In one of the season’s most anticipated games, the Memphis Tigers welcome North Texas to the Liberty Bowl for a Saturday night showdown in the AAC. Memphis and North Texas come into the matchup with hopes for the American Atheltic Championship and College Football Playoff on the line. Both are at 5-1 overall, North Texas a perfect 2-0 in AAC play; a loss on Saturday would all but end those hopes and dreams for the Tigers, while North Texas would be behind the eight ball. For the Tigers, following the loss to Navy, the rest of the season became must-wins; there are no off weeks for Ryan Silverfield and his team as they embrace the underdog role to finish the season on a solid note.

Last week, the Tigers won a gritty 21-3 game over South Florida in a weird game in which the Memphis defensive unit had to deliver a win for the program. With a lack of offensive numbers last week, that stout Memphis defensive unit rallied for three forced turnovers, one of which resulted in a Memphis touchdown that pushed the Tigers past the threshold of 21-3.

Regarding the matchup with North Texas, the Memphis defensive unit will face the ultimate test on Saturday with the third-best offense in the American Athletic Conference. North Texas likes to score fast and score a lot. Coming into the game with the Tigers, the Mean Green has 32 touchdowns, averaging a little over 40 points per game. Memphis must use the same game plan as they did against USF on North Texas on Saturday, force turnovers, and create scoring defense chances.

On the offensive side of the ball for the Tigers, Memphis will see the return of Mario Anderson and will need Seth Henigen to do what Seth Henigen does: limit the stupid mistakes and control what you can control. Expect the Memphis offensive unit to respond to last week’s disappointments and light up the scoreboard on Saturday night at the Bowl.

Overall, expect an instant classic on Saturday night, as North Texas and Memphis have something to prove. The oddsmakers in Vegas have Memphis listed as an eleven-and-a-half-point favorite, with the over/under set at 68.5. There’ll be a lot of points scored, with the Tigers likely coming out on top in the end.

Memphis and North Texas will kick at 6:30 on ESPNU.