The University of Memphis football team got back in the win column on Thursday night with a 35-17 victory over American Athletic Conference (AAC) rival Navy at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.

The Tigers (4-3, 1-2 AAC) earned the win thanks to explosive plays on offense and limiting them on the defense. The Midshipmen (1-5, 1-3) were held to just 241 total yards of offense, while the Memphis defense racked up a season-high four sacks.

Memphis improved to 6-0 in Thursday night games dating back to the 2014 season. The Tigers boast a record of 20-1 in non-Saturday, regular season games since the 2014 campaign, including a perfect 10-0 mark at the Liberty Bowl.

The Tigers opened the game with an impressive, seven-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Seth Henigan three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sean Dykes. The duo's third-straight game with a score gave Memphis an early, 7-0 lead.

After Navy answered with a 21-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ate up 11:50 of the first quarter, the Tigers took the lead back quickly. Wide receiver Calvin Austin III scored on the first play of the drive, running a reverse in from 69 yards to give Memphis the lead for good. The run was a season-long for Austin III and gave him 10 total touchdowns on the year – eight receiving, one rushing and one punt return.

With the Tigers leading 14-10 early in the second quarter, the team pushed their lead to 28-10 at halftime on a 74-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Eddie Lewis and a three-yard rushing score from running back Brandon Thomas.

Leading 28-17 in the third, running back Marquavius Weaver scored the game's final points on a four-yard run, giving Memphis their winning margin of 35-17.

Henigan finished the game 8-of-12 for 215 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while Lewis has a career and game-high 92 yards on three receptions to go with his touchdown.

The Tigers rushed for 200 yards on the day, with Austin III leading the way with 69. Weaver carried the ball 11 times for 65 yards, while Thomas added 56 yards on 15 carries.

Defensively, Xavier "Zay" Cullens led three Tigers in double figures in tackles with a game-high 12, including 0.5 tackles for loss. Cole Mashburn had a career-high 11 stops, while JJ Russell had double figure tackles for the fourth time in five games, totaling 11.

Quindell Johnson, Rodney Owens, John Tate IV and Maurice White all recorded sacks in the victory for Memphis.

The Memphis Tigers will hit the road to take on AAC rival UCF in Orlando, Fla. on Friday, Oct. 22. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.