Birmingham Bowl 2015: Auburn vs. Memphis TV Schedule, Time and Odds
Programs in transition headline the bowl slate Wednesday, when the Auburn Tigers collide with the Memphis Tigers in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl.
Auburn is sitting on a 6-6 record with a quarterback controversy on its hands, and Will Muschamp's unit didn't perform up to expectations before the former defensive coordinator bolted to become the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Now, the Auburn defense has to find a way to slow down one of the nation's best turnaround stories. NFL hopeful and record-setting quarterback Paxton Lynch paces the nine-win Tigers, who want nothing more than to prove they belong among the elite teams in college football.
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Here's everything you need to know about the game, which is sure to feature plenty of offense.
Game Details
When: Wednesday, Dec. 30, at noon ET
Where: Legion Field; Birmingham, Alabama
Television: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Over/Under: 62.5
Spread: Auburn (-3)
Injury Reports
| Avery Young | OL | Questionable |
| Jaunta'vius Johnson | DL | Questionable |
| Sean White | QB | Questionable |
| Austin Golson | OL | Questionable |
| Jeremiah Dinson | DB | Out |
| Stanton Truitt | WR | Out |
| Xavier Dampeer | OL | Questionable |
| Prince Tega Wanogho | DE | Questionable |
| T.J. Davis | DB | Out |
| Joshua Holsey | DB | Out |
| Tyler Queen | QB | Out |
| Genard Avery | LB | Questionable |
| Jae'Lon Oglesby | WR | Questionable |
| Jamarius Henderson | RB | Probable |
| Roderick Proctor | WR | Questionable |
| Taylor Fallin | OL | Questionable |
Righting Wrongs
Auburn closed its forgettable season by losing four of its last six games. Furthermore, it needed nearly all of its 56 points to beat a 4-8 Idaho team that managed to score 34 against Muschamp's unit.
Call it par for the course this year for the Tigers. The defense ranks 90th in the nation, allowing 421.8 total yards per game. Now led by interim defensive coordinator Lance Thompson, the unit has to find a way to slow down an NFL-bound Lynch.
The struggling defense might be wrong to expect much in the way of help from the offense.
Auburn runs the ball well behind the legs of Peyton Barber, who has 976 yards and 13 scores this year. But neither quarterback Sean White nor Jeremy Johnson has played encouraging football this year, and head coach Gus Malzahn still hadn't determined who would start just days before the bowl game.
ESPN.com's Greg Ostendorf spoke with him on the topic. “Both quarterbacks have performed well in practice," Malzahn said. "We’ve not made a decision on who’s going to start. You could see both of them.”
White has battled a knee injury while throwing just one touchdown and two interceptions. Johnson didn't assume the role like many thought he would, having thrown just nine scores and seven picks along with five touchdowns on the ground.
No matter how the guru Malzahn decides to deploy his passers, it's a safe bet they'll have an uphill battle in keeping up with their counterpart.
Completing the Transformation
Former head coach Justin Fuente isn't with the team anymore after beginning the rebuild, but new coach Mike Norvell and Lynch shouldn't have any problems continuing one of college football's most notable turnarounds.
Lynch gets most of the credit, though. He has completed 69 percent of his passes this year for 3,670 yards and 28 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
As one could imagine, Lynch's stat-stuffing ways have made his crop of weapons look good, too:
| Mose Frazier | 66 | 750 | 11.4 | 45 | 4 |
| Anthony Miller | 44 | 684 | 15.5 | 82 | 5 |
| Phil Mayhue | 47 | 644 | 13.7 | 43 | 1 |
What those numbers don't show is that Lynch has hit eight different targets with at least two scoring connections.
"When you look at these guys offensively, they're one of the best in the entire country," Malzahn said about his opponents, according to ESPN.com. "Really what stands out to me is (Lynch), a big athletic guy with 28 touchdowns and three interceptions—that's phenomenal."
What's Memphis' main weakness? Pass defense. The defense has allowed 269.3 passing yards per game, though the stout run defense matches up well against Auburn's offensive strength.
As long as the pass defense can hold up against multiple threats, Lynch should have an avenue to help his team pull away and pull off the upset.
Prediction
Las Vegas seems to think Auburn has the juice to outpace Lynch.
It's an interesting angle—but one that ultimately falls flat. The Memphis defense excels where the Auburn offense's strengths lie, and neither of the Auburn quarterbacks has shown an ability to beat teams with his arm this year.
Lynch can. He's not going to have many problems against the Auburn defense, not when he can sit back and spread it around to a wealth of weapons.
Look for Lynch to get Memphis out in front early, forcing Auburn's hand and creating a slippery one-dimensional slope of mistakes.
Prediction: Memphis wins 34-28.
Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified. All betting information courtesy of Odds Shark.
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