Memphis vs UCF StudsandDuds
Among the StudsandDuds, first Stud was definitely the Memphis offense. Led by Quarterback Seth Henigan once again, for Mempis he was the best rusher and of course the best passer. He rushed 16 times for 69 yards, and passed 26-39 for 284 yards. The playcalling was creative and several new gadgets were inserted into the schemes. Despite a few drops, the Memphis offense seemed capable all night. Among the StudsandDuds the offense was definitely the Stud. RB Brandon Thomas didn’t gain big yards but he was dependable as always around the goal line, punching one in.
Memphis vs UCF StudsandDuds
UCF playcalling was definitely the Stud. Coach Gus Malzahn seemed to dial up whatever was needed to flummox the Memphis defense. (more on that later). Quarterback Miley Keene filled in for injured started John Rhys Plumlee. Keene threw for an efficient 22-28, and 219 yards. R.J. Harvey returned from injury to rush for a dominant 151 yards on 17 carries, and Bowser ran for 67 yards on 15 carries.
The UCF line did not seem to dominate, but the offense seemed to keep Memphis off-balance all night. Unfortunately for Memphis, the right play seemed called up all game long. Even teams like Tulane and Mississippi State that dominated the defense, had down quarters, but UCF seemed to thrive in the charged stadium all day.
Memphis vs UCF StudsandDuds
Dud, The Memphis Defense. Against a backup quarterback and a running back just back from injury, thirty five plus points again. No short fields as an excuse this game. The Memphis untimely turnovers all happened deep in UCF territory. Long drives, inopportune breakaway runs, they were all there. The UCF offense had great success on the ground, and backup QB Keene threw several long completions, even on third down. The usual heroes showed up, Quindell Johnson, Xavier Cullens (as in North Texas game) could not do enough to help the defense.
Memphis vs UCF StudsandDuds
The Dud was the feeling in the stadium. The announced crowd of 28,000. (Meh?) That may have been a bit generous. Coach Silverfield’s playcalling was questionable at times, (going for it at midfield but fourth-and-15) but the execution was the real dud. UCF is a top-25 team for a reason. They weren’t going to let Memphis catch fire.
Memphis suffered a 10 plus minute wait while the referees reviewed a targeting call. lt took a long time, and was reviewed twice, once for the ejection, and then a second time for the placement of the ball. The very next play QB Seth Henigan threw a pinballed (hit at least 2 players) interception at the UCF 10. Henigan threw 2 interceptions again, and once again both came off tipped balls. There were some scattered but loud booing from the Memphis faithful. The reasons: The rare “offensive-player” targeting ejection, and then 3-4 UCF injuries as the Tigers were on a long drive. Unusual for the usually likable Memphis fans to boo an injured player, but the timing during Tiger drives was very…. coincidental.
Wrapup:
This is a pivotal time for the Memphis Tiger program. Memphis vs UCF is a long tradition, and it’s not a great one for the Memphis Tigers. Bad memories made the loss sting. There’s a large disconnect between the most fervent fans and those who are interested only during the good periods. Right now Coach Silverfield is taking the slings and arrows of the fiery fans, who are a slim portion of the fans, but quite loud.
It remains to be seen if he will survive this onslaught of criticism and non-belief in the program. However, a four-game losing streak is very capable of harming a coach’s career, we’ll see how the Memphis Tigers survive the last 3 games.
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