Hoping to find a bit of magic in Memphis
Midshipmen have lost four straight games against Tigers
Navy football will look to turn around recent history when it travels to Memphis for a Thursday night game at the Liberty Bowl.
The Tigers have won four straight in the series, posting lopsided victories in three of those meetings.
Memphis (2-0), which started the season with back-to-back blowout wins, isa14 ½-point favorite. Navy (1-1) is seeking its second victory in five trips to the Liberty Bowl.
“We have a great challenge in front of us,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said Monday. “That’s a really talented, athletic team that is playing very well on both sides of the football.”
Newberry noted that Memphis has retooled the roster through the transfer portal, adding 26 players who are currently in the three-deep depth chart. Among them are top running back Blake Watson (Old Dominion) and three of the most productive wide receivers — DeMeer Blankumsee (Toledo), Tauskie Dove (Missouri) and Joe Scates (Iowa State).
Defensively, the team’s top two tacklers — Chandler Martin (East Tennessee State) and linebacker Cincir Evans (Coastal Carolina) — are transfers.
Third-year starting quarterback Seth
Henigan is the triggerman of a potent Memphis offense that’s averaging 46.5 points and 470 total yards through two games.
Henigan threw for 415 yards and two touchdowns last season as the Tigers routed the Mids 37-13. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior has already amassed 7,059 passing yards in 25 career games.
“The quarterback is a very good player,” Newberry said. “We’ve learned that firsthand the last two years.
“Just a really smart, polished football player who reads defenses really well and is a very good decision-maker.”
Newberry praised Henigan’s ability to get rid of the ball quickly to avoid sacks and described him as an “effective” runner
who can escape the pocket and scramble for yardage when necessary.
“He has a cannon for an arm and can make all the throws,” he said. “He gets the ball out on time and in rhythm and throws a very catchable pass.”
Memphis was one of the few opponents that consistently lit up Navy during the four seasons Newberry served as defensive coordinator. The Tigers scored 35 points or more in three of those meetings with a 10-7 loss in 2020, the lone time the Mids defended them well.
Big plays were the primary culprit in the three blowout losses.
Last season Henigan tossed a 79-yard touchdown to Scates and also completed passes of 50, 41 and 37 yards. Meanwhile, tailback Asa Martin broke loose for a 45-yard run.
“For the most part, we’ve been able to control the run game whenever we’ve played them,” Newberry said. “The dagger has been the big explosive plays.
“When you play Memphis, that’s what scares you to death because they’re really athletic and (they) have the ability to run by you. That’s a huge point of emphasis this week.
“We’ve got to keep the ball in front of us and make them earn it. We can’t give them any gifts.”
Memphis was dominant defensively in defeating Bethune-Cookman (56-14) and Arkansas State (37-3). The Tigers rank second nationally in total defense and 12th in scoring defense, allowing 152.5 total yards and 8.5 points per game.
Six-foot-3, 300-pound tackle Josh Ellison anchors a defensive front that has allowed 100 rushing yards through two games. Safety Simeon Blair, an Arkansas transfer, spearheads a pass defense that has given up 205 yards.
“Defensively, they’re really athletic and play hard, so we have to be OK with getting 3 and 4 yards [per play],” Newberry said. “We’ve got to be able to grind it out and sustain drives.”
Navy has routinely played Memphis early in the American Athletic Conference schedule and this game has been somewhat of a barometer.
When the Midshipmen tied for first place in the West Division in 2015, they beat the Tigers 45-20 at the Liberty Bowl. In 2016, when Navy played in the AAC championship game, it beat Memphis 42-28.
In 2018 Navy nipped Memphis by one point (22-21) in the second game of the season, which wound up being one of only two league wins. In 2019 the Midshipmen lost to the Tigers 35-23 in Game 3, then went on to finish with an 11-2 record.
“I would say that’s a fair statement,” Newberry said. “It probably will be a pretty good barometer heading into conference play.
“In my mind, that is one of the very best programs in the league. If you can beat a team like Memphis, you feel you’ve got a chance against anyone in this league.”
Memphis was predicted to place fourth in the AAC preseason poll, while Navy was tabbed to finish ninth out of 14 teams.
Both teams are facing a short week after playing Saturday, a situation that normally favors the home team. Newberry noted that Navy’s had a “wacky” start to the season with the opener against Notre Dame in Dublin, followed by a bye week and now a Thursday night game all in the first month.
Navy spent a little time working on Memphis and doing some game-planning during the bye week prior to the home opener against Wagner, Newberry said.