Birmingham Bowl 2015: Auburn, SEC football too much for Memphis

By Michael Collins | Dec 30, 2015

The 2015 edition of the Birmingham Bowl was predicted to be high scoring affair, but the Auburn Tigers imposed their defensive will on Memphis.

It wasn’t supposed to go like this. Auburn wasn’t supposed to win by a margin of 31-10 against Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl.

Auburn was facing a Memphis offense who had scored 42.7 points per game (6th nationally) and a quarterback in Paxton Lynch who had thrown for 305 yards per game (13th nationally) in a bowl game that they hardly pictured themselves playing in just four short months ago…all of this without their defensive coordinator, Will Muschamp.

It was set up perfectly for the American Athletic Conference to flex a little muscle and rid the world of some SEC-fatigue. Memphis could use the weapons the Gus Malzahn wielded so often – misdirection, fast-paced offense, and big plays – to topple Auburn.

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The Tigers from Alabama had other plans.

This was simply a case of SEC size and speed wearing down the smaller Memphis team and taking control at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Auburn defensive pass rush and offensive line just took over and imposed their will in the second half of a game that was knotted at 10 at the half.

When Malzahn replaced Sean White (who had already thrown two interceptions) at quarterback with the turn0ver-prone Jeremy Johnson, it almost looked like a last-gasp effort. It turned out to be the difference in the game, as Johnson’s running ability and size were too much for Memphis to handle.

Memphis QB Paxton Lynch (who was reportedly without headset communication to his sideline) looked lost, and was nowhere near the NFL-ready quarterback that’s been seen most of the year, throwing for only 104 yards and one interception.

What was interesting was the way Auburn’s defense stepped up….after Will Muschamp stepped way. With the grimacing menace on his way to take over the South Carolina Gamecocks program, Muschamp wasn’t the defensive mind figuring out how to stop this high-octane Memphis offense. That job went to linebackers coach Lance Thompson, and the results were more than anyone could have hoped.

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The Tigers from Tennessee were held to just 10 points, 206 yards of offense, and three yards per offensive play…a season-low in all categories for Memphis.

The reports of the SEC’s demise are greatly exaggerated, and it was pure smash-mouth SEC football by Auburn that beat the Memphis Tigers today.