Seth Henigan passed for 294 yards and two touchdowns and No. 25 Memphis never trailed while notching a 42-37 victory over West Virginia on Tuesday night in the Frisco Bowl in Texas.
DeMeer Blankumsee had four catches for 120 yards and one touchdown and Roc Taylor added five receptions for 116 yards for the Tigers (11-2), who finished with the second most victories in school history.
Mario Anderson Jr. scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) and Greg Desrosiers Jr. and Brandon Thomas each rushed for one for Memphis.
Garrett Greene completed 29 of 40 passes for 328 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and also rushed for 95 yards and a score on seven attempts for West Virginia (6-7).
Hudson Clement caught 11 passes for 166 yards and two scores and CJ Donaldson rushed for 83 yards and two TDs on 22 carries for the Mountaineers.
Henigan, who hit 18 of 26 passes, finished his career with 104 touchdown passes to tie Houston’s Clayton Tune (2018-22) for the American Athletic Conference record.
Donaldson scored his second touchdown on a 1-yard run to pull the Mountaineers within five with 4:17 left in the game.
West Virginia got the ball back at its 31-yard line with 51 seconds left after Memphis’ Tristian Vandenberg was wide right on a 50-yard field goal.
However, Greene’s pass was intercepted by Elijah Herring with eight seconds left.
Memphis scored on its final five possessions of the first half and opened the second half in similar style, with Anderson’s 3-yard scoring run for a 35-17 lead.
The Mountaineers moved within 12 on Greene’s 10-yard scoring pass to Clement. West Virginia holder Leighton Bechdel dropped the snap for an unsuccessful extra point.
When the Mountaineers next had possession, they traveled 90 yards in 16 plays to move within 35-30. Donaldson rushed for the touchdown on fourth down from the 1-yard line with 12:02 remaining.
Memphis responded as Henigan hit a wide open Blankumsee for 89 yards to the 1. Thomas scored on the next play, with 10:49 left.
The Tigers scored the first 17 points — behind Henigan’s 4-yard scoring pass to Anderson, Vandenberg’s 34-yard field goal and Desrosiers’ 46-yard scamper.
West Virginia got on the board on Greene’s 33-yard pass to Clement. After Vandenburg’s 42-yard field goal, Greene scrambled 56 yards for a touchdown to bring the Mountaineers within 20-14 with 1:44 remaining in the half.
Memphis quickly drove 75 yards in 47 seconds, and Henigan tossed an 18-yard scoring pass to Blankumsee with 55 seconds to go. The duo then teamed up on a two-point conversion.
West Virginia’s Michael Hayes II kicked a 46-yard field goal to bring his team within 28-17 as time expired in the half.
–Field Level Media