The Memphis Tigers defeated the Southern Methodist University Mustangs 28-18, improving their record to 7-4 and 4-3 in American Athletic Conference play. This is their third victory in a row, and if they win their final game against Houston, they’ll represent the AAC West in the AAC Championship game for the second season in a row.
Quarterbacks: C+
This game started off as one of the uglier games for quarterback Brady White this season, throwing an uncharacteristic interception in the red zone and ending the first half completing just nine of his first 17 throws. A large portion of his incompletions were due to dropped passes, and he also was responsible for an under-thrown pass that could have been a big play.
In the second half, White tried to redeem himself and finished the game completing 18 of his 31 throws and two touchdowns. He ended up throwing another interception, but this time off a tipped pass.
Running backs: B+
The run game was virtually silent in the first half, accumulating just 49 total yards. Running back Darrell Henderson was the leading rusher with just 29 rushing yards on eight carries, a far cry from his average 9.2 yards per carry.
In the second half, the unit began to get it together, and running backs Henderson and Patrick Taylor Jr. returned to their usual form. Taylor saw a bulk of the second half carries after Henderson suffered an injury in the third quarter and was limited. He finished the game with 111 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
Wide receivers and tight ends: C+
As previously mentioned, Memphis was plagued early after key drops from playmakers such as John “Pop” Williams. Those drops made it difficult for Memphis to successfully sustain drives.
Wide receiver Damonte Coxie had two big catches in the first half and combined for 90 yards. Unfortunately, his production ceased after suffering from an apparent injury in the second quarter.
Wide receiver Kedarian Jones stepped up for Coxie and made clutch receptions on third down, which helped the team continue drives. He finished the game with four catches and 48 receiving yards. Prior to this game, he only had five catches and 49 receiving yards for the season.
Tight end Joey Magnifico stepped up and made two difficult catches, including the team’s sole touchdown in the first half. He added another touchdown in the fourth quarter, giving him his first multi-touchdown game of the season.
Offensive line: C+
Even though White wasn’t sacked during the game, there were multiple plays where he ran for his life, trying to evade pressure. The offensive line didn’t do a well enough job creating running lanes for the team’s backs and were seemingly overpowered at the line of scrimmage.
Defensive line: A
The Tigers’ defensive line was the strongest group in this game, shutting down virtually every run play SMU attempted. The Mustangs only rushed for 25 yards on 26 attempts, and their leading rusher, Braeden West, had 10 carries for 20 yards.
Defender Jonathan Wilson had another strong showing in back-to-back games, finishing with two tackles and a sack. He now has four on the season, cementing himself as the third leading sacker on the team.
Linebackers: B+
Linebackers Austin Hall and JJ Russell were all over the field in pass coverage, combining for eight tackles. Russell came up with a fumble recovery in the red zone.
Bryce Huff was the team’s primary pass rusher and came away with 2.5 sacks. He now has 8.5 sacks this season and extends his lead as the team’s leading sacker.
Defensive backs: B-
Per usual, the secondary was a mixed bag and made both good and bad plays. On a positive note, they only allowed 29 completions on 55 attempts and got an interception courtesy of cornerback Tito Windham. On the flip side, they accounted for five penalties, including three in the first quarter that allowed SMU to march downfield with ease.
Safety Carlito Gonzales made the most of his limited snaps and forced a fumble to get the ball back to the Tigers’ offense on a clutch second quarter red zone stop.
Special teams: B
Kicker Riley Patterson missed a 21-yard field goal that would have tied the game early, leaving a sour taste in the team’s mouth, but their coverage teams made up for it. They forced a fumble on a fake punt attempt that gave the Tigers favorable field position.
Coaching: B
The first half of the game was confusing to say the least, with penalties and the lack of a run game that caused much concern. Head coach Mike Norvell and his staff did a good job of making adjustments to help the team win, but they have to do better in limiting penalties if they want a chance to compete in the AAC Championship game.
Darrell Henderson rushes pass a defender. Henderson had two consecutive games when he rushed for more 200 yards.
