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    Memphis Football's College Football Playoff hopes end with loss at UTSA
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    Memphis Football's College Football Playoff hopes end with loss at UTSA

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    2 minutes, 39 seconds Read

    SAN ANTONIO – Memphis football finally flew too close to the sun.

    The Tigers (7-2, 3-2 AAC) have played in three straight close games against conference opponents they should have beaten by a wide margin, but they managed to pick up wins over North Texas and Charlotte.

    Not so on Saturday, when Memphis lost 44-36 to UTSA at the Alamodome, ending the Tigers' college football playoff hopes and likely ending their AAC title hopes with three games left to play.

    Memphis scored a touchdown on its first drive, but struggled to keep up with the UTSA offense on the second play. Roadrunners quarterback Owen McCown threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns, and the Memphis defense had no answer down the stretch.

    The Tigers' offense stalled in the second half, starting with three punts followed by three turnovers.

    Memphis trailed by 20 points before scoring two goals late in the game to cut the deficit to just eight points.

    Memphis' goals are out of reach

    The entire offseason has been about the Tigers' expectations: win the AAC title game and make the College Football Playoff. Those expectations took a hit with the loss to Navy, but Saturday's loss officially ended any chance of making the playoffs and Memphis was effectively eliminated from the AAC title picture.

    It's a huge disappointment for a team that was picked to win the AAC in the preseason poll.

    Fourth place decisions are a topic of conversation…again

    Memphis missed two crucial fourth-down conversions in its win over Charlotte last week, and the Tigers quickly faced similar situations against the Roadrunners on Saturday. Memphis tried 4th-and-1 twice in the first half and both plays resulted in Mario Anderson going wide.

    The first failed conversion quickly led to a UTSA touchdown.

    The Tigers finished 0 of 4 on fourth down conversion attempts in the game, including a string of consecutive plays in the fourth quarter that helped UTSA put the game on ice.

    Memphis' defense has trouble passing

    Memphis' defense was dominant for most of the first half of the season, but the Tigers have struggled over the last three weeks. They struggled to contain McCown and the rest of the Roadrunners offense in a performance that was much more reminiscent of last year's Memphis defense.

    McCown threw three touchdowns in the first half, each of which went to a different UTSA tight end. The Tigers changed personnel a few times, but nothing really slowed down the UTSA offense.

    Greg Desrosiers returns, but injuries still plague the Tigers

    Running back Greg Desrosiers played for the first time since suffering a collarbone injury against Florida State on September 14, but there was a lot of negative injury news for the Tigers.

    Receiver Jyaire Shorter suffered an apparent leg injury on a third-down conversion in the first half and left the game. Receiver Demeer Blankumsee scored a 69-yard touchdown but appeared to be injured in the celebration. Blankumsee came back in the second half.

    Running back Brandon Thomas and cornerback Kobee Minor both missed their second straight game.

    Next

    Memphis returns home to take on Rice on Friday night at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

    Reach sportswriter Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.

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