University of Memphis Athletics
Post-Game Notes
Nov 01, 2005 | Football
Nov. 1, 2005
Post Game Quotes
UM Coach Tommy West
"I was really disappointed in the second half. We kind of got beat at our own game. UAB ran the ball and we didn't. They did not turn it over and we turned it over twice. That is the story of the game. UAB scored four out of five possessions and we turned it over two out of five possessions. We did not make anything happen in the second half anywhere."
"We had some chances but just did not make anything happen. I was disappointed in our run defense in the second half. UAB ran through us in the second half. We have to stop the run and when we get behind we are not the kind of team that can come back."
"The momentum started to change when UAB took it down the field at the start of the second half and they made it look pretty easy running the ball and we had a three and out."
"DeAngelo Williams tweaked his ankle in the first half and was not the same back in the second half. I thought he ran for some tough yards in the second half."
"We did not block them and UAB blocked us and they were the more physical team in the second half. We had a shot to get to five wins and it is a setback but we have to find a way to get two more wins."
UAB Coach Watson Brown
"When we were struggling on defense in the first half, we knew we had to shorten the game somehow. It felt like we could throw, but we couldn't all out throw. We didn't need to do that. The running game in the second half is what made the difference."
"We had three quarters in a row and finally it led to a fourth quarter where we finished. Our third quarters have been pretty good for us in all three of our losses. We finally made plays in the fourth quarter that allowed us to win."
"This is the best game we've played I think all year long. We just haven't played good enough to win these close games and this was another one tonight. We played better tonight. We had more poise and confidence. In the fourth quarter, I didn't see our team getting frustrated. They were hanging in there. It's the way you've got to win games in this league. They're all close. If you don't play well, you don't win. We haven't played well enough to win our last three, but we played well enough to win tonight."
Game Notes:
* Heisman Trophy candidate DeAngelo Williams lined up to return the first kick-off of the game today and it was the first time this season that Williams had lined up for a kick return. He returned the kick 15 yards, and finished the game with 33 return yards.
* Junior receiver Ryan Scott received the lateral from Maurice Avery and passed the ball back to Avery for a 26-yard completion on the second play of the game. It was Scott's first career pass completion.
* The Tigers struck first in the game as Maurice Avery threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to freshman Maurice Jones. It was Jones' second career touchdown reception, and Avery's fourth career TD pass.
* DeAngelo Williams had 15 yards on the first kick-off return and three carries for 15 yards in the first series of the game to move to No. 3 all-time in NCAA history in all-purpose yards. He entered the game at No. 4 and needed just 28 yards to surpass Darrin Nelson of Stanford who totaled 6,885 yards from 1977-81. Williams ended the day with 33 return yards and 167 yards rushing to bring his career total to 7,058. Napoleon McCallum (Navy) holds the No. 2 spot with 7,172 yards, while Ricky Williams holds the NCAA record with 7,206 yards at Texas from 1995-98.
* DeAngelo Williams busted a 76-yard run that led to a touchdown two plays later in the first quarter to tie his season-high run of 76 yards that he recorded against UCF in Orlando earlier this season.
* Redshirt freshman Earnest Williams capitalized on DeAngelo Williams' 76-yard run, rushing two yards for the score to give Memphis the 14-3 lead in the first quarter. It was Earnest Williams' first career touchdown.
* Senior receiver Ryan Scott caught a 13-yard pass from Maurice Avery in the second quarter to extend his streak to 14 games of at least one pass reception. Scott leads the Tigers in receiving this season with 26 catches for 326 yards.
* Lou Groza Award candidate Stephen Gostkowski booted his 10th field goal this season when he hit a 45 yarder in the second quarter to give the Tigers the 17-3 lead. Gostkowski booted a 26 yarder in the second quarter as Memphis took the 20-17 lead into the locker room at the half. Gostkowski is now 11-of-14 on the year, and 59-of-81 for his career.
* Freshman receiver Maurice Jones caught three passes for a career-high 35 yards tonight. Jones' previous best was the 29 yards he tallied on four catches at UCF.
* DeAngelo Williams reached the 100-yard rushing mark prior to the half, marking his 31st career game of 100-plus yards, and his seventh consecutive this season. It is also the fourth time this season that Williams has rushed for 100 yards in the first half. The other three times were in back-to-back games against Chattanooga and Tulsa, and against Houston. The NCAA record for 100-yard games is 33, which was set by both Archie Griffin and Tony Dorsett.
* Redshirt freshman Brandon Patterson recorded his second career interception tonight in the second quarter. Patterson's first career pick was against Chattanooga.
* Senior tight end John Doucette caught a 28-yard reception from Maurice Avery, marking Doucette's longest reception this season. Doucette's career high is a 53-yard reception against Ole Miss in 2003. Doucette finished the night with two catches for 45 yards.
* Redshirt freshman Brandon Patterson recorded his second career interception tonight in the second quarter. Patterson's first career pick was against Chattanooga.
* DeAngelo Williams rushed for 167 yards today and now has a total of 5,538 yards. It is the most Williams has rushed for against UAB in the four meetings during his career. Williams ranks seventh all-time in the NCAA record book behind Cedric Benson who totaled 5,540 yards for Texas from 2001-04.
* With the loss today, Memphis has now lost six straight games to UAB. This is also just the second time in the eight-game series that the team that was ahead at halftime did not win the game. The other time was in 2000 when Memphis was up, 7-3 at the half and lost the game 13-9.
