Arkansas needed just three plays to jump to an early lead as a broken coverage from the Memphis secondary left tight end Rohan Jones wide open for a 62-yard strike. After 70 seconds of play, Arkansas led Memphis, 7-0.

On the Tigers’ subsequent drive, receiver Cortez Braham moved the chains a couple of times for Memphis as the Tigers drove down for a 38-yard Gianni Spetic field goal.

Jaidyn Denis’s first down interception of Taylen Green set up an 11-play, 71-yard drive capped off by Brendon Lewis’s gutsy four-yard touchdown scamper, giving Memphis a 10-7 lead after the first quarter.

Memphis running back Greg Desrosiers Jr. has returned from his injury against Arkansas on Saturday. 

Sutton Smith started at running back for the third straight game, but Desrosiers made an appearance during the first quarter. 

Desrosiers has been sidelined since suffering a lower-body injury in the season opener against Chattanooga. He was seen wearing a boot during the coin toss at Georgia State two weeks ago and didn’t play last week at Troy. 

Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said earlier this week that Desrosiers’ status was day-to-day. 

The biggest nonconference game on the Memphis football schedule is finally here.

Arkansas (2-1, 0-1 SEC) will visit Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC). It will be the first time Memphis (3-0, 0-0 American Conference) has played on ABC since it beat Central Florida, 50-49, on Oct. 17, 2020.

Memphis only had about 1,500 tickets remaining as of Friday morning.

“I know the stadium is going to be packed,” Tigers coach Ryan Silverfield said. “I know our great fans are going to be there. It’s going to be a tremendous opportunity on a national stage to continue to showcase who we are and what we’re all about.”

Jeremiah Jordan grew up with dreams of playing high-level football in his hometown. Last year, he played NCAA Division II football; this week, he’ll start for the Tigers on the biggest stage of his career.

A 2022 Cordova High graduate and a member of The Daily Memphian All-Metro Team, Jordan wasn’t recruited by his hometown Tigers, the team he grew to love as a child. But he doesn’t hold being under-recruited against his coaches.

“I play with a chip. It ain’t nothing personal, but I feel like it keeps me going, especially with the route I took,” Jordan said. “It just allowed me to play with my edge every time I step on the field.”

Jordan joined the Harding Bisons, one of the premier programs in Division II football, for the first three years of his career. After redshirting his freshman season at the small school in Arkansas, he totaled seven pass breakups over his final two seasons at Harding en route to a 2023 national championship and a 2024 All-Great American Conference first team selection.

The Memphis Tigers will play host this week to an Arkansas team that looked impressive against now-No. 13 Ole Miss last Saturday.

Kickoff is at 11 a.m. this Saturday, Sept. 20, at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, and it will be the first time the Tigers play on ABC since their 1-point victory over Central Florida on Oct. 17, 2020.

The Tigers have played five regular season home games against power conference schools in the last 10 years, including three SEC opponents. Memphis is 5-0 in those games. Current head coach Ryan Silverfield was the Tigers’ head coach in one of the outings, and he was an assistant coach during three of them.

Silverfield has a 28-6 home record as head coach, and Saturday would be one of his biggest wins.

Once Cortez Braham Jr. realized he could get an extra year of NCAA eligibility with a court case ruling granting him a seventh season, it was time for the former Nevada receiver to pick his next school.

The pitch from Brendon Lewis was simple.

Choose the team with the quarterback you already know.

That team would be Memphis.

When Memphis plays host to Arkansas on Saturday (11 a.m., ABC), the Tigers will see a couple of familiar faces on the Razorbacks’ roster.

Quarterback Taylen Green played against the Tigers as Boise State quarterback in 2023 and receiver O’Mega Blake faced Memphis in a Charlotte uniform last year.

Each has been a significant piece for Arkansas’ offense this season.

Green led Boise State to a 2023 Mountain West Conference championship and was named the offensive MVP. He started in a 35-32 loss at Memphis on Sept. 30, 2023, but was later benched in that game in favor of current Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen. Green threw for 200 yards while Madsen recorded 175 yards and two touchdowns.