Tiger defense stifles South Florida in 21-3 road win

Memphis holds Bulls to a field goal in fifth win of the 2024 season

From the University of Memphis

GoTigersGo.com

ORLANDO – The University of Memphis football team went on the road Saturday afternoon and took down South Florida, 21-3, in an American Athletic Conference matchup at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

The Tigers (5-1, 1-1 AAC) were stout up front on the defensive side of the ball, holding the Bulls (2-4, 0-2 AAC) to just 24 rushing yards on 19 carries while forcing three turnovers – two fumbles and one interception. Memphis also held South Florida to just 1-for-13 on third downs.

The Tigers recorded over 40 minutes of possession (41:38), the most since 2014 against Cincinnati.

Tigers’ all-time leading passer Seth Henigan completed 28–of-40 passes for 208 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. With the win, Henigan is now tied with Brady White (28) for the most wins in program history as a starting quarterback.

Senior defensive back Jordan Grier had a career day with five tackles and the first fumble recovery of his collegiate career. Linebacker Chandler Martin was the leading tackler for the Tigers (7, 1.0 TFL) and logged a sack for the fourth-consecutive game.

Tight end Anthony Landphere hauled in a game-high six balls for 64 yards, while Demeer Blankumsee and Mario Anderson Jr. each caught a touchdown. Running back Brandon Thomas paced Memphis’ ground attack with 67 yards on 13 carries.

The Tigers came out of the gate rolling offensively. Memphis put together a nine-play, 75-yard drive to get on the scoreboard early when Henigan hooked up with Blankumsee for a 31-yard score with 9:50 to play in the first quarter.

Later on in the opening quarter, defensive back Greg Rubin stripped the ball out of the hands of South Florida’s Sean Atkins that was recovered by Grier. That play set up a nine-yard Henigan-Anderson Jr. connection to make it a 14-0 advantage for the Tigers.

In the fourth quarter, punter Josh Sloan and the Memphis special teams unit teamed up to pin a 43-yard punt at South Florida’s own one-yard line.

A few plays later, defensive back Kobee Minor knocked the ball loose and it was recovered in the endzone by Martin to extend the Tiger lead out to 21-3, which proved final.

The Tigers have now scored 20 or more points in 33-consecutive games – the longest active streak in the nation – dating back to a 33-28 win over Tulane on Nov. 27, 2021. Head coach Ryan Silverfield improved to 17-0 when holding opponents to 20 points or less.

The 21-3 win marked the fifth time this season Memphis has held its opponent to 17 points or less. Dating back to last year’s win at UAB, Memphis has forced at least one turnover in 10 of its last 13 games. Over that stretch, the Tigers have created 24 takeaways (13 INT, 11 FR).

UP NEXT

The Tigers will be back at home next Saturday to host North Texas inside Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Kickoff will be either 6:30 or 7 p.m.

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