Freshman tailback Darrell Henderson scored a pair of touchdowns — each covering more than 40 yards — and the Tigers earned their tenth straight win over the Green Wave in a series that dates back to the teams’ longtime memberships in Conference USA. The victory improves Memphis to 5-1 on the season and 2-0 in American Athletic Conference play, setting up a showdown at Navy (3-0 in the AAC) next Saturday for first place in the league’s West division. The win is the Tigers’ first of the season away from the Liberty Bowl.
Tulane drops to 3-3 with the loss (0-2 in the AAC).
The U of M trailed 7-6 with just over a minute to play before halftime when Henderson took a short pass from Tiger quarterback Riley Ferguson then cut across the field and down the right sideline for a 46-yard touchdown. On the Tigers’ third possession of the second half, senior kicker Jake Elliott connected on a 50-yard field goal, extending the Memphis lead to 16-7 and tying Stephen Gostkowski atop the U of M career field goals chart with 70.
Just over three minutes into the fourth quarter, Henderson took a handoff and pranced down the right sideline once again, this time from 45 yards. Sam Craft took a shotgun snap and ran into the end zone for a two-point conversion to give the Tigers an insurmountable 24-7 lead.
Henderson finished the game with 142 total yards (75 on the ground, 67 on four receptions). Doroland Dorceus ran for 81 yards on just seven carries, 61 coming on a jaunt from the Tiger one-yard line in the fourth quarter. Ferguson completed 21 of 34 passes for 236 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
The U of M outgained Tulane, 413 yards to 318. Each team turned the ball over three times.
