Houston Football: 3 takeaways from disappointing loss to Memphis

No. 25 Memphis took charge in the AAC West race with a comeback at Houston. Here are three takeaways from the Tigers’ victory on Thursday.

Two years removed from a trip to the Peach Bowl, Houston looked ready to clear a big hurdle in its quest to return to a New Year’s Six bowl. Squaring off against Memphis on Thursday night, the Cougars coughed up a large lead to lose 42-38 at home. Mike Norvell’s crew claimed another critical division tiebreaker in the win.

A week after taking down Navy when the Midshipmen were ranked, Memphis beat the other contender in the AAC West. The Tigers consolidated their place in the AP Top 25 this week just a week after climbing back up into the poll. Houston lost any chance of returning to the rankings this season after their third loss of the year.

Last year, Houston faded down the stretch after winning big games early in the year. This year, the Cougars rebounded from a blowout loss to Tulsa last weekend to ensure that they remain in the American Athletic Conference race. A 17-0 lead at halftime should have been safe, since Memphis was 0-59 coming into this contest when they trailed by 17 or more at the intermission. But the Tigers ended their streak of futility in the comeback.

Memphis still remains behind several other strong Group of Five teams, including the two undefeated squads in the other division. But we almost learned more about where the Cougars might be headed after they faded against Memphis at TDECU Stadium this week. Here are three takeaways from the divisional showdown that headline Thursday’s prime-time slate.