Memphis wrapped up its 2025 non-conference slate this past Saturday with a monumental comeback victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks, concluding the four-game slate with a perfect 4-0 record. Memphis, like many others, now shifts its focus to continuing the momentum into conference play, with the ultimate goal of competing for a conference championship and possibly earning an at-large bid to the College Football Playoffs as the Group of Five representative. With wins over Troy, Georgia State, and Arkansas and the potential to add Tulane, South Florida, and Navy once conference play starts on Saturday, the momentum is there for Coach Silverfield and his program to ride into bringing another championship back to the 901 and even earning a trip to the College Football Playoffs. 

Saturday was yet another example of the potential the Tigers have this season to make some noise in the College Football Playoff conversation, as they battled back from behind 18 points to escape with a one-point 32-31 victory over their fourth consecutive Power Four program, dating back to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl victory over Iowa State. Once again, the Tigers found themselves on the right side of the conversation. Now comes the hard part: maintaining the success they had during the non-conference schedule while facing the challenge of conference play. 

Once you achieve the status as one of the elite programs in your conference, you often go from the hunter to the hunted while trying to balance expectations from the fan base and having to take every conference member’s best shot. We’ve seen in years past, with losses to UTSA, Navy, etc., that once the Tigers enter conference play, the bullseye on their backs gets a bit bigger, as Memphis is one of the premier brands in the American Athletic Conference. This season is no different; as it stands right now, the Tigers are in the driver’s seat, with North Texas, Tulane, and USF looking to play spoiler over the next two and a half months. 

As far as the product on the field goes for the Tigers, the offense has been just about unstoppable as it comes. The Tigers have two really good, capable quarterbacks in the starter, Brendon Lewis, and his backup Arrington Maiden, who secured the victory for the Tigers on Saturday with a massive first down late in the fourth quarter. You would be hard-pressed to find a better quarterback room, combined with two running backs who are among the best in the country, in Sutton Smith and Greg Desrosiers, that give Coach Silverfield and Offensive Coordinator Tim Cramsey one of the most explosive offensive units not only in the American but in the country as well. What makes the quarterback position so unique at Memphis is that you have two guys who can only step up in the pocket and drop dimes all over the field, but they can also beat you with their legs. Arrington is a little bigger than Brendon Lewis, but both guys give the Tigers an advantage when the initial play goes by the wayside. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Memphis has some guys in Sam Brumfield, Everett Roussaw, Kamri Wilson, and Drue Watts who live rent-free in the minds of opposing Offensive Coordinators while wreaking havoc all game long. Although not perfect against Arkansas, the Tigers’ defensive unit has considerable potential to improve and potentially finish in the top three in total defense in the American Athletic Conference. Just last week against the Razorbacks, the defense found a way to force a late-game fumble that gave the Tigers the victory over Arkansas. 

Overall, the non-conference slate was very successful for Coach Silverfield and his Memphis Tigers. There’s a lot of momentum heading into the AAC opener against FAU and beyond for the Tigers as they look to not only bring another AAC Championship back to the city of Memphis, but also compete for the G6 representation for the College Football Playoffs bid. All of that and then some is right there in front of the Tigers; a loss might come, but what they can’t afford to do is let one or two losses turn into three or four. Trusting the process is the most important thing as the Tigers continue the 2025 journey to the College Football Playoffs. 

Photo Credits- Memphis Football on X