Once again this season, the Memphis Tigers entered another Saturday matchup in a must-win situation if they want a shot at an American Championship. The Tigers would first have to take care of business against Army on Saturday night, then hit November head-on. With a lone conference loss to Tulane, Memphis has everything in front of them to play for; if they win out, they would likely be playing for the conference championship, with an outside chance of even earning a backdoor spot in the College Football Playoff. Yet, the Tigers have to win out, and with Army on Saturday, expectations were for an underrated matchup between contrasting styles with American Championship hopes on the line.
Against a team like Army, the Tigers cannot afford another slow start, as the Black Knights play a style of football that, once behind, is nearly impossible to overcome. Army’s style of football melts the clock and often turns long drives into points on the scoreboard, so a slow start on Saturday night at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium wasn’t an option for Coach Charles Huff and the Memphis Tigers.
Memphis jumped on Army early in the first half, and despite some efforts from Army, Memphis put together a successful second half that led the Tigers to a massive conference win, which gives Memphis a bye week, and the Tigers are still in play for the American Championship with a manageable schedule. Memphis enters the bye week at 7-2 overall, and 4-1 in conference play. With the win over Army on Halloween, the Tigers now control their destiny and have a shot at the American Championship.
Instead of breaking down just the Army game, we’ll look at Memphis football and where things stand for the Tigers heading into the final month of the regular season.
After a back-breaking road loss to Florida Atlantic on Thursday night, the Tigers are now in control of their destiny: win out, and they’ll be playing for the American Championship, with the College Football Playoff still within reach. Good news for the Tigers as well: they don’t face either UTSA or North Texas this season, but both teams play next weekend and could be in an elimination game if UTSA loses a second straight game. Notably, both teams also face UAB later this month, and if the Blazers play spoiler, the Tigers could have an opportunity there as well. As for the Tigers’ schedule ahead, Memphis has a Thursday night game this week at South Florida, then another road trip to Navy before returning home on Black Friday to take on Temple in the final regular-season game. What should happen and what happens might be two different things, but the Tigers have it all in front of them to not only reach the American Championship, but to host another American Championship inside of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium for the first time since the 2019 season.
On the field, starting at quarterback, Marcus Stokes has grown into another Memphis legend. He’s not only developed his skill set, but also embraced the city while honing his craft to become a lethal threat for the Tigers. Just last week against Army, Stokes finished with four touchdowns, 371 yards through the air, a touchdown, and 30 yards on the ground. For Memphis to win the American Championship, Marcus Stokes will have to keep moving forward, light up scoreboards, and position the Tigers for more explosion on offense.
Staying on the topic of the Memphis offense, the Tigers’ wide receiver room deserves all the credit in the world. Sure, there’s Hunter Tipton, who is a future NFL star at tight end, but the Tigers also have Jermane Hays, Stonka Burnside, Jemyri Davis, and Aidan O’Callaghan, who provide the war chest of weapons for Marcus Stokes and even Air Noland to rely on to provide scoring options across the field. Not to mention, the lethal dual threat of Jaylin Carter and Manny Covey in the backfield has blossomed into the next great Memphis running backs. What’s crazy about the whole group is that if one or two of the guys are having an off day, then it’s the next man up, and that’s what separates a good team from an elite team.
As for grounds for improvement, it’s finishing red zone appearances with a touchdown instead of settling for a field goal. The Tigers are 27-44 when drives inside the red zone end with a touchdown.
Then you can’t talk about the first two months of the Memphis football season without talking about the defensive core that sends nightmares to opponents preparing to face the unit. On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers have some absolute dogs; once they smell blood in the water, they swarm like sharks in for the final kill. Coming into the season, expectations were high for this unit to be among the best in the conference, but they have far exceeded them, as they’re a group of guys who play for the front of the jersey and don’t mind sharing the limelight with their teammates. Dylan Smith led the defense with three interceptions, Mike Montgomery led the team in tackles with 67, and Zach Ruffin came in second with 42. As a defensive unit, the Tigers are holding opponents to 187.9 yards on the ground and 189.1 through the air, with an average of 23.6 points per game.
Then on special teams, it’s been the Philippe LaForge show, as he’s been the Tigers’ placekicker, providing a trusted kicker with ice in his veins. He leads the Tigers in scoring with 74 points and has gone 10 for 13 this season, with a season-long 44-yard kick against Tulane.
Overall, the Tigers have had a solid first two months, and now, as they face the final three regular-season games, everything is in front of them as they look to reach the American Championship game and then let the chips fall where they may. At 7-2 and 4-1 in conference play, Memphis fans have every reason to be optimistic about November. With that said, if for whatever reason the Tigers don’t reach the American Championship, then they have at least reached their 13th straight postseason bowl streak that was unheard of before this modern era of Memphis Football. Sure, winning the conference and reaching the College Football Playoff might be the new expectations, but no matter how the season goes, there’s still a lot to be excited about and prideful of when it comes to Memphis football. Word of advice to the fans: enjoy the right now, and if the Tigers reach and win the American, then celebrate; but if not, reaching the postseason for a 13th straight season is truly an incredible accomplishment for the program. That accomplishment alone shows the return on investment and a level of sustained success that has withstood four different coaches; it deserves celebration.
Photo Credits- Memphis Football on X
