Tulane And Memphis Will Have Tight Contest Tonight

Tulane vs. Memphis, 9:00 ET

On Saturday, we tend to highlight games between the SEC or Big 10, or even the Big 12. There are just bigger and more interesting conferences that are available for us to watch. That's where the "big dogs" bark and the more famous schools are. However, there are a ton of conferences in College Football, and during the work week, including Friday, some of these others get more attention. Today, the American Athletic Conference gets its turn to shine as Tulane takes on Memphis in a key game for conference championship opportunities.

Tulane comes into the game with a 6-2 record overall, and a 3-1 record in the conference. One of those losses was a rather ugly one that they suffered last weekend. They dropped the game to University of Texas San Antonio, which is now just 4-4 on the year after the win. It wasn't just a loss to them, they dropped the game by 22 points. I get that the game was on the road, but there really is no excuse for getting blown out like that by a team that isn't anywhere near that good. Perhaps they were looking ahead too much to this game. It certainly didn't help that the team threw three interceptions, giving UTSA extra possessions. The defense also made UTSA quarterback Owen McCown look like a superstar. The opposing quarterback went 31-for-33 with 370 yards and four touchdowns. It might not necessarily matter if the Tulane secondary gets back on track as Memphis runs the ball two out of every three plays. 

The Tulane Green Wave is painted on the field of the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla. on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. The logo was painted in preparations for the NCAA football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Tulane University Green Wave that was moved from New Orleans to Norman due to hurricane Ida. Tulane Logo

The Memphis Tigers have put together a nice campaign, going 8-1 to this point in the season and sporting a 4-1 record. Similar to Tulane, they have a very ugly loss on their resume. They dropped the game 31-24 to UAB. They were on the road in that one, but again, this is a team that has a total of three losses for the year. There really wasn't much clear about why the Tigers lost this game other than not being able to get stops when they needed. Memphis relies on their quarterback, Brendon Lewis, to do essentially everything for them. He has almost 1,900 yards through the air and over 550 yards on the ground. He only has thrown 10 touchdown passes, but he has nearly matched that with his rushing effort. He is a true dual threat, but I wonder if he pulls it down and takes off a bit too much and prevents the Tigers from having bigger plays. Outside of that UAB game, the Memphis defense has been great, holding opponents to under 20 points per game this year.

It seems like there are a lot of people who really like Tulane in this game, as the line has moved significantly since opening. I don't expect Memphis to be able to reproduce the passing production that UTSA had last week, and I'm sure it will be a focus for Tulane in practice this week. However, I think this is a game where we see the Tigers establish their dominance. I think this game goes under the total with Memphis running the ball consistently, and their defense having the edge of being at home. I'll back the under 55.5. 

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