Seth Henigan helps Memphis rout Utah State 38-10 in Dallas

Associated PressDec 27, 2022, 10:53 PM EST

Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS – The First Responder Bowl provided both a homecoming and redemption for Memphis sophomore quarterback Seth Henigan

Henigan threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns – two of them to Eddie Lewis – and Jeyvon Ducker ran for two scores to help Memphis rout Utah State 38-10 on Tuesday.

The Tigers’ regular-season finale was a 34-31 loss to SMU in the same stadium, when Henigan – from about 70 miles north of Dallas in Denton – threw an interception into the end zone on the final play.

“Seth’s going back home; is he going to have flashbacks?” Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said. “To see him come out and do what he did statistically today and lead our team to victory was huge.”

“I put the past in the past,” said Henigan, who was 20 for 29. “I was focused on that opponent, Utah State.”

Henigan’s touchdown passes were all thrown in the second quarter, when Memphis (7-6) outscored Utah State (6-7) 21-3. The Tigers outgained the Aggies in the period 179 yards to 39 and 137-16 in the air.

“We could not cover well. Explosive throws (by Henigan). We could not get anything going offensively at all,” Utah State coach Blake Anderson said. “It just was anemic, especially in the second quarter.”

Ducker had a 1-yard plunge and a 48-yard sprint for scores, both in the fourth quarter.

Lewis caught scoring passes of 15 and 22 yards, and Caden Prieskorn caught a 3-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds remaining in the half for Memphis. Chris Howard added a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter for the Tigers.

Bishop Davenport threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Brian Cobbs in the fourth quarter for the Aggies in relief of quarterback Cooper Legas, who left early in the third quarter with what Anderson said was an injury to either his right ankle or ACL.

Connor Coles kicked a career-long 53-yard field goal for Utah State.

The Aggies gained 261 yards, 89 in the first half, after averaging 362.3 during the season.

“They were just a better team today,” said running back Calvin Tyler Jr., who rushed for 89 yards to finish his two-year Utah State career with 2,006 yards after joining the program from Oregon State. “We knew we had to do everything right to win this game. Unfortunately, things happened, didn’t go our way.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Utah State: The Aggies rallied from a 1-4 start to play in their 10th bowl game in the last 12 seasons after participating in only six in the program’s first 119 seasons.

Memphis: The bowl victory allowed the Tigers to finish with a winning record for the eighth time in the last nine years.

MATHEMATICAL STUMPER

Memphis qualified for its ninth consecutive bowl, the longest streak among Group of Five programs, and is 3-5 during that run. What?

The 2021 Tigers were invited to play in the Hawaii Bowl, but the game was canceled less than 24 hours before kickoff because their opponent, the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, were sidelined by COVID-19 issues.

Vick, Fitzgerald and Suggs among stars on College Football Hall of Fame ballot for 1st time

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 9:04 PM EDT

RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Vick, Larry Fitzgerald and Terrell Suggs are among the college football stars who will be considered for induction to the Hall of Fame for the first time this year.

The National Football Foundation released Monday a list of 78 players and nine coaches from major college football who are on the Hall of Fame ballot. There also are 101 players and 32 coaches from lower divisions of college football up for consideration.

Vick, who led Virginia Tech to the BCS championship game against Florida State as a redshirt freshman in 1999, is among the most notable players appearing on the ballot in his first year of eligibility.

Vick finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1999. He played one season of college football before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001. Vick’s professional career was interrupted when he served 21 months in prison for his involvement in dog fighting.

Fitzgerald was the Heisman runner-up in 2003 to Oklahoma quarterback Jason White. He scored 34 touchdowns in just two seasons at Pitt.

Suggs led the nation in sacks with 24 in 2002 for Arizona State.

The 2024 Hall of Fame class will be chosen by the National Football Foundation’s Honors Court and announced in January. Induction into the Atlanta-based hall is the following December.

Alabama freshman DB Mitchell says he wasn’t sure he’d get to play again after arrest

Associated PressJun 5, 2023, 8:59 PM EDT

Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama defensive back Tony Mitchell said he feared his football career was over after his arrest on a drug charge.

The Crimson Tide freshman said in a video posted Sunday on social media that he knew “something much bigger could have happened.”

A judge in Holmes County, Florida, sentenced Mitchell to three years of probation with a fine and community service on May 24 after Mitchell pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of more than 20 grams of cannabis.

“I didn’t know if I’d be able to play football again, but I continued to work out and stay close with the Lord and those who love me unconditionally,” Mitchell said. “During those times, it helped me to keep my mind off it. But when I was by myself looking at social media, what everybody had to say about it, it just felt like it happened again.

“I didn’t sleep at night.”

He was suspended from the Alabama team following the arrest, but Mitchell’s father, Tony Sr., posted on Facebook last week that the defensive back had been reinstated. An Alabama spokesman declined to comment on Mitchell’s status.

Tony Mitchell Sr. shared his son’s video on Facebook, saying it was filmed during a talk to youth.

“I was doing things I knew I shouldn’t to try to fit in,” the younger Mitchell said, “but not everybody’s your friend.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a four-star prospect and the 15th-rated safety in the 247Composite rankings.

He had been charged in March with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell after a traffic stop when authorities said he drove over 141 mph (227 kph) while trying to evade deputies in the Florida Panhandle. A deputy had spotted Mitchell’s black Dodge Challenger traveling 78 mph (125 kph) in a 55 mph (88 kph) zone on a rural highway north of Bonifay.

He also received 100 hours of community service and paid a fine of $1,560.

Mitchell and a passenger were both charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrest report. The other man also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.