Worth accounts for 5 TDs as No. 24 Navy beats Memphis 42-28

 Will Worth and No. 24 Navy played keep-away with Memphis while running the Tigers into the ground.

Worth rushed for a career-high 201 yards and three touchdowns, and the Midshipmen put on a dazzling display of ball control in a 42-28 victory Saturday.

In addition to operating the triple option in near-flawless fashion, Worth completed three of four passes for 85 yards and two scores.

"We take what we can get, and today, the quarterback run game was there," Worth said. "We could manage that and set up a couple of pass plays to be able to score through the air. It's just executing the game plan."

The last Navy player to reach the 200-yard mark on the ground was Keenan Reynolds in 2014.

Worth carried 31 times and orchestrated an attack that held the ball for nearly 40 minutes. That left high-scoring Memphis little time to counter-punch.

"It was kind of hard because we weren't doing a great job of getting off the field defensively," Tigers coach Mike Norvell said. "Offensively, it's hard to be in rhythm, it's hard to stay in rhythm."

The Midshipmen (5-1, 4-0 American Athletic Conference) gained a season-high 447 yards on the ground, averaging 6 yards per carry.

The victory put Navy in sole possession of first place in the AAC West and served as a suitable encore for its 46-40 upset of defending league champion Houston two weeks ago.

Navy's 14-game home winning streak is its longest at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium since the facility opened in 1959.

Tony Pollard returned a kickoff 100 yards and Riley Ferguson completed 25 of 40 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns for Memphis (5-2, 2-1). But the Tigers simply couldn't score enough to offset the damage inflicted by Navy's sensational running attack.

"They kind of got after us up front and we had a couple of assignment issues," Norvell said. "But I just thought they did a great job executing."

Worth's second touchdown run put Navy ahead 28-14 early in the third quarter. Memphis responded with a 9-yard TD pass from Furguson to Daniel Hurd.

As the clock wound down in the third quarter, Navy faced a fourth-and-4 at the Memphis 18. Norvell called a timeout, forcing the Midshipmen to deal with the possibility of a field goal try into a stiff wind. Instead, Navy sent its offense on the field and went up 35-21 on a touchdown pass from Worth to Tyler Carmona .

After Memphis again got within a touchdown, a 52-yard completion by Worth led to a 32-yard field goal try byBennett Moehring. The kick clanged off the left upright with 5:40 to go.

But a fumble by Tigers wide receiver Roderick Proctor was recovered by Navy with 3:39 remaining, and Worth clinched it with a 1-yard plunge.

Worth, a 6-foot-1 senior, started the season as a second-string quarterback but was elevated to starting status after Tago Smith injured his right knee in the opener.

"Here's a kid who was a backup, kept his mouth quiet," Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said. "Now he's doing great things."

TURNOVER EQUALITY

Memphis forced 18 turnovers in its first six games, but the only one it got Saturday was when Worth hit the pylon trying to score a touchdown and lost control of the ball. The result was a touchback for the Tigers, whose lone turnover - Proctor's fumble - was far most costly.

THE TAKEAWAY

Memphis: The Tigers came in as a slight favorite because their offense hadn't scored fewer than 24 points in any game. But the defense wasn't up for the challenge of Navy's running attack, and now Memphis needs help to get to the AAC title game.

Navy: The Midshipmen have proven they don't need Reynolds at quarterback to make the triple option sing. Navy's running game is tricky, shifty and just about unstoppable for teams not accustomed to chasing the quarterback, fullback and slotback all over the field.

UP NEXT

Memphis: The Tigers host Tulsa next Saturday night at the Liberty Bowl.

Navy: The Midshipmen face AAC East Division co-leader South Florida (6-2, 3-1) on the road Friday night.

Henderson TDs lead Memphis past Tulane 24-14.

Darrell Henderson had two long touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving, to lead Memphis to a 24-14 victory over Tulane on Friday night.

Henderson turned a screen pass from Riley Ferguson into a 46-yard scoring play late in the first half to give the Tigers (5-1, 2-0 American) a 13-7 lead. Early in the fourth quarter he went off right tackle and cut to the sideline for a 45-yard run that made it 24-7.

Jake Elliott, who became the Tigers' career scoring leader a week ago, kicked three field goals and made his 171st extra point without a miss, the longest active streak in FBS. He has 381 points, and has 10 field goals from 50-plus yards on 14 attempts.

Phil Mayhue caught a pass in his 22nd straight game, moving into a four-way tie, which includes former NFL great Isaac Bruce, for seventh on the Memphis list.

Glen Cuiellette's 20-yard TD pass to Kendall Ardoin put the Green Wave (3-3, 0-2) ahead 7-3 but his pass was picked off at the Memphis 1 with 5:59 to play, one of three Tulane turnovers.

Memphis rallies with 27 straight, beats Temple 34-27

 Tony Pollard returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to help Memphis hold a fourth-quarter lead and Chauncey Lanier's interception with 18 second left sealed the Tigers' 34-27 victory over Temple on Thursday night.

Memphis (4-1, 1-0 American Athletic Conference) scored 27 straight after trailing 13-0 in the second quarter. Jack Elliot made a pair of field goals, Doroland Dorceus had a 71-yard TD run and Genard Avery returned an interception for a score less than a minute later that gave the Tigers the lead for good at 20-13. Darrell Henderson added a 28-yard touchdown run with 8:14 left in the game.

Temple (3-3, 1-1) quickly answered on Phillip Walker's 61-yard TD pass to Jahad Thomas to make it 27-20 with 6:47 left.

Pollard scored on the ensuing kickoff return and the Owls again pulled within a touchdown when Walker and Thomas connected for a 9-yard strike with 3:49 left.

Pollard had Memphis' first kickoff return for a touchdown since 1996.

Kelly, Brazley lead No. 16 Mississippi past Memphis 48-28

 Chad Kelly threw for 361 yards,Eugene Brazley ran for a career-high 124 yards and two touchdowns and No. 16 Mississippi pulled away late to beat Memphis 48-28 on Saturday night.

Ole Miss (3-2) jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter against the Tigers for a second straight season, but this time held on for the victory. Memphis beat Ole Miss 37-24 last season after falling behind by two touchdowns early.

There would be no such comeback Saturday. Memphis (3-1) made this one interesting for a while, but couldn't keep up with the Rebels' high-scoring offense.

"We know the only people who can stop us is ourselves," Kelly said. "We ran the ball, we threw the ball around a little bit and the guys up front protected me."

Ole Miss continued its trend of playing great in the first half, jumping out to a 24-7 by halftime. Kelly completed 17 of 24 passes for 200 yards and Jason Pellerin ran for two touchdowns before the break.

The Rebels might be the best team in the country if games lasted just two quarters. They've outscored opponents 131-40 in the first half and had the lead in all five games.

Ole Miss was a little shaky to start the second half - Memphis scored two quick touchdowns in the third quarter to pull to 27-21. But the Rebels responded with two touchdowns of their own - including a 12-yard strike from Kelly to tight end Evan Engram - to take control of the game.

"Offensively, we answered when we needed to," Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said.

Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson was 30 of 46 for 343 yards, but threw three interceptions, including one that was returned 31 yards for a touchdown by safety Zedrick Woods.

First-year coach Memphis coach Mike Norvell said he was proud of the team's effort, but that the Tigers made too many mistakes to pull off a road win.

"Turnovers, communication issues, penalties, missed tackles - all those things that can't happen in a close game with a quality opponent," Norvell said. "This team still has some things to clean up."

THE TAKEAWAY

Memphis: The Tigers were an interesting team after three blowout wins against Southeast Missouri, Kansas and Bowling Green. But the Ole Miss offense was too much for the Memphis defense, finishing with 624 total yards.

Ole Miss: The Rebels have won two straight games for the first time this season. It gives the program some momentum going into a bye week before difficult back-to-back road games against Arkansas and LSU.

ANDERSON TOSSED, GATES SUSPENDED

Ole Miss safety Deontay Anderson was ejected from the game for targeting after a hit on Memphis' Ferguson. Because the play happened in the second half, he'll also miss the first half of the Arkansas game on Oct. 15.

Ole Miss linebacker DeMarquis Gates didn't play on Saturday after being suspended for breaking team rules. Freeze said his status will be updated on a game-by-game basis. Gates came into the game leading the team with 30 tackles.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Memphis: The Tigers received a few votes in last week's poll after a big win over Bowling Green. That probably won't happen again.

Ole Miss: The Rebels will likely climb a few stops.

UP NEXT

Memphis hosts Temple on Thursday.

Ole Miss has a bye next week. The Rebels play at Arkansas on Oct. 15.

Ferguson's 7 TDs lead Memphis to 77-3 rout of Bowling Green

 Riley Ferguson threw six touchdown passes to six different receivers and ran for a seventh - all in the first half - tying a school record for most touchdowns responsible for and Memphis drubbed Bowling Green, 77-3 in a non-conference game Saturday night.

Ferguson, who walked away from a scholarship at Tennessee and spent the 2014 season out of college football, threw his first touchdown pass less than two minutes in, finding Daniel Montiei from 19-yards out and added scoring throws of 40-, 43- and 21-yards in the final 4:38 of the first quarter.

Less than three minutes into the second Ferguson plunged in from the 1, then fired 60- and 31-yards for touchdowns before intermission.

Ferguson finished 20 of 27 for 359 yards for Memphis (3-0).

Three Bowling Green quarterbacks combined to pass for 203 yards, but the Falcons (1-3) were limited to just 91 yards rushing on 28 carries.

Memphis builds early lead, coasts past Kansas 43-7

Riley Ferguson threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns and Jake Elliot kicked a trio of field goals - including a 50-yarder - as Memphis built an early lead and coasted to a 43-7 victory over Kansas on Saturday.

Ferguson completed 15 of 24 passes for Memphis (2-0), the bulk of his passing yards coming on an 84-yard completion to Anthony Miller for the game's first score. In addition to his 50-yarder, Elliot converted kicks of 41 and 42 yards.

The Jayhawks (1-2) struggled offensively throughout the game, although they did end with 314 yards total offense. Many times when Kansas was able to move the ball, the momentum was stalled by one of the Jayhawks' six turnovers in the game, including a 61-yard interception return for a touchdown by Memphis defensive tackle Jonathan Wilson. Wilson's return late in the second quarter gave Memphis a 33-7 lead at the break.

The Jayhawks never came close to threatening the Tigers in the second half.

TAKEAWAYS:

KANSAS: The Jayhawks again struggled to open the game. Kansas, which let Ohio build a 22-0 start last week game, was again fighting uphill Saturday. Memphis held a 19-0 lead before carrying its 33-7 advantage into halftime.

MEMPHIS: The Tigers, who managed only 110 yards on the ground in the season-opener against Southeast Missouri State, managed 205 rushing yards on Saturday, 52 of which came on a sweep from wideout Anthony Miller on the second play from scrimmage.

UP NEXT:

KANSAS: The Jayhawks have a bye next week before returning to the road to face Texas Tech on Sept. 29. It will be the first Thursday game for the Jayhawks since a 59-7 loss to Kansas State on Oct. 14, 2010.

MEMPHIS: The Tigers continue a homestand next week facing Bowling Green. Memphis won at Bowling Green 44-41 last season.

Ferguson leads Memphis over Southeast Missouri State 35-17

Riley Ferguson threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns and Doroland Dorceus ran for another score to lift Memphis to a 35-17 victory over Southeast Missouri State in the season opener for both teams on Saturday night.

Coach Mike Norvell won his inaugural game with the Tigers. The 34-year-old is the youngest head coach in the FBS, moving to Memphis after spending the past four seasons as Arizona State's offensive coordinator.

Will Young had a 61-yard touchdown run and finished with 114 yards rushing to lead Southeast Missouri State.

Memphis jumped out to a 29-0 lead midway through the second quarter.Jake Elliott made two 40-plus yard field goals to cap back-to-back long drives between the third and fourth quarters for the Tigers.

The second-half start was delayed about 10 minutes due to a power outage in the press box and around the Liberty Bowl neighborhood.

Memphis Tigers Season Preview

STORYLINES 

Memphis takes a seven-game winning streak into the 2015 season. Only Ohio State, Boise State and TCU have longer active winning streaks entering the season. Memphis coach Justin Fuente was one of eight finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award as the national coach of the year after he led the Tigers to a share of the American Athletic Conference title in 2014. Memphis’ conference title was the Tigers’ first since the 1971 season. 

OFFENSE 

The Tigers scored 471 points in 2014, shattering the old school record of 430 points, set in 2004. QB Paxton Lynch threw 22 touchdown passes and added 13 rushing TDs as a sophomore in 2014. Lynch earned second-team all-conference honors. The Tigers should expect a boost from the return of RB Doroland Dorceus, who averaged 5.2 yards per cary and had four rushing touchdowns in four games before suffering a season-ending injury. The Tigers return four starters on the offensive line, as well as first-team all-conference TE Alan Cross. 

DEFENSE 

Memphis was ranked 11th nationally in scoring defense (19.5 ppg) in 2014, but the Tigers return only three starters from that unit. LB Jackson Dillon is the top returning tackler. Jackson had 43 stops with nine tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 2014. S Reggis Ball is the lone returning starter in the secondary, though the Tigers do have a number of players who saw regular action there last season. DE Ernest Suttles emerged as a starter on the defensive line as a freshman and will be the most seasoned of the Tigers’ down linemen in 2015. 

SPECIAL TEAMS

K Jake Elliott is one of the nation’s top kickers and was an all-conference first team selection last season. Elliott, who led The American in scoring (9.2 ppg), hit 21 of 32 field goal attempts and was 15-for-16 from inside 40 yards. Elliott hit a season-long 54-yard field goal in overtime in the Miami Beach Bowl win against Brigham Young. P Spencer Smith stepped in as the regular punter last season and averaged 40.3 yards per punt. Smith helped the Tigers finish third in The American in net punting.