It was a strange scene around Memphis on Saturday night. A random group of bars began filling up with people wearing Tiger blue around 8 p.m.
The strange part was that it was not basketball season. Tiger fans will search high and low for University of Memphis basketball games, but it was Saturday’s Tiger football game that sparked the interest of the city.
The game, which was played in Pasadena, California, against UCLA, was broadcast on the Pac-12 Network, which most cable and satellite providers do not carry. So most people were forced to leave the comfort of their living room to find a place to watch the game.
The result was bars like Brookhaven Pub, Dan McGuinness and Kooky Canuck filling to brim with rowdy Tiger fans.
Memphis went on to lose the game in a 42-35 thriller, but to write Saturday night off as simply a loss would miss the point.
People cared. They cared enough to find a local bar carrying the game, and they went out despite a 9 p.m. kickoff.
This type of support was unimaginable just a few years ago, but it is a credit to the job Memphis head coach Justin Fuente is doing.
For years, coaches struggled to gain the support of the City of Memphis, and questions arose about whether Memphis would ever support Tiger football. The support is there now, and all it took was a solid product on the field.
The Tigers certainly have a solid product this season. They opened with a 63-0 dismantling of Austin Peay, and they followed it with a strong showing at No. 11 UCLA.
This week, they have a bye before returning home next week to face MTSU, and Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium should be more alive than it has been in a while.
Last season, 44,237 fans attended the Tigers’ opener against Duke. They were there hoping for a good season, but next Saturday, fans will be there based on what they have already seen. They already know this team is capable of making a bowl game.
This makes the MTSU game that much more important, and the schedule only gets tougher. After playing the Blue Raiders, the Tigers quickly have to turn their focus to No. 14 Ole Miss then American Athletic Conference rival Cincinnati the very next week.
The U of M most likely won’t be favored against Cincinnati or Ole Miss, so a loss against MTSU could leave the Tigers with a 1-4 record, negating all the fan support Fuente has worked so hard to gain.
But that’s on the backburner right now. Fuente and company have one thing on their minds – MTSU.
Also, they should have a luxury they aren’t used to – a loud contingent of Tiger fans cheering them on from stands at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
