Memphis Post-Game Notes

Nov 29, 2008 | Football

Nov. 29, 2008

* Captains for Memphis were seniors Clinton McDonald and Brandon Pearce who were voted as the permanent season captains by their teammates prior to the game.

* On his third carry of the game, Curtis Steele moved up to No. 4 in single-season yardage. He came into today's game with 1,040 yards and needed just 20 yards to surpass Gerard Arnold, who rushed for 1,059 yards during the 1998 season. Steele took the direct snap on the game's first play for the Tigers and rushed for six yards. He tallied seven yards and 14 yards on his next two carries to take over the No. 4 spot.

* Receiver Maurice Jones took the direct snap and rushed 13 yards for a touchdown to put Memphis up 7-0 with 8:51 remaining in the first quarter. Jones was originally called down at the 1, but upon review, the play was reversed and deemed a touchdown. It was Jones' first career rushing touchdown and a career-best run for the senior.

* Winston Bowens logged his second sack of the season when he dropped Kevin Moore for a loss of eight yards on 1st-and-10 following Memphis' TD.

* Senior Brandon Patterson scooped up a Tulane fumble on the Wave's third drive of the game for his second fumble recovery of the season. The fumble was caused by Jada Brown. The Tigers scored as a result of the turnover to go up, 14-0.

* Curtis Steele rumbled nine yards for his seventh rushing touchdown this season with 2:39 remaining in the first quarter. Steele now leads the Tigers in TDs this season.

* Michael Grandberry picked off Kevin Moore with 2:24 left in the first quarter for his second interception of the season. The Tigers scored off that turnover on the first play of the second quarter.

* Receiver Steven Black took the direct snap and rolled off 36 yards into the end zone for the second straight game he has scored from the run. The TD put Memphis up 21-0 with 14:54 remaining in the second quarter. Black scored last weekend against UCF on a three-yard run. The 36 yards was a career-long run for the senior.

* Memphis scored 28 points in the first half, marking the most points by the Tigers this season in any half. The Tigers also held Tulane scoreless, marking the first time that Memphis had shut out its opponent in the first half since October 22, 2005, versus East Carolina. Memphis was leading 17-0, and won that game 27-24.

* Greg Terrell blocked a 21-yard field goal attempt by Ross Thevenot with 6:13 remaining in the second quarter. It was the first blocked field goal for the Tigers this season. Memphis' last FG block was against Ole Miss last season. Terrell was the Tiger who blocked that attempt in '07.

* Steven Black rushed for his second touchdown of the game when he took the snap and rushed two yards for a score to give Memphis the 28-0 advantage with 2:50 remaining in the second quarter. It was Black's first multiple-TD game of his career. Black scored for the third time, again on the direct snap, off a one-yard run with just under a minute remaining in the third quarter. He is the first Tiger to rush for three TDs since Joseph Doss did so against UTEP in 2006.

* The Tigers rushed for 207 yards on 30 carries in the first half today, marking the first time since versus Akron in the 2005 Motor City Bowl that Memphis had rushed for 200-plus yards in a half. In that post-season game, the Tigers rushed for 252 in the second half.

* Curtis Steele rushed for 135 yards on 23 carries today for his sixth 100-yard rushing game of the season. He is tied for fourth all-time in 100-yard rushing games in a single season with Gerard Arnold who tallied six in 1998. Steele is also tied for fourth in career 100-yard games with Paul Gowen and Larry Porter.

* Maurice Jones tallied four receptions for 49 yards in today's game to extend his receiving streak to 17 games. He holds the second-longest active receiving streak on the team. He is behind Duke Calhoun who extended his streak to 36 games with a catch late in the third quarter.

* D.A. Griffin busted off a 50-yard kickoff return following Tulane's TD in the third quarter. It was Griffin's longest kick return, and the longest Tiger return since Michael Grandberry made a 50-yard return against Southern Miss in 2007.

* Duke Calhoun made his first catch of game in the third quarter on a 9-yard pass from Arkelon Hall. He extended his receiving streak to 36 games as he has caught a pass in each of his 36 career games played. He entered today's game tied for 11th nationally in active receiving streaks. The 36 games is a school record for the junior.

* Greg Jackson recorded his first career interception in the fourth quarter and returned it 20 yards to the 50 yard line. The Tigers went on to score on the ensuing drive.

* True freshman Brandon Ross scored his second career touchdown with 7:16 left in the fourth quarter on a one-yard rush. Ross finished with 57 yards on 10 carries.

* Memphis scored six rushing touchdowns in the game, which ties for third all-time in the program's history. The U of M record is seven rushing touchdowns against North Texas State in 1971 and The Citadel in 1962. The last time the Tigers have had six rushing touchdowns came in 1972 against Wichita State and Tulsa.

* Memphis' rushing total of 379 yards is the most this season, surpassing the previous season high of 306 yards vs SMU.

* Memphis tallied 488 total offensive yards on 78 plays to mark the 10th time this season the Tigers have logged over 400 yards.

* With the win today, Memphis becomes bowl eligible for the fifth time in the last six years. Memphis participated in the 2003 New Orleans Bowl, the 2004 GMAC Bowl, the 2005 Motor City Bowl and the 2007 New Orleans Bowl in that time span.

* The win today also marked the fifth-straight season that Memphis has won their regular-season finale.