Tigers Trounce Trojans
Memphis enters national rankings after 2-0 start
From the University of Memphis
GoTigersGo.com
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No.
RV/RV University of Memphis football team rolled to a 38-17 victory over Troy on Saturday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Running back Mario Anderson Jr. rushed for a DI career-high 125 yards on 17 carries as the Tigers improved to 11-0 vs.
Sun Belt Conference opponents since 2013.
With the victory, Memphis moved to 2-0 to open the campaign for the 11th-consecutive season. The 38 points scored today by the Tigers makes it 20 or more points in 29-consecutive games – the longest active streak in the nation.
The Tigers led 21-7 at the half and never looked back, adding a pair of touchdowns and a 32-yard field goal by kicker Caden Costa in the second half. Memphis’ all-time leading passer Seth Henigan passed former Tiger Danny Wimprine to move to second in program history with his 82nd-career touchdown pass – a four-yard strike to tight end Brendan Doyle, who has now scored touchdowns in three of his last four games played dating back to last season.
Henigan ended the game 20for-32 passing for 161 yards and a score and has now thrown for at least one touchdown in all 39 games of his career. Nine receivers recorded at least one catch for the second-straight week.
Redshirt-senior wide receiver Demeer Blankumsee led the Tigers with four receptions for 50 yards.
Redshirt-senior running back Brandon Thomas carried the ball twice in the win and found paydirt on both – moving himself to fifth place alltime for rushing touchdowns as a Tiger (28). Anderson Jr. added a pair of receptions for 23 yards to total 148 scrimmage yards in the win.
Greg Desrosiers Jr. added eight carries for 59 yards and Henigan carried twice for 24 yards as the Tigers totaled 211 yards on the ground, going over 200 yards for the first time as a team since October 28, 2023, vs. North Texas.
Junior linebacker Elijah Herring had a breakout performance to lead the Memphis defense with eight stops (6 solo, 2 TFL), a sack, a forced fumble and fumble recovery to fill the stat sheet. Fellow linebacker Chandler Martin was in on seven tackles (3 solo, 0.5 TFL) and broke up a pass. As a unit, the Memphis defense came up with eight tackles-for-loss for the second- straight week.
Tigers Make Top 25 After a 2-0 start, the Tigers are ranked 25th in the nation in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, released on Sunday afternoon.
This marks the first time being ranked inside the top 25 in either national poll for the Tigers since week five of the 2020 season when Memphis was No. 24 in the Coaches Poll and No. 25 in the AP Poll.
The Tigers are the only Group of 5 team ranked in this week's Coaches Poll after receiving 85 votes. In addition to being ranked No. 25 in the Coaches Poll, Memphis received 38 votes in the AP Poll and landed just outside the top 25 at No. 30.
Memphis was picked to win The American in the 2024 AAC Preseason Media Poll with 23 of 30 first-place votes after putting together the fifth 10-win season in program history a year ago. Memphis football fans can see the Tigers back in action at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 28 vs. Middle Tennessee.
The Pick Three Mini Plan is an additional option available that gives fans the flexibility to pick from any three Tiger home football games during the 2024 season at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, starting at just $69. To catch all of the action during the 2024 Memphis Football season, fans can also purchase season tickets at GoTigersGo.com, in person at the Memphis Ticket Office or by calling the office at (901) 678-2331.
Up Next
The Tigers travel to Tallahassee, Florida to square off with preseason No. 10 Florida State (0-2) next Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 11 a.m.
Follow the Tigers
For complete information on Memphis Tigers Football, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team’s social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
