Tag: Mike Norvell

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Sports Tiger Blue

Three Thoughts on Memphis Tiger Football

Ryan Silverfield (photo by Larry Kuzniewski)

• The SEC remains the SEC. Since shocking Peyton Manning and 6th-ranked Tennessee on November 9, 1996, Memphis has played teams from the Southeastern Conference 35 times . . . and lost 30 times. Most of these games have been against Ole Miss (the Tigers are 4-10 against the Rebels) and Mississippi State (1-10). Tiger fans relished recent victories over Ole Miss (2015 and 2019) and the Bulldogs (2021), but to think the gap has been closed with SEC competition would mean an extra shade of rose on the lenses. SEC programs operate with “resources” (read: money) that Memphis can’t approach. Alabama’s football revenue (just football) is considerably more than the U of M athletic department’s (all sports). For the Tigers to capture a rare win requires a precision in roster-building that simply can’t be replicated one year after another. That truth was made clear in the declawing suffered last Saturday in Starkville. Be grateful for those recent wins, ye Tiger faithful, but retain perspective — and don’t panic — when Memphis appears second-rate against an SEC foe.

• “Let’s not compare this guy to Mike Norvell.” A Twitter follower suggested this approach in evaluating the 2022 Tigers and their third-year head coach, Ryan Silverfield. Sorry to disappoint, but Silverfield will be compared with Norvell as long as he’s wearing blue and gray. Norvell hired him. Norvell nurtured Silverfield’s growth as an assistant coach for four years, all but placing him on a tee for Memphis to hire when Norvell departed for Florida State after winning the 2019 American Athletic Conference championship. Said U of M president David Rudd upon Silverfield’s hiring, “I am confident that he will build on a well-established foundation to help us take another step forward for Tiger football.” Well-established foundation. There the comparisons to Norvell began.

In Norvell’s third season as Tiger coach, Memphis lost at Tulane, 40-24. Three weeks later, the same team lost at Missouri, 65-33. (SEC . . . ugh.) Needless to say, better days arrived for Norvell and the Tigers. While we won’t find Anthony Miller or Tony Pollard on the current roster, there’s reason to believe better days will come for Silverfield in his third season as head coach, starting this Saturday at Navy.

• Stretch the arm, Seth. The Tigers will win (and lose) games on sophomore quarterback Seth Henigan’s right arm. Henigan was solid but well short of spectacular against Mississippi State. He completed 63 percent of his passes (19 for 30), but averaged only 5.5 yards per attempt. Compare this with the 8.5 he averaged last season as a freshman. (Brady White averaged 8.7 yards per attempt over his record-breaking three seasons as the Tigers’ quarterback.) Henigan didn’t throw an interception, so his decision-making passed the first-game test. But Memphis will have to stretch the field offensively, I’m convinced, to climb back into contention in the AAC. Seven players caught passes against the Bulldogs, so Henigan would seem to have targets. Here’s hoping new offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey draws up some plays with deep arrows for Saturday’s game at Navy.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Ryan Silverfield Named Football Coach at U of M

It took University of Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch all of five days to make the hire most of the Tiger football community wanted, expected, and all but insisted upon. On Friday afternoon at the Murphy Athletic Complex, Veatch introduced Ryan Silverfield as the new (and 25th) head football coach for the U of M. Silverfield succeeds Mike Norvell, who won 38 games in four seasons at the helm and departed last Sunday for Florida State, the day after leading the Tigers to a victory in the American Athletic Conference championship game at the Liberty Bowl. Silverfield served all four seasons on Norvell’s staff, most recently as deputy head coach/run game coordinator/offensive line.

Ryan Silverfield

“I’m very proud of the process we went through,” said Veatch. “We were very diligent. We met with all the players and I handed out notecards, asking them what they would look for in a head coach. They wanted someone that’s real, a winner, a competitor, high energy, someone that truly loves and cares for players. They wanted a Memphian, someone who could continue to provide the discipline and accountability that have become a hallmark of this program. What I wanted was a great leader. Ryan won this job. We went through a process that was fairly grueling, and he won it outright.”

Immediately prior to his arrival in Memphis, Silverfield spent the 2015 season as assistant offensive line coach for the Detroit Lions. His longest-tenured position to date came with the Minnesota Vikings (2008-13) where he spent his last three years as an assistant offensive line coach. Silverfield graduated from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

“To stand in front of our players a few minutes ago and be named the head football coach at the University of Memphis is a dream come true,” said Silverfield after taking a few moments to clear his throat. “This is my dream job. I’m honored, humbled, grateful, appreciative. I can’t wait to get started. So excited. We’re going to do it the right way. Every day is just as important as the last. We will make the city of Memphis proud. I’m excited about this journey, for many years to come.”

The 39-year-old Silverfield will make his head-coaching debut on the lofty stage of the Cotton Bowl, to be played in Dallas on December 28th between the 15th-ranked Tigers and 13th-ranked Penn State. In other words, the first game he calls the shots for the Memphis program will be the biggest game in Tiger history.

Silverfield emphasized the positive environment he will require and promote as leader of the Tiger football program. “Everything matters,” he emphasized, from academics to “the way we respect women.” He saluted his predecessor, noting that he wouldn’t be in Memphis — could not have fallen in love with the city as he has — had he not been hired by Norvell.

“If current and former players believe in me,” said Silverfield, “then maybe I’ve been doing it the right way. This is the job I always wanted. If you love Memphis, the city loves you back. We wear 901 on our sleeves and on our hearts.”

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Letter From The Editor Opinion

One Magic Night

It was just perfect — the drinks, the lights, the long, exquisite night under the stars, the back and forth, the tension, the fireworks, the climax, the deep, adoring looks in the afterglow. Just. Perfect.

Surely, they could be forgiven for thinking that that one glorious Saturday night was a reward for all the hard work they’d put in together, getting over the little bumps in the road, struggling through the rough times, smoothing out their differences, striving toward the perfect relationship. And now, suddenly, it was here, the culmination of their time together — one magical night in Memphis. The future beckoned, bright with promise. The world was theirs.

“Thank you, darling,” he said, gazing deeply into her eyes and lifting a cup in celebration. “This is truly the greatest moment of my life.”

“I feel the same,” she cooed. “All those long nights and afternoons — all those times when it seemed things were in doubt — we hung in there, supporting each other through the years. Now, we’re here, together. It just seems like it was meant to be. I love you so much.”

“And I love you, too, sweetheart, with all my heart. It’s like I’ve always said: If I give my all to you, you’ll repay me in kind. And that’s just what’s happened! It’s amazing. And I’m so incredibly grateful to you.”

They sat for a moment, savoring the magic, wanting it to last.

“Oh, I’m leaving you, tomorrow, by the way,” he said.

“WHAT?”

“No hard feelings. I’ve met someone else.”

“Someone else? But we have that special honeymoon trip to Dallas planned in two weeks.”

“Sorry, I’m moving to Florida tomorrow. It’s over.”

“But, how could you? I’ve supported you for years! I’ve given you my all!”

“I just got a better offer. It’s nothing personal. It’s not you. It’s me.”

“But, Mike … I … I love you.”

“And I’ll always love you, too, darling, but I’ve got a plane to Tallahassee to catch.”

“But, but …”

“Don’t cry, dear. We’ll always have Cincinnati.”

And just like that, University of Memphis football coach Mike Norvell was out of here — less than 24 hours after the greatest victory in Tiger history, a win over rival Cincinnati that meant the AAC conference championship and a trip to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl. Now, it’s a game the team will play without the coach who helped get them there, the man who coined the phrase, “Stripe ’em up!” He’ll be busy recruiting for his new love, er, school, Florida State.

This stuff happens all the time. Coaching changes are inevitable. I get it. Memphis isn’t in the “Power 5,” the elite level of the NCAA’s multi-billion dollar “student-athlete” pyramid scheme, where teams get picked to compete for national championships — and where coaches like Alabama’s Nick Saban can make more than $10 million a year. Norvell has joined the club, and no one really blames him, I suppose. It’s the way the system works.

And, truth to tell, by the time it happened, the secret was out. The deal had been struck before the Tigers’ game on Saturday, and Florida State was leaking details to Tallahassee media about the press conference to announce Norvell’s hire before the game was even over. By Sunday, Norvell had donned a sport coat and a garnet-and-gold tie and was pledging his devotion to all things Seminole (“a hero, not a mascot,” according to the school’s website). Okay, then.

The timing for these things is tacky and unseemly and grossly unfair to the fans and players of the team that’s losing its coach. Consider the Memphis situation: After winning 12 games (the most in its history) and earning the school’s first-ever trip to a major bowl, the coach who spent four years building the program to this level leaves before the bowl game? That’s all kinds of screwed up.

Poaching another team’s coach during the season should be outlawed by the NCAA. If it means pushing the early signing period for recruits back a month, so be it. Those being recruited deserve to know if a coaching change is happening before they commit to a school. There’s no reason why coaching changes can’t happen until after the season, unless we just want to stop pretending any of this is about anything but money.

Which it is not.

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Sports Tiger Blue

17 Thoughts on Tiger Football

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

Has the University of Memphis ever hosted a bigger Senior Day at the Liberty Bowl? A quick summary of what’s at stake for the home team in Friday’s nationally televised contest between the 17th-ranked Tigers (10-1) and the 18th-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats (10-1):

1) The American Athletic Conference’s West Division title, which would mean . . .
2) The AAC Championship game at the Liberty Bowl on December 7th, which could mean . . .
3) A Cotton Bowl berth for Memphis should the Tigers win the AAC title (by beating the Bearcats twice in two weeks).

It’s a time for deep breaths. Especially for 17 seniors who will be honored before Friday’s kickoff. Unless they redshirted for the 2015 season, this class has only known coach Mike Norvell’s way, which has been good enough (so far) for 36 wins in four years.

Make sure you’re standing when these eight players are introduced. Whether it’s special teams or the scout squad, these Tigers made their impact without fanfare or regular game starts. But their sweat in the weight room and their commitment in the film room was every bit as genuine as those of a four-year starter: Keith Brigham (DL), Joey Bryant (DB), Chris Claybrooks (DB), Colton Cochran (DB, St. Benedict), Desmond Hawkins (DL, Craigmont High), Ladarius Jordan (DB, St. Benedict), Jeremiah Maclin (DL, Southaven), Traveon Samuel (WR/RB).

Kedarian Jones has caught a touchdown pass in each of his four seasons as a Tiger. He’s averaged 14.5 yards per catch this season with 465 yards on 32 receptions.

Jonathan Wilson has started at least eight games on the Tiger defensive line all four years. He’s accumulated 12 sacks and earned All-Academic recognition after the 2017 season.
Larry Kuzniewski

Antonio Gibson on ‘Antonio Gibson Day’ at the Liberty Bowl.


Antonio Gibson had the game of his life on precisely the right night. With ABC broadcasting the Tigers’ November 2nd showdown with SMU to a national audience, Gibson set a Tiger record with 386 all-purpose yards to help Memphis earn the win. He scored touchdowns on a 50-yard pass reception, a 97-yard kickoff return, and a 78-yard run from scrimmage. Gibson played only two seasons in blue and gray, but left a mark that will be celebrated for generations.

Much of his senior season has been compromised by injury, but Patrick Taylor will go into the books as an all-time Tiger great. Playing a supporting role to All-American Darrell Henderson in 2018, Taylor rushed for 1,122 yards and scored 18 touchdowns (two of them on receptions). His 2,778 career rushing yards are second only to DeAngelo Williams and his 38 touchdowns are fourth in Memphis history.

Joey Magnifico (St. Benedict) will leave the U of M as the most accomplished tight end in the program’s history. He enters the Cincinnati game with 70 career receptions for 1,060 yards and 12 touchdowns. Blessed with NFL size (6’4″, 240 lbs.), Magnifico may be catching passes on Sundays a year from now.

Austin Hall (Collierville High School) has been an anchor for the Tiger defense since his redshirt-freshman season when he started 11 games for Mike Norvell’s first team. Playing a hybrid linebacker/safety position, Hall has been a disruptor and one of the heaviest tacklers in recent Memphis history. A member of multiple All-Academic teams during his college career, Hall will leave the U of M with a degree in criminal justice.

Bryce Huff didn’t become a regular starter (at linebacker) until his junior season, but has impacted games — often in the opponent’s backfield — ever since. He moved to defensive end this season and leads Memphis in both sacks (4) and tackles-for-loss (10.5). Like Hall, Huff has earned All-Academic honors from the AAC.

You don’t set scoring records without a strong offensive line. And center Dustin Woodard has anchored this year’s blocking unit for quarterback Brady White and friends. Woodard started 24 games, primarily at left guard, his first two seasons; moved to right guard (14 starts) as a junior, then took over snapping duties this fall. A two-time AAC All-Academic honoree, Woodard earned all-conference recognition in 2018 and is a candidate this season. Scottie Dill (Briarcrest) took over right-tackle duties this season after three years in a reserve roll. He’s seen action in 51 games as a Tiger.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Three Thoughts on Tiger Football

CREDIT: Larry Kuznieski

• Best morning in the history of Memphis sports.
The party Memphis threw for ESPN’s College GameDay crew as the sun rose over Beale Street Saturday morning is one helluva metaphor. Both for local sports fandom and the larger Memphis community. The images broadcast nationally via the overhead cameras (and Goodyear Blimp) made the throng of Tiger fans look like a blue-clad force of nature. And it was entirely about the crowd. This was the inverse of typical sporting events: Stars attended to be near the fans. Penny Hardaway, Jarren Jackson, Ja Morant, Jerry Lawler, and even U of M football coach Mike Norvell himself (the one man most responsible for the event) made appearances, but the “star” was that crowd. However clever the signs may have been — and they were plenty clever, even Lee Corso with a grill — the message was larger, and on a scale I’m not convinced any Memphis team has achieved before. We are Memphis football, and we are extraordinary.
 Larry Kuznieski

Based on comments from Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, and Kirk Herbstreit — both during the broadcast and via social media — ESPN was thoroughly impressed with the Memphis delivery. During his press conference after Saturday night’s win, Norvell said, “We’ll invite them back next year.” And that’s the beautiful twist: The biggest traveling show in college football may well be back in the near future, guests in a football city few would recognize a generation ago.

• “This system is designed for playmakers.”
Norvell has been saying a version of this since he took over the Tiger program before the 2016 season. Patrick Taylor missed his eighth straight game Saturday night. His sublime replacement, Kenneth Gainwell, failed to top 100 yards rushing for the first time in two months. So onto the brightest of stages steps senior wide receiver Antonio Gibson. The senior scored touchdowns on a 50-yard reception, a 97-yard kickoff return (to open the second half), and a 78-yard run on his way to setting a new Tiger record with 386 all-purpose yards. Gibson, mind you, had 99 all-purpose yards for the entire 2018 season. If College GameDay was a three-hour infomercial for Memphis football and its arrival, the win Saturday night will be an invaluable recruiting tool for Norvell and his staff. Two years after suiting up for East Central Community College in Decatur, Mississippi, Antonio Gibson was the best college football player in the country on the biggest night in Memphis football history. He was, indeed, a playmaker.

• I saw a man flip-tackled by his facemask without a penalty called.
It turns out the strongest part of Gainwell’s body isn’t his legs or arms, but his neck. When SMU linebacker Richard McBryde took him down like a rodeo steer in the second half, he did so directly in front of referee Adam Savoie, yet no flag was thrown. What if Gainwell hadn’t jumped to his feet? Just as egregious, a second-half SMU punt was almost downed inside the Tiger five-yard line, but caromed off the hand of a Mustang player into the end zone for a touchback . . . until officials ruled the player had “control” of the ball at the two-yard line. What if the Tigers hadn’t responded with a 98-yard touchdown drive?

These two face-plants by the American Athletic Conference officiating crew went against the team that won the game, so there’s an inclination to forget and forgive. But consider how close Saturday’s game was. Consider the stakes: at least a berth in the AAC championship game, and perhaps a berth in a New Year’s Six bowl game. On an otherwise glorious night for his league — in front of a national audience in prime time — AAC commissioner Mike Aresco witnessed an embarrassing display of officiating. This was not a crew allergic to yellow laundry. A total of 27 penalties were assessed in the game. If a defensive back so much as looked at an intended receiver, pass interference was likely. Yet (at least) two major calls were missed. Savoie’s crew should be penalized, with no assignment the remainder of the season for a game that could impact the AAC championship. The Tigers overcame two opponents in front of those ABC cameras. If the AAC wants to be “Power 6,” games must be decided strictly by the players.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Three Thoughts on Tiger Football

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

• The “Magnifico Miss” will magnify with every Memphis win.
How significant will that blown call — Joey Magnifico’s “no-catch” on the Tigers’ final drive at Temple — be for the U of M? There are blown calls that impact a drive. There are blown calls that impact a game. And, now and then, there are blown calls that impact an entire season. Rarely do such calls happen in October, but let’s see how the rest of the season unfolds in measuring how much damage was done last Saturday in Philadelphia. Would the Tigers have won the game with a first down on Magnifico’s catch? You’d have to measure the odds as at least 50 percent, with enough time on the clock — at the time of the blown call — for the Tigers to reach the end zone, or at least set up a short field-goal attempt for Riley Patterson (and three points would have earned Memphis the win).

A win would have kept the Tigers undefeated and in the national rankings. It would have kept them in the discussion — perhaps leading the discussion — for the lone “Group of Five” entry in the New Year’s Six bowl games. Now? There’s still an American Athletic Conference championship to grab. A 10-2 regular season would likely get Memphis back into the national rankings. But that’s the catch (pardon the pun) with the “Magnifico Miss”: the better the Tigers do, the more painful that call (and loss to Temple) becomes. Lose two or three more games, and it’s an unfortunate stub of the toe on this season’s march to December. Should the Tigers regain their footing and enter national discussions again . . . it would be a bone bruise.

Larry Kuzniewski

Mike Norvell


• There’s no whine in Mike Norvell.
The Tiger coach is remarkably composed for a man still shy of his 40th birthday and competing for recognition at college football’s highest level. The first thing he mentioned at his weekly press conference Monday wasn’t the missed call, but the Tigers’ three turnovers on their first 16 offensive plays. Those played a larger factor in the loss than the “Magnifico Miss.” Furthermore, Norvell acknowledged fault himself: “There were probably five different play calls I would like to have back in that game. Everybody is involved. I didn’t have my best day on Saturday when it comes to calling plays and things we wanted to do.” His team’s conference schedule doesn’t allow time for sulking, much less complaining about an official’s call. Saturday night at the Liberty Bowl, Memphis plays a Tulane team that has improved since beating the Tigers handily (40-24) last year in New Orleans. The loss at Temple hurt, but not as much as a two-game losing streak would.

• The new sheriff likes the lay of the land.
I sat down with Laird Veatch, the new Memphis athletic director, earlier this week (for an upcoming feature in Inside Memphis Business). First thing to come across was his enthusiasm. (He’s the first AD I’ve interviewed who is younger than me, so let’s acknowledge strength in youth!) He’s genuinely excited to be at the U of M, and considers the opportunity for impact here greater than that he made at his previous stint (Florida) or even the experience he enjoyed at his alma mater (Kansas State). “You look at it from a business standpoint,” he noted. “A big company versus a midsize-company. It’s less bureaucratic. The structure here, with the trustees and the president, their engagement . . . there’s the right level of oversight and accountability, but we’re also able to work together, make decisions, and move things forward. That’s an exciting place to be.” Veatch recognizes the value of presence in leadership, something Norvell has developed in a short time, and a certain basketball coach has in abundance. There’s reason for his enthusiasm.

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Sports Sports Feature

The Tigers’ Home Advantage

The Liberty Bowl has become a Tiger cage for visiting teams. Since the start of the 2014 season, Memphis has accumulated a 30-5 record at home. You have to go back 11 previous seasons (2003-13) to count 30 Tiger wins at the Liberty Bowl. Only once over the last five years has Memphis lost as many as two home games in a season (Tulsa and USF beat the Tigers in 2016). 

It’s a remarkable run of home-field dominance that shouldn’t be taken for granted as the Memphis program aims for national recognition (both from those who vote in polls and from long-distance recruits interested in making large-scale impact). Thursday night’s tilt with Navy will be a test, the Midshipmen leaning on that vexing triple-option attack that causes fits wherever they play. Quarterback Malcolm Perry passed for two touchdowns and ran for four more in Navy’s evisceration of East Carolina in the teams’ American Athletic Conference opener. The Tigers lost a crusher (22-21) in Annapolis last season and has won only one of four meetings since Navy joined the AAC for the 2015 season. And yes, the Midshipmen are one of the five teams to beat the Tigers in Memphis since 2014.
To make this week’s game all the more meaningful, Navy and Memphis occupy the same division in the AAC. It’s as close to a must-win for the Tigers as you’ll see in September.

• The Tiger offense is averaging 37.3 points per game. What’s wrong? I kid. The 15 points scored in the season-opening win over Ole Miss will hurt this average for a few weeks, but the  Memphis attack doesn’t appear to be suffering for the losses of Patrick Taylor or Pop Williams (the latter will miss the rest of the season). Freshman tailback (and Taylor fill-in) Kenneth Gainwell leads the AAC with 102.3 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Brady White has completed more than 70 percent of his passes. New offensive coordinator Kevin Johns isn’t surprised. When I met Johns during the preseason, he was effusive in his praise of Tiger head coach Mike Norvell. “Any offensive coach in this country would love to work at the University of Memphis,” he said. “For me, it’s a chance to learn from a great offensive mind. This is his show. I’m trying to learn it, and teach it to the quarterbacks. As he and I spend more time together, there’s a chance for me to bring concepts from other places [I’ve been]. My philosophy is very similar to Coach Norvell’s: you keep a tight end on the field at all times and you find a way to run the football. That takes care of everything else.”

• The Tigers need to retire three more jerseys, and soon. It took some time, but the names (and numbers) of six honored Tiger football players are now proudly displayed at the Liberty Bowl: John Bramlett, Isaac Bruce, Dave Casinelli, Charles Greenhill, Harry Schuh, and DeAngelo Williams. It’s been six years since a Tiger has received this ultimate salute (both Bramlett and Schuh were honored in 2013). Thanks in large part to the amount of success the Memphis program has enjoyed since the turn of the century, three names need to be added to this pantheon. First and foremost, Anthony Miller: the greatest receiver in Tiger history and a first-team AP All-America in 2017. Darrell Henderson belongs in the group, having rushed for more than 3,500 yards (in three seasons) and also earning first-team AP All-America recognition (in 2018). The third name isn’t mentioned as often: Danny Wimprine. Memphis has suited up some talented quarterbacks over the last decade, but none has approached the career passing records (10,215 yards, 81 touchdowns) Wimprine has held now for 15 years.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Memphis Routs South Alabama, 42-6

CREDIT: Matthew Smith

The University of Memphis stepped on the gas early against South Alabama and never let up in a 42-6 victory in Mobile. The victory moved the Tigers to 3-0 on the season and marked the team’s first road win of the year.

Matthew Smith

Kenneth Gainwell

The Tigers led 23-0 at halftime, mostly on the strength of a running game for which the Jaguars seemingly had no answer. Kenneth Gainwell, standing in for the second consecutive week for injured starter Patrick Taylor, had 141 yards — by halftime. Kylan Watkins added 87 yards to pad the halftime ground totals.

In their first possession of the second half, the Tigers drove 65 yards to a score in 70 seconds, using a tipped-pass reception to Joey Magnifico for most of that yardage.

The breaks were going the Tigers’ way, to be sure, but the Tigers were clearly the superior team on both sides of the ball. Judging from the vast vacant spaces shown on television in Ladd-Peebles Stadium, the locals weren’t exactly pumped about this matchup. Announced attendance was 12,373, but several thousand of those fans were obviously disguised as empty bleacher seats.

After a Riley Patterson field goal made it 33-0 early in the fourth quarter, the Tiger defense got on the scoreboard when Austin Hall scooped up a fumble and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown, making it a 40-0 game. It was Hall’s second fumble recovery of the contest.

South Alabama finally found the end zone on its next possession, but promptly muffed the extra point and Memphis’ Jacobi Francis picked it up and returned it to the opposite end zone for a two-point score. With the game at 42-6, Memphis starting quarterback Brady White left the contest, as Coach Mike Norvell called off the dogs, er, Tigers. White completed 12 of 20 passes for 209 yards, including three touchdowns and one interception.

Memphis finished with 302 yards rushing, for a total of 511 offensive yards, while holding the Jaguars to fewer than 230 yards total offense.

Memphis has a bye next weekend before taking on Navy on Thursday, September 26th.

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Sports Tiger Blue

Tigers 55, Southern 24

CREDIT: Matthew Smith

“Man up.”

Memphis running back Kenneth Gainwell had a quick initial response when asked about filling the void left by the injured Patrick Taylor — the third-leading rusher in Tiger history — on Saturday at the Liberty Bowl. The redshirt freshman did his share of that manning up by scoring three touchdowns in what proved to be a blowout win over Southern, a victory that improves the Tigers to 2-0 on the season. With 85 yards on the ground (including a 46-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter) and 38 receiving (including a 21-yard touchdown reception late in the third quarter), Gainwell personified the depth Memphis coach Mike Norvell is selling as the new strength of his program.
Matthew Smith

Kenneth Gainwell

“I’d like to see some more energy,” said Norvell. “We had a couple of guys out, forcing guys into roles where they had to play more. This has to be something we build off of. We ask [Gainwell] to do a lot. He’s in that Tony Pollard-type hybrid role, in the slot, in the backfield. Today he did an exceptional job. He’s developing into a heck of a player for us.”

Southern struck first, with a 75-yard drive culminating in a seven-yard touchdown run by Jamar Washington less than two minutes into the game. Antonio Gibson hauled in a 55-yard touchdown pass from Tiger quarterback Brady White that gave Memphis a 10-7 lead with 9:38 left in the first quarter. Linebacker Keith Brown picked up the ball after freshman Dreke Clark blocked a Southern punt and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown and a 17-10 Tiger lead with less than a minute to play in the first quarter. The block was one of two the Tigers had in the game, the other courtesy of junior Colton Cochran in the third quarter.

The Jaguars (0-2) enjoyed their own “scoop and score” late in the third quarter when Jordan Lewis broke through the Tiger line, sacked White from behind, and picked up the ensuing fumble before racing 74 yards untouched into the end zone. The touchdown reduced the Memphis lead again to 10 points (34-24), but Southern would not score again. (The Jaguars punted on all four of their second-half possessions.)

Gainwell scored on a one-yard run on the Tigers’ first possession after the turnover and then put the game away with his touchdown catch two minutes later. Clark finished the scoring with a 10-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.

“We showed up in every phase,” stressed Norvell in saluting new special teams coordinator Pete Lembo. “Our punt-pressure team was incredible. Coach Lembo and our guys put us in a great position.”

In addition to Taylor’s absence, nose tackle O’Bryan Goodson sat out with an injury. Nonetheless, the Tigers held Southern to 258 total yards and only 15 of them came after halftime. “We have to build that depth,” emphasized Norvell. “We have to build that defensive line as a group. When that happens, good things will follow.”

White completed 17 of 21 passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Damonte Coxie caught six of his passes for 112 yards.

On the defensive side, Memphis tallied seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage with Tim Hart and J.J. Russell each picking up a sack.

“No matter who we play, we come with our best,” said senior linebacker Austin Hall, who delivered three solo tackles. “You always have to make in-game adjustments. Offenses change. We started slow, but once we got going, we had a handle on what they were doing. A lot of guys have stepped up this year and it shows, guys making plays.”

The Tigers play their first road game of the season next Saturday when they visit South Alabama. They won’t return to the Liberty Bowl until Thursday, September 26th, when Navy comes to town for the American Athletic Conference opener. (The Tigers have a bye week following the South Alabama game.)

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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.