Memphis lost for the first time in the Charles Huff era Saturday night against Boise State. The Tigers led by 14 points in the first half, but the Broncos dominated the second half to record an 18-point victory.
Huff’s team jumped out to a 14-point lead and led 17-3 with 7:10 remaining in the second quarter. Boise State responded with back-to-back touchdowns to tie the game with 1:07 left in the first half, but the Tigers had enough time to get the ball into field goal range, taking a three-point lead into the half.
The Broncos dominated the second half and held Memphis scoreless over the final 30 minutes of the game. Boise State ultimately outscored the Tigers 35-3 after the 17-3 lead in the second quarter, and Huff’s offense had virtually no success in the second half.
Here are three takeaways from the Tigers’ loss in Boise.
Run-game woes:
In back-to-back wins to start the season, Memphis has leaned on the rushing attack, but it couldn’t get anything going on Saturday against the Broncos. The Tigers ran for 135 yards, and Jaylin Carter led the team with 95 yards and a touchdown.
While the back nearly ran for 100 yards, 80 of the 95 yards came on a touchdown run early in the second quarter.
Manny Covey carried the ball six times and recorded only 16 yards, averaging 2.7 yards per carry.
It was clear that the Broncos’ game plan was to stop the run, and they had a lot of success doing it Saturday night.
Hunter Tipton has marquee game
While it was a loss for the Tigers, it wasn’t all bad. Hunter Tipton made a statement in the road contest, and it appears he will be Marcus Stokes’ go-to receiver moving forward.
Stokes and Tipton connected early and often, and the tight end finished the game with 229 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions. He averaged 25.4 yard per reception, and he recorded 123 yards after catch.
Tipton was the only Tiger to record more than three catches, and he was targeted 10 times. While he’s listed as a tight end, offensive coordinator Kevin Decker lines the 6-foot-5 and 241-pound pass-catcher all over the field.
Tipton had the second-highest receiving grade by a tight end in week two, and he finished behind former Tiger Christian Ross, who had 51 yards on three receptions for Miami (OH) over Holy Cross.
Tigers silent in second half
In the first two games of the season, Memphis has flexed its muscles in the second half, but it was the exact opposite on Saturday against the Broncos.
Memphis scored on three straight drives in the first half before Stokes threw an interception on the fifth drive of the game. The Tigers responded with a 7-play drive to kick a field goal as time expired in the first half.
In the second half, Memphis punted the ball three times and turned the ball over on downs twice. Huff’s team recorded a pair of three-and-outs and went 1-for-6 on third downs in the second half.
The Tigers had a ton of success in the second half through the first two weeks, and they’ll need to get back to that if they want to compete in conference play.
