Tigers in mix for AAC West title
COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS: NO. 53 MEMPHIS
Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2017 season. The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 130 to our projected No. 1 team.
9 Memphis
Mike Norvell (8-5, entering second season; 8-5 overall)
8-5, 5-3 in American Athletic Conference, third in West Division
Memphis experienced a football renaissance during the past five seasons under previous coach Justin Fuente. The Tigers posted a 27-12 record during the past three seasons. Fuente was named Virginia Tech’s head coach and former Arizona State offensive coordinator Mike Norvell took over the Tigers program before the start of the 2016 season.
Under Norvell’s leadership, Memphis didn’t miss a beat and won at least eight games for the fourth consecutive season. The Tigers came close to knocking off a strong USF program, falling 49-42 in November, and followed that with regular-season victories against Cincinnati and Houston.
Memphis advanced to the Boca Raton Bowl, where it ended the season on a sour note with a 51-31 loss to Western Kentucky. lead signal caller after compiling 3,698 yards and a school-record 32 touchdowns in 2016. He ranked second in the league with 284.5 passing yards per game and with a 152.7 passer efficiency rating.
Memphis also returns lead WR Anthony Miller, who is on the preseason Biletnikoff Award watch list and coming off the best season for a Tigers receiver in school history. He finished with 95 receptions and 1,434 yards, which shattered the mark held by Tigers alum and retired NFL receiver Isaac Bruce. Miller and Bruce are the only two Memphis players to post 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Memphis should finish with one of the top offenses in the league, returning its top four running backs, top three receivers, four starting offensive linemen and quarterback.
“I’m excited about these guys. I’m excited about what they’ve done, all the work they’ve put in,” Novell told the Memphis CommercialAppeal after the team’s spring game. “There’s a lot of things to correct, and part of the reason why we still have one more practice is we wanted to be able to take this film and be able to learn from it.”
Memphis will need to replace five of its top seven cornerbacks — three of those starters — headed into the fall. In addition to filling out the secondary, the Tigers will need to identify a backup quarterback.
The future looks bright for Memphis, with Norvell pulling in the second strongest recruiting class in February to complement what should already be an experienced and productive offense and defense. The Tigers are favored to win the AAC West and contend for the league title.