University of Memphis Athletics
NOTES: Memphis Heads to St. Louis to Face Missouri
Sep 22, 2023 | Football
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis football team head to St. Louis to face Missouri at The Dome at America's Center on Saturday, Sept. 23. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m. To purchase tickets for the game, please click here.
SETTING THE SCENE
• On Sept. 14, the Tigers moved to 3-0 on the season with a 28-24 victory over Navy at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
• The Tigers have received votes in every AFCA Coaches Poll this season.
• Memphis is one of nine teams in the FBS with nine or more consecutive bowl-game appearances along with Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and Mississippi State.
• Memphis has posted 81 victories since 2014, tying for 12th-most in the nation during that stretch.
• The 81 wins are the most among American Athletic Conference schools during that span.
• The Tigers have forced at least one turnover in 18 of their last 21 games, piling up 41 takeaways over that span.
SCOUTING MISSOURI
• Missouri moved to 3-0 on the season in dramatic fashion this past Saturday, defeating No. 15/15-ranked Kansas State, 30-27, on a 61-yard field goal as time expired.
• After the victory, the Tigers are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and AFCA Coaches polls.
• In 2022, Missouri posted a record of 6-7 overall, earning a berth to the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl where they fell to Wake Forest, 27-17.
• Prior to this season, Missouri was tabbed to finish sixth in the Eastern Division of the SEC in a preseason poll of the conference's media.
• The Tigers had five players named to the league's preseason team, led by offensive lineman Javon Foster, linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper and defensive back Kris Abrams-Draine who were placed on the second team.
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Saturday's game will mark the fifth meeting between Memphis and Missouri dating back to 1991.
• Overall, Missouri leads the series, 3-1, with Saturday's game being the first contest between the two programs in St. Louis.
• The Tigers' victory over Missouri came on Sept. 14, 1996 with Memphis coming away with a 19-16 decision in Columbia.
ONE OF THE ELITE PROGRAMS IN THE NATION
• Memphis has posted 81 victories since 2014, tying for 12th-most in the nation during that stretch.
• The 81 wins are the most among American Athletic Conference schools during that span.
• The Tigers also rank 16th in the country in winning percentage dating back to 2014 with their 81-38 (.681) mark.
• Memphis' streak of nine-straight seasons with a record of .500 or better is tied for the fourth-longest streak among Group of 5 and independent schools and is the longest such streak in the AAC.
FORCING TURNOVERS
• Dating back to the 2021 season, Memphis has forced at least one turnover in 18 of the last 21 games.
• Over that stretch, the Tigers have totaled 26 interceptions and 15 fumbles.
• Memphis has forced multiple turnovers in 13 of those 21 contests.
WATSON LEADS TIGERS TO FIFTH-STRAIGHT WIN OVER NAVY
• Running back Blake Watson stole the show for Memphis, rushing 10 times for 169 yards and a score, while also reeling in six catches for 68 yards in the team's 28-24 win over Navy on Sept. 14.
• The Old Dominion transfer came alive in the second half against the Midshipmen, piling up 146 rushing yards, including a pair of 69-yard rushes.
• For his effort against the Midshipmen, Watson was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll.
MARTIN MAKING AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT
• Linebacker Chandler Martin has made an immediate impact for the Tigers after transferrring from East Tennessee State.
• Martin leads Memphis with 20 tackles and is tied for the team lead with 2.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
MEMPHIS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
• Entering Saturday's game, the Tigers rank in the top-25 nationally in 21 statistical categories.
• Memphis leads or is tied for the national lead in six categories - passing yards allowed (112.7), fumbles recovered (5), fourth down conversion percentage (1.000), winning percentage (1.000), blocked kicks allowed (0) and blocked punts allowed (0).
• As a team, the Tigers are ranked 15th in fewest penalties (11), fewest penalties per game (3.67) and time of possession (33:09).
• Defensively, Memphis is ranked second in the country in team passing efficiency defense (85.52), seventh in fourth down conversion percentage defense (.167), first downs defense (41) and total defense (245.7), ninth in red zone defense (.571), 10th in third down conversion percentage defense (.267), 11th in turnovers gained (7), 13th in defensive touchdowns (1) and 22nd in scoring defense (13.7) and team tackles for loss (7.3).
• Offensively, the team is ranked 20th in scoring offense (40.3) and 22nd in completion percentage (.706).
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
• The Tigers (53) ranks fourth in the country in home wins since 2014, trailing only Clemson (61), Alabama (60) and Ohio State (57).
• Memphis has had a great home field advantage at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, posting a record of 43-7 (.860) since head coach Ryan Silverfield joined the staff in 2016.
• As head coach, Silverfield is 18-4 (.818) at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
TIGERS TAKE DOWN ARKANSAS STATE, 37-3
• Memphis defeated Arkansas State in Jonesboro on Sept. 9, 37-3, thanks to a stellar defensive effort.
• The Tigers forced four takeaways in the win, limiting ASU to its fewest points in the series since 1993.
• The win was the fifth-straight for Memphis against the Red Wolves.
MEMPHIS OPENS SEASON WITH CONVINCING WIN OVER BETHUNE-COOKMAN
• The Tigers opened the 2023 season with a convincing, 56-14, win over Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 2 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
• Memphis' 42-point win was the largest margin of victory in a season-opening game since 2018 when the Tigers defeated Mercer, 66-14.
• Memphis' defense limited B-CU to just 91 total yards on the night – the first time the team allowed less than a 100 yards since SMU in 2015.
• With the victory over Bethune-Cookman, the Tigers are 1-0 all-time against the Wildcats. B-CU was only the second current SWAC team Memphis has played.
DOMINANT DEFENSIVE EFFORT
• The Tigers' defense was dominant in the team's season-opening, 56-14, victory over Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 2.
• The defense didn't allow any points, as the Wildcats tallied two defensive scores.
• Memphis' defense limited B-CU to just 91 total yards on the night – the first time the team allowed less than a 100 yards since SMU in 2015.
• The Tigers limited the Wildcats to just four first downs, 39 passing yards and 52 rushing yards on the night.
MORGAN EARNS AAC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
• Kicker Seth Morgan was named the AAC Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 4 following his great game against Bethune-Cookman.
• In his first game as a Tiger, the Sam Houston transfer was perfect in the team's 56-14, season-opening victory.
• The redshirt junior connected on both of his field goal attempts, 26 and 45 yards, as well as all six of his extra point attempts.
RUNNING WITH AUTHORITY
• In the team's season-opening win over Bethune-Cookman, the Memphis rushing attack was on display.
• Sophomore Sutton Smith ran for a game-high 115 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, while fifth-year Blake Watson had 10 rushes for 75 yards and three scores, all coming in the first half.
• Watson was the first Tiger RB to rush for three touchdowns in a half since Darrell Henderson in 2018 against UCF.
• On the game, Memphis rushed for 208 yards on 43 carries and five scores.
BOWL STREAK
• Memphis is one of nine teams in the FBS with nine or more consecutive bowl-game appearances along with Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and Mississippi State.
• In 2022, the Tigers defeated Utah State, 38-10, in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, improving the program's record to 7-8 in bowl games.
• The 2021 EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl was canceled due to COVID issues in the Hawai'i program last year and Memphis was named champions.
• Ryan Silverfield has led the program to bowl games in all three seasons as head coach and has been on staff for the past seven years, with Memphis earning bowl berths each season.
NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS IN MEMPHIS
• Memphis is 25-1 in the team's last 26 home games against non-conference opponents.
• Among the games during that stretch for the Tigers include victories over Mississippi State (2021), Ole Miss (2019, 2015), UCLA (2017) and Kansas (2016).
• The lone loss during that stretch came against UTSA, 31-28, on Sept. 25, 2021.
BEST AGAINST THE BEST
• Since 2015, Memphis has posted a record of 8-11 (.421) against top-25 ranked opponents.
• The eight victories are the most over that stretch for any non-Power 5 team in the country.
• Memphis' eight ranked wins since 2015 have come over No. 13/12 Ole Miss (2015), No. 18/21/20 Houston (2016), No. 25/RV UCLA (2017), No. 25/24 Navy (2017), No. 15/14 SMU (2019), No. 18/17/19 Cincinnati (2019), No. 21/21/20 Cincinnati (2019) and No. 23/24 SMU (2021).
HOME SEASON OPENER
• The Tigers opened the season at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium for the 12th time in the last 13 years against Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 2.
• 2022's season-opening game on the road at Mississippi State snapped an 11-season streak of opening the season in Memphis.
• The Tigers are 44-61-3 all-time in season-opening contests.
• Memphis has won 10-straight home openers and have posted a record of 54-49-5 all-time in home opening games.
SIVERFIELD STATS
• Head coach Ryan Silverfield totaled 21 wins through his first three seasons as head coach, tying him for second-most in program history.
• Silverfield is the only head coach in Memphis history with three bowl titles.
• Among head coaches hired in 2020, Silverfield is the only one with three bowl championships and his 21 wins through three seasons ranked fifth in that group.
Single-game tickets for the 2023 Memphis Football season are now available at GoTigersGo.com. Additionally, fans can also utilize a new ticket offering this season, allowing fans the choice of how to customize their gamedays at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
With the Flex Pack, fans can purchase six or more ticket vouchers starting at $99, and from there, can choose how they would like to allocate their vouchers. For example, one voucher could be used for each of Memphis' six home football games, two vouchers could be used to attend each of three games, four vouchers could be used for one game and two more for another, and so on.
The Memphis Football Flex Pack can be purchased online at THIS LINK or by calling the Memphis Ticket Office at (901) 678-2331.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Football, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
SETTING THE SCENE
• On Sept. 14, the Tigers moved to 3-0 on the season with a 28-24 victory over Navy at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
• The Tigers have received votes in every AFCA Coaches Poll this season.
• Memphis is one of nine teams in the FBS with nine or more consecutive bowl-game appearances along with Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and Mississippi State.
• Memphis has posted 81 victories since 2014, tying for 12th-most in the nation during that stretch.
• The 81 wins are the most among American Athletic Conference schools during that span.
• The Tigers have forced at least one turnover in 18 of their last 21 games, piling up 41 takeaways over that span.
SCOUTING MISSOURI
• Missouri moved to 3-0 on the season in dramatic fashion this past Saturday, defeating No. 15/15-ranked Kansas State, 30-27, on a 61-yard field goal as time expired.
• After the victory, the Tigers are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and AFCA Coaches polls.
• In 2022, Missouri posted a record of 6-7 overall, earning a berth to the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl where they fell to Wake Forest, 27-17.
• Prior to this season, Missouri was tabbed to finish sixth in the Eastern Division of the SEC in a preseason poll of the conference's media.
• The Tigers had five players named to the league's preseason team, led by offensive lineman Javon Foster, linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper and defensive back Kris Abrams-Draine who were placed on the second team.
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Saturday's game will mark the fifth meeting between Memphis and Missouri dating back to 1991.
• Overall, Missouri leads the series, 3-1, with Saturday's game being the first contest between the two programs in St. Louis.
• The Tigers' victory over Missouri came on Sept. 14, 1996 with Memphis coming away with a 19-16 decision in Columbia.
ONE OF THE ELITE PROGRAMS IN THE NATION
• Memphis has posted 81 victories since 2014, tying for 12th-most in the nation during that stretch.
• The 81 wins are the most among American Athletic Conference schools during that span.
• The Tigers also rank 16th in the country in winning percentage dating back to 2014 with their 81-38 (.681) mark.
• Memphis' streak of nine-straight seasons with a record of .500 or better is tied for the fourth-longest streak among Group of 5 and independent schools and is the longest such streak in the AAC.
FORCING TURNOVERS
• Dating back to the 2021 season, Memphis has forced at least one turnover in 18 of the last 21 games.
• Over that stretch, the Tigers have totaled 26 interceptions and 15 fumbles.
• Memphis has forced multiple turnovers in 13 of those 21 contests.
WATSON LEADS TIGERS TO FIFTH-STRAIGHT WIN OVER NAVY
• Running back Blake Watson stole the show for Memphis, rushing 10 times for 169 yards and a score, while also reeling in six catches for 68 yards in the team's 28-24 win over Navy on Sept. 14.
• The Old Dominion transfer came alive in the second half against the Midshipmen, piling up 146 rushing yards, including a pair of 69-yard rushes.
• For his effort against the Midshipmen, Watson was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll.
MARTIN MAKING AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT
• Linebacker Chandler Martin has made an immediate impact for the Tigers after transferrring from East Tennessee State.
• Martin leads Memphis with 20 tackles and is tied for the team lead with 2.5 tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
MEMPHIS IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
• Entering Saturday's game, the Tigers rank in the top-25 nationally in 21 statistical categories.
• Memphis leads or is tied for the national lead in six categories - passing yards allowed (112.7), fumbles recovered (5), fourth down conversion percentage (1.000), winning percentage (1.000), blocked kicks allowed (0) and blocked punts allowed (0).
• As a team, the Tigers are ranked 15th in fewest penalties (11), fewest penalties per game (3.67) and time of possession (33:09).
• Defensively, Memphis is ranked second in the country in team passing efficiency defense (85.52), seventh in fourth down conversion percentage defense (.167), first downs defense (41) and total defense (245.7), ninth in red zone defense (.571), 10th in third down conversion percentage defense (.267), 11th in turnovers gained (7), 13th in defensive touchdowns (1) and 22nd in scoring defense (13.7) and team tackles for loss (7.3).
• Offensively, the team is ranked 20th in scoring offense (40.3) and 22nd in completion percentage (.706).
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
• The Tigers (53) ranks fourth in the country in home wins since 2014, trailing only Clemson (61), Alabama (60) and Ohio State (57).
• Memphis has had a great home field advantage at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, posting a record of 43-7 (.860) since head coach Ryan Silverfield joined the staff in 2016.
• As head coach, Silverfield is 18-4 (.818) at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
TIGERS TAKE DOWN ARKANSAS STATE, 37-3
• Memphis defeated Arkansas State in Jonesboro on Sept. 9, 37-3, thanks to a stellar defensive effort.
• The Tigers forced four takeaways in the win, limiting ASU to its fewest points in the series since 1993.
• The win was the fifth-straight for Memphis against the Red Wolves.
MEMPHIS OPENS SEASON WITH CONVINCING WIN OVER BETHUNE-COOKMAN
• The Tigers opened the 2023 season with a convincing, 56-14, win over Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 2 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
• Memphis' 42-point win was the largest margin of victory in a season-opening game since 2018 when the Tigers defeated Mercer, 66-14.
• Memphis' defense limited B-CU to just 91 total yards on the night – the first time the team allowed less than a 100 yards since SMU in 2015.
• With the victory over Bethune-Cookman, the Tigers are 1-0 all-time against the Wildcats. B-CU was only the second current SWAC team Memphis has played.
DOMINANT DEFENSIVE EFFORT
• The Tigers' defense was dominant in the team's season-opening, 56-14, victory over Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 2.
• The defense didn't allow any points, as the Wildcats tallied two defensive scores.
• Memphis' defense limited B-CU to just 91 total yards on the night – the first time the team allowed less than a 100 yards since SMU in 2015.
• The Tigers limited the Wildcats to just four first downs, 39 passing yards and 52 rushing yards on the night.
MORGAN EARNS AAC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
• Kicker Seth Morgan was named the AAC Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 4 following his great game against Bethune-Cookman.
• In his first game as a Tiger, the Sam Houston transfer was perfect in the team's 56-14, season-opening victory.
• The redshirt junior connected on both of his field goal attempts, 26 and 45 yards, as well as all six of his extra point attempts.
RUNNING WITH AUTHORITY
• In the team's season-opening win over Bethune-Cookman, the Memphis rushing attack was on display.
• Sophomore Sutton Smith ran for a game-high 115 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, while fifth-year Blake Watson had 10 rushes for 75 yards and three scores, all coming in the first half.
• Watson was the first Tiger RB to rush for three touchdowns in a half since Darrell Henderson in 2018 against UCF.
• On the game, Memphis rushed for 208 yards on 43 carries and five scores.
BOWL STREAK
• Memphis is one of nine teams in the FBS with nine or more consecutive bowl-game appearances along with Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and Mississippi State.
• In 2022, the Tigers defeated Utah State, 38-10, in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, improving the program's record to 7-8 in bowl games.
• The 2021 EasyPost Hawai'i Bowl was canceled due to COVID issues in the Hawai'i program last year and Memphis was named champions.
• Ryan Silverfield has led the program to bowl games in all three seasons as head coach and has been on staff for the past seven years, with Memphis earning bowl berths each season.
NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS IN MEMPHIS
• Memphis is 25-1 in the team's last 26 home games against non-conference opponents.
• Among the games during that stretch for the Tigers include victories over Mississippi State (2021), Ole Miss (2019, 2015), UCLA (2017) and Kansas (2016).
• The lone loss during that stretch came against UTSA, 31-28, on Sept. 25, 2021.
BEST AGAINST THE BEST
• Since 2015, Memphis has posted a record of 8-11 (.421) against top-25 ranked opponents.
• The eight victories are the most over that stretch for any non-Power 5 team in the country.
• Memphis' eight ranked wins since 2015 have come over No. 13/12 Ole Miss (2015), No. 18/21/20 Houston (2016), No. 25/RV UCLA (2017), No. 25/24 Navy (2017), No. 15/14 SMU (2019), No. 18/17/19 Cincinnati (2019), No. 21/21/20 Cincinnati (2019) and No. 23/24 SMU (2021).
HOME SEASON OPENER
• The Tigers opened the season at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium for the 12th time in the last 13 years against Bethune-Cookman on Sept. 2.
• 2022's season-opening game on the road at Mississippi State snapped an 11-season streak of opening the season in Memphis.
• The Tigers are 44-61-3 all-time in season-opening contests.
• Memphis has won 10-straight home openers and have posted a record of 54-49-5 all-time in home opening games.
SIVERFIELD STATS
• Head coach Ryan Silverfield totaled 21 wins through his first three seasons as head coach, tying him for second-most in program history.
• Silverfield is the only head coach in Memphis history with three bowl titles.
• Among head coaches hired in 2020, Silverfield is the only one with three bowl championships and his 21 wins through three seasons ranked fifth in that group.
Single-game tickets for the 2023 Memphis Football season are now available at GoTigersGo.com. Additionally, fans can also utilize a new ticket offering this season, allowing fans the choice of how to customize their gamedays at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
With the Flex Pack, fans can purchase six or more ticket vouchers starting at $99, and from there, can choose how they would like to allocate their vouchers. For example, one voucher could be used for each of Memphis' six home football games, two vouchers could be used to attend each of three games, four vouchers could be used for one game and two more for another, and so on.
The Memphis Football Flex Pack can be purchased online at THIS LINK or by calling the Memphis Ticket Office at (901) 678-2331.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Football, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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