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Winners from Memphis’ 24-point victory over UT Martin
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- Winners from Memphis’ 24-point victory over UT Martin
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
QB Marcus Stokes and RB Dallan Hayden discuss game and RB Jordan Thompson
Memphis improved to 3-1 on Saturday with a 45-21 win over UT Martin. While the Tigers didn't win in blowout fashion, it never felt like the team was in danger, and it was a comfortable win for Charles Huff and his team.
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The Tigers scored on their first five drives and seven of their nine total drives, and Marcus Stokes threw for four touchdowns.
After taking a 31-7 lead in the third quarter, Huff decided to start playing some of the younger guys, and several players took advantage of the opportunity, including running back Jordan Thompson.
UT Martin recorded only 291 yards of offense and averaged 5.1 yards per play. The defense didn't produce any takeaways, but the Skyhawks never found a rhythm.
Here are three winners from Memphis' victory on Saturday.
Marcus Stokes
Stokes hasn't had a bad game this season, but he was extremely efficient against the Skyhawks. The quarterback five scoring drives to start the game, and he completed 18 straight passes after throwing an incompletion on the first drive of the game.
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Stokes finished the first half 21-for-22 with 216 yards and three touchdowns, and he added his fourth passing touchdown early in the third quarter. All four touchdowns were to different players, and he completed a pass to 10 different players.
The quarterback finished the game 26-for-32 for 258 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions before the coaching staff turned to Air Noland late in the third quarter. Charles Huff said that they've been working with Stokes to limit his turnovers, and it was a clean day after back-to-back games where he threw and interception.
Jordan Thompson
Thompson was one of the young players who received playing time once the lead was in hand. Thompson is a freshman from Pompano Beach, Florida, and he took advantage of his opportunity against the Skyhawks.
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Thompson led the team with 110 yards and a touchdown on six carries, and he had two carries for 28 or more yards.
On his second carry, the running back broke loose for a 72-yard carry, which should've been his first career touchdown, but he was caught by the turf monster. The turf monster got a hold of his a couple times, but he was able to find the end zone to score the final touchdown of the game.
It will be interesting to see how much Thompson is used throughout the season, but his potential jumped off the page in his first showing.
Trey McDonald flew under the radar after transferring from Virginia , but he played well against UT Martin. McDonald led the team with five tackles, and received the highest defensive grade by Pro Football Focus.
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McDonald logged only 33 snaps in the first two games against UNLV and Arkansas State, but he has played 53 snaps over the last two weeks. The linebacker struggled in the first three showings, missing six tackles, but he had a nice bounce back performance on Saturday.
McDonald will be a player to watch moving forward, and he could become a nice depth piece in the linebackers room.
