Memphis football defeated Tulsa 45-7 Saturday night at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium to improve to 6-0 on the season and earn bowl eligibility for the twelfth consecutive season.
In what was a flip from the norm this season, the passing game paced the Memphis offense. Brendon Lewis threw for 266 yards, his most as a Tiger, and wide receiver Jamari Hawkins caught 7 passes for 110 yards in front of 27,303 fans. The Tigers also became the first team in the country to be bowl eligible this season with the win.
"This is why I came to Memphis, to win games," Lewis said postgame. “And I’m glad we’re able to do that. It just shows I made the best decision of my life.”
Tulsa received the opening kickoff and were promptly stymied by the Memphis defense, who forced a three-and-out. Memphis then marched down the field, picking up where they left off in the fourth quarter against FAU, scoring a touchdown on an 11-play drive. Matt Adcock caught the scoring pass which was his first touchdown of his career.
After another Tulsa three-and-out, the Golden Hurricane defense stepped up, intercepting Brendon Lewis' pass and returning it deep into Memphis territory. The Tigers defense stood strong, forcing a 34-yard field goal attempt, which former Tiger kicker Seth Morgan missed.
The Tigers offense took that momentum and ran with it, marching down the field again for another touchdown drive. This time Sutton Smith found paydirt to make it 14-0.
The tide turned quickly, as Tulsa scored a touchdown of their own on a deep ball on their next possession. On the play, Memphis star defensive lineman William Whitlow Jr. was ejected for targeting, and the Tigers lead was 14-7.
Brendon Lewis threw his second interception of the game on the Tigers' next drive. However, once again, the Memphis defense made up for an offensive miscue. Chris Bracy intercepted Tulsa quarterback Kirk Francis' pass to give the Tigers the ball back at the Golden Hurricane 20-yard line.
Memphis took advantage, extending their lead to 21-7 on a ridiculous one-handed snag by Cortez Braham Jr.
"That play was just nasty," Lewis said. "I think he caught it with like three fingers. I was so shook on the field."
Kamari Wilson intercepted Francis on Tulsa's next drive, good for Memphis' second interception defensively of the half.
Brendon Lewis punched it in to take advantage of the interception, giving the Tigers a 28-7 halftime lead. At the half, Lewis was 13-15 passing with two interceptions.
The Tigers started the second half with a field goal scoring drive, before the defense got another interception, this time from Samson Israel. This marked the first game with 3 or more interceptions since 2023 against Charlotte for Memphis.
Last week's star, Greg Desrosiers Jr., rushed into the end zone with just over a minute go in the third quarter to make it a 38-7 game.
The Tigers added one more score, a Frank Peasant touchdown, and one more takeaway, a forced fumble, in the fourth quarter to finish off their 45-7 rout.
“We want to continue to see that leaping Tiger, that Memphis logo, on national television, week after week after week," Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield said. "People talking about it in a positive light, not only this athletic department, this football program, but our great city.”
Memphis will have the week off next week which will be their first bye week of the season. They will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 18, when they will travel to Birmingham to play UAB in the Battle for the Bones. The time and TV channel for that game have not been announced.
Sam McCormick can be contacted at smccrmc5@memphis.edu.
I'm a senior journalism major with a sports media concentration. I have been at the Daily Helmsman for three years now, including two years as the sports editor.
