MEMPHIS – The anticipation for the University of Memphis’ football program has reached an all-time high. Let’s call it the peak of Tiger fever.
Coming off a 10-2 season and an AAC Western Division championship, coach Mike Norvell looks to solidify Memphis as a legitimate football power when his third season at the helm kicks off Saturday night at Liberty Bowl Stadium against Mercer.
Building on last season’s momentum will be a tall task for the Tigers after losing their leading passer (Riley Ferguson), tackler (Genard Avery) and receiver (Anthony Miller) – all to the NFL. But this 2018 squad returns 16 starters from a team that was a couple of snaps away from securing a New Year’s Six bowl berth. Three of those returning starters anchor a talented Memphis backfield.
Junior Darrell Henderson, who last season became the program’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2009, will provide speed on the edge while junior Patrick Taylor, who scored 13 touchdowns in 2017, is the bruiser between the tackles. And junior Tony Pollard is the all-purpose weapon that could relieve pressure from new starting quarterback Brady White.
On defense, Memphis returns eight of 11 starters from a pesky unit that’s posted 60 takeaways over the last two season, second-most in the country during that span. Meanwhile, the special teams unit is led by Pollard, whose six career TDs on kickoff returns are one shy of tying an NCAA record.
Understandably, Norvell is eager to see how the Tigers respond to heightened expectations on the heels of their recent success. He addressed that and more with the season opener looming this weekend.
Norvell on the level of excitement and anticipation entering the season:
“We have had a great camp. I have really been proud of this football team, coaches, all the personnel and what has gone into our preparation getting here to game week. We are bigger, stronger, faster. The understanding of expectation going into year three is something that has been a positive. Our guys have worked extremely hard to put themselves in position to play at a high level. It will be our first opportunity to showcase the 2018 team and what we’re going to be about.”
Norvell on the team’s transition to new starting quarterback Brady White:
“The biggest thing is that you make sure as you are going into the game that you play within yourself and control the things that you can control. I can (see) that with Brady in how he prepares for everything, whether it’s practice, workouts, the treatment and rehab that he does. That preparation gives you confidence. That’s what I want to see from our team. To think back since January, everything that we have done, all the weights that have been lifted, all the sprints that have been run, all of the meeting time and practice reps should give you a great deal of confidence about going out there and responding to whatever you could see. I think Brady will have nerves, I will have nerves and everybody (that’s) a part of the program.”
Norvell on Memphis opening up against an FCS-level opponent in Mercer:
“I don’t really get too carried away with what division or conference teams are in. I turn on film and evaluate the players and the schemes and then try to put ourselves in the best position to be successful. I can tell you that the Mercer team coming in is a team that’s on the rise. They play relentless. You look at last season, they went through some growing pains. They had four games that came down to less than a touchdown determining the outcome. You turn on the Auburn game from last year and its 17-10 with four minutes left in the game, and they were right there with them. One of the things I always do when I start evaluating an opponent is I turn on the kickoff coverage unit because I believe that unit, more than any other, will tell you the heart and drive within a football team. They had the No. 1 kickoff coverage unit in FCS football last year. We have a good football team coming here.”
Norvell on Tyrez Lindsey’s development and the defense’s overall depth:
“Tyrez has really grown at a high level in how he communicates. Last year, he was coming off of a shoulder injury, and that helped him play more cautiously than he wanted to. Really, from spring football on, he’s been playing at a high level. Josh Perry was banged up during camp, he missed a few days, and Tyrez has really maximized that opportunity. You look at our defensive depth chart, and you’ve got to put starters in, guys in that first role, but I look at it like we have a three or four-man rotation at safety. I basically view us as having four starting inside linebackers with Curtis Akins, Tim Hart, JJ Russell and Keith Brown. That defensive front, we’re going to roll a good number of guys up front, and keep guys fresh. I do believe our depth is as good as it’s ever been.”
Norvell on what he expects to learn from Game 1 of the season:
“Starting the season, there’s so much excitement, there’s such a build up to the first kickoff, but I don’t really like first games. There are so many unknowns, you hope that you don’t put too much in, or put too much on your players. On one hand, they have to be able to execute, they have to play fast, but there is such a variety of schemes you could see. You don’t really know what the identity of the opponent is going to be because there are new pieces and they had a couple transfers come in. They’re probably feeling the same way about us, not knowing fully what our identity is going to be.”
Norvell on the city and region’s growing bond with Tigers football:
“I think the excitement around the University of Memphis, and Tiger football specifically, is at an all-time high. It’s very humbling for us, to be able to go out at Fan-Fest and see people enduring the weather, sitting on a practice field. That was incredible. You go to Jackson, and we had a scrimmage there that was open, and the number of people that are there to support what this team is about, it’s a wonderful compliment. Everyone is ready for football season to begin, everybody’s ready to get in the Liberty Bowl. We need a big crowd on Saturday; it is a celebration of Memphis, come Saturday at 6 p.m. We understand that we represent not only this university, but we represent this city. Our guys are ready to run out of that tunnel and show what this football team is going to be.”
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Devin Walker are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.