2022 First Responder Bowl, Utah State vs. Memphis, 12-27-22: Photo Gallery
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The 2022 Servpro First Responder Bowl trophy represents a game that started off in 2011 as the TicketCity Bowl before getting re-branded to the Heart of Dallas Bowl in 2013. Since 2018, the bowl has been named the First Responder Bowl.
The 2022 Servpro First Responder Bowl featured two teams in the Memphis Tigers (6-6) and Utah State Aggies (6-6) trying to get over the .500 mark. Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan completed 20-of-29 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns to earn game MVP honors.
Despite the outstanding performance, Henigan was quick to credit teammates after the game.
“We had a bunch of players make plays,” Henigan offered. “Jey (Jeyvon Ducker) had a long touchdown run, and a couple here and there. Preiskorn (Caden) had a touchdown, Eddie (Lewis) had a good over the shoulder catch, Joe (Joseph Scates) had one up the sideline. They were just getting open for me and, with enough time, we were having success.”
His deference should not take away from the sophomore’s two-year run as a starter for the Tigers. The former Denton Ryan High School (Tex.) standout earned the starting job as a true freshman and has not looked back. Through two seasons as a starter, he has completed 62-percent of his passes for 6,893 yards with 47 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
The Servpro First Responder Bowl was played at the same site (Gerald J. Ford Stadium) as the team’s last game of the regular season. In that contest, Henigan threw a game-ending interception to SMU’s Brandon Crossley with just two seconds remaining in a 34-31 loss.
Henigan’s bounce-back effort from that heartbreak in his hometown did not go unnoticed by Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield.
“I think the bounce back by Seth, who came out and played his tail off…kind of shows you the resilience that we’re all about,” Silverfield explained. “For me, that’s why it’s personal and I’m proud to be able to get a win today because of what it meant to those guys in the locker room.”
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