Nov 3, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Memphis Tigers quarterback Riley Ferguson (4) throws the ball against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane during the second quarter at Chapman Stadium. Photo Credit: David D. Stacy-USA TODAY Sports
TULSA, Okla. — Riley Ferguson threw for four touchdowns and 298 yards and the Memphis defense forced three-and-outs on their first three possessions of the second half as the No. 22-ranked Tigers pulled away to a 41-14 victory over Tulsa on Friday night at Chapman Stadium.
In a Friday night matchup of teams at opposite ends of the American Athletic Conference West Division standings, Memphis (8-1, 5-1 AAC) won its fifth in a row to extend its lead in the West. Tulsa (2-8, 1-5) lost for the third straight week.
Ferguson completed 27 of 39 passes and fired touchdowns to Darrell Henderson, Anthony Miller, Tony Pollard and DaMonte Coxie.
Memphis led by just seven at halftime but opened the second half on an epic touchdown drive, a 17-play, 90-yard march that wasn’t over until Patrick Taylor smashed in on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to give the Tigers a 28-14 lead. The 17-play drive was a season-high for Memphis.
The Golden Hurricane — which had compiled 243 total yards and 14 first downs in the first half — then went more than 22 minutes without picking up a first down.
Tulsa senior D’Angelo Brewer, the AAC’s top running back this season with 1,099 yards, rushed for 119 yards and quarterback Luke Skipper was 18 of 31 for 157 yards with an interception.
Henderson rushed 14 times for 123 yards and caught six passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. Miller, Memphis’ career leader in receiving yards and touchdown catches, caught six passes for 46 yards.
After a slow start, Memphis coach Mike Norvell dialed up some razzle-dazzle to get the Tigers on the board.
Miller took a reverse pitch, stopped and threw to a wide-open Roderick Proctor for a 35-yard gain. On the next play, Ferguson rolled right, stopped and threw left for 17 yards into the end zone to a wide-open Henderson, who had sneaked out of the backfield and got behind the Tulsa defense.
The Golden Hurricane responded immediately with a 95-yard touchdown drive, sparked by Brewer runs of 30 and 23 yards and capped by Skipper’s 10-yard keeper.
Memphis wasted no time retaking the lead. Ferguson slipped a short pass to Pollard, who broke three tackles and tight-roped the sideline for a 59-yard touchdown and a 14-7 Memphis lead.
The touchdown parade continued when Tulsa went 80 yards to tie it at 14. Skipper delivered a 44-yard pass to Keylon Stokes, and two plays later Chad President scored from 7 yards on a third-down keeper.
Memphis jumped ahead again two possessions later when Ferguson lofted a throw into the corner for Miller, who made a diving catch in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown and a 21-14 lead.
NOTES: Memphis went into the game on a 13-game winning streak on regular-season weeknight games. … Miller’s 30th career touchdown catch extended his school record. He also owns Memphis marks for receiving yards and went into Friday needing 10 catches to surpass Duke Calhoun (212) as the Tigers’ all-time leading pass catcher. … Memphis’ 7-1 start was its seventh in school history but only its second in the last 50 years. … Tulsa PK Redford Jones became the Golden Hurricane’s career scoring leader last week at SMU, surpassing the previous mark of 299 points. … Tulsa RB D’Angelo Brewer, who came in ranked second in the American Athletic Conference in rushing at 122.5 yards per game, is just the fourth Tulsa player with more than 3,000 yards rushing. … Tulsa’s 38-34 loss at SMU last week was its fourth loss this season by one possession and its third loss in which the Golden Hurricane held a 14-point lead.
