Tigers Fall To USF In 49-42 Shootout

Saturday, November 12

Memphis, Tenn.

6:00 PM

University of Memphis

6-4 , 3-3

USF

8-2 , 5-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

USF

Memphis

Photo by: Nikki Boertman

Nov 12, 2016 | Football

Box Score USF 49, Memphis 42 VIDEO: Press Conference Memphis Notes & Quotes

Miller sets season receiving record Saturday.

MEMPHIS, Tenn . – In a back-and-forth offensive affair, USF outlasted the University of Memphis 49-42 in an American Athletic Conference showdown Saturday night at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The football shootout was played before a crowd of 37,218 at the Liberty Bowl and a national ESPNU audience.

The Tigers grabbed two leads in the third quarter at 24-21 and 31-28, but was unable to slow down the potent Bulls offense. In fact, neither defense stopped either offense, as the teams combined for 91 points and 1,287 yards of total offense. Both offenses also were protective of the ball with only one turnover that led to one touchdown in the contest.

With the setback, Memphis fell to 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls improved to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the league. USF is tied for The American East Division lead with Temple.

The Tigers had a balanced attack with 287 yards on the ground and 331 through the air. The 287 rushing yards were a season high, and quarterback Riley Ferguson recorded his fifth 300-yard passing performance of the season with 331 yards.

In the loss, Anthony Miller set the program's season record for receiving yards Saturday. He has 1,077 yards on 67 catches in 2016. Miller broke the mark set by Isaac Bruce in 1993 (1,054 yards). Miller's 153-yard game Saturday was his fifth 100-yard performance of the season and the eighth of his career.

Tigers tight end Daniel Montiel had a career game Saturday, posting career bests for receptions (10) and receiving yards (100).

Memphis was down 42-34 midway through the fourth quarter, but struck quickly when Ferguson found Miller for a 57-yard scoring strike. The touchdown pulled the Tigers to within 42-40. The Tigers then went for the two-point conversion, and Ferguson hit Phil Mayhue to tie the score at 42-all.

The Bulls came back with an immediate response. USF moved the ball 78 yards on 10 plays and capped the drive with a Quinton Flowers 22-yard scamper for a 49-42 lead with 1:46 on the clock.

The Tigers got the ball back enough time to drive for a game-tying score. Memphis drove to the USF 3-yard line, where it had three chances to put the ball end zone. The Bulls defense, though, stepped up and knocked away the Tigers' three pass attempts to seal the win.

Saturday's offensive explosive started quickly with two huge plays from the visiting Bulls and courtesy of Rodney Adams. First, Adams took a Flowers' pass 49 yards to pay dirt for the game's first score. Then, on USF's third possession of the game, Adams ran around left end for a 92-yard touchdown run to give the Bulls a 14-0.

Memphis responded with the game's next 10 points to cut the USF lead to 14-10. A Jake Elliott field goal put the Tigers on the board in the first quarter, and a Ferguson one-yard touchdown run capped a 13-play, 91-yard drive. The scoring drive took 4:00 off the clock and was Memphis' fourth-longest of the season in terms of time of possession.

The team traded touchdown scores before halftime, and USF took a 21-17 lead into intermission.

After half, Memphis struck first on a Ferguson-to-Daniel Hurd seven-yard touchdown connection to give the Tigers their first lead of the contest at 24-21. The score went back-and-forth until USF pulled out to a 42-34 lead in the fourth quarter, setting up the game's final moments.

Curtis Akins (11 tackles) and Jonathan Cook (10 tackles) led the Memphis defense. The Tigers posted a season-high 9.0 TFL, but did not earn a takeaway for the first time this campaign.

Memphis returns to action on a short week with a Friday, Nov. 18 game at Cincinnati. The American Athletic Conference match-up is a 7 p.m. (CT) on the CBS Sports Network.