Memphis football had not won a game as an underdog all season, but the Tigers dispatched Iowa State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl 36-26 on Friday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
Memphis (10-3) jumped out to a 19-0 first quarter lead and held on during some precarious moments in the fourth quarter to get to a rare double-digit win season.
Quarterback Seth Henigan was excellent again, breaking the all-time passing record for Memphis football in the third quarter. He finished 24-of-34 for 364 yards and four touchdowns and also rushed for a touchdown to pace the Tigers.
Iowa State (7-6) fought back after the rough start and had some momentum near the end of the first half. But Memphis did just enough to stay out of striking distance.
The Cyclones entered as 10.5 point favorites but struggled through most of the game, and the Tigers earned the win in their home stadium in front of an announced 48,789 fans mostly split between Memphis and Iowa State.
Memphis football came out swinging
The Tigers would've been hard-pressed to put together a much better start. Henigan hit Demeer Blankumsee for a 70-yard touchdown on the opening drive, and then the Tigers defense came up with a fourth-down stop to get the ball right back. Henigan rushed for a touchdown and then found former Iowa State receiver Joe Scates for a 51-yard touchdown, and the Tigers were flying. Slow starts have been an issue, but almost everything went well out of the gate.
Seth Henigan etched his place in Memphis history
Henigan finished his third season as Memphis' starting quarterback by setting the Tigers' record for career passing yards. He found Scates for a 17-yard gain late in the third quarter to pass Brady White as the leading passer in Memphis football history. Henigan has 10,773 career yards and announced before the game he'll return for next season and will be well-positioned to break basically all of the Tigers' career passing records.
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht had success
Memphis had been worried about stopping freshman RB Abu Sama III, who rushed for 276 yards and three touchdowns in Iowa State's last game against Kansas State. The Tigers defense shut Sama down early, but could not contain receiver Jayden Higgins, who had five catches for 140 yards in the first half.
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht threw for 446 yards and three touchdowns and improved as the game went on, but Memphis always had enough of a lead to keep the Cyclones in check.
The Tigers defense impressed
Memphis had spent most of the season engaging in shootouts and generally struggling to stop its opponents. Defensive coordinator Matt Barnes left for Mississippi State before this game, so linebackers coach Jordon Hankins was serving as interim defensive coordinator.
Iowa State couldn't get its running game going, and the Tigers were able to get pressure on Becht throughout the afternoon.
Memphis has momentum heading into next season
The Tigers will no doubt be among the favorites and possibly the favorite heading into next season's AAC title race. Of the three teams that finished ahead of them, Tulane lost its coach, UTSA lost its quarterback and SMU is headed to the ACC. The stakes will be higher with the expanded playoff, and Memphis will have real expectations at the beginning of next season. Friday's win gives Silverfield and his staff something concrete to build off as they prepare for a critical 2024 campaign.
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