At one point this season, Memphis had one of the best rushing offenses in the country. Then the Tigers hit a two-game slump against South Florida and Cincinnati.

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Midway through Saturday’s 56-14 win over Stephen F. Austin at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, it looked as if that would continue, even against a FCS opponent. In the first half, Marquavius Weaver had a 36-yard run. The 15 carries from everyone else? Only 36 yards combined.

Consider the fact the Lumberjacks entered Saturday allowing more than 150 yards rushing a game.

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It was similar to South Florida, which had allowed an average of 200-plus rushing yards a game, but held Memphis to half of that.

“Let me be very clear, I’m not happy with our run game one bit. It’s frustrating, it’s one of those things that is keeping me up at night,” coach Ryan Silverfield said. “Credit to Stephen F. Austin, they were physical in that first half.” 

Dreke Clark received most of the carries in the first half, but finished with just 23 yards on nine attempts. He had a single carry in the second half as the Tigers looked to other options, and may have found a potential answer to their rushing woes with the performance of Weaver.

The former Bartlett star had carved out a role with his pass protection skills, but against the Lumberjacks he showcased the big-play potential the running game has desperately needed.

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Weaver had 94 yards on just eight carries and added a touchdown. He showed that he’s more than a blocker and may have earned himself some more touches along the way.

“He’s done some good things, he also had a great third pass (protection). I’m pleased with him, he’s a guy we’ve relied on quite a bit on special teams. Glad to get him in the mix,” Silverfield said. “He was a couple yards short of 100, that’s always good to see. Just to see him productive back there will help us.”

It wasn’t just Weaver, though. The coaching staff relied on Kylan Watkins in the second half as well. He produced his second career 100-yard rushing game and broke off a 40-yard gain. He ran with confidence through the tackles and his shiftiness shined in the open space. We know what he can do as a receiver, but it was his running ability that shined on Saturday.

High-profile transfer Asa Martin also had the most productive day of his young Memphis career, with nearly 50 all-purpose yards and his first collegiate touchdown. Timothy Taylor got in the mix with a 47-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. 

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After producing just 72 yards in the first half, the ground game erupted for 233. 

To be clear, the issues with the running game aren’t solved with one good half, and Clark isn’t the problem. He has proven he can be the bell cow and bring that power element the offense needs.

Silverfield pointed out how aggressively teams are keying in on the run and a lot of that is the result of what Clark did in the first four games.

“They were bringing different safeties down, they were bringing some guys off the edge,” he said. “In the first half, those safeties were just coming down and making tackles for negative plays, tackles for losses.”

In the past three games, he has managed just 79 yards on 38 carries. In his defense, the running lanes and creases early in games just haven’t been there.

Clark is at his best when he can get momentum and use his strength and size to shed tackles on the second level. There’s only so much you can do when you’re getting hit at the line of scrimmage.

He should still be the starter as Memphis turns its focus toward Navy next week, but don’t be surprised if we see more of Weaver and others down the stretch.