Memphis got outgained, outpossessed, and pushed around for stretches at UNLV. Charles Huff’s first Tigers team still found a way to win.
Huff’s Blueprint: Charles Huff Just Taught Memphis How to Win Ugly
Charles Huff’s first Memphis victory should not be remembered because it was pretty. It should be remembered because it was ugly, tense, and difficult—and the Tigers found a way to win anyway. Memphis beat UNLV 27-21 despite getting outgained 460-418, losing the turnover battle 1-0, and getting crushed in time of possession. UNLV ran 79 plays. Memphis ran 60. The Rebels held the football for 42:18, leaving Memphis with fewer than 18 minutes of possession in the entire game.
Those numbers usually describe a loss. Instead, Memphis scored the final 13 points, shut out UNLV in the fourth quarter, and made the defensive stop that saved the game. That is a Charles Huff win.
The Tigers Refused To Break
Memphis trailed 14-7 at halftime. Then UNLV regained a 21-14 lead in the third quarter. The Tigers had every chance to look like a team still trying to learn a new coach, a new quarterback and a new offense. They did not.
Stokes hit Burnside for a 48-yard touchdown. Carter ran 36 yards for another score. Laforge hit two fourth-quarter field goals to give Memphis a late lead and breathing room. The Tigers did not dominate the game. They did not control the line of scrimmage for four quarters. They did not play clean enough to deserve easy praise. They simply did not fold.
That matters because program identity is created in uncomfortable games. Anybody can look tough when leading by three touchdowns. Anybody can play fast when the opponent is overwhelmed. Huff needed to see whether his team could absorb pressure and keep fighting when the game turned against it. Memphis passed that test.
Huff Has Work To Do
Now comes the harder part: Huff must make sure Memphis learns the right lesson. The lesson is not that it can play sloppy and survive because it has enough athletes to hit a few big plays.
The lesson is that it won despite too many mistakes. Memphis had only 60 offensive snaps because it could not get off the field enough defensively and did not convert enough third downs offensively. The Tigers went 3-for-11 on third down and lost a fumble. Against a better opponent, that is not a six-point win. It is a double-digit loss.
The biggest encouraging statistic came inside the red zone. Memphis scored on all three of its trips inside the UNLV 20. UNLV reached the red zone four times but managed only two scoring drives, including two failed fourth-down attempts. That is winning situational football.
Huff deserves credit for that. He also deserves credit for a team that did not panic after halftime. But he owns the fixes, too. Memphis needs more discipline, more offensive consistency and a defensive plan that prevents opponents from controlling the ball for 42 minutes.
Huff’s Blueprint Grade: B.
Huff’s first Memphis team had flaws. It had too many. But it had fight, poise and enough toughness to finish a game that could have easily gotten away. The Tigers did not win because they were perfect. They won because, in the final quarter, they were tougher.
