Late Saturday evening, Memphis beat Middle Tennesee 24-7 to earn its fourth win of the year.
Weird Vibes:
A funky first quarter in the Liberty Bowl included a Koby Drake muffed punt, a Caden Costa missed 35-yard field goal, and a 69-yard touchdown pass by the Blue Raiders that was later (10 real-time minutes) ruled a fumble through the endzone, resulting in a touchback.
The weird first quarter set the tone for what was an overall abnormal game. It was as if the stadium was loud, but no one cared. The mood around the press box was that this game was a bore. Maybe it’s because the offense couldn’t find a rhythm. Maybe it’s because it was the first time in Seth Henigan’s four years as Memphis’ quarterback that he didn’t toss for a touchdown.
Overall, this was Memphis' worst viewing experience of the year.
Kobee Minor gives the Tigers a Major (see what I did there) boost:
The Tiger's defense got rolling thanks to a Kobee Minor strip sack on a corner blitz. Chandler Martin recovered the fumble, giving the Tigers the ball on MTSU's 12-yard line.
I asked Minor why he hits so hard as a sub-200-pound player: "I've got a job to do, and I'm gonna do it."
Linebacker Elijah Herring, who missed the last two games for the Tigers, said, "It's great to be back with the guys; I missed it."
Herring totaled 10 tackles, 2.5 of which were for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Brandon Thomas is a warrior:
After he put the Tigers up 7-0 at the beginning of the second quarter, runningback Brandon Thomas was helped off the field after (what seemed to be) a scary injury. Thomas was holding his lower right leg and grimaced when pressure was placed on it.
Yet Thomas returned to action and punched in his second touchdown of the day in the middle of the third quarter.
Coach Silverfield speaks highly of Thomas and his journey: "Such a unique story... a young man who's stuck to his guns. He looked like Earl Campbell on that one run."
Local Talent Shines:
Former Fairley High School Bulldog running back Terry Wilkins punched in a 5-yard touchdown to pull MTSU within one score towards the beginning of the first half, giving the Blue Raiders their only score of the game.
The 5 foot 8, 186-pound Wilkins is in his fourth season with the Blue Raiders and will play his final college football season in 2025.
Sure, I'm grasping for straws, but coach Silverfield told me last Monday that "you can never have too many running backs."
Is Memphis' defense back?
Although MTSU’s already subpar team is weakened by injury, Memphis’ defense recovered two fumbles, had four sacks, and had six tackles for loss.
The jury's still out on how good this Memphis defense is, but after a week where it looked out of sorts, it's encouraging to see how Memphis is returning to its swarming ways. After all, that's what has made Jordon Hankins' defenses special.
Coach Silverfield noted that the defense tackled better and was better prepared after the game.
Memphis' receiver play continues to struggle:
Through five games, Memphis' wide receivers have scored one touchdown. When asked about this, coach Silverfield noted that his offense has found other ways to score.
"When we get in the red zone, if Brandon Thomas can run over people, we're going to continue to do that."
But quarterback Seth Henigan doesn't deny that things need to get better, "There were definitely some plays that we left out there, I left out there, our receivers left out there that we need to make to win games in the future. Overall, when you come out with a win, that's what it's about."
Reach Rivals contributor Sam Shoemaker on X @s_shoemaker52 or email him at sjshmker@memphis.edu
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