Four days before Memphis football played Arkansas State, Charles Huff called the Tigers’ running game “average as grits.”
The running backs had rushed for 195 yards in the season-opening win over UNLV, but the Tigers' coach said it should have been 250. The issue, Huff said, was that they weren’t patient enough. They didn’t wait the extra half-second for holes to open.
They say actions speak louder than words, so consider this: With 3:36 left in the third quarter on Sept. 5, Jaylin Carter took a handoff and basically stopped. He bounced on his feet, looking straight ahead before he turned on the proverbial jets and sped away from the Red Wolves' defense for a 74-yard touchdown.
"Just waiting," Carter said. "Just being me. Being patient. And letting
my O-line do the rest."
Carter added another touchdown in the fourth quarter to cap off a breakout performance: 19 carries for 183 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-24 win at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. When he was with Southern Miss in 2025, he rushed for 166 yards during the entire season.
He already had impressed in the win over UNLV, showcasing his breakaway speed on a 36-yard touchdown run. But his patience was the calling card against the Red Wolves.
"It's like watching Le'Veon Bell," quarterback Marcus Stokes said, referencing the former Michigan State and Pittsburgh Steelers star. "It's like, patience. That's all I can say."
As the news conference was moving on, Stokes leaned back in to the microphone.
"And that's with all the backs, too," he said. "Not just him. Manny (Covey) is really good at it, Dallan (Hayden) makes good cuts. I think in the running back room, their patience is their weapon."
Stokes was right to mention the rest of the room, especially because Covey had as quiet of a 100-yard rushing game as is physically possible. The Cincinnati transfer rushed 15 times for 103 yards, and Hayden rushed six times for 33 yards.
Huff said after the game that the staff "literally flipped a coin" to decide if Covey or Carter would start against Arkansas State. Both have showcased dynamic ability to squeeze through holes and then race away from defenses.
"The beauty of Jaylin Carter is he just wants to win," Huff said. "If we tell him he's got to play receiver next week, he's going to play receiver. If we tell him, 'Hey, look, we need you to run for 100,' he's going to run for 100."
The Memphis passing game has been up and down the first two weeks of the season. Stokes was 12 of 15 for 188 yards and two touchdowns against Arkansas State (0-1), but he also threw two interceptions. He promised after the game that the Tigers (2-0) would improve there, but it has been essential that the running game clicks while Stokes and the receivers figure things out through the air.
Memphis is headed to Boise State for a showdown with one of the top teams in the Group of Six on Sept. 12 (5 p.m. CT, USA Network). The Broncos will go into most games this season believing they have a running back advantage with Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines, but the Tigers will feel more than confident in their room.
When Huff left as Southern Miss' coach to go to Memphis, he took more than a dozen players with him. Most of the starters from that group are on the defensive side of the ball, but Carter has developed into the top offensive standout through two games.
"I brought him with me for a reason," Huff said.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Marcus Stokes compared Jaylin Carter to Le'Veon Bell after Memphis football win
