Top performers from Memphis’ 11-point win over USF

Memphis survived a wild one in a 52-41 win over South Florida on Thursday. The Tigers took a 21-point lead in the first quarter, but they needed a few late touchdowns and back-to-back stops to secure the road victory. 

Charles Huff’s team jumped out to a huge lead against the top defense in the conference, but USF cut the lead to 11 at the half. The two offenses came out of the locker room red hot, and both teams traded touchdowns for most of the second half before the Tigers’ defense got back-to-back stops to win the game.

The two teams combined for 93 points and 1,133 yards of offense.

With the win, Memphis improved to 8-2, and they remain in contention for the conference championship game.

Marcus Stokes:

It was an interesting showing for Marcus Stokes on Thursday. The starting quarterback accounted for five total touchdowns, but he completed only 48.4 percent of his passes.

Stokes finished with 313 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and he added 73 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

The starting quarterback ran for 65 yards on the first drive of the game and capped off the drive with a 53-yard touchdown run. He added another rushing touchdowns a couple drives later to give the Tigers a 21-0 lead.

Late in the game, when the team needed a stark down four, he found Jemyri Davis for a 76-yard touchdown. 

On the year, Stokes has thrown for 2,845 yards, 28 touchdowns and six interceptions, and he became the first quarterback to account for five touchdowns in three straight games since Bo Nix in 2023.

Jemyri Davis:

Davis scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter when he caught the cornerback on a stop-and-go route and the corner bit. Davis led the team with 161 yards and a touchdown on five receptions, and he averaged 32.2 yards per game.

With the showing, Davis now leads the team in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, and he has recorded 561 yards and seven touchdowns on 28 receptions.

Davis has become a home run option for the Tigers, but he has shown that he can be a real threat in the red zone as well. 

Jaylin Carter:

While Memphis recorded more than 300 yards through the air, it ran for 268 yards, and running back Jaylin Carter led the team with 109 yards and two touchdowns. Carter scored his first touchdown in the second quarter, and his final touchdown was on the Tigers’ final drive of the game to slam the door on the Bulls’ comeback.

It’s Carter’s fourth 100-yard game of the year, and it’s his first since running for 135 yards in October against Tulane. The running back is now up to 1,038 yards on the season, and he became the first running back to surpass 1,000 yards since Mario Anderson in 2024.

Mike Montgomery:

While it was an offensive game for both teams, Mike Montgomery deserves a shoutout for finishing with 19 tackles. The defense struggled in the second half, but they came up with two massive stops at the end of the game.

Montgomery had a few tackles on both those stops, and he did a nice job filling the run lanes at times throughout the night. The linebacker leads the team with 86 tackles and a pass deflection.