There's still a path for Memphis football to get to the College Football Playoff.

It's a narrow one that includes winning nine games in a row, at minimum. And it isn't entirely up to the Tigers — if Army and Navy win the rest of their American Athletic Conference games, Memphis has no shot at reaching the playoff. But the Tigers know first that they need to win the rest of their regular-season games.

It's certainly possible. They are likely to be favored in all of those games except maybe the final one, against Tulane in New Orleans on Thanksgiving. To win out, though, the Tigers are going to have to improve a few things from their 5-1 start.

A few days ago, we looked at the AAC title race and what Memphis needs to happen off the field. Here's what the Tigers (5-1, 1-1) need to do on the field to reach the AAC title game, and maybe the playoff.

The second half of the season starts Saturday (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPNU) against North Texas (5-1, 2-0) at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

Improve the passing game

In 2023, Memphis had the No. 6 scoring offense in the country, and the Tigers have most of the key skill position players from that team. Seth Henigan returned for his senior year, already having secured his status in the history books as Memphis' all-time leading passer, and Roc Taylor returned as the top receiver in the AAC.

They haven't had it easy this season. Henigan is on pace for fewer yards and touchdowns than in any of his previous three seasons with the Tigers, while Taylor is nowhere near the pace he had last season, when he amassed more than 1,000 yards receiving.

"As an offense, we have a lot of expectations that we put on ourselves," Henigan said. "We're just trying to execute better on Saturdays, and just put it on tape: Who we are, who we believe we are as an offense. Definitely a lot to prove."

The Tigers have scored 20 or more points in 33 straight games. That's the longest streak in the country, but it almost ended in Saturday's 21-3 win over South Florida. They scored 14 quick points in the first quarter, but the offense stalled and Memphis got to 21 points only because of a defensive touchdown.

Henigan and offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey blamed penalties and a general lack of execution. Fixing that is the No. 1 priority for this team.

Correct special teams miscues

Special teams have been up and down for Memphis this season. It is without its top two kickoff return options in Sutton Smith and Greg Desrosiers because of injuries, so that has had a significant impact on the return unit.

Punting and punt returns have been generally good, even though Koby Drake hasn't had many opportunities for long returns. Coach Ryan Silverfield specifically singled out kickoff specialist Tristian Vandenberg on Monday for his work this season.

The kicking unit has struggled, though. Caden Costa is 7 of 11 on field goal attempts, including a miss against South Florida, and he missed an extra point in the season opener against North Alabama.

"We missed an extra point earlier in the season, and clearly we're not where we need to be on field goals," Silverfield said. "Do I expect us to be perfect? No. But every time we line up to kick, I expect it to be made. We're not where we need to be. I've got great faith in Caden Costa and the rest of that unit, but we need to see production."

Avoid another defensive no-show like the Navy game

The Tigers' defense has been generally dominant — Jordon Hankins' unit has been the story of the season. They've shut down almost every offense they've faced, save for the game against Navy when they had no answers for Blake Horvath and the Midshipmen in the 56-44 loss.

On the whole, Hankins has orchestrated a remarkable turnaround this season, taking Memphis from one of the worst defenses in the country to a team that relies on its defense to win. With the margins so thin, though, one more bad performance could sink the Tigers' season.

Memphis coaches are hoping they can get more production out of the offense, but the Tigers might need to rely on their defense to get them to 11-1. And that means no more slipups.

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

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: What Memphis football needs to improve on field for AAC, CFP hopes