Senior Memphis long snapper Colby Cox caught a pass from senior kicker Caden Costa for a two-point conversion on Saturday during the opening drive against UAB.

It was the perfect start to the Tigers’ Senior Night, which ended with a 53-18 victory in the Battle for the Bones rivalry in front of an announced crowd of 24,225 fans at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

Running back Brandon Thomas, a senior who has the fifth most career touchdowns in program history, scored on a 2-yard run to set up the two-point conversion.

Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield asked Cox before the game not to do a celebration. Not even Silverfield could keep Cox from celebrating with a Heisman pose that would give Colorado Heisman candidate Travis Hunter a run for his money. 

“I was like, ‘Alright whatever, I’m not going to do it,’” Cox said afterward. “And then I was like, ‘No, I’m going to do something.’ So, I was like, ‘Alright, we’re going to pull this one out and see how it looks.’ I mean, I thought it was funny. I hope he got a good laugh.” 

Before his final home game, Seth Henigan reflects on 4 years as quarterback

The veterans were making plays all over the field for the Tigers’ (9-2, 5-2, American Athletic Conference) first double-digit victory since it beat South Florida by 18 points on Oct. 12. Cox joked about taking senior tight end Anthony Landphere’s job next week. That’s going to be hard to do after Saturday’s performance against UAB (2-8, 1-5). 

Landphere, who finished with four catches for 45 yards, scored two touchdowns. Senior running back Mario Anderson Jr., who rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown, surpassed 100 yards for the seventh time this season.

Seth Henigan, the only FBS quarterback to start four years with the same program this season, threw for 299 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. It’s his second game of the season with four passing scores.

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Linebacker Matt Hudson, another senior, recovered a fumble forced by senior defensive lineman Patrick Lucas Jr. during the second quarter. Memphis native and senior defensive back Greg Rubin tipped a pass that landed in the hands of senior AJ Watts, who nearly scored on a 79-yard return late in the fourth quarter. It was the fourth Memphis takeaway of the night.

“What a great night,” Silverfield said. “Obviously, to win the Battle for the Bones and bring those bones back was great and keep them back up in the trophy room. It’s a huge thing, but tonight is all about the seniors.”

The Tigers also finished with an unblemished 7-0 home record for the first time since 2020 (6-0), something Rubin said earlier this week that he wanted to accomplish.

“It means everything to me,” said Rubin, a former White Station standout. “It was kind of a bitter-sweet moment with it being my last one in the bowl. But I’m just embracing this moment and soaking it all in.” 

Mario Anderson Jr. reaches 1,000 yards on the season

Anderson entered the game needing 23 yards to become the ninth Tiger to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season. He reached that milestone on the opening drive. Memphis has one more regular season game remaining but Anderson was able to reach the milestone in his last game at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Anderson now has 1,115 rushing yards this year. Memphis has had a 1,000-yard rusher in six of the previous eight seasons. Former Tiger and current Denver Bronco Blake Watson rushed for 1,152 yards last year.

“The job not finished yet,” Anderson said. “I got 1,000 yards but we’ve still got another game on Thanksgiving Day.”

Kourtlan Marsh immediate impact

Samford transfer defensive back Kourtlan Marsh suffered an injury during the offseason that was expected to sideline him for the entire year. He returned against Rice last week and caught an interception on Saturday in just his second game of the season.

UAB was looking to score points near the end of the first half when quarterback Jalen Kitna threw a deep ball that ended up in Marsh’s hands. He also added six tackles.

Marsh’s interception was the third UAB turnover in the first half. UAB center Brady Wilson fumbled a snap after the Blazers had moved the ball to the 10-yard line on their first possession of the game. Defensive lineman Javon Denis fell on the ball to prevent UAB from scoring points on what was a promising drive.

Defensive lineman Patrick Lucas Jr. forced another fumble two drives later, and it was recovered by linebacker Matt Hudson.

“One of things we talked about with our is, you know, last year statistically, we were not very good at all,” Silverfield said. “This year statistically, we’re doing some good things. It’s still room for improvement.” 

Up next

The Tigers will end the regular season at Tulane on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28 (6:30 p.m., ESPN). Tulane has already qualified for the AAC Championship game against Army, but is playing for two straight 10-win seasons for the first time in program history. Memphis hasn’t won a road game at Tulane since 2016.