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MSU strikes early and often as Tigers drop opener 59-14
By Adam Douglas-->Sports Editor
Published: Friday, September 2, 2011
Updated: Friday, September 2, 2011 13:09
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David Minkin
They came out fired up. They even stopped Mississippi State's offense on the first possession of the game.
But The University of Memphis Tigers football team showed just how young they were as they piled up penalties throughout the first half, allowing MSU to convert on quick touchdown strikes of 44, 46, 36 and 66 yards in a 59-17 rout over the Tigers.
In front of 33,992 fans at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, the Tigers struggled to move the ball, punting throughout the first half and giving up 405 yards of offense to the Bulldogs and yielding 31 first-half points.
"I thought we gave up too much too early," head coach Larry Porter said. "I'm obviously disappointed in our play, but I thought we would play better. You just have to give it up to coach (Dan) Mullin and his kids for a good game out there."
Although the Bulldogs posted 40-plus points against the Tigers for the second straight year, there were bright spots in the game for the Tigers. True freshmen quarterback Taylor Reed and running back Artaves Gibson both saw significant playing time. Both Reed and Gibson came in for injured Tigers, substituting for sophomore quarterback Andy Summerlin in the second quarter after he suffered an undisclosed injury and Billy Foster, respectively. Foster replaced starting running back Jerrell Rhodes earlier in the game.
Gibson gained 85 yards on 17 carries.
"Arteves did some good things tonight," Porter said. "He definitely earned himself some playing time for next week and I can't wait to see him out there."
Reed finished the game 23-for-35 for 149 yards and one interception.
"I was proud of Taylor Reed's play," Porter said. "I thought he came in with tremendous poise and in my opinion he settled our offense and helped sustain our drives – he definitely was a bright spot."
The Tigers gave up 645 yards on defense, the second most in school history and most offensive yardage amassed in MSU history. Coach Porter wasn't ready to throw the towel in on his defense, however, saying the reasons for such a big disparity were due to some missing parts.
"My defense, in my opinion, did a pretty decent job," Porter said. "I don't think we were just getting blown off the line. Our guys fought to the end but we had breakdowns. And I understand where those breakdowns are, but we had some guys that were (out of place) and they have to make tackles."
Though there were only two touchdowns for the Tigers, they did have several opportunities. Junior wide receiver Marcus Rucker missed a few balls that were thrown his way. The offensive line broke down too soon before either quarterback could locate a receiver, and whenever they seemed to be building momentum, the referees took it back by calling procedural penalties.
"It was an unbalanced set that we lined up in and the refs just didn't know what we were trying to do," Porter said. "But when we go back to look at film and take a look, we did everything we were supposed to do – the referees just didn't understand it and I can't wait to send the tape in to the league office."
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