On Thursday night, the Memphis Tigers took down the Navy Midshipmen, 28-24. While it was far from a perfect performance, the Tigers did show resilience down the stretch to take down a feisty Navy team. Here are three takeaways I had from the Tigers’ narrow victory.
Blake Watson is RB1
If it wasn’t already known, it should be now. Watson rushed for 179 yards and a touchdown and accumulated 200+ all-purpose yards. He was a catalyst for Memphis’ offense, and without his big-play capabilities, the Tigers might’ve ended up on the wrong side of the win-loss column. Watson is now up to four touchdowns on the year, averaging 7.4 yards per carry. Not to mention, Sutton Smith and Jay Ducker both received 4 carries and combined to accumulate just 14 yards.
Memphis’ Defense Shaky Early, But Prevails Late
Expectations were sky-high for the defense going into this one. Being the only team in the country through two weeks to have not given up a touchdown, the defensive unit had a disappointing day overall.
They struggled mightily early on, giving up two touchdowns in the Midshipmen’s first three possessions. This included a 75-yard run by Alex Tecza, which tied the game at seven early in the first quarter. Next, a touchdown pass (yes, a Navy pass) from Tai Lavatai to Regis Valez gave Navy the lead going into the second quarter.
Then, after a scoreless second quarter from the Midshipmen, Lavatai went right down the field in their first possession of the second half to tie the game at 21.
But after that, it was all Memphis. The Tigers’ defense was stout from that point forward, giving up only a field goal the rest of the way. And even this score was setup by a turnover that gave Navy great field position. The defense came up with timely stops down the stretch to drag Memphis across the finish line with a win.
Late Turnovers
Costly turnovers have become the theme of the Ryan Silverfield era. After giving away more games than I can count last season due to turnovers, they surely attempted to do it again on Thursday night.
After a phenomenal 69-yard run from Blake Watson to the Navy one-yard line, the Tigers had a chance to put Navy away. With the score at 28-24 and only a few minutes left on the clock, a touchdown would’ve virtually put the game out of reach for Navy. Memphis was one yard away from cruising to a victory late in the fourth quarter. And then, Blake Watson fumbled, and Navy recovered.
Then, Memphis was able to force a turnover and get the ball back with a chance to put it away again. Seth Henigan threw an interception. So, needless to say that cannot happen again as the competition stiffens.
