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    • The Memphis football offense is back, the defense is weak against North Texas
    Alabama

    The Memphis football offense is back, the defense is weak against North Texas

    Idris Bevan Posted on

    Memphis football overcame some shaky moments and an uneven defensive performance to beat North Texas 52-44 on Saturday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

    It was encouraging for the offense and discouraging for the defense, but the bottom line was another win for the Tigers in a season where they can’t afford another loss.

    Here are our overreactions after the win.

    Memphis corrected its offense

    The Tigers’ offensive woes were a big topic of conversation in the first half of the season. They couldn’t get anything going offensively after the first quarter against South Florida, and that reflected a problem that had existed all season.

    North Texas’ defense has been poor all season, so Saturday was a golden opportunity for the Tigers to get something going offensively. They started strong, like they did against South Florida, and then slowed down.

    However, after five punts in a row, the offense picked up speed again. Quarterback Seth Henigan connected with Demeer Blankumsee for a 62-yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 35-31 lead, the type of play fans have been looking for all season.

    DT Sheffield is the best receiver in the AAC and one of the best in the country

    DT Sheffield was dominant on Saturday, making his presence known to the Memphis crowd with a 75-yard touchdown run on North Texas’ first play of the game. He followed with a 75-yard touchdown catch on the Mean Green’s next play.

    He didn’t reach his 75-yard average the rest of the game, but he wasn’t done wreaking havoc on the Memphis defense. Sheffield was electric throughout the game, finishing with eight catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

    It was the type of performance you’d expect from a superstar wide receiver, and Sheffield looked the part. Expect his name to come up more often as the season progresses.

    The Tigers can still make the College Football Playoff

    There were many – a lot – of tense moments. For long stretches it looked like the Memphis defense had no answers for the North Texas offense, but the Tigers came up with enough stops to give their offense a chance to win the game.

    And they did just that thanks to a dynamic performance from Mario Anderson and an encouraging game for Memphis’ passing attack. Blankumsee, Roc Taylor and Koby Drake all had good games, which was rare this season.

    Memphis is 6-1 and the Tigers still have a path to the AAC title game. While this path involves the Army and/or Navy losing, it definitely exists. A loss to North Texas would have all but killed those chances.

    So Memphis is in the thick of things for at least another week.

    Reach sportswriter Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.

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    Idris Bevan
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