This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • Still euphoric after leading BYU to a 42-35 win over California on Saturday afternoon, and perhaps caught up in the moment a little bit, quarterback Christian Stewart said the victory showed the Cougars can play with anybody in the country when they are "clicking on all cylinders."
For now, though, they will just have to settle for playing against one of the better teams from the American Athletic Conference in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl on Dec. 22 in Florida.
Which team will that be?
The official announcement is scheduled for Sunday. The bowl will work in conjunction with the AAC, which has five bowl tie-ins, to pick BYU's opponent at Marlins Park. Memphis (9-3), UCF (8-3), Cincinnati (8-3), East Carolina (8-3) and Houston (7-4) are bowl eligible, and Temple (5-6) can get there with a win at Tulane
Memphis clinched at least a share of the league title with a 41-10 win over UConn last week and is projected by many, including analysts at CBSSports.com, Sports Illustrated, and the Sporting News, to head to South Beach.
Other possibilities include Central Florida, which plays at East Carolina on Thursday. Brett McMurphy of ESPN projects that the Miami Beach Bowl will pick UCF to face the Cougars.
The Knights beat BYU 31-24 in overtime in Orlando on Oct. 9, but the league might overlook what some might see as an undesired rematch because Central Florida is just a couple hours drive away from Miami.
ESPN's other bowl expert, Mark Schlabach, is picking a Cincinnati-BYU matchup. Like UCF, Cincinnati can grab a share of the conference title with a win against Houston on Saturday.
BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said the Cougars want to face the best opponent possible. That probably means Memphis, which has a Sagarin rating of 42. BYU's is 49 after the Cougars won their fourth-straight game Saturday and kept Cal (5-7) from a bowl.
"I am proud of our coaches. I am proud of our team," Mendenhall said. "I am so happy for the resiliency that they have shown and the perseverance. Glad to see them rewarded for their efforts, and I couldn't be happier right now for our team."
BYU racked up 540 yards and allowed 566, although it should be noted that Cal ran a whopping 101 plays, while BYU got in just 77. The Bears had just one turnover, while BYU had two, including the ill-advised backwards pass at the goal line that probably cost it a touchdown.
"This win is a big momentum-builder for us going into the bowl game," Stewart said. "I think this gives us a lot of confidence that we can play with anybody, and we can beat anybody. We are on a four-game winning streak, and we are just going to keep that rolling into the bowl game, and go get a fifth [straight] win."
The defense that gave up 34 first downs was playing without senior safety Craig Bills, who is still having symptoms related to a concussion and/or neck injury he suffered against Central Florida. Mendenhall said Bills is questionable for the bowl game.
So is starting mike linebacker Zac Stout, who tweaked his back in practice and had to watch the game from the sidelines. Another starter, receiver Mitch Mathews, suffered a concussion during his only catch of the day, but should have time to recover since the bowl game is three weeks from Monday.
Twitter: @drewjay -
Miami Beach Bowl
O Dec. 22, Miami, Fla.BYU vs. TBA, noon, MST