A week after a deflating loss to SMU, Memphis football goes on the road to conclude its regular season.
The Tigers (8-3, 5-2 American Athletic Conference) were eliminated from conference title contention with the loss but can still get to a 10 victories with a win Friday (11 a.m., ESPN) and in their bowl game.
The Owls (3-8, 1-6) are last in the AAC standings and lost 34-24 at UAB last week. Temple is coming off consecutive 3-9 seasons.
Here’s your primer for the matchup.
How quick can Memphis bounce back?
The loss to SMU felt like the end of something, and the somber mood in the postgame press conference echoed that sentiment. This was the latest point in a season that Memphis had still been alive in the conference title conversation under coach Ryan Silverfield, and the Tigers would still have a good shot at reaching the title game if they’d beaten the Mustangs.
But now Memphis has one more regular-season game on the road against the worst team in the conference. It’s easy to see why attitudes around the team might drop, especially off an emotional loss and on a short week.
Silverfield said Monday hat he’s been impressed with the Tigers’ leadership in the days following the SMU game.
“Though we didn’t get to the championship game and our ultimate goal was to compete and win the championship, the guys have fought their tails off all season,” Silverfield said. “There’s obviously the frustration, the hurt, but they knew they had to bounce back.”
A unique environment
The Tigers have played in a slew of different road environments this year. There was the ex-NFL stadium in St. Louis, one of the smallest FBS stadiums in Charlotte and now the home of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.
Temple plays its home games at Lincoln Financial Field. The stadium’s capacity is 69,176, but attendance for Owls games this year has been between 18,388 against UTSA and 10,932 against Norfolk State. Throw in the early game time the day after Thanksgiving, and it’s pretty likely Friday won’t be a particularly electric environment.
Silverfield said he’s preparing the Tigers to play by leaning on some of the other atmospheres they’ve played in throughout the past few seasons, including previous trips to Philadelphia. Memphis has lost its last three games against Temple in Philadelphia, including the 2019 season when the Tigers won the AAC championship and went to the Cotton Bowl.
Seth Henigan looks to keep it rolling
Memphis’ third-year quarterback might be in the midst of his best stretch with the Tigers. Henigan was again a bright spot against SMU, throwing for 402 yards and two touchdowns.
Henigan has been battling through an apparent left arm injury that’s knocked him out of three-straight games, but he’s returned in each of those games after leaving the field. He eclipsed 10,000 career passing yards last week and could break all the Memphis passing records next season.
He’s also cut down on turnovers, with only one interception in his last five games. He had thrown seven in the first six games of the season.
BOWL PROJECTIONS: Could the Tigers be in AutoZone Liberty Bowl?
Memphis vs. Temple score prediction
Memphis 44, Temple 35. It’s again a high-scoring affair, and the Tigers start slow before pulling away late to earn their ninth win.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @thejonahdylan.