Editor's Note: Dick Weiss, a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame, has covered college sports in Philadelphia and New York for more than 40 years. He will be providing regular commentary for the American Athletic Conference during the 2014-15 season.
The city of Memphis, which borders the state of Arkansas to the west and Mississippi to the south – is filled with alumni from various SEC schools, but in this, the Birthplace of Rock and Roll on the banks of the Mississippi River, everybody loves the Tigers. They are the hometown team.
Memphis football has been buried in the shadows recently and rabid Tiger fans have given most of their love to the school's perennially nationally ranked basketball program, which advanced to the NCAA championship game in 2008. The local faithful routinely fill the 18,000-seat FedExForum off Beale Street – both for the Tigers and the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
They have been waiting for Tiger football to show signs of life.
This may be the year it happens.
Memphis, which has played the third most difficult non-league FBS schedule in the country, is 2-2 and was more than competitive in a pair of early-season road losses to unbeaten top-10 opponents UCLA and Ole Miss. The Bruins outscored Memphis, 42-35, in an offensive shootout on the West Coast and the Rebels, who play Alabama this week, got past the Tigers, 24-3, in Oxford in a game where the Tigers trailed just 7-3 at the start of the fourth quarter.
For the first time since 2008, there is a buzz about this program.
When Memphis played Middle Tennessee three weeks ago, more than 46,000 curious fans – the largest home crowd since 2006 – made their way to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium to watch senior linebacker Tank Jakes make a sack for a safety, force a fumble that resulted in a touchdown and make an interception as the Tigers defeated the Blue Raiders, 36-17. The day featured a free pre-kickoff concert performance by country star Pat Green, who has had 15 songs on the Billboard charts, as part of the Tailgate Concert Series. Thompson Square, which has two No. 1 hits to its credit, plays Oct. 11 before the game against Houston.
Fans are arriving early for the music and staying for the football.
“On the way to the stadium, we saw people in the streets just waving their hands and fist pumping,'' Memphis' senior defensive tackle Terry Redden said. ”People believe now and that's a great feeling for people to believe in what we've believed in since we got here.”
The Tigers need those type of attendance figures to continue in their next home game against Houston if the Memphis athletic department wants to achieve its long-term goal of establishing Memphis as a football power in the mid-South.
Memphis is coming off a somewhat forgettable 3-9 season in 2013. But the Tigers, who returned 18 starters, are showing the same signs of improvement in this fluid league under third-year coach Justin Fuente as American Athletic Conference rival Temple.
“We have played some fantastic squads, we really have,” Fuente said. “I know they're getting into conference play, the Pac-12 and the Southeastern Conference, but you saw what UCLA did to Arizona State at Arizona State. You saw Ole Miss up close and personal. I think we should gain some confidence knowing that if we do things the right way and take control of our destiny, if we continue to prepare the right way on both sides of the ball in all three phases, have great work ethic and pay great attention to detail, it will manifest within itself.”
The young offense, fueled by sophomore quarterback Paxton Lynch, put up 480 yards of total offense against Middle Tennessee and a senior-led defense held next-door neighbor Ole Miss to 20 points under its 44-point average.
“We did a great job getting them to turn the ball over, which is what you're going to have to have when you play people like that'' Fuente said. “We were able to get pressure on the quarterback. We were able to, for the most part, slow up the running game. They did get a couple of plays on us, but it was a really hearty effort from our defense. It was good to see as well. We know what we can be in that group. We know what it takes to play great defense, and at times we have done that. The challenge is to continue to do that week in and week out.”
The Tigers will get another opportunity to measure themselves again Saturday night, when they open conference play with a road game against preseason favorite Cincinnati at Paul Brown Stadium.
Cincinnati is 2-1. The Bearcats are averaging 39 points and 458.7 yards of total offense and their precocious sophomore quarterback Gunner Kiel has already thrown for 14 touchdowns and 347 yards per game. Junior wide receiver Chris Moore set an NCAA single-game record by averaging 73.7 yards per reception in Cincinnati's 50-28 loss to Ohio State.
“They're got some fantastic skill people,'' Fuente said. “Gunner Kiel is throwing the ball all over the yard and they're scoring in bunches. One moment of relaxation and they can really hurt you.''
As explosive as the Bearcats have been offensively, they have been almost as vulnerable defensively, giving up 45 first downs and 710 yards last week against Ohio State. The Buckeyes' offensive line was just too big for Cincinnati.
“We got pushed around up there,” UC coach Tommy Tuberville admitted. “We've got a lot of young guys trying to learn new positions that they don't have experience in, but we've got to get better in some areas,” he said. “It's not been very good defensively. It's pretty easy to tell that.''
It will be interesting to see how Memphis attacks Cincinnati, especially now that running back Doroland Dorceus, the Tigers’ leading running back, is out for the season after he suffered an injury against Ole Miss. The Tigers are still a work in progress. Sixth-year senior Brandon Hayes and explosive true freshman Jarvis Cooper will have to step into Dorceus' shoes. Lynch, who started all 12 games as a freshman, is more comfortable and wide receiver Sam Craft is a potential game-changer.
It will be more interesting to see whether they can slow down a gifted talent like Kiel.
“Regardless of whom we are playing and regardless of a hostile crowd, we know what we have to do,” Redden said. “We have to execute on defense. We went out and we fought (against Ole Miss). We should've fought harder and we would've been more successful. With that being said, it's a learning process and we've grown closer as a team and we know what we have to do. We trust in the process.”
Memphis theme this season has been: “Wait Til This Year.”
“We think we have an opportunity to be good,” Fuente said. “We hope people will judge us on the whole year not just the beginning of the season.”