The University of Memphis football team (11-2) took down the West Virginia Mountaineers (6-7) 42-37 in a back-and-forth Scooters Coffee Frisco Bowl.
In February 2020, Ryan Silverfield put the finishing touches on his first recruiting class. Almost five years later, those players, including Jonah Gambill and Brandon Thomas, just played in and won their last college football game.
First half:
The Tigers began the scoring on their second drive with a goal-line shovel pass to Mario Anderson from Seth Henigan.
On the Mountaineers' following drive, Memphis safety Greg Rubin dipped his shoulder on the ball, forcing the Tigers' 15th fumble recovery of the year, this one by defensive lineman Mond Cole.
The Tigers entered the red zone thanks to Greg Desrosiers' big-play ability. Still, they could not capitalize, as they settled for three, giving them a 10-0 lead as the second quarter began.
The Mountaineers opted to go for it on 4th and one from their 46-yard line, but Memphis defensive back Kourtlan Marsh was not fooled by West Virginia's play-action fake and made a huge pass breakup.
Of note, Marsh was thought to be out for the year with a lower leg injury but returned against Rice and has been one of Memphis' top defenders since. This season will be a redshirt for Marsh, giving him one final year of eligibility in 2025.
On the next play, Greg Desrosiers showed off his speed as he found the sideline and soon after found the endzone, giving the Tigers a 17-0 lead. Also, Desrosiers is a true junior and will return to Memphis in 2025 should he see fit.
Memphis' aggressive, attacking defense is excellent when it works, but like everything in football, it is ugly when it does not.
On a cover-one play (one high safety who worked to the opposite side of the field), Mountaineer receiver Hudson Clement hauled in an acrobatic over-the-shoulder pass. Memphis defensive back Kobee Minor was given a tough assignment in one-on-one press coverage and lost the ball in the air, giving the Mountaineers its first score.
West Virginia cut into Memphis' lead with quarterback Garret Greene's 56-yard touchdown scamper to make it a 20-14 game.
Memphis' veteran receivers, all donning neon green cleats, shone in the Tigers' ensuing possession, beginning with Roc Taylor's impressive one-on-one over-the-shoulder grab and ending with Demeer Blankumsee's incredible toe-tap touchdown. Blankumsee also shifted his way to the 2-point conversion, giving Memphis a 28-14 lead.
The Mountaineers pushed the ball down the field in under a minute to obtain the final score of the half, as the Tigers held onto a 28-17 lead at halftime of the Frisco Bowl.
Second half:
The Tigers received the kickoff, and on the first play of the half, Seth Henigan tossed a 48-yard bomb to Roc Taylor. Henigan tossed it 55+ air yards under pressure in one of the best throws of his career.
Mario Anderson finished the drive off with his 21st touchdown of the season to give Memphis a 35-17 lead. Anderson's impressive feat finished just two shy of DeAngelo Williams' program record (rushing+receiveing) of 23.
Memphis' struggles to stop West Virginia on the 3rd and long-continued thanks to Greene's scrambling ability and Clement's continuation of his big day; the Mountaineers found the red zone.
238-pound running back CJ Donaldson Jr. battered his way into the endzone on fourth and inches from the goal line to cut into Memphis' lead, 35-30.
On Memphis' ensuing drive, Demeer Blankumsee caught the longest FBS pass of the season, which did not result in a touchdown. Stop reading and watch the video inserted below; this is one of my favorite play calls of the year:
The back-and-forth nature of this wild game continued as CJ Donaldson Jr. punched in his second TD of the quarter, once again, making it a five-point game, 42-37.
The score would hold from there, as Memphis ran the clock down under a minute and opted to kick a 50-yard field goal (Tristian Vandenberg's career length is 43) instead of ending the game on 4th and 3.
Consequently, West Virginia had the ball, 51 seconds, no timeouts and momentum. But Memphis linebacker Elijah Herring intercepted Greene and gave himself up on the return.
Herring fumbled before he hit the turf, and the Mountaineers recovered, meaning West Virginia would have eight seconds to win the game. But per the rules, Herring "gave himself up" before the fumble, ending the game and making the Tigers Frisco Bowl champions.
Ryan Silverfield was soon thereafter doused in 5 gallons of Scooters iced coffee, solidifying his Frisco Bowl legacy.
Reach Rivals contributor Sam Shoemaker on X @s_shoemaker52 or email sjshmker@memphis.edu.
