Tigers’ Taylor back vs. Houston, Hall out
HOUSTON — After missing eight games with a foot injury, Patrick Taylor Jr. returned for Memphis‘ game against Houston on Saturday.
The Tigers, however, were without senior linebacker Austin Hall, who did not participate in warmups.
Taylor entered the game on Memphis’ sixth play of its first drive.
His first carry came on a 4-yard gain late in the first quarter.
The senior running back appeared on 13 plays in the first half and had two carries for 8 yards.
His return was expected to add a boost to an offense that had scored 40 or more points in three consecutive games.
It allowed for Kenneth Gainwell to be in a more versatile role as a running back and wide receiver.
Taylor was injured in the fourth quarter of Tigers’ season-opening win against Ole Miss after rushing for 128 yards and a touchdown and returned to practice in October leading up to Memphis’ game at Tulsa.
Hall, who was in street clothes on the sidelines, started 36 consecutive games for the Tigers and hadn’t missed a game since 2016 when he sat out the Tigers’ regular-season finale against Houston and the Boca Raton Bowl.
It was unclear why Hall sat out. The senior did not practice on Tuesday or Wednesday during open period.
Xavier Cullens started in Hall’s place and had seven tackles in the first half.
The Tigers were also without defensive back Sanchez Blake, who missed his third consecutive game with an injury.
Online
For more on the Tigers’ game against Houston, visit commercial appeal.com