Based on conference tie-ins, the game was expected to feature teams from the American Athletic Conference (The American), the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), or the Big 12 Conference . Selected for the bowl were Memphis, of The American, and Utah State, of the Mountain West Conference . This was their eighth meeting; entering the game, the Tigers led the all-time series, 4–3.[ 6]
Memphis compiled a 6–6 record in regular-season play, 3–5 in conference play. Their season included a four-game winning streak followed by a four-game losing streak. The Tigers faced two ranked teams, losing to both Tulane and UCF . Entering this game, Memphis had been invited to a bowl game each season since 2014, including the 2021 Hawaii Bowl , which was canceled the day before kickoff.
Utah State also recorded a 6–6 regular-season record; they went 5–3 in conference play. After starting the season 1–4, the Aggies then won five of their remaining seven games to become bowl eligible . They faced, and lost to, two ranked FBS teams, Alabama and BYU . This was the Aggies' 10th bowl appearance since the 2011 season.
2022 Servpro First Responder Bowl
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Memphis 3
21
0 14 38
Utah State
0
3
0 7 10
at Gerald J. Ford Stadium • Dallas, Texas
Date : Tuesday, December 27, 2022Game time : 2:15 p.m. CST Game weather : Sunny • Temperature : 49 °F (9 °C) • Wind : 4 mph (6.4 km/h) southeastReferee : Francisco VillarTV announcers (ESPN ) : Mike Monaco (play-by-play), Charles Arbuckle (analyst), and Nicole Regoni (sideline)Box score
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
Memphis
Utah State
1
1:05
12
64
5:14
Memphis
26-yard field goal by Chris Howard
3
0
2
12:13
9
37
3:52
Utah State
53-yard field goal by Connor Coles
3
3
2
7:24
8
72
4:49
Memphis
Eddie Lewis 15-yard touchdown reception from Seth Henigan , Chris Howard kick good
10
3
2
2:56
5
50
2:26
Memphis
Eddie Lewis 22-yard touchdown reception from Seth Henigan, Chris Howard kick good
17
3
2
0:24
10
52
1:38
Memphis
Caden Prieskorn 3-yard touchdown reception from Seth Henigan, Chris Howard kick good
24
3
4
11:04
5
92
1:48
Utah State
Brian Cobbs 44-yard touchdown reception from Bishop Davenport, Connor Coles kick good
24
10
4
7:22
7
47
3:42
Memphis
Jevyon Ducker 1-yard touchdown run, Chris Howard kick good
31
10
4
3:16
5
58
1:54
Memphis
Jevyon Ducker 48-yard touchdown run, Chris Howard kick good
38
10
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
38
10
Team statistical comparison[ 4]
Statistic
Memphis
Utah State
First downs
26
15
First downs rushing
11
7
First downs passing
14
7
First downs penalty
1
1
Third down efficiency
7–14
5–13
Fourth down efficiency
0–0
0–1
Total plays–net yards
76–430
58–261
Rushing attempts–net yards
47–146
35–126
Yards per rush
3.1
3.6
Yards passing
9.8
5.9
Pass completions–attempts
20–29
15–23
Interceptions thrown
0
3
Punt returns–total yards
2–8
1–1
Kickoff returns–total yards
1–26
4–121
Punts–average yardage
4–148
5–188
Fumbles–lost
1–1
0–0
Penalties–yards
5–55
8–54
Time of possession
34:16
23:54
^ @JacobHRichman (December 27, 2022). "Seth Henigan is named MVP of the 2022 First Responder Bowl" (Tweet ). Retrieved December 27, 2022 – via Twitter . ^ Austro, Ben (December 4, 2022). "2022–23 bowl officiating assignments" . footballzebras.com . Retrieved December 16, 2022 . ^ "2022 Bowl Schedule" . College Football Poll . Retrieved December 26, 2022 .^ a b c d "2022 First Responder Bowl Final Stats" (PDF) . Statbroadcast . December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022 .^ "2022 College Football Bowl Schedule" . FBSchedules.com . Retrieved November 1, 2022 .^ "Winsipedia - Memphis vs. Utah State" . Winsipedia.com . Retrieved December 4, 2022 .
