Memphis survives thriller in 11-point win over South Florida

Memphis jumped out to an early lead, but it had to survive a second-half comeback to secure a win over South Florida. Despite leading by 21 points in the first quarter, the Tigers trailed in the second half before securing a 52-41 win over the Bulls.

Before the game, it was reported that USF would be without starting quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. and running back DJ Crowder. Both players were out with injuries, and it’s the second game in a row the Bulls have been without their starting quarterback.

Last week, Luke Kromenhoek made the start for South Florida, and he finished with 179 yards and a touchdown in the loss. It was only the second game he had seen real snaps in this season, but the Bulls would look to him again against the Tigers.

USF started with the ball, and after moving the ball on the first few plays, it was forced to punt to end the first drive. Memphis received the ball and put together a quick six-play touchdown drive to get on the board first.

Marcus Stokes ran for 65 yards on the first drive and scored on a 53-yard touchdown run. 

A few minutes later, the Tigers’ defense forced another punt, and Memphis scored another touchdown to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter over the top defense in the conference. The offense marched down the field before Stokes found Hunter Tipton for a seven-yard touchdown pass.

The Bulls started their third drive looking for answers, and on the second play running back Alvin Isaac fumbled, and Jabari Ishmael recovered it to give the ball back to the Tigers’ offense. Memphis started their drive with great field position, and after a few plays, Stokes ran for an eight-yard touchdown to pick up his second rushing touchdown of the game.

Just like that, Charles Huff’s team led 21-0 with 3:39 remaining in the first quarter. That lead continued until the end of the quarter before the Bulls started chipping away in the second quarter.

Kicker Nico Gramatica drilled a 47-yarder early in the quarter, and after a stop and a missed missed 60-yard field goal, Kromenhoek threw his first touchdown pass of the game to cut the deficit to 11 points. The Tigers answered with a one-yard rushing touchdown from Jaylin Carter, making it an 18-point game, but that would be Memphis’ largest lead the rest of the night.

USF scored again before the end of the first half and scored again on its first drive in the second half after forcing a three-and-out. The Tigers looked up and it was a four-point game with a lot a time left.

What ensued can only be described as Thursday night madness. The two teams combined to score on six of the next nine drives, including five-straight scoring drives.

After the Tigers couldn’t convert on a fourth-and-four attempt, USF drove down the field, and Gramatica drilled a 38-yarder to give the Bulls their first lead of the game.

Memphis responded with a two-play drive to regain the lead. Stokes found Jemyri Davis, who burned his man on a stop-and-go, for a 76-yard touchdown to take a 45-41 lead. 

After struggling to stop the USF offense in the second half, Memphis’ defense recorded back-to-back stops to give the Tigers’ offense the ball with less than a minute left in the game. Since the Bulls had multiple timeouts remaining, Memphis elected to run the ball instead of taking knees, and Carter found an opening and found the end zone to secure the 52-41 win.

The Tigers finished with 581 yards of offense, and Stokes threw for 313 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 73 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. 

Davis finished with 161 yards and a touchdown on five receptions, while Tipton and Stonka Burnside both added a receiving touchdown.

Jaylin Carter led the team on the ground with 109 yards and two touchdowns on 21 attempts. 

The defense allowed 552 yards of offense, and Kromenhoek finished with 271 yards and three touchdowns through the air and 146 yards and a touchdown on the ground. 

Running back Jason Collins Jr. added 108 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

While they struggled to find stops in the second half, the defense recorded 13 tackles for loss and seven sacks, and Mike Montgomery led the team with 19 tackles. 

With the win, Memphis improves to 8-2 on the year, and it will return to action next Saturday against Navy.