MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Darrell Henderson ran for 188 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries as Memphis pulled away from South Alabama 52-35 on Saturday night, despite the Jaguars’ best offensive output of the season.
South Alabama gained 467 yards, including 360 through the air, and stayed within reach into the fourth quarter. Memphis finished with 563 yards of total offense, 271 rushing and 292 passing.
Way Has Another Big Night
Quarterback Evan Orth led the South Alabama offense, and receiver Jamarius Way caught 10 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown. It was Way’s second consecutive game with double-digit receptions and more than 100 receiving yards.
Kawaan Baker had 82 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, rushing five times for 33 yards and a score and catching four passes for 49 yards and another touchdown. Tra Minter led the Jaguars on the ground with 35 rushing yards.
Nigel Lawrence led South Alabama with 11 tackles. Redshirt freshman A.J. DeShazor posted a career-high eight tackles and broke up a pass. Sterling Fisher recorded the Jaguars’ only sack.
Tigers’ Ground Game
Along with Henderson, Patrick Taylor ran 17 times for 75 yards and two touchdowns, and Tony Pollard added 30 yards and a touchdown on three carries.
Damonte Coxie led Memphis receivers with eight catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. John Williams caught five passes for 65 yards and a score.
First Half
South Alabama scored on its opening possession when Baker ran 13 yards for a touchdown. Memphis answered with a drive that included eight runs on nine plays, capped by Henderson’s first touchdown, and went on to score 21 straight points for a 21-7 lead with 10:21 left in the second quarter.
A 62-yard reception by Jahmmir Taylor set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Minter that cut the margin to 21-14. With 53 seconds left in the half, Orth found Zac Crosby in the end zone for Crosby’s first career touchdown, tying the game 21-21 at the break.
Second Half
Memphis opened the third quarter with a 61-yard touchdown drive to go ahead 28-21, then added a field goal. South Alabama responded with a scoring drive highlighted by Way’s 29-yard catch, but a false start pushed the extra-point attempt back five yards and Memphis blocked the kick, leaving the Tigers ahead 31-27.
On their next possession, the Jaguars went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Memphis 8-yard line, but Minter was stopped for no gain. Memphis drove 92 yards in seven plays to take a 38-27 lead with 13:32 remaining. Minutes later, Henderson accounted for all 64 yards of a three-play drive, finishing it with a 54-yard touchdown run for a 45-27 lead.
Crosby then blocked a Memphis punt to give South Alabama the ball deep in Tigers territory. Orth completed passes to Baker, Jordan McCray and three straight to Way, including a 4-yard touchdown, and hit Way again for a two-point conversion that made it 45-35 with 7:30 left.
Memphis answered with a drive that included six runs on eight plays. A pass interference penalty on Jalen Thompson on third-and-7 extended the possession, and Patrick Taylor scored from 11 yards out on the next play for the final margin.
Campbell: ‘Our Guys Though Fought Hard’
South Alabama head coach Steve Campbell took responsibility for some of the Jaguars’ mistakes and credited his receivers.
“We made a couple of mistakes that I can point the finger directly at myself for that could have made the game even more interesting,” Campbell said. “Our guys though fought hard and gave a great effort.”
“They had a hard time covering Jamarius and our other receivers,” he said. “They were out there making plays.”
By the Numbers
- South Alabama was penalized eight times for 83 yards.
- The Jaguars converted 8 of 15 third-down attempts after entering the game converting 18.6 percent.
- South Alabama fumbled twice and lost both.
- The Jaguar defense did not force a turnover.
Up Next
South Alabama (1-3, 1-0 Sun Belt Conference) continues a stretch of three consecutive road games at Appalachian State (2-1, 0-0) in Boone, N.C. It will be the Jaguars’ second Sun Belt game and the Mountaineers’ conference opener.
