Tag: Anthony Miller

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Sports Tiger Blue

Three Thoughts on Tiger Football

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

• I’m not big on statistics at this stage of a season. With the likes of Mercer and Georgia State, certain numbers are bound to be inflated as conference play nears. But there are two early-season numbers I like a lot. The Tigers are third in the AAC with seven sacks and tied for third in fewest sacks allowed, with only two. Controlling the line of scrimmage has been integral to winning football games since Rutgers and Princeton first suited up (four years after the end of the American Civil War). And the Tigers’ offensive and defensive lines can get this team back into the Top 25. We expected the veteran O-line to excel and it has, Memphis averaging a cool 603 yards through three games. Those responsible, from left to right: Trevon Tate, Dylan Parham (the kid in the group, a redshirt freshman), Drew Kyser, Dustin Woodard, and Roger Joseph.

Pressure on opposing quarterbacks, though, was in question, what with the loss to the NFL of linebacker Genard Avery (8.5 sacks a year ago). Not to worry, at least not though three games. Five different Tigers have reached the quarterback, led by linebacker Bryce Huff with three take-downs. Jackson Dillon, Tim Hart, and Curtis Akins haven’t joined the sack party yet, so expect the Tiger pass rush to sharpen its claws even more.

Larry Kuzniewski

This man wants the football.

• In baseball terms, teams are intentionally walking Tony Pollard, and it stinks. The junior from Melrose remains one shy of the national record for career kickoff-return touchdowns, with six. He hasn’t been helped by the Tiger defense, which hasn’t allowed many touchdowns or field goals. (We must be careful what we wish for in tracking this record chase.) But when teams do kick off, it’s nowhere near the man in uniform number 1. Tiger coach Mike Norvell sees the “problem,” but has chosen to embrace it. At his Monday press conference, Norvell said, “We didn’t have any big returns because of what [Pollard has] done. They squibbed every kick, so our average starting field position was the 35-yard line, which is extraordinary.” Stronger teams will challenge Pollard, you’d think. Kickoff-coverage teams play with pride, too. Here’s hoping we soon see Pollard in full flight.

• It was great seeing Anthony Miller grab his first NFL touchdown pass on Monday Night Football. All the better that it happened in a Bears victory (over Seattle) in Chicago, a city that should grow to love Miller as much as Memphis has for years now. Remember, this time a year ago, Miller was still an emerging name in football circles beyond the Mid-South. With DeAngelo Williams enjoying retirement (at times in a wrestling ring) and Paxton Lynch recently cut by the Denver Broncos, Miller is the current NFL flag-bearer among Memphis skill-position alumni. It’ll be fun to watch him grow and develop synergy with a young quarterback (Mitchell Trubisky), even better if the Bears emerge as playoff contenders in the NFC North.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Tigers Go Backyard Bowling

The event we now know as the AutoZone Liberty Bowl has been played every December since 1959, the first six years in Philadelphia and, since 1965, at the stadium here in Memphis that shares its name. Only seven college bowl games have a longer history. The University of Memphis has fielded a football team since 1912, the last 53 years at that very same Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, many of those seasons forgettable, a precious few — like 2017 — bursting with happy memories. For the first time, come December 30th, these two Bluff City gridiron institutions will meet as one. If you can numb the pain from last Saturday in Orlando, this is a perfect marriage.

About that pain. If you have a rooting interest in the Tigers, there’s no way to shake the disappointment of their 62-55(!) loss to UCF in the American Athletic Conference championship. Had the Knights won decisively, as they did in the teams’ first confrontation on September 30th, the Tiger fan base takes a deep breath, licks the wound, and breaks out the bowl-game t-shirts, wherever their 19th-ranked team happens to land. But the Knights did not win decisively. Memphis came up one field goal (albeit from 51 yards) short of the AAC title and a berth in the Peach Bowl, one of the New Year’s Six. The Tigers had a chance in overtime to secure that same prize but couldn’t stop UCF on its first (or second) offensive possession. That close to playing in one of the six most prestigious postseason games in college football. Much will have to happen for the program to get such a chance again.

That loss means a second-tier bowl for the Tigers, at least in harsh, clinical terms. The New Year’s Six is first tier, the two national semifinals (this year the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl) virtually beyond the reach of “Group of Five” programs like Memphis. But remember, we now have 40 bowl games. Second tier? That beats the hell out of a third-tier bowl (say, the Alamo Bowl). For that matter, we can now classify bowl games as fourth-tier (Music City, Pinstripe) or even fifth-tier (Camellia Bowl? New Mexico Bowl?). The 2017 Liberty Bowl will be the most prestigious postseason game Memphis has ever played, and by a considerable margin.

Consider: The Tigers have played in ten bowl games, and only one of them had existed as many as ten years when Memphis appeared in the game. Remember the 1956 Burley Bowl? Of course you don’t. First played in 1945, that game between Memphis State College and East Tennessee State (won by the Tigers) was the last Burley Bowl ever played. The 1971 Pasadena Bowl? For twenty years, that event was called “the Junior Rose Bowl.” Because it was played between junior college programs until 1967. The Tigers played in the third New Orleans Bowl (2003), the sixth GMAC Bowl (2004), the ninth Motor City Bowl (2005). And so on. Two of the recent bowl games Memphis has played in — the Motor City and Miami Beach (2014) — no longer exist.

When Memphis and Iowa State kick things off on December 30th, the Tigers will be playing in the 59th-annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl. No, it’s not a trip to a tropical region or the grand stage of the New Year’s Six. But it will be a prestigious event that just happens to be held on the same turf the Tigers call home. This is like leaving for college, only to return home for summer and falling in love with someone you’d passed in high school halls for years. (I know this magic distinctly.)

And let’s not forget the football team Memphis will be cheering. If it can’t already be called the greatest in the history of the program, it’s now leading the conversation. A win in the Liberty Bowl would give the Tigers 11 for the season, a total never reached in more than a century of Memphis football. The team has scored the most points (572) in program history and needed only 12 games to break the record set in 13 contests by the 2015 team.

And bless the football gods for giving Memphis fans one more chance to see seniors Riley Ferguson and Anthony Miller do extraordinary things in blue and gray. Before the end of the first quarter, Ferguson should become the first Memphis quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards in a season (he needs 29). If Miller catches eight passes, he’ll become the first Memphis receiver to pull down 100 receptions in a season. And 93 yards would give the Christian Brothers High School alum 1,500 for the year. We will not see these numbers regularly, if ever again. Ferguson and Miller, it can be said, are the Finch and Robinson of Memphis football.

Embrace the disappointment, if such is possible. The Peach Bowl was there for the taking. (Note: The first Peach Bowl was played in 1968, three years after the Liberty Bowl game had moved to Memphis.) But a top-20 Memphis football team is playing in one of the top 10 (out of 40!) bowl games in the country. Right here in Memphis. Liberty is a blessing.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Three Thoughts on Tiger Football

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

• Since the Tigers’ remarkable win at Houston on October 19th (their sixth victory of the season), not a single person has spoken the words “bowl eligibility” to me. Remember when simply becoming eligible for one of more than 30 bowl games was a big deal for the Memphis program? When you go three decades without playing a postseason game (as Memphis did from 1972 to 2002), qualifying for an extra game in December is indeed a big deal.

Those days are gone. The Tigers will play in a bowl game for a fourth straight season, an unprecedented stretch for the program. We’ve reached the point where the strength of a bowl game matters to Memphis, and the 2017 Tigers have the chance to play on or near New Year’s Day, one sacred “Group of Five” slot open in the still-new format that sends 12 teams to “New Year’s Six” bowl games (including four to the national semifinals). The very idea of Memphis being discussed for such elite placement — here in late October — is a cultural shift that would have been impossible to envision as recently as 2011. Better yet, the Tigers control their positioning (at least until selection of the “Group of Five” representative). Win their remaining four games and Memphis plays for the American Athletic Conference championship. Win the AAC title and “bowl eligibility” will seem as distant a notion as the T formation.
Larry Kuzniewski

Tony Pollard

• If you can turn away from the heroics of Anthony Miller, Riley Ferguson, and Tony Pollard (five kickoff-return touchdowns in two seasons) just briefly, the play of Austin Hall and T.J. Carter on the Tiger defense has transformed this team. During one of the first visits I had with Memphis coach Mike Norvell, he emphasized that playmakers must be found on the defensive side of the ball. A potent offense is invaluable, but defensive playmakers can turn a tight game. That’s precisely what we saw on October 14th, when two Hall interceptions were integral in a three-point win over Navy. Then five days later, Carter grabbed his fourth interception of the season, forced a fumble, and accumulated 14 tackles in a four-point win at Houston. To no one’s surprise, Hall and Carter were each named the AAC’s Defensive Player of the Week. The Tiger defense has room to improve, starting with its pass rush. But with Hall (a sophomore) and Carter (a freshman) in the secondary, holes are going to be filled and mistakes (by opposing offenses) punished. Lots to like in this playmaking pair.

• Through four games of its seven-game home schedule, the Tigers have averaged 34,579 fans at the Liberty Bowl. This is a deceiving average, as only 10,263 tickets were sold for the season-opener against Louisiana-Monroe, a game played in near-hurricane conditions. Memphis has drawn more than 40,000 for its last three games (UCLA, Southern Illinois, and Navy). It will be interesting to see the turnout for the three remaining home games: Tulane (Friday), SMU (November 18th), and East Carolina (November 25th). These aren’t the kind of opponents that typically drive ticket sales, but the circumstances (as noted above) are unique this year. Every game the Tigers win makes the next one more significant. Memphis will surely average more than 30,000 fans a fourth straight year, a streak last seen from 2003 to 2006 (three of those “DeAngelo Years”). The question, really, is can the average climb to 40,000? It’s happened only four times in Liberty Bowl history: 1976, 2003, 2004, and 2015.

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Sports Tiger Blue

#25 Memphis 42, Houston 38

We need to be careful about over-using the word epic in describing victories. But in erasing a 17-point deficit at league-rival Houston for their second win in six days, the Memphis Tigers may indeed have secured just such a win Thursday night. Tiger quarterback Riley Ferguson connected with sophomore tight end Sean Dykes — a native of Houston, Texas — for a 21-yard touchdown pass with 1:33 left in the game to give Memphis a sweep of its season’s toughest two-game test. Now with a record of 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the American Athletic Conference, Memphis has a path to the AAC West Division championship, having beaten both Navy and Houston.

The first half was as ugly as the second was epic for the Tigers, with six punts and a pair of turnovers allowing the Cougars to take command on the scoreboard. A rare Anthony Miller fumble and a Ferguson interception in Houston territory led to 10 of Houston’s 17 first-half points. The Tigers’ freshman kicker, Riley Patterson, missed a 52-yard field-goal attempt after Houston coach Major Applewhite used three consecutive timeouts at the end of the half, the first time in 64 games Memphis played 30 minutes of football without scoring.

Riley Ferguson, Anthony MIller

Gamesmanship can backfire, though, and the Tigers played like a motivated bunch after halftime. They scored touchdowns on six consecutive possessions, four on runs by Patrick Taylor and another on Tony Pollard‘s third kickoff return for a touchdown this season (and the fifth of his two-year career). Pollard’s 93-yard return came with 6:11 left to play in the third quarter, immediately after the Cougars had taken a 24-7 lead on a one-yard run by Duke Catalon.

A fumble by Houston quarterback Kyle Postma early in the fourth quarter was the defensive stop Memphis needed to tighten the margin. (Junior cornerback Tito Windham stripped the ball, which was recovered by freshman nose tackle John Tate.) Taylor’s third touchdown (after an apparent Houston interception in the end zone was ruled incomplete upon review) brought Memphis within 31-28 with 11:15 left in the game.

Postma found Steven Dunbar for an 8-yard score on Houston’s next possession to extend the lead back to 10 points. But the Tigers’ again answered, this time with a drive keyed by a bomb to Miller, who finished the game with 10 catches for 178 yards. Taylor’s fourth touchdown made the score 38-35 with 5:32 to play.

The Memphis defense finally managed to force a Houston punt, giving Patterson and friends the ball with 3:17 to play at their own 20-yard line. Ferguson completed passes to Pollard, Miller, Taylor, and freshman Damonte Coxie to set up the game-winner to Dykes.

Mike Norvell

Houston had two more possessions, but each ended with turnovers, the latter on freshman cornerback T.J. Carter‘s fourth interception of the season. With the loss, the Cougars fall to 4-3 (2-2).

Ferguson finished the game with 471 yards passing, completing 33 of his 53 throws. In addition to his kickoff-return heroics, Pollard caught nine passes for 91 yards. Memphis gained 501 yards in total offense (and allowed the Houston offense 554).

Memphis now has seven full days to prepare for Tulane. The Green Wave (3-3 and facing USF Saturday) visits the Liberty Bowl on Friday, October 27th. Three of the Tigers’ four remaining regular-season games will be at home.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Tigers 70, Connecticut 31

A maligned Memphis defense took a staggering blow on the third play from scrimmage in tonight’s game in East Hartford, Connecticut. UConn tailback Arkeel Newsome took the ball around left tackle and dashed 64 yards for a touchdown to give the Huskies a 7-0 lead just 76 seconds after kickoff.

Then Riley Ferguson and Anthony Miller took over.

Ferguson (the senior quarterback) threw for 325 yards and five touchdowns while Miller (the senior wide receiver) caught 12 passes for 157 yards and three scores . . . in the first half. The Tigers’ record-breaking duo — growing larger on the national radar with ESPN handling the broadcast — led Memphis to a 35-24 halftime lead, then connected again in the third quarter to extend the Tiger lead to 49-24.

Ferguson sat out the fourth quarter and still tied Paxton Lynch’s single-game record with seven touchdown passes. He completed 34 of 48 passes for 431 yards. As for Miller, the Christian Brothers High School alum tied his own school record with 15 receptions (good for 224 yards). His four touchdown catches are yet another Memphis record for Miller.

A week after being embarrassed at UCF, the Tiger offense exploded for 711 yards, a new U of M record. The Tigers won comfortably despite allowing 477 yards to Connecticut, the fourth time in five games Memphis has allowed at least 400 yards. Freshman cornerback T.J. Carter pulled down his third interception of the season in the second quarter.

Senior tailback Doroland Dorceus enjoyed his first productive game of the season (having nursed an injury throughout September), rushing for 122 yards on 22 carries and scoring two touchdowns.

The win improves Memphis to 4-1 for the season and 1-1 in American Athletic Conference play. The Huskies drop to 1-4 (0-3). The Tigers return home next Saturday (October 14th) to host Navy at the Liberty Bowl. The Midshipmen beat Memphis in both 2015 (45-20) and 2016 (42-28).

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Sports Tiger Blue

Three Thoughts on Tiger Football

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

• Something is rotten in the state of defense, at least the version played by the Memphis Tigers. Four games into the 2017 season, Memphis ranks 126th nationally (out of 130 teams) in total defense, allowing 513.5 yards per game. Last weekend’s debacle at UCF was the second time the Tigers have allowed at least 40 points this season, and the eighth such game since the start of the 2016 season. Injuries have compromised defensive coordinator Chris Ball’s unit (perhaps most significantly the loss of pass rusher Jackson Dillon for the season). But games must still be played. Four teams on the Tigers’ remaining schedule are averaging more than 450 yards of offense, including the next two (UConn and Navy). We’ve reached the point where an old cliche applies: The Tigers’ best defense is a strong offense. The irony, though, is that Memphis has a quick-strike attack, one capable of scoring in less than three minutes of possession time. Short drives mean only more time on the field for that 126th-ranked defense. Head coach Mike Norvell and offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey face an uncomfortable challenge: score lots of points . . . but do it slowly.

Jay McCoy

• With his third touchdown catch of the season (against Southern Illinois), Tiger receiver Anthony Miller became just the fourth Memphis player to score 25 career touchdowns. You’ve surely heard of DeAngelo Williams (60 TDs from 2002 to 2005). And Dave Casinelli (36, 1960-63). Each of them has had his jersey number retired by the U of M. But what can you tell me about Jay McCoy, who scored 27 touchdowns as a Tiger? I had to call on the preeminent Tiger historian of them all — sideline reporter Matt Dillon — to learn about this unsung star, who did his damage at the Liberty Bowl from 1968 to 1970. “Coach [Billy] Murphy used him generally to run outside as a tailback,” says Dillon, “but he was strong enough to get tough yards between the tackles if needed. Jay was one of the most versatile players in that era when it was basically three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense. He was also called on to be the backup kicker on field goals and PATs [as a senior]. Skeeter Gowen got most of the publicity McCoy’s last two years, but Jay was one of those multipurpose guys who held everything together. One of the very underrated players in Tiger history.” McCoy is one of only six non-kickers to lead the Tigers in scoring twice (1968 and 1970). He scored 10 touchdowns as a sophomore, eight as a junior, and nine as a senior.

• New England is lovely in the fall. This trip to Connecticut comes at a perfect time for the Tigers. You see, the Huskies rank 127th in total defense, allowing 541.8 yards per game. Their only win this season came against Holy Cross in the opener. Memphis and UConn haven’t played since the 2014 season, when the Tigers won handily (41-10) at the Liberty Bowl. The U of M, though, lost (handily) its only game in East Hartford, the 2013 season finale (Justin Fuente’s second on the sidelines for Memphis). Norvell didn’t pull any verbal punches at his press conference Monday: “I’m embarrassed as a head coach for how we had them prepared to play [at UCF]. We’re going to respond. Talk is cheap; what you see is who you are.” Friday night will indeed be a time for the Memphis football program to respond, and reset its direction for a season not so young any more.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Tigers 48, #25 UCLA 45

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

“One game cannot define a season,” said Memphis football coach Mike Norvell shortly after his Tigers had beaten the 25th-ranked UCLA Bruins at the Liberty Bowl. “But one game can be remembered.”

Saturday’s nationally televised game featured a combined 93 points and 1,193 yards of offense, but may come to be remembered for the final 10 minutes, during which neither team managed a point. Senior receiver Phil Mayhue caught a three-yard scoring strike from senior quarterback Riley Ferguson to give Memphis a 48-45 lead with 9:56 to play. It was Ferguson’s sixth touchdown pass of the day, the game’s sixth lead change, and, as it turned out, the final points of the contest.
Larry Kuzniewski

Riley Ferguson

“That was an exceptional game,” said Norvell. “We talked all summer about this game being a showcase game. Memphis showed well today. Not just our football team, but the community support, every aspect of what we’re trying to do. We didn’t play a perfect game; there were mistakes we made. And against a really good football team. But our guys continued to push, continued to battle. I’m so proud, top to bottom.” A crowd of 46,291 attended the game despite the ABC broadcast and the visiting team traveling across two time zones (with a relatively small traveling party in the stands).

The Tigers had a chance to increase their three-point lead with the ball inside the Bruin 30-yard line with just under four minutes to play. Norvell called a fake field-goal attempt, but freshman kicker Riley Patterson’s pass was intercepted in the end zone. On its ensuing possession, UCLA was hit with an offensive pass-interference penalty. The Bruins’ final breath was extinguished when a Josh Rosen pass on fourth down was deflected by freshman cornerback Jacobi Francis.

An All-America candidate, Rosen completed 34 of 56 passes for 463 yards and four touchdowns, but tossed a pair of critical interceptions to Tiger freshmen Tim Hart and T.J. Carter. Hart returned his 60 yards for a third-quarter touchdown and Carter’s erased a fourth-quarter drive that could have given the Bruins the lead.

A graduate of Memphis University School, Hart was especially pleased to grab some spotlight after being redshirted last year. “I’ve grown a lot,” he said. “It’s a mindset. By coming here, you put your trust in the coaches. Memphis football is at a level it’s never been before. I never took a day off.”
Larry Kuzniewski

Anthony Miller

Senior wideout Anthony Miller had his first star showing of the season, catching nine passes for 185 yards. Ferguson completed 23 of 38 passes for 398 yards and six touchdowns (tying a career high, one shy of the Memphis single-game record). Tailback Darrell Henderson galloped 80 yards on the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage and finished with 105 yards on the ground.

“We knew we wanted to be balanced,” said Norvell. “We played 76 snaps on offense and 91 on defense. That was a grind, and against a top-25 opponent.”

Ferguson relished the victory over a high-profile opponent (and high-profile quarterback). “We have to go out and try to score every time we take the field,” emphasized Ferguson. “No matter if the other team scores or punts us the ball. Every time. Nothing changes for us. We believe in our defense. Don’t worry about what the score is.”

As for his favorite target, Ferguson delights in what he’s come to expect as normal. “[Anthony Miller] is so good. If you throw him the ball, he’s gonna make a play. I love having him on any defensive back in the country. It gets the juices going, seeing Ant make a big-time play.” Miller caught consecutive passes — one a 41-yard, diving catch and the other for 33 yards into the end zone — to give Memphis a 27-24 lead just before halftime.

Linebacker Austin Hall and safety Jonathan Cook led the Tiger defense, each with nine tackles and one behind the line of scrimmage. Sophomore defensive tackle Jonathan Wilson sacked Rosen in the second half after serving a suspension in the first half for a targeting penalty in the Tigers’ opener against Louisiana-Monroe.

The win improves the Tigers to 2-0 after a pair of hurricane-related false starts to the season. Memphis has started each of the last three seasons 2-0, a streak unmatched since 1959-61. The Tigers will host Southern Illinois next Saturday at the Liberty Bowl in their final nonconference game of the season.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Three (Preseason) Thoughts on Tiger Football

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

• Let’s get right to a prediction, not exactly my specialty. (I had Memphians needing flashlights for the solar eclipse last week.) The Tigers will enjoy their fourth consecutive winning season, not insignificant for a program that last saw such a streak during a period Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter occupied the White House (1973-77). But how many Ws can this team collect?
Larry Kuzniewski

Mike Norvell

With no SEC team on the schedule, and no USF (favorites to win the American Athletic Conference title), Memphis has a favorable path to at least eight wins. I see four primary speed bumps on the schedule. The first comes at UCF on September 9th. No AAC rival has dominated the Tigers more than the Knights, who won nine consecutive meetings between 2005 and 2013 (when the teams last played). The game will be in Orlando, only steepening the Tigers’ challenge. Then There’s UCLA at the Liberty Bowl the following week (the only Power Five team on the U of M schedule). Navy comes to town with its vexing triple option on October 14th. Then the Tigers travel to Tulsa on November 3rd to face a team that beat them handily (59-30) last year in Memphis. Should the Tigers take two of these four games, I see a 9-3 regular season. If they win only one of them, more likely 8-4. (There’s bound to be a “trap game” among those the Tigers will be favored to win.)

• The Tigers could chip away, if only marginally, at the SEC’s headline dominance in the Mid-South. Among the four programs that have large followings in this corner of SEC Country — Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Arkansas, and Tennessee — only one received any votes in the AP Top 25, and UT is at number 25. (I’m excluding Alabama in this consideration, as the Crimson Tide is a category of its own.) Ironically, Memphis doesn’t play any of the “big four,” so misses a chance to steal a headline the old-fashioned way. But with Riley Ferguson, Anthony Miller, Doroland Dorceus, and friends sharing end-zone hugs on a regular basis, look for Memphis to capture a few new eyes in 2017. Maybe even a few in orange (or maroon) ball caps.

• My apologies in advance for missing Thursday night’s opener. It takes a major event to keep me from the Liberty Bowl on game day, particularly the start of such a promising season. But I’m delivering my firstborn daughter to her own college campus on Wednesday. As I track the Tigers through the 2017 campaign, I’ll also have an eye on the Wesleyan Cardinals in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). Attending college football games is a good way to stay young inside. Raising a bright and talented daughter and checking her into her dorm room is a good way to remember the college experience is a marker on our personal timelines. So keep my seat in the press box warm for the UCLA game. And please excuse my absence this week.

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Cover Feature News

Tiger Football 2017: Air Raid!

University of Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson has not one, but two artistic arms. The senior from Charlotte has adorned himself — shoulder to mid-forearm — with ink in various symbols, shapes, and swirls. But he has a favorite on his left (non-throwing) biceps. It’s an ornate cross, surrounded by six words: “May your light shine over me.” The art tugs at Ferguson’s heart, as it pays tribute to a cousin he lost in 2016, shortly before his first season behind center for the Tigers. But there’s a message, too, that Ferguson’s school of choice — and its football team’s growing fan base — might appreciate, for Ferguson himself has shone brightly since arriving on the U of M campus.

Tasked with a challenge no previous Tiger quarterback has faced — replacing a first-round NFL draft pick — Ferguson managed to break that quarterback’s single-season touchdown record (he tossed 32), complete 63 percent of his passes, and compile 3,698 yards through the air (a figure topped only by Paxton Lynch, now a member of the Denver Broncos). Playing for a rookie coach (Mike Norvell), Ferguson turned a transition year into an 8-5 season, enough to give Memphis its most wins (27) over any three-year period in the program’s history. For only the second time (the first being 2015), Memphis scored more than 500 points. All Ferguson has to do now is follow that success . . . and improve.

“We’ve been working on our chemistry,” says Ferguson. “Everybody in the offense is way more comfortable than we were at this time last year. We were out there thinking last year, learning. Just like anything, the more you practice something, the better you get. It will be a huge advantage for us.”

A quarterback is relentless in his work on mechanics: footwork, arm angle, release point, follow-through. But as his senior season approaches, Ferguson has focused more on the tool between his ears. “There’s always room for improvement,” he says. “Last year I was in the film room, but I need to get in there even more, to pick up anything I can from an opponent. Learning defenses, identifying keys.”

When it comes to shining that fabled light, Ferguson emphasizes how comfortable he’s become representing Memphis, both the school and community. “It’s kind of a smaller Charlotte [his hometown] to me,” says Ferguson. “The people here are great, and my teammates. I truly believe [coming here] is the best decision I’ve made in my life.”

“If you look at the last month of [last] season,” notes Norvell, “Riley was playing at a really high level. He needs to continue to progress from that. If he can go out and command this offense, make the right decisions, he’s got some good playmakers around him.”

Mike Norvell

Speaking of playmakers …

Ferguson would not have compiled his gaudy numbers without one Anthony Miller. As a junior, the former walk-on (and graduate of Christian Brothers High School) broke single-season receiving records that had been held for more than two decades by Isaac Bruce, a man now on the cusp of election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Miller’s 95 receptions shattered Bruce’s 1993 standard of 74. His 1,434 receiving yards was 40 percent better than Bruce’s mark of 1,054 (also in ’93). He set a new Tiger record for receiving yards in one October game (250), then a new record for receptions in a November game (15). With 71 catches and 854 yards this season, Miller would break the Tiger career marks in only three seasons. (Miller missed his freshman season with a shoulder injury.)

“I look at those numbers [now],” says Miller, “and they look good. But when I look at the film, I had plenty of opportunities where I could have made those numbers grow. Dropped balls. Missed assignments. The wrong route. Things we can clean up this season.”

Miller is now a focal point for any defense preparing to face the Tigers, this despite his name being left off the American Athletic Conference’s all-league team after the 2016 season. He embraces the extra attention and doesn’t shy from goal-setting standards beyond the reach of most human receivers. “Riley and I have this connection,” stresses Miller. “He knows when it’s crunch time, I’m the one to throw the ball to. But I’m not the only one on offense; we’re full of weapons.”

As for individual goals, take a deep breath: “Twenty touchdowns and 2,000 yards,” says Miller. “We’re just going to continue to work. We’ve got depth everywhere. People think they know the firepower we have, but I don’t think they really understand.”

Riley Ferguson

When Miller speaks of weapons, he means a collection of skill-position players as adept and deep as any Memphis team has seen in years. Senior tailback Doroland Dorceus led the Tigers with 810 rushing yards last season and with a similar campaign this fall would move into second place on the Tigers’ career chart, behind only DeAngelo Williams. But when Dorceus isn’t carrying the ball, Ferguson may be handing it or tossing it to any of a trio of sophomores: Patrick Taylor (546 yards in ’16), Darrell Henderson (482), or sophomore Tony Pollard, a graduate of Melrose High School who earned AAC Special Teams Player of the Year honors last year for his kick-return prowess.

The Tiger receiving corps is no less deep, with senior Phil Mayhue (677 receiving yards as a junior) supporting Miller as a downfield threat. Sophomore John “Pop” Williams and freshman Damonte Coxie impressed during training camp and hope to climb the depth chart as the season unfolds. (The unit took a hit during preseason camp when senior Sam Craft was lost for the year with a torn ACL in his left knee. Craft had been granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA after missing most of the 2016 season with a back injury.)

“Our skill-position players are as good as I’ve had,” says Norvell, who spent four seasons in the high-flying Pac-12 Conference as an assistant with Arizona State before taking the Memphis job. “Guys who understand this offense know they can get the ball on any play; you have to do your job to get open. If the defense does its job and takes someone away, it will leave one-on-one matchups for others. We’re versatile and we create opportunities.”

Can Miller actually improve on his record-breaking numbers from 2016? “Everyone can improve,” says Norvell. “No one here is a finished product.”

Anthony Miller

When asked about the offensive line entrusted with protecting Ferguson and opening holes for Dorceus, Taylor, and friends, Norvell says he’s enjoyed watching the competition in camp. Despite the offensive production last season, the line graded out as serviceable, at best. Veterans like center Drew Kyser and right guard Gabe Kuhn are back, and in freshman Obinna Eze from Nashville, the Tigers have 283 of the highest-rated pounds in recent recruiting history.

(Norvell notes offensive linemen have the most challenging leap from high school to college football, so patience is urged on the Eze watch.) Norvell says another newcomer, massive juco transfer Roger Joseph (6’5″, 317 lbs.), has a chance to make an impact up front.

The Tigers may have won eight games by averaging 38.8 points last season, but they lost five because they allowed 28.8 points per game (and a staggering 49.8 in the five defeats).

A completely revamped secondary will back a group of veterans at linebacker, the hope being measurable improvement in slowing opposing offenses. Senior linebacker Genard Avery — a first-team All-AAC honoree last fall — will be the face of the defense. Avery led the Tigers with 11 tackles behind the line of scrimmage (including five sacks) and finished second on the team with 63 solo tackles.

Patrick Taylor

It’s the defensive backfield that proved most vulnerable for Memphis a year ago, and the unit has new blood. “I’ve been really impressed with the young guys in our secondary,” says Norvell. “[Safeties] John Cook and Shaun Rupert have done a great job of providing leadership. [Freshman cornerback] T. J. Carter came in as a highly rated young man, and my favorite thing about him is his work ethic. He’s come in to earn his position; he brings the right mentality every day at practice.”

The return of pass-rusher Jackson Dillon, who missed the 2016 season with a knee injury, is the college equivalent of a major trade acquisition. The Oklahoma native had 20.5 career tackles for a loss in three seasons prior to his injury.

“He’s a great leader,” says Norvell, “and we have some guys on our defensive front who have played a good deal of football.” Senior end Ernest Suttles and sophomore end Jonathan Wilson (three sacks last season) will lead the push on the line of scrimmage. Look for sophomore Austin Hall to be a playmaker at the STAR position (a hybrid linebacker/safety role). Hall started 11 games as a redshirt-freshman and had 7.5 tackles for loss. “We want to attack the football,” emphasizes Norvell. “Whether we’re playing a base defense or pressuring, we want to be impactful and make sure we’re communicating.”

The good news on special teams is that Pollard is back to return kicks along with all-AAC punter Spencer Smith. But the Tigers must replace placekicker Jake Elliott, a two-time AAC Special Teams Player of the Year and now a member of the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. Freshman Riley Patterson will be staring down uprights this season. (Patterson connected on a 54-yard field goal as a junior at Edwardsville High School in Illinois.)

The feeling around the Tiger program is one of general comfort and confidence, not what you’d necessarily expect under the command of a second-year head coach who turns 36 in October. Whether or not the U of M has become a “football school” remains debatable, but don’t doubt a collective buy-in when it comes to the Norvell mission.

“Coach Norvell has continued the culture Justin Fuente started,” says Miller, who spent his first three seasons (including a redshirt year) under Norvell’s predecessor. “There were players here not willing to work, and [Fuente] got rid of those guys. Those of us who stayed, when you work hard, it doesn’t go unnoticed. I’ve tried to continue that. We were brought in as soon as [Norvell] got here. When coaches come in, it can be hard for players to adjust. But his offense is effective, and he’s one of the greatest football masterminds I’ve been around.”

Merely five seasons removed from a two-season train wreck during which the Tigers won three of 24 games, Memphis is favored to win the American Athletic Conference’s West Division. The Tigers even received votes in the Top 25 Amway Coaches Poll. “Nothing changes for us,” says Norvell. “It’s about staying focused on today, the steps in front of us. Preseason recognition is a great compliment, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to get it done. It shows a level of respect for our program, not just where we are but where we’re going. But we gotta go out there and get it.”

Riley Ferguson

The 2017 SCHEDULE

The Tigers have a favorable schedule, one without the likes of USF (favored in the media poll to win the league crown), Temple, or Cincinnati. Their three East Division foes are UCF and a pair of teams expected to finish near the bottom of the standings (East Carolina and UConn). A September 16th visit from UCLA and one of the country’s top quarterbacks, sophomore Josh Rosen, will highlight the home schedule. (*AAC game)

August 31 (Thursday) — LOUISIANA-MONROE

September 9 — at UCF*

September 16 — UCLA

September 23 — SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

September 30 — at Georgia State

October 6 (Friday) — at UConn*

October 14 — NAVY*

October 19 (Thursday) — at Houston*

October 27 (Friday) — TULANE*

November 3 (Friday) — at Tulsa*

November 18 — SMU*

November 25 — EAST CAROLINA*

Categories
From My Seat Sports

Memphis Sports Resolutions for 2017

Let’s make 2017 the right kind of year. A few suggested goals for local sports figures:

• Dedric Lawson — Ten assists (or blocks) in a game.
In the long, rich history of Memphis Tiger basketball, exactly two players have achieved a triple double: Penny Hardaway (twice) and Antonio Anderson. The Tigers’ sophomore star has already come within three assists of the feat (on December 13th) and on another occasion, within two blocked shots (on December 10th). The points and rebounds will come in metronomic regularity. If Lawson can achieve the right kind of outburst in passing or blocking the basketball, he’ll turn an exclusive Memphis duo into a trio.

• Zach Randolph — Win the NBA’s Sixth Man Award.
Z-Bo graciously accepted his new role — off the Memphis Grizzlies’ bench — when new coach David Fizdale announced a significant rotation adjustment in the preseason. Why not turn the new supporting role into a major award? Through Monday, Randolph has averaged 13.3 points and 7.7 rebounds. When he missed seven games after his mother’s death in late November, the Griz went 4-3, each of the wins by less than five points, each of the losses by at least nine. The 35-year-old remains integral to the Grizzlies’ big-picture ambitions. A trophy presentation at FedExForum during the playoffs would be a career highlight.

• Anthony Miller — Make first-team All-America.
After catching 95 passes for 1,434 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2016 — all new Memphis records — the Tigers’ junior wide receiver didn’t so much as make first team all-conference. In the American Athletic Conference. It’s unlikely Miller would be taken in the first two rounds of this year’s NFL draft. So why not rejoin forces with quarterback Riley Ferguson, do to the Tiger pass-catching record book what DeAngelo Williams did to the rushing charts, and gain some overdue accolades?

• Stubby Clapp — Make Redbird fans stop talking about backflips.
When a fan favorite returns, the honeymoon becomes saturated with memories of a player’s achievements during his initial tenure. For the new Redbirds manager, this means countless photos and video clips of a second baseman going heels up as he takes the field. Assuming his first managerial gig above the Class A level, Clapp will be focusing more on replicating the achievements of his 2000 Redbirds team, a club that won the Pacific Coast League championship in AutoZone Park’s inaugural season. Winning baseball games — to say nothing of developing prospects — has little to do with pregame acrobatics. It will be fun to see a man called Stubby take baseball seriously (he always has) and assume a leadership role in the St. Louis farm system.

• Tubby Smith — Make it six for six.
Smith would become the first man to coach six teams to the NCAA tournament if he can guide Memphis to the Big Dance. Why not this year? The Tigers have three wins over teams from Power Five conferences (two more than they had, combined, the last two seasons), but must earn tournament consideration in league play. The guess here is that January and February will be the veteran coach’s wheelhouse, when player roles come into focus and the rhythm of a two-games-per-week campaign toward the postseason feels rather familiar. Who knows if Dedric Lawson will be back for a third college season? His coach should make the most of a prime asset.

• Mike Conley — Establish the Grizzlies’ 700 club.
The Grizzlies somehow won six straight games with their $30-million point guard sidelined by broken bones in his back. Don’t be fooled. Memphis needs Conley like Conley needs a healthy back. He’s 39 games from becoming the first Grizzly to play in 700 regular-season games. If he reaches the milestone this season, count on Memphis extending its playoff streak to seven years. And count one more reason no future Memphis player will wear the number 11.