Silverfield breaks down Memphis’ fourth-down decisions
Memphis Tiger Head Coach Ryan Silverfield looks on during the fourth quarter against Charlotte on Oct 26, 2024 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. (Wes Hale/Special to The Daily Memphian)
Hours after making his own critical fourth-down decisions in a win over Charlotte last Saturday, Memphis Tigers coach Ryan Silverfield was still being asked about scenarios while watching games at home.
Vanderbilt trailed Texas by 7 with about five minutes remaining when coach Clark Lea chose to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Commodores’ own 35-yard line. Quarterback Diego Pavia threw an interception, and Texas went on to win 27-24.
Silverfield’s neighbor sent a text asking what he’d do in that situation.
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“We can all sit back sitting on our couch and say, ‘Well, shouldn’t he have just punted?’” Silverfield, whose Tigers (7-1) are ranked No. 25 in the Coaches Poll heading into their game Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN2) against UTSA in San Antonio, said during his weekly meeting with reporters Monday.
“But analytics may have told him to go for it based off of who was favored in the game, number of points scored and the kicking situation.”
Silverfield didn’t have to make that call while watching the TV, but he had his own decisions to make earlier that day. The Tigers converted two of four fourth-down attempts in their 33-28 victory over the 49ers.
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Frank Bonner II
Frank Bonner is the Memphis Tigers football beat writer. He is originally from Indiana but arrived in Memphis after spending two years in Tulsa, covering Oklahoma State football and basketball. He covered high school sports in Columbus, Indiana for two years before getting his Master’s degree in Sports Journalism at IUPUI. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University.
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