The Memphis Tigers suffered their first loss of the season to Missouri on Saturday night. The Tigers fell to a 3-1 record with a 34-27 defeat in St. Louis. While the game never got out of hand, it felt like the opposition had control for most of the contest.
The Tigers allowed too many costly turnovers and chunk plays and needed to be more opportunistic offensively. It was a variety of factors that led Memphis to see the loss column for the first time in 2023.
Here are three takeaways from the Tigers’ loss to Missouri.
Henigan Has to be Better
I’d be a fool if I sat here and told you Henigan played terribly on Saturday. But can’t we all conclude that in year three of being the starting quarterback at Memphis, we expect better of him? He got outplayed on Saturday by Brady Cook, and it wasn’t close. And that might have been the difference in the game.
Cook kept the ball out of harm’s way and delivered throws on time. Henigan, meanwhile, was shaky with the ball. He did throw some good balls, but he wasn’t consistent enough throughout the game. The playcalling by Offensive Coordinator Tim Cramsey was suspect once again.
The Best Weapons are Now Clear
If Saturday made one thing clear, it’s this: Memphis’ best playmakers are wide receiver Roc Taylor and running back Blake Watson. Taylor hauled in seven catches for 143 yards. Watson had 130 total yards and a touchdown. Watson is starting to become a weapon through the air in the screen game. All in all, Memphis needs to emphasize getting these guys going every game from here on out.
Memphis Competed
Memphis went out in a hostile road environment and gave their opponent a fight. They faced an SEC team with multiple NFL players on both sides of the ball and one of the nation’s best receivers. Missouri is a pretty good team, and the Tigers went toe to toe with them for the entirety of the game.
There are certainly some things to clean up for Memphis. However, losing to a non-conference foe isn’t the end of the world. If they take care of business against AAC opponents, Memphis can still achieve all the goals it set out to accomplish at the beginning of the season.
