Halloween for the Tigers was nearly perfect — except for one injury scare
Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis looks to pass the ball against Rice during the first half of an NCAA college football game Oct. 31 in Houston. (Michael Wyke/AP)
HOUSTON — The Memphis Tigers nearly got out of Houston without a hitch Friday.
The Tigers (8-1, 4-1 American Conference) were in complete control from the start. They jumped out to a 28-point lead by scoring the game’s first four touchdowns in a 38-14 victory over Rice.
The defense forced five consecutive three-and-outs while running back Frank Peasant scored three of Memphis’ five rushing touchdowns.
Rice (4-5, 1-4), which had just four turnovers all season, lost a fumble and threw an interception against Memphis. Running back Quinton Jackson, who rushed for 168 yards against UConn the previous week, was held to 22 yards rushing on nine carries.
Halloween night went well for the Tigers — except for one scare.
Brendon Lewis took a big hit early in the fourth quarter and limped to the sideline with no assistance. The Tigers were leading 38-7 at the time. Lewis had 225 passing yards with 87 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Lewis has shown himself to be a tough cookie, so who knows what the slight limp off the field means for next Friday’s home game against Tulane?
Coach Ryan Silverfield said he planned to pull the starters after that drive.
Redshirt freshman Arrington Maiden finished the rest of the game. If the score were close, maybe Lewis would have gutted through. Maybe he wouldn’t have.
Lewis couldn’t return the last time he limped off the field against UAB two weeks ago, and the Tigers were trailing. The whole week leading up to Memphis’ next game against South Florida last Saturday was filled with questions about whether Lewis would play.
Lewis started and threw for a season-high 307 yards with two touchdowns in a 34-31 upset of the Bulls. He said postgame he knew he was going to play the whole time. Lewis wasn’t made available for postgame interviews Friday.
The Tigers are three wins away from a guaranteed spot in the conference-championship game. They’ll likely need their starting quarterback to get there. Silverfield didn’t offer an immediate update after the game.
“We’re going to see,” he said about Lewis. “We’ll monitor him day-to-day like we’ll do with any of our guys who are banged up tonight.”
Silverfield will be asked for an update during his weekly press conference Monday. His response will determine if fans are headed toward another weeklong saga of speculation.
If Silverfield reiterates his “day-to-day” response, official news about Lewis’ status may not come out until game day. If last week is any indicator, though, it’ll take a lot to sideline Lewis for a matchup as important as Tulane.
“He loves ball,” Silverfield said. “He likes contact, which is unique for a quarterback. He’s a tough son of a gun.”
“Look,” the Tigers coach added, “we’ll continue to try to educate him so he can protect himself, especially at that point in the game.”
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Frank Bonner II
Frank Bonner is the Memphis Tigers football beat writer. He is originally from Indiana but arrived in Memphis after spending two years in Tulsa, covering Oklahoma State football and basketball. He covered high school sports in Columbus, Indiana for two years before getting his Master’s degree in Sports Journalism at IUPUI. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University.
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