The Memphis Tigers football team hosted the Tigers of North Alabama at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on August 31, 2024, in the under-renovation stadium. The new capacity, which will last for the next two seasons during construction, is 33,691. Memphis defeated North Alabama 40-0 in front of 25,849 fans. This is the second meeting between the two schools, with Memphis winning the first meeting 59-0.
This was the annual 901 Day game for Memphis. On the game’s theme, Ryan Silverfield said, “Anytime we get to represent our city with the 901 helmets, it is an awesome deal. The game was for our city.”
Memphis left no room for error in their clear domination over North Alabama in the first half. Memphis opened a 31-0 advantage on the strength of three first-half forced turnovers, scoring 21 points off those turnovers.
South Carolina transfer Mario Anderson Jr. scored two hard-running touchdowns near the goal line and rushed for 46 yards. Memphis received some bad news when Sutton Smith had to leave the game in the first half with an injury. The injury did not look good; he left the field and did not return. Redshirt junior Greg Desrosiers Jr. rushed for his first touchdown as a Memphis Tiger.
On his first game experience with Memphis, Anderson said, “It was an amazing experience. It was a great atmosphere, and the crowd came out. The 901 has a good support system, and I’m grateful to be here.”
Seth Henigan, the program’s all-time leader in career passing yards, threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns, surpassing 11,000 total career passing yards. Henigan connected for both touchdowns with his tight ends Brendan Doyle and Roc Taylor, who had 87 yards on 5 receptions.
Henigan is one of his own toughest critics; on his performance, he only gave himself a 7.5 for the game. Henigan said, “I missed a couple of shots. I threw a pass backward. I have to get better. We played okay, but we can play better.”
The shutout by the defense was the first for Memphis since November 22, 2022. Chandler Martin recorded 8 tackles to lead the unit. Martin nearly had a scoop and score after a fumble by North Alabama. After an official review, the play was ruled an incomplete pass. The Memphis defense had three sacks (William Whitlow Jr., Elijah Herring, and Bryce Edmondson).
Martin, on not getting the turnover call, said, “I was hurt. I thought I was going to get another one like the South Florida one. I saw the tackle to my left, and I said I can’t get caught. I thought I scored, but as long as we can get off the field as a defense, that’s all that matters.”
On getting the shutout, Silverfield said, “Shutouts are awesome. Coach Hankins and his staff did a great job. It goes back to the players—communication and trust in a system that is different. They played as one unit, which is fun. The defense had three takeaways that led to points.”
Silverfield wasn’t pleased with the kicking game. On the unit, he said, “The kicking game was awful. The kickoff unit was phenomenal. We have got to find better answers in the kicking game. Going into this, I thought it would be a strong point, but it wasn’t. We have to find a way to make basic field goals and extra points.”
North Alabama rushed for 67 yards, led by Dennis Moody with 39 yards. Ari Patu had 103 passing yards and 2 interceptions. North Alabama had 185 total yards and fell to 0-2.
Memphis (1-0) will stay at home and host Troy (0-1) University next at 11 a.m. at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The game can be seen on ESPNU.
