| DETROIT -- In a memorable, four-year career in which he set practically every school rushing record and several NCAA marks, there was something missing on University of Memphis All-America running back DeAngelo Williams' resume. |
| While he had led the Tiger program to bowl appearances in 2003 and 2004, he hadn't been much of a factor in the postseason. |
| He didn't play in the New Orleans Bowl two years ago, sidelined by a knee injury. |
| He played but didn't finish last year's GMAC Bowl in Mobile because of a broken leg, suffered in the third quarter. |
| Monday in the Motor City Bowl against Mid-American Conference champion Akron at Ford Field, Williams finished his spectacular career in a way he could only have dreamed. Williams rushed for 233 yards and three touchdowns, was named the game's MVP, set an NCAA mark for career 100-yard rushing games and carried the Tigers to a 38-31 victory before 45,801. |
| After ending last year's season in tears at the GMAC Bowl, Williams was laughing and smiling as he entertained the media in the postgame press conference, praising receiver-turned-quarterback Maurice Avery for rescuing the season, joking with coach Tommy West and saying he felt as excited as a freshman playing his first game. |
| But it wasn't a freshman leading the Tigers, it was a remarkable senior back from Wynne, Ark., who gave this program unprecedented national exposure. |
| ''I don't know that you can appreciate his speed just from watching him on film,'' Akron coach J.D. Brookhart said. ''He just seems to waste angles away and beat guys. You can't really see that on tape.'' |
| Behind Williams, Avery, receiver Ryan Scott and a defense that overcame a late, furious Akron rally by playing solid run defense, the Tigers (7-5) won their second bowl in three seasons and ended an improbable year with a postseason victory. |
| The Tigers had to overcome a rash of injuries -- eight to starters on both sides of the ball -- to rescue the season. Memphis won its final three games. |
| ''I'm extremely excited for our program,'' West said. ''We've now had 24 wins in the last three years ... and our seniors are the ones who have made it happen for us. |
| ''It's been the most frustrating year I've ever been through (with the injuries). But it's also been the most gratifying. These guys have validated our program and they did it under the most adverse conditions.'' |
| And they had to withstand one last wave of adversity to defeat Akron, which scored 21 fourth-quarter points. After taking a 38-17 lead with 3:09 to go on a 5-yard run by Earnest Williams, the Tigers watched the the Zips (7-6) score 14 points in less than two minutes on two touchdown passes by Luke Getsy, who completed 34-of-59 for 455 yards and four TDs. |
| It took a first-down run by reserve Tiger tailback Joe Doss with 43 seconds left to preserve the win. |
| ''I was nervous,'' West said. ''I didn't want to be the only coach in the country to get a Gatorade bath and lose the game.'' |
| The bath came after Earnest Williams scored, but the nerves didn't subside until Doss' first down. |
| Avery completed 7-of-13 passes for 170 yards, including hookups of 50 yards to Scott and 42 to Earnest Williams as the UofM amassed 516 yards. Avery also added 43 rushing yards, a key punt inside the Akron 5 and a punishing block to free DeAngelo Williams. |
| ''All year long Mo has done a great job stepping in,'' DeAngelo Williams said. ''I think he was our (team) MVP ... hands down.'' |
| Ahead 13-3 at the half, the Tigers extended their advantage to 20-3 on a 2-yard run by DeAngelo Williams late in the third quarter. After Akron got a 46-yard TD pass from Getsy to Brett Biggs in the closing seconds of the third, Memphis stretched its lead to 38-17 on a Stephen Gostkowski 50-yard field goal, followed by another 2-yard TD run by DeAngelo Williams and Earnest Williams' run. |
| DeAngelo Williams set up his 2-yard run with a 67-yard sprint to the 2, a big play that answered a big play. Akron had scored on a 72-yard TD pass from Getsy to Biggs on the previous play from scrimmage. |
| ''It was a different ball game,'' Brookhart said. ''We didn't play the way we planned to play in the first half. We had a lot of missed assignments and missed opportunities.'' |
| After a lackluster opening quarter -- one in which the Tigers were slowed by penalties and a turnover and held to 46 yards -- Memphis erupted for 13 points and nearly 200 yards in the second period. |
| Akron got its only points of the half following a Tiger turnover. Avery fumbled at the Zips 46-yard line and Akron defensive back John Mackey recovered. Ten plays later Jason Swiger connected on a 43-yard field goal. |
| In the second quarter, the Tiger offense got untracked. Memphis drove from its 3 to the Akron 15, getting a 32-yard field goal by Gostkowski for its first points with 7:02 to go. |
| On its following possession, the Tigers used some trickery to start another scoring drive. On first and 10 from the Memphis 48, Williams took a direct shotgun snap and pitched to Avery, who found Scott for a 50-yard pickup to the Akron 2. Three plays later, Williams scored from 1 yard out and Gostkowski added the PAT for a 10-3 lead. |
| The Tigers made it 13-3 on their next possession, scoring with 18 seconds left in the half on a 25-yard Gostkowski field goal. |
| -- Phil Stukenborg: 529-2543 |
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| DeAngelo's final figures |
| 6,021 |
| Rushing yards, the most in Conference USA history and fourth in NCAA history |
| 7,568 |
| All-purpose yards, an NCAA record |
| 34 |
| 100-yard rushing games, an NCAA record |
| 178.1 |
| DeAngelo's 2005 rushing yards per game, first in the nation |