Memphis-Tulsa Postgame Notes

Nov 27, 2009 | Football

Nov. 27, 2009

MEMPHIS POSTGAME NOTES

Game Twelve - vs. Tulsa - November 27, 2009 - Tulsa, Okla.

TEAM GAME NOTES

·          Memphis captains today were seniors Greg Jackson, Curtis Steele and Will Hudgens, who were voted by their teammates as permanent captains prior to last weekend's game at Houston.

·          Today was Coach Tommy West's 110^th and final game coaching at the University of Memphis.

·          The game marked the sixth time Memphis has gone into overtime in the program's history and first since a 55-52 3OT victory over SMU in 2007. The last time Memphis was in Tulsa in 2005 the game went into overtime resulting in a 37-31 victory. Memphis is now 1-5 all-time in overtime games and 0-2 against Tulsa in overtime.

OFFENSIVE NOTES

·          Senior Arkelon Hall started today's game at quarterback.  Hall had started the first two games of the season against Ole Miss and Middle Tennessee, and saw limited action versus UT Martin and Houston.  He was in for Will Hudgens, who was out with a knee injury.

·          Duke Calhoun caught a nine-yard pass from Arkelon Hall in the first quarter to extend his career receiving streak to 49 games, which ranked tied for second nationally coming into today's game.  Calhoun has caught a pass in all 49 games played during his Memphis career. Calhoun finished the game with four receptions for 25 yards.

·          On the second play of the game, Curtis Steele took the handoff and scored off a 59-yard run.  The run was a career high for Steele and was a season high run for the Tigers until Steele logged a 77-yard TD run in the third quarter. Tulsa had only yielded five rushing TDs this season prior to Steele's score.

·          With his 232 yards on 19 carries today, Curtis Steele totals 1,239 yards this season and moved up to fourth all-time in single-season rushing.  DeAngelo Williams holds the top three spots, while Steele is fourth (2009) and fifth (2008).

·          Arkelon Hall left the game midway through the third quarter with cramping.  Brett Toney came in to replace Hall.  Hall returned to the game with three minutes remaining in the third.

·          Curtis Steele took the handoff from Brett Toney and raced 77 yards for a touchdown with 7:10 remaining in the third quarter.  Steele's 77-yard run ties for 14^th all-time at Memphis.  It is the longest run since DeAngelo Williams logged 86 yards versus Tulane in 2002.  Steele has now scored multiple touchdowns in four-straight games, and six this season. The 77-yard play is the third-longest offensive play this season.

·          Curtis Steele later scored his third rushing touchdown of the game with 8:08 left in the fourth quarter on a 29-yard run to tie the game at 23. He added his fourth touchdown run with 4:04 left in the fourth quarter on a three-yard run. The four rushing touchdowns in the game is a career high for Steele with his previous best being two. The three rushing touchdowns in the second half by Steele are the most in a single half since DeAngelo Williams had three rushing touchdowns in the first half against Chattanooga in 2005.

·          The four rushing touchdowns by Curtis Steele ties a single game high in Memphis history, which has been accomplished four other times. Dante Brown accomplished the feat once in 2001 and DeAngelo Williams had three four-touchdown games in 2004.

·          With his four rushing touchdowns today, Curtis Steele now totals 15 for the season; 22 for his career.  Steele now ranks fourth all-time in career rushing TDs with 22 and third in single-season rushing TDs with 15.  Steele has registered one career receiving touchdown and his 23 total TDs ranks fourth all-time.

·          Curtis Steele's 232 rushing yards against Tulsa and his four rushing touchdowns are the highest totals against the Golden Hurricane this season. Tulsa came into the game giving up just five rushing touchdowns all season. East Carolina's Dominique Lindsay had the previous high rushing yards against Tulsa with 172.  Steele also had the two longest rushing plays against Tulsa this season with his 77 and 59-yard runs.

·          Curtis Steele logged his fourth consecutive 100-yard game today.  He has passed the century mark six times in the last seven games.  Steele has 12 100-yard games for his career, which ranks him second only behind DeAngelo Williams, who tallied an NCAA-record 34 100-yard games in four years.  With his 232 yards today, Steele now totals 2,462 career yards, which ranks third all-time in school history.  This is the sixth-straight week that Steele has improved at least one place in the Tiger Top 10 in rushing.  Steele came into today's game ranked fifth, and surpassed Joseph Doss (2,339) and Gerard Arnold (2,378).  Steele is the only player in the Tiger Top 10 to have only played two seasons at the U of M.

·          The game marks the third 200-yard rushing performance for Curtis Steele in his career and the second this season. Steele ranks second all-time in 200-yard rushing games in Memphis history behind DeAngelo Williams who totaled nine.

·          Curtis Steele continues to lead the Tigers in scoring with 96 points.  He also totals 138 career points for the Tigers.

·          Memphis totaled 268 rushing yards on 37 attempts in the game, which is the highest total against Tulsa this season. The total is two yards shy of the Tigers' season best mark of 270 against UTEP.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

·          Senior linebacker Jeremy Rockette recovered the fumble by Tulsa late in the second quarter on the drive following Memphis' blocked punt.  It was Rockette's first recovery of the season; the second of his career.  Jamon Hughes was credited with the forced fumble, his first of the season.

·          Junior defensive back Bryan Wright picked off his second interception of the season in the fourth quarter on a pass by G.J. Kinne. Wright returned the ball 11 yards to the Memphis 41, which led to a Tiger scoring drive. Wright also matched a career best with two pass breakups in the game.

·          Senior defensive back Alton Starr recorded his second sack of the season and second of his career in the fourth quarter resulting in a loss of nine yards for Tulsa QB G.J. Kinne.

·          For the fourth-straight game, junior linebacker Jamon Hughes led the team in tackles, totaling 14 against Tulsa with nine solo stops, a forced fumble and 1.5 TFLs.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

·          Matt Reagan converted a 35-yard field goal to tie the score at 10-all with 7:07 remaining in the second quarter.  Memphis had not attempted a field goal in the previous three games.  Reagan's last field goal was versus East Carolina on Oct. 27. Reagan finished with six points kicking in the game, also going 3-for-4 on PATs with a blocked PAT in the fourth quarter.

·          Matt Reagan was blocked on his punt late in the second quarter.  Tulsa recovered the ball at Memphis 6.  Two plays later, Tulsa fumble at the four and the ball was recovered by Memphis' Jeremy Rockette.