So close . . . and so far. The Tigers have lost consecutive games by a total of three points. Brutal stuff. With as few as two plays going differently — an onside kick against Houston, a two-point attempt at East Carolina — Memphis would be riding a six-game winning streak and heading to Tulane for a clash of 6-1 teams near the top of the American Athletic Conference. Instead, the Tigers are staring at a formidable foe that could reduce Memphis to a .500 team entering its bye week, with UCF (5-1) looming November 5th. Such is the nature of college football for programs trying to establish footing in a transition period.
And that’s what this feels like, even with Ryan Silverfield overseeing his third season as head coach. Memphis is playing with a first-year offensive coordinator (Tim Cramsey) and a first-year defensive coordinator (Matt Barnes). The Tigers have a veteran quarterback, if a sophomore (Seth Henigan) can be called such. But other stars have yet to emerge. Plenty of backs (Asa Martin, Jevyon Ducker, Brandon Thomas) and receivers (Gabriel Rogers, Joseph Scates, Caden Prieskorn) tease with big plays, but do any feel like The Go-To Guy? I’m convinced Memphis needs That Guy to avoid these crushing, narrow, late-game defeats. For now, ending a losing streak sits atop Silverfield’s priority list. That bye week will feel like a month if the streak is extended to three at Tulane.
Get six (wins). For Memphis, the 2022 American Athletic Conference championship is out. No team with two league losses will qualify for the December 3rd title game. But goals (and priorities) remain, starting with the six wins (a .500 record) necessary for bowl eligibility. The Tiger program is on an unprecedented streak of eight consecutive years reaching that standard, a minimum these days if a football program is to be considered competitive. (And let’s remember the days — as recently as 2011 — when bowl eligibility seemed beyond reach for the Tiger program. Then Justin Fuente came to town.)
The Tigers must win but two of their final five games to qualify for a bowl. North Alabama — an FCS program, currently 1-5 — is a gimme (November 19th), but Memphis will have to earn a sixth, or seventh, or eighth victory. The Tigers will be underdogs against Tulane (Saturday) and UCF (November 5th). Tulsa (November 10th, a Thursday) and SMU (November 26th) are tests, it seems, one season after another, whether on the road or at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The 2022 season has grown uncomfortable for a football team that rode a four-game winning streak into October. Still much to play for.
Missing Q. Entering the season, senior safety Quindell Johnson was the Tigers’ most celebrated defensive player. Considering an injury forced Johnson to leave the Houston game in the second half and miss the entire contest at East Carolina, he may have been undervalued. The Tigers have blown leads of 19 points and 17 points while Johnson recuperates from the undisclosed ailment.
Memphis has dropped to eighth in the AAC in scoring defense (30.1 points allowed per game) and ninth in total defense (419.6 yards allowed). It’s easy to point fingers at the Tiger offense getting conservative with those big leads (or with a two-point attempt to beat the Pirates), but the Memphis defense has been on the field as those leads evaporated. And it’s not a one-man bunch. Silverfield described linebacker Xavier Cullens’s play as “All-American” over the first month of the season. Cornerback Sylvonta Oliver had ten solo tackles against ECU. But it’s a defense that has both bent and broken the last two weeks. With or without its senior leader, the Memphis defense needs to rise as the temperature drops.
