Memphis football is spending Thanksgiving in New Orleans as they get set to play the number 17 team in the country, the Tulane Green Wave.
After a full day of great food and family, the pair of rivals will finish the night of football at 7:30 p.m. CT in a game that could be better than anything the NFL has on this year.
Coming into this contest, Memphis has a chance to improve to 10 wins for just the fifth time in program history and the first time accomplishing this feat in consecutive years. They’ll also look to play spoiler to the outside chance for Tulane to sneak into the College Football Playoff.
As for Tulane, they’re playing not to lose. If they win this game and the AAC Championship against Army, they could receive a bid into the CFP with chaos happening in the Big 12.
Here are three keys to a successful turkey day outcome for Memphis:
A great defensive performance
After a great beginning to the season on the defensive side of the ball, they started to falter midseason, highlighted by a shocking loss to UTSA in which they gave up 44 points.
Tulane has a very potent offense that averages 40 points per game, led by sophomore running back Makhi Hughes and freshman quarterback Darian Mensah. Hughs has already amassed over 1,200 yards rushing and 15 TDs, while Mensah has thrown for 2,197 yards and 18 TDs.
If Memphis wants any chance of victory today, these two have to be limited.
Matching firepower
While Tulane has a very potent offense, they also have had a good defense. They’ve held all of their opponents to under 40 points and only allowed 30 or more points four times this season.
The Tigers absolutely have the personnel and ability to turn this game into a shootout and come out of the other side. You know the impact players by now: Seth Hennigan, Roc Taylor, and Mario Anderson. Those three have been the backbone of a balanced and effective offense all season, look for one or more of them to have a stellar game.
Hit Field Goals
As much as Memphis fans don’t want to admit it, this game is going to be close, likely coming down to a three-point margin. That doesn’t favor Memphis at all, considering the woes at kicker that have been happening all season. There are several examples of both kickers on the Tigers roster missing attempts that are essentially chip shots.
If Tristian Vanderburg and/or Caden Costa can dial in from that 30-39 range, they should be able to keep Memphis in the game when it matters.
