Bearcats Get The Memphis Blues

http://donatelifeohio.org/

In Marc Cohn's blues hit Walking in Memphis, he refers to the ghost of Elvis walking around Beal Street.  Apparently, he was accompanied by the University of Cincinnati defense that suffered through a 41-14 loss.

Gunner Kiel threw an 80-yard touchdown, his 15th of the season, to Mekale McKay on the first play from scrimmage.  That was the highlight of the night for Tommy Tuberville and the 22,000 plus fans which dwindle to the lower triple digits when the Memphis offense took the air out.

http://www.wiedemannbeer.com/

Memphis came into the game with a 2-2 record.  Their wins were 63-0 over Austin Peay and 36-17 over Middle Tennessee State.   Their two losses were 42-35 at the Rose Bowl against number 11 UCLA and 24-3 at number 10 Mississippi.

The Tigers were aware that Cincinnati was picked to win the American Athletic Conference and wanted to make a statement.

The statement included 610 yards of offense after spotting UC an early 7-0 lead.

The UC defense gave up over 700 yards of offense last week to Ohio State. 

“It’s not good,” Tuberville said. “We haven’t stopped anybody. This is not new, now.”

Quaterback Paxton Lynch threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns.  He ran for two more.  Sophomore Sam Craft, who is listed as a wide receiver, carried the ball 38 times for 175 yards.  Memphis ran for 299 yards in all.

The Bearcats struggled on offense.

After the first play, Kiel threw for 136 yards on 10 completions with one interception.  The Bearcats also lost a fumble and were stopped on downs on another occasion.

Kiel was injured near the end of the half.  He was hit while throwing a pass and had X-rays taken of his chest.  He was unable to play the second half.

“Gunner’s probably going to be down for a while,” coach Tommy Tuberville said. “He’s having a pretty tough time.”

Munchie Legaux, who made a magnificent recovery from a badly torn knee, finished the game.  Legaux completed five passes for 39 yards.  He rushed for 20 yards on three carries.

"We built this game up all week and they responded," said Memphis coach Justin Fuentes.  "When one side of the ball struggled the other stepped up.  That's what good teams do."

The Tigers had a chip on their shoulders.

"We were talking all week about making a statement," Lynch said.  "They were picked to win the conference. It shows we can control our own destiny. We knew we had to respond after their first play.  We just marched down the field.  We had a lot of plays installed for this defense.  We knew we had to take the momentum back. This gives us confidence. We believe that we can win every game."