The Memphis Tigers had it all — an undefeated record, the longest win streak in the country, and a clear path to an elusive College Football Playoff appearance. Then, one of the most stunning results of the college football season deterred the Tigers’ trajectory. As 23.5-point favorites, they were upended by UAB on a crunch-time goal line standing in a loss that could break an entire season.
Facing No. 18 South Florida at home, Memphis ensured the bounce-back would be stronger than the setback. The
Tigers not only showed resolve by storming back from the UAB loss; they showed perseverance in-game, storming back from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to knock off South Florida, 34-31. It marked the third ranked win of the Ryan Silverfield era, as the Tigers took down No. 23 SMU in 2021 and No. 18 Tulane in 2024 while sitting outside the AP Top 25.
Memphis officially won the game on a missed 52-yard field goal by South Florida kicker Nico Gramatica — who hit a clutch game-winner to beat Florida in Week 2. In a disastrous late-game scenario for the Bulls, a holding penalty was called on Byrum Brown’s throwaway shot with 10 seconds left, setting them back from the Memphis 24 to the Memphis 34-yard line — amplifying the difficulty of Gramatica’s field goal, which flew left of the uprights.
Prior to that late-game sequence, Memphis overcame a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to secure the statement win. The Tigers’ offense benefited from the return of starting quarterback Brendon Lewis, who returned after suffering a lower-body injury in the third quarter in last week’s UAB loss. Lewis fired for 307 yards and two touchdowns and surprisingly tied for the team-lead in rushing with 35 yards despite his limited mobility. The veteran quarterback guided three separate fourth quarter scoring drives to lead Memphis to a 17-0 showing in the final frame.
Running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. sprinted in a 13-yard touchdown with roughly 13 minutes remaining to trim a 31-17 deficit to 31-23. The ensuing Memphis drive wasn’t as fortunate as the Tigers were limited to a 28-yard chip shot field goal by Gianni Spetic, who finished 2-of-3 on the day with a 55-yard bomb in the third quarter. Then after forcing a second-straight USF punt from midfield, Lewis guided an 11-play, 70-yard drive to recover Memphis’ season. With 1:10 remaining, he hit fellow Nevada transfer Cortez Braham Jr. for a contested 10-yard grab in the end zone. Braham’s seventh touchdown of the year and second of the game lifted Memphis to a 32-31 lead, but the Tigers gained extra security when Lewis ran in the 2-point try on a Superman-esque dive — reaching the ball past the goal line for a 3-point cushion.
The 14-point fourth quarter rally marked Memphis’ second comeback of the year from 14+ down as the Tigers also registered an 18-point comeback to upend Arkansas in the same venue five weeks prior. Memphis initiated the game with a 7-0 lead courtesy of an Everett Roussaw Jr. interception on the fourth play of the game. Frank Peasant ran in the first touchdown, but South Florida responded with three-straight. Dual-threat quarterback Byrum Brown accounted for 269 passing yards and 121 rushing yards (his third game over 100 in his last four starts), recording impressive scampers from 3 yards out and 44 yards out to concoct a 21-7 advantage.
A Lewis-to-Braham touchdown sliced the deficit prior to halftime, but South Florida reclaimed a 14-point advantage on a 73-yard breakaway run from running back Sam Franklin immediately following a missed Memphis field goal. Franklin posted 81 rushing yards as the Bulls out-gained a usually dominant Memphis rushing attack 295-129 on the ground.
Memphis countered with a viable passing game and a turnover-free performance to generate the crunch time victory. The Tigers defeated South Florida for the fifth-straight meeting dating back to 2019. Memphis now rides a 12-game win streak at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, collecting a ranked victory to reignite the College Football Playoff conversations.
South Florida (6-2, 3-1 American) drops its first conference game of the year in heartbreaking fashion. The Bulls no longer control their own destiny for their first American title and will need help in a crowded title race which features Navy and Tulane — which wield undefeated conference records — as well as Memphis which owns a critical tiebreaker.
Memphis (7-1, 3-1 American) in all likelihood secured its 12th-straight winning season dating back to the dawn of the College Football Playoff era in 2014. The Tigers remain in the thick of the race for their first American championship appearance since 2019. They showed tremendous resiliency Saturday, overcoming the unthinkable UAB defeat and a 14-point deficit to record a ranked upset for the second-straight season.
