When you’re playing Bowling Green, you had better be prepared to do what it takes to rack up some points. In a wild game, Memphis got a 48-yard Tevin Jones touchdown catch and a Jake Elliott as part of ten unanswered points for the win.
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In their game against Bowling Green, the Memphis Tigers executed a trick play for the ages.
We’ve seen a lot of tricky stuff over the years, but this is certainly right up there. On the fourth play from scrimmage, Johnson hit Lewis in stride with a 62-yard touchdown strike and it was 7-0 Falcons with just 1:16 gone. Johnson ran one in from 23 yards out and then hit Teo Redding with another 9-yard touchdown pass with just three second left in the half to give the Falcons the lead, 27-17. Lynch would pass for 3 touchdowns while completing 29 of his 40 passes. Matt Johnson, however, would again connect with Roger Lewis for a 94 yard strike to retake the 34-27 lead. While Johnson was flinging the ball for multiple deep passes, Memphis’ Paxton Lynch was steadily guiding his Tigers down the field. This was not your average flea flicker as quarterback Paxton Lynch handed the ball off on a jet sweep to begin the play. Amid all the offensive fireworks, the game was actually decided by the Memphis defense, which held the Falcons scoreless on their final three possessions of the game. In fact, there would be a theme that would develop between Lewis and Johnson.
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Johnson was 28 of 44 for 443 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Lewis, who finished with seven receptions for 261 yards. “The numbers are cool and nice to look at but I would rather have thrown for 50 yards and won the game”, said Johnson. The Tigers will have a chance to extend the country’s third-longest winning streak next Thursday when Cincinnati comes to town for the U of M’s first American Athletic Conference clash of the season.
