Say what you will about the quality of their first two opponents, but the Memphis Tigers are off to a drought-ending, history-making start to the 2015 football season. By thoroughly beating Kansas tonight in Lawrence, the Tigers earned their first win over a team from one of college football’s “Power Five” conferences since beating Ole Miss in 2004. Their combined point total — after scoring 63 last week against Missouri State — marks the first time since the program was founded (1912) that Memphis has exceeded 100 points in its first two games of a season. (The 2010 Tigers scored 173 points in 12 games.) Perhaps best of all, the Tigers find themselves 2-0 for the first time since winning their first three games of the 2004 campaign.
Memphis fell behind early, 10-0, Kansas taking advantage of a Sam Craft fumble at the Tiger 10-yard-line (converting a field goal), then driving 73 yards in just 1:25 before tailback Ke’aun Kinner reached paydirt. But Craft scored on a one-yard run of his own with 6:26 to play in the first quarter and Jake Elliott connected on a 27-yard field goal to tie things with 2:28 left in the period. The Tigers took control with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns scored by Doroland Dorceus (his third of the season) and Tevin Jones.
Junior quarterback Paxton Lynch was close to flawless, completing 22 of 25 passes for a career-high 354 yards and two touchdowns. Senior wideout Mose Frazier caught four passes for 77 yards while also rushing for 64 yards, 50 of them coming on an end-around he took to the end zone early in the third quarter. Jamarius Henderson led the Tigers on the ground with 77 yards on 11 carries. Overall, the Tigers piled up 651 yards to 359 for the Jayhawks.
The Tigers travel to Bowling Green next week. The Falcons enjoyed their own road blowout today, winning 48-27 at Maryland after losing their season-opener at Tennessee.