American college football season
The 2021 Memphis Tigers football team represented the University of Memphis in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The Tigers played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee , and competed in the American Athletic Conference . They were led by second-year head coach Ryan Silverfield .
The Tigers finished the regular season with a 6–6 record and were due to face the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors in the Hawaii Bowl . However, due to a COVID-19 outbreak, season-ending injuries, and transfers, the Rainbow Warriors were forced to withdraw the day before the game, leaving the Tigers without a bowl game.[1]
Preseason [ edit ] American Athletic Conference preseason media poll [ edit ] The American Athletic Conference preseason media poll was released at the virtual media day held August 4, 2021.[2] Cincinnati , who finished the 2020 season ranked No. 8 nationally, was tabbed as the preseason favorite in the 2021 preseason media poll.
Media poll Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place) 1 Cincinnati 262 (22) 2 UCF 241 (2) 3 SMU 188 4 Houston 181 5 Memphis 168 6 Tulsa 153 7 Tulane 132 т-8 East Carolina 85 т-8 Navy 85 10 Temple 46 11 South Florida 43
Schedule [ edit ] Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance September 4 6:00 p.m. No. 22 (FCS ) Nicholls * ESPN+ W 42–1730,263 September 11 6:00 p.m. at Arkansas State * ESPN+ W 55–5019,501 September 18 3:00 p.m. Mississippi State * Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN ESPN2 W 31–2943,461 September 25 2:30 p.m. UTSA * Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN ESPNU L 28–3129,264 October 2 11:00 a.m. at Temple ESPNU L 31–3428,573 October 9 8:00 p.m. at Tulsa ESPN2 L 29–3517,593 6:30 p.m. Navy Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN ESPN W 35–1730,042 6:00 p.m. at UCF ESPN2 L 7–2439,328 November 6 11:00 a.m. SMU Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN ESPNU W 28–2530,191 November 13 11:00 a.m. East Carolina Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN ESPN+ L 29–30 OT 28,431 8:00 p.m. at No. 24 Houston ESPN2 L 13–3128,712 November 27 6:30 p.m. Tulane Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN ESPNU W 33–2827,416 8:00 p.m. at Hawaii * ESPN Canceled A _
^ Hawaii was forced to withdraw due to COVID-19 and other related issues within the team. The game was canceled shortly after.[3] [4]
Game summaries [ edit ] Nicholls [ edit ] Nicholls at Memphis 1 2 3 4 Total No. 22 (FCS ) Colonels 7 0 7 3 17 • Tigers 10 19 6 7 42
Scoring summary 1 09:13 NICH K.J. Franklin 10-yard pass from Lindsey Scott Jr. (Gavin Lasseigne kick)(11 plays, 75 yards, 5:47) NICH 7–0 06:11 MEM Joe Doyle 26-yard field goal(10 plays, 57 yards, 2:56) NICH 7–3 01:38 MEM Rodrigues Clark 13-yard rush (Joe Doyle kick)(12 plays, 72 yards, 3:45) MEM 7–10 2 12:29 MEM Brandon Thomas 10-yard rush (Joe Doyle kick)(5 plays, 69 yards, 1:32) MEM 7–17 07:19 MEM Joe Doyle 33-yard field goal(10 plays, 60 yards, 3:27) MEM 7–20 02:15 MEM Marquavius Weaver 1-yard rush (two-point conversion rush attempt failed)(8 plays, 78 yards, 2:17) MEM 7–26 00:13 MEM Joe Doyle 24-yard field goal(11 plays, 54 yards, 1:31) MEM 7–29 3 11:46 MEM Joe Doyle 38-yard field goal(8 plays, 54 yards, 3:11) MEM 7–32 06:54 NICH Lindsey Scott Jr. 5-yard rush (Gavin Lasseigne kick)(10 plays, 75 yards, 4:47) MEM 14–32 03:41 MEM Joe Doyle 25-yard field goal(8 plays, 61 yards, 3:05) MEM 14–35 4 12:53 MEM Calvin Austin III 11-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 3:20) MEM 14–42 09:20 NICH Gavin Lasseigne 35-yard field goal(9 plays, 56 yards, 3:33) MEM 17–42
Pregame line Over/under MEM –22.5 68
Statistics Nicholls Memphis First downs 17 32 Total yards 299 587 Rushing yards 100 322 Passing yards 199 265 Turnovers 1 0 Time of possession 28:45 31:15
Team Category Player Statistics Nicholls Passing Lindsey Scott Jr. 17/30, 194 yards, 1 TD Rushing Julien Gums 13 carries, 48 yards Receiving Dai'Jean Dixon 7 receptions, 107 yards Memphis Passing Seth Henigan 19/32, 265 yards, 1 TD Rushing Brandon Thomas 16 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD Receiving Javon Ivory 5 receptions, 106 yards
At Arkansas State [ edit ] Memphis at Arkansas State 1 2 3 4 Total • Tigers 20 14 7 14 55 Red Wolves 10 13 7 20 50
Date: September 11, 2021Location: Centennial Bank Stadium Jonesboro, AR Game start: 6:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 47 minutesGame attendance: 19,501Game weather: 86 °F (30 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SW 10 MPH Referee: Luke RichmondTV announcers (ESPN+ ): Brad Bobo (play–by–play), Pete Cordelli (analyst), and Cori Keller (sideline reporter) Scoring summary 1 13:20 MEM Calvin Austin III 55-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(6 plays, 75 yards, 1:40) MEM 7–0 06:11 MEM Sean Dykes 17-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle PAT failed)(12 plays, 92 yards, 3:10) MEM 13–0 04:30 ARST Te'Vailance Hunt 53-yard pass from Layne Hatcher (Blake Grupe kick)(4 plays, 68 yards, 1:34) MEM 13–7 04:05 MEM Brandon Thomas 70-yard rush (Joe Doyle kick)(2 plays, 75 yards, 0:25) MEM 20–7 02:02 ARST Blake Grupe 48-yard field goal(4 plays, 1 yard, 1:19) MEM 20–10 2 07:48 ARST Blake Grupe 37-yard field goal(6 plays, 17 yards, 3:03) MEM 20–13 05:09 MEM Sean Dykes 40-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(1 play, 45 yards, 0:14) MEM 27–13 01:30 ARST Layne Hatcher 12-yard rush (Blake Grupe kick)(10 plays, 75 yards, 3:39) MEM 27–20 01:20 MEM Brandon Thomas 75-yard rush (Joe Doyle kick)(1 play, 75 yards, 0:06) MEM 34–20 00:00 ARST Blake Grupe 34-yard field goal(10 plays, 60 yards, 1:15) MEM 34–23 3 08:43 MEM Calvin Austin III 50-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(4 plays, 63 yards, 1:19) MEM 41–23 01:09 ARST Corey Rucker 23-yard pass from James Blackman (Blake Grupe kick)(4 plays, 79 yards, 1:23) MEM 41–30 4 11:47 MEM Marquavius Weaver 4-yard rush (Joe Doyle kick)(11 plays, 72 yards, 4:13) MEM 48–30 10:54 ARST Jeff Foreman 89-yard pass from James Blackman (two-point pass conversion attempt failed)(2 plays, 91 yards, 0:47) MEM 48–36 10:39 MEM Calvin Austin III 75-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(2 plays, 75 yards, 0:15) MEM 55–36 05:01 ARST Adam Jones 1-yard pass from James Blackman (Blake Grupe kick)(15 plays, 73 yards, 5:47) MEM 55–43 01:52 ARST Akeem Hayes 5-yard pass James Blackman (Blake Grupe kick)(10 plays, 87 yards, 1:56) MEM 55–50
Pregame line Over/under MEM –5.5 65
Statistics Memphis Arkansas State First downs 24 35 Total yards 680 680 Rushing yards 263 98 Passing yards 417 582 Turnovers 2 0 Time of possession 24:04 35:56
Team Category Player Statistics Memphis Passing Seth Henigan 22/33, 417 yards, 5 TDs Rushing Brandon Thomas 18 carries, 191 yards, 2 TDs Receiving Calvin Austin 6 receptions, 239 yards, 3 TDs Arkansas State Passing James Blackman 19/28, 306 yards, 4 TDs Rushing Lincoln Pare 6 carries, 36 yards Receiving Jeff Foreman 8 receptions, 198 yards, 1 TD
Mississippi State [ edit ] Mississippi State at Memphis 1 2 3 4 Total Bulldogs 3 14 0 12 29 • Tigers 7 0 7 17 31
Scoring summary 1 12:02 MEM Sanchez Blake Jr. 49-yard fumble returned (Joe Doyle kick)(5 plays, 21 yards, 2:58) MEM 7–0 03:20 MSST Nolan McCord 39-yard field goal(17 plays, 54 yards, 8:42) MEM 7–3 2 09:58 MSST Dillon Johnson 3-yard rush (Nolan McCord kick)(10 plays, 75 yards, 4:28) MSST 10–7 05:07 MSST Jaden Walley 6-yard pass from Will Rogers (Nolan McCord kick)(9 plays, 81 yards, 3:41) MSST 17–7 3 06:20 MEM Calvin Austin III 21-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(12 plays, 98 yards, 4:59) MSST 17–14 4 07:48 MEM Calvin Austin III 25-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(4 plays, 36 yards, 1:18) MEM 21–17 05:36 MEM Calvin Austin III 94-yard punt return (Joe Doyle kick)(5 plays, 22 yards, 2:12) MEM 28–17 03:03 MSST Malik Heath 9-yard pass from Will Rogers (two-point pass conversion attempt failed)(6 plays, 57 yards, 2:33) MEM 28–23 02:02 MEM Joe Doyle 51-yard field goal(4 plays, 4 yards, 1:01) MEM 31–23 01:32 MSST Makai Polk 36-yard pass from Will Rogers(2 plays, 65 yards, 0:30) MEM 31–29
Pregame line Over/under MSST –3.0 64
Statistics Mississippi State Memphis First downs 26 12 Total yards 468 246 Rushing yards 49 87 Passing yards 419 159 Turnovers 0 1 Time of possession 37:30 32:13
Team Category Player Statistics Mississippi State Passing Will Rogers 50/67, 419 yards, 3 TDs Rushing Dillon Johnson 7 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD Receiving Makai Polk 11 receptions, 136 yards, 1 TD Memphis Passing Seth Henigan 16/28, 159 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT Rushing Brandon Thomas 16 carries, 83 yards Receiving Calvin Austin 9 receptions, 105 yards, 2 TDs
UTSA at Memphis 1 2 3 4 Total • Roadrunners 0 7 7 17 31 RV Tigers 21 0 7 0 28
Scoring summary 1 13:24 MEM Wardalis Ducksworth 0-yard fumble returned (Joe Doyle kick)(1 play, -28 yards, 0:22) MEM 7–0 09:23 MEM Rodriguez Clark 7-yard rush (Joe Doyle kick)(8 plays, 62 yards, 3:20) MEM 14–0 06:22 MEM Calvin Austin III 60-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(5 plays, 81 yards, 1:32) MEM 21–0 2 09:54 UTSA Sincere McCormick 12-yard rush (Hunter Duplessis kick)(12 plays, 87 yards, 4:56) MEM 21–7 3 05:25 UTSA Sincere McCormick 8-yard rush (Hunter Duplessis kick)(11 plays, 66 yards, 3:19) MEM 21–14 02:44 MEM Brandon Thomas 1-yard rush (Joe Doyle kick)(7 plays, 73 yards, 2:36) MEM 28–14 4 13:35 UTSA Zakhari Franklin 7-yard pass from Frank Harris (Hunter Duplessis kick)(9 plays, 75 yards, 4:09) MEM 28–21 10:30 UTSA Sincere McCormick 1-yard rush (Hunter Duplessis kick)(4 plays, 7 yards, 1:32) TIE 28–28 00:00 UTSA Hunter Duplessis 42-yard field goal(9 plays, 47 yards, 2:46) UTSA 31–28
Pregame line Over/under MEM –3.0 67
Statistics UTSA Memphis First downs 25 16 Total yards 399 407 Rushing yards 205 78 Passing yards 194 329 Turnovers 1 2 Time of possession 35:42
Team Category Player Statistics UTSA Passing Frank Harris 18/28, 186 yards, 1 TD Rushing Sincere McCormick 42 carries, 184 yards, 3 TD Receiving Joshua Cephus 6 receptions, 82 yards Memphis Passing Seth Henigan 15/25, 329 yards, 1 TD Rushing Brandon Thomas 20 carries, 73 yards, 1 TD Receiving Sean Dykes 6 receptions, 167 yards
At Temple [ edit ] Memphis at Temple 1 2 3 4 Total Tigers 3 14 6 8 31 • Owls 0 17 7 10 34
Date: October 2, 2021Location: Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA Game start: 11:00 a.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutesGame attendance: 28,573Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SW 12 MPH Referee: Hank JohnsTV announcers (ESPNU ):
Statistics Memphis Temple First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics Memphis Passing Rushing Receiving Temple Passing Rushing Receiving
At Tulsa [ edit ] Memphis at Tulsa 1 2 3 4 Total Tigers 0 13 0 16 29 • Golden Hurricane 7 7 7 14 35
Statistics Memphis Tulsa First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics Memphis Passing Rushing Receiving Tulsa Passing Rushing Receiving
Navy at Memphis 1 2 3 4 Total Midshipmen 7 3 7 0 17 • Tigers 14 14 7 0 35
Date: October 14, 2021Location: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN Game start: 6:30 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hoursGame attendance: 30,042Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: S 8 MPHReferee: Edwin LeeTV announcers (ESPN ): Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) & Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline) Scoring summary 1 12:10 MEM Sean Dykes 3-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(7 plays, 75 yards, 2:50) MEM 7–0 0:20 NAVY James Harris II 2-yard run (Bijan Nichols kick)(21 plays, 75 yards, 11:50) TIE 7–7 0:00 MEM Calvin Austin III 69-yard run (Joe Doyle kick)(1 play, 69 yards, 0:20) MEM 14–7 2 8:21 NAVY Bijan Nichols 36-yard field goal(5 plays, 6 yards, 2:11) MEM 14–10 7:30 MEM Eddie Lewis 74-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(3 plays, 86 yards, 0:51) MEM 21–10 0:40 MEM Brandon Thomas 3-yard run (Joe Doyle kick)(12 plays, 63 yards, 4:21) MEM 28–10 3 8:09 NAVY Mychal Copper 21-yard pass from Tai Lavatai (Bijan Nichols kick)(14 plays, 75 yards, 6:51) MEM 28–17 6:07 MEM Marquavius Weaver 4-yard run (Joe Doyle kick)(5 plays, 72 yards, 2:02) MEM 35–17 4 No scoring plays
Pregame line Over/Under MEMPHIS –11.0 56
Statistics Navy Memphis First downs 17 15 Total yards 241 415 Rushing yards 198 200 Passing yards 43 215 Turnovers 0 1 Time of possession 39:19 20:41
Team Category Player Statistics Navy Passing Tai Lavatai 3/4, 27 yards, TD Rushing Isaac Ruoss 18 carries, 75 yards Receiving Mychal Copper 1 reception, 21 yards, TD Memphis Passing Seth Henigan 8/12, 215 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Calvin Austin III 1 carry, 69 yards, TD Receiving Eddie Lewis 3 receptions, 92 yards, TD
Memphis at Central Florida 1 2 3 4 Total Tigers 0 7 0 0 7 • Knights 14 0 7 3 24
Date: October 22, 2021Location: Bounce House Orlando, FL Game start: 6:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: Game attendance: Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBDReferee: TV announcers (ESPN2):
Statistics Memphis UCF First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics Memphis Passing Rushing Receiving UCF Passing Rushing Receiving
Southern Methodist at Memphis 1 2 3 4 Total Mustangs 0 10 0 15 25 • Tigers 0 7 14 7 28
Date: November 6, 2021Location: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN Game start: 11:00 a.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3:14Game attendance: 30,191Game weather: Temperature: 54 °F (12 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: 0 MPH Referee: Luke RichmondTV announcers (ESPNU): John Schriffen (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst) Scoring summary 2 1:57 SMU Danny Gray 48-yard pass from Tanner Mordecai (Blake Mazza kick)(6 plays, 80 yards, 2:25) SMU 7–0 0:16 MEM Eddie Lewis 2-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(8 plays, 75 yards, 1:41) TIE 7–7 0:00 SMU Blake Mazza 47-yard field goal(2 plays, 26 yards, 0:00) SMU 10–7 3 8:47 MEM Asa Martin 1-yard run (Joe Doyle kick)(5 plays, 41 yards, 2:33) MEM 14–10 2:41 MEM Javon Ivory 27-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(11 plays, 90 yards, 2:53) MEM 21–10 4 11:01 MEM Sean Dykes 40-yard pass from Seth Henigan (Joe Doyle kick)(9 plays, 71 yards, 5:15) MEM 28–10 8:36 SMU Danny Gray 27-yard pass from Tanner Mordecai (Tanner Mordecai pass to Rashee Rice)(8 plays, 66 yards, 2:18) MEM 28–18 5:53 SMU Tyler Levine 1-yard run (Blake Mazza kick)(5 plays, 32 yards, 1:19) MEM 28–25
Pregame line Over/under SMU –3.5 72
Statistics SMU Memphis First downs 16 25 Total yards 323 468 Rushing yards 61 36 Passing yards 262 432 Turnovers 3 1 Time of possession 23:05 36:55
Team Category Player Statistics SMU Passing Tanner Mordecai 19/28, 262 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Tre Siggers 12 rushes, 53 yards Receiving Danny Gray 4 receptions, 98 yards, 2 TD Memphis Passing Seth Henigan 34/53, 392 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Marquavius Weaver 10 rushes, 17 yards Receiving Calvin Austin 8 receptions, 88 yards
East Carolina [ edit ] East Carolina at Memphis 1 2 Total Pirates 0 Tigers 0
Date: November 13, 2021Location: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN Game start: TBD CST Elapsed time: Game attendance: Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBDReferee: TV announcers (ESPN+): Richard Cross, Brandon Weeden
Statistics East Carolina Memphis First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics East Carolina Passing Rushing Receiving Memphis Passing Rushing Receiving
At No. 24 Houston [ edit ] Memphis at Houston 1 2 3 4 Total Tigers 0 3 7 3 13 • No. 24 Cougars 0 21 0 10 31
Date: November 19, 2021Location: TDECU Stadium Houston, TX Game start: 8:00 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 40 minutesGame attendance: 28,712Game weather: • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: SE 4 MPHReferee: Hank JohnsTV announcers (ESPN2): Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (sideline) Scoring summary 2 14:03 HOU Alton McCaskill 36-yard run (Dalton Witherspoon kick)(1 play, 36 yards, 0:15) HOU 7–0 5:40 HOU Tank Dell 19-yard pass from Clayton Tune (Dalton Witherspoon kick)(11 plays, 93 yards, 4:36) HOU 14–0 2:55 MEM David Kemp 28-yard field goal(9 plays, 65 yards, 2:45) HOU 14–3 0:53 HOU Clayton Tune 20-yard run (Dalton Witherspoon kick)(6 plays, 63 yards, 2:02) HOU 21–3 3 4:31 MEM Asa Martin 5-yard pass from Seth Henigan (David Kemp kick)(11 plays, 60 yards, 4:16) HOU 21–10 4 14:52 MEM David Kemp 22-yard field goal(8 plays, 86 yards, 2:30) HOU 21–13 3:24 HOU Dalton Witherspoon 34-yard field goal(5 plays, 29 yards, 2:15) HOU 24–13 1:43 HOU Ta'Zhawn Henry 4-yard run (Dalton Witherspoon kick)(3 plays, 18 yards, 0:52) HOU 31–13
Pregame line Over/under HOU –9.5 59
Statistics Memphis Houston First downs 24 25 Total yards 322 461 Rushing yards 106 197 Passing yards 216 264 Turnovers 2 2 Time of possession 25:34 34:26
Team Category Player Statistics Memphis Passing Seth Henigan 21/45, 208 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs Rushing Rodrigues Clark 12 rushes, 32 yards Receiving Calvin Austin 5 receptions, 103 yards Houston Passing Clayton Tune 20/34, 264 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs Rushing Ta'Zhawn Henry 13 rushes, 73 yards, 1 TD Receiving Tank Dell 7 receptions, 100 yards, 1 TD
Tulane at Memphis 1 2 Total Green Wave 0 Tigers 0
Date: November 27, 2021Location: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, TN Game start: TBD CST Elapsed time: Game attendance: Game weather: • Weather: TBD • Wind: TBDReferee: TV announcers (ESPNU): Tiffany Greene, Jay Walker
Statistics Tulane Memphis First downs Total yards Rushing yards Passing yards Turnovers Time of possession
Team Category Player Statistics Tulane Passing Rushing Receiving Memphis Passing Rushing Receiving
Rankings [ edit ] Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final AP — — — — RV — — — — — — — — — — Coaches — — RV RV RV — — — — — — — — — — CFP Not released — — — — — — Not released
References [ edit ]
Venues Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons