MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis did not pull off the upset at No. 7 Cincinnati. Far from it.
The Tigers 49-10 loss to the Bearcats was the worst blowout for the program in almost a decade. You have to go back to the Larry Porter years for that.
The Bearcats stifled the Tigers at every angle. Memphis' run game managed just three yards, compared to Cincinnati's 242.
For a program that has come so far in recent years, a shellacking of this magnitude, (even from a Top 10 team) fell short of their standards.
"We got outcoached and we got outplayed in all three phases," Ryan Silverfield said. "I've got to start by seeing what I can do as the head coach, because ultimately it falls on me. It wasn't good enough."
"Losing isn't okay at all, it doesn't matter who the hell you play," Brady White said. "I don't care if we're coming in to play an NFL team. We expect to win."
"Those guys came out to play. They came out with it on their minds," Tahj Washington said, in reference to the Tigers back-to-back wins over the Bearcats in 2019 in the span of eight days.
At 2-2 in conference, the Tigers face an uphill battle (and would need a lot of outside help) if they hope to reach a fourth-straight American Athletic Conference championship game.
Memphis' 2018 squad began the year 1-3 in AAC play, and went on to become the only team in league history to reach the title game with more than one conference loss. But that was with divisions in play. This year, the top two overall teams in the conference advance.
"The sky is not falling," Silverfield assured. "There is a reason why we were able to win some of those games and we have a winning record right now. Am I pleased with the result today? No, I'm absolutely disgusted. I've got to do a better job of making sure we're headed in the right direction. I think we'll be fine. Just hope we like the result at the end of the day after next Saturday."