The greatest day in the history of Memphis football began in the dark of an early morning and wound down in the dark of a victory-soaked night.

The greatest day in the history of Memphis football brought thousands to Beale Street and 59,506 to the Liberty Bowl.

The greatest day in the history of Memphis football was broadcast for more than seven hours — seven hours! — on national TV.

The greatest day in the history of Memphis football had scoundrels (Lee Corso) and villains (the refs), it had emerging personalities (Pat McAfee) and emerging stars (Antonio Gibson).

The greatest day in the history of Memphis football ended the only way it should have ended.

With Preston Brady, the son of the team chaplain, gathering in an onside kick.

With Mike Norvell, the head coach, pumping his fist.

With the Memphis Tigers defeating the 15th-ranked and previously undefeated SMU Mustangs, 54-48.

"It was a great day, a great day," said Norvell.

It was the greatest day ever.

Can there be any doubt?

It was a rollicking marathon of a day, a celebration of football and Memphis that stretched from Downtown to Midtown, from 5:30 a.m. (when ESPN started letting fans into the pit) until 10:45 p.m. (when the Tigers took that final knee).

It was so exhilarating, so complete, it felt like two separate days, really. GameDay and GameNight. Each an epic unto itself.

GameDay was all coffee, beer and emotion. It was a scene Memphians never thought they'd see. Right there. On Beale Street! With a SkyCam! Look at us!

"I had an opportunity to go to Beale Street this morning," Norvell said, after the game. "I got goose bumps as soon as I got out of the car."

Remember the civic party back in 2008 when No. 1 Memphis played No. 2 Tennessee in basketball?

This was way bigger than that.

It was a roiling mass of humanity packed into two square blocks. It was an exhausting, televised extravaganza packed into three wild hours.

"It almost leaves you speechless," said Norvell.

It could very well have left them flat.

That was fear, wasn’t it? That Memphis would put on the craziest party ever Saturday morning and then ruin it by losing Saturday night?

Lee Corso picked SMU to win the game, after all. It wasn't all for the gag.

But Memphis plays better at the Liberty Bowl. And the Liberty Bowl has never, ever looked better (or bluer) than it did Saturday night.

The whole place was blue Saturday. All around and all the way to the top. 

Which was more unlikely, when the season started: GameDay coming to Memphis? Or Memphis selling out a game against SMU?

Keep in mind, Memphis had never sold out a game without the considerable help of an SEC opponent. Until Saturday night.

So the players noticed. Of course they did. They sprinted out of the tunnel and looked into the stands and saw something they had never seen before. All those people. Holy Smokes. 

"I'm so proud the city turned out," said Brady White. "When you run out of the tunnel, it's like a kid in a candy store."

The two teams combined for 102 points and 53 first downs. SMU quarterback Shane Buechele threw the ball 54 times for 456 yards. Four receivers (two from each team) caught passes worth more than 100 yards. SMU was 2/2 on fourth downs and 3/3 on 2-point conversions.

Oh, and the refs nearly jobbed Memphis. Again. DeAngelo Williams was at the game, already decked out in a "Joey caught it" T-shirt. After Saturday, there may be more T-shirts to come.

The Tigers had three touchdowns called back in the first half. Three! I'm not saying all three were bad calls. But two of them could have gone either way. And then the refs just stood there when Kenny Gainwell was hauled down with an illegal combination (a combined facemask/horse-collar) that would have made Jerry Lawler proud. 

This brought the Liberty Bowl to a full, angry boil. If Memphis had lost the game, the fans might have torn the place down. But Memphis won. Because Brady White was brilliant (again) and Antonio Gibson could not be stopped (again). If you are one of those people who ripped White early in the year (and you know who you are), you should probably write the guy a note of apology. He was fabulous Saturday, never moreso than when Memphis was backed up to its own end zone in the third quarter after the refs (them again) inexplicably ruled that SMU had downed a quick-kick at the 2.

At a moment of high peril, White was in total command. He dropped a terrifyingly precise pass over a linebacker and into Gibson's hands on third-and-8 from the 4. He converted a fourth-and-3 from midfield (Norvell has no pulse) with an equally precise pass over the middle to Calvin Austin III. Finally, White stood in the pocket, calm as could be, and feathered a ball to Damonte Coxie for 24 yards and a touchdown.

The guy has never thrown three better passes for Memphis in the course of a single drive. I'm not sure anyone has. I know nobody has done what Gibson did Saturday, which was fall three measly rushing yards short of cracking 100 yards in rushing, receiving and returns.

Hello, America! I'm Antonio Gibson! Look at all the awesome things I can do!

Gibson ran back kicks for 159 yards (including a 97-yard touchdown), caught passes for 130 yards (including a 50-yard touchdown) and rushed for 97 yards (including a 78-yard touchdown).

The 78-yard run was courtesy of Patrick Taylor, the injured running back, who pitched in the only way he could. He suggested Gibson hold the ball in his outside hand on handoffs, so he could deploy a stiff arm when necessary.

Gibson is a receiver, mind you. But next thing you know, he was throwing stiff-arms and breaking tackles like big Pat himself.

"I was impressed," White said. "That's a big-boy run, right there."

SMU kept coming. Like some creature from Halloween. Memphis went up 30-17, 40-24 and 54-32. But there was Buechele, throwing more touchdowns. There was Sonny Dykes, going for 2 like his kicker had up and left. Three times, he went for 2. Three times, it worked. Dykes went for 2 when nobody would have gone for 2, down 14 with 2:06 left. Just score two touchdowns and get to overtime, right? SMU scored a touchdown and went for 2 to make it 54-48 with 2:06 left.

So then it came down to an onside kick. Norvell sent out his "hands" team, all the players who could be depended on to catch the ball. One of the team members is Brady, the chaplain's son, and praise be to God. 

"When I saw them line up, kicking that direction, I just knew that Preston was going to find a way to get his hands on the ball," Norvell said. "Preston’s grandfather played football at Memphis and his father is our team chaplain. To see him go out and have a moment like that to end the game, it’s special."

Norvell seemed visibly moved in his postgame press conference. Especially by the overwhelming response of the city. He had big dreams for this program or he wouldn't have taken the job. But dreams as big as Saturday? Who has dreams as big as those? GameDay on Beale Street. A hard sellout for SMU. A Top 25 win on ABC in front of nothing but blue.

"I want to say thank you to Memphis," he said. "Memphis had an opportunity to be showcased today and, much like this football team, it rose to the occasion. I’m so proud to be a Memphian."

Notice the word choice there. Have you ever heard another coach call himself "a Memphian?" Other coaches might have been proud to coach the team. Or proud to represent the university. But proud to be a Memphian?

It was that kind of day in the city. A day of wonder and pride. Someone asked Norvell if he thought GameDay would ever return.

“We’ll invite ‘em back next year,” he cracked.

So c'mon back, GameDay. C'mon back, Corso. We'll give you another chance to get it right.

In the meantime, I hope the rest of you enjoyed the greatest day in the history of Memphis football. Let's do it again soon.