If pregame analysis is correct, the scoreboard operator is going to have a busy evening when Memphis and Western Kentucky face off in the Boca Raton Bowl.
The Hilltoppers (10-3) rank second in the nation with an average of 45.1 points per game.
The Tigers (8-4) are 17th with an average of 39.5 points per game.
They meet at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday at FAU Stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla.
"One of the great things about this game is you see two explosive football teams," first-year Memphis coach Mike Norvell said. "Obviously, a lot of attention goes to the offensive side of the ball, but defensively you see two teams that love to attack, very multiple. ... These are two teams that put points on the board in a variety of ways."
In addition to the 23 touchdowns Norvell's Tigers have scored rushing and 30 passing, Memphis has returned three interceptions and three kickoffs for scores. The Hilltoppers have run back three punts and an interception and kickoff for touchdowns.
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"We are an attacking defense," said Nick Holt, who got the job of interim coach for the Hilltoppers when Jeff Brohm moved on to Purdue. "We like to get after people.
"In fact, our style as a football program, as a football team, we want to have fun, we want to be entertaining. We want to have people in their seats go, 'Wow, these guys play hard and they're fun to watch.'
"I think that's the kind of product we put out on the field."
Both teams got big years out of first-year starters at quarterback.
Junior Mike White, a transfer from South Florida, completed 67.4 percent of his pass attempts for nearly 310 yards per game in earning Conference USA Newcomer of the Year honors in his first season for the Hilltoppers. Wide receiver Taywon Taylor had 89 receptions for 1,586 yards and 16 touchdowns, Nicholas Norris had 73 for 1,253 yards and 13 scores. Running back Anthony Wales finished with 1376 yards rushing.
Riley Ferguson, a transfer from Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College, stepped in for the departed Paxton Lynch for Memphis and completed 63.8 percent of his attempts for 28 scores and just over 277 yards a game. His favorite target was wide receiver Anthony Miller, who had 84 receptions for 1,283 yards and 11 touchdowns.
"We've got some fantastic playmakers on our football team," Norvell said. "They love to play the game. They knew when the selection came out and we were going to be against this Western Kentucky team that it was going to be a fun game."
