Tigers takedown Red Wolves to start the season on a high note

It might have been sloppy during the first half, but the Tigers found a way to earn a hard-fought victory over a pesky Red Wolves team. With the win over Arkansas State, Ryan Silverfield has officially started his first full season as Head Coach on the winning end and will look to carry that momentum into a bye week before the Tigers welcome Houston to the Liberty Bowl on Friday night, September 18th.

It was the tale of two halves tonight, as the Tigers started the game rather sluggishly after the first quarter, Arkansas State held a 14-7 lead over Memphis, which was all the spark that Coach Silverfield and company needed. Memphis quickly responded to tie the game at 14, then right before half, it was Brady White to Calvin Austin, to push the Tigers into the locker room with a 21-14 lead over the Red Wolves.

The Tigers started the second half, with one thing on their mind and one thing only, to bury the Red Wolves as quickly as possible. Memphis did just that after jumping all over Arkansas State 34-17 in the third quarter.

Memphis opened the fourth quarter with the final nail in the Arkansas State coffin, with an impressive scoring drive that ended in a field goal that pushed the Tigers lead to 37-17 with 11:43 to play in the game.

Arkansas State added a late touchdown to make it 37-24 in favor of Memphis, but the two-touchdown deficit was too large to overcome, and the Tigers were able to find a way to win 37-24.

With the win, this will be the 7th straight season-opening win for the Tigers dating back to 2013.

As the Tigers head into a bye week due to the cancellation of the Purdue game, it's important to remember how big a win like this truly is. Anytime you open the season with an impressive 37-24 win over a regional rival, it sets the tone for the rest of the season.

Memphis will return home on Friday night, September 18th, to take on the Houston Cougars in the team's first conference matchup of the season.

College Football is officially back, and as Coach Silverfield said last week, " Let's roll."