Football Squad Drops Arkansas St., 19-17

The University of Memphis engineered a 58-yard drive late in the fourth quarter, culminating with a 35-yard Ryan White field goal as the Tigers escaped Arkansas State with a 19-17 win. Memphis trailed A-State 17-16 following a pair of Indian, fourth-quarter touchdowns. Jacquis Walker capped a six-play, 81-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown run early in the quarter while Robert Kilow hauled in a 50-yard touchdown pass from Cleo Lemon with 6:44 remaining. Lemon and Kilow would spark the Indians' comeback with the final two plays of the third quarter. The tandem teamed up for pass receptions of 21 and 25 yards, quickly moving the ball from the ASU 19 to the Memphis 35. Walker ran for 26 yards on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Indians a first-and-goal from inside the 10 and would score on an inside handoff with ASU facing third down from the eight. Memphis moved the ball to near midfield on its next possession before being forced to punt. The Indians needed just 2:37 to cover 67 yards, culminating in Kilow's 50-yard touchdown reception. Kilow finished the night with seven receptions for 156 yards while Lemon completed 17-of-30 passes for 222 yards. The U of M offense came alive on its final drive as the Tigers used a brand of power football to move into field goal range for the game-winning score. The Tigers stayed on the ground and between the tackles for all but two plays during the 13-play drive. The U of M set the tone on the first play of the series when Sugar Sanders ran for eight yards. He had 24 yards on four carries early in the series and along with a 14-yard pass from Neil Suber to Al Sermon, the Tigers moved the ball into ASU territory. Sermon, making his first appearance of the season after suffering a sprained ankle during preseason camp, led the Tigers with five receptions for 38 yards. Sanders had 31 carries for 96 yards. Darche Epting would later convert a third-and-two from the 30 with a three-yard run and the Tigers would go on to move the ball inside the 20 before White came on to drill the game-winning field goal with 49 seconds to play. Memphis almost left Arkansas State too much time on the clock. Lemon would hook up with Kilow for a 21-yard gain to midfield on the Indians' first play from scrimmage after a short kick. The Indians converted a fourth-and-one from the U of M 41 when Danny Smith picked up six yards to the 35. Lemon would intentionally ground the ball with four seconds to play and give A-State one final chance. Arkansas State kicker Nick Gatto's 52-yard field goal attempt would come up short and the Tigers held on to improve to 2-1 for the team's best start since 1984. While Memphis scored its lone touchdown early on a short drive set up by a 32-yard Glen Sumter interception return, it was White who provided the balance of the Tigers' points. The All-America kicker was four-for-four with field goals of 19, 26, 42 and 35 yards. The performance came a week after having a pair of field goals blocked against Louisiana-Monroe. White's four field goals marked the junior's seventh, multi-field goal game and third game with four or more field goals. Memphis jumped out to a 7-0 lead following Sumter's interception return to the A-State 17. Billy Kendall capped the short drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Travis Anglin. White's point-after gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 12:13 to play in the first quarter. Kendall had a four receptions for 40 yards. Arkansas State answered with a 51-yard, 11-play drive resulting in a 25-yard Gatto field goal. The Indian drive started from near midfield as James Hickenbotham returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards. Lemon completed a 20-yard pass to Hickenbotham early in the drive to move the ball into Memphis territory and tossed a 12-yard pass to Kilow for another first down. Twice in the second quarter the Tigers moved inside the 10-yard line but managed only a pair of field goals. The first field goal was set up when Arkansas State punter Andy Shatley's shanked a punt from inside the Indian end zone resulting in a four-yard kick to the A-State 16. Sanders would carry for a total of 11 yards on the first four plays of the short series before Anglin ran for four yards to the one. Sanders would be stuffed for a one-yard loss by Russell Seaton and Tyshon Reed on third and goal and the Tigers settled for a 19-yard field goal by White. Later in the quarter, the U of M would settle for a 26-yard White field goal after moving the ball 75 yards on 14 plays. Memphis's tight ends would help spark the series with three receptions. Anglin found Kendall for a 13-yard gain on the second play of the drive and later toss a nine-yarder to Kendall to midfield. Jeff Cameron's seven-yard pass reception from Anglin gave the Tigers a first down at the A-State 35. Anglin with suffer a high ankle sprain on the following play when he was chased out of the pocket and ran 28 yards to the ASU seven. Sanders would pick up two yards on first and goal and Suber picked up another two yards on second down before being sacked for a six-yard loss on third down forcing the Tigers to bring on the field goal unit.

University of Memphis Athletics

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