Andy Avalos just wanted to take the points.

With his team up 17-14 late in the third quarter, Boise State's coach sent his field goal kicker out on fourth-and-1 from the Memphis 17-yard-line.

But Jonah Dalmas' kick was blocked by Memphis football linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, who scooped up the ball and ran it 80 yards for the touchdown. That gave the Tigers the lead it wouldn't relinquish, part of the 28-0 run for a 35-32 win after a sleepy start in front of 30,364 fans Saturday afternoon at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

Memphis (4-1, 1-0 AAC) had an abysmal beginning, falling behind 17-0 as the offense failed to move the ball. But a long pass from quarterback Seth Henigan to wide receiver Roc Taylor opened things up in the second quarter, and the Tigers battled back to overcome a double-digit deficit and win its nonconference finale.

Here are five takeaways from the game.

Memphis football held Ashton Jeanty in check . . . sort of

Jeanty came in as the nation's leader in all-purpose yards, and Memphis coaches had talked all week about doing everything possible to stop him. He struggled on the ground, rushing 23 times for 82 yards.

But he did score four touchdowns — two rushing and two receiving — so it wasn't like Memphis completely shut him down. Jeanty rushed for a career-high 205 yards last week San Diego State, but didn't get close to that number against Memphis.

Memphis got off to a putrid start

The Tigers' first four drives ending in three punts and a turnover on downs. Boise State (2-3, 1-0 Mountain West) jumped to a 17-point lead and it looked like the rout was on.

Memphis' defense did enough to get the Tigers within striking distance, even though Boise State had some success in the early second quarter. The Tigers have struggled with slow starts all season, but this was the most striking example so far. The stretch in the late second quarter kept it a game, but they took a while to get it going.

Memphis special teams comes through

Memphis had actually struggled on special teams in the game — a gaffe on a kickoff return led to starting field position inside the 10, and Boise State downed a punt inside the 1. But Geoffrey Cantin-Arku turned that around with a block and return in the late third quarter.

The Broncos had the lead and had decided to kick instead of going for it on fourth-and-short, and the game completely flipped after that play. They still threatened late, but Memphis pulled it out because of Cantin-Arku's play.

Roc Taylor continued to be Memphis' top receiver

Taylor had a breakout game last week against Missouri, catching seven passes for 143 yards. He was clearly Henigan's top target Saturday, finishing with five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Memphis' offense was dormant until Taylor's 53-yard reception and eventual score in the second quarter.

All of his receiving production came in the first half, but it still made the difference. The Tigers didn't move the ball consistently, but Taylor has shown he'll be Memphis' top receiving target moving forward.

Memphis has a week off before Tulane matchup

The Tigers will have a week to build off the win before Tulane comes to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Oct. 13. That's Memphis' second conference game and its most important. A win would set the Tigers up to compete for the AAC championship.

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football erases 17-0 deficit, storms back to beat Boise State