TALLAHASSEE, Florida – Ryan Silverfield scores his decisive victory.
It wasn’t easy, but the Memphis football team (3-0) left Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday with a 20-12 victory over Florida State. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead and quarterback Seth Henigan made enough aerial plays for a victory that will improve their College Football Playoff record.
Florida State’s offense was abysmal in the first half and Memphis forced two turnovers in the first half to take a 13-3 lead into halftime. But the Seminoles looked to rebound in the second half and it was a fierce battle until the end.
Florida State (0-3) got the ball back with just over two minutes left and had a chance to tie the game, but the Memphis defense dominated the attack, using two sacks to push Florida State back and ensure there was no comeback.
Here are our insights from the game.
Memphis made enough plays when it mattered
It wasn’t a pretty win, try as you might, and while Memphis’ usually dynamic offense struggled to move the ball consistently, Henigan and the passing attack did what they had to do when it mattered.
The defense also stepped up, especially on Florida State’s final drive. Chandler Martin started that drive with a sack, part of an eight-tackle performance that was especially important since fellow linebacker Elijah Herring missed the game due to injury.
Memphis’ defense started strong again
Defense has been the theme of the Tigers’ first two wins of the season, and it continued to be that way on Saturday. The Tigers forced a turnover on the second play of the game when An’Darius Coffey knocked the ball away from Roydell Williams and Martin fell on it. That was Memphis’ first point.
That wasn’t the only turnover in the half. Tahj Ra-El intercepted a ball a few drives later. And Memphis recovered a botched punt just before halftime, setting up a field goal.
Seth Henigan played his best game of the season
Memphis’ passing attack hasn’t been great in the first two weeks of the season. That was a topic of conversation before Saturday’s game, and Henigan stepped it up. The senior was 25 of 38 passing for 272 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and kept making key conversions on third downs to set up long drives.
The Tigers had to field their best players against Florida State and Henigan kept the offense humming all day.
Florida State’s offense was weak… until it stopped
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and Florida State’s offense have been heavily criticized over the past two weeks, and they looked out of shape in the first half, with Uiagalelei ineffective and the Seminoles completely unable to run the ball.
That changed in the second half. Uiagalelei’s first pass of the half was a 67-yard pass to Malik Benson, and the offense briefly revived with a three-play, 75-yard run. Williams scored on a 4-yard run, but the attempt at a two-point conversion failed.
Next
Memphis advances to American Athletic Conference play when it travels to Annapolis to face Navy on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT).
