After one of the ugliest wins of the season thus far, the Memphis Tigers are 5-0 for the first time since 2015. The Memphis Tigers earned their second road win against the ULM Warhawks outscoring them 52-33. Regardless of the sloppy performance, the Tigers have now climbed their way to be ranked No. 20 in the Amway Coaches poll where they were previously ranked No. 23 and now ranked No. 23 in the AP poll. This is the first time since 2017 that the Memphis Tigers have been ranked in both the AP and coaches poll. Other American Athletic Conference teams ranked this week include SMU and Cincinnati.
3 Takeaways from Saturday’s Win:
1. Kenny Gainwell Kenny Gainwell is a name that is not going to be forgotten at the University of Memphis any time soon. Even though he didn’t start Saturday (due to a lower leg injury), Kenny Gainwell made U of M history being the first freshman Running Back to ever have three 100-yard games in a row. Gainwell was also responsible for 2 TD’s and concluded Saturday’s game with 209 yards total.
2. Brady White Brady White did not have a complete game against ULM. In the first half, White only had 2 incompletions. His second half was sloppy including an interception that cost the Tigers momentum. White finished the game with 249 yards and threw for 3 TD passes.
3. Defense ULM QB Caleb Evans gave the Memphis Defense a run for their money. The senior finished with 286 yards and 2 TDs. The Memphis defense struggled the majority of the game. The Tigers’ defense allowed 575 yards.
At the end of the day, an ugly win is still a win and has still advanced the Tigers to 5-0 and those top 25 rankings.
The Tigers are now to face another road game against the Temple Owls. The Owls are 4-1 (1-0 conference play). This is a necessary win for the Tigers to fulfill the goal of making it to the American Athletic Conference Championship for the 3rd consecutive year. The remainder of the Tigers schedule consists of conference teams.
The Tigers take on the Owls at 11:00 a.m. on ESPN 2.