BOISE, ID — For the first time in the Charles Huff era, Memphis football lost.
The Tigers (2-1) lost 38-20 to Boise State (1-1) thanks to a 35-3 run by the Broncos that started at the end of the first half and carried over into a dominant second half. It's a loss that establishes Boise State as the top team in the Group of Six even before conference play has started for most teams.
“What’s delayed is not denied," Huff said after the game. "We’ve still got a long road ahead. No one in our building talked perfection. We all talked about getting better each week. Although the scoreboard doesn’t reveal us getting better, we can learn from how we played today.”
Both teams came in planning to lean heavily on their running game. Boise State ultimately
won that battle by a landslide, as the Broncos ran for 357 yards and averaged 7.6 yards per carry.
Huff said after the game that he thought Memphis' defense wore down a little bit in the second half. He also said Boise State didn't do much schematically that confused the Tigers.
"They were just running through our tackles," Huff said. "We didn't tackle well. We probably missed 157 tackles today."
Memphis jumped out to an early lead with several explosive plays down the field in the passing game. Tight end Hunter Tipton was unstoppable, catches nine passes for 229 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Marcus Stokes had a career-high 384 passing yards.
But Memphis struggled to sustain drives and struggled in the red zone. The Tigers had to settle for field goals on multiple occasions, including on one that got blocked in the first quarter.
"When you're 2 for 4 in the red zone, and not getting touchdowns, you're going to lose vs. good teams," Huff said. "We got down there the first time, we get a field goal blocked. We get down there at the end of the half, we miss an opportunity to get a touchdown."
Huff said after the game that he liked the way the Tigers continued to battle even as the tide was turning. Memphis is back in action on Sept. 26 at home against FCS-level UT Martin.
"Proud of all of our guys’ competitive character," Huff said. "I thought they fought. There was no, kind of, fighting or eating each other up on the sideline. Everybody was pulling the rope in the same direction. Just came up short today.”
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What Charles Huff said after Memphis football's loss to Boise State
