EditorsNote: Adjusts hed. Updates throughout.
Quarterback Brady White struggled all day but hooked up with running back/receiver Antonio Gibson for a 6-yard touchdown with 1:14 remaining, and No. 17 Memphis earned a 29-24 victory over No. 20 Cincinnati on Saturday in the American Athletic Conference championship game in Memphis.
The victory helped the Tigers make a case for the Group 5 spot in the Cotton Bowl.
White completed only 18 of 40 passing attempts for 253 yards, including his quick out to Gibson, who caught the pass in the right flat and ran the ball in for the score. It was the second touchdown for Gibson, who scored on a 65-yard run in the first quarter and led the Tigers in rushing with a career-high 130 yards.
Quarterback Desmond Ridder, who missed Cincinnati's 34-24 loss to Memphis in the regular-season finale, moved the Bearcats to the Memphis 21-yard line in the closing seconds, but they failed to score.
Ridder was only 16-for-36 passing for 233 yards, but led the Bearcats (10-3) in rushing with 115 yards.
Kicker Sam Crosa, a graduate transfer from Western Illinois, booted a 33-yard field goal with 4:23 remaining to give Cincinnati a 24-23 lead before Memphis' decisive drive.
The game could be the last at Memphis for coach Mike Norvell, who is rumored to be the favorite to fill the opening at Florida State.
Special teams mistakes cost both teams in the early going. A roughing-the-kicker penalty against Memphis on a Cincinnati successful field-goal attempt gave the Bearcats a first down on the opening series of the game,. They cashed in with Michael Warren's 6-yard scoring run.
Later in the first quarter, a running-into-the-kicker penalty against Cincinnati on a punt denied the Bearcats possession in Memphis territory, and the Tigers cashed in on the mistake for their first touchdown.
--Field Level Media
