There wasn't a lot to say during Memphis football's plane ride from San Antonio to Memphis on Saturday night.

The Tigers (7-2, 3-2 AAC) had just lost to UTSA, a defeat that took them out of the running for the College Football Playoff and likely the AAC title game.

"It was a very, very silent plane ride home," coach Ryan Silverfield said Monday. "And rightfully so. If they're not hurting, I don't want them as part of this organization. I don't care if it's the ninth string linebacker, the janitor, the head football coach or the starting quarterback, if there wasn't pain, then I don't want you part of this."

Memphis has a quick turnaround on a short week. The Tigers will host Rice (3-6, 2-3) on Saturday (8 p.m., ESPN2) at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

Still, the loss in San Antonio will sting for the rest of the season and maybe beyond.

"We got our butt kicked," Silverfield said. "Everybody knows it. It's not like it was a news flash to our guys."

Memphis entered the season with higher expectations than in any other season in program history. Playoff expansion guarantees a spot for a Group of Five team, and the Tigers were picked by plenty to claim that spot during the preseason.

Those hopes took a hit with the loss to Navy on Sept. 21, but Memphis was still alive if things broke right. The Tigers knew they needed to win out from that point, and they'd won four straight before the loss to the Roadrunners.

"The losses are inexcusable," Silverfield said. "I love the fact that we've turned the University of Memphis football program into a place that expects to compete for championships. I love that. I'd like to think maybe I have a small piece to do with why those expectations are there. Certainly credit to Justin Fuente and all those great players, Mike Norvell and all those great players. It's a wonderful thing when we have the opportunity to talk about: 7-2 isn't good enough. That's a great thing."

Asked if he'd consider the season a failure since the Tigers are unlikely to reach the AAC title game, Silverfield said he would wait until the end of the season. Memphis isn't technically eliminated from the conference title picture, but the Tigers would need lots of help to reach the title game.

"So, yeah, the two games are failures and on me and I've got to be better with that," Silverfield said. "But I'm going to withhold judgement on saying whether the season was a failure, because we've got a lot of football left. What kind of head coach would I be if I said, 'Hey, the season's a failure, let's go play football?' That's BS. We've got a lot of football left to be played. A lot of pride."

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

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How Ryan Silverfield looks at Memphis football's 7-2 record