The Charles Huff era began with a win in Vegas as the Tigers put together an impressive second half to secure a 27-21 win over UNLV.
After trailing by seven at the half, Memphis relied on its defense and allowed only seven points the entire second half to secure a massive win in the Group of Six ranks.
Shortly before kickoff, it was announced Marcus Stokes would start for Charles Huff's offense , and he finished with 223 yards and two touchdowns. It took the redshirt sophomore a few drives to look comfortable, but he recorded his first touchdown pass in the second quarter when he connected with Hunter Tipton on a 16-yard touchdown pass.
The West Florida transfer spread the ball around, completing passes to eight different receivers, and Jemyri Davis led the receivers with 62 yards on a team-high three catches.
On the other side, Jackson Arnold started the game extremely sharp, and he recorded for a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter after a scoreless first quarter.
The second touchdown was a rushing touchdown for Arnold to give the Rebels a 14-7 lead with 1:56 left in the second quarter. The Tigers got the ball back, but the Tychaun Chapman fumbled on the first play of the drive, giving UNLV the ball at the Memphis 48-yard line.
Dan Mullen's team put together a nine-play, 33-yard drive, but the Tigers' defense did a nice job keeping them out of the end zone, and Rebels' kicker Ramon Villela missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt as time expired.
Memphis received the kick to start the second half, and Stokes found Mississippi State transfer Stonka Burnside for a 48-yard touchdown pass, tying the game at 14.
UNLV immediately responded with a six-play, 85-yard drive to regain a seven-point lead on another passing touchdown from Arnold.
It didn't take long for the Tigers to respond again.
After a slow first half, Memphis scored its second touchdown of the quarter less than seven minutes into the second half on a 36-yard touchdown run from Jaylin Carter. The Southern Miss transfer led the team in rushing with 97 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, and his lone touchdown became the final of the game.
Memphis kicker Philippe Laforge connected on a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter to give Huff's team a six-point advantage, and the defense handled the rest.
The Tigers' defense created chaos in the Rebels' backfield, and UNLV's offense had no answers for them. After Memphis tied the game at 21 with 8:38 remaining in the third quarter, Mullen's offense recorded only 131 yards the rest of the game, and the Tigers' defense sacked Arnold six times in the second half, including twice on the final drive.
Redshirt sophomore Elijah Kinsler led the team with 2.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss, while linebacker Zach Ruffin led the team with 13 tackles and a pass breakup.
The Tigers return to Memphis for their home opener in the newly renovated Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in a week against Arkansas State.
