2020 Memphis
8–3 (5–3 American Athletic Conference), coached by Ryan Silverfield. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Stephen F. Austin 56–14Nov 21
By 42 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat UCF 50–49Oct 17
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | vs Arkansas State | W 37–24 | 73% |
| Oct 3 | at SMU | L 27–30 | 49% |
| Oct 17 | vs UCF | W 50–49 | 57% |
| Oct 24 | vs Temple | W 41–29 | 74% |
| Oct 31 | at 7Cincinnati | L 10–49 | 37% |
| Nov 7 | vs South Florida | W 34–33 | 87% |
| Nov 21 | vs Stephen F. Austin | W 56–14 | 88% |
| Nov 28 | at Navy | W 10–7 | 63% |
| Dec 5 | at Tulane | L 21–35 | 55% |
| Dec 12 | vs Houston | W 30–27 | 72% |
| Dec 23Bowls & playoff | vs Florida AtlanticMontgomery Bowl | W 25–10 | 60% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Florida Atlantic 25–10 in the Montgomery Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 3rd in the American Athletic Conference.
In program history: The 6th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 84 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 3: 16
- Wk 4: 17
- Wk 5: 25
- Record
- 8–3
- Conference
- 5–3 tied for 3rd in American Athletic Conference
- AP final
- Unranked peak No. 16
- Points
- 341–307
- Coach
- Ryan Silverfield
- Elo
- 1649 +10 this season
- SP+ rating
- 5.7 No. 44 of 130; offense No. 22, defense No. 73
- Returning
- 74% of last season’s EPA, No. 45 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 67 roster talent No. 64 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Kevin Johns
- Defensive coordinator
- Mike MacIntyre
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- 3–4
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.13 | 43% | 1.34 | 55th of 127 |
| Defense | 0.15 | 44% | 1.27 | 74th of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.11 off 0.14 def | 42% off 44% def | — | 65th off 85th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.7 | own 28 | 18% allowed |
| Defense | 3.6 | own 28 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -4.2, 82nd of 127 (offense -0.7, defense 3.5).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Brady White QB | 3,376 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Brady White QB | 31 TD |
| Rushing yards | Rodrigues Clark RB | 560 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Brady White QB | 2 TD |
| Receiving yards | Calvin Austin III WR | 1,053 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Calvin Austin III WR | 11 TD |
| Tackles | Quindell Johnson DB | 81 tkl |
| Sacks | Morris Joseph DL | 8 sacks |
| Interceptions | Quindell Johnson DB | 3 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Cam Jackson DT | ★★★ | No. 643 |
| Keilon Brown DUAL | ★★★ | No. 780 |
| Khi Mathieu WR | ★★★ | No. 949 |
| Devonte Golden-Nelson CB | ★★★ | No. 984 |
| An’Darius Coffey ATH | ★★★ | No. 1103 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.866 |
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.826 |
| Receivers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.853 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 2.8 | 0.828 |
| Defensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.844 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.842 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.858 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 3.0 | 0.853 |
| Whole class | 15 | 2.9 | 0.842 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2021
The 2021 draft| Rd 5 | Kenneth Gainwell RB | Philadelphia Eagles |
Roster 115
The 2020 roster115 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 61 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 American Athletic Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati | 6–0 | 9–1 | 8 |
 Tulsa | 6–0 | 6–3 | |
 Memphis | 5–3 | 8–3 | |
| UCF | 5–3 | 6–4 | |
| SMU | 4–3 | 7–3 | |
| Houston | 3–3 | 3–5 | |
| Navy | 3–4 | 3–7 | |
| Tulane | 3–5 | 6–6 | |
 East Carolina | 3–5 | 3–6 | |
| Temple | 1–6 | 1–6 | |
| South Florida | 0–7 | 1–8 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.