For the most part, Memphis' 26-24 loss to University of Central Florida Saturday night felt the same as the previous eight straight losses - some things went right but most didn't.
While the special teams unit played remarkably better and the defense was able to hold the Golden Knights to a field goal late in the fourth quarter, the Tigers had a few decision-making problems during key moments of the game.
Memphis came back from an early 14-0 deficit to take a 24-23 lead five minutes into the final quarter before allowing Michael Torres to kick an 18-yard field goal with 3:01 left on the clock. The Tigers (1-9 overall, 0-6 Conference USA) drove down the field quickly in the last two minutes but turned the ball over on downs after a fourth down pass by Martin Hankins fell short of a first down.
"We did a good job of trying to come back, but we didn't deserve to win the game," said head coach Tommy West following the game.
He was upset about a variety of things that went wrong throughout the game, but he focused on the mental aspect.
"We just don't play very smart out there," he said. "But that's a reflection on the coaching. I've done an awful job getting our team to understand how to win."
The final offensive play for the Tigers - a fourth-down pass that fell short of the first down by three yards - was thrown to the wrong player, West said. And that play came after Memphis was flagged for a false start, turning fourth-and-2 into fourth-and-7.
That was obviously the key moment gone wrong for The U of M, but another mistake right before halftime hurt the team.
Ryan Scott caught an eight-yard pass from Hankins at the UCF 23 yard line with 15 seconds left in the half, bringing up third-and-8. The Tigers spiked the ball to set up Matt Reagan's 40-yard field goal on fourth down. Yet a timeout remained, which would have allowed a quick pass to the end zone before having to kick.
"It's all over the place right now (problem-wise)," West said. "We can't spot a team 14 points every week and expect to win."
The Tigers allowed 467 yards to UCF and were without a sack for the second straight week.
Hankins had one of his best passing games of the season, going 27-of-41 for 272 yards and three touchdowns against the Golden Knights (3-7, 2-4). It wasn't enough to overpower UCF quarterback Steven Moffett and wide receivers Rocky Ross and Mike Walker. The pair combined to catch 12 passes for 266 yards and one touchdown.
"The little mistakes just hurt us all night," said Tiger defensive back and kick returner Michael Grandberry. "But I thought we'd definitely get those two yards at the end...it's just frustrating."
Grandberry was one of the stars of the game for Memphis, returning a kick 61 yards in the first quarter to set up a 24-yard TD pass to Duke Calhoun. He finished the game with 138 total return yards, three tackles and pass break-up.
Senior defensive lineman Rubio Phillips offered a positive look after the game, despite the dismal record this season following three years of winning records and bowl trips.
"Being one-and-nine is one of the worst feelings in the world, but I think next year the team will think back to this year and how much they've improved," he said. "Three-and-nine doesn't sound too good right now, but it would be something to build on next year."
Memphis hosts the Houston Cougars (8-3, 6-1) this Saturday at 1 p.m. Houston has already won the West Division of C-USA.
The Tigers have beaten Houston three straight years.
