Memphis 34-24 Tulane (November 28, 2024) Game Recap

NEW ORLEANS – When three deep passes from Darian Mensah resulted in turnovers, Tulane’s long-held hopes of sneaking into the College Football Playoff faded.

Greg Desrosiers Jr. caught two scoring passes and ran for a touchdown, and Memphis beat No. 18 Tulane 34-24 on Thursday night, ending the Green Wave’s eight-game winning streak.

“The critical mistakes we made cannot be allowed to happen,” said Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, whose team had to win the regular-season finale and the American Athletic Conference title game to have a realistic chance of advancing to the new CFP with 12 teams.

“There are a lot of things we haven’t executed to our standard, which we’ve had several games in a row now,” he added. “It’s very frustrating. “We’re all hurting, and it should hurt when you play a game like that.”

Two Tulane (9-3, 7-1 AAC, No. 17 CFP) turnovers resulted from fumbles after long receptions at or inside the Memphis 10-yard line. Another came after a long pass from Mensah that was intercepted at the 2-yard line by Davion Ross, and the Tigers responded with a game-winning drive capped by a 47-yard touchdown run from Mario Anderson Jr .

“We could have easily held back,” Desrosiers said, referring to two conference losses that pushed Memphis (10-2, 6-2) out of the AAC title field. “Of course the season didn’t go as planned… but we know what we deserve. We know what we are capable of. So we came here and wanted to dominate.”

Tigers defensive lineman Kourtlan Marsh caused both crucial fumbles, the first when he recovered Yulkeith Brown after the receiver’s 40-yard catch. AJ Watts recovered at the 10 for 37 yards. That kicked off a drive that ended with Desrosiers’ 29-yard touchdown run on third-and-4, giving Memphis a 27-10 lead.

In the fourth quarter, with Tulane trailing 27-17, Mario Williams fumbled at the Tigers’ 9 after returning a 55-yard pass. Marsh recovered.

“If those three turnovers don’t happen, we’re probably talking about one last play to find out who the winner is,” Sumrall said.

Seth Henigan completed 22 of 29 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover for Memphis, totaling 454 yards against a Tulane defense that had allowed just nine points in the last three games combined. Anderson rushed for 177 yards on 24 carries.

“If you can’t win the conference championship, all you can do is win the game you’re in and the game you’re in,” Henigan said. “Our guys came together and played for each other.”

Mensah passed for 317 yards and two TDs, and Arnold Barnes ran for a 2-yard score – not enough for Tulane to extend its 17-game regular-season conference winning streak.

“I didn’t expect this performance,” said Sumrall. “I thought we played better than we did. Memphis played well, but we didn’t play to our standard. We didn’t help ourselves much.”

Tulane allowed a touchdown on Memphis’ first drive when Henigan hit Desrosiers for the first of his two touchdown catches – a leaping 17-yard grab in tight coverage.

“To get possession of the ball early and score, that was great for our offense and maybe for our confidence, just knowing we can beat these guys,” Henigan said. “Playing against a great opponent is an opportunity. So we had to make sure this opportunity wasn’t missed.”

Tulane’s only lead came when Williams made it 10-7 with a 7-yard touchdown catch late in the first quarter. Desrosier’s 25-yard catch-and-run gave the Tigers the lead again for good in the second half.

The snack bar

Memphis: The Tigers played like a team that felt disrespected as a two-touchdown underdog. They converted 10 of 16 third downs to surpass the 20-point mark for the 39th straight game. Their defense was disruptive and opportunistic. Now they have had 10 straight winning seasons for the first time in program history. Henigan also became the AAC’s all-time leading passer with 13,972 career yards.

Tulane: The Green Wave looked tight early. Receivers dropped several passes and Tulane’s normally productive running scheme didn’t mesh well with a Memphis run defense that ranked 18th nationally. Missing tackles on defense and issues with third-down stops made for a tough night.

Impact on the survey

Tulane could drop out of the AP Top 25, which would lessen the importance of next week’s AAC championship game.

Next

Memphis: Awaiting a bowl bid.

Tulane: Will play Army in the American Athletic Conference championship game on Dec. 6 at a site to be determined.

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