Month: August 2019

Categories
Sports Tiger Blue

Tigers 15, Ole Miss 10

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

A punt and a safety. Few football games are decided by either. In their 2019 season-opener Saturday at the Liberty Bowl, the Memphis Tigers beat Ole Miss with both plays proving critical.
Larry Kuzniewski

Patrick Taylor

Clinging to a 13-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Tiger offense stalled near midfield. Sophomore punter Adam Williams proceeded to drop the ball inside the Ole Miss 20, with a wobbly roll to the Rebel two-yard line. On the next play from scrimmage, senior defensive end Bryce Huff stormed around the right edge of the Rebel offensive line for a sack of quarterback Matt Corral. The end-zone tackle and two points it delivered proved enough for Memphis to win its sixth straight season-opening game, a program record.

“Thank you, Tiger Nation, for the energy you brought into that stadium,” said Memphis coach Mike Norvell in opening his postgame press conference. “We knew there was going to be a lot of emotion. Thank you for showing up this morning for the Tiger walk. That was an exciting atmosphere. We said all week, whatever it takes to be one point better. Hats off to our defensive staff, Coach [Adam] Fuller. Kept them off balance all game long. Whoever could establish the running game would be successful. We ran for 192 yards; they ran for 80. And to end the game with a six-minute drive . . . that’s something I’ll remember a long, long time.”

The Tigers opened the game’s scoring on their second drive, junior quarterback Brady White carrying the ball in for the final yard with 5:23 to play in the first quarter. The teams traded blows without scoring again until Tiger senior running back Patrick Taylor completed a 37-yard drive with his 35th career touchdown in the final minute before halftime. Pop Williams set up the short drive with a 21-yard punt return.(Kicker Riley Patterson hit the right upright on the point-after attempt.)

The Rebels got on the scoreboard via field goal late in the third quarter, kicker Luke Logan converting from 35 yards. A pass-interference call against Tiger cornerback T.J. Carter helped Ole Miss score its lone touchdown, a one-yard carry by Scottie Phillips with 11:49 left to play that reduced the Memphis lead to 13-10. The ensuing Tiger possession concluded with the Williams punt that set up Huff’s safety.

“There were some mistakes we need to clean up,” acknowledged Norvell. “Ten penalties, some mistakes on third down [offensively]. All in all, it was a great team win. This was a showcase game.”

The Tiger defense allowed its fewest points in more than two years, dating back to November 2016. Ole Miss converted only one third down in ten attempts. (The Rebels were one for two on fourth down.) Joseph Dorceus and La’Andre Thomas each picked up sacks in addition to Huff’s. And when Thomas was ejected for a targeting penalty late in the first quarter, freshman Quindell Johnson stepped in and grabbed the first interception of his college career.
Larry Kuzniewski

Brady White

On the offensive side, Memphis played its first game since Darrell Henderson and Tony Pollard were drafted by NFL teams, but a new playmaker seems to have emerged in the form of freshman tailback Kenneth Gainwell. A native of Yazoo City, Mississippi, Gainwell lived up to his name with 77 yards rushing and 41 receiving (on six catches). He earned three critical first downs on that game-ending drive including a shovel pass taken on fourth-and-two from White near midfield with just under three minutes left on the clock.

“Those [fourth-down] decisions, you gotta be willing to make,” said Norvell. “I believe in our players. We wanted to have an aggressive mindset. I felt good about going out to win the game, and not just hold on. I had confidence that if something bad happened, we would do what was necessary [to win].”

“I was confident,” said White when asked about the fourth-down shovel pass to Gainwell. “There are certain situations when we’d typically run it, so I was out there, waiting for it. I went through my pre-snap read, saw we had a good look. It’s a unit effort.” White completed 23 of 31 passes for 172 yards and tossed an interception early in the second half.

“We’re 1-0,” emphasized White. “It makes us super-confident, to win a game like that. Kudos to the defense, the offensive line. It took multiple guys to step in, a grinding effort. I’m blessed to be here.”

Taylor finished the contest with 128 yards rushing, enough to vault him past Tiger legend Dave Casinelli and into third place on the Memphis career chart. But for a team that allowed more than 30 points per game a year ago, Saturday’s win — over a team from the mighty SEC — will be remembered for what could be a corner turned by the Tiger defense.

“Coach Fuller brought some energy to the sideline today,” said Huff. “He was on the sideline, smiling. We were only up three. It was great energy. We have so much to correct. Even though we played well, there’s a lot we can improve on. I know our coaches are going to push us to get better.”

The Tigers return to the Liberty Bowl next Saturday to host Southern. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Categories
News News Blog

Bolt Drops Fleet of ‘Revolutionary’ Scooters in Memphis

Bolt scooters are here

Memphis added yet another set of scooters to its growing fleet, as Bolt officially launched here Friday.

The Florida-based company put 100 scooters on the streets and plans to add 150 over the next few months. But, these scooters are not the traditional electric scooters Memphis has seen. The Bolt Chariot scooter is “the biggest revolution in micro mobility thus far,” said Andy Shenkman, Bolt’s North American director of operations.

“We at Bolt have created a revolutionary device that bridges the gap between what micro mobility was and what it will be,” Shenkman said. “We’ve taken all the amenities of an automobile and combined it with the convenience of dockless mobility.”

Bolt’s Chariot scooter is equipped with a small foot basket for cargo, two cup holders, a slot for phones, and a USB outlet. The scooter’s design also differs from others here. The Chariot is larger and has two foot platforms, rather than the traditional single platform. Shenkman said this gives riders a better center of gravity and 180 degrees of visibility.


Similar to other scooter companies in town, Bolt is accessed through an app. However, Bolt does not charge the common $1 activation fee, but charges 50 cents per minute, compared to the 15 cents per minute that Lime, Bird, and Spin charge.

Shenkman said that the “added amenities to the scooter legitimize that extra price.”

Bolt currently operates in 13 different U.S. cities and Paris. Memphis is only the fourth city to get Bolt’s Chariot scooter.

Shenkman said in choosing which cities to place scooters, Bolt considers the transportation needs there.

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One of the company’s priorities, he said, is figuring out how to “use our devices to connect the under-served neighborhoods where there isn’t transportation or infrastructure to the interior where there might be better jobs or better quality of life. The goal is to bridge that gap and that is absolutely a core philosophy of our company.”

Bolt aims to consistently maintain 35 percent of its fleet in under-served communities, Shenkman said. Bolt accepts cash payment options for riders without smartphones or bank accounts. It also offers reduced prices for riders who qualify for government assistance though its Bolt Forward program.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

What’s Brewing: Cxffeeblack Serves Coffee and Awareness

Bartholomew Jones wants to “make coffee black again.”

Jones, 28, is the creator of the website cxffeeblack.com, which he describes as “a lifestyle brand and a social experiment — just asking and trying to answer the question, ‘Why aren’t there more black people in specialty coffee? And what would happen if there were?’

“If you go to Ethiopia right now, coffee is offered to you the same way the British serve tea. Three times a day.”

Michael Donahue

Bartholomew Jones

But, Jones says, “In America, coffee is not seen as a black drink.”

Cxffeeblack.com offers coffee and coffee-related products and information “as a way to spark a movement for black people to reclaim high-quality coffee as a part of our culture,” he says.

Growing up in Whitehaven, Jones, who was born Maurice Henderson II, watched his dad drink Folgers and other “regular coffee.” But his father also drank Starbucks Kenyan coffee “before it was cool to get into Starbucks.”

Jones drank coffee at his church, but, he says, “I would try to cover it up as much as possible with cream and sugar. The powdery cream. Just scoop as much of it as I could to hide the fact that it was coffee.”

Jones, a hip-hop artist, also spent late nights in coffee shops working on his music. He began to wonder why he didn’t see more black people in the shops. “I was the only black person there,” he says.

He tried his first Americano — a double shot of espresso and hot water — and began to explore why some espressos taste better than others.

In 2012, Jones met his wife, Renata Henderson, at one of his hip-hop shows. He asked her, “Hey, do you like coffee?”

“She said, ‘Yes.’ I told her, ‘Cool. I know the best spot that has the best lattes.'”

A year later, they were married. That Christmas, Henderson gave Jones his first espresso machine. “From that, I bought seven different coffee makers, [including] Kalita Wave, V60, Aeropress. That lead me to more ‘why’ questions. Why is this coffee better than others?”

He became friends with a Latino barista at Avenue Coffee. “They have a lot of other dope baristas there. Them having a diverse staff made me feel more comfortable asking questions.”

Jones began playing shows at Avenue Coffee. He threw in “coffee references here and there” in his songs, including “No Sugar No Cream” and “Americano.”

Black people showed up at his shows, but not as customers at the shop, he says. A lot of coffee shops resembled the coffee drinks he used to order. “There was a lot of cream.”

Jones began serving coffee to friends at his house. They’d listen to music and drink black coffee. “I was starting to see people say, ‘Hey, this is not bad without sugar or cream.'”

Jones, who got a job as a barista at Society Memphis, originally started Cxffeeblack on Instagram as a way to bring awareness of specialty coffee to his community through music.

The “x” in Cxfeeblack stands for the “x” slaves used as their last name after emancipation, Jones says. It also pertains to himself. “As a connection to my ethnic identity.”

Jones partnered with a roaster, Kenny Baker from Ethnos Coffee. They collaborated on their first coffee, Guji Mane. Jones describes the taste as “ripe raspberries on your granny’s caramel cake and the mouthfeel of flan from your homie’s abuelita, which is ‘grandma’ in Spanish.”

They sold 30 pounds of Guji Mane in 10 days. “All word of mouth. Eighty to 90 percent to people of color.”

In addition to the coffee, on cxffeeblack.com, Jones is offering T-shirts and mugs hand-lettered by his wife. He’s in the process of “creating an all-black line of products.”

Jones plans to one day have his own roasting equipment at home and eventually open his own brick-and-mortar shop.

He wants people to do more than just drink his coffee. He wants them to learn from it. “By learning about coffee’s origins, we might learn about our own origins.”

Categories
Opinion The Last Word

Edgar Cayce and the Current Dystopia

CREDIT: Wikipedia

Well, we human beings had a good run. We’ve gone from green slime crawling out of the sea to the discovery of fire, the invention of the wheel, the use of tools, the dawn of civilization, the Dark Ages, the Renaissance, the creation of industry, mass production, the invention of the printing press, the automobile, the telephone, modern cities and suburbs, space exploration, and the telecommunication revolution.

Then we hit a bump.

Suddenly, we’ve regressed into green slime slouching back into the sea. Between the melting of the polar ice caps and the fires ravaging the Amazon rain forest, we’ve reached a climate apocalypse that may well be irreversible. This didn’t have to happen. It just proves how mindless leadership can alter the world’s climate in the shortest time. Civilization will mock the naiveté of such dire forecasts as Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange. Say goodbye to the Earth as we know it, and say hello to water wars, mass migrations, riots, and the shredding of the fabric of society.

Wikipedia

Edgar Cayce

In the middle of the last century, a clairvoyant named Edgar Cayce became famous for his prophesies and remedies. An institution in Virginia Beach houses more than 14,000 of his readings — which have been determined to be 85 percent accurate. His clients included Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Edison, Irving Berlin, and George Gershwin. Cayce — “The Sleeping Prophet” — would lie down and enter a state of altered consciousness, which allowed him visions of the future. They were alarming when I first read them, many years ago. They’re terrifying now. In a reading from 1934, Cayce said, “The earth will be broken up in many places. The early portion will see a change … in the West Coast of America. Open waters appear in the northern portion of Greenland. The greater portion of Japan must go into the sea. There will be upheavals in the Antarctic … beginning in 2000-2001.”

Any of this sound familiar? Cayce continues, “There are predictions of temperature changes in the deep waters which impact weather patterns, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.” Also, “New York itself, in the main, will disappear. Southern portions of Carolina, Georgia — these will disappear. Los Angeles, San Francisco … will be among those destroyed.”

On a cheerier note, Cayce claimed that Atlantis would reappear and unearth hidden knowledge. He also said that his dystopian vision need not take place with the proper awareness coupled with action. Considering the state of the planet today, that’s pretty incredible stuff, but guess who’s rushing us headlong into extinction? 

Our mock president’s performance at last week’s G7 summit in France did nothing to advance the cause of addressing climate change. Laughingly declaring himself to be “an environmentalist,” Trump said, “I want the cleanest water on earth. I want the cleanest air on earth. … I think I know more about the environment than most people.”

This, coming from a man who boasted about opening up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling, withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord, claimed that windmills cause cancer, and wondered aloud if it were possible to “nuke” hurricanes.

Then, Trump skipped a climate discussion with other world leaders, leaving an empty chair in his stead. Other G7 participants walked on eggshells around Trump, hoping that America’s human wrecking ball wouldn’t destroy another meeting of sane heads of state. While French President Emmanuel Macron was expressing outrage over Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s (or, as he’s been dubbed by some, the “Trump of South America”) handling of the Amazon fires, Trump himself was advocating for Russia’s re-admittance to the G7 and hyping one of his Florida resorts for the next summit, citing its many wonderful accoutrements.

Like Trump, the Brazilian president is a climate change denier. He relaxed environmental regulations and permitted farmers and other commercial interests to burn off parts of the Amazon rain forest, then claimed the current conflagration was caused by “non-governmental organizations” for the purpose of “drawing international criticism to [his] government.” 

The rain forest produces 20 percent of the world’s oxygen. The World Wildlife Fund stated that if the Amazon rain forest, sometimes known as “the world’s lungs,” reaches the point of no return, the area could become a “dry savanna,” emitting carbon instead of oxygen. Without Trump’s input, the G7 pledged $20 million to help contain the fires that are destroying two and a half football fields worth of rain forest every minute of every day and are spilling over into neighboring countries.

Meanwhile, NASA and the European Space Agency have determined that the polar ice caps have melted faster in the last 20 years than in the previous 10,000. Antarctica and Greenland have lost three times as much ice, compared to 20 years ago. A rise in sea level of more than six feet would be enough to inundate most major coastal cities. If the Greenland ice sheet melted, sea levels would rise by more than 20 feet. So long, New Orleans. Nice to know you, Miami. It’s good that Denmark refused to sell Greenland to Trump. He’d only melt it and turn it into the world’s largest water park.

Randy Haspel writes the “Recycled Hippies” blog.

Categories
News News Blog

Construction of New U of M Fitness Center to Begin Next Month

CREDIT: University of Memphis

University of Memphis

The University of Memphis will begin construction on a new $30-million fitness center next month, the university announced Thursday.

Construction of the 74,000-square-foot Center for Wellness & Fitness, which will sit next to the newly constructed parking garage on Southern Avenue, is tentatively slated to be completed by spring 2021.

Richard Bloomer, dean of the U of M School of Health Studies, said the new space will be built with the “whole student in mind.”

“It will be just one more example of expansion on our campus to enhance student engagement and the overall user experience,” Bloomer said.

The two-story center will house “new and expanded features not previously available on our campus,” the university said in a press release. In addition to housing two basketball courts, fitness studios, strength training and cardiovascular fitness areas, and functional training areas, the center will have a nutrition kitchen, cafe, academic classrooms, and an indoor track.

Outside there will be an exercise patio, a leisure pool, sports fields, three tennis courts, and a basketball court.

University of Memphis

University of Memphis

The existing recreational center will remain in place and get several improvements including new roofing and revamped mechanical systems. The most significant enhancement to the current facility will be the construction of the $10-million Mike Rose Natatorium, officials said. As a part of this project, the current pool will be renovated into a deeper and longer pool, a new warm-water leisure pool will be added, and spectator seating will be expanded.

The university, in partnership with Splash Mid-South, YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South, and the Rose Foundation, will offer aquatics programs at the natatorium to “promote water safety and enrich community health among diverse populations,” according to the press release.

University of Memphis

This announcement comes a week after the university opened its new Hunter Harrison pedestrian bridge over Southern Avenue and adjoining parking garage and amphitheater.

Earlier this month, a building permit was filed for the university’s $35-million Scheidt Family Music Center, which is also slated to be completed by spring 2021.

Categories
News News Blog

Church Plans to Open Park Area For Big River Crossing Visitors

The Church on the River is raising funds to upgrade its playground in hopes of opening it up (and offering water) to visitors to Big River Crossing.

The church sits just below the Tennessee-side gate of the pedestrian bridge, which spans the Mississippi River. Its playground is now a large, grassy area, fenced for security. It has a swing set, some plastic climbing structures, and a large shade tree.

Church of the River/ioby

As for the Big River Crossing entrance, according to a statement from the church, “There are no additional amenities: no playground, no benches, no picnic tables, no shade, not even a drinking fountain.” But the church has begun a fund-raiser on the ioby crowd-funding website to change that and open the area up to all. The church wants a ”a true family-friendly destination, where children can safely play and adults can relax and find water and shade.”

The church wants to replace the current play structures with larger, more diverse play equipment, install a safe surface and drainage, build a concrete walkway from the path to the play area, install benches and picnic tables, plant new trees and other foliage, and extend water lines form the church to the area for a water fountain.
Church of the River/ioby

“But while we have the available space on our property, and the desire to share it, we are just a small congregation and, therefore, do not have the funds to make all the necessary improvements,” reads the group’s page on ioby. “While our congregation will fund many of these improvements, we are also seeking donations and grants from other sources.”

As of Thursday morning, the group has raised $6,138 of the $21,777 needed to fully fund the project.

The funds raised on ioby will specifically fund the extension of the water line for a foundation and a play area for toddlers.

The area would be reserved for church use only on Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon and during some occasional church events.

Church of the River/ioby

“We believe this playground would benefit the quality of life not only for families who live in the South Main/Downtown area, but also families from across Shelby County who visit the Big River Crossing, and adults who walk, run, or bike across the bridge,” reads the ioby page. “Our church’s desire is to be a ’good neighbor’ to all.”

For more information, visit the church’s ioby.

Categories
Film/TV Film/TV/Etc. Blog

David Lynch’s Eraserhead Is Still Weird

Jack Nance in Eraserhead

So here’s the thing about David Lynch: He’s weird.

Some people look at Lynch’s work, like Twin Peaks or Lost Highway, and say, “He’s just doing a bunch of random stuff. Anyone could do that!”

And those people are wrong. Lynch’s imagery isn’t random. It comes from deep inside a person deeply devoted to Trancendental Meditation, who has spent a lifetime cultivating and exploring the mysteries of the subconscious. Does he always know exactly how the images he creates fit together to create a whole? Probably not. But he knows that they DO fit together, somehow. Lynch’s films are the closest we get to a pure expression of dream logic in the waking world.

His first film, made in the early 1970s while he was living in a converted stable at the American Film Institute, was called Eraserhead. The plot, such as it is, concerns a man named Henry Spencer (Jack Nance, who would go on to play Pete Martell in Twin Peaks) who finds himself a father to a baby that is either grossly deformed or an alien. Or possibly a demon. Or possibly the embodiment of all the guilt, shame, and awfulness buried in the subconscious of this not very ordinary man who just happens to have David Lynch’s signature haircut.

Like I said, it’s weird. It’s probably the weirdest film preserved by the Library of Congress in the National Film Registry as culturally significant. And it makes no apologies for being weird. It’s really best to just sit back and let the images flow over you, then talk about them to your therapist later.

You have the rare opportunity to watch Eraserhead on the big screen tonight, August 29th, at Crosstown Theater. It’s a bargain at $5 for one of the most insane (or possibly sane on another level) films ever made.

David Lynch’s Eraserhead Is Still Weird

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Memphis Made Brewing Co. Releases New Brew

CREDIT: Memphis Made Brewing Co.

Memphis Made Brewing Co.

Memphis Made seen from the street

Memphis Made Brewing Co. releases its new American honey wheat ale, 3:30 on a Wednesday, at an event at the Cooper-Young brewery Saturday, August 31st, at 3:30 p.m.

Memphis Made Brewing Co.

For 3:30 on a Wednesday, Memphis Made revisited a previous specialty beer they brewed for a Memphis bicentennial celebration at the request of Music Export Memphis (MEM), a nonprofit that helps Bluff City bands to promote the Memphis brand abroad.

“We do a lot of one-offs, and if people like them, we bring them back,” says Andy Ashby, sales manager and co-owner of Memphis Made.


The new brew, Ashby says, is named after the city’s emergency sirens, which are tested weekly at noon, on Saturdays and, more importantly, on Wednesday afternoons at 3:30 p.m.

“It’s just a little Memphis thing,” Ashby says.

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Memphis Made’s newest creation will come in three flavors — the original 3:30-style brew from the MEM event, as well as two fruit-accented versions in peach and raspberry. “Wheat beers are pretty good receptors for fruit flavors,” Ashby explains.


For their new, drinkable Memphis thing, the brewery has partnered with two stalwarts of the Memphis music scene: Goner Records and Unapologetic. Both the Cooper-Young-based record store/label and the hip-hop art collective have designed labels for the cans. Unapologetic designed the label for the peach can, with Goner taking on duties for the raspberry version. The can designs have yet to be unveiled, but one can’t help but wonder if Unapologetic artist A Weirdo From Memphis’ iconic pink bunny ears and red contact lenses will make an appearance.

Memphis Made Brewing Co.

A whole lot of GonerBrau

Memphis Made has a longstanding relationship with Goner Records. The brewery has been one of the sponsors and venues for the annual Gonerfest. The brewery has also brewed commemorative batches of beer for the festival before, such as last year’s GonerBrau cream ale. “We love Goner,” Ashby says. “We’re again sponsoring Gonerfest this year. We’re the sole beer sponsor.” Ashby added that he was excited to work more with the creative forces at Unapologetic and hopes to collaborate with the collective again in the future.


DJs from Goner and Unapologetic will spin records at the release celebration. For those who want to take a taste of 3:30 on a Wednesday home, the beer will be on draft and available in six-packs, to-go. Though the wheat ale has been canned, Ashby warns, “This is a very limited run.”

3:30 on a Wednesday release at Memphis Made Brewing Co. on Saturday, August 31st, 3:30 p.m.


Categories
Letter From The Editor Opinion

Realpolitik and the River

In five weeks, more or less, Memphians will be voting for a mayor and city council. The three most recognizable mayoral candidates are the incumbent, Jim Strickland, longtime former Mayor Willie Herenton, and activist and County Commissioner Tami Sawyer.

Strickland touts the city’s “momentum” and its surging economic developments. Herenton wants Memphis to “do it again” and send him back to the office he held for several terms during the 1990s and early 2000s. Sawyer, perhaps best-known for her “Take’EmDown901” campaign to remove the city’s Confederate statuary, is raising hell, poking at Strickland’s record, trying to elevate her profile.

A debate between the three of them would be an interesting exercise in democracy and would give the public a chance to see how the candidates handle themselves in the heat of the moment and where the fissures between them exist.

But it doesn’t appear it’s going to occur. Herenton was the first to opt out of a scheduled debate sponsored by The Commercial Appeal and WMC-Channel 5. Strickland then withdrew, saying, via a spokesperson, “without the top challenger in the race participating, an informed and balanced debate could not happen.” Sawyer responded as you might expect: “Mayor Strickland and Herenton are denying taxpayers the right to hear where we all stand on the issues and make an informed choice on who will lead our city over the next [four] years.”

Sawyer is correct, but she’s battling realpolitik. Neither Herenton nor Strickland perceive that they have anything to gain from a debate (see Politics), so any opportunity to avoid such an event will be taken. And that’s too bad because there are a number of issues that could stand a public airing, including the ongoing battle between Memphis in May and the proponents of the redesign of Tom Lee Park by the Memphis River Parks Partnership.

Last week, Memphis in May issued its report on the 2019 festival, citing a month-long economic impact of festival events totaling $149,112,480. MIM also cited tax revenues for the city at $4.6 million and an attendance of 107,153. Impressive stats, no doubt. Well done, Jim Holt and crew.

A couple days later, a group representing 70 Downtown businesses released a letter they had written to Strickland in June, citing their support for the MRPP redesign: “We believe a revitalized Riverfront, and in particular, the effort to build a bold new Tom Lee Park, is critical to maintaining and capitalizing on [the city’s economic] momentum, and we believe the time to make that happen is now.” Straightforward enough. A simple statement of support.

In response, Amy Howell, a spokesperson for a group called Get Our Riverfront Right and MIM, issued the following statement to the Daily Memphian: “While the taxpayer funded RDC/MRPP may not be competent is [sic] running our park system, they are good at PR and swaying public opinion to fit their agenda(s). Our group of volunteer tax paying citizens comprised of a diverse group of well intentioned Memphians have [sic] amassed almost 7,000 signatures against what RDC/MRPP has planned for Tom Lee Park as well as letters from the MRA and Hotel/Motel Association. We know there have [sic] been no operational strategy, budgeting and plan to maintain our park system.”

Grammar aside, the attacks on MRPP staff and their motives by Howell and various ad hoc social-media groups have often been clumsy and mean-spirited. And frankly, pointless. I have news for MIM and those who want Memphis to “leave Tom Lee alone.” Tom Lee Park is going to get a redesign, though it may be modified to some degree. Mediation is ongoing, though I don’t believe any decision will be made public until — wait for it — after the mayoral election. Rather than publicly assaulting the integrity of the other side (and dozens of Downtown business owners), it might behoove Howell and MIM to tone down the public rhetoric and continue to quietly work together to create a park that will accommodate the MIM events, even if it means some adjustments must be made.

In a world where the Amazon is burning and climate change is uppermost on the minds of serious world leaders, opposing the planting of trees and the installation of water features and a shelter in a treeless, blazing-hot public park is a bad look. Trashing the integrity of fellow Memphians who support creating a new riverfront is a bad look. Nobody wants Memphis in May to go away. The city welcomes the friendly May invasion of barbecuers and music lovers from around the world. But we also want to welcome tourists and locals to the river the rest of the year.

Categories
Cover Feature News

By Air and By Land! Memphis Football Goes for Glory

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

We measure eras differently when it comes to University of Memphis football. Can three years possibly represent an “era” in Tiger history? In the case of the three seasons (so far) under head coach Mike Norvell, the answer is a resounding yes.

Under Norvell, Memphis has won 26 games, as many as his predecessor, Justin Fuente, won in four seasons and more than Rip Scherer (remember him?) could win in six. With merely five wins this fall — count on them — Norvell will move into fifth on the Tigers’ all-time wins chart. Still just 37 years old (he turns 38 on October 11th), Norvell’s fourth Memphis team has been picked to win its division of the American Athletic Conference a third straight season. The Norvell era is still taking shape, yet has already established historical status in these parts.

Photographs by Larry Kuzniewski

“Each day is an opportunity to get better,” says University of Memphis head football coach Mike Norvell.

“I’m excited about where we are,” says Norvell. “When you take a job, you have hopes that the program will progress, that it’s going to be perceived well locally and nationally. You want to recruit and improve personnel each and every year. Looking back over the last three years, I think we’ve done that. We’re relevant nationally. We had to show that Memphis football could sustain success. We’ve shown that Memphis football is here to stay.”

Despite a 1-3 start in American Athletic Conference play last season, the Tigers reached the AAC championship game by winning their final four regular-season games. Memphis lost (again) to UCF in the title game but finished the season with an 8-6 record, giving the program five straight winning seasons for the first time in four decades (1973-77). Throw in a pair of Top-25 finishes (after the 2014 and 2017 seasons), and the U of M has indeed reached a tier unrecognizable to previous generations of Tiger fans.

“We’ve enhanced the program in lots of ways, on the field and off,” emphasizes Norvell. “Three of the last four semesters we’ve had the top GPA academically in the program’s history. So it’s all over. I take a great deal of pride in that. But we talk about that hard-earned culture. It’s every single day; we are challenged, and we challenge others. Each day is an opportunity to get better.”

For a second straight year, the Tiger offense is losing a first-team All-America, with running back Darrell Henderson now cashing checks with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. A team that averaged 45.5 points per game in 2017 (second in the country) and 42.9 last year (seventh) intends to reload, and with some familiar faces.

Damonte Coxie and Patrick Taylor

Back in the fold this year is Henderson’s 2018 ball-carrying partner in crime, Patrick Taylor, who managed to rush for 1,122 yards and 16 touchdowns last season despite playing a supporting role to Henderson. Taylor actually carried the ball only six fewer times than Henderson in 2018, though the latter averaged a ridiculous 8.9 yards per carry. Taylor averaged “only” 5.4 yards. With 1,012 yards this season, Taylor would pass Henderson for second place on the Tigers’ career-rushing chart.

Taylor may have the best smile on the Tigers’ roster, but he’s almost placid in evaluating the role he expects to play as a senior. “I want to be the best player I can be for my teammates,” he says. “The best leader I can be, and help our team win games. I know I have to step up, and the standard has been raised for me. If the team needs me to carry the ball more, I’ll do it. Stay true to myself.”

Also back to help fuel the Tigers’ attack is receiver Damonte Coxie. The junior from Louisiana had the impossible task last year of following Anthony Miller (a 2017 All-America) as the Tigers’ primary downfield target. But even with a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, Coxie managed to catch 72 passes (fourth-most in Memphis history) for 1,174 yards, a total that would top the Tiger record book were it not for Miller’s last two seasons in blue and gray.

“I practiced and played with Ant,” says Coxie. “I knew how he worked, the way he would grind. I knew if I worked that way, I’d be all right.” Coxie is the opposite of the pass-catching divas who seem to absorb camera time on NFL Sundays. He goes about his offseason work methodically, with an emphasis on improving his nutrition and getting the right amount of sleep (he won’t stay up past 11 p.m.). And forget playing for statistics. “My mom, my family . . . that’s my personal goal for everything,” says Coxie. “I want to make sure I’m doing right for them. I want to make sure we all stay focused. Last year, we got high and low, ups and downs. It’s easy to get complacent.”

Coxie will lead a receiving corps that includes Pop Williams (33 catches for 304 yards as a junior) and not one, but two senior tight ends who could land all-conference honors: Joey Magnifico and Sean Dykes.

Tiger quarterback Brady White has embraced Grind City.

They’ll be catching passes from quarterback Brady White. After transferring from Arizona State before the 2018 season, White started all 14 games, passing for 3,296 yards with 26 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. (White will play this fall as a redshirt-junior.) Less about numbers than attitude and approach, White has embraced what he recognizes as a football culture designed — intentionally — for sustained success.

“It starts with one day at a time,” White notes. “What are you doing in the spring, in those times by yourself? Are you maximizing that time? In the off time, are you taking care of your body, recovering properly? Little things help you stack those boxes of success and get one-percent better every day.”

When White struggled last season — at Navy, at Tulane — all the Tigers’ star power wasn’t enough to earn a win. With a year under his belt, White sees his own improvement wrapped into the “hard-earned culture” Norvell is creating in Memphis. “It’s how we grind,” says White. “This is Grind City, right? Our mentality is what sets this culture apart. It’s not me, but the guys who came before me. We’re trying to build on that standard. When you don’t have the strength coaches yelling at guys for missing lines during runs, that’s player-led [growth]. I feel like I’m a part of that [leadership] group, my brothers on this team. I see people stepping up, being more vocal. This is it. You hold your best players accountable, and they set the standard.”

The offensive line entrusted with protecting White returns only two starters: senior center Dustin Woodard (the former guard is on the Outland Trophy watch list) and sophomore guard Dylan Parham. But Norvell likes the depth of this position group, and Taylor — the man craving gaps through which to run — sees little reason for concern. “The offensive line made some good strides in the spring,” Taylor says. “They opened a lot of holes, and they’ve gotten better with summer conditioning. I’m very confident in them.”

“I don’t have any concerns,” White adds. “We have young guys with a lot of ability, and they’ll step into their roles. They’ve shown a lot of growth since spring [practice]. They’re super-talented, so the potential is really high. Day by day, rep by rep.”

Veteran linebackers should fuel the Tiger defense under new coordinator Adam Fuller. Austin Hall, J.J. Russell, and Tim Hart were among the Tigers’ top 10 tacklers a season ago. Senior Bryce Huff led the team with 9.5 sacks last season and moves up to the defensive line this year, where he’ll torment opposing quarterbacks from the edge. Leading the secondary will be junior cornerback T.J. Carter, a second-team all-conference honoree in 2018 and on the watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award this season.

While the Tiger offense has surged in recent years, the defense has surrendered its share of points, finishing 94th in the country last season with 31.9 points allowed per game. Fuller smiles when asked about his plan for the Memphis defense: “To not give up points,” he says. “It’s not broken here on defense,” adds Fuller, who joins the Tiger program after six years at Marshall, the last as DC. “They’ve played well enough to play for the conference championship the last two years. But there needs to be improvement. When we talk about how we want to look, we want a fast, tough, smart group. That’s all-encompassing. And it’s not just running fast. It’s being able to teach fast, to learn fast, to get lined up fast, to react fast. Communication needs to be clean and concise.”

With the exception of Huff, there’s been little position shifting under Fuller’s watch. His chief interest is in seeing how the position groups meld into a single, solitary, game-changing unit. “The pass rush and coverage work in unison,” he emphasizes. “They’re not independent of one another. Whether you’re playing man or zone coverage, they always work in unison. Full-unit meetings are important. That’s when you sell the cohesiveness, the reliability on each other.”

It’s not just veteran talent that will shape the Tigers’ 2019 season. In one conversation, Norvell mentions no fewer than eight members of his most recent recruiting class he expects to make an impact immediately: defensive linemen Everitt Cunningham and Jalil Clemons, cornerback Maliek Stallings, defensive back Rodney Owens, running back Dreke Clark, and a trio of receivers (Tahj Washington, Javon Ivory, and Cam Baker). This is how success multiplies upon itself in college football, how a legitimate era is built. Lose a class with four winning seasons in the books? Welcome another with four winning seasons to create.

Motivation for the season ahead? You might start with those two losses in the AAC title game (both played in Orlando). Memphis shared an AAC championship with two other teams in 2014, before the league split into a pair of divisions, but an outright title has remained elusive. Then there’s the program’s bowl performances. Since beating BYU in an epic Miami Beach Bowl after the 2014 season, the Tigers have lost four straight postseason games, including the 2017 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, played in their home stadium. Work remains to be done.

“You want to finish a season hoisting a trophy,” Norvell says. “We’ve had [losses in] two one-possession games. There have been unique circumstances: coaching changes, players not available. But we compete to win every single game. We learn from our experience. You have to trust the process. We’ve been in position to win but just came up short.”

“The big thing about goals,” adds White, “is that they have to be realistic. For me, I expect to go 1-0 every week. That’s my team goal. Personally, I have goals, but I lay them out in phases. There’s an ultimate goal for the end of the season, but there are smaller goals — month by month — that I need to achieve to reach that ultimate goal. You can’t overlook anyone. Even the games you may feel confident going in, you need to get the job done. All that matters is going 1-0.”

Patrick Taylor ran for 1,122 yards in 2018.

The two players on the cover of this week’s issue will have a significant impact on the 2019 Tiger football season, and there’s some irony to their leading the program’s continued rise. Taylor is a native of Humble, Texas, and Coxie hails from Reserve, Louisiana. It’s hard to be humble, much less reserved, if the goal is an AAC championship or — dare we dream — a New Year’s Six bowl game.

Leave it to Coxie for a final thought on what’s to come for Memphis football. “We want a [conference] championship,” he says. “We want to win a bowl game. We talk about what we want, but now we get to see how much we really want it. We gotta go get it.”