Michael Peters
Tulsa World TU Sports Reporter
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After experiencing a third smackdown from an American Conference favorite on wrestling day at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, the Tulsa football team has six games remaining to get off the mat.
The Hurricane was forced into submission early by undefeated Memphis, falling 45-7 to the Tigers on Saturday night. TU limps into its off week 2-4 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
Kirk Francis was back at quarterback for TU after missing three-plus games with a concussion. Francis showed some of the deep touch that is his specialty, including a 34-yard touchdown pass to Micah Tease. But back-to-back interceptions deep in Hurricane territory in the second quarter put TU in a hole from which it couldn’t climb back.
Francis completed 14-of-24 passes in the first half and got no help from the Hurricane’s normally potent running game, which was held to a 1.3-yard average on 10 first-half carries.
Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis carved up the TU defense, with 230 yards of offense and only two incompletions in the first half. If not for two Hurricane interceptions, it could have been a first-half beatdown.
Instead it turned into a more methodical domination, one TU couldn’t have overcome even if wrestling legend Jerry “the King” Lawler (who was in attendance at the game) was its tag team partner.
Here are the players and moments that mattered from Saturday:
Welcome back: Francis returns as starting quarterback
Francis, the sophomore from Metro Christian, got the start after missing the Navy and Oklahoma State games due to a concussion he suffered in the first half against New Mexico State.
Francis was medically cleared for the game against Tulane last week, but did not play. In Francis’ place, freshman transfer Baylor Hayes was 1-2 in three starts, including the win over Oklahoma State.
But Hayes was sacked six times in the 31-14 loss to the Green Wave.
Francis was 3-for-5 for 8 yards on TU’s first two drives, playing behind an offensive line that was down one starter.
Francis finally got TU on the board midway through the second quarter when he made a great throw down the right sideline on a 34-yard touchdown pass to Tease.
Late in the first half, however, Francis made two key mistakes that doomed TU. He was intercepted at the Hurricane 20 trying to hit Tease over the middle. That mistake turned into a highlight reel, one-handed 14-yard TD catch by Cortez Braham Jr. that pushed Memphis’s lead to 21-7 with 2:04 left in the first half.
Francis’ second interception of the quarter, again on a ball intended for Tease, set up a Tiger touchdown with 1:09 left in the first half and a 28-7 Memphis lead. TU started that drive at its 2 after a muffed kickoff.
Francis was intercepted again early in the third quarter.
Going green: Green picks up fourth, fifth INT of season
Just when it looked like Memphis might deliver a first-quarter knockout blow, TU cornerback Elijah Green made his fourth interception of the season, a juggling catch down the left sideline.
Memphis had driven into Hurricane territory on its second drive already leading 7-0, but Green returned the third-down pick 37 yards.
TU, however, got nothing out of the break when kicker Seth Morgan missed a 34-yard field goal.
Green stopped another drive late in the second quarter with his second interception of the game and fifth of the season. Going into this week’s games, no Division I defensive player had more than four interceptions.
Key play: Third down kills TU defense on opening drive
The Hurricane entered the game in the bottom 30 nationally in stopping opponents on third down. Hurricane opposition came into the game converting nearly 44% of third downs this season (35-of-80).
That trend continued to bite TU on Memphis’ opening drive. Tigers quarterback Brendon Lewis found Jamari Hawkins for 21 yards on a third-and-12 from the Memphis 34.
The Tigers scored eight plays later, never facing another third down in the drive. Lewis was 6-for-6 on the opening drive, including a 7-yard TD pass to Matt Adcock.
TU did force the Tigers into misses on five of their next six third downs
Turning point: Big play puts TU in big hole
A field goal miss erased the momentum of Green’s first interception, and Memphis took advantage a few minutes later with a big play on offense.
On first-and-10 from the 50 early in the second quarter, Lewis threw deep down the middle to Hawkins. Hurricane safety Zach Williams had the play covered, but the ball went through his outstretched arms and to Hawkins, who was nearly on the ground, for a 47-yard gain. The Tigers scored on the next play to take a 14-0 lead.
Injury update: Three TU players listed as questionable
Hurricane defensive back Keuan Parker was listed as out when the American Conference availability report posted two hours before kickoff.
Parker, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound senior from Booker T. Washington, had played in the first five games but only made one tackle all season.
Receiver Mekhi Miller was also listed as out. Lamb said earlier this week Miller was going to redshirt and miss the rest of the season.
Running back Braylin Presley, Tease and offensive lineman Cam East were listed as questionable. Tease missed the Tulane game with a hamstring injury, while East was hurt during the Tulane game.
Lamb had said Monday both Tease and East would play against Memphis. Presley made the first reception of the game. Neither Tease nor East started, but Tease was a frequent target for Francis.
sports@tulsaworld.com
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Michael Peters
Tulsa World TU Sports Reporter
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