A Rodeo in Frisco
Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl
#25 Memphis vs West Virginia
Toyota Stadium, Frisco, TX
8 p.m. CT December 17, 2024
The stars at night
Are big and bright
Deep in the heart of Texas
There is no doubt that deep in the heart of Texas, at 8 p.m. on Dec. 17, some of college football's stars will be shining bright on the gridiron as No. 25 Memphis (10-2) faces West Virginia (6-6) in the Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl. The two teams will face off in Toyota Stadium, marking the first time the programs face off against each other. Don't let the disparity in records fool you, both sidelines will be star-studded and littered with talent.
Senior quarterback Seth Henigan will lead the Memphis Tigers out of the tunnel on Tuesday night. Henigan is the American Athletic Conference’s all-time leader in passing yards, and holds school records for career passing yards and touchdowns.
A native of Denton, Texas, Henigan will play just over 20 miles from where he played high school football. Despite spending his entire collegiate career as a Tiger, the Frisco Bowl will not be Henigan's first homecoming. Henigan has a 1-3 record in games played in Texas and is 0-2 in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Henigan has a chance to cap off a fantastic career with a bowl win in front of friends and family.
“It’s a blessing to be able to come back and play near my hometown,” Henigan said. “I’ll have like 10 people at the game, for them to be able to watch my last game of college football is just a blessing.”
Lining up in the backfield with Henigan is another star. Senior running back Mario Anderson Jr. ranks 14th in the country in rushing with 1,292 yards. Anderson is tied for 10th nationally with 17 rushing touchdowns in 2024.
Anderson has emerged as one of the top running backs in the country after starting his career at Newberry University, a Division II school in South Carolina. After rushing for over 3,000 yards in three years, Anderson transferred to South Carolina, rushing for 707 yards in his lone season as a Gamecock. Now at Memphis, Anderson has climbed NFL draft boards, looking to follow in the footsteps of NFL running backs Kenneth Gainwell, Tony Pollard and Darrell Henderson.
On the opposite sidelines, West Virginia's star players seek a signature win after a 6-6 season in which they saw their head coach, Neal Brown, get fired. They are now lead by interim head coach Chad Scott.
Entering his 44th career start for the Mountaineers is senior offensive tackle Wyatt Milum. Milum was a semifinalist for the the Outland Trophy, given to the nation's best interior offensive or defensive lineman. Milum notched his first start halfway through his freshman campaign and hasn't looked back, developing into one of the best tackles in the country and has caught the eye of NFL scouts. Milum anchors the left side of the offensive line, protecting quarterback Garrett Greene's blind side.
“He is one of my best friends,” Greene said. “We really started clicking when we were freshmen, he’s a phenomenal talent, he should be the first tackle off the board. It’s been great not having to worry about the left side.”
On the defensive side of the ball the Mountaineers have plenty of star power, with senior safety Anthony Wilson Jr. and freshman linebacker Josiah Trotter. Together they lead the team in tackles and forced a combined three turnovers.
Wilson tallied 95 total tackles, adding three pass break ups and two interceptions, one of which was returned 79 yards for a touchdown. Wilson had a missed tackle rate of 9.8% (ranking 30th among draft-eligible safeties). Wilson will aim to follow up a great season with one last performance against Memphis.
Trotter, the son of Philadelphia Eagles legend Jeremiah Trotter, was voted as Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year after a 93-tackle freshman season. However, Trotter entered the transfer portal following the firing of former head coach Neal Brown, and is rumored to have visits lined up with Washington and Missouri. Trotter is also reportedly open to a return to the Mountaineers, but a decision of that nature would surely follow West Virginia's impending hiring of a new defensive coordinator. Trotter's availability in the Frisco Bowl is uncertain.
Whether you are a lifelong superfan of either team, or you're a neutral college football enthusiast, we all love the sport football. Deep in the heart of Texas, under the bright lights of Toyota Stadium, the stars of college football will shine—and remind us why we love the game.
Reminds me of
The one I love
Deep in the heart of Texas