Birmingham, AL – It was a hard fought battle in Birmingham that ended with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons winning 37-34 over the Memphis Tigers, making them the 2018 Jared Birmingham Bowl Champions.
This was anything but an easy win for Wake Forest. After a 97 yard kickoff return by Tiger’s Tony Pollard to put Memphis up 28-10. Wake Forest answered back with quarterback Jamie Newman scoring a touchdown with 7:09 remaining in the half. With 5:33 remaining, Newman once again rushed for 17 yards to put up 7 more points for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest made sure Memphis knew the fight was not over, going into the half only trailing 4 points.
Wake Forest Cameron Glenn stated “we’ve been down before during the year. We don’t let the other team making plays effect us. Nobody got down on themselves.”
Both teams came out fighting in the third quarter and while neither team was able to get in the end zone, Wake Forest kicker Nick Sciba sealed two field goals for the Demon Deacons, putting them ahead of the Tigers 30-28.
The motivation from both teams continued to show in the fourth quarter. With just 1:15 remaining in the game, Memphis took the lead 34-30 with a touchdown by Patrick Taylor. It would have appeared that the game was over as Newman was sacked in Wake Forest’s own territory. Newman answered back with a 49 yard pass to Alex Bachman, putting Wake Forest in scoring territory. After another 20 yard pass to Bachman, Newman dove into the end zone, scoring and putting Wake Forest in the lead, 37-34. Memphis was determined to win, but ultimately came up short after a missed field goal attempt by kicker Riley Patterson.
Jamie Newman, MVP of the game, was a powerhouse for the Demon Deacons. While it was only his fourth start of the season, Newman rushed for 91 yards and passed for 328 yards and came up big for his team.
“Our offensive line did a great job of blocking today. I give all the credit to my offensive line and my teammates” said Newman of his new MVP status.
“We really have amazing guys here and it’s awesome to coach them” said head coach Dave Clawson. This win was the third bowl victory in a row by the Demon Deacons, making history for the university.
