What we learned from Tulane’s 34-24 loss to Memphis | sport

Memphis defeated No. 18 Tulane 34-24 on Thursday night at Yulman Stadium.

Here’s what we learned from the game:

Beaten in all phases

There was nothing unusual about Memphis’ win. The Tigers played the wave in all phases. They controlled the trenches on both sides of the ball and led the final 40 minutes of the game. They converted 10 of 16 third downs and scored on six of 10 possessions.

Two statistics told the story.

Tulane, which came into the game ranked second nationally in time of possession with an average of 34 minutes, nearly doubled its time of possession: 39:40-20:20.

The Tigers outscored the Wave on the ground by an incredible 236-72 yards.

The rushing and possession stats showed Memphis dominating both lines of scrimmage.

Damned by self-inflicted mistakes

It was one of those nights for Tulane, which proved to be its worst enemy, especially on offense.

The Wave dropped three crucial passes — one each from Makhi Hughes, Phat Watts and Dontae Fleming — to short-circuit drives in the first half and committed three turnovers to kill drives in the second half.

The ball losses were big momentum killers. The Wave fumbled twice deep into Memphis territory after long passes.

Yulkeith Brown fumbled a 40-yard catch at the Memphis 10 when Kourtian Marsh equalized it with a blindside hit.

Mario Williams lost the ball at the end of a 55-yard catch at the Memphis 9 that would have been a first down while trailing 27-17 in the fourth quarter.

Hughes was pulled over

It was a long night for Hughes, who entered the game as the eighth-leading rusher in the country with 1,291 yards.

Memphis’ powerful front seven never let the second-year running back get into the lane, holding him to a season-low 13 yards on seven carries.

The Tigers entered the game ranked 18th nationally in run defense, allowing just 108 yards per game, and they clearly placed an emphasis on stopping Hughes. They managed to carry out this mission brilliantly.