2016 Game Recap
Boca Raton Bowl
December 20, 2016

BOCA RATON, Fla. (December 20, 2016) – The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers held off a fourth-quarter rally from Memphis en route to a 51-31 Boca Raton Bowl victory.

The game featured two of the elite offenses in the country, in a contest that was predicted to be the highest scoring of the bowl season. Western Kentucky senior Anthony Wales exploded for 329 yards from scrimmage as the Hilltoppers earned their third consecutive bowl victory.

Memphis struck first in the scoring affair after the teams exchanged punts. Western Kentucky responded with a trick play that sent offensive lineman Forrest Lamp barreling into the end zone on a nine-yard run to give the Hilltopper’s a 28-17 lead going into the break. Western Kentucky accounted for 365 yards of offense in the first half.

The Hilltoppers extended their advantage after Mike White’s 41-yard pass to Taywan Taylor and a Wales touchdown run after a Memphis fumble. Memphis used a series of defensive stops to get the game within two scores at 44-31.

White, Wales and company fired back with a touchdown of their own late in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. The Boca Raton Bowl Champions totaled 598 yards of total offense, highlighted by offensive MVP Anthony Wales. Quarterback Mike White accounted for 336 yards and threw touchdowns while linebacker Keith Brown picked up Defensive MVP honors.

Box Score: http://www.espn.com/college-football/game?gameId=400876043