Even more than halfway through the season, Ryan Silverfield admitted he didn’t know how his team would respond to adversity.
The Tigers (7-1, 3-1 American Conference) faced plenty of it in their come-from-behind 34-31 win over USF (6-2, 3-1) on Oct. 25 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Memphis was down 24-14 at halftime and trailed for most of the game.
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“I’m still finding out about some of our players,” Silverfield said. “There are guys that played today that I didn’t know how they would respond. How would they respond to adversity with that loss? How would they come and bounce back, being down at halftime?’ And so I’m still learning about so much with our guys. But ultimately, for me, I wake up every day and try to pour every single ounce of me into this program.”
After losing last week at UAB, the Tigers knew they had to beat the Bulls to stay in the conference title and College Football Playoff pictures. That seemed unlikely for most of the afternoon, especially as the Tigers struggled to slow down USF star quarterback Byrum Brown in the first half.
That changed after halftime, and USF did not score after the break outside of a 73-yard touchdown run by Sam Franklin.
Memphis’ team is made up of more than 70 transfers, including most of the key players. The go-ahead touchdown came on a connection from Brendon Lewis to Cortez Braham, both transfers from Nevada. The game’s only turnover was an interception by Virginia Tech transfer Sam Brumfield.
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That’s why, after the game, Silverfield called Memphis “the largest rebuild in college football.”
“The teams in the past have always bought in,” he said. “They really have. And has it always been perfect? No. Seventy-eight new players. I kind of laugh when people are like, ‘Well, that team’s got a rebuild, that team’s got a rebuild, but you, you’ve got your coordinators back.’ We’ve got the largest rebuild in college football going on right here. But they’re a bunch of dudes that love football, that are truly ‘All In.’ And that, to me, means everything.”
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Why Ryan Silverfield said Memphis has ‘largest rebuild in college football’
