Was this really happening?
Those words had to be running through the mind of University of Memphis quarterback Patrick Byrne as he reached for his broken leg, twisted and torqued under the weight of an Ole Miss defensive lineman before falling backwards onto he turf.
Byrne had waited patiently in the wings for three years for his chance to be the man, a chance that was cruelly taken away on just his third play from scrimmage.
“It hurt really bad just to see him go down like that,” said Memphis defensive end Marcus West. “To go down like that...it was hard to watch it.”
Was this really happening?
Those words were probably running through redshirt freshman quarterback Will Hudgens’ head as well.
He wasn’t supposed to take a snap in the game and now he was being shoved into the spotlight earlier than even he might’ve hoped for.
Don’t misunderstand Hudgens.
He fought to be the starter for the last six months, and he wanted nothing more than to be the guy calling the shots on opening day, but not like this.
“When he went down, I didn’t think anything about it. I just turned around to see what we were going to do on fourth down and the next thing I know he wasn’t getting up,” Hudgens said. “This is the worst thing that (could’ve) happened.”
Was this really happening?
Those words must have been running through the heads of the roughly 45,000 blue-clad fans watching their starting quarterback being carted off the field in an aircast.
But then something unexpected began to happen.
Hudgens threw across the middle to DeAngelo Williams for a 10-yard, drive-sustaining third down conversion on the first pass of his career.
Then on the very next play Hudgens fired a strike to receiver Carlton Robinzine for a 34-yard gain.
And while Hudgens had his share of mistakes in the game, he didn’t fall flat on his face like some might have expected.
In the final minutes, the 20-year-old Memphis native led the Tigers down the field and into position to win the game.
From the six-yard line with 24 seconds remaining and needing a touchdown to win, Hudgens would later say he was trying too hard to make something happen.
His would-be game-winning pass intended for Memphis receiver Ryan Scott was cut off by Ole Miss’ Garry Pack.
Game over.
Ole Miss 10, Memphis 6.
“(I was thinking) this is my chance, this is what I’ve dreamed of right here,” Hudgens said. “I should’ve just thrown it away. The play wasn’t there.
“...(The feeling) was kind of like running full speed off of a cliff. You’re there, you’re there and then there’s nothing underneath you anymore.”
Hudgens completed 15-of-28 passes for 145 yards and two interceptions.
“I’m extremely proud of this football team,” said Memphis coach Tommy West. “I think we’ve got something here (in Hudgens).
“We fought our tails off and lost our quarterback on the first series of the game and, to be honest with you, I don’t know if many people gave us much of a chance.”
And like the game, Hudgens is expected to mature while suffering through his fair share of throws he’d like to have back, but the main thing he said he wants to focus on is improving with every game.
So what did Hudgens learn from this one?
“To throw the ball away.”
