After years of high-scoring, pass-first offenses, the Memphis Tigers are relying on the run game at an unprecedented level, averaging 237.8 rushing yards per game and running the ball on 60% of their snaps.
On Saturday, the Tigers extended their bowl streak to 12 games. In this 12-year stretch that can only be described as the most successful run in program history, the Tigers have been defined by explosive offenses led by outstanding quarterbacks Paxton Lynch, Riley Ferguson, Brady White, and Seth Henigan, all of whom commanded elite passing attacks.
This year though, the formula has changed.
“If running the football wins us football games, we’ll continue to do that, if we got to drop back and pass 60 times, we will. We’re going to be the aggressor,” head coach Ryan Silverfield said of his offense after it rushed for 290 yards in a 32-31 win against Arkansas.
Despite having an abundance of running backs who were drafted into the NFL during this time, the Tigers have never relied on their rushing attack to carry their offense during their run of success apart from the 2018 season, when they had a two-headed monster of Darrell Henderson and Patrick Taylor, who both rushed for over 1,000 yards that year.
This season, another two-headed monster similar to the one in 2018 has formed, with Sutton Smith and Greg Desrosiers, both of which have been standouts after injury-riddled seasons last year.
Smith, who tore his ACL in the first drive of the season last year, has 454 yards, six touchdowns and 6.5 yards per carry this year. Smith scored the game-winning touchdown against Arkansas on a 64-yard breakaway, in a game where he had a career-high 147 yards on the ground.
“We actually put a bionic knee in Sutton Smith, he’s like Robocop, so he’s actually faster now,” Silverfield joked. “We talked about it all offseason, just his hard work to get back to being able to play football at a high level. And then I think we’re seeing, wow, that’s the Sutton Smith that Ryan Silverfield has been talking about.”
Desrosiers also missed time last season from a broken collarbone, missing six games during the middle of the season. He also got hurt in the Tigers week one game against Chattanooga, making him miss two games, but he had his coming out party against Florida Atlantic. On a down night for Smith, Desrosiers had 204 yards and three touchdowns, including a 90-yard touchdown that was the longest rushing touchdown by a Memphis Tiger since 1966.
“You’ve seen spurts of (Sutton), you’ve seen bursts of me, but just wait until we put it together. It’s going to be special,” said Desrosiers after the FAU game.
While the running back room has been spectacular, the biggest difference from years past is the dual-threat ability of quarterback Brendon Lewis, something the Tigers have never had from that position during their bowl game streak.
Lewis is actually the team’s second leading rusher, with 420 rushing yards on the season and an average of 70 yards per game on the ground. He has been a fine passer, averaging 211.6 throwing yards per game with eight touchdowns and four interceptions on the season, but his ability to run adds a novel dimension to the Memphis offense.
“A lot of pass thoughts are turning into runs because (Lewis) is making his read and then taking off,” said Offensive Coordinator Tim Cramsey when comparing Lewis to Seth Henigan, who manned the Tigers quarterback position the last four seasons.
With this new formula the Memphis offense has still been plenty successful, averaging 40.5 points per game. That’s good for 15th in the country, mostly behind rushing the ball.
As Sutton Smith said, “It’s Memphis. We pride ourselves on running the ball.”
