MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Sunday afternoon turned out to be a historic day for the University of Memphis as it officially accepted a bid to play in the hometown Liberty Bowl on December 30th against Iowa State from the Big 12 Conference. The two teams have not met before, but will do so at 11:30am that day on national television.
“We’re extremely excited about the opportunity to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl,” Head Coach Mike Norvell said. “This is the first time we get to play in our hometown bowl game and we will get to face a Big 12 opponent in another national showcase game. There’s a lot of excitement in the progress and direction we are going, and to get this one last time to see this team in the Liberty Bowl, with this group of seniors, is going to be special.”
“This is a watershed day for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and the entire Memphis community,” AutoZone Liberty Bowl Executive Director Steve Ehrhart said. “As the home town bowl game, we are proud to host our home town University of Memphis Tigers for the first time in our 59-year history.
Congratulations to Coach Mike Norvell and the Tigers on a great season. We invite all Tiger fans and alumni to join the Tigers in celebrating their season and the wonderful accomplishments of this year’s Tiger team at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.”