University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
8-4 , 5-3
#18/21 Houston
9-3 , 5-3
Tigers Take Down No. 18 Houston
Nov 25, 2016 | Football
Last season Memphis beat 12th-ranked Ole Miss at the Liberty Bowl, and this year it was the Houston Cougars that fell victim to a final-drive comeback.
Anthony Miller hauled in a career-high and school-record 15 passes on the day for 169 yards, as Phil Mayhue had six catches for 142 yards. Both players had two scores.
Riley Ferguson completed 30-of-45 passes in the game, for 409 yards, a new career-high and the fourth-most in a game in program history. He also climbed three spots in single-season passing yards, passing over Paxton Lynch (2014- 3,031), Danny Wimprine (2003 - 3,174), and Martin Hankins (2007, 3,220) into second place in the single-season list with 3,326 yards this season. He trails just Lynch's total from last season (3,776) for the single-season school record.Â
Doroland Dorceus rushed 15 times for 82 yards and a touchdown, while Darrell Henderson and Patrick Taylor each had seven carries for 36 yards. Henderson also had a rushing score.
Memphis ran up 555 yards of total offense, and forced two turnovers in the game, giving the Tigers 28 takeaways on the season, and temporarily into the top spot in the NCAA standings.
Memphis took the opening kickoff and needed just two plays to cover 74 yards, the key piece coming on a run-pass option completion from Ferguson to Mayhue for 67 yards, staking the Tigers to a 7-0 lead just 42 seconds into the game.
The Cougars responded with a 41-yard field goal on their first possession of the game, cutting the Tiger deficit to 7-3 with 11:01 to play in the opening quarter.
The Tiger offense used an even balance of four passes and four rushes to go 83 yards over eight plays, pushing ahead to a 14-3 lead after a Dorceus one-yard touchdown plunge, putting the hosts ahead with 8:24 to play in the first quarter.
For the fourth consecutive possession of the game, it was the offense that dominated, as running back Duke Catalon rushed 10 yards for Houston's first touchdown of the game, capping a 11-play, 75-yard drive, scoring with 5:09 remaining on the first quarter clock.
Mayhue hauled in his second touchdown pass of the game on Memphis' third possession, from two yards out to cap a 10-play, 65-yard drive. The key play of the drive was a two-play set, in which Memphis faced a third-and-23, before Darrell Henderson took a draw up the middle for 22 yards, and then hauled in a Ferguson pass on fourth down and took off for a 19 yard gain.
The Cougars closed the gap to four with a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Greg Ward to Tyler McCloskey, before Memphis ended the half by scoring the final 13 points.
The first six points came on a pair of field goals from kicker Jake Elliott from 40 and 29 yards, each.Â
After an interception - the first turnover of the game - the Tigers used the good field position to drive 58 yards over nine plays, capped by a Henderson two-yard touchdown run, sending Memphis into the locker room at halftime with a 34-17 advantage.
Houston came out firing to start the second half, taking the post-halftime kickoff and driving 65 yards over seven plays, dropping the deficit to 34-24.
Houston kicker Ty Cummings converted on two field goals for the next two scores, booting 25- and 26-yard attempts to take the margin to four at 34-30.
A possession later, Ward found Linell Bonner from 55 yards away for a catch-and-run touchdown, giving the visitors their first lead of the game at 37-34.
Memphis responded immediately with a 10-play, 75-yard drive, capped with a Ferguson-to-Miller 35-yard touchdown to put the hosts back ahead in the game.
With 1:29 remaining on the game clock Houston re-took the lead following a three-yard touchdown pass to Chance Allen, in which he narrowly got both toes in the end zone.
The Tigers countered once again with 19 seconds left in the game when Ferguson found Miller on a slant pattern from 10 yards away, putting Memphis ahead 48-44, and giving Ferguson his fourth passing touchdown of the contest.
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Team Stats
HOU 0, MEMPHIS 7
MEMPHIS - MAYHUE, Phil 67 yd pass from FERGUSON, Riley (ELLIOTT, Jake kick) 2 plays, 74 yards, TOP 0:42
HOU 3, MEMPHIS 7
HOU - CUMMINGS, Ty 41 yd field goal 11 plays, 51 yards, TOP 3:17
HOU 3, MEMPHIS 14
MEMPHIS - DORCEUS, D. 1 yd run (ELLIOTT, Jake kick), 8 plays, 83 yards, TOP 2:31
HOU 10, MEMPHIS 14
HOU - CATALON, Duke 10 yd run (CUMMINGS, Ty kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:15
HOU 10, MEMPHIS 21
MEMPHIS - MAYHUE, Phil 2 yd pass from FERGUSON, Riley (ELLIOTT, Jake kick) 10 plays, 65 yards, TOP 3:17
HOU 17, MEMPHIS 21
HOU - McCLOSKEY, T. 29 yd pass from WARD Jr., Greg (CUMMINGS, Ty kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:58
HOU 17, MEMPHIS 24
MEMPHIS - ELLIOTT, Jake 40 yd field goal 10 plays, 50 yards, TOP 2:52
HOU 17, MEMPHIS 27
MEMPHIS - ELLIOTT, Jake 29 yd field goal 10 plays, 43 yards, TOP 2:46
HOU 17, MEMPHIS 34
MEMPHIS - HENDERSON, D. 2 yd run (ELLIOTT, Jake kick), 9 plays, 58 yards, TOP 3:40
HOU 24, MEMPHIS 34
HOU - ALLEN, Chance 35 yd pass from WARD Jr., Greg (CUMMINGS, Ty kick) 7 plays, 65 yards, TOP 1:55
HOU 27, MEMPHIS 34
HOU - CUMMINGS, Ty 25 yd field goal 13 plays, 62 yards, TOP 4:44
HOU 30, MEMPHIS 34
HOU - CUMMINGS, Ty 26 yd field goal 18 plays, 64 yards, TOP 5:40
HOU 37, MEMPHIS 34
HOU - BONNER, Linell 55 yd pass from WARD Jr., Greg (CUMMINGS, Ty kick) 7 plays, 79 yards, TOP 2:32
HOU 37, MEMPHIS 41
MEMPHIS - MILLER, Anthony 35 yd pass from FERGUSON, Riley (ELLIOTT, Jake kick) 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:13
HOU 44, MEMPHIS 41
HOU - ALLEN, Chance 3 yd pass from WARD Jr., Greg (CUMMINGS, Ty kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:20
HOU 44, MEMPHIS 48
MEMPHIS - MILLER, Anthony 10 yd pass from FERGUSON, Riley (ELLIOTT, Jake kick) 5 plays, 72 yards, TOP 1:05
