# 2019 Memphis Tigers football team

The 2019 Memphis Tigers football team represented the University of Memphis in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee, and competed in the West Division of the American Athletic Conference. They were led by fourth-year head coach Mike Norvell through the team's win in the American Championship Game, after which he left to fill the head coaching vacancy at Florida State. It was the first outright/unshared conference championship in 50 seasons. The team lost only two games, a regular season match-up against Temple and their bowl game against Penn State. Offensive line coach Ryan Silverfield was initially named head coach of the team for their bowl game, the Cotton Bowl; the interim tag was removed and he was named the new head coach of the Tigers.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Maxwell Award | Patrick Taylor | RB | SR |
| Bednarik Award | Bryce Huff | DE | SR |
| Doak Walker Award | Patrick Taylor | RB | SR |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Damonte Coxie | WR | RS JR |
| John Mackey Award | Joey Magnifico | TE | RS SR |
| Rimington Trophy | Dustin Woodard | C | SR |
| Jim Thorpe Award | T. J. Carter | CB | JR |
| Outland Trophy | Dustin Woodard | C | SR |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy | Bryce Huff | DE | SR |
| Lou Groza Award | Riley Patterson | PK | JR |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Brady White | QB | RS JR |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award | Brady White | QB | RS JR |
| Manning Award | Brady White | QB | RS JR |

### AAC media poll

The AAC media poll was released on July 16, 2019, with the Tigers predicted as repeat to win the AAC West Division and finish in third place of AAC championship.
West :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Memphis | 165 (15) |
| 2 | Houston | 162 (14) |
| 3 | Tulane | 108 |
| 4 | SMU | 87 (1) |
| 5 | Navy | 70 |
| 6 | Tulsa | 38 |
Media poll (AAC Championship) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes |
| 1 | UCF | 12 |
| 2 | Cincinnati | 8 |
| 3 | Memphis | 6 |
| 4 | Houston | 4 |

## Personnel
### Depth chart

Defense :
* FS
* La'Andre Thomas
* Carlito Gonzalez
| WLB | MLB | SLB |
| J. J. Russell Zay Cullens | Tim Hart | Austin Hall |
| ⋅ | Josh Perry | Thomas Pickens Nehemiah Augustus |
* SS
* Tyrez Lindsey
* Sanchez Blake Jr.
* CB
* T. J. Carter
* John Broussard
| DE | DT | DT | DE |
| Bryce Huff | Joseph Dorceus | O'Bryan Goodson | Jonathan Wilson |
| Wardalis Ducksworth | Cade Mashburn | John Tate | Everitt Cunningham |
* CB
* Chris Claybrooks
* Jacobi Francis
Offense :
* "X" WR
* John Williams
* Rodrigues Clark
* "Z" WR
* Antonio Gibson
* Calvin Austin
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Obinna Eze | Dylan Parham | Dustin Woodard | Manuel Orona-Lopez | Scottie Dill |
| Titus Jones | ⋅ | Issac Ellis | Evan Fields | Peyton Jones |
* "Y" TE
* Joey Magnifico
* Sean Dykes Tyce Daniel
* "S" WR
* Damonte Coxie
* Kedarian Jones
* QB
* Brady White
* Connor Adair
* RB
* Patrick Taylor
* Kenneth Gainwell
* Special teams
* PK Riley Patterson
* P Adam Williams
* KR Kenny Gainwell
* PR John Williams T. J. Carter
* H Preston Brady

### Roster
## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 11:00 a.m. | Ole Miss* | | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN (rivalry) | ABC | W 15–10 | 44,107 |
| September 7 | 11:00 a.m. | Southern* | | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN | WMC | W 55–24 | 34,487 |
| September 14 | 2:30 p.m. | at South Alabama* | | Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL | ESPNU | W 42–6 | 12,373 |
| September 26 | 7:00 p.m. | Navy | | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN | ESPN | W 35–23 | 33,909 |
| October 5 | 2:45 p.m. | at Louisiana–Monroe* | | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | ESPNU | W 52–33 | 17,143 |
| October 12 | 11:00 a.m. | at Temple | No. 23 | Lincoln Financial FieldPhiladelphia, PA | ESPN2 | L 28–30 | 34,253 |
| October 19 | 6:00 p.m. | Tulane | | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN | ESPN2 | W 47–17 | 30,221 |
| October 26 | 6:00 p.m. | at Tulsa | | H. A. Chapman StadiumTulsa, OK | CBSSN | W 42–41 | 17,183 |
| November 2 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 15 SMU | No. 24 | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN (College GameDay) | ABC | W 54–48 | 59,506 |
| November 16 | 2:30 p.m. | at Houston | No. 18 | TDECU StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN2 | W 45–27 | 25,149 |
| November 23 | 3:00 p.m. | at South Florida | No. 18 | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL | ESPNU | W 49–10 | 25,136 |
| November 29 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 19 Cincinnati | No. 18 | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN | ABC | W 34–24 | 36,472 |
| December 7 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 20 Cincinnati | No. 17 | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN (The American Championship) | ABC | W 29–24 | 33,008 |
| December 28 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. No. 10 Penn State* | No. 17 | AT&T StadiumArlington, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic) | ESPN | L 39–53 | 54,828 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 5 released prior to gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### Ole Miss

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rebels | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Tigers | 7 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 15 |

### Southern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Tigers | 17 | 10 | 21 | 7 | 55 |

### At South Alabama

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 7 | 16 | 7 | 12 | 42 |
| Jaguars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |

### Navy

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Midshipmen | 13 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
| Tigers | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |

### At Louisiana–Monroe

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| Memphis | –15.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 7 | 22 | 10 | 13 | 52 |
| Warhawks | 3 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 33 |
at Malone Stadium • Monroe, LA
* Date: October 5
* Game time: 2:45 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 91° · Wind – SW 3 · Partly Clear
* Game attendance: 17,1143
* Referee: Anthony Calabrese
* TV: ESPNU
Game information :
First quarter
(12:18) MEM TD – Damonte Coxie 5-yard pass from Brady White, Riley Patterson kick Memphis 7–0; Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:55
(05:25) ULM FG – Porter 35-yard field goal Memphis 7–3; Drive: 16 plays, 74 yards, 6:52
Second quarter
(13:46) MEM TD – Kenneth Gainwell 40-yard rush, Riley Patterson kick Memphis 14–3; Drive: 6 plays, 92 yards, 1:48
(11:12) ULM TD – Caleb Evans 7-yard rush, Jared Porter kick Memphis 14–10; Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:34
(07:30) MEM TD – Kameron Wilson 2-yard pass from Brady White, Jared Porter kick Memphis 21–10; Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:42
(05:01) MEM TD – Kylan Watkins 14-yard rush, Preston Brady two-point conversion rush Memphis 29–10; Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 2:29
(01:40) ULM TD – Josh Pederson 6-yard pass from Caleb Evans, Jared Porter kick Memphis 29–17; Drive: 9 plays, 82 yards, 3:21
Third quarter
(11:57) MEM FG – Riley Patterson 50-yard field goal Memphis 31–17; Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 3:03
(07:41) ULM FG – Jared Porter 29-yard field goal Memphis 31–20; Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 4:16
(06:11) MEM TD – Antonio Gibson 50-yard pass from Brady White, Riley Patterson kick Memphis 39–20; Drive: 4 plays, 73 yards, 1:30
(03:11) ULM TD – Caleb Evans 45-yard rush, two-point conversion rush attempt failed Memphis 39–26; Drive: 6 plays, 82 yards, 3:00
Fourth quarter
(06:31) ULM TD – Josh Pederson 36-yard pass from Caleb Evans, Jared Porter kick Memphis 39–33; Drive: 6 plays, 93 yards, 1:56
(06:16) MEM TD – Kenneth Gainwell 68-yard rush, two-point conversion pass attempt failed Memphis 45–33; Drive: 1 plays, 68 yards, 0:15
(06:07) MEM TD – La'Andre Thomas 33-yard interception returned, Riley Patterson kick Memphis 52–33; Drive: 1 play, 0 yards, 0:09
Leading Passers
MEM – Brady White – 15/23, 249 yards, 3 TD, INT
ULM – Caleb Evans – 23/44, 286 yards, 2 TD, INT
Leading Rushers
MEM – Kenneth Gainwell – 14 carries, 209 yards, 2 TD
ULM – Josh Johnson – 19 carries, 119 yards
Leading Receivers
MEM – Antonio Gibson – 1 reception, 50 yards, TD
ULM – Josh Pederson – 7 receptions, 82 yards, 2 TD :
| Statistics | Memphis | Louisiana–Monroe |
| First downs | 25 | 30 |
| Total yards | 535 | 575 |
| Rushing yards | 286 | 256 |
| Passing yards | 249 | 319 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 26:06 | 33:54 |

### At Temple

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 23 Tigers | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Owls | 13 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 30 |

### Tulane

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Green Wave | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Tigers | 13 | 21 | 6 | 7 | 47 |

### At Tulsa

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Tigers | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Golden Hurricane | 0 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 41 |

### SMU

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15 Mustangs | 7 | 10 | 7 | 24 | 48 |
| • No. 24 Tigers | 7 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 54 |

### At Houston

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Tigers | 7 | 21 | 14 | 3 | 45 |
| Cougars | 17 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 27 |

### At South Florida

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Tigers | 7 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
| Bulls | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |

### Cincinnati

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Bearcats | 3 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| No. 18 Tigers | 17 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 34 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
* Date: November 29
* Game time: 3:30 EST (2:30 CST)
* Game weather: Cloudy, 55 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 36,472
* Referee: Mike Roche
* TV: ABC
Game information :
First quarter
MEM 14:48 Chris Claybrooks 94 kickoff return (Riley Patterson Kick)
CIN 10:25 Sam Crosa 30 FG (11 Plays 63 Yards 4:23)
MEM 7:24 Kendarian Jones 9 Pass from Brady White (Riley Patterson Kick) 7, 77 3:01
MEM 2:41 Riley Patterson 34 FG (8 plays, 57 yards 2:24)
Second quarter
CIN 12:36 Leonard Taylor 4 Pass from Ben Bryant (Sam Crosa Kick) 12, 85 5:05
CIN 2:54 Michael Warren II 3 run (Sam Crosa Kick) 14, 80, 6:31
MEM 1:21 Riley Patterson 28 FG (7 plays 65 yards, 1:43)
Third quarter
No Scoring
Fourth quarter
MEM 13:22 Damonte Coxie 46 pass from Brady White (Riley Patterson Kick) 9, 83, 3:40
CIN 10:27 Ben Bryant 12 run (Sam Crosa Kick) 8, 75 2:55
MEM 3:16 Antonio Gibson 29 run (Riley Patterson Kick) 6, 62, 3:08
Top passers
CIN – Ben Bryant 20–32 229 1 TD, 2 INTs
MEM – Brady White 15–26 233 2 TDs 1 INT
Top rushers
CIN – Michael Warren II 21 Carries 122 Yards 1 TD
MEM – Kenneth Gainwell 15 Carries 87 Yards
Top receivers
CIN – Alec Pierce 4 Receptions 77 Yards
MEM – Damonte Coxie 6 Receptions 145 Yards 1 TD :

### Cincinnati (AAC Championship game)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 20 Bearcats | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
| No. 17 Tigers | 10 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 29 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
* Date: December 7
* Game time: 3:30PM (2:30P CST)
* Game weather: 45 °F (7 °C), Clear
* Game attendance: 33,009
* Referee: Charles Lamertina
* TV: ABC
Game information :
First Quarter
(12:27) CIN – Michael Warren 6 yard rush, Sam Crosa kick (Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 2:33; Cincinnati 7–0)
(8:21) MEM – Riley Patterson 29 yard field goal (Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 3:59; Cincinnati 7–3)
(2:36) MEM – Antonio Gibson 65 yard rush, Riley Patterson kick (Drive: 7 plays, 97 yards, 2:29; Memphis 10–7)
Second Quarter
(2:37) CIN – Desmond Ridder 15 yard rush, Sam Crosa kick (Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:09; Cincinnati 14–10)
Third Quarter
(11:59) MEM – Brady White 1 yard rush, Riley Patterson kick (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:56; Memphis 17–14)
(7:21) CIN – Michael Warren 3 yard rush, Sam Crosa kick (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:38; Cincinnati 21–17)
(3:54) MEM – Riley Patterson 52 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 41 yards, 3:27; Cincinnati 21–20)
Fourth Quarter
(14:47) MEM – Riley Patterson 50 yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 31 yards, 3:54; Memphis 23–21)
(4:23) CIN – Sam Crosa 33 yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 54 yards, 6:27; Cincinnati 24–23)
(1:14) MEM – Brady White 6 yard pass to Antonio Gibson, 2-point pass failed (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:09; Memphis 29–24)
Top passers
CIN – Desmond Ridder 16–36 233 Yds 1 INTs
MEM – Brady White 18–40 253 Yds 1 TDs 1 INT
Top rushers
CIN – Desmond Ridder 11 Carries 113 Yards 1 TD
MEM – Antonio Gibson 11 Carries 130 Yards 1 TD
Top receivers
CIN – Alec Pierce 5 Receptions 87 Yards
MEM – Damonte Coxie 9 Receptions 165 Yards :

### Vs. Penn State (Cotton Bowl Classic)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 17 Tigers | 13 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 39 |
| No. 10 Nittany Lions | 7 | 28 | 10 | 8 | 53 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | RV | RV | 24 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 17 |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23т | 20 | RV | 25 | 23 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 17 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 21 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | Not released |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 3 | 66 | Antonio Gibson | RB | Washington Redskins |
| 7 | 223 | Chris Claybrooks | CB | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 7 | 230 | Dustin Woodard | C | New England Patriots |