Seth Henigan matches AAC passing TD record as Memphis holds on for 42-37 win over WVU in Frisco Bowl

AP Sports Writer

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Seth Henigan had quite a homecoming for his final game as a four-year starter for Memphis, tying the American Athletic Conference career record with his 104th touchdown pass and leading the 25th-ranked Tigers to one more victory.

Henigan threw for 294 yards and two touchdowns, and was one yard short of another score, as the Tigers held on for a 42-37 win over West Virginia in the Frisco Bowl on Tuesday night. They got 11 wins for only the second time in 109 years of Memphis football.

“It’s meant the world to me, and just to be able to go out with the win, I feel like that’s a good way to cap off a pretty good career,” Henigan said. “And having stayed at the same university four years, I hope that’s a testament to who I am, and about the people around me.”

The only current four-year FBS starting quarterback to do that all with the same school, Henigan’s 50th game for the Tigers (11-2) came just over 20 miles from his hometown of Denton, Texas. He completed 18 of 26 passes, including an 89-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter when DeMeer Blankumsee was tripped up at the 1.

Even though Henigan knew that would have pushed him one past the 104 touchdowns that Clayton Tune had for Houston from 2018-22, he handed off to Brandon Thomas for a 1-yard touchdown on the next play. Even when he had a run-pass option.

“I’m just happy that we came out with a win,” Henigan said.

West Virginia (6-7) had scored on six consecutive possessions (four touchdowns) before one more chance in the final minute after the Tigers missed a 50-yard field goal. But the Mountaineers’ final push ended when Elijah Herring had an interception.

“The ebbs and flows of a football game. We did what we needed to, we found a way,” said fifth-year coach Ryan Silverfield, now 4-0 in the bowl games the Tigers have played. “That’s kind of the mantra all season. Just leave no doubt, find a way.”

Sitting at the podium afterward, Silverfield said he was savoring his final few minutes with Henigan as his quarterback.

“He’s meant everything,” Silverfield said. “For him to stay loyal to this place, he is a rare breed.”

Garrett Greene was 29-of-40 passing for 328 yards with two TD passes to Hudson Clement, and also ran for 95 yards and a score for West Virginia. Clement finished with 11 catches for 166 yards, and CJ Donaldson ran for 83 yards and two TDs.

The Mountaineers played five days after Rich Rodriguez was re-hired for a second stint as head coach at his alma mater 17 years after he left. He was at the game while offensive coordinator Chad Scott served as the interim head coach.

“We didn’t start out as fast as we wanted to play, and the guys never wavered,” Scott said. “They were resilient and responded. It didn’t work out for us in the end.”

Going ahead, finishing on top

Memphis never trailed, going ahead 7-0 on Henigan’s first TD pass about 10 minutes into the game, a 4-yard underhand scoop to Mario Anderson on the next play after the quarterback had a 23-yard run. His AAC record-matching score was an 18-yarder to Blankumsee with 55 seconds left in the first half for a 28-14 lead.

Henigan finished as the Memphis career leader with 14,266 yards, 104 touchdowns and 1,147 completions. All of those records were previously held by Brady White, the quarterback he succeeded for the Tigers.

The takeaway

West Virginia trailed 17-0 early in the second quarter after Greene had a fourth-down incompletion and Greg Desrosiers ran 46 yards for a Memphis TD on the next play. The Mountaineers then scored on six consecutive possessions, and outgained Memphis 534 total yards to 474.

Memphis scored at least 20 points in its 40th consecutive game since November 2021, by far the nation’s longest active streak. Next on the list is Miami’s 16 games in a row. … The Tigers already had consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time. The only other time they had more wins was when going 12-2 in 2019.

Up next

Rodriguez opens his second stint as West Virginia’s head coach at home against FCS team Robert Morris on Aug. 30. His last game with the Mountaineers was a 13-9 loss to Pittsburgh in a regular-season finale on Dec. 1, 2007 that cost them a chance to play in the BCS national championship game. He then left for Michigan.

Memphis has won its last eight games in its home stadium, starting with a win over Big 12 team Iowa State in the 2023 Liberty Bowl. Their 2025 opener is there against FCS team Chattanooga on Aug. 30.

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