The first set of College Football Playoff rankings will be released next week, and Memphis is offering a convincing case for inclusion, especially if it can become the American Conference champion.
The 25th-ranked Tigers attempt to follow up their win over South Florida with another strong performance Friday night when they take on Rice in Houston.
Memphis (7-1, 3-1 American) trails Navy by 1 1/2 games for the conference lead, and the two schools end the regular season against each other on Nov. 27. The Tigers also trail Tulane by a half-game and visit the Green Wave next Friday.
Memphis is projected to be the 12th seed in the playoff by winning the conference title, but knows it must take care of business after overcoming a 14-point deficit in last week’s 34-31 win over South Florida, which was previously undefeated in conference play.
“Immediately on a short week, we have to turn the focus to Rice,” Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said. “Great focus on a great opponent on the road on a Friday night.
“This game is the most important game of the season. I want our guys to sense that.”
Memphis was able to get the win thanks to Brendon Lewis, whose 307 passing yards were a career high. Lewis also tied the team lead with 35 of the Tigers’ 129 rushing yards, his stellar performance coming after he exited the 31-24 loss at UAB on Oct. 18 with a leg injury.
Rice (4-4, 1-3) snapped a three-game losing streak by outlasting UConn for a wild 37-34 double-overtime win last week. Friday begins a tough final four-game stretch in which Rice plays Memphis, North Texas and South Florida, who have a combined 20-4 record.
The Owls have the second-worst scoring offense in the conference (21.6 points), and average 103.6 passing yards (134th out of 136 FBS teams), but also can give opponents trouble with a triple option offense similar to Navy’s.
“That’s a challenge, especially when you’re playing this type of offense,” Silverfield said about Rice. “You’ve got to keep the guys in the right mindset, keeping those guys in rhythm, understanding the ebbs and flows of the game.”
Last week, Quinton Jackson ran for 168 yards, caught three passes for 80 yards and scored four touchdowns, including the game-ending 23-yard score in double overtime.
Jackson also had a 73-yard TD run and 75-yard TD catch, becoming the first player in program history with a 70-plus yard rushing and receiving score in the same game.
Rice scored its second-most points this season after being held to a combined 47 points during its three-game skid. Jackson had his third 100-yard rushing showing after being held to 6 yards in a 61-13 loss at UTSA on Oct. 11.
“It’s a great feeling,” Jackson said. “We’ve been through a lot of hardships the last two, three, four weeks, so it really feels good to see that celebration. We haven’t had that feeling in a very long time.”
Chase Jenkins also returned after getting hurt in the loss to UTSA, completing 17 of 22 passes for a season-high 191 yards to go along with 57 rushing yards.
–Field Level Media
