Memphis Wins In Frisco For 11th Win Of 2024. Three Takeaways From Both Sides

“Get Down!” 

This is what the entire Memphis coaching staff, sideline, and fans both in Toyota Stadium and the nation would yell on the final play in Frisco, Texas. This exciting final play would close 2024 as the Tigers have won their 11th game with a 42-37, over West Virginia, at the Scooters Frisco Bowl. In what was a game that if you only look at the final score, you do not the full story of what took place late Tuesday night. 

We will look at three takeaways from the game from both program’s perspectives as we analyze postgame. 

West Virginia

We start with the Mountaineers as they were the losing team on the night. Entering the night with a 6-6 record may have been overlooked by some fans as this team had fight and determination all night. With the coaching change and Rich Rodriguez back at the helm the team seemed to play with passion for what looks to be a bright future in Morgantown. 

Slow Start

If you were to of asked Chad Scott, interim coach for WVU, how to not start it would have been slow. This is exactly what happened as WVU trailed 17-0 early in the game. In fact, the Mountaineers only totaled 12 total yards on their first two offensive drives before finishing with 28 yards in the first stanza. While the start was lethargic, the score at the break was 28-17 Memphis. 

Adjustments At Half

The second half from the WVU sideline was much different from the first. The Mountaineers would creep back into the bowl game with stellar passing from Garrett Green {More on him soon} and showcasing his dual-threat skills. We would see the Memphis defense struggle with defending the gaps of the coverage. With this, WVU gained the confidence to continue to fight against the now 11-win Tigers. 

Green Was ‘Money’ Late

We mentioned Green as playing well. In the fourth quarter, Green threw 14 passes. Including the final pass of the game being intercepted, Green would throw two passes not caught by his teammates. We spoke about the adjustments made by the staff being a key takeaway for us and Green factors into this. He would showcase his skills with poise and moxie when his team needed it the most on Tuesday night. In the end, one great adjustment by Memphis would stop the cash from Green and WVU as they closed their 6-7 season in Frisco. 

Memphis 

For the Tigers, they now have a 21-5 record over the last two seasons which is a program best in a two-year stretch. With this, Memphis head coach, Ryan Silverfield, now has five postseason wins which has never been done by any coach in program history. In what was truly a dominating performance from numerous units in the game we decided to focus on three from Tuesday night. 

Running Mad 

The Tigers have become a program built on the running back being a focal point in recent years. With this, 2024 was no different as the Tigers saw Mario Anderson Jr, Brandon Thomas, Greg DeRosiers, and an early season injury to Sutton Smith make impacts on this department. In the end, Anderson Jr, Thomas, and DeRosiers would become a three-headed monster on the ground. On Tuesday night, this tripod of talent again was be showcased in the Tim Cramsey {Memphis OC} offense. Memphis completed the game with 30 rushes for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns. This would prove to be key as the Tigers would run a program bowl-low 56 offensive plays. For reference, Memphis has been to 17 bowl games in its history.

Coaching As One 

In what could have become a controversial call from Memphis, they lined up for a 50-yarder with 50 seconds remaining in the game. In the end, Memphis kicker Tristan Vandenberg pushed the kick right and miss the attempt. With this decision, many fans exclaimed that Silverfield “Took the ball from {QB} Seth Henigan” yet in postgame Silverfield would explain his decision. He stated that “We” {As a staff} decided to kick while stating that ‘Analytics said to go for it on 4th and 3 there” yet he “Trusted his defense” no matter the result of the kick. In what was a game that was tight in certain situations, the Memphis staff delved up a creative yet aggressive plan of attack followed by strategic adjustments.

Henigan Finishes At Home

Denton, Texas is roughly 30 miles from Frisco where the bowl was played. Memphis Senior signal caller, Seth Henigan, is from the Denton area and unveiled to the media in the Monday press conference he had “10 people or so” coming to watch his 50th and final game as a Tiger. Henigan finisheded his career starting all games for the Tigers and 13th all-time in NCAA history with 14,266 career yards at Memphis. Additionally, Henigan completed his career with 104 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. In the postgame, Tiger linebacker Chandler Martin proposed an interesting idea when he said “Put A Statue Up” when discussing the Henigan legacy in the 901. 

In what was a wild season for Memphis they finished on top of their fifth straight bowl win. In the modern day of college athletics winning is hard yet winning consistently is even harder. The last two seasons have proven that Ryan Silverfied has more than improved the product he took over in 2020.