I'll admit, there was a time a few short weeks ago when I casually dismissed the notion that Memphis had a legitimate shot at upsetting Ole Miss. Sure, Paxton Lynch was piling up yards and points, but that was against over-matched AAC defenses, not a Rebel unit studded with NFL talent. And even if Justin Fuente's offense did have some success against Ole Miss, there was no way they'd be able to keep pace with Chad Kelly firing off one big play after another against a Memphis secondary that's been downright awful this season.
But that was before All-American Tony Conner went down with a torn meniscus, before uber-talented corner Tee Shepard quit the team, before a depleted Rebel defense got picked apart by (an admittedly enhanced) Will Grier and, worst of all, allowed a Vandy quarterback to look competent.