There was a moment early in Memphis football's loss to Navy on Saturday when it seemed like everything was going according to the Tigers' plan.

Javon Denis sacked quarterback Blake Horvath, forcing a three-and-out on Navy's first drive. Memphis, already leading 7-0, seemed to be on its way to another dominant win and wouldn't have any problems against even the new-look Navy offense.

That was the only moment. The Midshipmen (3-0, 2-0 American Athletic Conference) scored touchdowns on their next five drives, part of a dynamic offensive performance that powered them to an upset 56-44 win and included six touchdowns for Horvath, who looked like a Heisman Trophy candidate against a defense that had earned national praise after its impressive start to the season.

"Absolutely gutted," Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield said on the postgame radio broadcast. "It was one of the worst performances I've seen by our defense in a long time. In every way, shape and form."

It's hard to find a stat that conflicts with his assessment. Navy amassed 566 yards of offense, including 416 from Horvath. The quarterback even caught a pass on a trick play to make sure he gained passing, rushing and receiving yards in the game.

It was stunning because of what the Memphis defense had done in the wins over North Alabama, Troy and Florida State. Coordinator Jordon Hankins' unit had allowed only 205 yards rushing the past three games combined; it allowed 361 on Saturday. The Tigers (3-1, 0-1) had allowed 29 points total in the past three games; they allowed 56 on Saturday, although that includes a pick-six that sealed the game for Navy.

"I feel like they just played their brand of football better today," safety Greg Rubin said. "They just executed on all levels."

Memphis' offense put up 44 points, and though the Tigers looked rudderless at times in the second half, especially after a 90-yard touchdown run by Horvath, they managed to recover an onside kick and give themselves a chance to pull off what would have been a remarkable, smash-and-grab win.

Quarterback Seth Henigan drove his team down the field, but Rayuan Lane III intercepted his pass and took it back 86 yards for a touchdown. That finally ended what had been an eye-opening day for Memphis.

"It was very upsetting. I know for me personally and a couple other guys, you're very emotional after a loss," Henigan said. "Especially a conference game that I knew was super important. To lose the game, that really hurts. It's worse losing this game than it would've been losing last week."

Navy had gone into the game having shown signs of improvement under new offensive coordinator Drew Cronic, but that was against Bucknell and Temple. This version of the Navy offense isn't the triple-option concept that college football fans have come to expect from a service academy team. The option is still there, of course. And the fullbacks are always dangerous. But Horvath dropped back to pass and had receivers behind the defense for what felt like the entire afternoon.

Does that mean Memphis' defense got exposed? Or is Horvath just that good? Those are the questions that will linger as the Tigers prepare for this weekend's game against Middle Tennessee State at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. The door to the College Football Playoff isn't shut, but it's not as wide open as it was Saturday morning. And if this defense plays like it did against the Midshipmen, that door likely will be shut by the time the Tigers return from their next conference road trip, the Oct. 11 game against South Florida.

"We never found a way to even get them to a third-and-manageable," Silverfield said. "We gave up way too many explosive plays, in a variety of ways. Clearly their quarterback carried them, and was a dominant player for them. And we didn't seem to have any answers."

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What do Memphis football's defensive issues vs Navy mean for season