The Memphis Tigers (4-2)will be facing the No. 10 UCF Knights (5-0) in a renewal of their recent rivalry. The Tigers beat UConn in their homecoming game last weekend 55-14, improving their American Athletic Conference record to 1-2.
Meanwhile, UCF faced off against SMU and ran away with a 48-20 victory. Last season, these two powerhouses squared off twice and UCF won both match ups. During their last game in the AAC Championship, the Knights overcame the Tigers in double overtime 62-55, haunting Memphians to this day.
Memphis Tigers
Memphis’ offense, specifically their run game, was reinvigorated this week as running backs Darrell Henderson and Patrick Taylor Jr. ran rampant against a struggling Huskies defense. Henderson received twice as many carries as he did against Tulane and used those carries to the best of his ability. He finished the game with 14 carries, 174 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a huge bounce-back game. In addition, running mate Taylor Jr. received 11 carries and rushed for a season-high 161 yards and three touchdowns.
The Tigers’ defense played generally well, despite having a tough time stopping the Huskies on third downs in the first half. UConn converted a favorable seven of 11 third downs and on the first drive seemed nearly unstoppable.
Luckily, Memphis’ returning defensive tackle O’Bryan Goodson made his presence felt when defending the run and even came up with a tackle for loss. Run-stopper Emmanuel Cooper also aided the team by supplying a quarterback hurry.
Turnovers played a big part of the defense’s success as the unit intercepted three passes and forced one fumble. Cornerback Jacobi Francis got the ball rolling in the second quarter when he intercepted David Pindell’s pass to help set up Memphis’ fifth touchdown of the game. Backup linebacker Cade Mashburn also made a big impact for the Tigers late in the game, getting a strip-sack to go along with three total tackles.
UCF Knights
The Knights continued their offensive dominance after an impressive showing against Pittsburgh. They had 541 total yards in the contest, thanks to a balanced passing and rushing attack. Quarterback McKenzie Milton led the team’s passing game to an adequate performance in which he had 278 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
In the second quarter, Milton left the game and was taken to the locker room following a big hit from two SMU defenders. He ended up returning to the field shortly after his gut-wrenching departure.
Following the game, UCF head coach Josh Heupel spoke on the injury scare to his star quarterback.
“We tell him to get down, but he doesn’t like to do that too often,” Heupel said. “We want to keep him as healthy as possible without eliminating or taking away a portion of his game. Certainly glad he was healthy and able to play.”
Despite the losses of star defensive players cornerback Mike Hughes and linebacker Shaqueem Griffin, the Knights still have one of the better units in the league, specifically when it comes to creating turnovers. They average 2.0 takeaways per game, which is good for 27th in the country. Against SMU, they managed to force three fumbles, although only one was recovered.
The Knights defense had good performances from each level and players such as defensive tackle Titus Davis and linebacker Nate Evans had strong games. Davis had six total tackles including three for loss, a sack, a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble, whereas Evans had eight total tackles including one for loss.
Score prediction
This game has the potential to be the most difficult game for the Tigers thanks to UCF’s truly balanced and explosive offense. They rank 1st in total yards per game and, going into week six, average 576.5 yards per contest. Memphis’ defense has been rather hot and cold over the course of the season and this will determine how they’ll handle a real test.
On offense, the Tigers will have to rely on their 9th ranked rushing offense to truly have a chance and stick with it if things seem to be going unfavorably. If last week’s game was any indication, when their run game is the main focus, their offense is one of the best in the country.
Still, it’s difficult for me to really trust this inconsistent defense. In order for them to win, they have to invade Milton pocket and improve on their 1.8 average sacks per game. Their secondary has also been spotty in coverage, giving up way too many big plays. I anticipate this game to be a shootout, but unfortunately for the Tigers, I just don’t think they’ll be able to hang.
Score prediction: UCF 42, Memphis 35
