Memphis Injury Update: Henigan and Watson “Day-to-Day”

Coming off an explosive win in Tampa, the Memphis Tigers (7-2, 4-1 AAC) suffered some concerning injuries. Here’s the rundown on the injury report and what it means for both position groups if starters miss time.

Quarterback Room

Early in the year, Memphis fans were very critical of Henigan when he led the American conference in interceptions through five games with seven. Recently, however, he turned a corner. In his last three games, he led the Tigers to a 3-0 record including this game-winning hail Mary to Joseph Scates against North Texas. Henigan has also passed for 839 yards and six touchdowns over his last three contests. Unfortunately, he went down with an injury on his non-throwing shoulder in the second half against South Florida and is now considered day-to-day.

This left the door open for redshirt freshman Tevin Carter to take over as the Tigers signal-caller. He showed out with this long touchdown pass to Roc Taylor securing the win for Memphis.

The former three-star recruit seems to have the trust of coach Silverfield.

Ryan Silverfield: "Seth will be day to day. We'll have a better understanding as the week progresses. If he can't go, we've got great faith in Tevin Carter and the rest of our quarterbacks."

Story with full quotes and injury updates:https://t.co/VZzz80CPrT

— Jonah Dylan (@TheJonahDylan) November 6, 2023

The takeaway from Carter’s minimum playtime on Saturday: he can get the job done against a poor Charlotte (3-6, 2-3 AAC) team. If Henigan is out for an extended period, the Tigers’ chances two weeks from now against SMU (7-2, 5-0 AAC) are not great.

Running Back Room

Blake Watson, one of the best running backs in the nation, is considered day-to-day. He suffered a leg injury in the 4th quarter of the South Florida game. Do the Tigers have serviceable backups with Sutton Smith and Brandon Thomas? Yes. However, Watson’s 131 all-purpose yards per game will not be easy to replace. If Watson can’t go, the Tigers lose an explosive weapon in the offense. 

Football is unpredictable, but the Tigers upcoming game against Charlotte is one of the easiest on the schedule. Because of this, Silverfield and his staff won’t rush the star QB and RB duo back. All Memphis faithful can do is hope Watson and Henigan are both back on November 18th against SMU.