It’s a familiar story by now: Memphis clinches another hard-earned win against Charlotte on a Saturday morning at the Liberty Bowl. Since their defeat to Navy a few weeks back, the Tigers have shown remarkable unity, a bond that resonates with every member of Tiger Nation, consistently emerging victorious. However, these wins have not come without a cost, taking a toll on the collective heart of Tiger Nation. Saturday’s game was the same. Despite a promising 21-7 lead over Charlotte, the Tigers allowed the 49ers to claw their way back, setting the stage for a nail-biting finish to the 2024 homecoming game for Coach Silverfield and the Memphis Tigers.

The first half of action was about as ugly as it gets for both the Tigers and 49ers, who kept things even at seven points a piece at the break.

As it usually goes, Coach Silverfield and the staff made the necessary adjustments, and the Tigers opened the second half with a vengeance, jumping out to a 21-7 lead over Charlotte. This created the enthusiasm one would imagine needed to close the deal in the fourth quarter. On paper, the Tigers were well on their way to a more straightforward win over Charlotte, but the 49ers would only go down with a fight.

Charlotte wasted no time in the 4th quarter, racing out to back-to-back touchdowns, tying the game at 21 with a little over eight minutes remaining. Memphis retook the lead off a 21-yard field goal from Tristian Vanderberg to make it 24-21 in the advantage of the Tigers with 1:56 remaining.

From there, all the Tigers had to do was finish—finish the job and stop the Charlotte offense. It is simple enough on paper but hard enough to complete. Charlotte would go two plays in 30 seconds to retake the lead at 28-24 with 1:24 on the clock. From there, Seth Henigen connected with Roc Taylor for a 24-yard passing touchdown to give the Tigers the 31-28 advantage with 31 seconds on the clock. A costly special teams mistake would leave Charlotte with a horrible field position, giving the Tiger’s defense a chance to record the game-winning safety with 19 seconds on the clock. The celebration was on from there as the Tigers finished the game clock for a massive 33-28 win over Charlotte to keep the College Football Playoff dreams alive.

The difference maker for the Tigers on Saturday came in the usual place from Mario Anderson, who led Memphis in rushing with 141 yards on one touchdown. Anderson provided the Tigers with his normal fire, giving Memphis another workhorse to rely on.

Seth Henigen finished the day with 212 yards through the air with two touchdowns and an interception in the Tigers’ victory over Charlotte.

On the defensive side of the ball, Chandler Martin had another monster game with ten tackles, four solos, and two sacks. AJ Watts and Elijah Herring finished with six tackles each. Elijah Herring and Greg Rubin provided a spark with an interception each in crucial moments on Saturday.

A win is a win, and a seven-and-one record is something to celebrate. However, wins shouldn’t be this hard for Coach Silverfield and the Memphis Tigers; with a 21-7 lead in the 4th quarter, there’s no excuse not to finish the blowout while getting guys valuable reps as you prepare for the final month of the season. Saturday’s win was ugly, but the Tigers were still there with one loss while maintaining hope of winning the American Atheltic Championship and reaching the College Football Playoff.

Memphis will return to action next Saturday morning as they travel to Texas to play UTSA in the Alamodome.