Iowa State Football: 5 bold predictions vs. Memphis in Liberty Bowl
By Zach Bigalke
2. The Cyclones will have more penalties than Memphis
In 2017, Iowa State has far and away been the more disciplined team of the contestants squaring off in the Liberty Bowl. The Cyclones averaged just 4.5 penalties per game, losing 41.3 penalty yards in the process. A large reason why Matt Campbell’s team had any right to dream about a Big 12 championship came down to the fact that they didn’t give referees the chance to throw flags.
Memphis, on the other hand, was one of the most penalized teams in the country. The Tigers ranked in the bottom five nationally in terms of penalties and yards, both overall and per game. The AAC West champions conceded 81 lost yards on 8.8 penalties per outing. Unable to get out of their own way, Memphis might be playing in a New Year’s Six bowl if not for taking so many infractions in the AAC championship game against UCF.
That will make the events at this year’s Liberty Bowl all the more strange. Iowa State will take the field and get out of rhythm early with a few false start calls. Things will begin to get chippy when they get on offense, and we might even see a targeting penalty against the Cyclones.
Rather than being disciplined, Iowa State will lose its cool at the Liberty Bowl on Saturday. In the process, Memphis will emerge as the less-penalized team on the day. It will be a major role reversal between the two opponents. A team that depended on playing mistake-free football will be betrayed by its distemper as the Cyclones commit several costly and unnecessary penalties.