Memphis football, somehow, is already a third of the way through its regular season.
The 2026 season has been a sprint so far — there was the upset win at UNLV in the season opener, the emotional home opener in the renovated Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium against Arkansas State, a crushing loss at Boise State and Sept. 19's win over UT Martin.
It means, as Memphis (3-1) heads into its open week, that the Tigers' coaches have a lot to sink their teeth into before American Conference play starts on Oct. 3 at Charlotte.
Memphis' offense has undoubtedly been up and down over those first four games. New quarterback Marcus Stokes is playing at the FBS level for the first time after starting his career at West Florida, and he already looks more comfortable
in the offense than he did in the season opener.
"We're 3-1 with a brand-new team," Stokes said. "Obviously, yes, we did lose a game. But I think that says a lot about our team and how we're able to even get connected with the short amount of time that we've had with each other."
Offensive coordinator Kevin Decker's scheme leans heavily on the run game, and that was apparent in Memphis' first two games. Running back Jaylin Carter looked like a superstar and entered the game against UT Martin as the nation's leading rusher (though it's worth noting that the Tigers had played one game more than most teams).
But Boise State saw that, too. And the Broncos loaded up against the run game, forcing Memphis to almost exclusively rely on deep balls. Stokes threw for a career-high 384 yards, but the Tigers struggled to sustain drives and lost 38-20. While most of Memphis' opponents won't have the athletes to shut down the running game the way the Broncos did, there's no doubt that coaches in the American will be focused on trying to do just that.
Against UT Martin, Memphis had 12 receivers make at least one catch. Stokes — who was replaced by Air Noland in the third quarter when the game was out of reach for the Skyhawks — was 26 of 32 for 258 yards and four touchdowns.
Huff said he challenged Stokes to avoid turnovers, and he did that in the game, turning in an efficient stat line in a straightforward win.
"I think what you saw today was the flexibility in the offense," Huff said. "I think what you saw today was Marcus getting more comfortable in the system. I think what you saw today was the receivers getting more comfortable. Because a lot of what we do, the receiver and the quarterbacks have to be on the same page with what they're seeing. It works with timing. So it was good to have that timing today. It was good to have the flexibility today."
Memphis now has a week to reset and evaluate film from the first four games. The emphasis on the offense will be on building consistency moving forward, but the Tigers have shown flashes of a dynamic passing attack as they prepare for conference play.
"We're hungry for success," Stokes said. "We're hungry for success. I want y'all to know that."
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What we know about Marcus Stokes, Memphis football passing offense after 4 games
