MOBILE, Ala. — Memphis outgained South Alabama 530 to 248 and ran for 312 yards in a 42-6 victory over the Jaguars on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The Tigers, of the American Athletic Conference, improved to 3-0. South Alabama fell to 1-2 after opening the season with a 35-21 loss at Nebraska and then setting a program record with 413 rushing yards against Jackson State last week.
South Alabama avoided being shut out at home for the first time in program history with a 74-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter.
Tigers Take Control Early
Both teams went three-and-out on their opening possessions. Memphis broke through when Kenneth Gainwell ran 5 yards for a touchdown with 7:21 left in the first quarter.
Kylan Watkins made a diving catch of an 18-yard touchdown pass from Brady White to make it 14-0 at the 14:18 mark of the second quarter.
Later in the period, after a long run by Watkins, White found Kedarian Jones for a 2-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal. Memphis lined up in a swinging-gate formation and converted a two-point try for a 20-0 lead. A 36-yard field goal with 39 seconds left before halftime made it 23-0.
Six of South Alabama’s eight first-half possessions ended in punts. Another ended on a Cephus Johnson fumble, and the last ran out the clock before halftime.
Memphis outgained the Jaguars 327 to 93 in the first half, including 245 to 55 on the ground.
Minter Injured
South Alabama running back Tra Minter left the game late in the first quarter after taking a hard hit on an 8-yard jet sweep. He lay on the field for a couple of minutes before athletic trainers helped him off. Minter will go through the concussion protocol this week and must clear it before returning.
“It hurt because we are a young football team,” South Alabama head coach Steve Campbell said. “Tra is someone we look to for a lot of leadership on offense. Jared [Wilson] stepped up for us a little bit, but it hurt to lose Tra because he does a lot for us.”
Second-Half Scoring
Memphis scored quickly to open the third quarter. Safety DJ Daniels tipped a pass that fell into the hands of Tigers tight end Joey Magnifico, who carried it 58 yards to the South Alabama 4. White then threw a touchdown pass to Antonio Gibson for a 30-0 lead.
Memphis kicked a field goal early in the fourth quarter to go up 33-0 with 13:10 remaining. On South Alabama’s next drive, Tylan Morton ran for 7 yards but fumbled, and Austin Hall returned the loose ball 48 yards for a touchdown and a 40-0 lead with 11:18 to play.
On the second play of the following possession, Morton hit Kawaan Baker on an inside slant, and Baker turned it into a 74-yard touchdown. The snap on the extra point was bobbled, and the ball came loose during the attempt to salvage the play. Jacobi Francis returned it the length of the field for a Memphis defensive two-point conversion, setting the final score at 42-6.
By the Numbers
South Alabama rushed for 101 yards and passed for 147. Memphis ran for 312 yards and threw for 218.
The Jaguars converted 5 of 15 third-down attempts, and Memphis converted 7 of 15. South Alabama was penalized three times for 30 yards, while Memphis was flagged 10 times for 100 yards.
Johnson completed 5 of 14 passes for 42 yards before being replaced midway through the third quarter. Morton went 4-of-12 for 105 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Johnson led the Jaguars with 37 rushing yards on 14 carries, and Wilson added 28 yards on 10 carries.
Jalen Tolbert caught four passes for 37 yards, and Baker had two receptions for 84 yards and the touchdown.
For Memphis, White completed 12 of 20 passes for 209 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Connor Adair completed both of his attempts for 9 yards. Gainwell ran for 145 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, Watkins added 113 yards on 11 carries, and Damonte Coxie caught three passes for 81 yards.
Campbell: ‘We Got Beat on the Line of Scrimmage’
“We had a hard time running the ball and we had a hard time stopping the run,” Campbell said. “If you aren’t able to run the ball, you become one dimensional on offense. We had a chance to hit a play or two early and we didn’t, so all they did was tighten up defensively, and we struggled to run the ball.”
“Memphis rushed the ball for 312 yards and we were only able to rush it for 101 yards and most of that I believe came in the fourth quarter,” Campbell said. “We got beat on the line of scrimmage.”
Up Next
South Alabama travels to Birmingham next week to face UAB at Legion Field in the first game of a home-and-home series and the Jaguars’ final nonconference game of the season. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. on NFL Network, with local radio coverage on 99.5 The Jag and the iHeartMedia app.
UAB is coached by Bill Clark, a former South Alabama defensive coordinator. His staff includes former Jaguars offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent and former South Alabama assistant Richard Owens.
