by Don Mooney
Wide receiver soph Jermane Hayes runs tough after catch in win over Army Black Knights. photo by Don Mooney
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis (7-2, 4-1 American) football team stormed out to a strong first-half lead, scoring in every quarter and recording at least 100 yards of offense in all four quarters of a 49-22 win over Army (5-3, 4-2 American) Saturday night inside Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
Jermane Hayes defying gravity with exciting catch for touchdown. photo by Don Mooney
Memphis flipped the first-half script from its most recent game, scoring four times in the first half on a goal-line rush by Jaylin Carter and passing touchdowns from Marcus Stokes to Jermane Hayes twice and Jemyri Davis. The Tiger defense kept Army off its game in the opening half, keeping the Black Knights off the board in four of their six drives.
Former Everman HS receiver Jemyri Davis snags pass for first down against Army. photo by Don Mooney
Stokes opened the second half with more of the season, connecting with Davis for the second time to put Memphis ahead 35-14 before Stokes and Carter added rushing touchdowns during the final six minutes of the quarter to put the game far out of reach. Memphis’ defense had similar faces show up late to stop Army possessions, with Chauncey Logan Jr. and Ellis Ellis Jr.tennesseetexan.com each recording interceptions for the second game in a row, with Ellis Jr. again picking off a pass on the final play of the game.
Marcus Stokes became the first quarterback since Seth Henigan in 2023 to throw for at least 200 yards in three straight games, also tying his career high with 29 completions and becoming the first Memphis quarterback this millennium to account for five touchdowns in back-to-back games, passing for four and adding one on the ground.
Army running back from Temple, Tx Samari Howard crosses the goal line against Memphis. photo by Don Mooney
With Stokes’ success came a receiving feat not achieved in years as Jermane Hayes and Jemyri Davis became the first Memphis duo since Roc Taylor and Brendan Doyle against South Florida in 2023. Memphis also played one of its cleanest games, committing just two penalties, the least since having the same total against West Virginia in the 2024 Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl.
Coach Huff getting clear understanding on the rules. photo by Don Mooney
Jaylin Carter also had his third-career multi-touchdown game, leading the backfield with 23 carries for 96 yards and two scores. Offensively, Memphis had three receivers (Hayes, Hunter Tipton, Stonka Burnside) with at least five catches and three (Hayes, Tipton, Davis) with at least 75 receiving yards.
Fans came to play! photo by Don Mooney
Mike Montgomery led the defense again with nine tackles in the game, just ahead of Ellis Jr.’s seven and Dylan Smith and Kadan Spratling with six each. Joseph HeadJr. had the lone sack and tackle for loss for the Tigers, coming in the fourth quarter.
The Tiger defense may not have had the strongest statistics compared to other games, but they held Army to just 45 passing yards, the least since giving up just 39 against Bethune-Cookman in 2023. With two interceptions tonight, the Tigers have forced a turnover in 33 of their last 41 games, creating 75 takeaways in total.
Tiger fans theme-appropriate attire impact game. photo by Don Mooney
FAnother streak the Tigers extended was scoring at least 15 points in their 91st straight home game, the second-longest active streak in the FBS and the fourth-longest streak overall since 1978, scoring 49 tonight. Those 49 points are also the most that the Tigers have ever scored against a service academy, with the previous high being 44 against Navy in 2024.
UP NEXT
Memphis (7-2, 4-1 American) has an off week before yet another early matchup, traveling to the Sunshine State for a Thursday night game against South Florida (6-2, 2-2 American) on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.