Memphis, Tennessee: Tigers Beat Army 49-22 as Stokes Throws for 371 Yards

The Memphis Tigers beat Army 49-22 on Saturday night, October 31, at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, behind a career level passing night from quarterback Marcus Stokes that kept Memphis in the American Conference title race.

Stokes runs the offense

Stokes completed 29 of 35 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, and he also ran for a touchdown and 30 rushing yards, the Commercial Appeal reported. Memphis scored touchdowns on seven of its 11 possessions and piled up 554 yards of total offense, Army West Point reported. The Tigers converted 11 of 15 third downs and scored on all six of their trips to the red zone.

Jermane Hayes caught nine passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Hunter Tipton added five catches for 86 yards, including a 51 yard catch that set up a score in the first quarter. Jemyri Davis caught touchdown passes of 15 and 26 yards.

Army ties it twice, then Memphis pulls away

Hayes opened the scoring on a 13 yard pass from Stokes in the first quarter. Army tied the game at 7-7 on a 5 yard run by Godspower Nwawuihe, who finished with 100 yards on 19 carries. Hayes scored again from 5 yards, and Army tied it a second time at 14-14 when Samari Howard caught an 8 yard touchdown pass from Cale Hellums after a Memphis fumble gave Army the ball at the Memphis 27.

Memphis answered each time. Jaylin Carter ran in from 1 yard to make it 21-14, and Davis scored from 15 yards 35 seconds before halftime to send the Tigers in ahead 28-14. Davis scored again from 26 yards in the third quarter for 35-14. Hellums ran in from 2 yards and threw a two point conversion pass to Zach Mundell to cut the lead to 35-22, but Memphis closed the game in the fourth quarter. Stokes ran the ball in at the end of a 12 play, 92 yard drive to make it 42-22 with 5:37 left, and Carter scored his second touchdown from 3 yards with 1:38 left.

Army rushed for 320 yards but managed only 45 passing yards and threw two interceptions. Chauncey Logan intercepted Hellums in the fourth quarter, and Ellis Jr. intercepted a final pass at the Memphis 2 as time expired. A crowd of 32,502 attended the game.

What the win means for Memphis

Memphis improved to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the American Conference. Army fell to 5-3 and 4-2 in the conference and remains one win short of bowl eligibility, Army West Point reported.

The Commercial Appeal reported that Memphis had struggled in first halves this season, including only three first half points in its last game against East Carolina, and reversed that trend against Army by scoring on four of five drives before halftime. The one drive that did not end in a touchdown ended in the Davis fumble.

The Tigers have an open week before they travel to Tampa to face South Florida on November 12, the Commercial Appeal reported. Memphis closes its regular season with games against South Florida, Navy and Temple, and its earlier loss to Tulane on October 16 leaves it with no margin for error in the conference race.