• QB Young. It’s virtually impossible for a college football program to start two quarterbacks with a larger disparity in experience than the Memphis Tigers did in finishing the 2020 season and starting the 2021 campaign. Brady White started the 2020 Montgomery Bowl as a Ph.D.(!) candidate at the U of M, completing his sixth season as a college player. Fast forward eight months, and Seth Henigan — last Saturday night at the Liberty Bowl — became the first true freshman to start at quarterback in a Memphis season opener. Henigan, folks, was in middle school when White first suited up for Arizona State (in 2015).
“I don’t even know if Seth shaves yet,” said Tiger coach Ryan Silverfield after Henigan completed 19 of 32 passes for 265 yards in the win over Nicholls. “He did a fantastic job. He had plenty of reps with the first team [during training camp] and the team rallied behind him. We’re pleased with his effort. He’s a winner, and he’s so smart. He’s a coach’s son. All those intangibles … he’s a smooth character.” With Arizona transfer Grant Gunnell undergoing further evaluation for an injury, Henigan will be the man for Memphis this Saturday at Arkansas State and for the foreseeable future.
• Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Oklahoma … and Memphis. These are the only five FBS programs to currently own seven straight seasons with at least eight wins. Read that group again. Four programs that are annually in the hunt for the College Football Playoff (which began after the 2014 season, when the Tigers’ current streak started), and the University of Memphis, a program that won a total of five games over three seasons from 2009 to 2011.
Yes, there are qualifiers. Memphis doesn’t compete in the SEC (or the ACC, or the Big 12). Ohio State would have a problem with the stat, as the Buckeyes only played eight games last year (and went 7-1, losing only to Alabama in the national championship game). But numbers don’t lie, and all the Tigers can do is beat the opponents on their schedule, primarily those in the American Athletic Conference. It’s an unprecedented stretch of winning football in these parts and has taken place under the direction now of three head coaches. Dare we suggest a winning culture has grown in and around the Liberty Bowl and the Murphy Athletic Complex? Going on eight years, the answer is a resounding yes.
• Realignment reconsidered. It’s easy to be discouraged by the news from the Big 12, college football’s latest “Power 5” league to ignore Memphis in its plans to expand. (The Big 12 is losing Texas and Oklahoma, and hopes to grab BYU and three programs from the American Athletic Conference: Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston.) An AAC of leftovers after realignment would leave the U of M in a league no stronger, really, than Conference USA as it existed from 1996 to 2012. It’s hard to see that as generational growth for a program enjoying its most successful period with seven straight winning seasons and three Top-25 finishes.
But I’m not convinced realignment will be over with the Big 12 transformation. The league will go from 10 teams currently to 12 (imagine that!). But consider: The Big 10 has 14 teams (two divisions) and the SEC will inflate to 16 teams when the Longhorns and Sooners hop aboard. The ACC has 14 teams (two divisions). So why should Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch delete his Big 12 contacts? If the Big 12 expands to 14 (or 16) teams, Memphis would fit nicely. (Keep your eye on the Tiger basketball program and its growing national impact under Penny Hardaway. The Tigers would add shine to a league top-heavy with Kansas and Baylor.)
