Lucas Mitchell FM88 Sports
9/2/26
Charles Huff needs no introduction around these parts of Huntington, West Virginia. Huff was the head coach of the Herd from 2021-2024, then left after a Sun Belt conference championship game win to go to Southern Miss for a lone season. After getting the Golden Eagles to the New Orleans Bowl, he left this offseason to go to Memphis. Last Saturday, he and the Memphis Tigers traveled to Las Vegas to play UNLV in a week zero duel between two teams that are among the best in their conferences. UNLV, led by transfer QB Jackson Arnold and coached by Dan Mullen, is a team favored to make the Mountain West Championship game this year. The Rebels have made it three years straight but lost to Boise State each year. This year, with Boise State moving to form the new Pac-12, the Rebels have a strong chance to take the conference home. Memphis also has a transfer QB in Marcus Stokes, who transferred from FCS West Florida. Both teams have their eyes set on not only their conference but a bid to the College Football Playoff to represent the Group of Six.
The game got off to a slow start with neither team scoring in the first quarter. But in the second quarter, the offenses started to show up. Jackson Arnold threw a beautiful ball to wide receiver Tavian McNair on a 38-yard touchdown pass. Stokes responded with a pass to tight end Hunter Tipton, who charged into the end zone to tie the game up at seven. Another good drive for the Rebels finished with Jackson Arnold using his legs to find the end zone with a six yard rushing touchdown. Heading into halftime, UNLV held a 14-7 lead. In the third quarter, the Memphis offense exploded, first with a 48-yard touchdown pass from Stokes to wide receiver Stonka Burnside, who flew by UNLV defensive backs to tie the game up at 14 all. UNLV responded quickly when Arnold tossed one to wide receiver Kayden McGee for a 22-yard touchdown pass.
A few plays later, Memphis running back Jaylin Carter, who followed Huff from Southern Miss to Memphis, found a seam through his line and went 36 yards to the house, and once again the game was tied. Memphis scored the final points of the third quarter with a field goal and led 24-21 heading into the fourth. After forcing a three and out the Tigers got the ball back early in the quarter and capped off another drive with a field goal, going up by six.
UNLV had a long drive to try to take the lead, but Arnold was sacked at Memphis’ 26-yard line after the coaching staff decided to go for a fourth-and-seven conversion. UNLV had two more drives with the ball but were unable to produce ay offense, and Memphis got the win 27-21. The Memphis defense was incredible the second half, holding UNLV to only seven points and stopping Jackson Arnold as he escaped from the pocket, which worked for him at many points during the game. After the game, Memphis coach Charles Huff said “This was a national statement, not just about the score, not just about the game. But that the Memphis Tiger community is serious about this program and the direction this program is going.” With the loss, Dan Mullen and the Rebels have a little work to do to get them back into the conversation of being the best Group of Six team. Huff’s Tigers got a big win to put eyes on the team and bring that winning feeling home to Memphis, Tennessee.