Navy Midshipmen vs Memphis Tigers Match Player Stats On Nov 07, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Nov 7, 2015

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - This time, Memphis found a deficit it could not overcome.

Two big plays gave Navy the lead for good as it handed the 13th-ranked Tigers their first defeat, a 45-20 decision in an American Athletic Conference showdown Saturday night at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

Memphis (8-1, 4-1) trailed in six of its first eight games, wiping out double-figure deficits in five of them. But the Midshipmen (8-1, 5-0) played with poise in front of a crowd of 55,212, keeping pace with Houston in the AAC West.

Quarterback Keenan Reynolds snapped the tie in an unusual way, connecting with slotback DeBrandon Sanders on a 75-yard scoring pass with 6:43 left in the third. Reynolds entered the night with 77 rushing touchdowns, tied with Montee Ball (Wisconsin) for the all-time NCAA record, but was held to 38 yards on 17 rushes.

After kicker Jake Elliott hit a 38-yard field goal to bring Memphis within 24-20, Navy fullback Chris Swain barged 40 yards off right guard at the 3:28 mark of the third for a 31-20 advantage.

Slotback Calvin Cass administered the killing blow, capping a 62-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes left in the game. Slotback Demond Brown added a 1-yard scoring run with 3:20 remaining.

Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch completed 26-of-42 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown, but also threw his second interception of the year.

Swain finished with 108 yards on 18 attempts in the Mids' first win over a ranked opponent since Nov. 7, 2009, when it toppled Notre Dame in South Bend. Navy rushed for 374 yards and rolled up 459 total yards.

Memphis started with just its second touchdown drive on an opening possession with Lynch hitting wide receiver Anthony Miller for an 11-yard score just 81 seconds into the game.

Navy answered with its longest scoring march of the year, a 16-play, 75-yard grind that ate 9:02 of first quarter clock. Swain got the touchdown on a 3-yard run with 4:37 left in the period.

Elliott toed a 40-yard field goal with 29 seconds remaining in the quarter for a 10-7 edge, but the Midshipmen took the lead for the first time on Swain's 2-yard run with 3:07 left in the second quarter.

Navy's Austin Grebe drilled a 44-yard field goal to end the half, set up by linebacker Daniel Gonzales' first career interception with 17 seconds remaining.

NOTES: This was the first-ever meeting between the teams, forged after Navy joined the AAC for the 2015 season. ... The teams are at the opposite end of the AAC penalty spectrum. While the Midshipmen are the league's least-penalized squad with just 36 yards per game, Memphis is the most-flagged team at 88.6 yards per game. ... Tigers WR Mose Frazier's first quarter catch gave him a 22-game streak with at least one reception.