SMU Mustangs vs Memphis Tigers Match Player Stats On Nov 18, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Nov 18, 2017

MEMPHIS -- Quarterback Riley Ferguson threw for 320 yards and accounted for five touchdowns Saturday as No. 21 Memphis wrapped up the American Athletic Conference West title with a lightning-delayed 66-45 rout of SMU at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

Ferguson rushed for three touchdowns, scoring on second-half runs of 8, 12 and 2 yards. He also completed 21 of 27 passes, finding Anthony Miller for scoring strikes of 34 and 24 yards in an efficient performance.

While the aerial display might have been expected, the rushing output couldn't have been. Ferguson entered the game with only five yards on 30 rushes for the year.

The Tigers (9-1, 6-1) will play for the AAC title on Dec. 2 against the East winner, which will be either No. 15 Central Florida or South Florida.

Memphis went up and down the field at will against the Mustangs (6-5, 3-4), finishing with 664 total yards and 33 first downs. It had almost perfect balance, rushing for 333 yards and passing for 331.

Darrell Henderson rushed 10 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns for the Tigers, scoring on runs of 70 and 52 yards. Patrick Taylor added 112 yards and two scores on 18 carries. Memphis ended with a single-game school-record seven rushing touchdowns.

Miller tacked on eight catches for 163 yards for the Tigers, which scored more than 40 points for the seventh time this year.

SMU quarterback Ben Hicks completed 15 of 34 passes for 218 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to Trey Quinn. Running back Xavier Jones collected 175 yards and two scores on 20 carries, with his 1-yard run with 50 seconds left in the third quarter drawing the Mustangs within 45-38.

But Memphis put it away with 21 straight points in a fourth quarter, which featured a 57-minute delay when lightning was detected within eight miles of the stadium.

At 111 total points, it was the highest-scoring game in Tigers' history.

NOTES: Memphis WR Anthony Miller broke a school record late in the first quarter with his 209th career reception. ... Tigers CB Caelon Harden was disqualified from the game late in the first half after he was flagged for targeting SMU kickoff man Josh Williams. ... SMU WR Trey Quinn, who had become the first player in the FBS since at least 2000 with 15 or more catches in three straight games, finished with four receptions Saturday, giving him 100 for the season.