Today, in 2022, UH was down 26-7 in the 4th quarter at Memphis. Fans in the stands and on the Internet were furious. Down 19 to those guys. What a way to end your AAC rivalry with Memphis. But then…

the daily #68 | 10/7/2023 | Archives
 

Clayton Tune hit Dell on a six-yard TD pass following a 75-yard drive. Now, down 26-13. Memphis ate some clock and kicked a short FG to increase the lead to 16.

But on the kickoff, Jayce Rogers went 100 yards across the Liberty Bowl field for a touchdown, giving the Coogs some life. The two-point conversion failed, and UH was down 10, 29-19.

Memphis kicked another field goal and were up 13. UH then put together a 12-play, 75-yard, rambling drive that could have fallen apart several times. On 3rd and 10, Stacy Sneed is tackled for a loss as UH tried to catch Memphis napping. 4th and 11 now.

Clayton Tune dropped back and immediately looked dead. Absolutely dead.

It took us five paragraphs last year to describe what happened next:

Tune somehow slips between two rushers, who both got their hands on him and took off upfield. He makes it to the 17 and twists his shoulders like he’s about to throw to the right, faking out linebacker Cincir Evans. Evans meets him at the 20 and leaps in the air, trying to alter the pass. By then, Tune had squared his shoulders and cut to his right. Evans heaves at him, but it’s too late.

Now, on the left hash, Tune eyes another defender, DB Jaylon Allen, ahead. A yard short of the original line of scrimmage, Tune plants his left foot and cuts back right. On the wrong line of attack, Allen can’t turn his hips fast enough, and Tune gains a step. Allen dives at his feet at the 27 but misses, the play’s third (credited) missed tackle.

Tune high stepped to avoid Allen’s ankle tackle, and by the time he gets to the 30, he encounters yet another Memphis defender ahead, Xavier Cullens. But he also senses another coming from his back left, William Whitlow, one of the rushers that missed him in the backfield.

Once again, Clayton cuts to his right. Cullens dives at his feet at the 33 and gets his left hand on Tune’s hip and one on his right foot. Tune starts to fall forward, but he can see the first down marker and gets a foot down right at the yellow line. He pushes off that right foot to lunge forward as he falls, first down secured and the season still alive.

From the time he plants his back foot at the 14-yard line until he gets to the 39, Tune encounters eight Memphis defenders (9 if you count Whitlow twice) and escapes five would-be tacklers.

Tune connected with Tank Dell on a 4th and seven later in the drive to get into the red zone and, on the next play, found KeSean Carter in the end zone. It’s now 32-26 with 1:14 left. Need the onside kick. And they get it!

With 74 seconds left, Tune goes back to work. Complete deep middle, then short right, then across the middle again, and deep right. 49 yards in four plays gets UH to the two-yard line. After a QB hurry from Memphis, Tune finds KeSean Carter again, this time at the one. He gets his bearings, then dances inside the pylon to tie it up. Bubba Baxa puts UH ahead with the PAT.

Memphis did have a chance to get into field goal range with 18 seconds left. A 15-yard pass gives them hope, but Atlias Bell ends it with a sack.

Final 33-32 UH.

UH won the game despite a 4th quarter where:

• The Coogs had just 6:02 time of possession;
• They were 0/2 on 3rd down;
• UH needed 4th down conversions from 11 and 7 yards;
• Memphis led 20-7 to start the 4th; and
• The Tigers scored three times in the 4th.

FBS teams were 0-129 in 2022, trailing by 19+ points in the 4th quarter until UH. It was the second-largest comeback among true road games in program history, trailing only the Cougars’ 27-point comeback win at Louisiana Tech on Sept. 17, 2011.

The Memphis comeback in 2022 will go down in Cougar lore as one of the five craziest of the modern era:

Tulsa 2009 (down eight but scored twice in the last 21 seconds, won 46-45);
LaTech 2011 (down 34-7 late in the 3rd quarter, won 35-34);
Pitt 2014 (down 25 with 11 minutes to play, won 35-34);
Memphis 2015 (down 20 in the 4th with backup QB, won 35-34 );
Memphis 2022 (down 19 in the 4th, won 33-32).