The epicenter of the college football world was in Memphis, Tennessee, last Saturday, and boy, did the Tigers (and the city) deliver
by Dick Weiss for TheAmerican.org
MEMPHIS — This city on the banks of the Mississippi is in a state of euphoria.
The Tigers celebrated what might have been the biggest moment in their college football history Saturday when they outscored previously unbeaten and 14th-ranked SMU, 54-48, before a crowd of 59,506 -- the largest ever to watch an American Athletic Conference regular season conference game -- at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
Thousands of fans joined the entire Tigers’ football team to march down to the corner of Beale Street and B.B. King Boulevard at 9 a.m. to see the watch the first appearance of ESPN’s College GameDay in the Bluff City, an episode that featured pro wrestler and Memphis legend Jerry “The King” Lawler’s driving up in a Batmobile. ESPN’s Lee Corso adorned an Elvis outfit and wig, but lost the support of the Memphis faithful when he wound up picking SMU to win the game.
That night, Tiger fans filled the stadium to watch the Memphis make a bold statement in a nationally televised prime time shootout to take control of The American’s West Division, defeating a team that was averaging 43 points. The two teams combined for over 100 points and 1,067 yards.
“This stage, this moment, this opportunity, they came out and they played with everything they had against a really good football team,” an emotional Memphis coach Mike Norvell said after the game. “There were highs, there were lows. There was a great response from our Memphis Tigers. I want to say thank you to Memphis. Memphis had an opportunity to be showcased, and much like this football team, it rose to the occasion.”
This is not the first time we have seen this type of fan mania in The American. Two years ago, UCF defeated USF, 49-42, in the War on I-4 rivalry before a sellout crowd of 47,129 at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando to complete a perfect regular season. It was hands-down the most exciting college football game played that season.
In last year’s UCF-USF rematch in Tampa, the Knights won again, 38-10, before a crowd of 57,626 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa to wrap up a second consecutive unbeaten regular season.
We could see another fan spectacle when Memphis and Cincinnati, the leader in the East Division, play at the Liberty Bowl Nov. 29. There could even be a rematch the following week in The American Championship. Anything is possible.
The American is certainly the most fun league to watch whenever two good teams meet in a big conference game. Teams rarely win in this league unless they have enough offensive firepower to score at least 40 points, which is a tribute to the creativity of the coaches on the sidelines, including Memphis’ Norvell and Sonny Dykes of SMU.
Norvell has won 32 games in four years and coached the Tigers to the 2017 and 2018 American West Division titles. He has already made the Tigers more than competitive compared with their five neighboring SEC rivals -- Tennessee, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. And he has made Memphis football into a perennial top-20 program.
Memphis quarterback Brady White threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns against the Mustangs. Wide receiver Antonio Gibson had a conference-record 386 all-purpose yards with three touchdowns and wide receiver Damonte Coxie caught seven passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns, including a 49-yard scoring play. Kicker Riley Patterson scored 18 points, making four field goals overall.
Gibson was a one-man highlight reel. He caught six passes for 130 yards -- including a 50- yard touchdown catch. He returned a kickoff 97 yards for a score on the first play of the second half and he rushed for 97 yards, scoring on a 78-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Even though Memphis built up a 22 point lead, it almost wasn’t enough.
SMU quarterback Shane Buechele completed 34 of 54 passes for 456 yards and three touchdowns. SMU stayed close by scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and converting three two-point conversions, cutting the lead to six points after Buechele threw a two yard TD pass to James Proche with 2:06 left. But the Tigers recovered SMU’s onside kick and the Tigers ran out the clock.
“We appreciated the opportunity and just wanted to make sure we took advantage of it and put our best foot forward and we kind of fed off that,” White said