Written by Tom Schad at The Commercial Appeal.com
The University of Memphis football team opened its 2017 season with a win over Louisiana-Monroe, 37-29. Here are five things to know from the win.
Running away with it
Against what was one of the worst rushing defenses in the country last year, Memphis went to the ground early and often, pounding the ball up the middle with Darrell Henderson and Patrick Taylor Jr. Taylor struck first with a 66-yard scamper in the first quarter, then Henderson followed with a 55-yard sprint to the end zone in the second.
Memphis built a 20-7 lead at halftime and was in control from there, finishing with 326 rushing yards in the game.
“I thought both of those guys did a really nice job of being able to come in and provide the explosive presence,” coach Mike Norvell said. “They were able to make a guy miss and really extend some of those long runs.”
The passing game, on the other hand…
Had a pretty forgettable night. On a wet and windy night, senior quarterback Riley Ferguson and company struggled to get much of anything going through the air. Ferguson completed just 10 of his 25 pass attempts for 97 yards, and he badly underthrew one pass in the second quarter that resulted in an interception.
Several dropped passes, likely influenced by the slippery conditions, certainly didn’t help matters, either. Norvell admitted the circumstances were difficult, especially for a quarterback like Ferguson who was trying to establish a rhythm. Running back Tony Pollard said the conditions played a big factor in the passing game’s struggles.
“I knew it was real when I saw Riley throwing ducks,” Pollard said. “Because not too often do you see a duck come out of Riley’s hand.”
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