The Memphis Tigers outscored Josh Rosen and the No. 25 UCLA Bruins 48-45 in shootout fashion. With clear skies and warm weather, the offenses dominated the game after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma played a role in the Tiger’s first two scheduled games.
           The two high-powered offenses combined for 1,193 yards, 861 yards through the air. Rosen, a near lock to be a future first round pick, carved the Memphis defense for 463 yards and four touchdowns, but two crucial interceptions stained his performance.
           Not to be outdone, Riley Ferguson threw for 398 yards, tied a career high six touchdown passes and led the Tigers to the victory. Â
Anthony Miller beats his defender and catches a touchdown pass. Miller collected 185 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
           His favorite target, Anthony Miller, was the game’s leading receiver and showed why he should not be overlooked. He Tweeted earlier in the week that this game is “Walk-Ons vs the 5-stars,†and he constantly beat his five-star defender throughout the game. Miller ended with nine grabs for 185 yards and two scores.
           “You saw it on the field,†Miller said. “I went up agaist a five-star guy, I was nowhere near that out of high school. That’s big to me, I work for everything I got.â€
           Memphis started off the scoring after forcing a Bruins punt with a two-play, 91-yard drive. Darrell Henderson took a handoff, cut left towards the middle of the field, then worked his way down the right sideline for an 80-yard gain to the UCLA 11 yard line. A pass interference on the next play put the Tigers on the two, and then Ferguson found Magifico while rolling right for the touchdown. Riley Patterson hit the PAT for the 7-0 lead.
           The teams exchanged punts on the following drives, then the UCLA offense tied the game after a short punt and penalty game them the ball at midfield. Brandon Stephens broke off a 36-yard run, Rosen completed a third and long pass for 19 yards and Jalen Starks capped off the drive with a seven-yard touchdown. J.J. Molson tied the game with the extra point.
           The first quarter ended in a 7-7 tie, but an explosion of offense in the second quarter took Memphis to the half with a 27-24 lead. UCLA struck first in the second quarter with a 33-yard field goal by Molson. The drive started late in the first quarter, and they slowly worked their way down the field. But the drive stalled, and the Bruins settle for the 7-10 lead.
           After another Memphis punt, Rosen led the Bruins on a two-play, 55-yard drive to take the 7-17 lead. Rosen hit Starks for a 50-yard gain and then completed a five-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Wilson. Molson’s extra point was good.
           Riley Ferguson started to heat up on the next drive with a 25-yard on a third and seven. Two plays later, a well-designed screen pass to Patrick Taylor Jr. ended in a 47-yard score. Patterson’s kick hit off the upright and was no good, and Memphis trailed 13-17.
           The Tigers punted once and forced two by the UCLA offense, then a six-play 95-yard drive put Memphis back in the lead. They drove past midfield with five plays, including a 19-yard catch by Magnigico, and scored on another screen pass. This time, the screen was to Tony Pollard for a 42-yard touchdown. Spencer Smith made the PAT for the 20-17 lead.
           With 3:42 left on the clock, the offenses showed off their passing ability by trading scores to end the half. Rosen marched his team down the field with four completions and capped it off with a 1-yard rushing score. Molson kicked the extra point for the 20-24 lead.
Austin Hall makes a hard hit on the receiver. Hall finished the game with nine tackles.
           With 1:17 on the clock, Anthony Miller showed off his hands with a 41-yard diving catch after beating his defender. ON the next play, Miller beat his defender again and caught a 33-yard touchdown pass. Smith made the score 27-24 heading into the half.
           Memphis extended their lead to 10 after scoring on the opening drive of the half. A facemask and pass interference on UCLA’s defense put Memphis is good field position. Then two passes from Ferguson to Magnigico set up a 12-yard touchdown pass to Miller. Smith made the extra point.
           The Bruins answered in two plays when Rosen hit Andrew Darren in stride on a long-post for a 65-yard touchdown pass. Molson’s kick brought the score to 34-31.
           The Tigers were forced to punt, but Tim Hart gave them a 10-point lead again with a 60-yard pick-six. The play broke down and Rosen scrambled with plenty of time. He rolled right and fired the ball back to the middle of the field where Hart jumped the passing lane and raced into the end zone. Patterson’s kick was good for the 41-31 lead.
           Then the Bruins answered with 14 straight points to retake the lead. Rosen found Jordan Lasley from 21-yards out in the third quarter and Austin Roberts from 22-yards. Molson made both kicks for the 41-45 Bruin lead.
           Midway through the fourth quarter, the Memphis offense took the lead on a four-play 81-yard drive. Ferguson hit Phil Mayhue for a 20-yard gain and Miller for 34-yards. Then he found Mayhue again for the three-yard score. Patterson put the Tigers up 48-45.
           With UCLA inside the red zone, Memphis dialed up a corner blitz from the right side by Austin Hall. He forced Rosen into a bad decision and T.J. Carter intercepted the ball and returned it 42 yard to the UCLA 48 yard line.
           After the interception, the Tigers faced a fourth and two at about midfield. Norvell decided to go for it, and Ferguson found Anthony Miller for the first down with less than 5:30 left on the clock. Memphis picked up another first down but UCLA used their time outs and stopped the Tigers on third down.
           Memphis lined up for the field goal, but the holder tossed the ball behind him to Patterson, the kicker. Patterson then ran right but was met by Bruin defenders, so he threw up a jump ball that was intercepted.
           UCLA completed a few passes then Rosen threw a poor pass that forced the receiver to breakup an interception with offensive pass interference. On first and 25, Rosen threw two incompletions and one pass for 20 yards. On fourth and five, Memphis forced an incompletion that all but ended the game.
           The Tigers lined up in victory formation and kneeled the ball until the clock ran out to earn the 48-45 win.Â
The student sections holds up signs during the game against UCLA. Memphis won the game 48-45.Â
