tigers 25
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- Source: https://thegamehaus.com/college-football/2023-liberty-bowl-preview/2023/12/15/
