Saturday, October 19, 2024・ESPNU ・Memphis, TN・6:30pm CT・Liberty Stadium, (58K)・MGRN・SIRIUS 391・
Are you ready for the biggest game of the year? To be sure, if you are doing it right the biggest games of the year is always the next one. Whatever your expectations of the season were, right now the Mean Green are 5-1, 2-0 and have every chance to win the league title. Everything after that is someone else’s interpretation of the results and outside of the direct control of this team.
Herm Edwards famously said, “you play to win the game” and we’ll add that you play the season to win the league. It is the only thing guaranteed in college football. The rules are clear, and the path is set. North Texas will face the toughest part of the schedule beginning on Saturday. “We worked so hard for this opportunity to be on national television”, Morris said. It is true. A big, important matchup against one of the two favorites in the league on ESPNU. Here’s hoping the casuals improve the watch number. According to sports media watch, the number for the FAU game on ESPN2 was 82k1. FAU fans are notoriously fickle and the same can be said about our own. People were watching the other big games happening on Saturday night — Oregon/Ohio State etc — instead of NT. It happens.
That said, it is much easier to find ESPN2 and U than ESPN+, which requires an active search for the game. Morris is right in that this is an opportunity.
Memphis and NT played a classic last year in which North Texas’ comeback was completed, only for Hennigan to throw a game-winning touchdown with seconds remaining. This will prove to be a different game simply because both teams have so many new players. NT revamped the roster, and we all know that. Memphis improved their defense. Silverfield called his ‘23 squad “one of the worst in the nation” and took steps to improve.
Morris is 34-26 in his 6th year and 10-8 at NT, and 0-1 against Memphis all time. Silverfield is 36-20 in his 6th year (all at Memphis) and 2-0 vs NT.
Memphis leads the overall series 18-4, including 9-3 in Memphis. Last year NT lost 45-42 in that heartbreaker. The last time NT was in Memphis Seth Littrell lost and at his press conference said that it proved they could compete with AAC squads.
Silverfield took over for Mike Norvell after 2019. In his time as coach he hasn’t overly impressed. Immediately after replacing Norvell he was faced with “successor syndrome” but has recently come into his own. Eric Morris praised the way Silverfield has built his program. He won ten games last year and has Memphis poised to make noise in this league. Thus far they are 1-1 in the league (win over USF last week, and a shootout loss vs Navy) and 5-1 overall.
Last year we saw a high-powered offense with a defense holding on for dear life. They allowed 28 per game, and about 6.2 yards per play. This year those numbers are at 15 and about 5.28. Offensive coordinator Cramsay said that Henningan is seeing more “drop eight” and “taking what the defense is giving him.” All in all that translates to an offense that is down about 7-points per game off last year’s 38 per, and about a half-yard in yards-per-play. They are not as explosive, but can grind away some drives. Add to that a tough defense and you have a squad that is winning football games.
Are they good? Well, they are talented and they are wining. Are they vulnerable? Yes.
We felt good about the prospects of a Morris regime in part because of the performance in this game last year. Memphis was good, came out and dominated but North Texas fought back and took the lead. It felt like a milestone in the development of this program from the Littrell years to the Morris staff. Whereas NT would fall behind and never comeback under Seth, it looked like things were different now.
A good team — 10 wins — had to find a way to win vs North Texas in Denton. A moment to remember for sure. An outcome to forget, of course.
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