Paxton Lynch leads Memphis in upset of Ole Miss

In a game featuring Ole Miss’ many five-stars and likely first-round picks, Tigers quarterback Paxton Lynch and his giant arm made a 384-yard case to join them.

Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, the best college quarterback most people haven’t heard about, put his name in a lot of ears Saturday. Going into the year all the national hype was on the Tennessee Vols and their opportunity to finally move up a couple levels and compete for the SEC East. Well, we know are using the phrase “we Butched it” and the Memphis Tigers are the team everyone is talking about this Monday morning.

The Rockets (6-0, 2-0 Mid-American Conference) were starting a season with a six-game win streak for the first time in 18-years. Ole Miss (5-2, 2-1 SEC) gave up 491 yards of offense (384 through the air) to the Tigers, allowing Memphis to convert 12 of its 20 third down attempts. “We knew early in the game we were moving the ball on them”.

Memphis came into the game as 10-point underdogs, but the Tigers never appear overmatched. However, the Rebels answered later in the quarter to bring the margin back to 10, 34-24. He set the single-season school record with five 300-plus yard games as a Rebel. It was the fifth time he threw for at least 300 yards, breaking a tie with Eli Manning and Bo Wallace for most in a single season. And that is plenty reason for the Tigers and fans to celebrate. The second took eight plays.

Lynch – who else? – was the main attraction.

“I got hit harder in that pile than I did the whole game with all those fans smacking me on top of the head”, Lynch said.

“(Lynch) hasn’t gotten sidetracked by a few of the recognition”, Memphis coach Justin Fuente told ESPN. In the receiving end, Laquon Treadwell had 144 yards and one touchdown in 14 catches while Quincy Adeboyejo added 94 yards and one touchdown in two catches.

Anthony Miller was Lynch’s favorite target, catching 10 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. He threw touchdown passes on Toledo’s first two possessions of the second half, connecting with Corey Jones for a 55-yard score and then with Cody Thompson on an 88-yarder four minutes later. They played a great game and executed well. The 6-foot-5, 296-pound Nkemdiche, who usually plays defensive tackle, was injured while running the ball in a short-yardage situation.

It was an implosion accelerated by two questionable coaching calls. “It is a quality football team”, Freeze said.

“I don’t think anybody worth their salt, when you don’t have success, doesn’t look back and reflect and evaluate what you should have done differently”, Freeze said.

The Tigers extended the lead to 31-14 on a 31-yard touchdown pass with 11:31 left in the third quarter. But it was too little too late. Football Outsiders provides a statistic which credits rushing yards to offensive lines; on standard downs (when the offense has run-friendly down and distance and the defense can theoretically expect a handoff), Ole Miss is ranked 126th in that statistic.

This is to say that if by chance, one of them does, the CFB Playoff committee needs to open the door and let them in. After forcing a punt, the Rebels sliced into the Memphis lead again with a 24-yard field goal by Gary Wunderlich.

As Tribune Missouri football writer David Morrison pointed out heading into MU’s game against Florida on October 10, Pinkel’s home record against top-15 teams at Missouri was just 2-10.