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Who is new Memphis football QB Brendon Lewis? 'I'm low-key a perfectionist'
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- Who is new Memphis football QB Brendon Lewis? 'I'm low-key a perfectionist'
On a day when Memphis football quarterback royalty was in the building, the Tigers ushered in a new era with Nevada transfer Brendon Lewis leading them to a 45-10 win over Chattanooga on Aug. 30.
As Seth Henigan and Paxton Lynch watched from the Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium sideline, Lewis threw for 199 yards on 22-of-28 passing with one touchdown pass. He also rushed for 81 yards — more in his Memphis debut than Henigan or Lynch (or Brady White or Riley Ferguson ) ever had in a single game with the Tigers — and a score on 10 carries.
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A bang-up debut by most standards. But it wasn't good enough. Not for Lewis.
"I'm low-key a perfectionist," he said.
Perhaps moreso than anything Lewis did on the field, in front of the announced crowd of 25,011, that statement is as clear an indicator as anything of just who coach Ryan Silverfield has handed the reins to and exactly who Memphis has leading the team into the 2025 season.
Lewis threw an interception with the Tigers leading 28-3 late in the second quarter. There was a protection breakdown somewhere on the offensive line, Silverfield said, that gave Chattanooga a free hit on Lewis, who was 11-for-14 at that point. The Mocs did nothing with the possession, punting the ball 24 seconds later.
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"(But) the interception, he'll tell you it was on him," Silverfield said. "He told me at his previous stop that he felt like he had to win every game on the first play of the first quarter. No one's going to be harder on themselves than him."
For Lewis, that pressure stems from the goals he set for himself a long time ago.
"Everybody wants to be great. Everybody has goals to get to the next level," he said. "And I know what it takes to get to that level. If I'm not performing like that, then I put a lot of pressure on myself. I want to be perfect. When I'm not, I get mad at myself.
"But I've got to have that next-play mentality and move on."
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Silverfield was diplomatic in the grades he assigned the various aspects of the Tigers' game, opting to give offense, defense and special teams a B-minus. But in Lewis, Silverfield was pleased.
"He was really calm, cool and collected on the sideline," he said. "Did a great job leading the guys. He's passionate. He loves Memphis. He's playing winning football. We'll get some stuff corrected."
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com, follow him @munzly on X .
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Brendon Lewis performance grade in Memphis football win vs Chattanooga
