Breaking down Seth Henigan's record 91 touchdown passes for Memphis football
Seth Henigan's first touchdown pass for Memphis football didn't have the highest degree of difficulty.
They all count the same, of course, but this one — in Henigan's first career game, on Sept. 4, 2021 against Nichols — was as simple as they come. Henigan took the snap, with the Tigers already up 35-14 in the fourth quarter, and threw a quick pass out to his speedy wide receiver.
Calvin Austin III, like he has so many times for the Tigers and for the Pittsburgh Steelers, zoomed away from the defense and into the corner of the end zone for an 11-yard score.
That was No. 1 for Henigan.
No. 91 came more than three years later, a corner throw to Roc Taylor that might go down as his most important throw for the Tigers. It was also the throw that gave him the all-time Memphis record.
"It's a great feeling to just have a program record, I guess," Henigan said after the Tigers' 33-28 win over Charlotte. "Especially with how long Memphis has been playing football for. It's just a testament to all my teammates I've had.
"All the way back from Calvin Austin and Sean Dykes to Eddie Lewis to Roc Taylor, Demeer Blankumsee and Koby Drake. And then all the offensive linemen that have come through here. And coach (Tim) Cramsey and coach (Kevin) Johns from my freshman year. It's just a longevity thing, really."
Let's go through those 91.
Seth Henigan's road to 91 touchdown passes
Henigan has thrown touchdown passes to 21 different receivers. Who had the most?
That would be Eddie Lewis, who caught 11 from 2021-2022. Demeer Blankumsee and Joe Scates are tied at 10, and Blankumsee — who caught No. 90 during Saturday's game — is certainly a threat to surpass Lewis by the end of the season. Austin had eight in just one season, the most a receiver has had in a single season since Henigan has been at Memphis.
List of the receivers who caught six or more touchdown passes from Henigan:
Eddie Lewis: 11
Demeer Blankumsee: 10
Joe Scates: 10
Caden Prieskorn: 7
Sean Dykes: 7
Brenden Doyle: 6
Roc Taylor: 6
More: Seth Henigan, Roc Taylor and the 6 seconds that rescued Memphis football's season
Seth Henigan's most important TD passes
Touchdown pass No. 91 saved Memphis' 2024 season, so it might go down as his most important — or it might be No. 94, or 100, if the season continues the way Memphis hopes it will.
No. 44 happened late in an eventual loss to SMU. Henigan rolled to his left, then threw across his body to a receiver who took a big hit, but hung on for the score. It was Taylor's first touchdown catch as a Tiger. Taylor would go on to be Henigan's top receiver for the next two seasons.
No. 46 happened the next game, against Utah State in the First Responder Bowl. Henigan found Lewis for a 22-yard score, the final touchdown Lewis would catch from Henigan. It also gave Memphis a two-touchdown lead in an eventual blowout 38-10 win.
No. 63 was memorable, too — the 36-yard pass to Scates that gave Memphis a whirlwind come-from-behind win at North Texas.
No. 79 was the highlight of Memphis' 2023 season — but it was another easy throw for Henigan. He dumped it off to Smith on a crossing route, and then the running back outran the Iowa State defense for a touchdown in the eventual 36-26 AutoZone Liberty Bowl win.
That was the game where Henigan passed Brady White to become the program's all-time leader in passing yards. He answered a question about it postgame by talking about the players the Tigers had returning to next year's team.
His sentiment was similar on Saturday.
"It's a cool feeling to own that record, I guess," he said. "But records are meant to be broken."
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football: Breaking down Seth Henigan's 91 touchdown passes
