After Memphis football beat Arkansas State on Sept. 5, Charles Huff wanted to talk about the Tigers' fans.
"To the city of Memphis: Thank you," Huff said after the 42-24 win. "Thank you for showing the world what Memphis is really about. Thank you for selling out the stadium. Thank you for staying the whole game. Thank you for believing in this administration, this team and these players. Thank you. Again, we got another opportunity to show the world who Memphis really is, and we did it. In a positive light."
The Tigers (2-0) announced a sellout crowd of 45,632 for the game at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. It was the home opener and the first game after the $226.5 million stadium renovations were completed, so Memphis went all out during the week
to pack it with fans for the game.
It helped that the Tigers announced themselves nationally with their Week 0 win at UNLV, and that drove plenty of interest in the city. It also meant they spent the week preparing for Arkansas State (0-1) while they got talked about across the country.
"I thought they managed the outside noise and the pats on the back the right way," Huff said. "We talked about it. It's good to receive the acknowledgement. But it shouldn't change your goals or how you work. We talked about for them in life. You may get a raise on your job, but that doesn't mean you come to work the next day late."
There were some growing pains with the renovated stadium in terms of parking and concessions, among other things. Huff apologized for that after the game and promised Memphis would get it fixed moving forward.
"We will fix it. We apologize for any inconvenience in parking, any inconvenience in concessions, any inconvenience in anything," Huff said. "We apologize. I promise you we'll get it fixed."
On the field, Arkansas State played Memphis close in the first half. But the Tigers took control in the final 30 minutes thanks to a 183-yard, four-touchdown performance by running back Jaylin Carter.
The majority of Memphis' players got to take the field for a game at home for the first time. So did Huff.
"It was a good moment," Huff said about running out of the tunnel for the first time. "And then I was like, 'I better win, or this is going to be a really rough day.' "
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What Charles Huff said about Memphis fans after win over Arkansas State
