Memphis needed a half to shake off the rust before burying Arkansas State under a mountain of rushing yards. By the finish it wasn't close.
This was Charles Huff's debut on the Memphis sideline, and it didn't look like one by the fourth quarter. The Tigers ran for 335 yards as a team, the first time the program has cleared 300 on the ground since 2020, and Jaylin Carter did most of the damage himself with 4 touchdowns. Manny Covey chipped in 103 yards of his own, and once Memphis found that rhythm, Arkansas State had no answer for it.
+Defense held Arkansas State to 7 second-half points
−Brand-new coaching staff under Charles Huff, no track record
−Unsettled QB battle behind Stokes/Noland heading in
−Let a Sun Belt opponent hang 17 first-half points
It wasn't a laugher from the jump. Arkansas State hung 17 points on the Tigers in the first half and trailed by only 4 at the break, riding a defense-optional shootout behind Texas transfer Trey Owens making his first real start under center. Memphis countered by locking things down after halftime, allowing just 7 points the rest of the way and picking off Owens 4 times as the inexperience at quarterback started to show against a defense that had all game to adjust.
The 100-degree afternoon at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium turned into a war of attrition Memphis was built to win. Butch Jones's Red Wolves came in with a Sun Belt-high 10 returning starters and preseason All-American buzz around receiver Chauncy Cobb and running back Kenyon Clay, but a brand-new arm at quarterback meant nobody had real tape on what this offense would look like under pressure. The market had priced Memphis as a heavy favorite regardless, and the game played out exactly that lopsided.
Tychaun Chapman gave the home crowd a highlight early, hurdling a defender to help set up points, but the story by the final whistle was entirely the ground game and the turnovers. Carter scored 3 of his 4 touchdowns after halftime alone, and Memphis's defensive line started teeing off once Arkansas State had no choice but to abandon the run and lean on its rookie starter.
For Arkansas State, the setback doesn't erase the returning talent or the Sun Belt title hopes, but it's a rough data point on a quarterback change nobody outside the building had much of a read on. For Memphis, it's a strong first impression for Huff and a run-game identity that looked very real against a defense that had 10 starters back and still couldn't slow it down.
