With so many quarterbacks having hit the transfer portal, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl will stand out more since it provides one of the more intriguing QB matchups.
Memphis (9-3) will meet Iowa State (7-5) in the Dec. 29 game, 3:30 p.m. (ET). It will be televised by ESPN.
While it’s considered a neutral site, the game will be played at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, which is Memphis’ home field.
The quarterbacks will be center stage. Iowa State redshirt freshman Rocco Becht was named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year. Memphis junior Seth Henigan was a second-team All-AAC selection.
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Henigan is bigger and the much more experienced QB, but Becht has been playing his best football of the season down the stretch. Henigan as well has played his best as the season progressed.
Here is a look at both quarterbacks.
Rocco Becht
6-1, 205 R-Fr.
Season:
Passing: 209-329 passing (64%), 2,674 yards, 20 TDs, 8 INT.
Running: 54 attempts, 67 yards (1.2 avg.), 3 TDs
Most efficient performance: In a 42-35 win at then No. 19 Kansas State.
Playing in a heavy snowstorm, Becht completed 8-of-12 passes for 230 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. This was the final game of the regular season and gave the Cyclones momentum heading into the bowl game. Becht threw TD passes of 33, 79, and 82 yards.
Another top winning performance: In a 34-27 win over visiting Oklahoma State, Becht completed 27 of 38 passes (71.1%) for 348 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. During that game, Becht achieved his single-game best performance in passing yards and tied for touchdown passes.
Best performance in defeat: Completed 24-of-32 passes (75%) for 323 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in a 26-16 home loss to Texas.
Hot hand: In Becht’s last three games – a win at BYU, a home loss to Texas, and the aforementioned win at Kansas State – he completed 47 of 67 passes (70.1%) for 756 yards, seven TDs, and one interception.
Seth Henigan
6-3, 210 Jr.
Season:
Passing: 293-441 passing (66.4%), 3,516 yards, 28 TDs, 9 INT
Rushing: 88 carries, 247 yards (2.4 avg.), 4 TDs.
Most efficient performance: Henigan completed 23-of-40 passes for 349 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 59-50 home win over South Florida. He also rushed eight times for 42 yards and a touchdown. The five total touchdowns matched a career-high.
Another top winning performance: Completed 18-of-28 passes (64.3%) for 269 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 35-32 home win over Boise State. Henigan also ran for 64 yards on 13 carries.
Best performance in defeat: Completed 35-of-51 passes for 402 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 38-34 home loss to SMU. He also rushed for 13 yards on seven carries.
Hot hand: In his last five games, Hengan has completed 130-of-195 passes (66.7%) for 1,660 yards, 13 touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Tale of the Tape
PPG: Iowa State 26.25, Memphis 39.6
Opponents PPG: Iowa State 21.67, Memphis 29.0
Rushing yards per game: Iowa State 129.9, Memphis 150.8
Yards per carry: Iowa State 4.3, Memphis 4.6
Passing yards per game: Iowa State 228.25, Memphis 301.42
All-Stars
AP First-team All-Big 12 for Iowa State
CB TJ Tampa, S Jeremiah Cooper
2nd Team
S Beau Freyler
Memphis
1st Team All-American Athletic Conference
RB Blake Watson, LB Chandler Martin
Second-Team
WR Roc Taylor, OT Xavier Hill, QB Seth Henigan, DL Jaylon Allen
Third-Team
C Jacob Likes, S Simeon Blair
Other fast facts
Iowa State was 6-3 in the Big 12, the third time the Cyclones have won six league games, all under coach Matt Campbell…The Cyclones are 1-0 lifetime over Memphis, having beaten the Tigers 21-20 in the 2017 Liberty Bowl…Campbell has guided the Cyclones to six bowl games, most by any coach in school history…Becht’s father Anthony is a former NFL tight end, a first-round draft choice in 2000 of the NY Jets, who played 12 seasons with five teams…This is Memphis’ 10th straight bowl appearance, which is tied for ninth in the nation and first among Group of Five schools…Memphis’ three losses this year were to Missouri, Tulane, and SMU, teams with a combined 32-6 (.842) record…Henigan has played in 35 games and has completed 63% of his passes for 10,002 yards, 73 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions….Henigan’s 787 completions are the most in school history….Recently on Twitter/X, Henigan announced he plans to return next season at Memphis.
