Memphis 40, Tulsa 20: Brandon Hayes rushed for 199 yards and three touchdowns while Jake Elliott booted four field goals, including two from more than 50 yards, as the Tigers overcame a slow start to beat the visiting Golden Hurricane in an American Athletic Conference game.

Paxton Lynch completed 18-of-31 passes for 183 yards for the Tigers (5-3, 3-1 AAC), who took over after falling behind 14-3 early in the second quarter. Lynch also rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown.

Dane Evans was 28-of-54 for 349 yards and two touchdowns for the Golden Hurricane (1-7, 1-3). Keevan Lucas caught 11 passes for 120 yards and Zack Langer led Tulsa’s ground game with 43 rushing yards.

Hayes gave the Tigers their first lead at 20-14 with a 51-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds left in the first half. Elliott, who missed a 39-yard field-goal attempt on the game’s opening drive, converted his third kick of the game with 7:57 remaining in the third quarter to extend the lead to 23-14 and added a 51-yarder four minutes later to extend the advantage.

Tulsa scored on a 6-yard fumble return in the final seconds of the first quarter before Elliott booted a 53-yard field goal in the opening minute of the second – the second-longest in school history. The Golden Hurricane came right back and made it 14-3 on a 28-yard touchdown pass from Evans to Derek Patterson before Lynch scored on a 3-yard run with 8:10 left in the opening half to make it 14-10.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Memphis coach Justin Fuente played for Golden Hurricane coach Bill Blankenship when both were at Union High School in Tulsa 20 years ago. .. The 51-yard TD run by Hayes was the longest rushing score for Memphis since 2009. … The Tigers forced five straight three-and-outs to start the second half.