Five takeaways after Tigers wrap third week of practice
Memphis wrapped up another week of practice as the Tigers are less than two weeks away from their football season opener against Arkansas State (Sept. 5).
As of now, things are full speed ahead for the game at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and a limited number of fans will sit 12 feet apart. For the team, it was another week to keep improving.
Here’s what we learned after the third week of practice:
Solid second scrimmage
As he did last week, Ryan Silverfield had few specifics as the Tigers scrimmaged at their practice facility. He singled out a few things that impressed him.
Running back Rodrigues “Dreke” Clark carried a heavier load than the first scrimmage. Damonte Coxie was making plays as usual. The defense played much faster than last week, showing a better grasp of Mike Macintyre’s schemes.
But Silverfield had more criticism than praise.
“The bad news is we’re not ready,” Silverfield said. “We need to continue to get better and be ready to prepare for our first game. The good news is we got time and we need to have a sense of urgency to continue to get better.”
Clark moving up depth chart?
Clark has been talked up since the start of fall camp and from practice videos the Tigers have shared on social media, the sophomore’s actions have backed up the praise.
With Silverfield giving him more looks Saturday, it’s a good sign that he’s leading the fight for more carries behind Kenneth Gainwell. Gainwell will still dominate the attention when the season begins.
Yet if Clark is continuing to impress, he may end up the No. 2 back as he continues to push for carries along with returners Kylan Watkins and Asa Martin.
Fundamentals, fundamentals
Maybe it’s the Tigers still finding their way after no football for eight months. Maybe it’s just cautious coachspeak. After three weeks, Silverfield said the Tigers are fine-tuning the ba
sics as they begin adding more wrinkles on both sides of the ball.
Part of having a veteran team is trusting they’ll continue to shake things out. Silverfield feels the same way, but he isn’t taking chances. With the Tigers now on 20-hour work weeks due to classes being in session, it’s led to a greater urgency to keep improving quickly but correctly.
“There’s not enough time in the day to try and go over all of it now that we’re on a time restriction,” Silverfield said. “Really, it’s just challenging our guys to make sure they’re honed in during the time they’re here at our facility and around us.”
Washington, Ivory making strides
Offensive coordinator Kevin Johns praised wide receivers Tahj Washington and Javon Ivory, both redshirt freshmen, for their improvement the past three weeks.
Ivory (6-foot-2) appeared in three games last year and Washington (5-foot-11) caught three passes in four games. Johns also praised Washington’s speed adding another dimension on the field and Coxie complemented both receivers being prepared to fight for more time by studying their playbook.
With senior Pop Williams on a leave of absence for undisclosed reasons, it means the younger receivers need to step up. But Washington said that with a year under his belt, he feels more comfortable in the offense.
“I’ve been trying to take my mental to another level. Knowing I’m a smaller if I know where to go and where to be, that’s going to put me in a position to make plays,” Washington said.
Who’s making noise in the return game?
Washington is also one of several players being used in the kick return game now that Antonio Gibson and Chris Claybrooks are preparing for their rookie NFL seasons.
Calvin Austin III has gotten some looks as has Gabriel Rogers, who had that memorable kickoff return touchdown against Navy to spark the Tigers’ comeback. Silverfield said that even Gainwell and Coxie could be called upon if needed.