Memphis spring football
Tigers’ quarterback battle looks promising but unclear.
There was only one touchdown pass in Memphis' spring game Friday night but the celebration felt familiar at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
Calvin Austin III caught the pass from Grant Gunnell and on instinct, Gunnell lifted the receiver up when he jumped towards him. It was something Brady White used to do when he was quarterback of the Tigers. The moment didn't get past Austin.
“He got there quick and did the same thing. That was a big moment for us,” said Austin, adding the two have been working on creating chemistry.
It’s one thing to celebrate like White. But replacing him requires more and the Tigers’ quarterbacks showed there’s room to grow as spring practice wrapped.
Keilon Brown, Peter Parrish, Gunnell and Seth Henigan, in that order, rotated series on Friday. Things were kept simple as Rodrigues Clark and Marquavius Weaver combined for more carries (28) than combined passes (27) in the first two periods
Each audition had both good and bad. Brown, Parrish and Gunnell had interceptions. Brown, who was 5for-10 passing and 28 yards, looked the most comfortable and showed his running ability when needed.
Parrish, just 1-for-3 for 18 yards, led a scoring drive on his next series after an interception. Gunnell’s touchdown pass came on his first drive but miscommunication saw the Arizona transfer overthrow a receiver, leading to an interception by Greg Rubin. He was 4-of-9 for 23 yards.
Henigan played mostly mistakefree, finishing 4-of-6 for 27 yards, while rushing for a touchdown on a 11play drive.
“We won’t win games with turnovers but what I liked is for all those guys, that was really the first time under the lights,” coach Ryan Silverfield said. “Nothing seemed too big for them. They all seemed confident.”
Gunnell’s arm strength and Brown’s experience stood out the most. But none of the four were convincing enough that the battle won’t extend well into August when camp resumes.
That’s fine for now. The last two Memphis starting quarterbacks weren’t named until Aug. 22 in both 2016 and 2018. There’s time for the quartet to develop, grow and separate themselves.
Three years ago, White didn’t finish spring as the clear-cut favorite. He and David Moore resumed the competition in August and the battle ended when Moore elected to transfer before the season started.
Friday showed more what the quarterbacks learned than establishing a leader to succeed White. Silverfield wasn’t expecting them to shock anybody but just be efficient
“They all have a blank slate and we’re just seeing where they are (and) shaking up the dice,” he said. “So I don’t care or say ‘well they should be here’, they’re all the same level.”
Despite Gunnell offering a reminder of White’s touchdown celebration, the quarterbacks don’t have to live up to White’s standard right now. Just meet Silverfield’s expectations, which is be accurate, intelligent and the best fit for the offense come Sept. 4 against Nicholls State when the season begins.
“They all have different things that they’re good at and things they need to continue to work at like any quarterback. But like I said, we got four capable ones and it’s fun to watch that battle continue