ARLINGTON, Texas – University of Memphis football coach Ryan Silverfield needed just one game in charge of the Tigers before he made his first staff change.
He “fired” himself as offensive line coach after Saturday’s 53-39 loss to Penn State in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
After a whirlwind three weeks following Mike Norvell’s departure to become Florida State’s head coach, the Tigers lost in their first New Year’s Six bowl game and Silverfield’s debut.
“I can promise you guys I will have this Memphis football team ready from here on out every single game as long as I’m the head coach here,” Silverfield said.
Memphis quarterback Brady White passed for 454 yards but was sacked a season-high six times and threw two interceptions – one when flinging the ball away while in the grasp of All-America linebacker Micah Parsons. Garrett Taylor picked off the pass and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown.
The Tigers (12-2) were limited to 63 rushing yards on 33 carries, though that includes all the yards lost on sacks.
“I’ll never be satisfied with a loss and the ups and downs,” Silverfield said. “It starts with me coaching the offensive line. As of right now, I’m officially firing Memphis’ offensive line coach. He’s done with the offensive line.”
The 39-year-old Silverfield, who has been coaching for 20 years but had only been a head coach on the high school level 15 years ago, came to Memphis with Norvell as offensive line coach. The former NFL assistant was also listed as deputy head coach this season. Norvell and his staff led the Tigers to the best four-year stretch in Memphis history.
Despite the disappointing finish, the Tigers set a school record for single-season wins and won the American Athletic Conference title for their first outright league championship since 1969. They won 38 games over the past four seasons, though they lost their bowl each time.
Penn State, ranked 13th by The Associated Press and 10th by the College Football Playoff committee in its final rankings earlier this month, was making its 50th bowl appearance overall and earned its 30th bowl victory.
The Tigers are 15th in the AP Top 25 and at No. 17 had the highest CFP ranking for a Group of Five team, which is why they got to play in a New Year’s Six bowl game.
“I hope we made a statement for the guys that sleep on the smaller schools that don’t have big names,” Memphis senior receiver Antonio Gibson said. “I hope they realize you can go anywhere and turn a program around.”
Memphis scored more points and had more yards against Big Ten program Penn State (11-2) than anyone else this season – though kicker Riley Patterson scored 21 of those points with his three extra points and Cotton Bowl-record six field goals.
Patterson’s big day – five field goals of at least 41 yards, including a bowl record-long 51-yarder – came after concerns he might not even be ready for the game after tweaking his ankle “pretty good” earlier in the week.
White, a 23-year former graduate transfer, still has a season of eligibility remaining. He hasn’t said yet if he will be returning after passing for 4,014 yards with 33 touchdowns this season, though against Penn State he didn’t throw for a score for the first time since the opener.
“It’s not above individuals, it’s about the entire team,” White said. “And it takes a lot of work and dedication and sacrifice to win 12 games in a season, and a lot of things have got to go together. So I’m proud of that. I guess all the stats are bonuses, which is great, but I want to win.”
Saturday’s matchup was the highest-scoring game in the history of the Cotton Bowl Classic, but the announced attendance of 54,828 was its lowest since New Year’s Day 1948. This was the 11th time the game was played at AT&T Stadium, and the previous lowest turnout in the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys was 59,615 five seasons ago when Western Michigan, another Group of Five team, played the Big Ten’s Wisconsin.