DALLAS (AP) — Seth Henigan passed for 284 yards and three touchdowns — two of them to Eddie Lewis — and Jeyvon Ducker ran for two touchdowns to give Memphis a 38-10 win over Utah State in the First Responder Bowl on Tuesday.
Henigan’s touchdown passes were all thrown in the second quarter, when Memphis outscored Utah State 21-3. The Tigers outgained the Aggies in the period 179 yards to 39 and 137-16 in the air.
Ducker had a 1-yard plunge and a 48-yard sprint for scores, both in the fourth quarter.
Lewis caught scoring passes of 15 and 22 yards, and Caden Prieskorn caught a 3-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds remaining in the half for Memphis. Chris Howard added a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter for the Tigers (7-6).
Bishop Davenport threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Brian Cobbs for the Aggies (6-7) in relief of quarterback Cooper Legas, who left early in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury.
Connor Coles kicked a career-long 53-yard field goal for Utah State.
Henigan, a sophomore who played high school ball about 70 miles north of Dallas in Denton, Texas, was 20 for 29.
THE TAKEAWAY
Utah State: The Aggies played in their 10th bowl game in the last 12 seasons after participating in only six in the program’s first 119 seasons.
Memphis: The Tigers avoided a losing season by winning on the same field where they dropped their season finale 34-31 to SMU when Henigan threw an interception into the end zone on the final play.
UP NEXT
Utah State: The Aggies won’t be easing into their 2023 schedule. They’ll open at Iowa on Sept. 2. Their most recent win over a Power 5 program was a 24-13 victory over Oregon State in last year’s LA Bowl.
Memphis: The Tigers will open their 2023 season at home against Bethune-Cookman. Three of their four American Athletic Conference road games in the reconstructed league will be against newcomers Charlotte, North Texas and UAB.
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