NEW ORLEANS — Ryan Silverfield jogged toward midfield, ready to shake Tulane coach Jon Sumrall’s hand.
But he was interrupted. First, there was a Gatorade bath.
It wasn’t a conference title and it wasn’t a College Football Playoff berth, but Silverfield’s Tigers had just dispatched No. 17 Tulane 34-24 on the road in a showcase game on Thanksgiving. The temperature was dropping at Yulman Stadium, and Silverfield couldn’t care less.
“I’m cold right now,” he said at his postgame news conference, “But man, I’ll take a hundred of ’em.”
The Tigers had come in as 13.5-point underdogs, the first time in more than a decade that had happened. The last time Memphis was that big of an underdog in a conference game, quarterback Seth Henigan and running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. were in elementary school.
When Henigan hit Desrosiers for an opening-drive touchdown, though, Memphis announced that this wasn’t going to be a cakewalk for the Green Wave.
Sumrall’s team woke up on Thanksgiving morning with everything to play for. A win would guaranteed a home game against Army for the AAC title on Dec. 6 and mean the College Football Playoff was still a very real possibility.
The Tigers woke up on Thanksgiving morning knowing they had thrown away those opportunities in Annapolis and San Antonio and had little to play for other than to spoil the party that was bound to kick off a few miles from Bourbon Street.
“We didn’t do what we were supposed to in two games,” Silverfield said. “I wish we could have them back, but that’s college football. So I can’t sit there and harp on them. We’re going to learn from them, we’re going to grow from them. Hopefully we did. I think you got to see the Memphis football team that we were capable of the last few games.”
The Tigers didn’t just beat Tulane. They dominated, winning the turnover battle 3-0, running wild against Tulane’s defense and completely shutting down star running back Makhi Hughes, who entered Thursday as the No. 9 rusher in the country but had easily the worst game of his career (nine carries, 15 yards).
Desrosiers was outstanding in a true breakout game. He started the season buried on the running back depth chart and then missed five games with a clavicle injury, but he was the best player on the field for most of Thursday. He elevated over Tulane linebacker Tyler Grubbs for the first touchdown, ran past basically the entire defense for the second and third, then punctuated his performance with a ridiculous juke move that left Grubbs rooted to the ground in the fourth quarter.
“This was our championship game,” Desrosiers said, repeating a sentiment teams often use as motivation when they play Memphis.
But Memphis was the hunter and not the hunted on this night in New Orleans. Tulane built momentum, but safety Kourtlan Marsh came up with two forced fumbles after long pass plays that halted any real attempt at a comeback in the second half. When Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah’s pass was intercepted by Davion Ross near the goal line midway through the fourth quarter, he knelt and put his head in his hands, staring down at the turf while Memphis’ sideline bounced in jubilation.
So, how will Memphis’ season be remembered?
“10-2, that’s got to be a pretty good standard to be at,” Henigan said. “Obviously you want to be a championship contender, in the championship game every single year, so that was disappointing. But if you win 10 games, that’s a pretty successful season. And the opportunity to go win 11. That’s all we can do, is win another game, so that’s our goal. People will remember it however they want to remember it, as a failure, as a success, but I feel like, in our locker room, you’ve got to walk away knowing that you did your best and we had a successful season.”
The Tigers will have to wait a week and a half to learn their bowl destination and opponent. In that time, Tulane will regroup and get ready to play for an AAC title game. As for the Group of Five slot for the College Football Playoff, Boise State and UNLV, the top two teams in the Mountain West, likely have the best chances.
Memphis started the season with a stated goal to make the AAC title game. The Tigers didn’t get there, but they showed everybody on Thursday that they absolutely might be the best team in the conference.
“All season, we faced adversity,” Silverfield said. “But adversity is what allows you to grow. On a day like Thanksgiving, you talk about being grateful, and you talk about being thankful for all the things. Well, most people are going to tell you, ‘I’m thankful for my family. I’m thankful for my health and I’m thankful for the opportunity to go play on national television.’ Well, I’m thankful for all the adversity that we faced all season.”
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football ends regular season with bittersweet win over Tulane
