Tigers remain winless in Orlando
Four turnovers doom Memphis in 24-7 loss
ORLANDO, Fla. — Memphis didn’t need more bad news after losing three of its last four games. But Friday against UCF brought some with quarterback Seth Henigan out due to injury.
Sophomore Peter Parrish started his first game and hoped to give the Tigers a spark. Instead, it was one of the Tigers’ worst offensive showings with four turnovers.
Memphis lost 24-7 at the Bounce House in a game that resembled little to past shootouts with the Knights. There were few big plays from the Tigers (4-4, 1-3 AAC), who remained winless on the road in conference play.
Here’s what we learned from the Tigers’ fourth loss in five games.
Peter Parrish shows off wheels but little else
Parrish brought a running element at quarterback the Tigers hadn’t seen since Paxton Lynch. He showed off his speed escaping pass rushers (four first downs on third-down conversions) yet he didn’t add much to the Tigers’ passing game.
The few times Parrish threw downfield, he didn’t look comfortable as the Tigers mostly threw short passes. It was a conservative offensive plan and UCF (4-3, 2-2) kept it in check. The Tigers’ longest play was 34 yards and that came on a catch by Marcayll Jones in the fourth quarter
Parrish finished with 215 yards on 31of-48 passing and a team-high 60 rushing yards but was sacked six times and threw three interceptions. The third one was on Roc Taylor juggling a catch in the end zone into a defender’s hands but summed up an ugly performance for the offense.
Turnovers do Tigers in again
Of the four turnovers, the interceptions weren’t the worst. Calvin Austin III tried to secure a bouncing punt yet fumbled it to UCF.
It was a rare mistake by the Tigers’ best player and the Knights took
advantage with Ryan O’keefe scoring on a 13-yard reception. That gave UCF enough distance until O’keefe gave the Knights a second touchdown with a 31yard run off a reverse.
The Tigers have 12 turnovers in their last five games. It’s not just mistakes, it’s a full-blown problem bringing down their season
UCF had Bowser, Memphis needed Mario
UCF passed the ball even worse than Memphis as the Knights rotated two quarterbacks. But the ground game was enough led by Isaiah Bowser.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Bowser had 111 yards and wore Memphis down by the second half. His physical running style set up the Knights’ third scoring drive on
O’keefe’s run.
Memphis held UCF to just 80 passing yards but allowed over 200 rushing yards for the third time in five games as the Knights finished with 215.
Injuries pile up
Besides Henigan, Memphis also didn’t have running back Rodrigues Clark, kicker David Kemp, safety Sanchez Blake or defensive lineman John Cartwright.
Henigan’s absence was felt but the Tigers are struggling to keep players healthy. The Tigers head into their open week hoping to get healthy.
Bowl eligibility is now in doubt
Memphis now must win two of its last
four games to clinch bowl eligibility. It has to win all four to keep up its sevenyear streak of at least eight wins, which is in serious jeopardy.
The Tigers play SMU, Houston, ECU and Tulane. It’s possible to win two but it all depends on Henigan’s health. SMU and Houston are also two of the best teams in the AAC with explosive offenses that can take apart the Tigers’ defense.
Either way, Memphis is at 4-4 for the first time since 2018. That team won four consecutive games to clinch an AAC West title.
Next up
Memphis hosts SMU on Nov. 6. Kickoff time and TV information will be announced on Monday.