Tigers eyeing UCF’s spot at top of the AAC
Memphis returns a loaded roster full of explosive playmakers especially on offense, which makes the Tigers a threat to win the American Athletic Conference championship.
Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country entering the 2019 season. The Sentinel staff will take a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 130 to our projected No. 1 team.
Today at No. 36: Memphis
Coach: Mike Norvell (26-14, entering fourth season; 26-14 overall)
2018 record: 8-6, 5-3 in the American Athletic Conference; first in the West Division
Look back: At one point last season, the Tigers were 4-4 following back-to-back losses to UCF and Missouri. Two of those losses (Navy and UCF) were by a combined two points. It was the worst start by a Memphis team since opening the 2013 campaign with a 2-6 record. The team responded by winning its remaining four regular-season games, securing the Tigers’ second consecutive appearance in the AAC Championship Game against UCF. Memphis saw its 17-point second-half lead evaporate along with its chances to win a title. The Tigers followed the championship-game defeat with a loss to Wake Forest in the Birmingham Bowl.
Offensive starters returning: 7 Offensive starters lost: 4 Defensive starters returning: 8 Defensive starters lost: 3
Key losses: RB Darrell Henderson, RB Tony Pollard, OL Trevon Tate, OL Drew Kyser, OL Roger Joseph, DT Emmanuel Cooper, LB Curtis Akins, DB Tito Windham
Top returnees: QB Brady White, WR Pop Williams, WR Damonte Coxie, TE Joe Magnifico, OL Dylan Parham, OL Dustin Woodard, DE Jonathan Wilson, DT Bryce Huff, DT O’Bryan Goodson, LB JJ Russell, LB Austin Hall, DB TJ Carter, DB Tyrez Lindsey
Strengths: Memphis featured one of the top offenses in the country, with the Tigers averaging more than 42 points and 500 yards of total offense for the second straight season. The program returns a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver.
Brady White became the fifth Memphis quarterback to tally more than 3,000 yards passing in a season after totaling 3,296 yards. His 26 touchdowns are the fourthhighest in a single season by a Memphis quarterback, joining Paxton Lynch (28) and Riley Ferguson (32, 38).
Darrell Henderson (1,909 yards, 22 touchdowns) and Patrick Taylor (1,122 yards, 16 touchdowns) combined to rush for more than 3,000 yards last season, with the duo averaging nearly 7.4 yards per carry along the way. The departure of Henderson and Tony Pollard (552 yards) puts Taylor frontand-center in the Tigers’ ground game.
Damonte Coxie became the third Memphis receiver earn more than 1,000 yards in a season after leading the team in receptions (72), receiving yards (1,174)
2019 Schedule
and receiving touchdowns (7). Coxie, along with Pop Williams, are the most experienced receivers of the group.
Bryce Huff, Curtis Akins and T.J. Carter were the only defensive players to earn allconference honors last season. Huff (9.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss) anchors the team’s defensive front that also includes Jonathan Wilson (six sacks), O’Bryan Goodson (7.4 tackles for loss) and Joseph Dorceus (six sacks, seven quarterback hits). The group accounted for 22.5 of the team’s 37 sacks last season.
Carter (68 tackles, 12 pass breakups) is the cornerstone of a secondary that allowed more than 254 yards per game through the air last season. The group needs vast improvements, especially with a schedule that features Ole Miss, SMU, Houston, USF and Cincinnati.
Center Dustin Woodard is a three-year starter who earned first-team all-conference honors after leading an offensive line that allowed just 24 sacks in 2018. Woodard’s presence in the middle will be huge for the Tigers, who look to replace three veteran starters in tackles Trevon Tate and Roger Joseph and guard Drew Kyser.
Outlook: Memphis has the talent and experience to once again be the favorite in the AAC West Division. But the team’s struggle to finish games has cost it dearly during the past two seasons, including a conference championship in 2018. Poise under pressure will be crucial, especially in November when the Tigers face Houston, USF and Cincinnati during backto-back-to-back weeks.