A week removed for the UCLA upset, the Memphis Tigers had to fight off an upset against Southern Illinois University, winning 44-31.
“All that matters is that we were one point better,” head coach Mike Norvell said. “That’s what I’m proud of. Our guys accomplished the first goal we set for this off season, being undefeated in non-conference play.”
Memphis struggled to hold the SIU offense in the first half. The Salukis gained 241 of their 393 yards and took a 21-17 lead into the half. The Tigers stiffened their defense in the second half and held SIU to 10 points.
The Salukis dominated the time of possession in the first quarter with two long scoring drives that disrupted the Tigers’ offensive rhythm. Memphis rushed for only 42 yards in the first half, and Riley Ferguson had to pick up the slack.
He threw for 158 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He would finish the game with 288 yards and two scores. SIU’s quarterback, Sam Straub, matched Ferguson’s performance with 290 yards and four touchdowns, but he did throw one interception.
“You got to give some credit to them,” Norvell said. “They were getting the ball out quick. We weren’t able to impact the quarterback as much as we wanted to, and they made some plays.”
The Tigers were 7-for-7 scoring in the red zone, but they were forced to kick three field goals after failing to convert third downs.
“I thought our field goal team really stepped up today,” Norvell said. “They were able to convert. Obviously we want to make sure we are scoring touchdowns down there, but those guys did a really nice job when called upon.”
SIU elected to receive after winning the coin toss, and they would go on the score on the first drive of the game. The Salukis steadily moved the ball downfield until Memphis forced them into a third and 10 on the Tiger 36 yard line.
Straub dropped back, threw up a jump ball in the middle of the end zone and Connor Iwema rose above the defense for the long touchdown reception. Matt Sotiropoulos add the PAT for the 7-0 lead.
After Memphis was forced to punt, the opportunistic defense struck again when safety Shaun Rupert jumped a deep pass from Straub. Rupert returned the interception 36 yards to the Saluki 14 yard line.
From there, Darrell Henderson had two rushes for 13 yards and Riley Ferguson found Anthony Miller for a 1-yard touchdown. Spencer Smith tied the game with the extra point, 7-7.
SIU took a 14-7 lead with their next possession on a 15-play, 73-yard drive that took up 6:53. They slowly gained first downs and converted a fourth and four at Memphis’ 35 before Staub hit James Darrell for the 7-yard score. Sortiropouolos put the extra-point through the uprights.
The teams traded punts before Memphis tied the game at 14 apiece early in the second quarter. Riley Ferguson seemed to find a rhythm with completions of 16, 19 and 26 yards before hitting Joey Magnifico on a 9-yard fade for a score. Riley Patterson made the PAT.
The Tigers took their first lead of the game with 3:35 left in the half with a 35-yard field goal by Smith. Once again, Ferguson and the passing game marched the offense down the field, but the lack of a rushing attack and an incomplete pass forced Memphis to settle for a field goal and a 17-14 lead.
The lead did not last long tough because the Salukis took adavantage of a kickoff out of bounds and scored to take a 21-17 lead into the half. Getting the ball at their own 35, SIU completed passes of 19 and seven yards to get to the Tigers’ 33.
Staub hit an open Darrell for a 33-yard touchdown. Darrell caught the ball with one man to beat, and he shed the tackle for an easy path to the end zone. Sortiropouolos gave SIU the four-point halftime lead with the extra-point.
Memphis came out of the half with a four-play, 75-yard drive to retake the lead. Ferguson hit John “Pop” Williams for a 55-yard gain. Henderson found a crease in the defense and ran 14-yards to the end zone. Smith made the score 24-21 with the PAT.
The Tigers then stretched their lead on the next drive. Ferguson hit Damonte Coxie twice for a combined 24 yards and Patrick Taylor Jr. for 17. But the drive stalled and Patterson hit a 30-yard field goal to go up 27-21.
SIU then had another long drive, but 16-plays and 60-yards resulted in three points. They never gained more than 10 yards on a single play, but a pass interfense on Memphis did give the Salukis 15 yards and a first down.
The Memphis defense stepped up in the red zone and forced SIU to kick. Sotiropoulos brought the score to 27-24 with the 32-yarder.
After the field goal, Tony Pollard showed off his return skills with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He followed his blockers up the middle before shedding a tackle and bouncing outside to outrun the kicking team to the end zone. Patterson’s PAT was good for the 34-24 lead.
Memphis had to settle for another field goal on their first possession in the fourth quarter. The running game gained some momentum with rushes of 20 and 12 yards, but a sack and loss of seven forced Memphis to attempted the field goal. Smith knocked it in from 31 yards out and a 37-24 lead.
The Salukis trimmed the lead late in the fourth after a 40-yard kickoff return put SIU in solid field position. Five straight completions by Staub put them inside the Tigers’ 10 yard line. Staub then found Jaylon Graham for the one-yard touchdown. Sotiropoulos bought the score to 37-31 with the extra-point.
The Tigers put the game out of reach on the next drive. They used 3:25, driving 72 yards and scored on Taylor’s 6-yard run. The Tigers failed to convert a third down midway through the drive, but a facemask gave Memphis 15 yards and a first down.
After capitalizing on the Saluki’s mistake with a touchdown, Smith nailed the PAT. And the clock ran out on SIU’s next drive for the 44-31 win.
Next week, Memphis will travel to UCF to make up the cancelled conference game from week two. That will kick off the conference schedule, and will set the tone for the remainder of the season.
“The challenge is going to get much bigger because this is what we train for,” Norvell said. “This is what we work for, and this conference opener is going to be huge.”
Head coach Mike Norvell talks to players during the pregame warmup. Norvell is in his second season as the Tigers' coach.
