The Memphis Tigers defeated the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 47-21 to improve their win streak to two games. Their record is currently 6-4 and 3-3 in American Athletic Conference play. The Tigers’ efficient play on both sides of the ball made them nearly unstoppable and will make them a tough opponent for the Southern Methodist University Mustangs in Friday’s game.
Quarterbacks: B-
Quarterback Brady White continued his hot streak from last week and was efficient through the air. Overall, he finished the game completing 14 of his 20 passes, thowing for 184 yards and scoring two touchdowns. He was also able to escape the pocket and scramble for an eight-yard play.
Backup quarterback Brady McBride entered the game in the fourth quarter and unfortunately fumbled the ball to stop a seemingly good drive by the backups.
Running backs: A-
The team primarily featured their running game, and running backs Patrick Taylor Jr. and Darrell Henderson combined for 43 of the team’s 54 carries.
Henderson finished the game with 166 rushing yards and two touchdowns, adding to his already impressive junior season. In the second quarter, it was announced that he was the second running back in Memphis history to run for over 3,000 yards in their career. The only other player to do so is Memphis legend DeAngelo Williams, a former running back for the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Wide receivers and tight ends: B
Wide receiver John “Pop” Williams and tight end Joey Magnifico both accounted for White’s two touchdowns, with one each.
Wide receiver Damonte Coxie had another big game and caught six passes for 110 yards. This marks his third straight game with more than 100 yards receiving. He has five 100-plus-yard games this season.
Offensive line: B+
The offensive line did a good job of keeping White clean and didn’t allow a sack all game or any quarterback pressures, during the game.
They were responsible for three penalties, but they were creating nice holes for the Tigers’ persistent run game.
Defensive line: A-
The defensive line produced yet another stellar performance and managed to capture five sacks against an experienced Tulsa offensive line. Nose tackle O’Bryan Goodson and defensive end Jonathan Wilson were the primary reasons for the unit’s strong showing.
Goodson finished the game with three tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss. He was third on the team in tackles for loss.
Wilson had his best game of the season with three tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss. He now has three sacks on the year — tied for third on the team.
Linebackers: A-
The Tiger linebackers did a good job of limiting plays that got past the defensive front and made many key tackles. Linebacker JJ Russell was one of the team’s leaders in tackles with four. Russell and linebacker Bryce Huff both had a sack of their own.
The star of the unit was Austin Hall, who forced a fumble in the second quarter and recovered the fumble for a 20-yard return.
Defensive backs: B
Based on the first half alone, the secondary was nearly perfect. However, their past struggles resurfaced during the second half.
In the third quarter, they were called on back-to-back pass interference calls that led to Tulsa’s second touchdown of the game.
To their credit, they held Tulsa quarterback Seth Boomer to 140 passing yards and one touchdown, which was their lowest number of passing yards allowed since week three’s game against Georgia State.
Special teams: B
The play of the game came on special teams when wide receiver “Pop” Williams took a 72-yard punt return to the end zone, giving him his first career return for a touchdown. Memphis hasn’t had a player do this since 2015.
Head coach Mike Norvell was proud of Williams and the play he made, despite the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that followed.
“If you’re going to get a penalty for anything, that’s a good thing to get one for,” Norvell said. “Williams is a great young man, and he has been doing a lot of work for this time. He deserved it.”
However, the unit was unable to capture a perfect grade for the game because kicker Riley Patterson missed an easy point after kick.
Coaching: A-
This was one of those games when Memphis controlled things from start to finish and managed to keep their foot on the gas even when Tulsa attempted to come back in the third quarter.
It’s clear that their bye week helped them to make necessary adjustments to allow their team to be more balanced, rather than having to live and die by their offense.
Memphis Tigers head football coach Mike Norvell pats Darrell Henderson on the back.
