Tigers Move To 5-0 With 24-17 Win Over USF Friday

Friday, October 2

Tampa, Fla.

6:00 pm CT

University of Memphis

5-0 , 2-0

USF

1-3 , 0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Memphis

USF

Oct 02, 2015 | Football

Box Score

Lynch passes for two TD, runs for another TD in the victory.

TAMPA, Fla. – It wasn't the offensive fireworks Tiger Nation had enjoyed the first four weeks of the 2015 season, but the University of Memphis used timely offense and a stingy second-half defense to post a 24-17 American Athletic Conference victory over USF Friday.

The contest was the league road opener for the Tigers. The Memphis-USF was played before a crowd of 22,564 at Raymond James Stadium and an ESPN2 national television audience.

With the victory, Memphis extended its current win streak to 12 straight. The Tigers' 12-game win streak is tied for the second-longest in FBS with TCU, with both trailing Ohio State's 16-game streak. The 12-game win streak also is the longest in Memphis football history.

Junior quarterback Paxton Lynch led the Tigers with 305 yards on 20-of-33 passing and two scores. He also ran for another touchdown.

The Memphis defense stepped it up in the second half. After giving up 204 yards in the first half, the Tigers tightened up a little as USF gained 173 second –half yardage. However, 88 of those 173 yards came on the Bulls' next-to-last possession. Moreover, 183 of USF's 377 total yards came on its two touchdown drives (95 and 88 yards).

As the storyline for much of the season, Memphis fell behind early once again. After stopping Memphis on its opening possession, USF started its first drive of the contest from its own 5 yard line. The Bulls, though, put together an impressive 12-play, 95-yard drive that culminated in a Darius Tice one-yard TD run for a 7-0 lead.

The Tigers' next possession ended with a Jake Elliott missed field goal attempt, and the Bulls took over on their own 20 yard line. Eleven plays later, an Emili Nadelman field goal extended the USF lead to 10-0 just four seconds into the second quarter.

From that point, the Tigers offense picked up the pace and the Memphis defense stiffened. Memphis answered the USF field goal quickly, moving the ball 50 yards in under two minutes to cut the Bulls lead to 10-7. Memphis got on the board when Lynch found Sam Craft in the end zone from 20 yards out.

While that touchdown was the lone first-half score for Memphis, the Tigers defense began to take control. The USF offense had the ball four times in the second quarter, but managed only 42 total yards and one first down.

After half, Memphis scored the next 17 points to take a 24-10 advantage. An Elliott field goal five minutes into the third period tied the contest at 10-all. The Tigers then drove the ball 92 yards on 13 plays to take their first lead of the contest at 17-10 with 2:11 in the third quarter. Lynch capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run.

The Tigers defense also played major role in the squad's comeback. Memphis held USF to 64 yards on the Bulls' three third-quarter possessions and forced three punts.

Memphis then put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter when Lynch hit Doroland Dorceus for a 55-yard scoring strike to extend the lead to 24-10 with 10:39 left on the clock.

USF managed a final 88-yard drive that resulted in a late touchdown to cut the Memphis advantage to 24-17 with just over a minute to play. The Bulls got the ball back with under a minute to go, but for a second-straight week, the Memphis defense sealed the win with an interception, this time by Reggis Ball.

Wynton McManis posted a career-high nine tackles (all solo stops).

The Tigers (5-0, 2-0 The American) have a bye week for Oct. 10, but return to action Oct. 17 when they host Mid-South rival Ole Miss at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.