You can finally break out those old, dusty bowling shoes because the drought is finally over.
For the first time since 2008, the University of Memphis football team is bowl eligible with a 6-3 record.
It took a last-second field goal off the foot of sophomore Jake Elliot to beat Temple 16-13, but a win is a win, especially on the road.
It’s a crazy thought, isn’t it? The Memphis Tigers will play in a bowl game over Christmas break.
It gets even crazier when you think about where the program was only two short years ago. Coming off of a 2-10 season where the Tigers lost by an average of 26 points a game, the U of M was directionless, coachless and hopeless. The Blue and Gray in a bowl game seemed about as likely as an on-campus stadium.
The athletic department deserves credit. Coach Justin Fuente deserves credit, and so do all those players that believed Memphis football could be a program good enough compete for a conference title because that’s the pitch Fuente gave in all the recruits’ living rooms.
At the time, Fuente may have been the only one who believed, and he may very well be the only one who was right. As soon as Elliot’s kick soared through the uprights, Fuente’s arms raised in the air as he leaped with joy like a little boy who just got exactly what he wanted for Christmas, and that’s exactly what Fuente got – a bowl berth for Christmas.
Even Fuente, who rarely shows a lot of emotion, admitted Saturday’s win meant a little bit more than usual.
“I felt like we are always happy to win,” Fuente said at his weekly press conference on Monday. “But in this case, we were jubilant. It was a great scene, and the kids really let their hair down and celebrated in the locker room and I didn’t stop that. I stood there and watched, and got great joy out of their joy. I was happy too, I’ll admit that.”
Now, the Tigers have another tough task – staying focused for the rest of the season. Whether it has been said or not, the goal this whole season has been to make a bowl game. Now that Memphis has reached that goal, becoming a tad lax will be a natural temptation.
“I think our kids have good perspective,” Fuente said. “We are very lucky, we have three game left to play this season. We want to continue to build on our program. I didn’t get the sense from the kids last night at practice that they were ready to take it easy.”
An American Athletic Conference title is still very much in play for the Tigers, and they control their own destiny. If they win out, they will secure at least a share of the title.
That’s another crazy thought – the Tigers have a real shot at winning their conference. As a student, it was tough to have faith that the football team would ever get back on track.
Few, if any, thought the Tigers would be back on track within the next five years, much less three, but thank goodness Justin Fuente believed.
