The butterflies barely had time to find his stomach.
Will Hudgens, redshirt freshman for The University of Memphis Tigers, was inserted into the quarterback position after starter Patrick Byrne broke his leg in two places on an Ole Miss sack on Memphis’s first offensive drive of the game and Byrne’s third play from scrimmage.
“That was the worst case scenario I was even thinking about,” Hudgens said.
He entered the game against what was a stout Ole Miss defense led by head coach/defensive coordinator Ed Orgeron.
The Rebels held the Tigers to 268 yards of total offense and 119 rushing.
Senior running back DeAngelo Williams accounted for 85.
“It seemed like they were bringing guys from everywhere. The safety was cheating down,” Williams said. “We’ll look over and see six and seven, and then by the time the ball’s snapped there are eight or nine in the box.”
Ole Miss’s attention to Williams may have been the deciding factor on Memphis’ final offensive play of the game down 10-6.
A pass play was called on third and goal from the 6-yard line with 24 seconds left. Hudgens took a three-step drop and threw the ball to the right side aiming for wide receiver Ryan Scott. However, Garry Pack of Ole Miss leaped and picked the ball out of the air just past the goal line. With no timeouts left for Memphis, Ole Miss ran out the clock and left Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium with the win.
“I wanted (the ball) bad, and I thought that’s what they were going to call,” Williams said. He later added while laughing, “I might grab the headsets next time.”
The responsibility went to Hudgens, who until then, exhibited solid play. He started four of four for 62 yards passing over his first two offensive drives and ended the game with 145 yards on 15 of 28 passing and two interceptions.
It’s the first game Tiger fans have seen without former Memphis quarterback Danny Wimprine at the helm of the offense. And it’s a team with a whole new look.
In 2004, Memphis averaged 460 yards of offense per game and allowed 417.
The front six of Memphis’ defense consistently put pressure on Ole Miss quarterback Micheal Spurlock and held the Rebels to 55 yards on 36 attempts and 262 total yards.
However, the defense couldn’t stop Spurlock on bootlegs and play-action rollouts.
The only touchdown of the game came on a Spurlock 12-yard run in the third quarter on fourth and five.
“I see a different quarterback,” said Tigers defensive lineman Marcus West. ”We knew he could beat you with his feet, and that’s what he did.”
Memphis will have nine days until their next game against UT-Chattanooga on Sept. 17 in Memphis.
