Tigers Set for Thursday Night Matchup at South Florida

Thursday, November 12

Tampa, Fla.

7 p.m.

University of Memphis

South Florida

Nov 11, 2026 | Football

TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Memphis (7-2, 4-1 American) football team travels South Florida (6-3, 2-3 American) for the Tigers' second Thursday night matchup of the season, inside Raymond James Stadium.

The game will kick off at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN with Matt Barrie on play-by-play, Chase Daniel on color and Paul Carcaterra on the sideline. The game will also be available to listen to on 98.9 THE ROAR OF MEMPHIS, Memphis' Athletics flagship station for Tiger Sports Network, with Dave Woloshin (play-by-play), Jarvis Greer (analyst) and Greg Gaston, Sr. (sideline) on the call.

SETTING THE SCENE
• Memphis, fresh off a bye week and now more in control of its conference title hopes, plays in an NFL stadium for the second time this season, traveling to Tampa to face the South Florida Bulls for the Tigers' second Thursday night game of the year.
• Even with a week off, the Tigers remain one of the most dangerous offenses in the country with top 25 marks in first downs (200), passing (290.6), yards per completion (14.06), rushing (222.8), passing efficiency (178.06), scoring (37.6) and total offense (513.3).
• QB Marcus Stokes sits as one of the nation's top passers with the ninth-best passing efficiency (173.6), fourth-most passing touchdowns (25) and ninth-most passing yards (2,532).
• RB Jaylin Carter tied a career high in carries against Army and ranks 13th in rushing yards (929), 14th in rushing touchdowns (10) and 19th in yards per carry (6.15).
• With Memphis' aerial attack, four receivers have at least 10 catches for 400-plus yards, led by Jermane Hayes' 37 grabs, Hunter Tipton's 495 yards and Jemyri Davis' six receiving touchdowns.
• Defensively, Elijah Kinsler has been the best at getting into the backfield with 8.5 TFLs and 5.5 sacks, but Joseph Head Jr. was the only Tiger to tackle a Black Knight in the backfield.
• The 2026 Memphis Tigers roster features a grand total of 81 newcomers, split between 20 true freshmen and 61 transfers, with 27 returners from last season.
• Huff brings along 17 players from his 2025 Southern Miss squad, including All-Sun Belt performers: DE J'Mond Tapp, LB Mike Montgomery and SAF Ian Foster.
        o The list also includes 5 players who played for Huff at both Marshall and Southern Miss.
• Memphis returns just four players (CB Chauncey Logan Jr., DL Taylor Burton, WR Brady Kluse, OL Parker Mitchell) that started at least one game for the Tigers in 2025.
• The Tigers currently have 114 victories since 2014, the 10th-most in the nation during that stretch and the most among current American Conference schools.
• Dating back to a win over UAB in the 2023 season, Memphis has forced at least one turnover in 33 of its last 41 games. Over that stretch, the Tigers have created 75 takeaways (43 INT, 32 FR).

INSIDE THE SERIES
• Memphis and Army meet for the 15th time on Thursday, with the Tigers leading the series 10-4.
• The Tigers have scored at least 21 points in each of the last 10 matchups after a neutral-site loss in 2008.
• Last season, the Tigers mounted a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback against a ranked USF squad, with a pass from Brendon Lewis to Cortez Braham Jr. with a minute remaining being the difference after a missed 52-yard field goal by Nico Gramatica as time expired.

SCOUTING THE BULLS
• The Bulls are in their first season under head coach Brian Hartline, who came over after serving as the offensive coordinator at Ohio State.
• QB Michael Van Buren Jr. has take a majority of the snaps despite Luke Kromenhoek also playing in 7 of 8 games. The Bulls have yet to thrown an interception, but only have seven passing touchdowns on the year.
• USF's ground game has carried the offensive production, with D.J. Crowther's 689 yards and seven touchdowns leading the way. Both quarterbacks also have multiple rushing touchdowns.
• On the defense, former Buckeye C.J. Hicks has led the defense with five sacks, trailed close by Michael Williams II (4.0) and Asani Redwood (3.5).
        o 4 of Hicks' 5 sacks came in one game against UAB two weeks ago.
• The only Bulls with an interception this season have been Tavin Ward and Tayvion Beasley, each with one.
• South Florida boasts the 10th-best scoring defense in the FBS, only allowing 15.1 points per game, while also being the only FBS team that has not thrown an interception this season.

"THREE THINGS IN LIFE THAT'S CERTAIN: DEATH, TAXES AND THAT THE TIGERS GONE' HUNT" - W, 27-21 at UNLV
• The Tigers opened the Charles Huff era with a statement win over RV/RV UNLV, a program who entered the season with higher odds than Memphis of becoming the Non-P4 representative in the College Football Playoff.
• Memphis entered the half trailing 14-7 after allowing a pair of explosive UNLV plays, only countered by the first of many connections from QB Marcus Stokes to TE Hunter Tipton on a 16-yard passing touchdown.
• In the second half, Stokes knotted the game up at 14 apiece on a 48-yard pass to WR Stonka Burnside, with RB Jaylin Carter later scoring on a 36-yard run to make it 21-21.
• The Tiger defense stood tall in the second half, limiting UNLV to just seven points in the final 30 minutes, forcing a pair of turnovers-on-downs and sacking Jackson Arnold six times, highlighted by 2.5 from DL Elijah Kinsler.
• Stokes finished his Memphis debut 15-for-26 for 223 yards and a pair of touchdown passes, also netting 45 yards on the ground.
• In a display of pure dominance at the point of attack, the Tigers recorded six sacks, with DL Elijah Kinsler (2.5), DL J'Mond Tapp (1.0), DL Taylor Burton (1.0), DL Joseph Head Jr. (1.0) and DL Jaden McKinney (0.5) all wreaking havoc in the backfield.

CHRISTENING THE STADIUM WITH A RIVALRY WIN - W, 42-24 vs. ARKANSAS STATE
• In front of a sold-out crowd of 45,632 in the newly renovated Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, the Tigers put on a dominant display with a 42-24 win over Arkansas State in the Paint Bucket Bowl.
• RB Jaylin Carter shined for a second week in a row, this time going off for 183 rushing yards and four touchdowns, matching Mario Anderson Jr.'s TD total against North Texas in 2024 and the most rushing yards since Greg Desrosiers Jr.'s 204 last season at Florida Atlantic.
        o Carter was named the American Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
• Carter wasn't the only Memphis running back to show out as Manny Covey had 15 carries for 103 yards, giving him his first career 100-yard rushing game as well.
• QB Marcus Stokes became the first Memphis Tiger with 2 or more passing TDs in his first two starts since Riley Ferguson in 2016, finding Jermane Hayes and Aidan O'Callaghan in the end zone for each's first collegiate touchdown.
• After Memphis' defensive line starred against UNLV, the Tiger secondary stole the show against the Red Wolves as SAF Dylan Smith, SAF Ahmere Foster and LB Zach Ruffin each picked off Arkansas State QB Trey Owens a total of four times.
        o Smith picked off Owens twice, the first time a Tiger had multiple INTs in a game since Sylvonta Oliver in the 2022 SERVPRO First Responder Bowl against Utah State.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES - L, 20-38 at BOISE STATE
• The Tigers suffered their first loss of the season in a battle of two of the frontrunners for the top Group of Six program in a matchup that saw a contrast in play style and two completely different halves of competition.
• Memphis, a program formerly known for dominating time of possession, led 20-17 at the half with two of its scores just taking 33 seconds off the clock on an 87-yard reception by TE Hunter Tipton and an 80-yard run by RB Jaylin Carter.
        o Memphis' four scoring drives, all coming in the first half, took a total of 4:33 off the clock.
        o Comparatively, Boise State's scoring drives took a combined 21:14 of game time.
• After carrying a 20-17 lead into the half, Boise State took a commanding lead after a pair of defensive stops and scores, including the first punt-return touchdown allowed by Memphis since 2021.
• Memphis was shutout completely in the second half, with Boise State scoring the final 21 points of the game.
• QB Marcus Stokes had a career night in the loss, passing for 384 yards and connecting on three passes of 40-plus yards.
• TE Hunter Tipton had one of the best single-game performances by a Memphis tight end in program history, finishing the game with nine catches for 229 yards and a touchdown, en route to being named the John Mackey Award Tight End of the Week.
        o It was the most receiving yards by a Tiger since Calvin Austin III's 200 against Tulsa in 2021.
• SAF Dylan Smith led Memphis with 12 tackles in the loss, a new career high for the Southern Miss transfer.

A FULL SUPPORTING CAST PUT ON A SHOW - W, 45-21 vs. UT MARTIN
• The Tigers took care of business at home, putting up a third-straight 500-plus yard performance against UT Martin.
• QB Marcus Stokes became the first Tiger since Seth Henigan in 2024 to pass for 4 TDs in a game, also tying his own career-high of 26 completions.
        o Stokes was named an American Conference Weekly Honorable Mention for his performance.
• A multitude of backs featured for the Tigers, with true freshman Jordan Thompson gaining 110 yards with one touchdown on just six carries.
• Memphis took a balanced approach passing, with 12 different players catching a pass, the most in a game since 2021.
        o Included in those receivers were RB Jaylin Carter, WR Joshua Joseph and TE Jonathan Harding, who all logged their first career touchdown receptions.
• The Tiger defense was also balanced, with no player making more than five tackles, but with 22 different players recording a tackle.

A MONSOON OF SCORING - W, 59-8 at CHARLOTTE
• Memphis opened American Conference play with a 59-8 rout of Charlotte in an adjusted matchup, with kickoff moved up by four-and-a-half hours due to inclement weather in the Charlotte area.
• Before the skies opened up in the Queen City, QB Marcus Stokes went off in the first half with three passing touchdowns to Jermane Hayes, Jemyri Davis and Hunter Tipton, with his pass to Hayes going for 93 yards - the second-longest passing touchdown in program history.
• Memphis' defense also came through in the first half, forcing turnovers on back-to-back possession with an interception by Ian Foster and a fumble forced and recovered by Chauncey Logan Jr.
• The Tigers ended the first half with a 24-0 lead after Philippe Laforge connected on a 20-yarder as the clock hit zero.
• Stokes followed up with another pair of touchdowns in the second half, finding Tipton again and Stonka Burnside, with Burnside 'Mossing' a corner to come down with the catch.
        o Stokes finished the game 20-for-25 for 318 yards and five touchdowns, with the touchdowns matching his career high.
• Memphis continued the scoring with three more touchdowns in the second half, one from Air Noland to Brady Kluse and a pair of rushing touchdowns by Dallan Hayden and Jordan Thompson.
• LB JJ Clayton also came up big in the second half, recovering a pair of fumbles on a botched snap and on a kickoff return, with the latter forced by Tylon Nash.
• WR Jermane Hayes logged his first career 100-yard receiving game, finishing with 123 on six catches.
• TE Hunter Tipton continued his strong campaign for being the top tight end in college football, hauling in three passes for 60 yards, including a pair of scores.
• WR Stonka Burnside had season-high marks with four catches for 58 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown catch.

BRINGING THE BONES HOME - W, 38-13 vs. UAB
• After dropping last season's matchup in Birmingham, Memphis made sure to leave no doubt when returning the Battle for the Bones Trophy to the 901, beating the Blazers by four scores.
• Memphis leaned on its rushing attack and defense in the win, with RB Jaylin Carter tallying 132 yards on the ground with two touchdowns.
        o TE Hunter Tipton even got in on the ground attack, scoring on a leaping goal line rush.
• QB Marcus Stokes managed the Tiger offense well, finding Tychaun Chapman and Aidan O'Callaghan through the air from 45 and 13 yards out.
• Memphis' defense wreaked havoc on the Blazers, registering eight tackles for loss with sacks by Zach Ruffin, Elijah Kinsler and J'Mond Tapp, along with two forced fumbles by Jabari Ishmael and Tapp, and an interception by Dylan Smith.
• It was the third time this season that Memphis had at least two passing and rushing touchdowns.

WIPED OUT - L, 17-31 at TULANE
• Despite committing the most turnovers since 2006 (6), the Tigers made it a one-score game with Tulane up until the final 94 seconds.
• The Tigers' six turnover came on three interceptions and three lost fumbles, while having six total fumbles forced in the game.
        o Memphis also caused two turnovers of its own on an Ahmere Foster interception and a Jaylen Lewis kickoff fumble recovery.
• WR Stonka Burnside had a career night against the Green Wave, catching seven passes for 151 yards and a touchdown, being named an American Conference Weekly Honorable Mention for his performance.
• Even with being held out of the end zone, RB Jaylin Carter had a career-high 23 carries for 135 yards, his third-career 100-plus rushing yard game.
• WR Jemyri Davis also had a solid game, hauling in four passes for 89 yards and a score.
• Memphis' defense kept Tulane at bay, only allowing just over 300 yards of total offense and recording seven TFLs, led by Elijah Kinsler's 2.0, followed by JJ Clayton and Chauncey Logan Jr. with 1.5 each.

PLUNDERED - W, 41-34 (OT) vs. EAST CAROLINA
• After entering the second half at a 13-point deficit while only scoring on a Philippe Laforge field goal, the Tigers stormed back with four touchdowns in the second half to force overtime and eventually win.
• Memphis scored three times in the third, ending with a 24-20 deficit after passes from Marcus Stokes to Jermane Hayes and Jemyri Davis and another field goal by Laforge.
• Memphis took its first lead of the game with just 3:31 left in the fourth quarter on a two-yard run by Stokes to go up 34-27 before East Carolina scored to send it to overtime.
• In the extra frame, Memphis took just two plays to score with Stokes flipping into the end zone.
• On East Carolina's first and only possession, a Pirate WR tripped on a fade route, with Ellis Ellis Jr. making the easy interception to seal the deal.
• QB Marcus Stokes was named to the American Weekly Honorable Mentions List, Davey O'Brien Great 8 and Manning Stars of the Week after totaling 351 yards of offensive and being responsible for all five Memphis touchdowns.
• Memphis' defense kept Tulane at bay, only allowing just over 300 yards of total offense and recording seven TFLs, led by Elijah Kinsler's 2.0, followed by JJ Clayton and Chauncey Logan Jr. with 1.5 each.

KNIGHTY KNIGHT - W, 49-22 vs. ARMY
• Scoring in every quarter, with multiple touchdowns in three of four, Memphis dominated in all phases en route to a Halloween night victory against the Army Black Knights.
• QB Marcus Stokes found Jermane Hayes twice in the first quarter for scores, with another touchdown pass to Jemyri Davis and a rush by Jaylin Carter giving the Tigers a two-score lead going into the half.
• The second half opened with more of the same as Stokes found Davis again in the end zone.
• Entering the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead, rushing scores from Stokes and Carter put the game far out of reach.
• Defensively, DL Joseph Head Jr. recorded the only sack & TFL for the Tigers, with Chauncey Logan Jr. and Ellis Ellis Jr. both recording an interception for the second game in a row.