A hangover from the monumental upset win over UCLA was evident when Memphis hosted Southern Illinois, and the Tigers struggled to get going. After both quarters in the first half, Memphis found themselves trailing. They eventually would pull away, and the offense finally figured out a way to become balanced.
Running the ball was a struggle for the offense early on. At one point, the Tigers only had 42 yards on 15 carries, and the Salukis were giving the running backs fits. Patrick Taylor Jr. and Darrell Henderson both found lanes to run through in the second half, giving quarterback Riley Ferguson time to throw and utilize play action.