The University of Akron Athletics
Memphis Edges Akron 38-31 in 2005 Motor City Bowl
December 26 | Football
Dec. 26, 2005
Recap | Final Stats | Quotes | Photo Gallery
DETROIT, Mich. - Akron vs. Memphis
Motor City Bowl IX
Ford Field, Detroit, Mich. • Monday, December 26, 2005
Postgame Notes
Team Notes:
• The loss for the Zips was their first loss when playing on ESPN. Akron entered the game with a perfect record of 5-0 all-time and was 3-0 this season before today's loss. The loss also dropped the Zips to 0-1 against Memphis and 9-12 against Conference USA opponents.
• The Zips grabbed an early 3-0 lead with 40 seconds left in the first quarter. The Zips fell to 5-3 when scoring first, snapping a three-game winning streak when getting on the board first. In nine Motor City Bowls, the team to score first is now 6-3.
• Akron is 2-5 when trailing at the half, with their only wins coming against Bowling Green (10/29/05) and Buffalo (10/8/05). In the Motor City Bowl, the team trailing at the half is now 4-4, with the only tie, a 21-21 score in the Marshall/Louisville game, coming in the bowl's second season (12/23/98).
• The Zips and Tigers accounted for 50,616 tickets sold, the third-best attendance in Motor City Bowl history. It is the third-straight year that the bowl has drawn better than 50,000 fans.
• The Zips' posted three scoring drives of 80 yards in the game, the most of any game this season. On the year, Akron has 15 drives ending in points on the board this season and are 2-2 in four games with two or more scoring drives of 80 yards or more.
• With RB Brett Biggs' 72-yard touchdown reception with
11:03 left in the game, Akron posted their eighth play of 50 yards
of more this season.
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• The Zips scored 14 points in 51 seconds to cut the Memphis lead to 38-31 with 55 seconds left in the game.
Player Notes:
• QB Luke Getsy set a Motor City Bowl and school record with 59 pass attempts, breaking his own mark of 57 pass attempts set against Central Michigan on Oct. 1, 2005. Getsy finished with 455 yards passing, setting a new bowl and school record. He finished with 34 completions, second most in school history behind Charlie Frye's 36 completions against Kent State on Aug. 28, 2003.
• QB Luke Getsy finished the season with 3,455 yards passing on the season, just 94 yards behind Charlie Frye's 3,549 yards during the 2003 season. The mark is just the second 3,000-yard passing season in school history.
• Just 19 minutes into the game, WR Jabari Arthur set a new career high in receiving yards with 90 yards on four receptions. Arthur's previous high was 71 yards on two receptions against Ohio (11/15/05). He later posted his first-career 100-yard receiving game with his 46-yard touchdown grab with 46 seconds left in the third quarter. He finished the game with a career-high tying eight receptions for a career-best 180 yards.
• WR Jabari Arthur posted the most receiving yards in Motor City Bowl history, hauling in eight grabs for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Marshall's Randy Moss holds the record with 173 yards receiving on six catches against Mississippi (12/26/97).
• WR Jabari Arthur posted the sixth-best mark in school history with 180 yards receiving, tying him with Dan Ruff, who also posted 180 yards receiving against Youngstown State on Nov. 8, 1969.
• RB Brett Biggs' 72-yard touchdown reception with 11:03 left in the game was his second-longest catch of his career. His career-long catch of 74 yards came against Miami on Nov. 20, 2004. The reception was the third-longest in Motor City Bowl history.
• QB Luke Getsy posted his fifth-career 300-yard passing game with his 72-yard scoring pass to RB Brett Biggs with 11:03 left in the game. Getsy has now passed for 300 or more yards in two-straight games. He later surpassed the 400-yard mark for the third time this season, tying Charlie Frye (2001-04) for the high mark for career 400-yard passing games.
• LB Kevin Grant posted the first double-digit tackle total of his career, recording 10 tackles (five solo, five assist) and one tackle for a loss.
