Here are 5 things to watch for at annual spring game
The University of Memphis football team will host its annual spring game, Friday Night Stripes, at 7 p.m. at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Here are a few things worth watching during Friday night’s proceedings.
The defensive cohesion
With so many new starters, particularly in the secondary, it will be interesting to see how the defense performs. There aren’t any real stakes in the spring game, but it is more of a gamelike atmosphere than a typical practice. That means there will be some adrenaline and, at times, chaos as the offense tries to push the pace. How well will the first-team defense adjust? Are the defensive backs able to communicate effectively? These are some of the big questions surrounding the team entering 2017, and while they still have a full summer and fall camp to continue working at it, Friday will give us a glimpse at how far along they are in the process.
The backup quarterback battle
Expect Brady Davis and David Moore to split second-team repetitions in the spring game. And don’t expect coach Mike Norvell to declare a favorite afterward. Davis and Moore have each had their fair share of big plays and big mistakes so far in spring ball, with no clear front-runner emerging, and Friday night likely won’t change that. However, it will give both players an opportunity to prove that they can make smart decisions and take care of the ball. That’s what could ultimately make the difference in the race to back up Riley Ferguson anyways. It’s every bit as much about not making mistakes as it is about hitting a big play on a go-route. Norvell wants to see smart, reliable decision-making.
The young guys
This will likely be one of the first times that the redshirt freshman, and some of the other newcomers, have ever played in the Liberty Bowl in front of fans. So how will they respond? The gamelike atmosphere can have a funny effect on people. Some players look drastically better in games than they do in practice. For others, it’s vice versa. I’m particularly interested to watch some of the young defensive backs, including safety Sanchez Blake and cornerback Jacobi Francis, and some young wide receivers vying for roles, namely Jahod Booker and Hunter Hill.
It took awhile for Memphis to adjust to Norvell’s desired tempo last spring, and players say their stamina is one of the biggest differences in 2017. The Tigers understand Norvell’s expectations, and they understand the plays, which allows them to move faster. Will it be noticeable in the spring game? We’ll see. But tempo is such a critical part of what the Tigers want to be — both on offense and, though oft-forgotten, on defense — so it’s worth monitoring how fast they push the pace Friday night.
The Fighting Schads vs. Parrish’s Playmakers
In case you haven’t heard, I’ll be guest coaching at the spring game against my arch-nemesis (for this week only) Gary Parrish of CBS Sports and 92.9 FM ESPN. We’ll each be coaching two offensive drives and two defensive drives, all starting at the 50-yard line, while calling some of the team’s real plays from a personalized call sheet. I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do, but don’t place any bets on this one. Gary’s a basketball guy at heart, but I know he’ll have some tricks up his sleeve. Be sure to pick of a copy of Tuesday’s paper for a first-person account of the experience.