Memphis football earned its first conference win Saturday, beating USF 21-3 in a rescheduled game in Orlando.

The game was moved from Tampa to Orlando and from Friday to Saturday because of Hurricane Milton, and it made for a unique atmosphere at Camping World Stadium. The Bulls were without starting quarterback Byrum Brown, and Bryce Archie was ineffective in his place.

Memphis (5-1, 1-1 American Athletic Conference) essentially eliminated the Bulls (2-4, 0-2) from the conference title race. Here are our overreactions from the game.

The Tigers are going to struggle with North Texas and/or Charlotte

Memphis is 5-1. That means it is still in the thick of the AAC title race and has a legitimate shot at the College Football Playoff if things break right. Let's get that out of the way first.

But there are obvious obstacles. The Tigers' offense has struggled to move the ball and put up points throughout the season, and that means the team is extremely reliant on this defense to play at a high level. If the defense falters against North Texas or Charlotte — Memphis' next two opponents — this team is going to be in real trouble.

Memphis' defense can play with anyone

It's no longer a surprise that the Memphis defense has seemingly surpassed the offense. Coordinator Jordon Hankins' unit shut down everything the Bulls were trying to do on Saturday, and the defense has carried Memphis to a 5-1 record.

At this point, it's fair to expect this defense to keep pace with anyone — except Navy, that is, which ran wild in the Tigers' only loss. Saturday's win was the second straight impressive performance for this unit after the loss to Navy, and there's no reason to expect it to stop.

Memphis' offense is one-dimensional

The Tigers' passing game has looked a bit off for most of the season, but it started Saturday firing on all cylinders. Quarterback Seth Henigan connected with Demeer Blankumsee for a 31-yard touchdown on the game's first drive, and Henigan had his way with the Bulls' defense throughout the first quarter.

That changed after Mario Anderson was ejected in the the second quarter, though. With Memphis not having a big threat in the running game, South Florida dropped more players into coverage and forced Memphis to rely almost exclusively on the passing game.

The Tigers had far less success after that, with multiple drives stalling and with only short passes available for Henigan. They extended their nation-leading streak of scoring 20 or more points in each game only because of a defensive touchdown in the fourth quarter.

That happened a week after Henigan's personal streak of throwing a touchdown pass in each game ended against Middle Tennessee.

At some point this season, the Tigers are going to need much more from their offense.

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

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis football on upset alert, other overreactions from win vs USF