Memphis didn’t need long to find its offensive centerpiece in Week 1.
A week after the Tigers opened the Charles Huff era with a strong defensive showing, they flipped the script Saturday night and leaned on running back Jaylin Carter to power a 42-24 win over Arkansas State at Liberty Stadium. Carter, one of 17 Southern Miss transfers who followed Huff from Hattiesburg to Memphis, ripped through the Red Wolves for 183 rushing yards and four touchdowns in his first home game as a Tiger.
That four-score outburst tied a school record shared by DeAngelo Williams, Dante Brown, Curtis Steele, Patrick Taylor Jr., and Mario Anderson Jr. Carter also added an 18-yard catch, pushing him past 200 yards from scrimmage in a breakout performance that took over the game after halftime.
The third quarter was where Carter really broke Arkansas State’s spirit. He piled up 110 rushing yards in that frame alone, including a 74-yard burst, before tacking on another 40 in the fourth as Memphis pulled away. By then, the Tigers’ ground game had turned the night into a runaway.
It wasn’t that simple early. Arkansas State hung around in a back-and-forth first half and held three different leads.
Texas transfer quarterback Trey Owens made his first collegiate start count, throwing for 325 yards and showing enough mobility to extend plays. Right after Memphis grabbed a 14-10 advantage in the second quarter, Owens answered with a 75-yard touchdown strike to Kenyon Clay on a wheel route.
But Memphis closed the first half with momentum and carried it straight into the third quarter. The Tigers ended the second period with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Marcus Stokes to Jermane Hayes, who was left alone in the back corner of the end zone. Then Memphis opened the second half with its fourth straight touchdown drive, and Carter finished it off.
Arkansas State’s night unraveled because of turnovers. Owens threw four interceptions in his debut, with three of them coming in Memphis territory after halftime. Oklahoma State transfer strong safety Dylan Smith picked off two of those passes, while Zach Ruffin and Ahmere Foster each added one.
Memphis had some giveaways of its own after going turnover-free in Week 0. Stokes threw two interceptions, but he still finished 12-of-15, with just one pass not ending up in the hands of a receiver on either side.
The Tigers barely needed the air game anyway. Carter’s 183 yards were backed by 103 from Manny Covey, and Memphis rolled to 335 rushing yards as a team.
The win also extended Arkansas State’s frustrations in the Paint Bucket Bowl. The Red Wolves have now lost six straight to Memphis, and they’ve given up at least 31 points in every one of those defeats.
Their skid in the series began in 2013, when Memphis joined the American Conference, and it’s still going 13 years later. Butch Jones’ team gets a chance to respond next Saturday at home against FCS West Georgia in Jonesboro.
Memphis got the crowd it wanted, too. Huff asked the fanbase to show up, and 45,632 did, making it the biggest crowd for a Tiger game at Liberty Stadium since the 2023 Liberty Bowl against Iowa State and the largest regular-season crowd since College GameDay visited in 2019.
The Tigers won’t have that kind of support next week. Memphis, now 2-0 and 0-0 in the American, heads to Boise State for a non-conference matchup on the blue turf. Earl College Football Playoff stakes may be on the line, along with a chance for Memphis to start 3-0 for a fourth straight season.
In Other News...
Memphis Suddenly Faces A Much Bigger Test Than Fans Expected
Boise State came out of its season opener looking like a team that could make life difficult for just about anyone on its schedule. The Broncos fell 34-27 to No. 2 Oregon, but not before carrying a halftime lead and forcing the Ducks into a far closer fight than the oddsmakers expected. Head coach Spencer Danielson praised the effort afterward while also making clear there is still plenty to clean up.
For Memphis, the takeaway is simple: this is no longer the kind of early nonconference game that looks safe on paper. Boise States showing in Eugene only sharpened the intrigue around what comes next, and the matchup in Memphis now carries a different kind of weight. The Tigers will get a team that just proved it can hang with an elite opponent, which is exactly why the next weekend suddenly feels bigger than anyone might have planned. [Read more 🡒]
Memphis Keeps Facing One Concern Before Its First Real Test
Memphis is 2-0, but the first two weeks have come with a familiar early-season wrinkle: not much certainty about what was coming at the Tigers on the other side of the ball. Quarterback Marcus Stokes and coach Ryan Huff both pointed to the same issue, saying the lack of recent film made it harder to settle in early, even as Memphis found enough answers to finish off both games.
The good news for the Tigers is that they have been able to adjust on the fly and still leave with wins, which matters as the schedule tightens. Boise State is next, and this time Memphis expects to have a clearer scouting picture before kickoff, a small but important change for a team still searching for cleaner starts before its first real test. [Read more 🡒]
Charles Huff Had A Lot To Say About Memphis Fans After Opener
Charles Huff had plenty to appreciate after Memphis opened its newly renovated Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium with a win over Arkansas State, and he made sure to recognize the crowd that helped set the tone. The Tigers pulled away 42-24 in a setting that felt like a reset for the program, with Jaylin Carter powering the offense with 183 yards and four touchdowns as the building welcomed fans back for the first time after its makeover.
Huff also sounded eager to make the game-day experience match the on-field product, noting that there were some bumps around getting in and getting served once fans were inside. The atmosphere itself clearly delivered, but the next challenge for Memphis is making sure the stadium return feels smoother all the way through, especially after a debut that showed how much interest there is in what the Tigers are building. [Read more 🡒]