As crazy as it may seem, the time has come to put a bow on the 2025 Memphis football regular season with the final game before the postseason looming on the horizon on Thursday night against Navy. A 2025 season that has seen its highs and lows, the Tigers have the chance on Thursday night to win a ninth game, and a fifth conference game, allowing Coach Silverfield and his program the chance at winning a 10th game for the third straight season, a feat that has never been done in program history. 

Memphis and Navy have a short ten-game series, with the Tigers holding an overall advantage of six wins to Navy’s four. However, even with the series advantage over Navy, the Midshipmen have been a thorn in the Memphis side since the first meeting in 2014. One of those games where records be damned, the contrasting styles of play always deliver instant classics. Navy had the upper hand last season; with homefield advantage, the Midshipmen handed the Tigers a 56-44 loss. Prior to last season’s game, the Tigers had won five straight games dating back to the 2018 season. 

For the Memphis Tigers, last week’s bye week could not have come at a better time; the Tigers needed a week to get healthy and to get in a better mental state after dropping back-to-back games to Tulane and East Carolina. The last two games for Memphis have not only all but eliminated the Tigers from contention for the College Football Playoff but also the hopes of competing for the AAC Championship, so what’s left to play for is the pride of what the front of the uniform means to these guys, who Coach Silverfield and his staff brought in to represent the program. 

From a matchup perspective, you’ll see two different styles of play on Thursday night with Navy running the Triple Option and Memphis running an up-tempo. With the Navy liking to slow things down to an almost standstill, the Tigers can’t afford to fall behind early because once you fall behind to Navy, then the odds of coming back are slim due to the time of possession difference, and it becomes the issue of not having enough time to score points to make it a game. For the offensive side of the ball, every position is important. Run your offense and let the defense catch some breaks that create more opportunities for the offense. 

On the defensive side of the ball, Memphis has to figure out a way to get Navy to do quick three-and-outs while not giving up the big play on third down. The way the Navy offense operates, it values the third-and-short by breaking the defense’s back with short gains before breaking the dam with an explosive run or a medium pass. 

Memphis and Navy will get underway on Thanksgiving night with a kickoff slated for 6:30 on ESPN. 

Photo Credits- Navy and Memphis football X accounts