University of Memphis Athletics
University of Memphis
6-2 , 3-1
North Texas
3-5 , 1-3
Memphis Earns Wild Road Win at North Texas, 45-42
Oct 28, 2023 | Football
With the victory, Memphis is bowl eligible for the 10th-consecutive season, the longest stretch of any non-Power 5 team in the country.
Running back Blake Watson had a historic day, rushing 17 times for 169 yards and two scores, while reeling in five receptions for 100 yards. His 269 yards rushing and receiving rank fourth all-time in program history.
Henigan was terrific in the win over the Mean Green (3-5, 1-3 AAC), completing 22-of-28 passes for 330 yards and one score. Running back Brandon Thomas had three rushing touchdowns, pushing his career total to 22.
Defensively, linebacker Chandler Martin led the Tigers with six tackles in the game, including one sack, two tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry. Jaylon Allen had four stops, one sack, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble, quarterback hurry and pass breakup.
Watson was the story of the first half, as the running back reeled off a 64-yard rushing score 46 seconds into the game and then followed that on the next drive with a 65-yard rushing TD. A pair of 1-yard rushing scores from Thomas gave Memphis a 31-10 halftime lead.
North Texas came out swinging in the second half, scoring 31 of the first 38 points in the frame to take a 42-38 lead over the Tigers with just 47 seconds left in the game.
Henigan, playing in his hometown of Denton, Texas, seized the moment for Memphis, engineering a magnificent, five-play, 75-yard drive over just 35 seconds. The junior was 5-for-5 on the series, hitting four different receivers, including Scates on the game-winning, 36-yard score.
The Memphis Tigers will return to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4 when the team hosts South Florida for Homecoming. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Tickets for the final two home games of the 2023 Memphis Football season are available at GoTigersGo.com or by calling the Memphis Ticket Office at (901) 678-2331.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Football, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
MEM 7, UNT 0
MEM - Watson,Blake 64 yd run (Gillis,Tanner kick), 2 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:46
MEM 14, UNT 0
MEM - Watson,Blake 65 yd run (Gillis,Tanner kick), 3 plays, 74 yards, TOP 01:23
MEM 14, UNT 7
UNT - Burns,Roderic 41 yd pass from Rogers,Chandler (Rauschenberg,Noah kick) 6 plays, 64 yards, TOP 02:28
MEM 17, UNT 7
MEM - Gillis,Tanner 28 yd field goal 15 plays, 65 yards, TOP 08:06
MEM 24, UNT 7
MEM - Thomas,Brandon 1 yd run (Gillis,Tanner kick), 10 plays, 90 yards, TOP 06:07
MEM 31, UNT 7
MEM - Thomas,Brandon 1 yd run (Gillis,Tanner kick), 4 plays, 63 yards, TOP 01:18
MEM 31, UNT 10
UNT - Rauschenberg,Noah 39 yd field goal 11 plays, 53 yards, TOP 01:19
MEM 31, UNT 13
UNT - Rauschenberg,Noah 27 yd field goal 5 plays, 70 yards, TOP 03:03
MEM 31, UNT 21
UNT - Burns,Roderic 4 yd pass from Rogers,Chandler (Maclin,Ja'Mori pass) 7 plays, 73 yards, TOP 02:50
MEM 38, UNT 21
MEM - Thomas,Brandon 1 yd run (Gillis,Tanner kick), 4 plays, 30 yards, TOP 01:46
MEM 38, UNT 28
UNT - Burns,Roderic 35 yd pass from Rogers,Chandler (Rauschenberg,Noah kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:27
MEM 38, UNT 35
UNT - Maclin,Ja'Mori 17 yd pass from Rogers,Chandler (Rauschenberg,Noah kick) 10 plays, 82 yards, TOP 03:14
MEM 38, UNT 42
UNT - Maclin,Ja'Mori 6 yd pass from Rogers,Chandler (Rauschenberg,Noah kick) 5 plays, 59 yards, TOP 01:09
MEM 45, UNT 42
MEM - Scates,Joe 36 yd pass from Henigan,Seth (Gillis,Tanner kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 00:35
