Charles Huff didn’t waste much time making a statement at Memphis.
With a matchup against UNLV - another team in the mix for the Group of 5 playoff spot - the Tigers got a chance to show whether this new era under Huff could really take off. They answered in a big way, and now Memphis suddenly looks like the team to beat.
This offseason, Memphis had to replace Ryan Silverfield after he left for the SEC and took the Arkansas job. For a program with Memphis’ resources, plenty of people believed the right hire could unlock another level.
Huff looked like that kind of move from the start. His background is strong: he was a top assistant for Nick Saban at Alabama, then went to Marshall and posted a 32-20 record over three seasons.
When Marshall did not re-sign him, he landed at Southern Miss and immediately pushed that program back to bowl eligibility.
Saturday night was the kind of stage where a coach can separate himself fast, and Huff did exactly that.
UNLV went into halftime with a 14-7 lead, but the game flipped once both staffs made their adjustments. Jackson Arnold later added another score to put UNLV ahead 21-14, and from there Huff’s defense started taking control. The Rebels eventually built a 27-21 lead behind their rushing game and defense, but their offense couldn’t fully drain the clock, and Memphis kept swinging back.
What stood out most was the way the Tigers controlled the line of scrimmage. Even with UNLV leaning on former Power 4 recruits, Memphis was the team winning in the trenches. Arnold, who had looked like the version of himself seen at Auburn, ran into a defensive front that was relentless all night.
Memphis finished with 11 tackles for loss and 6 sacks on Arnold. Over the final six drives, UNLV didn’t score again, and the Tigers held the Rebels to just 113 yards after UNLV had moved the ball so well in the first half.
The result gives the American Conference a major edge over the Mountain West in the race for the Group of 5 playoff bid. If Memphis wins the conference, it would be tough for anyone else to break through into the CFP picture.
Right now, the Tigers look like a dominant force at this level. And if Marcus Stokes keeps developing at quarterback, Memphis may have even more room to climb.
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Boise State Already Has An Early CFP Test Fans Will Be Watching
Charles Huffs debut on the Memphis sideline started with a test, and the Tigers answered it with the kind of opener that can set a tone for the rest of the fall. Against UNLV, Memphis shook off an early hole and leaned on a defense that came after the quarterback all night, finishing with six sacks and 11 tackles for loss while the offense found enough rhythm to leave with a 27-21 win.
The performance also gave the Tigers an early reason to believe they belong in the American Athletic Conference race and, at least for now, in the broader College Football Playoff conversation. Marcus Stokes settled in as the passing games steadying force in his first start, and Memphis showed it could win a tight game when the margin for error was slim, which is exactly the sort of early evidence this team needed. [Read more 🡒]
Charles Huff Thinks Memphis Just Sent A Bigger Message
Memphis opened its season in Las Vegas with a 27-21 win over UNLV, and Charles Huff did not treat it like a routine nonconference result. He called it a national statement about where the program is headed, a fairly strong label for a September win, but one that fit the way the Tigers handled the second half.
The defense changed the tone after the early hole, with the defensive line doing much of the heavy lifting. Elijah Kinsler was a big part of that surge, piling up eight tackles and 2.5 sacks as Memphis tightened the screws and left the opener with a result that felt about as encouraging as it was revealing. [Read more 🡒]
Memphis Already Had UNLV Fans Hearing It After Week 1
Memphis walked out of Week 1 with a road win and enough noise of its own to leave UNLV searching for a better atmosphere at home. The Tigers 27-21 victory in the opener set the tone early, and it also put the Rebels in an immediate spot where the support around them matters as much as the play on the field.
Afterward, UNLV coach Dan Mullen tried to steer the conversation toward the crowd as much as the roster, urging fans to get involved in the right moments and settle in during the wrong ones. It was a familiar early-season reset for a team still trying to establish its identity, and the next chance to do that comes on the road against Hawaii, where the Rebels will have to carry their own energy with them. [Read more 🡒]