Henigan Has Tigers Favored Over Utah State

Plenty of Texas Products Coming Home for First Responder Bowl

Things didn’t go as planned for either Utah State or Memphis. Utah State failed to defend its Mountain West title while Memphis finished tied for eighth in the American Athletic Conference standings. Check our SERVPRO First Responder Bowl analysis.

After a strong start, Memphis lost four games in a row by a total of 20 points and needed to win back-to-back games last month to become bowl eligible. Now the Tigers are favored in the First Responder Bowl betting odds.

Utah State used a three-game winning streak to go bowling for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons. The Aggies will have a hard time topping last year’s bowl experience when they won against Oregon State out of the Pac-12.

The Aggies are 4-0 in one-score games this season while Memphis lost its last four games determined by seven points or less.

Game Information

Intriguing Quarterback Matchup in First Responder Bowl

These NCAAF teams are as different as the starting quarterbacks. Utah State began the season with Logan Bonner as the starter before he suffered a season-ending injury in late September. Cooper Legas stepped in with mixed results as he has 11 touchdown passes and nine interceptions.

Memphis features sophomore Seth Henigan. He has thrown for more than 3,000 yards in each of his two seasons. He is one of the reasons why the First Responder Bowl betting odds favors the Tigers.

Henigan is just one of the Texas natives on the Memphis roster. Defensive lineman Jaylon Allen (56 tackles, nine tackles for loss) and offensive lineman Austin Myers are among the other Tigers coming home for the bowl game.

For Utah State, running backs Calvin Tyler Jr. (1,043 rushing yards) and Robert Briggs (353 rushing yards), defensive back Ajani Carter (36 tackles) as well as defensive linemen Byron Vaughns (49 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss) and Tavian Coleman (23 tackles).

Memphis receivers Koby Drake (12 catches) and Joseph Scates (a team-high 21.8 yards per catch) are both questionable. Running back Brandon Thomas, the team leader with nine touchdown runs, is out for the college football season and defensive back Julian Barnett is expected to miss the game as well.

‘X’ Marks The Spot For Tigers’ Top Tackler

There is no questioning who the big-play performer of the Memphis defense is.

Senior linebacker Xavier Cullens is not only the team leader with 104 tacklers, but he has returned two of his three interceptions for touchdowns.

Memphis was just 1-4 in the regular season why Cullens made at least 10 tackles. Still, the First Responder Bowl betting odds list the Tigers as the seven-point favorite.

He is one of three Memphis players with multiple interceptions. Quindell Johnson has four picks and Tyler Murray had a pair of interceptions.

Three different Memphis players have at least 500 receiving yards. Caden Prieskorn (46 catches, 593 yards), Javon Ivory (46 catches, 586 yards) and Eddie Lewis (37 receptions, 532 yards) have combined for 13 touchdown catches.

Tyler Found a Home With Aggies

After carrying the ball just 30 times in his three seasons at Oregon State, Calvin Tyler Jr. headed to Utah State and that changed when he transferred to Utah State.

After rushing for 911 yards in 2021, including 120 against his former team in the 2021 Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl, he has taken it to another level with six 100-yard games and 1,043 rushing yards.

The presence of All-Mountain West offensive lineman Alfred Edwards has helped paved the way for Tyler and the Aggies to have the fourth-best rushing offense in the Mountain West Conference.

Not all the news is as good when it comes to the running game. Utah State is 11th out of 12 Mountain West teams with an average of 198.2 yards allowed per game. Seven times opponents ran for more than 200 yards with the Aggies winning four of those contests. Memphis has run for nearly 400 yards in its last two games so it is not a surprise that the Memphis vs Utah State odds list the Tigers are the favorite.

Memphis Looks To Thrive As a Favorite Once Again

Memphis won seven of its last eight games when listed as the favorite, while Utah State is 1-5 over the last six games as an underdog.

Utah State is looking to win bowl games in back-to-back seasons since winning bowls in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Memphis didn’t play in a bowl in 2021. However, in 2020 the Tigers snapped a five-game losing streak in bowl games.

When looking at the NCAA football scoreboard, the total has gone under in eight of Utah State’s last nine bowls.

The line opened with Memphis favored by 10 points and it has moved to the Tigers being favored by seven points.
Follow us on Twitter

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

• Pac-12 Week 12 Betting Odds: A Pair Of Huge Matchups Could Determine Conference Title Matchup
• Big 12 Week 12 Betting Odds: Defending Champion Baylor Looks to Take Down Undefeated TCU
• NCAAF Oklahoma Sooners
• New Orleans Bowl Betting Odds: South Alabama vs Western Kentucky
• NCAAF: Army vs Navy Betting Odds Preview Analysis