Cougars ready to go bowling in Miami


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PROVO — On Monday, BYU is playing in a bowl game for the 10th straight season and looking to improve its record in that streak to 7-3. The Cougars will take on the Memphis Tigers, a team ranked 5th in the nation in points allowed; opponents have averaged just 17.1 points against them this season.

The Tigers took home a share of the American Athletic Conference crown led by AAC Coach of the Year Justin Fuente and AAC Defensive Player of the Year Tank Jakes. Two of their three losses were to top 25 opponents in UCLA and Ole Miss.

Memphis runs a similar 3-4 defense to BYU, and senior running back Paul Lasike says that brings familiarity and provides confidence.

“It’s kinda going back to fall camp, how we ran our offense,” Lasike said. “I think we generally do better against the 3-4 defense because we’re so used to it from fall camp and we run against our defense every day.”

Offensive coordinator Robert Anae agrees with the familiarity factor but isn’t taking the challenge lightly. He calls the 3-4 a multiple attack defense that you can’t completely figure out.

“I do believe it comes down to executing your assignment and your technique.” Anae said.

A bowl game caps a season for everyone, but for many it will also complete a career in college football or football, period. Anae says this group of seniors has taken the responsibility to lead and provide postseason energy more serious than last year’s group.

“We’ve had spirited practices,” Anae said. “We look forward to our senior leaders developing that spirited effort going into the game. Hopefully that piggybacks off the importance that this is your last game in a BYU uniform.”

Lasike will complete his football career on Monday before he continues on to student teaching and more rugby. After a loss last year, he is looking forward to ending his time on the team with a bowl win.

“I’m just going out there, I really wanna finish strong,” Lasike said. “That’s the mentality that I’m pretty sure all of us seniors have. So we’re bustin it this week in practice.”

***

Walking into fall camp, true freshman center Tejan Koroma admits he didn’t expect to start, let alone play the most snaps of any BYU offensive lineman. Now he’s been named to the ESPN True Freshman All–America team.

“It’s definitely an honor,” Koroma said. “To be a freshman All-American, there are only a few guys who get to hold that title. I’m just honored that I was able to receive it, that people notice that work that I put in.”

Koroma says he goes in every day and does the best he can, whenever he can. He does it both on the physical and mental side. It’s been said Koroma is the strongest lifter on the team, and he’s also taken control of the line, making all the pass and run protection schemes and shifts. He says he took learning the playbook seriously and wouldn’t let that hold him back.

BYU and Memphis will face off in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl at Marlins Park this coming Monday, Dec.. 22, at noon on ESPN. You can hear the game on KSL Newsradio, starting with pregame coverage at 10:00 a.m.

Mitchell Marshall is a KSL Sports Radio intern and broadcast journalism student at Brigham Young University, where he anchors and produces sports. Find him @mitchellive on Twitter.

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