DALLAS – The University of Memphis football team earned a 38-10 victory over Utah State in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on Tuesday at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas. With the victory, the Tigers end the season with a 7-6 record, while the Aggies finish at 6-7.
The 28-point win for Memphis is the largest in the program's bowl history. Ryan Silverfield is the first head coach in team history to earn back-to-back bowl game championships and joins Tommy West as the only head coaches in Tiger history with two total bowl titles.
Sophomore quarterback Seth Henigan was named the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl MVP after completing 20-of-29 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns. Henigan extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one TD pass to 24.
"I am so proud of our resiliency today and leading up to today," Silverfield said. "We are going to celebrate this and be proud of the moment. I am proud of our guys and our seniors. That win was for them. Thanks to all of the great fans from the city of Memphis. I am honored to coach this team. There are bright days ahead of us."
Fifth-year defensive back Sylvonta Oliver had two interceptions to spearhead the Memphis defensive effort, matching both the team's bowl game record, as well as the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl mark. The Tigers limited Utah State to just 261 total yards, the second fewest in program bowl history.
Memphis never trailed in the game on Tuesday, running out to a 24-3 lead at halftime thanks in part to a 21-point second quarter. Wide receiver Eddie Lewis had a pair of touchdown catches in the frame, finishing the game with five receptions for a game-high 83 yards and two scores.
Tight end Caden Prieskorn capped the first half with a three-yard touchdown catch with 24 seconds remaining. Prieskorn's score capped one of the best seasons for a tight end in Memphis history. The redshirt sophomore finished the year with 48 receptions for 602 yards and seven scores. His receptions and TD receptions are tied for the most among tight ends in single-season history, while his receiving yards are the second-most.
In the fourth quarter, the Aggies cut the lead to 24-10, but running back Jevyon Ducker ended the drama, scoring from 1-yard and 48-yards out to make the score 38-10. Ducker finished with 13 rushes for a game-high 83 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, redshirt junior linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku had a game-high 10 tackles with one tackle for loss, while defensive back Joel Williams had one tackle and an interception for the Tigers. Playing in their final games for Memphis, linebackers Tyler Murray and Xavier "Zay" Cullens finished with seven tackles each.
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