Much of the energy and excitement that flowed through the Memphis fan base was wiped out after an embarrassing loss to Navy and a decision to stay in the AAC. The question of how fans would recover from these gut punches was answered at Saturday’s 24-7 win over MTSU.
Fan Turnout
Low fan turnout and total hopelessness was suggested online throughout the week, with some fearing a pre-Fuente crowd and a vibe not worth the time commitment. But for a rainy evening matchup against a struggling C-USA opponent, the reported 25,266 attendees proved these fears wrong with a respectable turnout.
Tiger Lane was filled with occupied tents hours before kickoff and the children playing two-hand-touch in the grass sure didn’t mind the rain either. After kickoff, it felt like what you’d expect a game against MTSU to feel like, despite the weather, diminished College Football Playoff hopes and on-field weaknesses displayed a week a prior against Navy.
But it was not a game that warranted the excitement of past conference matchups against Cincinnati or UCF, non-cons against Ole Miss or Mississippi State, or recently-dreamt ones against Boise State or Oregon State. The Tigers did not help that situation in the first quarter when the Blue Raiders had a shot to take the lead.
Game breakdown
Facing a fourth down at the MTSU 17-yard line, Memphis kicker Caden Costa missed a 35-yard field goal attempt. Before Tiger fans finished reminiscing upon Jake Elliot’s monster leg, MTSU quarterback Nicholas Vattiato connected with Omari Kelly on a 69-yard pass for what was originally ruled a touchdown. Fortunately for the Tigers, Kelly fumbled the ball at the 1-yard line and it bounced out of the endzone, resulting in a touchback.
The defense, specifically Chandler Martin, helped Memphis get on the board in the second quarter through a sack-fumble at the MTSU 12-yard line, which soon led to an easy TD-run by Brandon Thomas. Thomas (48 yards, two touchdowns) and Mario Anderson Jr. (118 yards, one touchdown) led the Tigers to 189 rushing yards for the game. The Blue Raiders finished with only 29 rushing yards.
Seth Henigan’s passing performance may have contributed to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium’s lack of explosive moments on Saturday. While not gaudy, his 26/41, 227-yard outing came with multiple overthrows (again) and without a passing touchdown, ending his journey to surpassing Marcus Mariota’s record for most consecutive games played with a passing touchdown. MTSU’s Vattiato finished with 283 passing yards.
The Tigers took a 24-7 lead into a scoreless fourth quarter and by that time I was ready to make the long, chilly walk back to my truck. It was clear the Blue Raiders were not making a comeback and the Tigers were not going to run the score up, so I joined many others in walking out of the stadium with a few minutes left on the clock.
Vibe check
We had beaten MTSU (1-4, 0-1 C-USA). Nothing more, nothing less. Before calling it a night, I checked the ESPN app and read the story about the game written by the Associated Press.
“…Memphis cruises to a 24-7 victory of Middle Tennessee in a Conference USA opener Saturday night,” the first paragraph read.
Whether it was an honest mistake, due to a rushed writer or the use of artificial intelligence, it was humbling to see Memphis presented as a C-USA member on one of the largest sports media platforms in the world, while nobody seemed to notice. This encapsulates the frustration surrounding the fan base regarding the conference realignment discussion.
The AAC was once the best-of-the-rest conference. Now, it is not much more than a rebranded Conference USA. While the diehards will always come out to support the Tigers, unaffiliated Memphians and the national populous don’t see Memphis much differently than they see MTSU, a team that’s only beaten Tennessee Tech thus far.
Until this season, playing USF felt similar to a matchup against MTSU — a fairly-easy win to largely gloss over. But now the October 11 trip to Tampa this year is marked as one of the biggest games on the schedule.
It beckons the questions… Will beating USF feel any different than beating MTSU? Will it mean anything towards the College Football Playoff? Or much worse, what if the Tigers lose?
None of these stressors would exist in the new Pac-12 or without a lost to Navy. But myself, along with at least 25,000 others, will be anxious to learn those answers this season and how they evolve as conference realignment continues into the future.
