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Memphis football was 8-1, now the Tigers are 8-4. What happened?
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- Memphis football was 8-1, now the Tigers are 8-4. What happened?
The feeling, late on Thanksgiving night at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium , was mostly of inevitability.
It was inevitable that Memphis football , leading by four points at halftime against Navy , was going to lose. It was inevitable , when the Midshipmen began a drive that lasted more than 10 minutes, that they would get to the goal line (though they ultimately fumbled on the 1-yard line). It was inevitable , in a more heartbreaking way for Memphis fans, that Navy would get the ball back, quickly score a touchdown and then embark on another drive that lasted more than eight minutes to salt away the game and an eventual 28-17 win on Nov. 27.
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And ultimately, it was inevitable that Memphis' season would end this way.
Why? For the past few years, the Tigers have come close. They've been ranked, looked like legitimate contenders to get to the American Conference title game and gotten national media attention.
And then they've faltered in key spots.
The Tigers won 10 games in 2023 and 11 in 2024, but neither season ended with a conference title appearance. They have not reached that game since 2019, when Mike Norvell left for Florida State and was replaced by Ryan Silverfield.
"It's a results-driven business," Silverfield said. "8-4 is not good enough here."
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Memphis (8-4, 4-4) got more national attention during the early part of the 2025 season than at any time in the past few seasons. It started 6-0, including a home win over Arkansas, thanks to a dramatic last-minute fumble recovery and an effort play from a backup quarterback who looked like he could go down in Memphis lore for a season-changing play.
Then the Tigers lost to UAB, embarrassing themselves and losing control of the "Battle for the Bones" trophy against a team some fans don't even think should be considered a rival. The Blazers had just fired their coach, started a backup quarterback and were underdogs by more than three touchdowns. They haven't won a game since.
Still, Memphis bounced back with a win the next week against a USF team that had taken Memphis' spot as conference title favorites. USF looked dominant in the first half, but the Tigers turned it around and made enough plays to win. It was another dramatic last-minute victory, one that could have gone either day, just like against Arkansas.
Two weeks after that, they were back in the driver's seat to reach the playoff. And then they lost to Tulane.
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And ECU.
And Navy.
"I personally feel like if we played any of those teams again, it's a different outcome," defensive lineman William Whitlow Jr. said. "But as we all know, we don't get any days back as humans."
Some of Memphis' losses could've gone the other way, to be fair. The defeat to UAB could've been changed if the Tigers had avoided multiple false start penalties on the 1-yard line on a potential game-winning drive. They almost overcame a dreadful first half against Tulane before Cortez Braham, Memphis' best receiver, dropped a pass on a fourth down. The Tigers needed just one stop late against ECU, but didn't get it.
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The Navy game was different. Memphis played well in the first half — something that had been an issue throughout the season — but got completely ground down by the Navy offense in the second half. It was the opposite of what the Midshipmen (9-2, 7-1) did to the Tigers a year ago in Annapolis, when they had no answers for Navy offensive coordinator Drew Cronic's modified option offense and gave up one explosive play after another.
On this night, it was the traditional option stuff — 41 out of Navy's 43 second-half plays were runs.
"It hurts, for sure," running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. said. "But it is what it is."
In the end, it's another Memphis season that started with sky-high expectations and will end a notch below. The Tigers have won a bowl game every year under Silverfield (the 2021 Hawaii Bowl wasn't played because Hawaii couldn't field a team), and the program's floor is very clearly above most programs in the country.
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As for the ceiling? That's a more complicated question, but it hasn't included a conference title game appearance.
"I'm frustrated," Silverfield said. "I'm angry. It's not good enough. I'm disappointed."
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Memphis football lost 3 straight games after starting season 8-1
