The Mid-South had one of its biggest college football weekends in recent memory with Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Memphis all winning huge games.
Ole Miss knocked off Alabama. The Bulldogs beat Texas A&M, and the Tigers stomped Cincinnati on their home turf.
Memphis’ 41-14 win sets them up for a potential 10-win season, which no one saw coming.
The Tigers (3-2, 1-0 AAC) were zoned in on the Bearcats all week, and several different players said they wanted to make a statement with Cincinnati being picked to win the conference.
Memphis surrendered an 80-yard touchdown pass on the game’s opening play, but they responded with a score of their own on the ensuing drive and never looked back.
The Blue and Gray racked up 610 yards of total offense – good for third most in school history. They rushed for 299 yards and threw for 311.
Cincinnati’s opening-drive score was the only one surrendered by the Memphis starters. The Bearcats’ other touchdown came during garbage time.
Senior linebacker Tank Jakes continued wreaking havoc on opposing defenses. He stuffed the stat sheet with 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble. The American Athletic Conference named Jakes their defensive player of the week for the second time this season.
Jakes said the defense composed itself after a breakdown on the first play from scrimmage, and they trusted the game plan to win the game.
“We had a breakdown on that first play,” Jakes said after the game. “We talked about it on the sidelines with no coaches around. They had a good game plan. We had to make sure that we executed it. This was a statement game for us.”
Jakes and Tigers certainly made a statement. Cincinnati was favored to win the game, and many considered the Bearcats the class of the American.
The Tigers’ beat down garnered respect from other coaches in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The U of M received five top-25 votes.
Despite the outside respect, Memphis head coach Justin Fuente said he wants the team’s focus to remain on the rest of the season.
“Our challenge is to continue to play at a high level on a consistent basis,” Fuente said at his weekly press conference on Monday. “We have to play at a high level to give ourselves a chance. We are a ways away from patting ourselves on the back for a job well done.”
The running back position was a question mark for the Tigers entering the matchup with Cincinnati. Sophomore standout Doroland Dorceus went down with a season-ending knee injury against Ole Miss, but freshman Sam Craft answered any doubts about the Tigers’ rushing attack.
Craft ran for 170 yards on 38 carries with one touchdown. The offensive line opened some huge holes for the Memphis native, and Fuente said fans could expect a steady dose of Craft for the foreseeable future.
Memphis schedule sets up nicely for a run at the AAC title. Barring an injury, the Tigers should be favored in the remainder of their game except maybe Temple. A 10-win season is not out of the question.
Fuente said winning the American is the goal, but he said his team is not ready to have that conversation quite yet.
Fuente said Houston has the full attention of Memphis. The Cougars visit Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Kick off is slated for 6 p.m.
“Everybody knows we got the job done at Cincinnati,” the third-year coach said. “The challenge now is to get ready for Houston. Houston is coming off a tough defeat in a game they probably should’ve won.”
