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Memphis Tigers hold Florida State Seminoles without a win
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Memphis Tigers hold Florida State Seminoles without a win

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Seth Henigan threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns, the 40th straight game he has thrown a TD pass, as Memphis defeated Florida State 20-12 on Saturday.

Henigan connected with Greg Desrosiers Jr. and Anthony Landphere on touchdown passes as Memphis (3-0) took a 20-3 lead in the third quarter. The Tigers scored touchdowns on drives of 65 and 75 yards, finishing 7 of 17 on third downs and 2 of 3 on fourth downs.

“Winning is hard, and I never want to minimize a win,” Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said. “But this is monumental. Let’s call it what it is. Going into this, regardless of the record, they were the No. 10 preseason team in the country.

“It’s huge for our program. This is a game that will be remembered for a long time.”

Memphis players, coaches and fans won’t soon forget it. And the Tigers are taking home a hefty bonus: a $1.3 million guarantee and a win over a Power 4 team that will bolster their resume.

Memphis dominated the defense and made many good plays on offense.

“Our defense is much better than it was last year,” Henigan said. “They’re playing extremely well right now. … I’m proud of our guys. I thought they played hard. We had that intensity, that edge about ourselves, that Memphis toughness.”

DJ Uiagalelei completed 16 of 30 passes for 201 yards and an interception, and struggled to get the Seminoles (0-3) going until two scoring drives in the third quarter.

Florida State went to the Memphis 39 and then drove the ball to set up a final play with two seconds left, but Uiagalelei’s Hail Mary was knocked down at the goal line by Memphis’ Julian Barnett.

Memphis’ defense pressured Uiagalelei all day, recording four sacks. Linebacker Chandler Martin had eight tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss.

Florida State couldn’t run the ball, averaging 1.5 yards per carry. And the Seminoles were constantly faced with third-and-long situations, converting just 2 of 12 chances, though they were 3 of 3 on fourth-down conversions.

“Extremely disappointed with the way we played at times,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said. “The things that we work on during the week and emphasize, you know, preseason, offseason, things that are critical to being successful, are not showing up as consistently as we would like.

“Of course, offensively, a very disappointing performance. Never really got to do much. In the second half we were able to move the ball, had some explosive plays, but there were still too many negatives.”

Ryan Fitzgerald made a 54-yard field goal attempt, his third kick from 50 yards or more in three games for the Seminoles.