Tom Schad and Tom Schad | Memphis Commercial Appeal

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More than 50,000 people are expected to pack Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for Memphis' game against No. 25 UCLA on Saturday morning. Hundreds of thousands more will tune into the national television broadcast on ABC. Coach Mike Norvell has called it "a showcase game" — and for good reason.

"This one game does not define everything with our season, but this is an opportunity to be showcased," Norvell said. "It’s on ABC at 11 o’clock. It’s going to be nationally televised. People get an opportunity to see what Memphis is all about."

For the first time this season, the Tigers will step into a national spotlight, hosting the premier game in its time slot against a national brand (UCLA) and its star quarterback, Josh Rosen. Its the game that many Memphis fans have had circled on their calendar for the better part of the past year.

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Tigers vs Louisiana-Monroe football

While the game will be pivotal for a Memphis team with lofty expectations on the field, it's also a major opportunity for the athletic department, the university and the community as a whole. Deputy athletic director Mark Alnutt said it's difficult to quantify the value of the exposure that can come from such a game.

"You can’t put a dollar amount to it," he said. "For us, it’s an opportunity to get our program out there, our university. ... You put on a good show and people are talking about our program, going up against a traditional Power Five program — it's nothing but positive."

Saturday's game was originally slated to be shown on ABC in some markets, and on ESPN2 in others. But the effects of Hurricane Irma caused some scheduling changes, leaving Memphis-UCLA as the only game on ABC during its time slot.

Locally, the excitement for the game has only continued to build in recent weeks. UCLA rallied from a 34-point third-quarter deficit to beat Texas A&M in its opener, and Rosen has blossomed into a potential Heisman Trophy candidate. And it could translate to a massive crowd Saturday morning.

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During its opener against Louisiana-Monroe, university president M. David Rudd announced on Twitter that Memphis had sold a program-record 22,500 season tickets for 2017. Season parking passes have also sold out for the first time. And single-game tickets for Saturday are still being sold.

"We anticipate a very good crowd," Alnutt said Tuesday. "When I say good crowd, something very similar to what we had with Navy two years ago. Possibly Ole Miss. We’re not at the Ole Miss threshold yet, but we could easily have over 50,000 people here, which would be phenomenal for a non-conference game here at the Liberty Bowl."

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Alnutt said ticket sales are comparable with Memphis' 2015 game against Navy, which drew an announced crowd of 55,212. That was the 11th-largest crowd in Liberty Bowl history, and the second-largest of any game against a non-Southeastern Conference opponent.

"Obviously people are really excited about the direction our program has taken," Alnutt said, "but now you bring in this challenge to our program and people are really anticipating this matchup and how we’ll stack up against an opponent of this caliber."

Alnutt said Memphis is encouraging fans to arrive to the stadium early and will open the gates 30 minutes earlier than usual, at 9 a.m., to allow them to find their seats.

Part of the challenge for the Tigers will be remaining composed in the face of all the hype. Norvell said his team is used to playing in showcase games, whether it's Ole Miss, Navy or a nationally televised season-finale against Houston last year. Quarterback Riley Ferguson said it all comes down to staying focused amid the hype.

"I’m ready. I know all of our guys are ready for it," Ferguson said. "Everybody’s going to be watching. (It's time to) go out and show everybody what we can do."

Elliott signs with Eagles

A former Tiger found a new home in the NFL on Tuesday, as the Philadelphia Eagles signed kicker Jake Elliott off the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad.

Elliott, who was selected by the Bengals in the fifth round of April's NFL draft, was beaten out in the preseason by veteran Randy Bullock. Philadelphia had a need at the position with kicker Caleb Sturgis reportedly set to miss several weeks with a hip injury.