SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT - Amazon S3 · 2017-12-19 · December 30, 2017 Bowl Bound Tigers • This is...

SCHEDULE/RESULTS

IOWA STATE CYCLONESOverall Record...................................................... 7-5 Big 12 Conference .......................................... 5-4 Current Streak ........................................... Lost 1 Last Result .......... Kansas State 20, Iowa State 19Head Coach ........................................ Matt Campbell Alma Mater .......................... Mount Union, 2002 Career Record .....................45-29 • Sixth Season Record at Iowa State ......10-14 • Second Season

NOTES TO KNOW ABOUT IOWA STATE• Iowa State staged a pair of upsets over top-5 teams this season, beating No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 4 TCU.• The Cyclones five losses this season were by an av-erage of five points.• Versatile player Joel Lanning was named First Team All-American at linebacker.• Iowa State ranks 28th nationally in scoring defense (21.0) and held eight opponents to 20 points or fewer this season.• Iowa State is 10th in the FBS in turnover margin and third in turnovers lost with just nine (9 INT/0 fumble).

FOLLOW THE GAME Television // ABC // Watchespn.comPlay-by-Play ..........................................Mike PatrickAnalyst ........................................Tommy TubervilleSideline............................................Paul Carcaterra

Radio // MEMPHIS TIGERS NETWORKPlay-by-Play ..................................... Dave WoloshinAnalyst ................................................. Jarvis GreerSideline/Pregame/Postgame ................ Matt DillonFlagship: 600 WREC AM, Memphis Rock 103 FM, MemphisAffiliates: WJAK-AM 1460 Jackson, Tenn. WJAK-FM 96.1 Jackson, Tenn. WNQM-AM 1300 Nashville, Tenn.Online: GoTigersGo.com/Listen

Radio // ESPN RadioPlay-by-Play ................................................Bill RothAnalyst ............................................... Barrett JonesSideline......................................... Dawn DavenportOnline: ESPN.com/ESPNRadio Sirius/XMRadio online channel 80

Twitter // #GOTIGERSGOOfficial Account ............................ @TigersAthleticsUpdated News & In-Game Posts .....@TigersMediaFootball-Centric Posts .......................@MemphisFB

Other SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENTFacebook ....................................... /MemphisTigersInstagram ................................@MemphisAthletics

#19/18 MEMPHIS TIGERSOverall Record.................................................... 10-2 American Athletic Conference ...................... 7-1 Current Streak ........................................... Lost 1 Last Result ................UCF 62, Memphis 55 (2OT) Head Coach ........................................... Mike Norvell Alma Mater ..................... Central Arkansas, 2005 Career Record ...................18-7 • Second Season Record at Memphis ..........18-7 • Second Season

MEMPHIS ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONSFootball Contact .................................Tammy DeGroff Office Number ............................. (901) 678-5787 Mobile Number ........................... (901) 734-1504 Email Address ................ [email protected] FB Contact ....................... Kevin Rodriguez Office Number ............................. (901) 678-5108 Mobile Number ........................... (817) 528-7402 Email Address ............... [email protected] FB Contact .......................... Lamar Chance Office Number ............................. (901) 678-2349 Mobile Number ........................... (901) 734-9949 Email Address ............... [email protected] Media ........................................Gary Paczesny Office Number ............................. (901) 678-4640 Mobile Number ........................... (574) 210-4962 Email Address [email protected]: @tdegroff |@KRODtheSID |@GaryPaczesny

TABLE OF CONTENTSGame Notes ............................................................... Bowl Notes and Information .......................... 2-5 Head Coach Mike Norvell ...................................6 Team Notes .................................................. 7-11 Offense Notes ............................................ 12-13 Defense Notes ..................................................14 Special Teams Notes ........................................15 Depth Chart & Roster ................................. 16-18Player Individual Statistics ................................ 19-342017 Season Review ................................................... Game Recaps ............................................. 35-40 Season Statistics ......................................... 41-57 Last Time/Records ...................................... 58-68Bowl History ............................................................... Bowl Game Recaps ..................................... 69-78 Bowl Game Records .........................................79News Clips ...................................................... 80-196

ON THE COVER• Pictured on the Front Cover are First Team All-AAC QB Riley Ferguson and First Team All-AAC WR Anthony Miller, along with the names of all 21 Memphis seniors.• Inside Front – First Team All-ACC honorees LB Ge-nard Avery, OL Gabe Kuhn and OL Trevon Tate.• Inside Back – Second Team All-ACC honorees DB TJ Carter, RB Darrell Henderson and TE Joey Magnifico.• Back Cover – All-American RB/KR Tony Pollard.

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@MemphisFB /MemphisFootball /MemphisTigers

Football game notes

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AUG. 31 // 8 PM (CST) // LIBERTY BOWLW, 37-29

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SEPT. 16 // 11 AM (CST) // LIBERTY BOWLW, 48-45

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SEPT. 23 // 7 PM (CST) // LIBERTY BOWLW, 44-31

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ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO PLAY GEORGIA STATE IN ATLANTASEPT. 30 // 6 PM (CST) // SPECTRUM STADIUML, 40-13

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OCT. 6 // 6 PM (CST) // RENTSCHLER FIELDW, 70-31

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OCT. 14 // 2:45 PM (CST) // LIBERTY BOWLW, 30-27

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OCT. 19 // 7 PM (CST) // TDECU STADIUM W, 42-38

OCT. 27 // 7 PM (CST) // LIBERTY BOWL W, 56-26

NOV. 3 // 7 PM (CST) // H.A. CHAPMAN STADIUMW, 41-14

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NOV. 18 // 11 AM (CST) // LIBERTY BOWLW, 66-45

NOV. 25 // 11 AM (CST) // LIBERTY BOWLW, 70-13

59TH AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWLSATURDAY, DEC. 30 // 11:30 AM (CST) // ABC

LIBERTY BOWL // MEMPHIS, TENN.

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DEC. 2 // 11 AM (CST) // SPECTRUM STADIUM

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SATURDAY, DEC. 30 // 11:30 AM (CST) LIBERTY BOWL // MEMPHIS, TENN.

MEMPHIS VS. IOWA STATE / AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL GAME 13

Bowl Appearances

1956 Burley Bowlu Memphis State College 32, East Tennessee State 12u Johnson City, Tenn. (Memorial Stadium)u November 22, 1956

1971 PasADENA BOWLu Memphis State 28, San Jose State 9u Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl)u December 18, 1971

2003 New Orleans Bowlu Memphis 27, North Texas 17u New Orleans, La. (Louisiana Superdome)u December 16, 2003

2004 GMAC Bowlu Bowling Green 52, Memphis 35u Mobile, Ala. (Ladd Peebles Stadium)u December 22, 2004

2005 Motor City Bowlu Memphis 38, Akron 31u Detroit, Mich. (Ford Field)u December 26, 2005

2007 New Orleans Bowlu Florida Atlantic 44, Memphis 27u New Orleans, La. (Louisiana Superdome)u December 21, 2007

2008 St. Petersburg Bowlu USF 41, Memphis 14u St. Petersburg, Fla. (Tropicana Field)u December 20, 2008

2014 Miami Beach Bowlu Memphis 55, BYU 48 (2OT)u Miami, Fla. (Marlins Park)u December 22, 2014

2015 Birmingham Bowlu Auburn 31, Memphis 10u Birmingham, Ala. (Legion Field)u December 30, 2015

2016 Boca Raton BOWLu Western Kentucky 51, Memphis 31u Boca Raton, Fla. (FAU Stadium)u December 20, 2016

2017 AUtoZone Liberty Bowlu Iowa State vs. Memphisu Memphis, Tenn. (Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium)u December 30, 2017

Bowl Bound Tigers• This is the 11th bowl game in Memphis program history and the ninth in the last 15 years.• Memphis has a 5-5 record in its bowl games all-time.• The Tigers' last bowl win was a thrilling 55-48 double-OT victory over BYU in the 2015 Miami Beach Bowl.• The Tigers clinched bowl eligibility status with their win at Houston Oct. 19, marking the second-earliest in a season that Memphis has become bowl eligible. In 2015, the Tigers won their sixth game Oct. 17 over Ole Miss to clinch a bowl berth.

The FirsT Time• For the first time in program history, Memphis plays in a bowl game for a fourth-consecutive season. The Tigers played in three-straight bowl games from 2003-05. • Memphis plays in its first ever AutoZone Liberty Bowl, which has been played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Sta-dium since it opened in 1965.• Memphis and Iowa State play for the first time in the two programs histories. However, the Cyclones have twice played in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Iowa State lost 31-30 to Georgia Tech in 1972 and fell 31-17 to Tulsa in 2012.

home For The holidAys• Memphis is one of 18 FBS programs to currently have its home stadium play host to a postseason bowl game. While the Tigers are playing at home for the first time during bowl season, several programs have a history of staying home (and winning) for the holidays.• Hawai'i has played nine bowl games (5-4 record) in its home stadium, more than any other school. Miami will play in its eighth Orange Bowl (5-2 record) this season and UTEP has played in the Sun Bowl seven times (5-2 record). • UCLA has played in the Rose Bowl Game five times (3-2 record) since making the stadium its permanent home in 1982. The Bruins have played in 12 Rose Bowl Games all-time dating back to 1943.• Other teams playing a bowl game in their home stadium this season: Florida Atlantic, Miami and Navy.

FAn Friendly Bowl gAme• For Tiger fans, there may not be a better scenario than seeing Memphis play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Memphis fans have one of the shortest bowl trips of any fan-base in the country.• Since Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is not located on the University of Memphis campus, Memphis is actu-ally not playing the closest to home this postseason. Florida Atlantic is playing in its first Boca Raton Bowl, which is held at FAU Stadium located on the school's campus.• The American Athletic Conference features three of the shortest bowl trips in the country this season. Navy plays in its home stadium against Virginia in the Military Bowl and SMU makes the 25-mile trip north to the Frisco Bowl to play Louisiana Tech at Toyota Stadium.• Another AAC team, Houston has the longest bowl trip of the season. The Cougars will fly nearly 4,000 miles to Honolulu for the Hawai'i Bowl.

BeATing The Big 12• Memphis owns a 3-3 record against current teams from the Big 12 Conference, after beating Kansas in both 2015 and 2016. The Tigers rolled the Jayhawks 55-23 in Lawrence in 2015 before beating them 43-7 at the Liberty Bowl in 2016.• The only other Big 12-member schools Memphis has previously played are Kansas State and TCU, while nei-ther were Big 12 members at the time. K-State holds a 2-1 edge in its series with the Tigers. The two schools have not played since the Wildcats won both games of a home-and-home series in 1971 (28-21) and 1973 (21-16). K-State was a member of the Big 8 Conference from 1913-96.• Memphis and TCU met once as members of Conference USA during the 2002 season, with the Horned Frogs winning 27-20.

This seAson AT The liBerTy Bowl• Memphis posted an undefeated home record (7-0) at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for the first time in program history. The 2017 season marked the 52nd year that the Tigers have called the Liberty Bowl home.• In the seven home wins, Memphis is averaging 50 points-per-game and over 500 yards of offense. • The Tigers accomplished another program first at the Liberty Bowl, defeating two ranked teams in the same season for the first time – No. 25 UCLA (Sept. 16) and No. 25/24 Navy (Oct. 14).

DECEMBER 30, 2017 LIBERTY BOWL MEMORIAL STADIUM / MEMPHIS, TENN. Page 3

reCipe For A win• The 59th AutoZone Liberty Bowl features an 11:30 a.m. kickoff on ABC, which could play into the hands of the Memphis Tigers. Memphis has a history of big wins with a morning kickoff start time on ABC at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.• With this season’s 48-45 win over No. 25 UCLA, the Tigers have used that familiar rec-ipe to craft exciting wins in three consecutive seasons. • In 2015, Memphis hosted Mid-South rival and No. 12 Ole Miss, with a kickoff time of 11 a.m. (CT) on ABC. The Tigers won 37-24. A year later, Memphis and No. 18 Houston kicked off at 11 a.m. (CT) on ABC. Same result: a Tigers victory, 48-44.• Since 2014, Memphis is 8-3 in Saturday morning games, including a 7-0 record at home. The loss to UCF in the American Athletic Conference Championship game was the first 11 a.m. game the Tigers have lost since 2015 at Temple.• Iowa State has its own success in morning games, going 6-2 in 11 a.m. kickoffs this sea-son, including the upset of No. 3 Oklahoma. The Cyclones two losses in morning games were each by one possession.

FirsT Time Bowl opponenT• The AutoZone Liberty Bowl marks the sixth time that Memphis will play a first-time opponent in its bowl game. The Tigers are 3-2 in those games.• Memphis had never played San Jose State (1972), Bowling Green (2004), Akron (2005), Florida Atlantic (2007) or BYU (2015) before meeting each in a bowl game. The only team the Tigers have faced again is Bowling Green in 2015 and 2016.

homeTown heroes• The Tigers roster features 30 local products, including 10 on the depth chart – RB/KR Tony Pollard, WR Anthony Miller, TE Joey Magnifico, TE Scottie Dill, DE Christian Johnson, LB Tim Hart, DB Austin Hall, DB Thomas Pickens, LS Preston Brady and H Evan Michael.• Senior Memphis natives Christian Johnson and Anthony Miller have each represented their hometown well. Johnson has played in 44 career games for Memphis and Miller has played in 37 career games.• Each year since 2001, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl has hosted a High School All-Star Game featuring the top seniors from the Memphis Metro Area. Eighteen current Tigers competed in the All-Star game before joining the Tigers – DL Christian Johnson, WR Anthony Miller and H Evan Michael in 2012, RB/KR Tony Pollard, OL Brytain Peddy, OL Peyton Jones, TE Joey Magnifico, DB Ladarius Jordan and DB Austin Hall in 2014, LB Tim Hart, DB Thomas Pickens, DB Colton Cochran, WR Hunter Hill and OL Ryan Young in 2015, and RB Timothy Taylor, RB Marquavious Weaver, LB Tyler Garvey and LS Preston Brady in 2016.

The sTATe oF iowA• There are very few connections between Memphis and Iowa State, but there are some. The Tigers have never before played a school from the state of Iowa, let alone any school that even starts with the letter "I."• Memphis OL coach Ryan Silverfield previously served as an assistant under current Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell at Toledo in 2014. The Rockets went 9-4 and 7-1 in MAC play and OL Greg Mancz was named an All-American under Silverfield's guidance.• One of Silverfield's current pupils, OL Roger Joseph spent one season at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa, about one hour from Ames. He was named to the 2016 All-Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) first team.• Iowa State senior OL Robby Garcia is the son of former Memphis Tiger Robert Garcia (1991). Garcia has started 11 games at guard this season.

Among The youngesT• The 59th AutoZone Liberty Bowl matches up a pair of head coaches under 40 years old. Memphis head coach Mike Norvell is 36 years old and Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell is 37.• There are 13 FBS head coaches under-40, while Oregon State has hired 38-year old Jonathan Smith who will take over in 2018.• Ten of the coaches under-40 have led their teams to bowl games this season. The New Orleans Bowl also features to coaches under-40 in North Texas' Seth Littrell (39) and Troy's Neal Brown (37).

An old Foe in The BroAdCAsT BooTh• Tommy Tuberville has roamed the sidelines of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on sev-eral occasions as a head coach, but for the 59th AutoZone Liberty Bowl he will take in the game from the press box as part of the ABC announcing crew.• Tuberville compiled a 2-3 record in five games coached at the Liberty Bowl. • While he was the head coach at Ole Miss, he made two trips to Memphis in 1995 with a win over Memphis and a loss to Arkansas. Tuberville came back to the Liberty Bowl in 1996 and lost to Tennessee. • As the head coach at Cincinnati, Tuberville came to the Liberty Bowl in 2013 and 2015 and split the games.• In six career games against Memphis, Tuberville posted a 3-3 record. Against Iowa State, Tuberville went 1-2 as head coach at Texas Tech.

2017 COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL SCHEDULEBowl Location Date/Time TV R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl New Orleans, La. Dec. 16 ESPNTroy vs. North Texas Mercedes-Benz Superdome 12 p.m. AutoNation Cure Bowl Orlando, Fla. Dec. 16 CBSSNWestern Kentucky vs. Georgia State Camping Word Stadium 1:30 p.m. Las Vegas Bowl Las Vegas, Nev. Dec. 16 ABCBoise State vs. Oregon Sam Boyd Stadium 2:30 p.m. Gildan New Mexico Bowl Albuquerque, N.M. Dec. 16 ESPNMarshall vs. Colorado State Dreamstyle Stadium 3:30 p.m. Raycom Media Camellia Bowl Montgomery, Ala. Dec. 16 ESPNArkansas State vs. Middle Tennessee Cramton Bowl 7 p.m. Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl Boca Raton, Fla. Dec. 19 ESPNFAU vs. Akron FAU Stadium 6 p.m. DXL Frisco Bowl Frisco, Texas Dec. 20 ESPNLouisiana Tech vs. SMU Toyota Stadium 7 p.m. Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl St. Petersburg, Fla. Dec. 21 ESPNTemple vs. FIU Tropicana Field 7 p.m. Bahamas Bowl Nassau, Bahamas Dec. 22 ESPNUAB vs. Ohio Thomas Robinson Stadium 11:30 a.m. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Boise, Idaho Dec. 22 ESPNCentral Michigan vs. Wyoming Albertsons Stadium 3 p.m. Birmingham Bowl Birmingham, Ala. Dec. 23 ESPNTexas Tech vs. USF Legion Field 11 a.m. Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Fort Worth, Texas Dec. 23 ESPNArmy vs. San Diego State Amon G. Carter Stadium 2:30 p.m. Dollar General Bowl Mobile, Ala. Dec. 23 ESPNToledo vs. Appalachian State Ladd-Peebles Stadium 6 p.m. Hawai’i Bowl Honolulu, Hawai'i Dec. 24 ESPNFresno State vs. Houston Aloha Stadium 7:30 p.m. Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl Dallas, Texas Dec. 26 ESPNWest Virginia vs. Utah Cotton Bowl Stadium 12:30 p.m. Quick Lane Bowl Detroit, Mich. Dec. 26 ESPNNorthern Illinois vs. Duke Ford Field 4:15 p.m. Cactus Bowl Phoenix, Ariz. Dec. 26 ESPNKansas State vs. UCLA Chase Field 8 p.m. Walk-On’s Independence Bowl Shreveport, La. Dec. 27 ESPNFlorida State vs. Southern Miss Independence Stadium 12:30 p.m. New Era Pinstripe Bowl Bronx, N.Y. Dec. 27 ESPNIowa vs. Boston College Yankee Stadium 4:15 p.m. Foster Farms Bowl Santa Clara, Calif. Dec. 27 FOXPurdue vs. Arizona Levi’s Stadium 7:30 p.m. Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl Houston, Texas Dec. 27 ESPNTexas vs. Missouri NRG Stadium 8 p.m. Military Bowl presented by Annapolis, Md. Dec. 28 ESPNNorthrop Grumman Navy-Marine Corps 12:30 p.m.Virginia vs. Navy Memorial Stadium Camping World Bowl Orlando, Fla. Dec. 28 ESPNOklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech Camping World Stadium 4:15 p.m. Valero Alamo Bowl San Antonio, Texas Dec. 28 ESPNStanford vs. TCU Alamodome 8 p.m. SDCCU Holiday Bowl San Diego, Calif. Dec. 28 FS1Michigan State vs. Washington State SDCCU Stadium 8 p.m. Belk Bowl Charlotte, N.C. Dec. 29 ESPNWake Forest vs. Texas A&M Bank of America Stadium 12 p.m. Hyundai Sun Bowl El Paso, Texas Dec. 29 CBSArizona State vs. North Carolina State Sun Bowl Stadium 2 p.m. Franklin American Mortgage Nashville, Tenn. Dec. 29 ESPNMusic City Bowl Nissan Stadium 3:30 p.m.Northwestern vs. Kentucky NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl Tucson, Ariz. Dec. 29 CBSSNNew Mexico State vs. Utah State Arizona Stadium 4:30 p.m. Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Arlington, Texas Dec. 29 ESPNUSC vs. Ohio State AT&T Stadium 7:30 p.m. TaxSlayer Bowl Jacksonville, Fla. Dec. 30 ESPNLouisville vs. Mississippi State EverBank Field 11 a.m. AutoZone Liberty Bowl Memphis, Tenn. Dec. 30 ABCIowa State vs. Memphis Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium 11:30 a.m. PlayStation Fiesta Bowl Glendale, Ariz. Dec. 30 ESPNWashington vs. Penn State University of Phoenix Stadium 3 p.m. Capital One Orange Bowl Miami Gardens, Fla. Dec. 30 ESPNMiami vs. Wisconsin Hard Rock Stadium 7 p.m. Outback Bowl Tampa, Fla. Jan. 1 ESPN2Michigan vs. South Carolina Raymond James Stadium 11 a.m. Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Atlanta, Ga. Jan. 1 ESPNUCF vs. Auburn Mercedes-Benz Stadium 11:30 a.m. Citrus Bowl presented by Overton’s Orlando, Fla. Jan.1 ABCLSU vs. Notre Dame Camping World Stadium 12 p.m. Rose Bowl Game presented Pasadena, Calif. Jan. 1 ESPNby Northwestern Mutual (CFP Semifinal) Rose Bowl 4 p.m.Georgia vs.. Oklahoma Allstate Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal) New Orleans, La. Jan. 1 ESPNAlabama vs Clemson Mercedes-Benz Superdome 7:45 p.m. CFP National Championship Game Atlanta, Ga. Jan. 8 ESPNTeams TBA Mercedes-Benz Stadium 7 p.m.


BOWL WEEK SCHEDULE

26 TuesdAy

Practice9 a.m. (First 15 minutes open)Billy J. Murphy Complex Coach Norvell and players made available to media after practice

Bass Pro Shops Welcome5 p.m. - 7 p.m.

27 wednesdAy

Practice9 a.m. (First 15 minutes open)Billy J. Murphy Complex

Press ConferenceEmbassy Suites 1022 S Shady Grove RdTime TBA

St. Jude Children's HospitalTime and Date TBA

Pro RodeoAgricenter Show Place Arena7 p.m. (Optional)

28 ThursdAy

Practice - Closed to mediaBilly J. Murphy Complex

St. Jude Children's HospitalTime and Date TBA

Player & Coaches DinnerHilton Memphis Hotel6 p.m.

29 FridAy

Head Coach Press ConferenceEmbassy Suites 1022 S Shady Grove RdTBA

Liberty Bowl ParadeBeale St.3 p.m.

Bash on Beale Pep RallyW.C. Handy Park - Beale St.4:30 p.m.

Walkthrough - Closed to mediaLiberty Bowl Memorial StadiumTBA

30 sATurdAy

Pregame Fan Buffet & PartyPipkin & Creative Arts Buildings8:30 a.m.

Game DayKickoff - 11:37 a.m. (CT)ABC/WatchESPN.comLiberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, Tenn.

25 mondAy

Christmas DayPlayers return from holidayTeam meeting

No coach or player avail-ability

AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL INFORMATION

Contact Information:Harold Graeter, Associate Executive Director Phone: (901) 795-7700 Email: [email protected] Byrne, Director of Sales and Marketing Phone: (901) 795-7000 Email: [email protected]

Follow:Website: www.LibertyBowl.orgTwitter: AZOLibertyBowlFacebook: AZOLibertyBowlInstagram: AutoZoneLibertyBowl

Media Hotel:Embassy Suites1022 S. Shady Grove RoadMemphis, TN 38120Phone: (901) 312-2163

Stadium History:1965 — The date Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium opened7 — Number of acres of ground covered by the facility$4 million — What it cost to build$80 — Original construction cost per seat16 — Number of sell-outs before recouping the original cost$5 — What a ticket cost per seat when it opened$19.5 million — Cost of 1987 renovations50,160 — The original seating capacity58,318 — Current seating capacity

Stadium Tenants - A Time Line1965-Present – University of Memphis Tigers Football1965-Present – AutoZone Liberty Bowl Football Classic1974-75 – Memphis Southmen (World Football League)1978-80 – Memphis Rogues (NASL)1984-85 – Memphis Showboats (USFL)1990-Present – Southern Heritage Classic Football Game1995 – Memphis Mad Dogs (CFL)1997 – Tennessee Oilers (NFL)2001 – Memphis Maniax (XFL)

memphis TeAm hoTel• The Memphis Tigers will stay at the Hilton Memphis. Hilton Memphis 939 Ridge Lake Blvd Memphis, TN 38120

Bowl week prACTiCe• Memphis will practice at its home site, the Billy J. Murphy Complex, located on the University of Memphis Park Avenue Campus. Murphy Complex 1115 E Getwell Loop Memphis, TN 38152• From Getwell Rd., turn on N Park Loop and follow the Loop past the men's basketball, softball, track and field and baseball facilities. See map.

Bowl week inTerviews• Memphis will hold press con-ferences on Dec. 27, 28 and 29 at the Embassy Suites hotel. Embassy Suites 1022 S Shady Grove Rd Memphis, TN 38120• Practice sessions are open to media for the first 15 minutes. When coaches and players are available for interviews in con-junction with practice, those sessions will be conducted after practice.

posTgAme inTerviews• The Memphis locker room will be closed. Head coach Mike Nor-vell and requested players will be made available to the media at the designated interview location inside Liberty Bowl Memorial Sta-dium.

CollegepressBox.ComCollegePressBox.com is the official football media website for The American Athletic Conference and the Foot-ball Bowl Association. Access and download game notes, statistics, media guides and more for the conference and each of its 12 member schools throughout the season.

*Schedule as of print date. All times and locations subject to change.


STADIUM FACTS

Capacity 58,318Surface AstroTurf®Location 335 South Hollywood, MemphisFirst Game Sept. 18, 1965

Opponent Ole MissScore Ole Miss 34, Memphis 14

Memphis All-Time LBMS Record 170-144-7Most Points Scored 77 vs. Bowling Green (2016)Most Points Scored by Opponent 59, Miss. State (2011)

Top Memphis Crowds All-TIme1996 Tennessee 65,8851991 Mississippi 65,4831992 Tennessee 65,2341987 Mississippi 64,1872000 Tennessee 63,1212006 Tennessee 61,7832015 Mississippi 60,2411989 Mississippi 59,7951999 Mississippi 57,5231989 Arkansas State 57,5002015 Navy 55,2121988 Tennessee 55,1732005 Mississippi 53,3391981 Mississippi 53,1701979 Mississippi 53,1662004 Louisville 52,384

Top Memphis Crowds (non-SEC Opponents)1989 Arkansas State 57,5002015 Navy 55,2122004 Louisville 52,3841990 Arkansas State 50,1782003 USF 47,8752005 UAB 47,6692004 Southern Miss 47,1632005 Marshall 46,4032014 Middle Tennessee 46,3782017 UCLA 46,2912015 Cincinnati 45,1722013 Duke 44,2372003 Louisville 44,0812016 Southeast Missouri 42,8761984 Louisiana-Lafayette 42,2562015 Missouri State 41,7302017 Southern Illinois 41,5842017 East Carolina 41,5172008 Louisville 40,2482017 Navy 40,1772003 East Carolina 40,131

liBerTy Bowl memoriAl sTAdiumThe University of Memphis football program

is fortunate to have one of the finest facilities in the nation in which to play its home games. Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, “built by the citizens of Memphis,” is a memorial to the veterans of World War I, World War II and the Korean War. The reno-vated 58,318-seat facility, built in 1965 at a cost of $3.7 million by the city of Memphis, is operated by the Spectra Venue Management.

The Tigers inaugurated the stadium in the fall of 1965 and, in 52 years, have compiled a 170-144-7 record at the Liberty Bowl. The stadium features an AstroTurf® playing surface, spacious locker rooms and a four-level press box, which features a VIP stadi-um club. The playing surface, which had been natural grass through 2004, was replaced with FieldTurf prior to the 2005 campaign. For the 2012 season, the sur-face changed to AstroTurf®, which is used in several FBS collegiate and NFL stadiums. The field surface up-grade was part of major renovations in 2012.

The Liberty Bowl got another makeover in 2016. With the approval of the Memphis City Council in December of 2015, premium chairback seating was added. A total of 5,596 chairback seats are available for Tigers fans. The new 22-inch wide chairback seats replaced the 19-inch wide chairbacks and 15-inch wide bleacher seating on the lower portion of the east and west sidelines. Other 2016 upgrades included lighting, scoreboard and the adjacent Pipkin Building, all improving the Tigers gameday experience.

The centerpiece of the 2012 renovations was a $2.5 million video scoreboard and sound system. A generous donation provided by FedEx to the UofM paved the way for the video board/sound system up-grades. The south end zone features a 98x48-foot vid-eo board with a sound system located on the sides. The scoreboard’s speakers and crown make the struc-ture’s size grow to 106x58 feet. The north end zone was updated with an LED board that is 38x10 feet.

In addition to the $850,000 FieldTurf playing sur-face in 2005, the Liberty Bowl underwent several aes-thetic changes from 2005-11 that made the stadium look more like the “Home of the Tigers.”

Prior to the 2006 season, Jim McDonald of McDonald Outdoor provided several large photo wraps on the walls of the stadium’s entrances to welcome Tigers fans. Graphics wraps were unveiled around the stadium’s interior in 2008, and a facelift project for the stadium’s lower-concourse restrooms was completed prior to that season.

A major renovation took place prior to the 2009 season when the Tigers’ and visitors’ locker rooms underwent makeovers. The most notable change was

the separation of the two locker rooms in the north tunnel. The Tigers’ locker room remained in the north tunnel, while the visitors’ locker room moved to the stadium’s south tunnel.

Renovations in 2009 and 2013 brought the sta-dium into ADA compliance. The two makeovers low-ered the stadium’s capacity from 62,380 to 59,308.

In the spring of 2010, the Memphis City Council approved a $15.7 million capital improvements bud-get to upgrade the grounds surrounding the Liberty Bowl. The renovations included the construction of a grand entrance off East Parkway which City Council approved naming “Tiger Lane” in honor of the facil-ity’s longest tenant — the University of Memphis. “Tiger Lane” officially opened Sept. 18, 2010, when Memphis hosted Middle Tennessee.

Before the upgrades in the 2000s, the previous major renovation came in 1987, and included sky-suites on the stadium’s east side, adding approxi-mately 12,000 seats in the stands and a stadium club.

In December of 1983, city of Memphis officials named the playing surface Rex Dockery Field in hon-or of the late Tigers coach who was killed in a plane crash. During the 2013 season, the University hon-ored Dockery with a field re-dedication ceremony that included families of the four individuals who lost their lives. A commemorative plaque, located at the Tiger Lane entrance to the stadium, was unveiled in their memory.

Several professional teams also have called the Liberty Bowl home in its 51 years. In 1974, the Grizzlies of the World Football League played their only season in Memphis. From 1978-80, the stadium hosted the Memphis Rogues of the North American Soccer League, and later in 1984-85, the Showboats of the U.S. Football League (USFL). Three other pro-fessional football organizations spent one season in the Liberty Bowl, including the XFL’s Memphis Maniax (2001), NFL’s Tennessee Oilers (1997) and CFL’s Memphis Mad Dogs (1995).

The largest crowd to witness a Tigers game at the Liberty Bowl was the record-setting 65,885 that at-tended Memphis’ 1996 upset of No. 6 Tennessee. The Tigers defeated the Vols 21-17 before a CBS Sports television audience.

The Liberty Bowl was the site where Memphis claimed its first conference championship since 1971. In the 2014 home finale, Memphis defeat-ed Connecticut for a share of the American Athletic Conference crown.

In 2015, Memphis set a home attendance record with an average of 43,802 fans per game. The previ-ous attendance record was 41,175 in 2004.


NOTING MIKE NORVELL

Norvell at a Glance• Born: October 11, 1981 in Dallas, Texas• Alma Mater: Central Arkansas, 2005• Playing Experience: Four-year letterman at WR at Central Ark. (2001-05)• Wife: Maria• Daughter: Mila

Coaching Experience2016- Head Coach, Memphis2012-15 Offensive Coord./QBs, Arizona State2011 Co-Offensive Coord./WRs/Recruiting, Pitt.2010 Passing Game Coord./WRs/Recruiting, Tulsa2009 Passing Game Coord./WRs, Tulsa2007-08 Graduate Assistant/WRs, Tulsa2006 Graduate Assistant, Central Arkansas

Noteworthy• Most wins in first two seasons as head coach in pro-gram history (18)• Most wins by a first-year head coach in program history (8)• First head coach to lead the Tigers to bowl eligibility in his rookie season• First rookie head coach since 1984 to win his Tigers’ debut (35-17 over Southeast Missouri)• First rookie head coach to have a win over a ranked op-ponent since 1975 (48-44 win over No. 18/21 Houston)• First rookie head coach to start 3-0 in Memphis program history• Tied for third-most wins (8) by an FBS first-year head coach in 2016 (Toledo’s Jason Candle, BYU’s Kalani Sitake both led FBS with nine wins)• Pulled in the school’s highest-rated recruiting class in February of 2017; signing class also was the best outside the Power 5 leagues• Named the 2016 Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Coach of the Year in a vote by the state’s media members

Coaches Under 40Lincoln Riley 34 OklahomaMike Sanford Jr. 35 Western KentuckyMike Norvell 36 MemphisP.J. Fleck 37 Minnesota Neal Brown 37 TroyMatt Campbell 37 Iowa StateJason Candle 37 Toledo Kliff Kingsbury 38 Texas TechNick Rolovich 38 HawaiiJonathan Smith* 38 Oregon StateMajor Applewhite 39 HoustonSeth Littrell 39 North TexasScottie Montgomery 39 East CarolinaD.J. Durkin 39 Maryland

*Will make his head coaching debut in fall of 2018

Chris BallDefensive Coord.

Kenny DillinghamQuarterbacks &

Tight Ends

Dan LanningInside Linebackers Recruiting Coord.

Joe LorigSpecial Teams

Outside Linebackers

Ryan SilverfieldOffensive Line

Marcus WoodsonDefensive Backs

David JohnsonWide Receivers

Paul RandolphDefensive Line

PB PBPB

memphis heAd CoACh mike norvell Mike Norvell came to Memphis with an ability to de-velop dynamic offenses, and needless to say, his first two seasons did not disappoint. After a record-breaking season in year one, the 2017 Tigers only improved. The 2017 team set program records in points scored (572), touchdowns (70), passing touchdowns (37), total offense (6,578) and passing yards (4,069). At 47.7 points per game, the Memphis offense was ranked second nationally and fourth in total offense with 548.2 yards per game. It was also the first time that the Ti-gers produced a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver, and 1,000-yard rusher in the same season. Norvell also came to Memphis with the desire to win, and he has done just that. With 18 victories, Norvell has won more games in his first two years than any other coach at Memphis (Richard Williamson is second at 14 games). The 10 wins Memphis enjoyed in 2017 proved to be the first 10-win regular season since 1938 and just third 10-win season in program history. The 7-0 undefeated record at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium was also a first for the Tigers. When Norvell came to Memphis in 2016, the rookie head coach had a first-year starter at quarterback and no “go-to” receiver. Riley Ferguson and Anthony Miller, howev-er, blossomed at quarterback and receiver under Norvell’s tutelage into the most prolific offensive players in program history. Ferguson backed up an impressive first year with a record-breaking performance in 2017. Ferguson set the pro-gram-record with 3,971 passing yards and 36 touchdowns during his senior campaign and will finish his Memphis career second all-time in total yards and touchdowns. A receiver during his collegiate playing days, Norvell’s offensive scheme highlights the explosive Tigers receiving corps. Miller quickly turned into the Tigers’ primary receiv-er in 2016 and his career sky-rocketed from there. Under Norvell, Miller has been named an All-American and All-Con-ference player and now holds all of the receiving records at Memphis including yards (3,535), receptions (234), and touchdowns (36). Miller’s 17 receiving touchdowns in 2017 ranked second nationally and broke his own school-record of 14 set as a junior. He also ranked second in FBS with 1,407 receiving yards. Tony Pollard and Phil Mayhue proved to be great compliments to Miller as the two combined for almost 1,000-yards in 2017. Memphis had six receivers with over 250 yards and four with over 300 in Norvell’s second sea-son, both improvements from his rookie year. Not to be overlooked by the receiving corps, Mem-phis’ running game in 2017 is a force to be reckoned with. At 8.88 yards per carry, Darrell Henderson led all FBS running backs and he became the eighth player at Memphis to rush for over 1,000 yards. The tan-dem of Henderson and Patrick Taylor Jr. combined for 22 touchdowns in 2017 and over 1,900 yards. The 33 team rushing touchdowns this season tied a program-record set in 1961. While the offense has flourished in Norvell’s two seasons at the helm, the Tigers defense and special teams are not to be overshadowed. In back-to-back seasons, the Memphis defense was one of the na-tion’s most opportunistic units, forcing opponents to turn the ball over 29 times in 2016 and 30 times in 2017. The 30 turnovers this season ranks second nationally, and of those 30 turnovers, 16 were interceptions, which ranked 11th national-ly. Freshman TJ Carter set a Memphis freshman record with five interceptions and was ulti-mately tabbed as The American Rookie of the Year and a USA Today and ESPN.com Freshman All-American. The defense also ranked fifth nationally, an improvement from 18th a year ago, in turnover margin at +14. Memphis has had a +22 turnover

margin in Norvell’s first two years, a combined total that ranks the Tigers tied for fifth in the nation. The focus Norvell and his staff placed on the game’s third phase, special teams, has provided major dividends during his tenure. It also brought to an end what was believed to be the longest kick return for a touchdown drought in FBS history. The span of time was nearly 21 seasons, but the 2016 Tigers special teams laid that record to rest and never looked back. In the Oct. 6, 2016 win over Temple, Tony Pollard took an Owls’ kickoff and raced 95 yards for a touchdown, the first by a Memphis player since November of 1996. With anoth-er kick-return score in 2016 and an FBS-leading four in 2017, Pollard now sits just one kick return for a touchdown shy of matching the FBS career record. No other team has returned a kickoff for a touchdown more than Memphis has in the last two years. For his efforts in kick returns, Pollard was named The American Special Teams Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. For the second consecutive season, the Tigers kick re-turn unit ranked fifth nationally and led The American with a 26.09 average in 2017. The 2016 squad averaged 26.57 yards per kickoff return. In Norvell’s first year, Memphis had the second-best kick return defense in the country, allowing opponents a mere 16.04 yards per return and none returned for touchdowns. A major reason for the Tigers’ success on kick return defense was Lou Groza semifinalist Jake Elliott’s 64 touchbacks out of 92 kickoffs (69.6 percent). Elliott’s 64 touchbacks led The American and was third nationally. Not to be outdone, the Tigers

punting unit also shined during his first season. Memphis led The American and was eighth nationally in net punting at

41.10 yards. Spencer Smith was the league’s top punter

45.2 yards per boot and nearly half of his 45 punts ended in

fair catches by the op-position. He had

13 punts of 50 or more yards and placed 11 of his kicks inside the oppo-nents’ 20-yard line.

In two sea-sons

at Memphis,

Norvell has placed 15

total players on the all-con-ference teams,

including 11 first team selections. The Tigers swept the league’s first

team special teams positions in 2016.


ChAsing 600• Memphis set a program record with 572 points scored this season, which ranks as the third-most nationally. The Tigers' 47.7 points per game is No. 2 in the FBS.• The Tigers have scored a program-best 77 total TD, including a school-record 37 passing TD and a record-ty-ing 33 rushing TD.• Memphis is seeking to join elite company if it can eclipse the 600-point mark this season. Since 2013, only 12 teams have scored more than 600 points in a season. Florida State set the FBS record with 723 points scored on the way to a 14-0 record and the National Championship in 2013.

speAking oF reCords• Memphis amassed a program-best 6,578 yards of total offense, eclipsing the 6,000-yard mark for a third-con-secutive season. The Tigers have only played 12 games and have run 882 offensive plays. In 2015, Memphis set program records with 6,330 yards on 1,028 total plays.• QB Riley Ferguson set a single-season passing mark with 3,971 yards and the Tigers team total of 4,069 passing yards is also a program record. Ferguson also set the single-game passing yards record with 471, twice.• WR Anthony Miller had the greatest receiving season in program history last year and is on pace to outdo him-self this year. With 92 catches and 1,407 receiving yards, he needs just four catches and 28 yards to set new marks.

All-AmeriCAns• WR Anthony Miller and RB/KR Tony Pollard have raked in the honors this postseason, each being named to a slew of All-America teams.• Miller was named the Tigers' third NCAA Consensus All-American, after garnering first team All-America nods by the Associated Press, the American Football Coaches Association, ESPN, USA Today, Phil Steele and Bleacher Report and second team honors from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Sports Illustrated and Sporting News.• Pollard became just the second player in Memphis history to earn Walter Camp First Team All-America hon-ors. He also received first team recognition from the FWAA, Phil Steele and Bleacher Report and was named second team All-American by Sports Illustrated, Sporting News and USA Today.• DB TJ Carter was named to the ESPN.com and USA Today Freshman All-America teams.• Last season, Pollard was named to Freshman All-America teams by USA Today and the FWAA.

wesT division ChAmpions• Memphis made good on its selection as the preseason favorite to win the American Athletic Conference West Division, clinching the division title with its Nov. 18 win over SMU.• The AAC West Division championship is the first in program history, and booked the Tigers’ spot in the league’s championship game.• Memphis tied the program record with seven conference wins this season. The Tigers won seven league games in their second season in the American Athletic Conference in 2014. That squad also won a share of the American Athletic Conference title.

10 win seAson• Memphis tied a program record with its 10th win of the season Nov. 25 vs. ECU, marking just the third 10-win season in program history. It is the first time the Tigers won 10 games in a regular season since 1938 (10-0 record).• The 2014 Memphis squad won 10 games (10-3 record), but that team’s 10th victory came in the Miami Beach Bowl.• The Tigers have only recorded nine-plus wins just eight times out of 102 total seasons of football – 1938 (10-0), 1949 (9-1), 1950 (9-2), 1963 (9-0-1), 2003 (9-4), 2014 (10-3), 2015 (9-3), 2017 (9-1).• The Tigers are one of 19 teams in the FBS with 10 or more wins this season.

nATionAlly rAnked Tigers• Memphis has been ranked for a program-record eight-consecutive weeks after debuting in the Oct. 15 AP Top 25 Poll. The Tigers made their first appearance of the season in the Amway Coaches Poll in the Oct. 29 rankings. • The Tigers also appeared in all six installments of the College Football Playoff Rankings. In 2015, Memphis de-buted at No. 13 in the initial CFP Selection Committee Rankings. The Tigers were ranked for three-consecutive weeks before dropping out.• Prior to this season, the last time Memphis was ranked was on Nov. 14, 2015, when the Tigers played at No. 16 Houston. Memphis lost 35-34 to the Cougars and fell out of the rankings. That season, Memphis appeared in four-consecutive polls (Week 8 – No. 18, Week 9 – No. 16, Week 10 – No. 15, and Week 11 – No. 25).• Prior to 2015, Memphis had been ranked only twice in the AP Top 25. In the poll released on Sept. 12, 2004, the Tigers debuted at No. 25 after beating Ole Miss (20-13) and Chattanooga (52-21) consecutive weeks.• Memphis closed out the 2014 season ranked No. 25 in both the final AP and Amway Coaches Polls.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

East American Overall Streak*UCF 10/10 8-0 1.000 12-0 1.000 W12USF 23/24 6-2 .750 9-2 .818 L1Temple 4-4 .500 6-6 .500 W1Cincinnati 2-6 .250 4-8 .333 W1ECU 2-6 .250 3-9 .250 L1UConn 2-6 .250 3-9 .250 L5

West American Overall Streak*Memphis 19/18 7-1 .875 10-2 .833 W7Houston 5-3 .625 7-4 .636 W1Navy 4-4 .500 6-5 .545 L2SMU 4-4 .500 7-5 .583 W1Tulane 3-5 .375 5-7 .417 L1Tulsa 1-7 .125 2-10 .167 L5

*AAC Division Champion

AMERICAN BOWL LINEUP

DXL Frisco BowlDec. 20 SMU vs. Louisiana Tech 7 p.m. ESPNToyota Stadium - Frisco, Texas

Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla BowlDec. 21 Temple vs. FIU 7 p.m. ESPNTropicana Field - St. Petersburg, Fla.

Birmingham BowlDec. 23 USF vs. Texas Tech 11 a.m. ESPNLegion Field – Birmingham, Ala.

Hawai'i BowlDec. 24 Houston vs. Fresno State 7:30 p.m. ESPNAloha Stadium – Honolulu, Hawai'i

Military Bowl presentedby Northrop GrummanDec. 28 Navy vs. Virginia 12:30 p.m. ESPNN-M Corps Memorial Stadium – Annapolis, Md.

AutoZone Liberty BowlDec. 30 Memphis vs. Iowa State 11:30 a.m. ABCLiberty Bowl Memorial Stadium – Memphis, Tenn.

Chick-fil-A Peach BowlJan. 1 UCF vs. Auburn 11:30 a.m. ESPNMercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta, Ga.

* All Times Central

Game Game Halftime Coin Kickoff/ Memphis Opp Game GameOpponent Time (CT) Length Attend. Score Final Toss Receive 1st Poss. 1st Poss. Pants Jerseys Helmet vs. ULM 8:20 p.m. 3:31 10,263 20-7 37-29 Won Kickoff Punt Fumble Blue Blue White (Blue Leaping Tiger/Number) vs. #25 UCLA 11:08 a.m. 3:55 46,291 27-24 48-45 Lost Kickoff TD Pass Punt Blue Blue Blue (White Tiger Stripes) vs. Southern Illinois 7:05 p.m. 3:25 41,584 17-21 44-31 Lost Kickoff Punt TD Pass Blue Anthracite Blue (Leaping Tiger) at UCF* 6:05 p.m. 3:13 34,022 7-23 13-40 Won Kickoff TD Run TD Run Blue White White (Blue Tiger Stripes) at UConn* 6 p.m. 3:42 19,230 35-24 70-31 Lost Kickoff TD Pass TD Run White White White (Number) vs. #24 Navy* 2:47 p.m. 3:20 40,177 10-10 30-27 Won Receive TD Pass FG Gray Blue Gray (Blue Tiger Stripes) at Houston* 7:01 p.m. 3:41 30,001 0-17 42-38 Lost Receive Punt Punt Gray White Gray (White Tiger Stripes) vs. Tulane* 7:02 p.m. 3:27 17,989 35-12 56-26 Won Receive Downs Punt White White White (White Tiger Stripes) at Tulsa* 7:01 p.m. 3:14 17,383 21-14 41-14 Won Kickoff Punt Punt Blue White Gray (Blue Leaping Tiger/Number) vs. SMU* 11:01 a.m. 3:37 35,329 31-24 66-45 Won Kickoff INT TD Pass Gray Black Gray (Number) vs. East Carolina* 11:01 a.m. 3:14 41,517 49-0 70-13 Lost Kickoff TD Pass Punt Black Black Gray (Black Leaping Tiger/Number)at #11 UCF 11:07 a.m. 3:53 41,433 31-24 55-62 (2ot) Won Receive Fumble TD Pass White Blue White (Blue Leaping Tiger)

TRACKING THE TIGERS IN 2017


The liBerTy Bowl is A ForTress

• For the first time in program history, Memphis recorded an undefeated record (7-0) at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1965.• The seven home wins is a program record. The Tigers have only three unblemished home records in its histo-ry: 1938 (6-0), 1959 (5-0) and 2017 (7-0). The 1963 team went unbeaten at home with a 5-0-1 mark.• This marks the fourth-consecutive season that the Tigers have won five-plus home games. The Tigers won five-plus home games in five-straight seasons from 1959-63.

They’re preTTy good

• QB Riley Ferguson and WR Anthony Miller have created the nation’s most prolific passing combination over the last two seasons. The duo has connected on 30 total TD passes in two seasons, including 13 last season. • The only returning FBS duo to connect on more TD last season was College Football Playoff semifinalist Wash-ington’s Jake Browning and Dante Pettis (15). Ferguson and Miller have moved ahead of Browning and Pettis, who have seven TD this season to bring their total to 22. • Another high-scoring QB-WR combo from the last two years is Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph and James Washington (21).• Over the last two seasons, Ferguson and Miller have connected on 183 hook-ups for 2,758 yards and 30 TD.

reCords? he hAs Them All

• WR Anthony Miller is the Memphis all-time leading receiver with 234 receptions for 3,535 career receiving yards and 36 TD. Miller surpassed Duke Calhoun’s (2006-09) receiving total of 2,981 yards and 212 receptions.• Miller holds every major receiving record at Memphis – career: receptions (234), yards (3,535) TD (36) and 100-yard receiving games (17); season: receptions (95), yards (1,434), TD (17) and 100-yard receiving games (8); game: receptions (15), yards (250) and TD (4).

don’T kiCk iT To him

• Tony Pollard leads the nation in kickoff return TD (4) and kickoff return average (42.4) after he went 100 yards for a score against ECU Nov. 25. The kickoff return TD is Pollard’s fourth of the season and the sixth of his career.• Pollard, a sophomore, is closing in on the NCAA records for kick returns for TD in a season and career. The season mark is five set by Tulsa’s Ashlan Davis in 2004, and the career record is seven by Clemson’s C.J. Spiller (2006-09), Houston’s Tyron Carrier (2008-11) and San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny (2014-17).• Pollard is one of only two active FBS players with six or more career kickoff return TD.

Tremendous Trio

• For the first time in program history, Memphis has a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver in the same season. The Tigers are one of just six FBS teams to surpass these marks this season.• QB Riley Ferguson has passed for 3,971 yards, which stands as the most in a season in program history. RB Darrell Henderson has 1,154 rushing yards and is the Tigers first 1,000-yard back since 2009. WR Anthony Miller is the first Tiger to ever record multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Miller has 1,407 yards and 17 TD.

QuiCk-sTrike oFFense

• The Memphis offense is known for moving fast. Really fast. The Tigers’ quick-strike offense has accounted for 69 TD in regulation this season at an average time of possession of 2:08 per scoring drive (Memphis has one overtime touchdown this season of two plays, 25 yards).• Memphis has produced 19 TD drives of less than a minute and 37 total TD drives under two minutes. The Tigers shortest drive of the season lasted just three seconds, while the longest was 7:23, both at UConn. • The Tigers can also go a long way in a short amount of time. Memphis produced a nine-play, 99-yard TD drive in 2:57 vs. Navy; a five-play 97-yard drive in 1:57 at UCF; a six-play, 95-yard drive in 1:53 vs. UCLA; a five-play, 93-yard drive in 1:37 vs. ECU; and a two-play, 91-yard drive in 0:26 vs. UCLA. • The Tigers average 5.9 plays and 66.7 yards per scoring drive. Memphis has 33 scoring drives of five or fewer plays. The Tigers also have 43 scoring drives of 70-plus yards.

gAme CApTAins

• For the second consecutive season, Memphis head coach Mike Norvell names his team captains on a game-by-game basis in 2017.

Game-By-Game Captains• Game 1 vs. ULM: DB Jonathan Cook, QB Riley Ferguson, DL Christian Johnson, WR Anthony Miller

• Game 2 vs. UCLA: LB Curtis Akins, QB Riley Fer-guson, WR Phil Mayhue, WR Anthony Miller

• Game 3 vs. SIU: LB Curtis Akins, LB Genard Av-ery, QB Riley Ferguson, WR Anthony Miller

• Game 4 at UCF: LB Genard Avery, QB Riley Fer-guson, WR Anthony Miller, RB Tony Pollard

• Game 5 at UConn: LB Genard Avery, DB Jona-than Cook, QB Riley Ferguson, WR Anthony Miller

• Game 6 vs. Navy: LB Genard Avery, QB Riley Fer-guson, DB Austin Hall, WR Anthony Miller

• Game 7 at Houston: DB Jonathan Cook, QB Riley Ferguson, DB Austin Hall, WR Anthony Miller

• Game 8 vs. Tulane: LB Genard Avery, QB Riley Ferguson, DB Austin Hall, WR Anthony Miller

• Game 9 at Tulsa: LB Genard Avery, QB Riley Fer-guson, DB Austin Hall, WR Anthony Miller

• Game 10 vs. SMU: LB Genard Avery, QB Riley Ferguson, OL Gabe Kuhn, WR Anthony Miller

• Game 11 vs. ECU: LB Genard Avery, DB Jonathan Cook, QB Riley Ferguson, WR Anthony Miller

• Game 12 AAC Championship at UCF: LB Genard Avery, DB Jonathan Cook, QB Riley Ferguson, WR Anthony Miller

• Game 13 Liberty Bowl vs. Iowa State:

Season/Career CaptainsFerguson (12/17), Avery (9/16), Miller (12/16), Cook (5/5), Hall (4/4), Mayhue (1/2), Akins (2/2), Johnson (1/1), Kuhn (1/1), Pollard (1/1)

NCAA TEAM RANKINGS IOWA STATE MEMPHISStatistic Rk Avg Rk AvgRushing Offense 113 119.8 32 209.1Passing Offense 32 269.5 8 339.1Completion Pct. 28 0.629 29 0.629Pass Efficiency 42 139.44 8 160.42Scoring Offense 54 29.9 2 47.7Total Offense 79 389.3 4 548.2Rushing Defense 31 134.3 98 196.8Pass Yards Allowed 81 234.2 122 279.4Scoring Defense 28 21.0 104 33.4Total Defense 46 368.4 120 476.3Net Punting 60 8.08 32 39.70Punt Returns 42 9.05 99 5.47Kickoff Returns 79 20.50 5 26.09Turnover Margin 19 0.92 4 1.17Team Sacks 97 1.67 71 1.92

MEMPHIS VS. IOWA STATE STATISTICAL COMPARISON IOWA STATE CYCLONES (7-5, 5-4)Team Statistics ISU OpponentPoints/Game 29.9 21.0First Downs/Game 21 20.2Rushing Yards/Game 119.8 134.2Passing Comp-Att-Int 276-439-9 262-389-12Passing Yards/Game 269.5 234.2Total Offense/Game 389.3 368.4Fumbles-Lost 6-0 15-8Penalties-Yards 54-496 88-843Time of Possession/Game 29:38 30:22Third Down Conversions 66/169 74/178

Third-Down Pct. 39% 42%Fourth Down Conversions 12/16 7/14

Fourth-Down Pct. 75% 50%Red Zone Scores 43/49 32/39Red Zone Pct. 88% 82%

MEMPHIS TIGERS (10-2, 7-1)Team Statistics Memphis OpponentPoints/Game 47.7 33.4First Downs/Game 25.8 24.7Rushing Yards/Game 209.1 196.8Passing Comp-Att-Int 286-455-10 259-448-16Passing Yards/Game 339.1 279.4Total Offense/Game 548.2 476.2Fumbles-Lost 9-6 26-14Penalties-Yards 106-972 95-820Time of Possession/Game 26:45 33:15Third Down Conversions 71/157 91/198

Third-Down Pct. 45% 46%Fourth Down Conversions 10/17 18/27

Fourth-Down Pct. 59% 67%Red Zone Scores 53/59 44/54

Red Zone Pct. 90% 81%


own The FooTBAll• Over the last two seasons, the Memphis defense is one of the nation’s most opportunistic units, forcing op-ponents to turn the ball over 29 times in 2016 and 30 times in 2017. • The 30 turnovers this season ranks second nationally. The Tigers' 14 fumble recoveries is tied for fourth na-tionally and the 16 interceptions ranks 11th. • Freshman DB TJ Carter set a Memphis freshman record with five interceptions and was ultimately tabbed as The American Rookie of the Year and a USA Today and ESPN.com Freshman All-American. • The Memphis team has done a great job of owning the football, ranking fifth nationally in turnover margin at +14. Memphis has had a +22 turnover margin in the last two seasons, a combined total that ranks the Tigers tied for fifth in the nation.

The FreshmAn• PK Riley Patterson had big shoes to fill when becoming Memphis’ primary kicker after the illustrious career of PK Jake Elliott. Elliott finished his career as the program's all-time leading scorer and now kicks in the NFL.• Patterson enters the bowl game with 61 made PAT, just two shy of matching Elliott’s single-season record set in 2015. Prior to this season, Elliott had the top three spots at 63 PAT in 2015, 58 PAT in 2016, and 57 PAT in 2014.• Although Patterson fell victim to the Tigers’ first missed PAT since 2012 (a streak of 214 consecutive successful PAT), he and P Spencer Smith have started a new streak of 69 consecutive made PAT. Patterson has 57 of those which ranks fifth all-time.• With 88 total points scored for the Tigers this season (61 PAT/9 FG), Patterson ranks eighth all-time.

weAThering The sTorm• Memphis has had some unusual run-ins with weather this season – playing ULM in tropical storm conditions from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey, rescheduling its early-season game with UCF because of Hurricane Irma and even defeating the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa. • The Tigers have become familiar with tropical cyclones, or Hurricanes, and will now face the Iowa State Cy-clones in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. • Memphis defeated ULM in the season-opener despite the weather, which contributed to QB Riley Ferguson throwing for just 97 yards. Ferguson went on to pass for a program-best 3,971 yards this season. The Tigers also played in cold and wet conditions against Tulane this season, but rolled to a 56-26 win.

so long, CoACh diCkey• Longtime Memphis assistant coach Darrell Dickey has left the school to become the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, effective immediately.• Dickey spent a total of nine seasons at Memphis, including the last six under both Justin Fuente and Mike Norvell. He also served as the offensive coordinator at Memphis from 1986-89.• The last four seasons have been some of the best in program history, especially offensively. Dickey has helped guide the Tigers to numerous records, including the four highest scoring teams in program history.

Four yeArs, 37 viCTories• With 10 wins this season, the 2017 seniors have produced the most wins by a four-year class in program history. The 2017 seniors passed the 1963 seniors. The 2017 seniors have a 37-13 record, and the 1963 seniors went 33-5-1.• The 37 wins since 2014 make this Tigers’ senior class only the fifth to win 30 or more games in a four-year period in program history. The Tigers’ 1950 senior class was the first to win 30 games. The other teams to win at least 30 games in a four-year span are: 1962 (30 wins), 1963 (33 wins) and 1964 (30 wins).• Memphis’ eight wins in 2016 ensured that the Tigers produced the winningest three-year stretch in program his-tory. The 27 total wins since the start of the 2014 season surpassed the three-year stretch from 1961-63 (25 wins).• In 2014 and 2015, Memphis posted back-to-back, nine-win seasons for the first time since the 1949 (9-1) and 1950 (9-2) seasons. The 19 total wins during 2014-15 are the most ever in a two-year stretch in Memphis history. • Memphis tied the program record with its seventh conference win this season. The Tigers won seven league games in their second season in the American Athletic Conference in 2014. That squad also won a share of the American Athletic Conference title.

18 wins• Mike Norvell recorded his 18th career win, surpassing head coach Richard Williamson (1975-80) for the most wins in the first two seasons as head coach of the Tigers. Williamson won 14 games in his first two seasons as head coach.• Norvell’s current .720 winning percentage is higher than any other head coach in Memphis history. Allyn McKeen produced a .684 winning percentage as head coach from 1937-38.

Tom iii is A winner• Memphis’ live Bengal Tiger mascot, TOM III, attended his first game at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium as a cub in 2008 and starting with the 2009 season hasn’t missed a game. In 58 games attended, TOM III has pro-duced a 31-27 record at the Liberty Bowl.• Born Aug. 31, 2008, TOM III arrived in Memphis on Oct. 23 and attended his first game Nov. 22 against UCF at the Liberty Bowl. Since his arrival in Memphis, the Tigers have gone 52-64 (.448) overall.• TOM III’s predecessors did not have the same level of on-field success. The university’s first live mascot, TOM, recorded an 85-119-6 (.405) record from 1972-91. Starting in 1992, TOM II patrolled the sidelines and saw Memphis produce an 84-108 (.438) mark until his passing in 2008.• Memphis celebrated TOM III’s ninth birthday during the season-opening win on Aug. 31 against ULM.• TOM III was raised by a proud Memphis Tiger, Scott Forman, who has attended 231-consecutive Memphis football games since 1999.

All-ConFerenCe TeAmsOFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEARMcKenzie Milton, QB, UCF (So., Kapolei, Hawaii)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAREd Oliver, DT, Houston (So., Houston, Texas)

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE YEARTony Pollard, RB/KR, Memphis (So., Memphis, Tenn.)

ROOKIE OF THE YEART.J. Carter, CB, Memphis (Fr., Nashville, Tenn.)

COACH PLAYER OF THE YEARScott Frost, UCF

ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAMOFFENSEPos. Player School Cl.WR Anthony Miller Memphis Sr. WR Trey Quinn SMU Jr. WR Courtland Sutton SMU Jr. OT Aaron Evans UCF Sr. OT Trevon Tate Memphis Jr. OG Gabe Kuhn Memphis Sr. OG Jeremi Hall USF Sr. C Jordan Johnson UCF So. TE Jordan Akins UCF Sr. QB McKenzie Milton UCF So. QB Riley Ferguson Memphis Sr. RB Adrian Killins Jr. UCF So. RB D'Angelo Brewer Tulsa Sr.

DEFENSEDL Jamiyus Pittman UCF Sr. DL Ed Oliver Houston So. DL Deadrin Senat USF Sr. DL Justin Lawler SMU Sr. LB Shaquem Griffin UCF Sr. LB D'Juan Hines Houston Sr. LB Genard Avery Memphis Jr. LB Auggie Sanchez USF Sr. CB Mike Hughes UCF Jr. CB Parry Nickerson Tulane Sr. S Kyle Gibson UCF Jr. S Delvon Randall Temple Jr. K Emilio Nadelman USF Sr. P James Smith Cincinnati Fr. RS Tony Pollard Memphis So.

ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAMOFFENSEPos. Player School Cl.WR Tre'Quan Smith UCF Jr. WR Trevon Brown ECU Jr. WR Justin Hobbs Tulsa Jr. OT Korey Cunningham Cincinnati Sr. OT Wyatt Miller UCF Jr. OT Marcus Norman USF So. OG Brian Carter Temple Sr. OG Tyler Bowling Tulsa Jr. C Chandler Miller Tulsa Jr. TE Joey Magnifico Memphis So. QB Quinton Flowers USF Sr. RB Dontrell Hilliard Tulane Sr. RB Darrell Henderson Memphis So.

DEFENSEDL Trysten Hill UCF So. DL Bruce Hector USF Sr. DL Sharif Finch Temple Sr. DL Jacob Martin Temple Sr. DL Jeremy Smith Tulsa Sr. LB Chequan Burkett UCF Sr. LB Jaylyin Minor Cincinnati Sr. LB D.J. Palmore Navy Sr. LB Rae Juan Marbley Tulane Sr. CB T.J. Carter Memphis Fr. CB Deatrick Nichols USF Sr. S Khalil Williams Houston Sr. S Devin Abraham USF Sr. K Matthew Wright UCF Jr. P Mac Loudermilk UCF Jr. RS Mike Hughes UCF Jr.


300-300 CluB • Prior to Memphis’ Nov. 18 win over SMU, the Tigers had never had a single game in which they passed for 300-plus yards and rushed for 300-plus yards. Then the Tigers accomplished it in consecutive games.• The Tigers’ 664 total offensive yards vs. SMU – 333 rushing and 331 passing – are the third-most in a game by the Tigers. Memphis followed that up with 635 total yards vs. ECU – 333 rushing and 302 passing – for just the 11th game with 600-plus yards in program history• In the SMU win, the Tigers rushed for 333 yards on 46 carries and tied a program record with seven rushing TD. The 333 yards is the most since Memphis rushed for 379 yards on 66 carries against Tulane in 2008.• RB Darrell Henderson and RB Patrick Taylor each rushed for over 100 yards and two scores apiece in back-to-back games. • Memphis set a program record with 753 yards of offense vs. UCF in the American Athletic Conference Cham-pionship. In that game, Memphis passed for 471 yards and rushed for 282.

FreshmAn sTeAling The show• DB TJ Carter’s five INT this season are the most in program history by a Tiger freshman. Johnnie Walker re-corded four INT as a freshman in 1982, and Eric Harris had four INT in 1973.• Carter this season has seven total takeaways individually (5 INT/2 fumble).• Carter's play did not go unnoticed, as he was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and selected to the ESPN.com and USA Today Freshman All-America teams.

dynAmiC reCeiving duo• Former walk-ons WR Phil Mayhue and WR Anthony Miller have formed an elite pass-catching duo at Mem-phis and rank among the most prolific in the nation.• Mayhue has hauled in 138 career receptions for 2,025 yards and nine TD, while Miller has 234 catches for 3,535 yards and 36 TD.• The 372 combined receptions are the third-most by any active receiving duo in the FBS. Syracuse wideouts Ervin Philips (223), Steve Ishmael (219) lead the nation with 442 combined catches.

The TurnAround• The University of Memphis has engineered one of the most remarkable turnarounds of an FBS program in recent memory. Prior to the recent four-year stretch that began in 2014, the Tigers football program produced just three winning seasons in a 19-year span from 1995-2013, and further, the program had only nine winning seasons in the 36-year period from 1978-2013.• The Tigers have put together four-consecutive winning seasons, which hasn’t been accomplished since the 1970s when Memphis had five-straight winnings seasons from 1973-77.

weeknighT wArriors• With the Nov. 3 win over Tulsa, Memphis improved its record to 14-0 when playing a regular-season, non-Sat-urday game since 2014. Eight of those 14 victories have come on the road. • The Tigers are 5-0 in non-Saturday games in 2017 with wins over ULM, UConn, Houston, Tulane and Tulsa.• Memphis has four Thursday wins and 10 Friday wins during this stretch.

Three-sTrAighT rAnked wins• The Oct. 14 win over No. 25/24 Navy marked the first time in program history that Memphis has beaten two ranked teams in the same season. The Tigers knocked off No. 25 UCLA earlier this season.• The win also marked the first time in program history that the Tigers have recorded three-straight wins over nationally-ranked opponents. Memphis ended the 2016 regular season with a 48-44 win over No. 18/21 Houston.

AnoTher hisToriC sCoring ouTpuT• Under head coach Mike Norvell, Memphis has had its two highest scoring games in the modern era of the program. Last year, the Tigers exploded for a 77-3 win over Bowling Green, and this season Memphis rolled to a 70-31 win at UConn.• Memphis’ 70-point outburst was only the fourth time in program history the Tigers scored 70 or more points in a game. The other three times came in 2016 (77 points vs. Bowling Green), 1950 (76 points vs. Memphis Navy) and 1949 (70 points vs. Tampa).• The Tigers racked up what was then a school single-game record 711 yards of total offense vs. UConn. The 700-yard offensive output is one of three in program history.• The Tigers snapped 100 plays vs. UConn. The 100 plays are the second-most for a game in program history. The school single-game record is 108 snaps in a triple-overtime win vs. SMU in 2007.• WR Anthony Miller caught a program single-game record four TD passes in the Oct. 6 game. QB Riley Fergu-son threw a school single-game tying record seven TD passes.

progrAm deFining win• Memphis head coach Mike Norvell described the 30-27 win over No. 25/24 Navy as a program-defining game. The Midshipmen had represented a stumbling block for the Tigers the past two seasons, snapping an 8-0 start in 2015 and handing the Tigers their second loss last season.• Navy, the defending American Athletic Conference West Division champion, had spent parts of the last two seasons in and out of the rankings and posted five-straight seasons of eight-plus wins.• In the win, the Tigers finished +4 in the turnover battle against the Midshipmen. The five turnovers were the most this season by Navy and the most since committing six turnovers against Boston College in 2002.• Memphis executed its defensive game plan to perfection, holding Navy to 314 rushing yards. The Midshipmen entered the game with the nation’s top rushing offense, averaging 414.2 yards per game.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

AP Top 251 Clemson (43) 12-1 15062 Oklahoma (18) 12-1 14743 Georgia 12-1 14094 Alabama 11-1 13075 Ohio State 11-2 13006 Wisconsin 12-1 11627 Auburn 10-3 11238 USC 11-2 11019 Penn State 10-2 100810 UCF 12-0 98311 Miami 10-2 94812 Washington 10-2 82013 TCU 10-3 81614 Notre Dame 9-3 63215 Stanford 9-4 62916 LSU 9-3 59917 Oklahoma State 9-3 54918 Michigan State 9-3 48719 Memphis 10-2 47520 Northwestern 9-3 39821 Washington State 9-3 34222 Virginia Tech 9-3 32323 South Florida 9-2 11524 Mississippi State 8-4 10325 Boise State 10-3 59

Others receiving votes: NC State 54, San Diego State 40, To-ledo 25, Louisville 11, Michigan 8, Florida Atlantic 8, Fresno State 6, Missouri 3, Kansas State 1, Troy 1

Amway Coaches Poll1 Clemson (49) 12-1 15102 Oklahoma (10) 12-1 14623 Georgia (2) 12-1 14164 Alabama 11-1 13125 Ohio State 11-2 12986 Wisconsin 12-1 11627 USC 11-2 11408 Auburn 10-3 10859 Penn State 10-2 100610 UCF 12-0 98611 Miami 10-2 93412 Washington 10-2 85513 TCU 10-3 80714 LSU 9-3 63815 Notre Dame 9-3 62816 Stanford 9-4 60717 Oklahoma State 9-3 52218 Memphis 10-2 48519 Michigan State 9-3 47420 Northwestern 9-3 37021 Washington State 9-3 31022 Virginia Tech 9-3 30223 Mississippi State 8-4 13424 South Florida 9-2 12625 Boise State 10-3 72

Others receiving votes: NC State 54, San Diego State 50, Florida Atlantic 24, Toledo 21, Troy 11, Michigan 11, Fresno State 5, Louisville 4, South Carolina 4

Memphis week-by-week Rankings AP Coaches CFPPreseason NR RV NAWeek 2 NR RV NAWeek 3 NR RV NAWeek 4 RV RV NAWeek 5 RV RV NAWeek 6 RV RV NAWeek 7 RV RV NAWeek 8 25 RV NAWeek 9 24 RV NAWeek 10 22 21 23Week 11 20 19 22Week 12 18 17 21Week 13 17 16 20Week 14 16 14 20Week 15 19 18 20


like FATher, like son• The Memphis roster features several players who are following in the footsteps of their fathers by playing football at the University of Memphis.• Redshirt freshman LB Tim Hart Jr., who returned an INT for a TD in just his second career game, is the son of former Tiger Tim Hart who played at Memphis from 1993-96.• Redshirt sophomore TE Scottie Dill is carrying on his father’s legacy on the Tigers’ offensive line. Scott Dill suited up for Memphis State from 1984-87 before becoming an NFL ninth-round draft pick by the Phoenix Cardinals in 1988. He played a decade in the NFL with Phoenix, Tampa Bay and Minnesota, before retiring after the 1997 season.• LB Hayden Ferrari’s father, Tommy Ferrari, played for the Tigers from 1988-90.• Injured Tiger WR Sam Craft has made his mark as a versatile player with more than 1,500 career all-purpose yards. His father, Ray Craft, was also a standout from 1986-88 playing a part in wins over Ole Miss, 15th-ranked Alabama and 14th-ranked Florida. Ray now serves as a colonel with University of Memphis Police Services.• For redshirt freshman OL Ryan Young, his father suited up for a different sport. Shane Young played on some of the best baseball squads in school history from 1981-84. Over those four seasons, the Tigers went 139-48, played in four-straight Metro Conference Tournaments and made one NCAA Tournament appearance.• Redshirt freshman DB Thomas Pickens’ mother, Pamela Seymore, played basketball at the University of Mem-phis from 1983-85. The Tigers 1984-85 team posted a 23-7 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

plAyers oF The week• LB Genard Avery claimed the Oct. 30 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week award. This is the third-consecutive week that a Memphis player has won the award. The senior had a career-high 3.5 sacks and 5.5 TFL in the 56-26 win over Tulane. The Tigers finished with seven sacks, tying a program record last set in a win over Arkansas State in 2013.• DB TJ Carter became the second-straight Tiger to be named Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week after a career-high 14 tackles, including one TFL, one INT, one forced fumble and a PBU at Houston. Car-ter forced two turnovers in the final minutes to seal the win. Carter’s selection marks the first time teammates have been named back-to-back recipients in the history of the award, dating to the 2001 season. He also took home The American’s Defensive Player of the Week honor.• DB Austin Hall was named Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week and the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week after helping to stifle Navy’s triple option offense in a 30-27 Memphis win. Hall recorded two INT for his first career multiple-INT game, and finished with a fumble recovery and 10 total tackles. The weekly award is the second of his career. Hall also earned the Thorpe Award’s weekly honors.• QB Riley Ferguson was named American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season, after tying the single-game record with seven TD passes at UConn. Ferguson has won the league’s weekly award five times in his career.• Ferguson received numerous honors after his performance in leading Memphis to the 48-45 win over No. 25 UCLA Sept. 16. He threw for 398 yards and six TD on 23-of-38 passing. Ferguson was named the National Offen-sive Player of the Week by Athlon Sports, College Sports Madness and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Ferguson was also named the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week.• RB Tony Pollard earned the American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of Week after the Tigers sea-son-opening win over Louisiana Monroe. Pollard took the opening kickoff of the second half 99 yards for a TD.

Tiger sCholAr pATCh• For the second-consecutive season, head coach Mike Norvell will honor the Tigers for their work in the classroom with the Tiger Scholar patch. Every player who posted a semester GPA of 3.0 or higher will have the Tiger Scholar patch on his uniform. Non ducor duco is the saying on the patch, which translates to “I am not led, I lead.”• Thirty-six players earned the designation of Tiger Scholar during the 2017 spring semester: Genard Avery, Tim Belles, Sanchez Blake, Jahod Booker, Jamil Collins, Jon-athan Cook, Emmanuel Cooper, Sam Craft, Scottie Dill, Jackson Dillon, Joseph Dor-ceus, Sean Dykes, Riley Ferguson, Austin Hall, Tim Hart, Hunter Hill, Tau Ho Ching, Bryce Huff, Nick Jacobs, Christian Johnson, Gabe Kuhn, Drew Kyser, Tyrez Lindsey, Mannie Lowery, Phil Mayhue, Jaylen McClanahan, Jace Neville, Josh Perry, Thomas Pickens, Mechane Slade, Spencer Smith, Chandler Stump, Patrick Taylor, Shareef White, Tito Windham and Dustin Woodard.

Tigers in overTime gAmes• Memphis has been involved in eight overtime games (2-6). Memphis has played a total of four, multi-over-time affairs and the Tigers have a 2-2 record in those games.• Memphis lost the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championship in heartbreaking fashion, falling 62-55 in double overtime. The 117 combined points are the most for a single game in program history and marked the highest-scoring conference championship game in FBS history.• The previous overtime game came in the 2014 Miami Beach Bowl with the first overtime game in five sea-sons, defeating BYU 55-48 in double overtime.• Before that, the previous overtime game came in the 2009 season finale at Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane defeated the Tigers 33-30 on Nov. 27, 2009. Prior to the Tulsa game, Memphis’ last overtime game was against SMU and was decided in three overtime periods, 55-52.

MEMPHIS’ OVERTIME GAMES

• Oct. 31, 2000 vs. Houston (L, 33-30/3ot) • Nov. 11, 2000 vs. Cincinnati (L, 13-10) • Sept. 24, 2005 at Tulsa (L, 37-31) • Nov. 18, 2006 vs. Houston (L, 23-20) • Nov. 24, 2007 vs. SMU (W, 55-52/3ot) • Nov. 27, 2009 at Tulsa (L, 33-30) • Dec. 22, 2014 vs. BYU (W, 55-48/2ot) • Dec. 2, 2017 at UCF (L, 62-55/2ot)

Tiger Trends

Norvell Era #s 2017Home 12-2 7-0 Road 6-4 3-2 Neutral 0-1 0-0 Grass 1-4 1-2 Artificial Turf 17-3 9-0 Won Coin Toss 11-4 5-2 Lost Coin Toss 7-3 5-0 Memphis’ Record When ... Leading after the 1st quarter 10-1 3-1 Trailing after the 1st quarter 5-5 4-1 Tied after the 1st quarter 3-1 3-0 Leading at halftime 14-1 7-1 Trailing at halftime 3-6 2-1 Tied at halftime 1-0 1-0 Leading after 3rd quarter 17-0 9-0 Trailing after 3rd quarter 1-7 1-2 Tied after 3rd quarter 0-0 0-0 Leading with less than 2:00 to play 16-0 9-0 Trailing with less than 2:00 to play 2-6 1-1 Tied with less than 2:00 to play 0-1 0-1 Scores first 12-2 5-0 Opponent scores first 6-5 5-2 Scores 20+ points 18-6 10-1 Opponent scores 20+ points 10-7 8-2 Holds opponent to 20 points or less 8-0 2-0 Game is decided by 3 points or less 2-0 2-0 Game is decided by 10 points or less 6-2 3-1 Memphis’ Record With ... Less than 150 yards rushing 5-4 2-1 150+ yards rushing 13-3 8-1 200+ yards passing 10-7 9-2 300+ yards passing 9-7 6-2 300+ yards total offense 16-6 10-2 400+ yards total offense 12-5 9-1 500+ yards total offense 9-3 7-1 70+ total plays 12-7 6-2 80+ total plays 1-4 1-1Memphis’ Record When Allowing ... Less than 150 yards rushing 12-0 5-0 150+ yards rushing 6-7 5-2 200+ yards passing 12-6 8-2 300+ yards passing 7-4 4-1 300+ yards total offense 13-7 10-2 400+ yards total offense 8-7 6-2 500+ yards total offense 4-7 2-2 70+ total plays 14-6 8-2 80+ total plays 8-3 6-1Memphis’ Record When ... Committing fewer turnovers 13-1 7-1 Committing more turnovers 1-4 0-1 Turnovers are the same 4-2 3-0 Having fewer penalty yards 7-4 3-1 Having more penalty yards 11-3 7-1 Leading time of possession 6-1 3-1 Trailing time of possession 12-6 7-1Memphis’ High & Low Water Marks ... Largest halftime lead +56 +49 Largest halftime deficit -17 -17 Highest number of plays 82 100 Lowest number of plays 49 49 Opponent highest number of plays 101 95 Opponent lowest number of plays 63 69 Warmest Game Temperature 91° 89° Coldest Game Temperature 42° 42°Memphis’ Record For ... Day Games 7-2 4-1 Night Games (5 p.m. kickoff or later) 11-5 6-1 Games with temperature 40s or below 1-0 1-0 Games with temperatures in 50s 2-2 1-0 Games with temperatures in 60s 5-0 3-0 Games with temperatures in 70s 4-3 2-0 Games with temperatures in 80s 5-2 3-2 Games with temperatures in 90s 1-0 0-0


Ferguson’s reCord wATCh• QB Riley Ferguson holds the single-season passing records with 3,971 yards and 36 TD. He has 278 com-pletions on 441 attempts, which are both the third-most in a season. His completion percentage of 63.0 this season is fifth-best.• Ferguson tied the single-game program record, which he previously held, with 471 passing yards in the Ameri-can Athletic Conference Championship. Earlier this season, he passed for 471 yards in the Oct. 19 win at Houston.• The 400-yard passing performance was the fourth of his career, a program record. He also has 13 300-yard passing games, which is also a program record.• Ferguson tied the program’s single-game record with seven passing TD in the 70-31 win over UConn. He is second all-time at Memphis with 68 career passing TD. • Ferguson moved into the No. 3 spot on the Tigers all-time passing yardage chart, with 7,669 yards. He only trails Danny Wimprine (10,215 yards) and Paxton Lynch (8,863). Ferguson has played in just 25 career games, while Wimprine played in 46 games and Paxton Lynch competed in 38 games.

miller’s reCord wATCh• WR Anthony Miller is the Memphis all-time leading receiver with 234 receptions, 3,535 receiving yards and 36 TD. Miller surpassed Duke Calhoun’s (2006-09) receiving totals of 212 catches for 2,981 yards. Carlos Single-ton (2006-09) previously held the TD record with 22.• In 2016, Miller compiled the best single season by a wide receiver in Memphis history with 95 catches for 1,434 yards and 14 TD, which were all school records. Miller broke the TD record this season with 17.• Miller recorded a single-season record eight 100-yard receiving games and has a career record 17 total 100-yard receiving games.• He set the school’s single-game receptions record with 15 on two occasions – vs. Houston in 2016 and at UConn in 2017 – and the receiving yards record with 250 versus Tulsa in 2016.• He caught a program single-game record four TD passes in this season’s win at UConn. The previous record was three held by seven different players, including Miller who had three TD receptions vs. Western Kentucky in the 2016 Boca Raton Bowl.• Miller stands among the top-10 scorers in program history with 39 total TD (36 receiving/3 rushing) for 234 total points, which is good for seventh. The 234 points is the second most by a non-kicker in program history, behind DeAngelo Williams (362 points).

The workhorse • RB Darrell Henderson is the first Tiger to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Curtis Steele did so in 2009 (1,239 yards). Henderson has 1,154 yards this season, which is the sixth-most for a season in school history. He is only the eighth player in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.• Henderson's 8.88 yards per carry is second in the FBS and first among running backs this season. The program record for yards per carry in a season is 7.6 by Paul Wilson in 1971.• The sophomore has rushed for 100-plus yards in five-consecutive games and seven times overall this season. The seven 100-yard rushing games is tied for fourth-most in program history.

explosive sophomores• Darrell Henderson is joined by fellow sophomore Patrick Taylor Jr. as the Tigers leading rushers this season. Taylor has 798 rushing yards and 13 TD on 140 carries. Taylor’s 13 rushing TD are the most since Curtis Steele’s 15 in 2009.• Taylor, a native Texan, rushed for a school-record tying four TD at Houston Oct. 19. He now has 13 TD this season and 15 in his career.• Henderson is the Tigers’ greatest big-play threat this season, with a team-high eight offensive plays of 40-plus yards. He has seven rushes longer than 50 yards, including three rushes 70-plus yards.• Henderson exploded for a career-long 82-yard rush in the win over Tulane, his second 80-plus yard carry of the season. The rush was the longest by a Tiger since DeAngelo Williams had an 86-yard carry against Tulane in 2002.• Four times this season, both Henderson and Taylor have rushed for more than 100 yards in the same game – vs. ULM (8/31), vs. SMU (11/18), vs. ECU (11/25) and at UCF (12/1). • Behind Henderson and Taylor, the Tigers have rushed for 300-plus yards three times this season.• Fellow sophomore Tony Pollard has made his mark in the kickoff return game, averaging 42.4 yards per re-turn. He has returned four kickoffs for TD this season and six in his career. Pollard grabbed nine catches for 91 yards vs. Houston, both career-bests.

seAson sTAndArds

Memphis Single Season Points Scored Rk Year Points 1 2017 572 2 2015 522 3 2016 505 4 2014 471 5 2004 430 6 2003 393 7 1949 385 8 2007 380 9 1950 374 10 2008 353

Memphis Single Season Total Yards Rk Year Yards 1 2017 6578 2 2015 6330 3 2016 6028 3 2003 5779 4 2007 5767 5 2014 5552 6 2004 5524 7 2008 5424

Memphis Single Season Passing Yards Rk Year Yards 1 2017 4069 2 2015 3997 3 2007 3975 4 2016 3957 5 2003 3419 6 2004 3086 7 2014 3031 8 2008 2891 9 2002 2868 10 2006 2695

Individual Season TD Passes Rk Player Year TDs 1 Riley Ferguson 2017 36 2 Riley Ferguson 2016 32 3 Paxton Lynch 2015 28 4 Martin Hankins 2007 25 5 Danny Wimprine 2002 23 6 Paxton Lynch 2014 22 Danny Wimprine 2004 22 Danny Wimprine 2003 22

Individual Single Season Passing Yards Rk Player Year Yards 1 Riley Ferguson 2017 3971 2 Paxton Lynch 2015 3776 3 Riley Ferguson 2016 3698 4 Martin Hankins 2007 3220 5 Danny Wimprine 2003 3174 6 Paxton Lynch 2014 3031 7 Danny Wimprine 2004 2892


Big plAy duo• On the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage vs. ECU Nov. 25, QB Riley Ferguson connected with WR Anthony Miller for an 89-yard TD pass. It is the fifth-longest pass and fifth-longest TD pass in program history.• For a duo that has made a living on big plays, the 89-yard pass play was the career-long for both Ferguson (pass) and Miller (reception). The previous-long for both was 84 yards vs. Kansas in 2016 (Sept. 17).

sCoring in memphis• Memphis has eclipsed the 500-point mark for the third-consecutive season, and just the third time in pro-gram history. The 2017 Tigers have set the program’s single-season mark with 572 points scored.• The Tigers have scored 40-plus points in six-straight games and in nine games overall this season.• Memphis has scored more than 400 points in four-straight seasons, which represent the Tigers' top-four scoring seasons in program history.

in The TrenChes• An experienced offensive line has been key to the success of the Tigers prolific offense. Memphis has seen the same five starters for 11-of-12 games – LT Trevon Tate, LG Dustin Woodard, C Drew Kyser, RG Gabe Kuhn and RT Roger Joseph.• The O-Line has been effective protecting QB Riley Ferguson this season, ranking in the top-20 in the FBS in sacks allowed with 1.25 a game. Last season, the Tigers were among the worst in the FBS at protecting the QB, allowing 2.69 sacks per game.• The only senior, Kuhn, made his 50th career start in the American Athletic Conference Championship at UCF. Kuhn is the first Tiger in program history to start 50 games.

ConseCuTive gAmes wiTh A CATCh• WR Anthony Miller has the program's second longest consecu-tive-games-with-a-reception streak, recording a catch in all 37 career games played. Miller has caught at least three passes in 35-of-37 games played.• WR Phil Mayhue had his consecutive games with a catch streak snapped after 37 games, the second-longest such streak in Memphis history. Mayhue is one of only six Tigers receivers to eclipse the 2,000-yard career mark. • Currently, the nation’s longest active streak of consecutive games with a reception is 47 by Allen Lazard (Iowa State).• Duke Calhoun holds the school record with 49 consecutive games with a catch. Calhoun had a reception in all 49 career games played.• Mayhue and Miller are a prolific pass-catching duo with 372 career catches between them, which ranks as the third-most by an active receiving duo in the nation. Syracuse duo Ervin Philips (223), Steve Ishmael (219) lead the FBS with 442 catches between them.

driving The lengTh oF The Field• Memphis had a 99-yard TD drive vs. Navy that started in the third quarter and ended in the fourth with an eight-yard pass from QB Riley Ferguson to WR Anthony Miller. The drive spanned nine plays and 2:57. • The Tigers’ last 99-yard drive was last season at Ole Miss. That drive was 13-plays and 5:01. • Prior to last season, Memphis’ last 99-yard drive (5 plays) was in 2007 vs. UAB. RB Joseph Doss capped the fourth-quarter drive with a 20-yard TD run. The Tigers also had a 97-yard TD drive in the second quarter of that game. Memphis won 25-9.

mAgniFiCo!• Redshirt sophomore TE Joey Magnifico had a breakout game in the Tigers’ 48-45 win over No. 25 UCLA, catch-ing six passes for 83 yards and one TD. His third career TD was the first score of the game.• Magnifico made his fifth career start and shattered his previous career highs for both catches (2) and receiving yards (26). Magnifico played in all 13 games, including three starts last season, and he caught nine passes for 85 yards and two TD.• This season, Magnifico is the Tigers fifth-leading receiver with 21 catches for 280 yards and three TD.• Fellow sophomore TE Sean Dykes broke out in a huge way in the American Athletic Conference Champion-ship, with three catches for 161 yards. This season, he has 14 catches for 332 yards and three TD.

Receptions StreakRk Player Game Streak 1 Duke Calhoun 492 Anthony Miller 37 Phil Mayhue 374 Carlos Singleton 285 Russell Copeland 276 Earnest Gray 26 Mose Frazier 26

OFFENSE START CHART (CAREER STARTS)

OPPONENT QB TB WR WR WR/RB/TE TE/WR LT LG C RG RTULM Ferguson Henderson Mayhue Miller Pollard Magnifico Tate Woodard Kyser Kuhn Gill (1)UCLA Ferguson Henderson Mayhue Miller Dykes Magnifico Tate Woodard Kyser Kuhn JosephSouthern Illinois Ferguson Henderson Mayhue Miller Pollard Magnifico Tate Woodard Kyser Kuhn Josephat UCF* Ferguson Henderson Mayhue Miller Pollard Dykes Tate Woodard Kyser Kuhn Josephat UConn* Ferguson Pollard Mayhue Miller Dykes Magnifico Tate Woodard Kyser Kuhn JosephNavy* Ferguson Henderson Mayhue Miller Dykes Magnifico Tate Woodard Kyser Kuhn Josephat Houston* Ferguson Henderson Mayhue Miller Pollard Dykes Tate Woodard Kyser Kuhn JosephTulane* Ferguson Taylor (1) Mayhue Miller Pollard Dykes Tate Woodard Kyser Kuhn Josephat Tulsa* Ferguson Henderson Mayhue Miller Proctor Magnifico Tate Woodard Kyser Kuhn JosephSMU* Ferguson Henderson Mayhue Miller Pollard Dykes (8) Tate Woodard Kyser Kuhn JosephECU* Ferguson Henderson Mayhue Miller Pollard Proctor (5) Tate Woodard Kyser Kuhn Josephat UCF Ferguson (25) Henderson (16) Mayhue (37) Miller (28) Pollard (17) Magnifico (10) Tate (34) Woodard (23) Kyser (37) Kuhn (50) Joseph (11)

nCAA oFFensive rAnkings

Scoring Offense Rk Team TD PAT FG Pts PPG1 UCF (AAC) 80 76 11 593 49.42 Memphis (AAC) 77 74 12 572 47.73 Oklahoma St. 71 67 20 555 46.34 Oklahoma 77 75 15 584 44.95 Ohio St. 72 68 16 552 42.56 Arizona 66 62 14 502 41.87 Penn St. 67 66 9 499 41.68 SMU (AAC) 63 56 14 482 40.29 Fla. Atlantic 68 59 15 518 39.810 Missouri 61 58 16 472 39.311 Toledo 62 56 25 509 39.212 Alabama 60 59 16 469 39.113 Louisville 61 55 15 468 39.014 Ohio 60 56 15 467 38.915 Arkansas St. 55 45 15 424 38.5

Total Offense Rk Team Plays Yards YPG1 Oklahoma 898 7,583 583.32 Oklahoma St. 944 6,908 575.73 Louisville 889 6,726 560.54 Memphis (AAC) 882 6,578 548.25 UCF (AAC) 853 6,485 540.46 Ohio St. 974 6,807 523.67 Missouri 848 6,138 511.58 Toledo 931 6,629 509.99 South Fla. (AAC) 919 5,595 508.610 Colorado St. 894 6,012 501.011 Arkansas St. 878 5,475 497.712 Arizona 839 5,934 494.513 SMU (AAC) 898 5,926 493.814 Fla. Atlantic 940 6,395 491.915 Southern California 953 6,364 489.5

Passing Offense Rk Team Comp-Att-INT Yards YPG1 Oklahoma St. 304-471-10 4,708 392.32 Washington St. 448-663-19 4,497 374.83 Oklahoma 285-397-5 4,776 367.44 New Mexico St. 368-587-20 4,231 352.65 UCLA 316-501-10 4,144 345.36 Arkansas St. 285-454-16 3,748 340.77 UCF (AAC) 271-389-9 4,071 339.38 Memphis (AAC) 286-455-10 4,069 339.19 Western Ky. 355-537-8 4,004 333.710 Ole Miss 281-434-13 3,941 328.411 Texas Tech 321-482-10 3,922 326.812 West Virginia 284-451-12 3,897 324.813 ECU (AAC) 307-543-16 3,815 317.914 Missouri 229-396-13 3,743 311.915 Louisville 264-433-6 3,727 310.6


DEFENSE START CHART (CAREER STARTS)

OPPONENT DE NT DT KAT WILL MIKE STAR CB FS SS CBULM Johnson Gentry (1) Cooper Dillon (32) Avery Akins Hall Carter Cook Rupert SlaughterUCLA Johnson Goodson Cooper Huff Avery Akins Hall Carter Cook Rupert WindhamSouthern Illinois Johnson Tate (1) Cooper White Avery Akins Hall Carter Cook Rupert (3) Slaughter (2)at UCF* Suttles Goodson Wilson Johnson Avery Hart Hall Carter Cook Lindsey Windhamat UConn* Suttles (21) Goodson Wilson Johnson Avery Hart Hall Carter Cook Lindsey WindhamNavy* Avery Cooper (4) Johnson Huff Hart White (12) Hall Carter Cook Lindsey Windhamat Houston* Johnson Goodson Wilson Huff (3) Avery Hart Hall Carter Cook Lindsey (4) WindhamTulane* Avery Goodson Wilson Johnson Hart Akins Hall Carter Cook Perry Windhamat Tulsa* Avery Goodson Wilson Johnson Hart Akins Hall Carter Cook Perry WindhamSMU* Avery Goodson Wilson Johnson Hart Akins Hall Carter Cook Perry WindhamECU* Avery Goodson Wilson Johnson Hart Akins Hall Carter Cook Perry Windhamat UCF Avery (31) Goodson (9) Wilson (16) Johnson (28) Hart (9) Akins (17) Hall (23) Carter (12) Cook (25) Perry (5) Windham (10)

36-plus • Memphis finished fifth in the nation with 29 takeaways last season, and the Tigers set a lofty goal for them-selves this season: to post 36 or more takeaways and lead the nation in that category.• The Tigers have 30 takeaways (16 INT/14 fumbles), which is tied for second nationally. • In 2016, Memphis recorded 13 INT and 16 fumble recoveries.

sTArTin’ ‘em young• In the Aug. 31 season opener against ULM, DB TJ Carter became the first true freshman to start a season opener in the Memphis defensive backfield since 2011. Bakari Hollier started the first game of his career against Mississippi State in 2011.• Carter, from Nashville, made four tackles and recovered a fumble in his Tigers debut against ULM and fol-lowed that up with seven tackles and his first career INT against UCLA. Carter is the Tigers’ fifth-leading tackler with 61 stops and leads the team in INT (5) and fumble recoveries (2).• Carter this season has seven total takeaways individually (5 INT/2 fumble). • Carter’s five INT are the most by a Tiger freshman in program history. Johnnie Walker recorded four INT as a freshman in 1982, and Eric Harris had four INT in 1973.• Carter's play did not go unnoticed, as he was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year and selected to the ESPN.com and USA Today Freshman All-America teams.

exeCuTing The gAme plAn • Memphis took a big step forward defensively this season, posting wins over three of the nation’s top-20 rush-ing offenses. Last season, the Tigers struggled against teams who effectively ran the ball. • Prior to this seasons’ win over Navy, there was one key statistic that separated Memphis’ 12 wins from its six losses under head coach Mike Norvell: opponents rushing yardage. • In the wins, the defense held opponents to less than 200 yards rushing. Meanwhile in the losses, teams rushed for more than 250 yards each and at least two scores.• The Memphis defense shined in the program’s first win over Navy Oct. 14. The Midshipmen had represented a stumbling block for the Tigers the past two seasons, rushing for an average 410 yards and four-plus TD.• The Tigers held Navy to 314 rushing yards, well below the Mids’ season average of 414.2 yards per game.• Memphis finished +4 in the turnover battle against Navy. The five turnovers were the most this season by Navy and the most since committing six turnovers against Boston College in 2002.• DB Austin Hall had a banner day with two INT, a fumble recovery and 10 total tackles. • Memphis has also picked up wins over Tulane and Tulsa, holding both teams to 100 yards below their season rushing averages.

nexT mAn up• Three of Memphis’ defensive starters in the season-opener endured season-ending injuries, while three oth-er players on the Week 1 depth chart are also out for the season. The Tigers have been forced to adopt a “Next Man Up” mentality and play several inexperienced players in big roles.• Numerous freshmen have been forced into the spotlight this season – DL O'Bryan Goodson and LB Tim Hart have each made nine starts, DB Josh Perry has started the last five games and DB Tyrez Lindsey started four games.

lineBACkers From grenAdA • Genard Avery and Shareef White, both from Grenada, Miss., entered their senior seasons with a wealth of experience and the pair are bringing along a new face from their hometown this season, freshman JJ Russell.• Avery is the Tigers’ third-leading tackler with 75 stops and he holds the team lead with 19.5 TFL and 6.5 sacks.• White has 45 tackles and six TFL this season.• Both linebackers were all-state players in high school before coming to Memphis and playing in all 13 games as freshmen in 2014. The tandem helped the Tigers win the American Athletic Conference crown, the program’s first league title since 1971.• Russell was invited to the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star game after a senior campaign which saw him record 123 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

NCAA DEFENSIVE RANKINGSTurnovers Gained Rk Team Fum Int Gain1 Central Mich. 12 19 312 Memphis (AAC) 14 16 30 Miami (FL) 13 17 30 Wyoming 14 16 305 UCF (AAC) 11 18 296 Akron 8 19 27 Texas Tech 13 14 27 Washington St. 13 14 279 Wisconsin 9 17 26 Western Mich. 16 10 26 Fla. Atlantic 6 20 26 Utah St. 15 11 26

Fumbles Recovered Rk Team G W-L Fum Rec1 Western Mich. 12 6-6 16 Bowling Green 12 2-10 15 Utah St. 12 6-6 154 Memphis (AAC) 12 10-2 14 Penn St. 12 10-2 14 Wyoming 12 7-5 147 Texas Tech 12 6-6 13 Washington St. 12 9-3 13 Miami (FL) 12 10-2 1310 South Ala. 12 4-8 12 Auburn 13 10-3 12 Central Mich. 12 8-4 12 UNLV 12 5-7 12

Passes InterceptedRk Team Opp. Pass INT Ret Yds TD1 Fla. Atlantic 473 20 190 02 Central Mich. 383 19 172 1 Akron 432 19 398 3 Iowa 432 19 389 45 South Fla. (AAC) 376 18 285 2 Boston College 395 18 388 2 UCF (AAC) 428 18 258 2 Arizona 440 18 320 29 Wisconsin 369 17 339 5 Miami (FL) 414 17 228 211 Memphis (AAC) 448 16 239 2 Wyoming 291 16 240 2 Louisiana Tech 372 16 315 3 Stanford 392 16 154 1 New Mexico St. 408 16 82 1 Oklahoma St. 418 16 214 2 Southern California 458 16 209 3

Turnover MarginRk Team Gain Lost Margin Avg1 Wyoming 30 14 16 1.332 UCF (AAC) 29 14 15 1.25 Miami (FL) 30 15 15 1.254 Memphis (AAC) 30 16 14 1.17 Penn St. 24 10 14 1.176 Stanford 25 10 15 1.157 Alabama 20 8 12 1.00 Fla. Atlantic 26 13 13 1.009 Boise St. 22 10 12 0.9210 Washington 21 10 11 0.92 Iowa St. 20 9 11 0.92 Texas Tech 27 16 11 0.92


speCiAl TeAms ChArTs

2017 Team Kickoff Return AverageRk Team Ret Yds TD Avg1 Wyoming 20 590 2 29.502 Troy 30 880 3 29.333 Virginia 33 899 1 27.244 TCU 24 633 1 26.385 Memphis (AAC) 45 1,174 4 26.096 Stanford 38 975 0 25.667 Old Dominion 34 872 3 25.658 Virginia Tech 20 508 0 25.409 UCF (AAC) 32 804 2 25.1310 Arizona 26 648 0 24.92

2017 Individual Kickoff Return AverageRk Player Ret Yards Avg1 Tony Pollard, Memphis (AAC) 19 806 42.42 D.J. Reed, Kansas St. 15 530 35.33 Mike Hughes, UCF (AAC) 16 545 34.14 Marcus Jones, Troy 24 789 32.95 Marcus Green, La.-Monroe 27 876 32.4

2017 Individual Kickoff Return TDRk Player Ret TD1 Tony Pollard, Memphis (AAC) 19 4 Marcus Green, La.-Monroe 27 43 Isaiah Harper, Old Dominion 24 3 Marcus Jones, Troy 24 35 Nine players tied with two

NCAA Active Career Kickoff ReturnRk Player Ret TD Avg1 Evan Berry, Tennessee 53 4 34.32 Tony Pollard, Memphis 57 6 32.93 Marcus Jones, Troy 24 3 32.94 D.J. Reed, Kansas St. 24 1 32.75 Parris Campbell, Ohio St. 30 0 30.46 Rashaad Penny, San Diego St. 79 7 30.27 Kavontae Turpi , TCU 56 1 28.98 Marcus Green, La.-Monroe 41 4 28.69 Kylen Towner, Western Ky. 99 3 27.910 Isaiah Harper, Old Dominion 26 3 27.8

NCAA Active Career Punting Leaders Rk Player, School Avg1 Mitch Wishnowsky, Utah 46.3 2 Johnny Townsend, Florida 46.2 3 Trevor Daniel, Tennessee 45.9 4 JK Scott, Alabama 45.8 5 Michael Dickson, Texas 45.5 6 Corey Bojorquez, New Mexico 45.1 7 Shane Tripucka, Texas A&M 44.6 8 Ryan Anderson, Rutgers 44.4 9 Joe Davidson, Bowling Green 44.4 10 Michael Carrizosa, San Jose St. 44.0 11 Tyler Newsome, Notre Dame 43.8 12 Corey Fatony, Missouri 43.6 13 Jake Bailey, Stanford 43.5 14 Spencer Smith, Memphis 43.5 15 Alan Luna, UTEP 43.3

pollArd Flips The sCripT• Memphis has gone wild since snapping a 233-game streak from 1996-2016 without returning a kickoff for a TD. The Tigers ended that streak in a big way in 2016, taking three kickoffs to the house. That run has continued this season with four more kickoff return TD. No other team has returned a kickoff for a touchdown more than Memphis has in the last two years.• In the 50 seasons from 1947-96, Memphis had just 12 kickoff return TD. Then the Tigers endured the 20-year drought leading up to last season. Now, in the last 20 games, Memphis has returned seven kickoffs for TD.• Tony Pollard was the architect of the momentous kickoff return that ended the streak, going 95 yards for the score against Temple on Oct. 6, 2016.• Pollard did it again two games later, returning a kickoff 100 yards for a TD against Navy. Darrell Henderson got in on the action two weeks later at SMU, returning a kickoff 99-yards for a TD.• The three kickoff return TD in 2016 are the most in a single season in program history. Memphis had two in 1983 when Jerry Harris (vs. Southern Miss) and Charles Greenhill (vs. Cincinnati) both had kickoff returns for TD.• Against ULM in the 2017 season opener, Pollard returned the opening kickoff of the second half 99 yards for his third career return TD. In the Sept. 23 Southern Illinois game, Pollard went 100 yards for a TD for the second time in his career. He did it again Oct. 19 at Houston with a 93-yard TD return.• Pollard's latest kickoff return TD (vs. ECU Nov. 25) may have been the most impressive. He received the kick deep in the endzone and broke several tackles on the way to his third career 100-yard return.• Before the 2016 season, the last time Memphis returned a kickoff for a TD was against Tennessee in the Tigers’ 21-17 upset victory over the No. 6 nationally-ranked Volunteers and QB Peyton Manning. Kevin Cobb returned that 1996 kickoff 95 yards for the score. The play earned Cobb an ESPN ESPY Award.

Five AwArds, Five Tiger winners• There have been five American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Year winners in the league’s history, and all five have been Memphis Tigers.• Redshirt freshman Tony Pollard is the reigning back-to-back winner of the award as one of the top kick return-ers in the nation and the American Athletic Conference. • PK Jake Elliott won The American Special Teams Player of the Year award in 2014 and 2015, and P Tom Horn-sey earned the inaugural award in 2013.

Flipping The Field• Spencer Smith received his second consecutive all-league first team nod in 2016 and his overall third all-con-ference recognition after being named second team in 2014.• Smith has played in 51 career games and has punted 167 times for a career 43.4 average. He has the fifth-most punts (167) and fourth-highest average (43.4) in school history. He has had no punts blocked and has 45 punts of 50-plus yards and 46 punts inside the 20.• This season Smith has added to his role, handling a portion of the FG, PAT and kickoffs. Smith is a perfect 3-of-3 on FG, 13-of-13 on PAT and has kicked off 74 times.• In 2016, Smith led the American Athletic Conference with an average of 45.1 yards per punt on 45 punts. His punting average would have ranked seventh in the FBS, but his 3.4 attempts per game were under the FBS minimum (3.6 attempts) to appear among the national leaders.• Smith’s career-long punt is a 72-yarder vs. Cincinnati in 2015. Last season he booted the second-longest punt of his career, a 63 yarder in a road win at Tulane.• Smith’s 54 yards per punt average on two punts vs. Southern Illinois set a Memphis single-game record (for two or more punts). • In 2015, Smith averaged 47.3 yards per punt, which if he met the minimum of 3.6 punts per game, would have ranked fifth nationally in 2015. With 43 punts in 13 games, Smith was just shy of the NCAA minimum (his 43 punts in 13 games was 3.3/game).

designATed shorT-Field punTer• In his career, Nick Jacobs has punted 66 times for a 37.8 average.• A master of the short punt, 50 of Jacobs’ 66 punts have been downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.• In the American Athletic Conference Championship, Jacobs uncorked the longest punt of his career of 55 yards. All six of his punts over 50 yards have come this season.• Last season against Kansas, Jacobs had all three of his punts downed inside the 20-yard line. Jacobs and Spen-cer Smith combined for five punts inside the 20-yard line against Kansas.


MEMPHIS DEPTH CHARTOffense 4 Riley Ferguson 6-4 210 Sr./1L Matthews, N.C./Coffeyville CC 2 David Moore 6-2 195 r-Fr./SQ Alpharetta, Ga./Milton HS -or- 7 Brady Davis 6-4 205 r-So./SQ Columbus, Miss./Starkville HS 1 Tony Pollard 5-11 200 r-So./1L Memphis, Tenn./Melrose HS 6 Patrick Taylor 6-3 223 So./1L Humble, Texas/Atascocita HS 8 Darrell Henderson 5-9 200 So./1L Batesville, Miss./South Panola HS 28 Doroland Dorceus 5-10 215 r-Sr./2L New Orleans, La./Spring (Texas) HS 3 Anthony Miller 5-11 195 r-Sr./2L Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS 9 John ‘Pop’ Williams 5-9 172 So./1L Destrehan, La./Destrehan HS 89 Phil Mayhue 6-3 210 Sr./3L Sicklerville, N.J./Winslow Township HS/Atlanta Sports Academy 10 Damonte Coxie 6-3 175 r-Fr./SQ Reserve, La./East St. John HS 13 Kedarian Jones 6-1 190 r-So./1L Dallas, Texas/Kimball HS 81 Mechane Slade 5-8 165 r-So./1L Roswell, Ga./Roswell HS 86 Joey Magnifico 6-4 235 r-So./1L Cordova, Tenn./St. Benedict at Auburndale HS 5 Sean Dykes 6-2 230 So./1L Houston, Texas/Manvel HS 49 Scottie Dill 6-7 285 r-So./1L Eads, Tenn./Briarcrest Christian HS 72 Trevon Tate 6-4 290 r-Jr./2L Houston, Texas/North Shore HS 77 Obinna Eze 6-8 283 Fr./HS Nashville, Tenn./Davidson Academy 53 Dustin Woodard 6-2 285 So./1L Chandler, Ariz./Chandler HS 75 Tau Ho Ching 6-5 285 r-So./SQ Upland, Calif./Upland HS/Mt. San Antonio JC 54 Drew Kyser 6-5 300 Jr./2L Opelika, Ala./Opelika HS 53 Dustin Woodard 6-2 285 So./1L Chandler, Ariz./Chandler HS 71 Gabe Kuhn 6-4 295 r-Sr./3L Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette HS 50 Lio Lafaele 6-4 290 r-Sr./1L Corona, Calif./Centennial HS/Riverside CC 66 Roger Joseph 6-5 317 Jr./TR Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd Anderson HS/Ellsworth CC 70 Harneet Gill 6-7 290 r-Jr./SQ St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell HS/Butler CC

DEfense 15 Christian Johnson 6-5 270 r-Sr./3L Memphis, Tenn./Southwind HS 94 Joseph Dorceus 6-0 275 r-Fr./SQ Spring, Texas/Spring HS 1 O’Bryan Goodson 6-1 315 Fr./HS Batesville, Miss./South Panola HS -or- 90 John Tate 6-4 290 r-Fr./SQ Pine Bluff, Ark./Pine Bluff HS 38 Jonathan Wilson 6-3 280 So./1L Port Sulphur, La./South Plaquemines HS 97 Emmanuel Cooper 6-1 275 Jr./2L Arkadelphia, Ark./Arkadelphia HS 6 Genard Avery 6-1 255 Sr./3L Grenada, Miss./Grenada HS 55 Bryce Huff 6-3 245 So./1L Mobile, Ala./St. Paul’s Episcopal -or- 52 Jacoby Hill 6-3 235 r-Fr./SQ Atlanta, Ga./Carver HS 35 Tim Hart 6-1 235 r-Fr./SQ Memphis, Tenn./Memphis University School 30 Shareef White 6-1 230 Sr./3L Grenada, Miss./Grenada HS 7 Curtis Akins 6-2 230 r-Jr./2L Byhalia, Miss./Byhalia HS 23 JJ Russell 6-1 210 Fr./HS Grenada, Miss./Grenada HS 25 Austin Hall 6-2 205 r-So./1L Collierville, Tenn./Collierville HS 40 Thomas Pickens 6-2 205 r-Fr./SQ Memphis, Tenn./Memphis University School -or- 16 Nehemiah Augustus 6-0 205 r-Fr./SQ Patterson, La./Patterson HS 2 TJ Carter 5-11 180 Fr./HS Nashville, Tenn./Stratford HS 39 Christian Slaughter 5-10 190 r-Sr./1L Cedar Hill, Texas/Cedar Hill HS/Missouri Valley College 14 Jonathan Cook 6-0 198 Sr./1L Daphne, Ala./Spanish Fort HS/Garden City CC 29 Carlito Gonzalez 6-1 190 Fr./HS Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson HS 4 Josh Perry 6-3 183 r-Fr./SQ Amite, La./Amite HS 22 Tyrez Lindsey 6-2 205 r-Fr./SQ Dothan, Ala./Dothan HS 24 Tito Windham 5-9 180 Jr./TR Gulfport, Miss./Harrison Central HS/NW Mississippi CC 12 La’Andre Thomas 6-1 185 Fr./HS Jackson, Miss./Wingfield HS Special Teams 36 Riley Patterson 6-0 180 Fr./HS Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville HS 17 Spencer Smith 6-1 195 r-Sr./3L Newnan, Ga./East Coweta HS 17 Spencer Smith 6-1 195 r-Sr./3L Newnan, Ga./East Coweta HS 47 Nick Jacobs 6-1 190 Sr./3L Melbourne, Victoria, Australia/Brighton Grammar 43 Connor Choate 6-1 200 Fr./HS Coppell, Texas/Coppell HS 58 Preston Brady 6-0 215 Fr./HS Cordova, Tenn./Evangelical Christian School 1 Tony Pollard 5-11 200 r-So./1L Memphis, Tenn./Melrose HS 8 Darrell Henderson 5-9 175 So./1L Batesville, Miss./South Panola HS 9 John ‘Pop’ Williams 5-9 165 So./1L Destrehan, La./Destrehan HS 3 Anthony Miller 5-11 190 r-Sr./1L Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS 18 Roderick Proctor 5-11 175 Sr./3L Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS 35 Evan Michael 6-1 230 r-Sr./3L Germantown, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS 17 Spencer Smith 6-1 175 r-Sr./3L Newnan, Ga./East Coweta HS

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PARTICIPATIONNo Name, Pos ‘13 ‘14 ‘15 ‘16 ‘17 Total1 Tony Pollard, RB - - - 13/8 12/10 25/181 O’Bryan Goodson, DL - - - - 11/9 11/92 T.J. Carter, DB - - - - 12/12 12/122 David Moore, QB - - - - 5/0 5/03 Anthony Miller, WR - - 12/4 13/13 12/12 37/294 Riley Ferguson, QB - - - 13/13 12/12 25/254 Josh Perry, DB - - - - 12/5 12/55 Sean Dykes, TE - - - 10/1 12/7 22/86 Genard Avery, LB - 13/1 11/7 13/13 12/12 49/336 Patrick Taylor, RB - - - 13/0 11/1 24/17 Curtis Akins, LB - - 8/0 13/8 10/8 31/167 Brady Davis, QB - - - - 1/0 1/08 Darrell Henderson, RB - - - 13/6 12/10 25/169 John Williams, WR - - - 13/0 10/0 23/010 Damonte Coxie, WR - - - - 12/0 12/011 Sam Craft, RB 12/8 8/6 12/6 4/1 - 36/2112 La’Andre Thomas, DB - - - - 11/0 11/013 Kedarian Jones, WR - - - 8/2 12/0 20/214 Jonathan Cook, DB - - - 13/13 12/12 25/2515 Christian Johnson, DL - 6/0 13/11 13/5 12/12 44/2816 Nehemiah Augustus, LB - - - - 12/0 12/017 Spencer Smith, P - 13/0 13/0 13/0 12/0 51/018 Jamil Collins, DB - 1/0 10/0 9/0 10/0 30/018 Tim Gordon, DB - - - - 1/0 1/018 Roderick Proctor, WR - 13/3 10/0 7/0 9/2 40/522 Tyrez Lindsey, DB - - - - 10/4 10/423 JJ Russell, LB - - - - 10/0 10/024 Tito Windham, DB - - - - 11/10 11/1025 Austin Hall, LB - - - 11/11 12/12 23/2325 Jaylen McClanahan, WR - - - 1/0 - 1/028 Doroland Dorceus, DB 9/1 5/0 13/7 13/5 7/0 47/1329 Carlito Gonzalez, DB - - - - 7/0 7/029 Darian Porter, LB - - 11/0 13/0 1/0 25/030 Shareef White, LB - 12/0 13/5 10/5 12/2 47/1231 Anthony Young, DB - 7/0 1/0 2/0 1/0 11/032 Jacobi Francis, DB - - - - 11/0 11/034 Jackson Dillon, LB 12/8 13/12 13/11 1/0 1/1 38/3135 Tim Hart, LB - - - - 12/9 12/935 Evan Michael, P - 13/0 12/0 13/0 12/0 50/036 Riley Patterson, PK - - - - 12/0 12/036 Ladrius Jordan, DB - - - - 1/0 1/037 Caelon Harden, DB - - - - 12/0 12/038 Jonathan Wilson, DL - - - 13/8 12/8 25/1639 Christian Slaughter, DB - - - 13/0 11/1 24/140 Thomas Pickens, DB - - - 2/0 5/0 7/043 Connor Choate, LS - - - - 12/0 12/044 Steven Ennis, TE - - - 1/0 - 1/047 Colton Cochran, DB - - - - 5/0 5/047 Nick Jacobs, P - 10/0 7/0 7/0 11/0 35/049 Scottie Dill, OL - - - 13/0 12/0 25/050 Lio Lafaele, OL - - - 13/2 12/0 25/251 Jace Neville, OL - - 2/0 13/5 12/0 27/552 Jacoby Hill, LB - - - - 10/0 10/052 Peyton Jones, DL - - - 2/0 8/0 10/053 Dustin Woodard, OL - - - 13/11 12/12 25/2354 Drew Kyser, OL - - 13/12 13/13 12/12 38/3755 Bryce Huff, LB - - - 11/0 12/3 23/357 Hayden Ferrari, LB - - - 1/0 1/0 2/059 Brytain Peddy, OL - - - 1/0 12/0 13/059 Chandler Stump, LB - - - - 5/0 5/066 Roger Joseph, OL - - - - 12/11 12/1170 Harneet Gill, OL - - - - 9/1 9/171 Gabe Kuhn, OL - 13/13 12/12 13/13 12/12 50/5072 Trevon Tate, OL - - 13/10 13/12 12/12 38/3475 Tau Ho Ching II, OL - - - - 5/0 5/081 Mechane Slade, WR - - - 5/0 8/0 13/082 Hunter Hill, WR - - - - 1/0 1/086 Joey Magnifico, TE - - - 13/3 12/7 25/1089 Phil Mayhue, WR - 13/1 13/13 12/11 12/12 50/3790 John Tate, DL - - - - 12/1 12/194 Joseph Dorceus - - - - 10/0 10/096 Khalil Johnson, DL - - - 3/0 12/0 15/097 Emmanuel Cooper, DL - - 3/0 9/0 11/4 23/498 Jared Gentry, DL - - 12/0 11/0 1/1 24/1

Pronunciation KeysNehemiah Augustus ........................................NEE uh my uhGenard Avery ........................................................... Jah-nardJahod Booker ........................................................... JUH hodDamonte Coxie ......................................................... Coax-EEDoroland Dorceus .......................DOOR-uh-lund DOR-CEE-usObinna Eze .............................................. Oh-bee-nuh Ee-zeeHarneet Gill ............................................................. Har-neet

Khalil Johnson ..........................................................Kah-LEELGabe Kuhn .....................................................................CoonLio Lafaele ............................................................ LA fay el eeJoey Magnifico ................................................ Mag-nif-uh-coBrytain Peddy ...............................................................Bri tinMechane Slade .................................................. Meh-SHANETamaurice Smith ...................................................Tuh-morrisShareef White ......................................................... Sha-REEF


Memphis Tigers NUMERICAL RosterNo. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl./Exp. Hometown/Last School1 Tony Pollard WR 5-11 200 r-So./1L Memphis, Tenn./Melrose HS1 O’Bryan Goodson DL 6-1 315 Fr./HS Batesville, Miss./South Panola HS2 David Moore QB 6-3 200 r-Fr./SQ Alpharetta, Ga./Milton HS2 TJ Carter DB 5-11 180 Fr./HS Nashville, Tenn./Stratford HS3 Anthony Miller WR 5-11 190 r-Sr./2L Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS4 Riley Ferguson QB 6-4 210 Sr./1L Matthews, N.C./Butler HS/Coffeyville CC4 Josh Perry DB 6-3 192 r-Fr./SQ Amite, La./Amite HS5 Sean Dykes TE 6-2 235 So./1L Houston, Texas/Manvel HS6 Genard Avery LB 6-1 255 Sr./3L Grenada, Miss./Grenada HS6 Patrick Taylor, Jr. RB 6-3 223 So./1L Humble, Texas/Atascocita HS7 Curtis Akins LB 6-2 235 r-Jr./2L Byhalia, Miss./Byhalia HS7 Brady Davis QB 6-4 205 r-So./SQ Columbus, Miss./Starkville HS8 Darrell Henderson RB 5-9 200 So./1L Batesville, Miss./South Panola HS9 John “Pop” Williams WR 5-9 172 So./1L Destrehan, La./Destrehan HS10 Damonte Coxie WR 6-3 190 So./TR Reserve, La./East St. John/LSU11 Sam Craft WR 6-0 210 r-Sr./3L Memphis, Tenn./Olive Branch HS12 La’Andre Thomas DB 6-1 185 Fr./HS Jackson, Miss./Wingfield HS13 Kedarian Jones WR 6-1 190 r-So./1L Dallas, Texas/Kimball HS14 Jonathan Cook DB 6-0 198 Sr./1L Daphne, Ala./Spanish Fort HS/Garden City CC15 Christian Johnson DL 6-5 270 r-Sr./3L Memphis, Tenn./Southwind HS15 Connor Adair QB 6-4 200 Fr./HS Trussville, Ala./Hewitt-Trussville HS16 Nehemiah Augustus OLB 6-0 205 r-Fr./SQ Patterson, La./Patterson HS17 Spencer Smith P/PK 6-1 195 r-Sr./3L Newnan, Ga./East Coweta HS18 Jamil Collins DB 5-11 170 r-Sr./3L Olive Branch, Miss./Olive Branch (Miss.) HS18 Roderick Proctor WR 5-11 175 Sr./3L Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS18 Tim Gordon DB 5-11 164 r-Jr./TR St. Paul, Minn./Cretin Derham Hall/Fullerton College21 Timothy Taylor RB 5-10 215 Fr./HS Memphis, Tenn./East HS22 Tyrez Lindsey DB 6-2 205 r-Fr./SQ Dothan, Ala./Dothan HS23 JJ Russell LB 6-1 210 Fr./HS Grenada, Miss./Grenada HS24 Tito Windham DB 5-9 180 Jr./TR Gulfport, Miss./Harrison Central/NW Mississippi CC25 Austin Hall OLB 6-2 205 r-So./SQ Collierville, Tenn./Collierville HS25 Tre’Veon Hamilton WR 6-3 195 Jr./TR Humble, Texas/Atascocita HS/Blinn College26 Cade Mashburn LB 6-2 210 Fr./HS Norman, Okla./Norman North HS27 Jahod Booker WR 5-11 175 r-Fr./SQ Montgomery, Ala./Park Crossing HS27 Aiden Daily P 6-2 185 Jr./Tr. Aptos, Calif./St. Francis HS/Cabrillo College28 Doroland Dorceus RB 5-10 215 r-Sr./3L New Orleans, La./Spring (Texas) HS29 Carlito Gonzalez DB 6-1 190 Fr./HS Stone Mountain, Ga./Stephenson HS29 Darian Porter LB 6-3 230 r-Sr./2L Louisville, Ky./Seneca HS/Mt. San Jacinto College30 Shareef White LB 6-1 235 Sr./3L Grenada, Miss./Grenada HS31 Anthony Young RB 6-0 200 r-Sr./3L Memphis, Tenn./White Station HS31 Quindon Lewis DB 6-2 170 Fr./HS Moore, Okla./Southmoore HS32 Jacobi Francis DB 5-10 175 r-Fr./SQ Covington, Ga./Newton HS32 Marquavius Weaver RB 5-10 210 Fr./HS Bartlett, Tenn./Bartlett HS33 Tamaurice Smith DB 5-10 180 Fr./HS Mobile, Ala./St. Paul’s Episcopal HS34 Jackson Dillon OLB 6-6 260 r-Sr./3L Ringling, Okla./Ringling HS35 Evan Michael P 6-1 230 r-Sr./3L Germantown, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS35 Tim Hart LB 6-1 235 r-Fr./SQ Memphis, Tenn./Memphis University School36 Ladarius Jordan DB 5-10 175 r-So./SQ Cordova, Tenn./St. Benedict at Auburndale HS36 Riley Patterson PK 6-0 180 Fr./HS Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville HS37 Caelon Harden DB 6-0 182 r-Sr./TR Little Rock, Ark./Parkview/UAPB 37 Brennon Lewis WR 6-3 200 Fr./HS Fort Smith, Ark./Fayetteville HS38 Jonathan Wilson DL 6-3 280 So./1L Port Sulphur, La./South Plaquemines HS39 Christian Slaughter DB 5-10 190 r-Sr./1L Cedar Hill, Texas/Cedar Hill HS 40 Thomas Pickens OLB 6-2 205 r-Fr./SQ Memphis, Tenn./MUS41 Sanchez Blake Jr. DB 6-0 205 Fr./HS Olive Branch, Miss./Olive Branch HS42 Xavier Cullens OLB 6-1 220 Fr./HS Ecru, Miss./North Pontotoc HS43 Jaylen McClanahan WR 6-3 175 r-So./SQ Clarksville, Tenn./West Creek HS 43 Connor Choate LS 6-1 200 Fr./HS Coppell, Texas/Coppell HS44 Steven Enis TE 6-2 240 r-So./SQ Fayette, Ala./Fayette County HS44 Ashton Merrett S 6-2 212 Fr./HS New Orleans, La./Brother Martin HS45 Dylan Parham TE 6-3 256 Fr./HS Carrollton, Ga./Carrollton HS45 Bradley Jones DB 6-2 190 Fr./HS Nashville, Tenn./Stratford HS46 Carson Short TE 6-4 234 Fr./HS Waverly, Tenn./Waverly Central HS46 Alex Gaca DB 6-3 195 Fr./HS Franklin, Tenn./Franklin HS47 Colton Cochran DB 6-0 195 r-Fr./SQ Memphis, Tenn./St. Benedict at Auburndale

47 Nick Jacobs P 6-1 195 Sr./3L Melbourne, Victoria, Australia/ Brighton Grammar School48 Adam Williams P 6-5 210 Fr./HS Lebanon, Tenn./Wilson Central49 Scottie Dill OL 6-7 295 r-So./1L Eads, Tenn./Briarcrest Christian School49 Tyler Garvey LB 6-1 205 Fr./HS Collierville, Tenn./Collierville HS50 Lio Lafaele OL 6-4 305 Sr./1L Corona, Calif./Centennial HS/Riverside CC50 Mannie Lowery LB 6-1 235 r-Sr. Hampton, Ga./Luella High School/ Georgia Military College51 Barrett Brown DL 6-3 220 Fr./HS Franklin, Tenn./Franklin HS51 Jace Neville OL 6-6 290 r-Jr./2L Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge HS52 Jacoby Hill OLB 6-3 235 r-Fr./SQ Atlanta, Ga./Carver HS52 Peyton Jones OL 6-6 275 r-So./SQ Memphis, Tenn./Memphis University School53 Dustin Woodard OL 6-2 285 So./1L Chandler, Ariz./Chandler HS 54 Drew Kyser OL 6-5 300 Jr./2L Opelika, Ala./Opelika HS55 Bryce Huff LB 6-3 245 So./1L Mobile, Ala./St. Paul’s Episcopal55 Mikhail Hill OL 6-4 325 Fr./HS Harvey, La./West Jefferson HS56 Fred Walls LB 6-2 230 r-So./TR Olive Branch, Miss./Olive Branch HS/ East Mississippi CC57 Hayden Ferrari LB 5-11 230 r-So./SQ Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS58 Preston Brady LS 6-0 215 Fr./HS Cordova, Tenn./Evangelical Christian School59 Brytain Peddy OL 6-5 310 r-So./SQ Munford, Tenn./Munford HS59 Chandler Stump LB 6-3 225 r-Fr./HS Franklin, Tenn./Centennial HS60 Tim Belles LS 6-5 255 r-So./SQ Germantown, Tenn./Houston HS61 Zane Sutherland LB 6-2 230 r-So./SQ Seymour, Tenn./The King’s Academy63 Ryan Young OL 6-3 280 r-Fr./SQ Memphis, Tenn./St. George’s64 Daly Cull OL 6-1 285 Fr./HS Hendersonville, Tenn./Hendersonville HS65 Josiah Perry OL 6-2 300 Fr./HS Chandler, Ariz./Chandler HS 66 Roger Joseph OL 6-5 309 Jr./TR Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd Anderson HS/Ellsworth CC67 Davian Jones OL 6-3 285 Fr./HS Jackson, Tenn./Jackson North HS70 Harneet Gill OL 6-7 290 r-Jr./SQ St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell HS/Butler CC71 Gabe Kuhn OL 6-4 295 r-Sr./3L Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette HS72 Trevon Tate OL 6-4 290 r-Jr./2L Houston, Texas/North Shore HS74 Michael Joseph OL 6-5 366 Fr./HS Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchard HS75 Tauvaga “Tau” Ho Ching II OL 6-5 285 r-So./SQ Upland, Calif./Upland HS/Mt. San Antonio JC76 John Hassell TE 6-3 230 Fr./HS Collierville, Tenn./Collierville HS77 Obinna Eze OL 6-8 305 Fr./HS Nashville, Tenn./Davidson Academy80 Coye Fairman WR 6-3 190 Fr./HS Humble, Texas/Atascocita HS81 Mechane Slade WR 5-8 165 r-So./1L Roswell, Ga./Roswell HS82 Hunter Hill WR 5-11 184 r-Fr./SQ Memphis, Tenn./Briarcrest HS83 Nick Robinson TE 6-4 225 Fr./HS Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City West HS84 Calvin Austin III WR 5-9 148 Fr./HS Memphis, Tenn./Harding Academy 86 Joey Magnifico TE 6-4 235 r-So./1L Cordova, Tenn./St. Benedict at Auburndale HS88 Tyce Daniel TE 6-4 238 Fr./HS Paducah, Ky./McCracken County HS89 Phil Mayhue WR 6-3 210 Sr./3L Sicklerville, N.J./Winslow Township HS/ Atlanta Sports Academy90 John Tate IV DL 6-4 290 r-Fr./SQ Pine Bluff, Ark./Pine Bluff HS93 Desmond Hawkins DL 6-5 295 Jr./TR Memphis, Tenn./Craigmont HS/Hinds CC94 Joseph Dorceus DL 6-0 275 r-Fr./SQ Spring, Texas/Spring HS96 Khalil Johnson DL 6-5 285 r-So./SQ Dallas, Texas/Kimball HS97 Emmanuel Cooper DL 6-1 285 Jr./2L Arkadelphia, Ark./Arkadelphia HS98 Jared Gentry DL 6-2 305 Jr./2L Opelika, Ala./Opelika HS99 Braylon Brown DL 6-5 225 Fr./HS Cordova, Tenn./Cordova HS


Memphis Tigers AlphabetiCAL RosterNo. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl./Exp. Hometown/Last School15 Connor Adair QB 6-4 200 Fr./HS Trussville, Ala./Hewitt-Trussville HS7 Curtis Akins LB 6-2 235 r-Jr./2L Byhalia, Miss./Byhalia HS16 Nehemiah Augustus OLB 6-0 205 r-Fr./SQ Patterson, La./Patterson HS84 Calvin Austin III WR 5-9 148 Fr./HS Memphis, Tenn./Harding Academy 6 Genard Avery LB 6-1 255 Sr./3L Grenada, Miss./Grenada HS60 Tim Belles LS 6-5 255 r-So./SQ Germantown, Tenn./Houston HS41 Sanchez Blake Jr. DB 6-0 205 Fr./HS Olive Branch, Miss./Olive Branch HS27 Jahod Booker WR 5-11 175 r-Fr./SQ Montgomery, Ala./Park Crossing HS58 Preston Brady LS 6-0 215 Fr./HS Cordova, Tenn./Evangelical Christian School51 Barrett Brown DL 6-3 220 Fr./HS Franklin, Tenn./Franklin HS99 Braylon Brown DL 6-5 225 Fr./HS Cordova, Tenn./Cordova HS2 TJ Carter DB 5-11 180 Fr./HS Nashville, Tenn./Stratford HS43 Connor Choate LS 6-1 200 Fr./HS Coppell, Texas/Coppell HS47 Colton Cochran DB 6-0 195 r-Fr./SQ Memphis, Tenn./St. Benedict at Auburndale18 Jamil Collins DB 5-11 170 r-Sr./3L Olive Branch, Miss./Olive Branch (Miss.) HS14 Jonathan Cook DB 6-0 198 Sr./1L Daphne, Ala./Spanish Fort HS/Garden City CC97 Emmanuel Cooper DL 6-1 285 Jr./2L Arkadelphia, Ark./Arkadelphia HS10 Damonte Coxie WR 6-3 190 So./TR Reserve, La./East St. John/LSU11 Sam Craft WR 6-0 210 r-Sr./3L Memphis, Tenn./Olive Branch HS64 Daly Cull OL 6-1 285 Fr./HS Hendersonville, Tenn./Hendersonville HS42 Xavier Cullens OLB 6-1 220 Fr./HS Ecru, Miss./North Pontotoc HS27 Aiden Daily P 6-2 185 Jr./Tr. Aptos, Calif./St. Francis HS/Cabrillo College88 Tyce Daniel TE 6-4 238 Fr./HS Paducah, Ky./McCracken County HS7 Brady Davis QB 6-4 205 r-So./SQ Columbus, Miss./Starkville HS49 Scottie Dill OL 6-7 295 r-So./1L Eads, Tenn./Briarcrest Christian School34 Jackson Dillon OLB 6-6 260 r-Sr./3L Ringling, Okla./Ringling HS28 Doroland Dorceus RB 5-10 215 r-Sr./3L New Orleans, La./Spring (Texas) HS94 Joseph Dorceus DL 6-0 275 r-Fr./SQ Spring, Texas/Spring HS5 Sean Dykes TE 6-2 235 So./1L Houston, Texas/Manvel HS44 Steven Enis TE 6-2 240 r-So./SQ Fayette, Ala./Fayette County HS77 Obinna Eze OL 6-8 305 Fr./HS Nashville, Tenn./Davidson Academy80 Coye Fairman WR 6-3 190 Fr./HS Humble, Texas/Atascocita HS4 Riley Ferguson QB 6-4 210 Sr./1L Matthews, N.C./Butler HS/Coffeyville CC57 Hayden Ferrari LB 5-11 230 r-So./SQ Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS32 Jacobi Francis DB 5-10 175 r-Fr./SQ Covington, Ga./Newton HS46 Alex Gaca DB 6-3 195 Fr./HS Franklin, Tenn./Franklin HS49 Tyler Garvey LB 6-1 205 Fr./HS Collierville, Tenn./Collierville HS98 Jared Gentry DL 6-2 305 Jr./2L Opelika, Ala./Opelika HS70 Harneet Gill OL 6-7 290 r-Jr./SQ St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell HS/Butler CC29 Carlito Gonzalez DB 6-1 190 Fr./HS Stone Mountain, Ga./Gephenson HS1 O’Bryan Goodson DL 6-1 315 Fr./HS Batesville, Miss./South Panola HS18 Tim Gordon DB 5-11 164 r-Jr./TR St. Paul, Minn./Cretin Derham Hall/Fullerton College25 Austin Hall OLB 6-2 205 r-So./SQ Collierville, Tenn./Collierville HS25 Tre’Veon Hamilton WR 6-3 195 Jr./TR Humble, Texas/Atascocita HS/Blinn College37 Caelon Harden DB 6-0 182 r-Sr./TR Little Rock, Ark./Parkview/UAPB 35 Tim Hart LB 6-1 235 r-Fr./SQ Memphis, Tenn./Memphis University School76 John Hassell TE 6-3 230 Fr./HS Collierville, Tenn./Collierville HS93 Desmond Hawkins DL 6-5 295 Jr./TR Memphis, Tenn./Craigmont HS/Hinds CC8 Darrell Henderson RB 5-9 200 So./1L Batesville, Miss./South Panola HS82 Hunter Hill WR 5-11 184 r-Fr./SQ Memphis, Tenn./Briarcrest HS52 Jacoby Hill OLB 6-3 235 r-Fr./SQ Atlanta, Ga./Carver HS55 Mikhail Hill OL 6-4 325 Fr./HS Harvey, La./West Jefferson HS75 Tauvaga “Tau” Ho Ching II OL 6-5 285 r-So./SQ Upland, Calif./Upland HS/Mt. San Antonio JC55 Bryce Huff LB 6-3 245 So./1L Mobile, Ala./St. Paul’s Episcopal47 Nick Jacobs P 6-1 195 Sr./3L Melbourne, Victoria, Australia/ Brighton Grammar School15 Christian Johnson DL 6-5 270 r-Sr./3L Memphis, Tenn./Southwind HS96 Khalil Johnson DL 6-5 285 r-So./SQ Dallas, Texas/Kimball HS45 Bradley Jones DB 6-2 190 Fr./HS Nashville, Tenn./Stratford HS67 Davian Jones OL 6-3 285 Fr./HS Jackson, Tenn./Jackson North HS13 Kedarian Jones WR 6-1 190 r-So./1L Dallas, Texas/Kimball HS52 Peyton Jones OL 6-6 275 r-So./SQ Memphis, Tenn./Memphis University School36 Ladarius Jordan DB 5-10 175 r-So./SQ Cordova, Tenn./St. Benedict at Auburndale HS74 Michael Joseph OL 6-5 366 Fr./HS Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchard HS66 Roger Joseph OL 6-5 309 Jr./TR Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Boyd Anderson HS/Ellsworth CC

71 Gabe Kuhn OL 6-4 295 r-Sr./3L Wildwood, Mo./Lafayette HS54 Drew Kyser OL 6-5 300 Jr./2L Opelika, Ala./Opelika HS50 Lio Lafaele OL 6-4 305 Sr./1L Corona, Calif./Centennial HS/Riverside CC37 Brennon Lewis WR 6-3 195 Fr./HS Fort Smith, Ark./Fayetteville HS31 Quindon Lewis DB 6-2 170 Fr./HS Moore, Okla./Southmoore HS22 Tyrez Lindsey DB 6-2 205 r-Fr./SQ Dothan, Ala./Dothan HS50 Mannie Lowery LB 6-1 235 r-Sr. Hampton, Ga./Luella High School/ Georgia Military College86 Joey Magnifico TE 6-4 235 r-So./1L Cordova, Tenn./St. Benedict at Auburndale HS26 Cade Mashburn LB 6-2 210 Fr./HS Norman, Okla./Norman North HS89 Phil Mayhue WR 6-3 210 Sr./3L Sicklerville, N.J./Winslow Township HS/ Atlanta Sports Acad.43 Jaylen McClanahan WR 6-3 175 r-So./SQ Clarksville, Tenn./West Creek HS 44 Ashton Merrett DB 6-2 212 Fr./HS New Orleans, La./Brother Martin HS35 Evan Michael P 6-1 230 r-Sr./3L Germantown, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS3 Anthony Miller WR 5-11 190 r-Sr./2L Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS2 David Moore QB 6-3 200 r-Fr./SQ Alpharetta, Ga./Milton HS51 Jace Neville OL 6-6 290 r-Jr./2L Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge HS45 Dylan Parham TE 6-3 256 Fr./HS Carrollton, Ga./Carrollton HS36 Riley Patterson PK 5-11 180 Fr./HS Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville HS59 Brytain Peddy OL 6-5 310 r-So./SQ Munford, Tenn./Munford HS4 Josh Perry DB 6-3 192 r-Fr./SQ Amite, La./Amite HS65 Josiah Perry OL 6-2 300 Fr./HS Chandler, Ariz./Chandler HS 40 Thomas Pickens OLB 6-2 205 r-Fr./SQ Memphis, Tenn./MUS1 Tony Pollard WR 5-11 200 r-So./1L Memphis, Tenn./Melrose HS29 Darian Porter LB 6-3 230 r-Sr./2L Louisville, Ky./Seneca HS/Mt. San Jacinto College18 Roderick Proctor WR 5-11 175 Sr./3L Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips HS83 Nick Robinson TE 6-4 225 Fr./HS Oklahoma City, Okla./Putnam City West HS23 JJ Russell LB 6-1 210 Fr./HS Grenada, Miss./Grenada HS46 Carson Short TE 6-4 234 Fr./HS Waverly, Tenn./Waverly Central HS81 Mechane Slade WR 5-8 165 r-So./1L Roswell, Ga./Roswell HS39 Christian Slaughter DB 5-10 190 r-Sr./1L Cedar Hill, Texas/Cedar Hill HS 17 Spencer Smith P/PK 6-1 195 r-Sr./3L Newnan, Ga./East Coweta HS33 Tamaurice Smith DB 5-10 180 Fr./HS Mobile, Ala./St. Paul’s Episcopal HS59 Chandler Stump LB 6-3 225 r-Fr./HS Franklin, Tenn./Centennial HS61 Zane Sutherland LB 6-2 230 r-So./SQ Seymour, Tenn./The King’s Academy90 John Tate IV DL 6-4 290 r-Fr./SQ Pine Bluff, Ark./Pine Bluff HS72 Trevon Tate OL 6-4 290 r-Jr./2L Houston, Texas/North Shore HS6 Patrick Taylor, Jr. RB 6-3 223 So./1L Humble, Texas/Atascocita HS21 Timothy Taylor RB 5-10 215 Fr./HS Memphis, Tenn./East HS12 La’Andre Thomas DB 6-1 185 Fr./HS Jackson, Miss./Wingfield HS56 Fred Walls LB 6-2 230 r-So./TR Olive Branch, Miss./Olive Branch HS/ East Mississippi CC32 Marquavius Weaver RB 5-10 210 Fr./HS Bartlett, Tenn./Bartlett HS30 Shareef White LB 6-1 235 Sr./3L Grenada, Miss./Grenada HS48 Adam Williams P 6-5 210 Fr./HS Lebanon, Tenn./Wilson Central9 John “Pop” Williams WR 5-9 172 So./1L Destrehan, La./Destrehan HS38 Jonathan Wilson DL 6-3 280 So./1L Port Sulphur, La./South Plaquemines HS24 Tito Windham DB 5-9 180 Jr./TR Gulfport, Miss./Harrison Central/NW Mississippi CC53 Dustin Woodard OL 6-2 285 So./1L Chandler, Ariz./Chandler HS 31 Anthony Young RB 6-0 200 r-Sr./3L Memphis, Tenn./White Station HS63 Ryan Young OL 6-3 280 r-Fr./SQ Memphis, Tenn./St. George’s


L i n e b a c k e r

c u r t i s a k i n s

#7

r-Junior • 2L6-2 • 230

byhaLia, Miss.byhaLia hs

MaJor: interdiscipLinary studies

g American Weekly Honor Roll (9/4/17)

akins’ career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT2015 8/0 10 4 14 1 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-02016 13/8 48 26 74 0 0-0 0 2-3 0-0 1-202017 10/8 56 23 79 2 1-0 2 4-12 0.5-2 0-0Total 31/16 114 53 167 3 1-0 2 6-15 0.5-2 1-20

akins’ career highs

Tackles 16 at Navy, Oct 22, 2016Pass Break-Ups 1, 2 times, last at Cincinnati, Nov 18, 2016Tackles for Loss 1 (3x) last vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017Interceptions 1 at Cincinnati, Nov 18, 2016Fumble Recoveries 1 vs Navy, Oct 14, 2017Sack 0.5 at Tulsa, Nov 3, 2017

akins’ gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PB INT9/5/15 Missouri St. 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/12/15 at Kansas 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/2/15 at USF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/24/15 at Tulsa 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/31/15 Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/21/15 at Temple 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/28/15 SMU 4 2 6 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-012/30/15 Auburn 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/3/16 SEMO 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/24/16 Bowling Green 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/1/16 Ole Miss 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/6/16 Temple 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/14/16* at Tulane 4 4 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/22/16* at Navy 7 9 16 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/29/16* Tulsa 8 2 10 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/5/16* at SMU 4 2 6 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/12/16* USF 11 0 11 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/18/16* at Cincinnati 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1-2011/25/16* Houston 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-012/20/16* WKU 3 6 9 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-08/31/17* ULM 9 0 9 1-3 0-0 2-0 0 2 0-09/16/17* UCLA 6 1 7 .5-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/23/17* SIU 6 1 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/30/17 at UCF Did Not Play - inj.10/6/17 at UConn Did Not Play - Inj.10/14/17 Navy 6 5 11 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0-010/19/17 at Houston 6 1 7 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/27/17* Tulane 4 1 5 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/3/17* at Tulsa 2 4 6 .5-2 .5-2 0 0 0 0-011/18/17* SMU 5 3 8 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/25/17* ECU 4 3 7 .5-2 0-0 0 0 0 0-012/2/17* at UCF $ 8 4 12 .5-2 0-0 0 0 0 0-0

L i n e b a c k e r

n e h e M i a h a u g u s t u s

#16

r-freshMan • rs6-0 • 205

patterson, La.patterson hs

MaJor: undecLared

augustus’ career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT2017 12/0 12 7 19 1 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0

augustus’ career highs

Tackles 3 (3x) last at UCFPass Break-Ups 1 vs SIU, Sep 23, 2017Tackles for Loss -Interceptions -

augustus’ gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT8/31/17 ULM 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-09/16/17 UCLA 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-09/23/17 SIU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0-09/30/17 at UCF 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-010/6/17 at UConn 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-010/14/17 Navy 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-010/19/17 Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-010/27/17 Tulane 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-011/3/17 at Tulsa 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-011/18/17 SMU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-011/25/17 ECU 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0

augustus’ gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT12/2/17* at UCF & 0 3 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0

L i n e b a c k e r

g e n a r d a v e r y

#6

senior • 3L6-1 • 255

grenada, Miss.grenada hs

MaJor: organizationaL Leadership

g Needs 3.0 more sacks heading into bowl game to tie Memphis career record (Martin Ifedi, 2010-14) and six more tackles for loss to tie that

record, held by Tim Harris (1982-85)

g First team All-American Athletic Conference (2016, 2017)

g Nagurski Trophy Watch List (2017)

g Butkus Award Watch List (2017)

g AAC Defensive Player of the Week (10/30/17)

a TSWA Defensive Player of the Week (10/12/16)

a American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll (10/10/16)

avery’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PBU FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2014 13/1 13 5 18 1 0-0 0 6-25 5-21 0-0 02015 11/7 42 11 53 0 0-0 0 6.5-28 3-20 0-0 22016 13/13 63 18 81 2 0-0 2 11-59 5-31 2-51 62017 12/12 49 26 75 2 1-0 2 19.5-76 6.5-47 0-0 6Total 48/33 167 60 227 5 1-0 4 43-188 19.5-119 2-51 14

avery’s career highs

Tackles 10 (2x) last at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Tackles for Loss 5.5 vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017Sacks 3.5 vs Tulane, Oct. 27, 2017Forced Fumble 1 (4x) last vs SMU, Nov 18, 2017Fumble Recovery 1 at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Pass Break-Ups 2 vs SMU, Nov 8, 2017Quarterback Hurries 3 at SMU, Nov 5, 2016Interceptions 1 (2x) last vs Temple, Oct 6, 2016Touchdowns 1 (2x) last vs Temple, Oct 6, 2016Interception Ret. Yds 28 vs Bowling Green, Sep 24, 2016

avery’s gaMe-by-gaMe defense

Date Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FR FF PB INT QBH8/30/14 Austin

Peay0 2 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0

9/6/14 at UCLA 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/20/14 MTSU 1 1 2 1-8 1-8 0 0 0 0-0 09/27/14* Ole Miss 1 2 3 1-3 1-3 0 0 0 0-0 010/4/14 Cincinnati 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/11/14 Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/25/14 SMU 2 1 3 1-1 1-1 0 0 1 0-0 010/31/14 Tulsa 2 0 2 1-2 1-2 0 0 0 0-0 011/7/14 Temple 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/15/14 Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/22/14 USF 2 0 2 1-7 1-7 0 0 0 0-0 011/29/14 UConn 3 0 3 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 012/22/14 vs BYU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/5/15 Missouri St 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 19/12/15 at Kansas 5 1 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/19/15 at BGSU 1 0 1 1-7 1-7 0 0 0 0-0 09/24/15* Cincinnati 7 1 8 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/2/15* at USF 4 1 5 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/17/15* Ole Miss 6 1 7 1.5-6 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/23/15* at Tulsa 9 0 9 3-14 2-13 0 0 0 0-0 110/31/15* Tulane 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/7/15* Navy 4 4 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/14/15* at Houston 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0

11/21/15 at Temple 1 2 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/3/16* SEMO 7 0 7 2-6 0-0 0 0 1 0-0 09/17/16* Kansas 3 1 4 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 0-0 19/24/16* BGSU 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1-28 010/1/16* Ole Miss 6 3 9 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 110/6/16* Temple 8 1 9 1-4 1-4 0 0 0 1-23 110/14/16* Tulane 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/22/16* at Navy 4 4 8 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/29/16* Tulsa 6 0 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/5/16* at SMU 5 1 6 2-9 2-9 0 1 0 0-0 311/12/16* USF 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/18/16* at Cincinnati 5 2 7 2-18 2-18 0 0 0 0-0 011/25/16* Houston 5 2 7 1-6 0-0 0 0 1 0-0 012/20/16* vs WKU 5 2 7 1-5 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 08/31/17* ULM 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 19/16/17* UCLA 2 5 7 1.5-2 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/23/17* SIU 2 1 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 19/30/17* at UCF 3 3 6 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/6/17* at UConn 4 3 7 1-7 0-0 0 1 0 0-0 010/14/17* Navy 7 3 10 1.5-6 0.5-4 0 0 0 0-0 010/19/17* at Houston 5 5 10 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 2

avery’s gaMe-by-gaMe defense

Date Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FR FF PB INT QBH10/27/17* Tulane 7 1 8 5.5-38 3.5-27 0 0 0 0-0 111/3/17* at Tulsa 3 2 5 1.5-3 0.5-1 0 0 0 0-0 011/18/17* SMU 4 0 4 3-5 0-0 0 1 2 0-0 011/25/17* ECU 3 1 4 1.5-9 1-8 0 0 0 0-0 012/2/17* at UCF $ 7 1 8 1-2 0-0 1 0 0 0-0 1

d e f e n s i v e b a c k

t e r r e L L “ tJ ” c a r t e r

#2

freshMan • hs5-11 • 180

nashviLLe, tenn.stratford hs

MaJor: sport & Leisure ManageMent

g USA Today Freshman All-America Team (2017)

g ESPN Freshman All-America Team (2017)

g American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year (2017)

g Second Team All-AAC (2017)

g Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week (10/24/17)

g AAC Defensive POW (10/23/17)

g CollegeSportsMadness.com AAC Defensive POW (10/22/17)

g Memphis Freshman Record for Interceptions in a Season (2017)

carter’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2017 12/12 49 12 61 9 2-0 1 1-1 0-0 5-74 1

carter’s career highs

Tackles 14 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Pass Breakup 3 at Tulsa, Nov 3, 2017Interception 1 (5x) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017INT Return Yards 42 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017Fumble Recovery 1 (2x) last vs Navy, Oct. 14, 2017Forced Fumble 1 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017TFL 1 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Quarterback Hurries 1 vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017

carter’s gaMe-by-gaMe defense

Date Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR INT QBH PBU8/31/17* ULM 4 0 4 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 09/16/17* UCLA 6 0 7 0-0 0-0 0 1-0 1-42 0 19/23/17* SIU 4 3 7 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 09/30/17* at UCF 4 3 7 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1-0 0 010/6/17* at UConn 2 2 4 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1-0 0 010/14/17* Navy 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 1-0 0-0 0 010/19/17* at Houston 11 3 14 1-1 0-0 1 0-0 1-7 0 110/27/17* Tulane 6 0 6 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 011/3/17* at Tulsa 4 0 4 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 311/18/17* SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 211/25/17* ECU 4 0 4 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 112/2/17* at UCF $ 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 1-25 0 0

L o n g s n a p p e r

c o n n o r c h o a t e

#43


coppeLL, texas

coppeLL hsMaJor: econoMics

choate’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT2017 11/0 - - - - - - - - -

choate’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT8/31/17 ULM - - - - - - - -9/16/17 UCLA - - - - - - - -9/23/17 SIU - - - - - - - -9/30/17 at UCF - - - - - - - -10/6/17 at UConn - - - - - - - -10/14/17 Navy - - - - - - - -10/19/17 at Houston - - - - - - - -10/27/17 Tulane - - - - - - - -11/3/17 at Tulsa - - - - - - - -11/18/17 SMU - - - - - - - -11/25/17 ECU - - - - - - - -12/2/17 at UCF $ - - - - - - - -



c o L t o n c o c h r a n

#47

r-freshMan • sQ6-0 • 195

MeMphis, tenn./st. benedict at auburndaLe

MaJor: econoMics

cochran’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT2017 5/0 1 0 1 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0

cochran’s career highs

Tackles 1 vs SMU, Nov 18, 2017

cochran’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT10/6/17 at UConn - - - - - - - -10/14/17 NAVY - - - - - - - -11/3/17 at Tulsa - - - - - - - -11/18/17 SMU - - - - - - - -11/25/17 ECU - - - - - - - -


J a M i L c o L L i n s

#18

r-senior • 3L5-11 • 170

oLive branch, Miss.oLive branch hs

MaJor: Marketing ManageMent

g Graduated Dec. 17, 2017 with a degree in Marketing Management

coLLins’ career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT2014 1/0 0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-02015 10/0 6 1 7 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-02016 9/0 3 1 4 2 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-02017 10/0 5 1 6 1 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0Total 30/0 11 2 13 3 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0

coLLins’ career highs

Tackles 4 (2x) last vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Pass Breakup 1 (3x) last vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017

coLLins’ gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT9/5/15 Missouri St. 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/12/15 at Kansas Did Not Play9/19/15 at BGSU Did Not Play9/24/15 Cincinnati 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/2/15 at USF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/17/15 Ole Miss Did Not Play10/23/15 at Tulsa 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/31/15 Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/7/15 Navy 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/14/15 at Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/21/15 at Temple 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/28/15 SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-012/30/15 Auburn 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/24/16 Bowling Green 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/1/16 Ole Miss 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-010/6/16 Temple 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/14/16 Tulane Did Not Play10/22/16 Navy Did Not Play10/29/16 Tulsa 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/5/16 at SMU 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-011/12/16 USF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/25/16 Houston 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-08/31/17 ULM 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/16/17 UCLA 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-09/23/17 SIU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/30/17 at UCF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/6/17 at UConn 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/14/17 Navy 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/19/17 at Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/27/17 Tulane Did Not Play - Inj.11/3/17 at Tulsa Did Not Play - Inj.11/18/17 SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/25/17 ECU 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-012/2/17 at UCF $ 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0


J o n a t h a n c o o k

#14

senior • 1L6-0 • 198

spanish fort hsgarden city cc


g Graduated on December 17, 2017 with a degree in Interdisciplinary

Studies

cook’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PBU FR FF TFL SK INT2016 13/13 72 16 88 8 1-50 0 5.5-14 0-0 1-02017 12/12 56 13 69 12 1-0 1 5-17 0-0 2-32Total 25/25 128 29 157 20 2-50 1 10.5-31 0-0 3-32

cook’s career highs

Tackles 11 vs Houston, Nov 25, 2016Passes Defended 4 vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017Tackles for Loss 1 (10) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Fumble Recoveries 1 (2x) last at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Forced Fumbles 1 at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Fumble Return Yards 50 vs Kansas, Sep 17, 2016Interceptions 1 (3x) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Interception Return TD 1 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017

cook’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PBU INT9/3/16* SEMO 7 1 8 1-4 0 0 0 1 0-09/17/16* Kansas 8 0 8 1-3 0 1 1 0 0-09/24/16* BGSU 2 0 2 0-0 0 0 0 0 0-010/1/16* at Miss 5 4 9 0-0 0 0 0 2 0-010/6/16* Temple 5 0 5 0-0 0 0 0 1 0-010/14/16* at Tulane 1 2 3 0-0 0 0 0 0 1-010/22/16* at Navy 6 2 8 1-2 0 0 0 1 0-010/29/16* Tulsa 8 1 9 0-0 0 0 0 0 0-011/5/16* at SMU 4 0 4 0-0 0 0 0 1 0-011/12/16* USF 10 0 10 1-2 0 0 0 1 0-011/18/16* at Cincinnati 2 2 4 0.5-2 0 0 0 0 0-011/25/16* Houston 10 1 11 1-1 0 0 0 1 0-012/20/16* vs WKU 4 3 7 0-0 0 0 0 0 0-08/31/17* ULM 4 1 5 0-0 0 0-0 0 1 0-09/16/17* UCLA 6 3 9 1-7 0 0-0 0 1 0-09/23/17* SIU 6 1 7 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0-09/30/17* at UCF 6 2 8 1-6 0 0-0 0 1 0-010/6/17* at UConn 1 1 2 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0-010/14/17* Navy 6 1 7 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 0-010/19/17* at Houston 8 2 10 1-1 0 0 1 0 0-010/27/17* Tulane 2 0 2 0-0 0 0 0 4 0-011/3/17* at Tulsa 2 0 2 0-0 0 0 0 1 0-011/18/17* SMU 5 1 6 0-0 0 0 0 0 0-011/25/17* ECU 4 1 5 1-1 0 0 0 2 1-3212/2/17 at UCF $ 6 0 6 1-2 0 1 0 1 1-0

d e f e n s i v e L i n e

e M M a n u e L c o o p e r

#97

Junior • 2L6-1 • 245

arkadeLphia, ark.arkadeLphia hs

MaJor: heaLth studies

cooper’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2015 3/0 1 0 1 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 02016 9/0 7 1 8 0 0-0 0 3-6 1-4 0-0 12017 11/4 13 10 23 0 1-0 1 5-7 0-0 0-0 1Total 23/4 21 11 32 0 1-0 1 8-13 1-4 0-0 2

cooper’s career highs

Tackles 5 vs. Western Kentucky, Dec 20, 2016Sacks 1 vs Western Kentucky, Dec 20, 2016Tackles for Loss 3 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017Forced Fumbles 1 vs Sep 16, 2017Fumble Recoveries 1 vs Sep 16, 2017QB Hurries 1 (2x) last vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017

cooper’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT QBH9/5/15 Missouri St. 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/12/15 at Kansas 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/19/15 at BGSU Did Not Play9/24/15 Cincinnati Did Not Play10/2/15 at USF Did Not Play10/17/15 Ole Miss Did Not Play10/23/15 at Tulsa Did Not Play

cooper’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT QBH10/31/15 Tulane Did Not Play11/7/15 Navy Did Not Play11/14/15 at Houston Did Not Play11/21/15 at Temple Did Not Play11/28/15 SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 012/30/15 vs Auburn Did Not Play9/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/24/16 Bowling Green 1 0 1 1-1 0 0 0 0-0 010/1/16 at Ole Miss 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/6/16 Temple Did Not Play10/14/16 at Tulane Did Not Play10/22/16 at Navy Did Not Play10/29/16 Tulsa Did Not Play11/5/16 at SMU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/12/16 USF Did Not Play11/18/16 at Cincinnati 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/25/16 Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 012/20/16 vs WKU 5 0 5 2-5 1-4 0 0 0-0 18/31/17* ULM 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/16/17* UCLA 2 2 4 3-5 0-0 1 0 0-0 09/23/17* SIU 2 2 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/30/17 at UCF 1 1 2 1-1 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/6/17 at UConn 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/14/17* Navy 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/19/17 at Houston 0 2 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/28/17 Tulane 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/18/17 SMU Did Not Play - Inj.11/25/17 ECU 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 112/2/17 at UCF $ 1 1 2 1-1 0-0 0 0 0-0 0

W i d e r e c e i v e r

d a M o n t e c o x i e

#10


reserve, La./east st. John/Lsu

MaJor: coMMunications

coxie’s career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2017 12/0 19 292 24.3 3 61 15.8 24.3

coxie’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

8/31/17 ULM - - - - -9/16/17 UCLA - - - - -9/23/17 SIU 2 24 12.0 0 149/30/17 at UCF 4 51 12.8 1 2510/6/17 at UConn 1 8 8.0 0 810/14/17 Navy 1 10 10.0 0 1010/19/17 at Houston 1 20 20.0 0 2010/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 2 21 10.5 1 1211/18/17 SMU 5 62 12.4 0 1711/25/17 ECU 2 78 39.0 1 6112/2/17 at UCF $ 1 18 18.0 0 18

Q u a r t e r b a c k

b r a d y d a v i s

#7

r-sophoMore• rs6-4 • 205

coLuMbus, Miss.starkviLLe hs

MaJor: sport and Leisure ManageMent

davis’ career passing statisticsYR G/S CMP ATT INT YDS TD LG PCT AVG/P AVG/G2017 1/0 - - - - - - - - -

davis’ career rushing statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG AVG/G2017 1/0 1 1 1.0 0 1 1.0

davis’ career highs

Pass Completions -Pass Attempts -Passing Yards -Passing Touchdowns -


davis’ career highs

Long Passing Play -Rush Attempts 1 vs ECU, Nov 25 2017Rush Yards 1 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Long Rush 1 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017

davis’ gaMe-by-gaMe passingDate Opponent Att Comp YDs INT TD LG Sack11/25/17 ECU 0 0 - - - - -

davis’ gaMe-by-gaMe rushingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG11/25/17 ECU 1 1 1.0 0 1

t i g h t e n d

s c o t t i e d i L L

#49

r-sophoMore • 1L6-7 • 285

MeMphis, tenn.briarcrest christian schooL

MaJor: ManageMent

diLL’s career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2017 12/0 - - - - - - -

diLL’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

8/31/17 ULM - - - - -9/16/17 UCLA - - - - -9/23/17 SIU - - - - -9/30/17 at UCF - - - - -10/6/17 at UConn - - - - -10/14/17 Navy - - - - -10/19/17 at Houston - - - - -10/27/17 Tulane - - - - -11/3/17 at Tulsa - - - - -11/18/17 SMU - - - - -11/25/17 ECU - - - - -12/2/17 at UCF $ - - - - -

diLL’s career offensive Line statistics

YR GAMES/STARTS PLAYS/TOTAL TEAM PLAYS2016 13/0 44/9642017 12/0 29/882Total 24/0 73/1846

diLL’s career highs

Offensive Plays 26 vs Bowling Green, Sep 24, 2016

diLL’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays9/3/16 SEMO Special Teams9/17/16 Kansas Special Teams & Left Tackle - 14/729/24/16 Bowling Green Special Teams - 26/7710/1/16 at Ole Miss Special Teams10/6/16 Temple Special Teams10/14/16 at Tulane Special Teams10/22/16 at Navy Special Teams10/29/16 Tulsa Special Teams11/5/16 at SMU Special Teams & - Right Tackle 4/7211/12/16 USF Special Teams11/18/16 at Cincinnati Special Teams11/25/16 Houston Special Teams12/20/16 vs WKU Special Teams10/6/17 at UConn Left Tackle - 14/10011/3/17 at Tulsa Left Tackle - 5/7711/18/17 SMU Special Teams, Left Tackle - 5/7411/25/17 ECU Left Tackle - 10/4912/2/17 at UCF $ Special Teams

L i n e b a c k e r

J a c k s o n d i L L o n

#34

graduated: May 2017 r-senior • 3L

6-6 • 260ringLing, okLa.

ringLing hsMaJor: sports adMinistration

diLLon’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT2013 12/8 20 9 29 2 0-0 0 5.5-13 1-7 0-02014 13/12 33 10 43 1 0-0 2 9.0-50 3.5-27 0-02015 13/11 24 13 37 0 2-1 0 6.0-15 0-0 0-0

diLLon’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT2016 1/0 0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-02017 1/0 2 0 2 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0Total 40/31 77 32 109 3 2-1 2 20.5-78 4.5-34 0-0

diLLon’s career highs

Tackles 11, BYU, Dec 22, 2014Tackles for Loss 3, BYU, Dec 22, 2014Sacks 2, BYU, Dec 22, 2014Pass Breakups 1 (3x), SMU, Oct 25, 2014Blocked Kick 1 (3x), Tulane (PAT), Oct 31, 2015Force Fumbles 1 (2x), BYU, Dec 22, 2014Fumble Recoveries 1, Missouri State, Sep 5, 2015Fumble Recovery TD 1, SMU, Nov 28, 2015

diLLon’s gaMe-by-gaMe defense

Date Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT9/7/13 Duke 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/14/13 at MTSU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/21/13 Arkansas State 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/5/13 UCF 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/12/13* at Houston 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/19/13* SMU 3 1 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 0-010/30/13* Cincinnati 4 4 8 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-011/9/13* UT Martin 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/16/13* at USF 4 0 4 2-4 0-0 0 0 0-011/23/13* at Louisville 4 0 4 1-7 1-7 0 0 0-011/30/13* Temple 2 1 3 1.5-1 0-0 0 0 0-012/7/13* at UConn 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-08/30/14* Austin Peay 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/6/14* at UCLA 5 0 5 2-5 1-2 0 0 0-09/20/14* MTSU 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/27/14 at Ole Miss 3 2 5 1-4 0-0 0 0 0-010/4/14* at Cincinnati 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/11/14* Houston 1 2 3 2-7 0.5-3 0 0 0-010/25/14* at SMU 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-010/31/14* Tulsa 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/7/14* at Temple 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/15/14* at Tulane 4 0 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/22/14* USF 2 0 2 1-10 0-0 1 0 0-011/29/14* UConn 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-012/22/14* vs BYU 8 3 11 3-24 2-22 1 0 0-09/5/15* Missouri St 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/12/15* at Kansas 6 2 8 1-1 0-0 0 0 0-09/19/15* at BGSU 2 2 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/24/15* Cincinnati 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/2/15* at USF 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/17/15* Ole Miss 2 1 3 1-6 0-0 0 0 0-010/24/15* at Tulsa 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/31/15* Tulane 2 1 3 2.5-6 0-0 0 0 0-011/7/15* Navy 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/14/15* at Houston 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/21/15* at Temple 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/28/15 SMU 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-012/30/15 Auburn 1 3 4 1.5-2 0-0 0 0 0-09/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-08/31/17 ULM 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0

Had shoulder surgery and is out for remainder of 2017

r u n n i n g b a c k

d o r o L a n d d o r c e u s

#28

r-senior • 3L5-10 • 215

neW orLeans, La.spring hs (texas)

MaJor: finance

g Honorable Mention for the Earl Campbell Award (10/10/17)

dorceus’ career rushing statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/R TDS LG AVG/G2013 9/1 30 173 5.8 0 34 19.22014 4/0 46 237 5.2 4 40 59.32015 13/7 155 661 4.3 8 35 50.82016 13/5 132 810 6.1 9 71 62.32017 7/0 39 201 5.2 3 26 28.7Total 46/13 402 2,082 5.2 24 71 8.9

dorceus’ career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2013 9/1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.02014 4/0 1 -2 0.0 0 0 0.2 0.02015 13/7 11 217 19.7 3 61 0.8 16.72016 13/5 10 77 7.7 1 18 0.8 5.92017 7/0 4 36 9.0 0 27 0.8 5.1Total 46/13 26 328 12.6 4 61 0.6 7.1

dorceus’ career highs

Rush Attempts 32, at Tulsa, Oct. 23, 2015Rush Yards 138, at Tulsa, Oct. 23, 2015 (32 rushes)Long Rush 71 vs Temple, Oct 6, 2016Pass Receptions 2 (3x) last at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Receiving Yards 61, at Houston, Nov 14, 2015


Long Reception 61, at Houston, Nov 14, 2015Total Offense Attempts 33, at Tulsa, Oct. 23, 2015Total Offense Yards 177, at Houston, Nov 14, 2015All-Purpose Yards 177, at Houston, Nov 14, 2015Rushing Touchdowns 2 (5x) last at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Receiving Touchdowns 1, 5x, last vs Bowling Green, Sep 24, 2016

dorceus’ gaMe-by-gaMe rushingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

9/7/13 Duke Did Not Play9/14/13 at MTSU Did Not Play9/21/13 Arkansas State 5 24 4.8 0 710/5/13 UCF 0 0 0.0 0 010/12/13 at Houston 3 5 1.7 0 410/19/13 SMU 1 14 14.0 0 1410/30/13 Cincinnati Did Not Play11/9/13 UT Martin 1 34 34.0 0 3411/16/13* at USF 8 51 6.4 0 2611/23/13 at Louisville 3 9 3.0 0 411/30/13 Temple 3 9 3.0 0 812/7/13 at UConn 6 25 4.2 0 98/30/14 Austin Peay 10 41 4.1 2 99/6/14 at UCLA 13 86 6.6 1 409/20/14 MTSU 15 91 6.1 1 329/27/14 at Ole Miss 8 19 2.4 0 1510/4/14 at Cincinnati Did Not Play10/11/14 Houston Did Not Play10/25/14 at SMU Did Not Play10/31/14 Tulsa Did Not Play11/7/14 at Temple Did Not Play11/15/14 at Tulane Did Not Play11/22/14 USF Did Not Play11/29/14 UConn Did Not Play12/22/14 vs BYU Did Not Play9/5/15 Missouri St 6 19 3.2 2 99/12/15 at Kansas 7 49 7.0 1 149/19/15 at BGSU 16 75 4.7 1 179/24/15 Cincinnati 2 -1 0.0 0 110/2/15 at USF 13 33 2.5 0 1110/17/15 Ole Miss 5 22 4.4 0 1310/23/15* at Tulsa 32 138 4.3 2 2210/31/15* Tulane 10 45 4.5 1 1311/7/15* Navy 12 69 5.8 0 1411/14/15* at Houston 26 116 4.5 1 3511/21/15* at Temple 7 15 2.1 0 611/28/15* SMU 8 33 4.1 0 812/30/15* Auburn 11 48 4.4 0 169/3/16* SEMO 14 35 2.5 1 129/17/16* Kansas 7 27 3.9 1 99/24/16 Bowling Green 9 117 13.0 1 4210/1/16* at Ole Miss 14 72 5.1 1 1310/6/16 Temple 8 96 12.0 1 7110/14/16 at Tulane 7 81 11.6 0 6110/22/16* at Navy 8 41 5.1 0 810/29/16 Tulsa 8 14 1.8 0 611/5/16 at SMU 14 77 5.5 1 5511/12/16 USF 10 76 7.6 0 2211/18/16* at Cincinnati 13 66 5.1 2 1611/25/16 Houston 15 82 5.5 1 1512/20/16 vs WKU 5 27 5.4 0 118/31/17 ULM 2 7 3.5 0 59/16/17 UCLA Did Not Play - Inj.9/23/17 SIU Did Not Play - Inj.9/30/17 at UCF 2 5 2.5 0 610/6/17 at UConn 22 122 5.5 2 2610/14/17 Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/19/17 at Houston Did Not Play - Inj.10/27/17 Tulane Did Not Play - Inj.11/3/17 at Tulsa 2 8 4.0 0 611/18/17 SMU 3 8 2.7 0 711/25/17 ECU 8 51 6.4 1 1912/2/17 at UCF $ Did Not Play - Inj.

dorceus’ gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

9/17/13 at Duke Did Not Play9/14/13 MTSU Did Not Play9/21/13 Arkansas State 0 0 0.0 0 010/5/13 UCF 0 0 0.0 0 010/12/13 Houston 0 0 0.0 0 010/19/13 SMU 0 0 0.0 0 010/30/13 Cincinnati 0 0 0.0 0 011/9/13 UT Martin 0 0 0.0 0 011/16/13* USF 0 0 0.0 0 011/23/13 Louisville 0 0 0.0 0 011/30/13 Temple 0 0 0.0 0 012/7/13 UConn 0 0 0.0 0 08/30/14 Austin Peay 0 0 0.0 0 09/6/14 at UCLA 1 -2 -2 0 09/20/14 Middle Tennessee 0 0 0.0 0 09/27/14 at Ole Miss 0 0 0.0 0 09/5/2015 Missouri State 0 0 0.0 0 09/12/15 at Kansas 1 8 8.0 0 89/19/15 at Bowling Green 0 0 0.0 0 0


dorceus’ gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

9/24/15 Cincinnati 1 0 0.0 0 010/2/15 at USF 1 55 55.0 1 5510/17/15 Ole Miss 2 23 11.5 0 1310/23/15* at Tulsa 1 7 7.0 0 710/31/15* Tulane 1 17 17.0 0 1711/7/15* Navy 1 4 4.0 0 411/14/15* at Houston 1 61 61.0 1 6111/21/15* at Temple 2 26 13.0 0 1911/28/15* SMU 1 16 16.0 1 1612/30/15* Auburn 0 0 0.0 0 09/3/16* SEMO 1 13 13.0 1 139/17/16* Kansas 0 0 0.0 0 09/24/16 Bowling Green 1 0 0.0 0 010/1/16* at Ole Miss 1 1 1.0 0 110/6/16 Temple 1 0 0.0 0 010/14/16 at Tulane 1 18 18.0 0 1810/22/16* at Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/29/16 Tulsa 1 5 0.0 0 511/5/16 at SMU 0 0 0.0 0 011/12/16 USF 1 9 9.0 0 911/18/16* at Cincinnati 2 23 11.5 2 1411/25/16 Houston 0 0 0.0 0 012/20/16 vs WKU 1 8 8.0 0 88/31/17 ULM - - - - -9/16/17 UCLA Did Not Play - Inj.9/23/17 SIU Did Not Play - Inj.9/30/17 at UCF 2 8 4.0 0 510/6/17 at UConn 2 28 14.0 0 2710/14/17 Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/19/17 at Houston Did Not Play - Inj.10/27/17 Tulane Did Not Play - Inj.11/3/17 at Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/17 SMU 0 0 0.0 0 011/25/17 ECU 0 0 0.0 0 012/2/17 at UCF $ Did Not Play - Inj.


J o s e p h d o r c e u s

#94

r-freshMan • sQ6-0 • 265

spring, texas

spring hsMaJor: business econoMics

dorceus’ career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2017 10/0 11 5 16 1 0-0 0 5-12 1-6 0-0 1


Tackles 5 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Sacks 1 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Tackles for Loss 2 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Quarterback Hurries 1 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Pass Breakup 1 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017

dorceus’ gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT QBH9/23/17 SIU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/30/17 at UCF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/6/17 at UConn 3 0 3 1-6 1-6 0 0 0-0 010/14/17 Navy 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/19/17 at Houston 3 2 5 .5-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/27/17 Tulane 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 2 2 4 1.5-2 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/18/17 SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/25/17 ECU 2 1 3 2-4 0-0 0 1 0-0 112/2/17 at UCF $ 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0

t i g h t e n d

s e a n d y k e s

#5

sophoMore • 1L6-2 • 210

houston, texas

ManveL hsMaJor: Marketing ManageMent

dykes’ career receiving statistics

YR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2016 10/1 3 37 12.3 0 30 0.3 3.72017 12/7 14 332 23.7 3 63 1.2 27.7Total 22/8 17 369 21.7 3 63 0.8 21.7

dykes’ career highs

Pass Receptions 3 (2x) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Receiving Yards 161 at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Long Reception 63 at UCF, Dec 2, 2017

dykes’ career highs

Receiving Touchdowns 1 (3x) last vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017

dykes’ gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

9/3/16 SEMO Did Not Play9/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0.0 0 09/24/16 Bowling Green 0 0 0.0 0 010/1/16 at Ole Miss 0 0 0.0 0 010/6/16 Temple 0 0 0.0 0 010/14/16 at Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 010/22/16* at Navy 1 30 30.0 0 3010/29/16 Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/5/16 at SMU 1 1 1.0 0 111/12/16 USF 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/16 at Cincinnati 1 6 6.0 0 611/25/16 Houston Did Not Play12/20/16 vs WKU Did Not Play8/31/17 ULM 0 0 0.0 0 09/16/17* UCLA 1 7 0 0 79/23/17 SIU 1 3 0.0 0 39/30/17* at UCF 1 9 9.0 0 910/6/17* at UConn 1 30 30.0 1 3010/14/17* NAVY 3 37 12.3 0 1710/19/17* at Houston 2 41 20.5 1 2110/27/17* Tulane 1 38 38.0 1 3811/3/17 at Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/17* SMU 1 6 6.0 0 611/25/17 ECU 0 0 0.0 0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 3 161 53.7 0 63


r i L e y f e r g u s o n

#4

senior • 1L6-4 • 210

charLotte, n.c./butLer hscoffeyviLLe cccoffeyviLLe ccMaJor: interdiscipLinary studies

g First Team All-American Athletic Conference (2017)

g Graduated on December 17, 2017 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies

g One of 16 Davey O’Brien Semifinalists (11/7/17)

g One of 10 Unitas Golden Arm Award Semifinalists (11/1/17)

g Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week (9/17/17)

g Semifinalist for National Football Foundation’s Campbell Trophy (9/17/17)

g American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week 5x (9/26/16; 11/7/16; 11/28/16; 9/18/17; 10/9/17; 10/9/17)

g American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll (10/23/17; 11/6/17)

gHis 400-yard game in the win at Houston was just the sixth 400-yard passing game in Memphis history and the third of his career.

g Maxwell Award Watch List (2017); Davey O’Brien Watch List (2017); Unitas Golden Arm Watch List (2017); Manning Trophy Watch

List (2017)

ferguson’s career passing statisticsYR G/S CMP ATT INT YDS TD LG PCT AVG/P AVG/G2016 13/13 280 443 10 3698 32 84 63.2 13.2 284.52017 12/12 278 441 9 3971 36 89 63.0 14.3 332.1Total 25/25 558 884 19 7669 68 89 63.1 13.7 306.8

ferguson’s career rushing statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/R TDS LG AVG/G2016 13/13 71 -70 -0.99 4 29 -5.42017 12/12 47 43 0.9 6 15 3.9Total 25/25 118 -27 -0.2 10 29 -1.1

ferguson’s career highs

Pass Completions 34 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Pass Attempts 53 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Passing Yards 471 (2x) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Passing Touchdowns 7 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Long Passing Play 89 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Rush Attempts 13 vs Western Kentucky, Dec 20, 2016Rush Yards 41 vs USF, Nov 12, 2016Long Rush 29 vs USF, Nov 12, 2016Rushing Touchdowns 3 vs SMU, Nov 18, 2017

ferguson’s gaMe-by-gaMe passingDate Opponent Att Comp YDs INT TD LG Sack9/3/16* SEMO 40 26 295 3 3 23 39/17/16* Kansas 24 15 189 0 2 84 59/24/16* Bowling Green 27 20 359 0 6 60 110/1/16* at Ole Miss 46 30 343 3 0 42 110/6/16* Temple 26 17 174 0 0 21 410/14/16* at Tulane 34 21 236 1 1 46 3

ferguson’s gaMe-by-gaMe passingDate Opponent Att Comp YDs INT TD LG Sack10/22/16* at Navy 40 25 333 0 2 33 410/29/16* Tulsa 40 19 349 2 3 59 411/5/16* at SMU 27 20 287 0 4 50 211/12/16* USF 46 29 331 1 3 57 011/18/16* at Cincinnati 5 3 21 0 0 9 011/25/16* Houston 45 30 409 0 4 67 112/20/16* vs WKU 43 25 372 1 4 45 58/31/17* ULM 25 10 97 1 0 23 19/16/17* UCLA 38 23 398 1 6 47 29/23/17* SIU 36 22 288 0 2 55 09/30/17* at UCF 49 27 321 3 1 35 210/6/17* at UConn 48 34 431 0 7 40 110/14/17* Navy 40 24 279 0 3 33 210/19/17* at Houston 53 33 471 1 1 52 210/28/17* Tulane 31 18 298 1 3 45 011/3/17* at Tulsa 39 27 298 0 4 59 011/18/17* SMU 21 27 320 1 2 48 112/2/17* at UCF $ 30 42 471 1 4 68 4

ferguson’s gaMe-by-gaMe rushingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/3/16* SEMO 6 -11 -1.8 0 19/17/16* Kansas 7 -26 -0.3 0 99/24/16* Bowling Green 2 -10 -5.0 1 110/1/16* at Ole Miss 5 3 0.6 2 610/6/16* Temple 7 -8 -1.1 0 710/14/16* at Tulane 5 -15 -3.0 0 310/22/16* at Navy 8 -39 -1.4 0 2010/29/16* Tulsa 6 -33 -5.5 0 4 11/5/16* at SMU 3 -9 -3.0 0 711/12/16* USF 4 41 10.2 1 2911/18/16* at Cincinnati 2 10 5.0 0 811/25/16* Houston 3 5 1.7 0 1212/20/16* vs WKU 13 -6 -0.5 0 118/31/17* ULM 3 9 3.0 0 139/16/17* UCLA 4 -4 -1.0 0 39/23/17* SIU 5 23 4.6 0 159/30/17* at UCF 2 -20 -10.0 0 010/6/17* at UConn 1 -11 -11.0 0 010/14/17* Navy 6 -6 -1.0 0 910/19/17* at Houston 4 -6 -1.5 0 610/28/17* Tulane 4 18 4.5 2 1111/3/17* at Tulsa 1 2 2.0 0 211/18/17* SMU 6 29 4.8 3 1311/25/17* ECU 3 14 4.7 0 612/2/17* at UCF $ 8 -5 -0.6 0 14


J a c o b i f r a n c i s

#32


covington, ga.neWton hs


francis’ career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2017 11/0 3 1 4 4 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1

francis’ career highs

Tackles 2 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Tackles for Loss -Sacks -Fumble Recoveries -Passes Defended 2 at Tulsa, Nov 3, 2017Quarterback Hurries 1 vs SMU, Nov 19, 2017

francis’ gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT QBH9/16/17 UCLA 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 09/23/17 SIU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/30/17 at UCF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/6/17 at UConn 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/14/17 NAVY 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/19/17 at Houston 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 2 0-0 011/18/17 SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 111/25/17 ECU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0



J a r e d g e n t r y

#98

Junior • 2L6-2 • 325

opeLika, aLa.opeLika hs


gentry’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT2015 12/0 7 1 8 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-02016 11/0 8 8 16 0 1-40 0 3-7 0-0 0-0Total 23/0 15 9 24 0 1-40 0 3-7 0-0 0-0

gentry’s career highs

Tackles 6 at Navy, Oct 22, 2016Tackles for Loss 1.5 vs Bowling Green, Sep 24, 2016Fumble Recoveries 1 at SMU, Nov 5, 2016Quarterback Hurries 1 vs Louisiana Monroe, Aug 31, 2017

gentry’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PB INT9/5/15 Missouri St. 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/12/15 at Kansas 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/15/15 at BGSU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/24/15 Cincinnati 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/2/15 at USF 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/17/15 Ole Miss Did Not Play10/23/15 at Tulsa 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/31/15 Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/7/15 Navy 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/14/15 at Houston 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/21/15 at Temple 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/28/15 SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-012/30/15 vs Auburn 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/17/16 Kansas 2 0 2 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/24/16 BGSU 2 1 3 1.5-4 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/1/16 at Ole Miss 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/6/16 Temple 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/14/16 at Tulane 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/22/16 at Navy 1 5 6 0.5-1 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/29/16 Tulsa 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/5/16 at SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1-40 0 0-011/12/16 USF 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-011/18/16 at Cincinnati 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-011/25/16 Houston Did Not Play/Injury12/20/16 vs WKU Did Not Play/Injury8/31/17 ULM 2 0 2 0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-09/16/17 UCLA Did Not Play/Injury/Will Miss Rest of Season

o f f e n s i v e L i n e

h a r n e e t g i L L

#70

r-Junior • tr6-7 • 290

st. charLes, Mo./francis hoWeLL hsbutLer cc/Los angeLes pierce coLLege

MaJor: accounting

giLL’s career offensive Line statisticsYR GAMES/STARTS PLAYS/TOTAL TEAM PLAYS2017 9/1 133/882

giLL’s career highs

Offensive Plays 34 vs Louisiana Monroe, Aug 31, 2017

giLL’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays8/31/17* Louisiana Monroe Right Tackle - 34/649/16/17 UCLA Right Tackle - 7/769/23/17 SIU Right Tackle - 46/729/30/17 at UCF Right Tackle - 12/7310/6/17 at UConn Right Tackle - 12/100; Left Tackle 8/10010/14/17 Navy Did Not Play10/19/17 at Houston Did Not Play10/27/17 Tulane Did Not Play11/3/17 at Tulsa Tackle - 5/7711/18/17 SMU Tackle - 5/7411/25/17 ECU Right Tackle - 7/4912/2/17 at UCF $ Right Tackle - 5/89


c a r L i t o g o n z a L e z

#29


stone Mountain, ga./stephenson hs

MaJor: sports adMinistration

gonzaLez’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2017 7/0 4 1 5 1 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1-6 0

gonzaLez’s career highs

Tackles 2 (2x) last vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Tackle for Loss -Pass Breakup 1 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Fumble Recoveries -Quarterback Hurries -

gordon’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT FR QBH10/6/17 at UConn Appeal granted after UConn game to join Memphis

roster in 201710/14/17 Navy 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 010/19/17 at Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 010/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 1-6 0 011/18/17 SMU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 011/25/17 ECU 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0


o ’ b r y a n g o o d s o n

#1


batesviLLe, Miss.south panoLa hs


goodson’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2017 11/9 18 8 26 1 0 0 4-19 1-16 0-0 2

goodson’s career highs

Tackles 6 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Tackle for Loss 2, 2x, last vs SIU, Sep 23, 2017Pass Breakup 1 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017Fumble Recoveries -Quarterback Hurries 1 (2x) last vs SMU, Nov 18, 2017Sack 1 vs Louisiana Monroe, Aug 31, 2017

goodson’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT FR QBH8/31/17 ULM 3 0 3 2-17 1-16 0 0 0-0 0 09/16/17* UCLA 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 0 09/23/17 SIU 3 0 3 2-2 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 19/30/17* at UCF 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/6/17* at UConn 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/14/17 NAVY Did Not Play - Inj.10/19/17* at Houston 3 3 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/27/17* Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 011/3/17* at Tulsa 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 011/18/17* SMU 0 2 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 111/25/17* ECU 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 012/2/17* at UCF $ 2 2 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0


t i M g o r d o n

#18

r-Junior • tr5-11 • 164

st. pauL, Minn./cretin derhaM haLL/fuLLerton coLLege


gordon’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2017 1/0 1 0 1 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0

gordon’s career highs

Tackles 1 vs Louisiana Monroe, Aug 31, 2017Tackle for Loss

gordon’s career highs

Pass BreakupFumble RecoveriesQuarterback Hurries

gordon’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT FR QBH8/31/17 ULM 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 09/16/17 UCLA Did Not Play - Missing Remainder of Year to Injury


a u s t i n h a L L

#25


coLLierviLLe, tenn.coLLierviLLe hs

MaJor: criMinaL Justice

g CoSIDA Academic All-District; now appearing on CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot (3.45 GPA)

g Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Player of the Week (10/18/17)

g Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week (10/17/17)

g CollegeSportsMadness.com Defensvie Player of the Week (10/15/17)

g American’s Defensive Player of the Week (10/17/16; 10/16/17)

haLL’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2016 11/11 42 14 56 3 1-0 0 7.5-27 0-0 0-0 02017 12/12 62 17 79 5 2-0 0 7-13 0-0 3-29 4Total 23/23 104 31 135 8 3-0 0 14.5-40 0-0 3-29 4

haLL’s career highs

Tackles 12 at Tulane, Oct 14, 2016Tackle for Loss 3 at Tulane, Oct 14, 2016Pass Breakup 1 (8x) last vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Fumble Recoveries 1 (3x) last vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017Quarterback Hurries 1 (3x) last vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Interception 2 vs Navy, Oct 14, 2017FR Touchdown 1 vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017

haLL’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PD INT FR QBH9/3/16* SEMO 2 0 2 1-6 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 09/17/16* Kansas 8 0 8 2-5 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 09/24/16* BGSU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/1/16* Ole Miss 4 2 6 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 0 010/6/16* Temple 7 1 8 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/14/16* at Tulane 10 2 12 3-13 0-0 0 0 0-0 1 010/22/16* at Navy 2 6 8 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/29/16* Tulsa 2 1 3 0.5-1 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 011/5/16* at SMU 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 0 011/12/16* USF 5 0 5 1-2 0-0 0 1 0-0 0 011/18/16* at Cincinnati 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 011/25/16 Houston Did Not Play/Injury12/20/16 vs WKU Did Not Play/Injury8/31/17* ULM 5 1 6 1-1 0-0 0 0 1-0 0 09/16/17* UCLA 7 2 9 1-2 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 19/23/17* SIU 9 0 9 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 0 09/30/17* at UCF 6 3 9 2.5-6 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/6/17* at UConn 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 110/14/17* Navy 7 3 10 0-0 0-0 0 1 2-29 1 010/19/17* at Houston 3 2 5 0.5-1 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/27/17* Tulane 11 0 11 2-3 0-0 0 0 0-0 1 011/3/17* at Tulsa 4 2 6 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 0 011/18/17* SMU 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 011/25/17* ECU 4 1 5 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 0 112/2/17* at UCF $ 3 2 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 1


c a e L o n h a r d e n

#37

r-senior • tr6-0 • 190

LittLe rock, ark./parkvieW hs/uapb


g Graduated on December 17, 2017 with a degree in Interdisciplinary

Studies

harden’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2017 12/0 6 2 8 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1


harden’s career highs

Tackles 3 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Tackle for Loss -Pass Breakup -Fumble Recoveries -Quarterback Hurries 1 vs SIU, Sep 23, 2017

harden’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT FR QBH8/31/17 ULM 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 09/16/17 UCLA 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 09/23/17 SIU 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 19/30/17 at UCF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 010/6/17 at UConn 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 010/14/17 Navy 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 010/19/17 at Houston 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 010/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 011/18/17 SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 011/25/17 ECU 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0

L i n e b a c k e r

t i M h a r t

#35


MeMphis, tenn.MeMphis university schooL

MaJor: finance

hart’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2017 12/9 26 15 41 0 0 2 3-9 1-5 1-60 2

hart’s career highs

Tackles 7 vs Louisiana Monroe, Aug 31, 2017Tackle for Loss 1 (3x) last vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Pass Breakup -Fumble Recoveries -Forced Fumbles 1 (2x) last vs Navy, Oct 14, 2017Quarterback Hurries 1, 2 times, last at UCF, Sep 30, 2017Sack 1 at Tulsa, Nov 3, 2017Interceptions 1 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017Interceptions Ret TD 1 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017Interception Ret YD 60 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017

hart’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT FR QBH8/31/17 ULM 6 1 7 0-0 0-0 1 0 0-0 0 09/16/17 UCLA 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1-60 0 09/23/17 SIU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 19/30/17* at UCF 2 2 4 1-2 0-0 0 1 0-0 0 110/6/17* at UConn 1 3 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/14/17* Navy 3 3 6 0-0 0-0 1 0 0-0 0 010/19/17* at Houston 2 2 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/27/17* Tulane 4 0 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 011/3/17* at Tulsa 2 4 6 1-5 1-5 0 0 0-0 0 011/19/17* SMU 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 011/25/17* ECU 2 0 2 1-2 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 012/2/17* at UCF $ 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0


d a r r e L L h e n d e r s o n

#8


batesviLLe, Miss.south panoLa hs


g American Athletic Conference All-Conference Second Team (2017)

g Became first 1,000 yard rusher in Memphis history since 2009 (Curtis Steele) with 122 yards on 10 carries vs ECU

g Has had four straight 100-plus yard rushing games heading in to AAC Championship Game and six on the season)

g AAC Weekly Honor Roll (9/4/17; 11/20/17)

henderson’s career rushing statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/R TDS LG AVG/G2016 13/5 87 482 5.5 5 45 37.12017 12/10 130 1154 8.9 9 82 96.2Total 25/15 217 1636 7.5 14 82 65.4

henderson’s career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2016 13/5 20 237 11.9 3 46 1.5 18.22017 12/10 24 226 9.4 2 45 2.0 18.8Total 25/15 44 463 10.5 5 46 1.8 18.5

henderson’s career kick return statisticsYR G/S NO YDS TDS LG AVG/R AVG/G2016 13/5 2 113 1 99 56.5 8.72017 12/10 13 250 0 64 20.8 1.1Total 25/15 15 363 1 99 24.2 14.5

henderson’s career highs

Rush Attempts 14 (2x) last at Tulsa, Nov 3, 2017Rush Yards 169 vs Louisiana Monroe, Aug 31, 2017Long Rush 82 vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017Pass Receptions 6 at Tulsa, Nov 3, 2017Receiving Yards 67 at Tulane, Oct 14, 2016Long Reception 46 at Tulane, Oct 14, 2016Kickoff Returns 4 vs SMU, Nov 18, 2017Kickoff Return Yards 116 vs SMU, Nov 18, 2017All-Purpose Yards 278 vs SMU, Nov 18, 2017Rushing Touchdowns 2 (3x) last vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Receiving Touchdowns 2 vs SEMO, Sep 3, 2016Kickoff Return Touchdowns 1 at SMU, Nov 5, 2016

henderson’s gaMe-by-gaMe rushingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

9/3/16 SEMO 2 3 1.5 0 39/17/16 Kansas 3 24 8.0 0 209/24/16* Bowling Green 3 27 9.0 0 1310/1/16 Ole Miss 2 7 3.5 0 410/6/16 Temple 7 58 8.3 1 2810/14/16* at Tulane 9 75 8.3 1 4510/22/16 at Navy 9 35 3.9 0 1110/29/16* Tulsa 12 84 7.0 1 2211/5/16* at SMU 9 34 3.8 0 1211/12/16* USF 12 81 6.8 1 2111/18/16 at Cincinnati 3 5 1.7 0 311/25/16 Houston 7 36 5.1 1 228/31/17* ULM 12 169 14.1 2 639/16/17* ULCA 14 105 7.5 0 809/23/17* SIU 12 71 5.9 1 209/30/17* at UCF 6 48 8.0 0 2010/6/17 at UConn 11 55 8.1 0 1310/14/17* Navy 12 94 7.8 0 3210/19/17* at Houston 4 -1 -0.3 0 310/27/17 Tulane 10 112 11.2 1 8211/3/17* at Tulsa 14 123 8.8 0 5311/18/17* SMU 10 147 14.7 2 7011/25/17* ECU 10 122 12.2 2 3212/2/17* at UCF $ 15 109 7.3 1 36

henderson’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

9/3/16 SEMO 3 39 13.0 2 239/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0.0 0 09/24/16* Bowling Green 2 27 13.5 0 1710/1/16 Ole Miss 2 -1 -0.5 0 110/6/16 Temple 1 2 2.0 0 210/14/16* at Tulane 4 67 16.8 1 4610/22/16 at Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/29/16* Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/5/16* at SMU 3 45 15.0 0 3111/12/16* USF 2 16 8.0 0 1411/18/16 at Cincinnati 1 8 8.0 0 811/25/16 Houston 2 34 17.0 0 198/3/17* ULM 0 0 0 0 09/16/16* UCLA 3 11 3.7 0 69/23/17* SIU 1 7 7.0 0 79/30/17* at UCF 1 25 25.0 0 2510/6/17 at UConn 3 23 7.7 0 810/14/17* NAVY 2 17 8.5 1 1010/19/17* at Houston 0 0 0.0 0 010/27/17 Tulane 3 50 16.7 0 4511/3/17* at Tulsa 6 50 8.3 1 2111/18/17* SMU 1 15 15.0 0 1511/25/17* ECU 1 14 14.0 0 1412/2/17* at UCF $ 3 14 4.7 0 20

henderson’s gaMe-by-gaMe kickoff returnsDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0 09/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0.0 0 09/24/16* Bowling Green 0 0 0.0 0 010/1/16 at Ole Miss 0 0 0.0 0 010/6/16 Temple 0 0 0.0 0 010/14/16* at Tulane 1 14 14.0 0 1410/22/16 at Navy 0 0 0 0 010/29/16* Tulsa 0 0 0 0 011/5/16* at SMU 1 99 99.0 1 9911/12/16* USF 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/16 at Cincinnati 0 0 0.0 0 011/25/16 Houston 0 0 0.0 0 012/20/16 vs WKU 0 0 0.0 0 08/31/17* ULM 1 22 22.0 0 22

henderson’s gaMe-by-gaMe kickoff returnsDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/16/17* UCLA 0 0 0.0 0 09/23/17* SIU 0 0 0.0 0 09/30/17* at UCF 1 12 12.0 0 1210/6/17 at UConn 0 0 0.0 0 010/14/17* NAVY 0 0 0.0 0 010/19/17* at Houston 2 37 18.5 0 2110/27/17 Tulane 1 9 9.0 0 911/3/17* at Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/17* SMU 4 116 29.0 0 6411/25/17* ECU 0 0 0.0 0 012/2/17* at UCF $ 4 54 13.5 0 38


h u n t e r h i L L

#82


MeMphis, tenn.briarcrest christian schooL

MaJor: finance

hiLL’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

8/3/17 ULM 0 0 0 0 011/25/17 ECU 0 0 0.0 0 0


J a c o b y h i L L

#52


atLanta, ga.carver hs


hiLL’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2017 10/0 3 0 3 0 0 0 2-8 1-4 0-0 0

hiLL’s career highs

Tackles 1 (3x) last vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Tackle for Loss 1 (2x) last vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Pass Breakup -Fumble Recoveries -Quarterback Hurries -Sack 1 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017

hiLL’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT FR QBH8/31/17 ULM - - - - - - - - - -9/16/17 UCLA - - - - - - - - - -9/23/17 SIU - - - - - - - - - -9/30/17 at UCF DNP10/6/17 at UConn - - - - - - - - - -10/14/17 Navy 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/19/17 at Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/27/17 Tulane 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa DNP11/19/17 SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 011/25/17 ECU 1 0 1 1-4 1-4 0 0 0-0 0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0


t a u v a g a h o c h i n g i i#75

r-soph • sQ6-5 • 285

upLand, caLif./upLand hsMt. san antonio Jc

MaJor: accounting

ho ching’s career offensive Line statisticsYR GAMES/STARTS PLAYS/TOTAL TEAM PLAYS2017 5/0 29/793

ho ching’s career highs

Offensive Plays 14/100

ho ching’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays10/6/17 at UConn Center - 14/10010/27/17 Tulane Center


ho ching’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays11/3/17 at Tulsa Center - 5/7711/19/17 SMU Center - 5/7411/25/17 ECU Center - 10/49

L i n e b a c k e r

b r y c e h u f f

#55


MobiLe, aLa.st. pauL’s episcopaL

MaJor: MechanicaL engineering

huff’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2016 11/0 4 1 5 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 02017 12/3 23 7 30 1 1-0 1 5-28 2-19 0-0 3Total 23/3 27 8 35 1 1-0 1 5-28 2-19 0-0 3

huff’s career highs

Tackles 8 vs Navy, Oct 14, 2017Tackles for Loss 1 (5x) last vs SMU, Nov 18, 2017Sacks 1 (2x) last vs SMU, Nov 18, 2017Fumble Recoveries 1 vs Louisiana Monroe, Aug 31, 2017Quarterback Hurries 1 (3x) last vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017Forced Fumbles 1 vs Navy, Oct 14, 2017Pass Breakup 1 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017

huff’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FR FF PB INT QBH9/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/24/16 BGSU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/1/16 at Ole Miss 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/6/16 Temple Did Not Play10/14/16 at Tulane Did Not Play10/22/16 at Navy 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/29/16 Tulsa 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/5/16 at SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/12/16 USF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/18/16 at Cincinnati 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/25/16 Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 012/20/16 vs WKU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 08/31/17 ULM 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0-0 19/16/17* UCLA 3 1 4 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/23/17 SIU 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/30/17 at UCF 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/6/17 at UConn 1 0 1 1-2 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/14/17* Navy 6 2 8 1-4 0-0 0 1 0 0-0 010/22/17* at Houston 3 2 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0-0 110/27/17 Tulane 1 0 1 1-13 1-13 0 0 0 0-0 111/3/17 at Tulsa 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/18/17 SMU 1 0 1 1-6 1-6 0 0 0 0-0 011/25/17 ECU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0

p u n t e r

n i c k J a c o b s

#47

graduated: May of 2017senior • 3L6-1 • 195

MeLbourne, victoria, austraLia

brighton graMMar schooL

MaJor: organizationaL Leadership

Jacobs’ career punting statisticsYR G NO YDS AVG LG BL TB FC 50+ I202014 10 16 531 33.2 42 0 0 8 0 162015 7 14 504 36.0 47 0 3 6 0 112016 7 12 461 38.4 48 0 1 8 0 102017 11 24 1001 41.7 55 0 2 9 6 13Total 35 66 2,497 37.8 55 0 6 31 6 50

Jacobs’ career highs

Punt Attempts 6, USF, Oct 2, 2015Punt Yards 216, USF, Oct 2, 2015Longest Punt 55 at UCF, Dec 2, 2017

Jacobs’ gaMe-by-gaMe puntingDate Opponent No Yds Avg LG TB FC 50+ I208/30/14 Austin Peay Did Not Play9/6/14 at UCLA Did Not Play9/20/14 MTSU 4 142 35.5 42 0 2 0 49/27/14 at Ole Miss 1 29 29.0 29 0 0 0 110/4/14 at Cincinnati 2 51 25.5 28 2 2 0 210/11/14 Houston 1 42 42.0 42 0 0 0 110/25/14 at SMU Did Not Play

Jacobs’ gaMe-by-gaMe puntingDate Opponent No Yds Avg LG TB FC 50+ I2010/31/14 Tulsa 1 32 32.0 32 0 1 0 111/7/14 at Temple 1 34 34.0 34 0 0 0 111/15/14 at Tulane 1 26 26.0 26 0 1 0 111/22/14 USF 3 109 36.3 42 0 1 0 311/29/14 UConn 1 30 30.0 30 0 1 0 112/22/14 vs BYU 1 36 36.0 36 0 0 0 19/5/15 Missouri St Did Not Play9/12/15 at Kansas 1 47 47.0 47 1 0 0 09/19/15 at BGSU 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 09/24/15 Cincinnati Did Not Play10/2/15 at USF 6 216 36.0 41 0 4 0 610/17/15 Ole Miss 1 29 29.0 29 0 0 0 110/23/15 at Tulsa 3 120 40.0 46 2 1 0 110/31/15 Tulane 1 42 42.0 42 0 0 0 111/7/15 Navy Did Not Play11/14/15 at Houston Did Not Play11/21/15 at Temple Did Not Play11/28/15 SMU 1 26 26.0 26 0 0 0 112/30/15 vs Auburn Did Not Play9/3/16 SEMO 1 27 27.0 27 0 0 0 19/17/16 Kansas 3 107 35.7 37 0 1 0 39/24/16 BGSU Did Not Play10/1/16 at Ole Miss 1 36 36.0 36 0 1 0 110/6/16 Temple 4 161 40.2 47 0 4 0 310/14/16 at Tulane 1 48 48.0 48 1 0 0 010/22/16 at Navy Did Not Play10/29/16 Tulsa 1 44 44.0 44 0 1 0 111/5/16 at SMU Did Not Play11/12/16 USF Did Not Play11/18/16 at Cincinnati Did Not Play11/25/16 Houston Did Not Play12/20/16 vs WKU 1 38 38.0 38 0 1 0 18/31/17 ULM 2 93 46.0 53 0 1 1 19/16/17 UCLA 3 118 39.3 52 0 1 1 19/23/17 SIU 1 42 42.0 42 0 0 0 09/30/17 at UCF 2 104 52.0 52 0 0 2 110/6/17 at UConn 3 104 34.7 39 0 0 0 210/14/17 Navy 2 78 39.0 44 0 1 0 210/19/17 at Houston 3 118 39.3 53 0 1 1 210/27/17 Tulane 2 80 40.0 42 0 2 0 111/3/17 at Tulsa 3 124 41.3 44 0 2 0 111/18/17 SMU 1 49 49.0 49 1 0 0 011/25/17 ECU Did Not Play12/2/17 at UCF $ 2 92 46.0 55 0 1 1 2


c h r i s t i a n J o h n s o n

#15

graduated: May 2017r-senior • 3L

6-5 • 255MeMphis, tenn./southWind hs


Johnson’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2014 7/0 0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 02015 13/11 17 6 23 1 1-0 0 6.5-25 4-21 0-0 02016 13/5 14 4 18 1 0-0 0 3-13 2-10 0-0 22017 12/12 17 6 23 0 0-0 0 3.5-10 3.5-10 0-0 2Total 45/28 48 16 64 2 1-0 0 13-48 9.5-41 0-0 4

Johnson’s career highs

Tackles 6 at Navy, Oct 22, 2016Sacks 1.5 vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017Tackles for Loss 2.5, Ole Miss, Oct 17, 2015Fumble Recovery 1 at Tulsa, Oct 23, 2015QB Hurry 1 (4x) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017

Johnson’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT QBH9/5/15 Missouri St. 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/12/15 at Kansas 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/19/15* at BGSU 1 1 2 1-6 1-6 0 0 0-0 09/24/15* Cincinnati 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/2/15* at USF 1 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/17/15* Ole Miss 3 1 4 2.5-7 1-5 0 0 0-0 010/23/15* at Tulsa 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/31/15* Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/7/15* Navy 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/14/15* at Houston 4 0 4 2-11 1-9 0 0 0-0 011/21/15* at Temple 4 1 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/28/15* SMU 1 0 1 1-1 1-1 0 0 0-0 012/30/15* vs Auburn 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/24/16 Bowling Green 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/1/16* at Ole Miss 2 1 3 1-3 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/6/16 Temple 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 110/14/16* at Tulane 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 010/22/16* at Navy 5 1 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/29/16* Tulsa 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/5/16* at SMU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/12/16* USF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/18/16 at Cincinnati 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0

Johnson’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT QBH11/25/16 Houston 1 0 1 1-7 1-7 0 0 0-0 012/20/16 vs WKU 1 0 1 1-3 1-3 0 0 0-0 18/31/17* ULM 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/16/17* ULCA 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 19/23/17* SIU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/30/17* at UCF 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/6/17* at UConn 4 0 4 1-2 1-2 0 0 0-0 010/14/17* Navy 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/19/17* at Housotn 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/27/17* Tulane 3 1 4 1.5-6 1.5-6 0 0 0-0 011/3/17* at Tulsa 1 1 2 1-2 1-2 0 0 0-0 011/18/17* SMU 1 2 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/25/17* ECU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 012/2/17* at UCF $ 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 1


k h a L i L J o h n s o n

#96


daLLas, texas

kiMbaLL hsMaJor: interdiscipLinary studies

Johnson’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT TFL SK FF FR PD INT QBH2016 2/0 1 0 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 0-0 02017 12/0 0 2 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0-0 1Total 14/0 1 2 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 0-0 1

Johnson’s career highs

Tackles 1, 3x, last vs SMU, Nov 18,2 017Tackle for Loss 1 vs Bowling Green, Sep 24, 2016Passes Defended 1 (2x) last at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Quarterback Hurries 1 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017

Johnson’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PB INT QBH9/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/24/16 BGSU 1 0 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 0-0 08/31/17 ULM 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/16/17 UCLA 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/23/17 SIU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/30/17 at UCF 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/6/17 at UConn 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0-0 110/14/17 Navy 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/19/17 at Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/19/17 SMU 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/25/17 ECU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0


k e d a r i a n J o n e s

#13


daLLas, texas

kiMbaLL hsMaJor: psychoLogy

Jones’ career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2016 8/2 7 121 17.3 1 43 0.9 15.12017 12/0 7 130 18.6 1 37 0.6 10.8Total 20/2 14 251 17.9 2 43 0.7 12.6

Jones’ career highs

Receptions 2 (3x) last vs Houston, Nov 25, 2016Receiving Yards 55 at SMU, Nov 5, 2016Long Reception 43 at SMU, Nov 5, 2016Receiving TD 1 (2x) last vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017All-Purpose Yards 55 at SMU, Nov 5, 2016

Jones’ gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

9/24/16 Bowling Green 1 19 19.0 0 1910/14/16 at Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 010/22/16 at Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/29/16 Tulsa 2 20 10.0 1 1211/5/16* at SMU 2 55 27.5 0 4311/12/16* USF 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/16 at Cincinnati Did Not Play11/25/16 Houston 2 27 13.5 0 2212/20/16 vs WKU 0 0 0.0 0 08/31/17 ULM 1 16 16.0 1 16

MEMPHIS VS. IOWA STATE / AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL GAME 13Jones’ gaMe-by-gaMe receiving

Date Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

9/16/17 UCLA 0 0 0 0 09/23/17 SIU 1 21 21.0 0 219/30/17 at UCF 1 6 6.0 0 610/6/17 at UConn 0 0 0.0 0 010/14/17 Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/19/17 at Houston 1 28 28.0 0 2810/27/17 Tulane 1 37 37.0 1 3711/3/17 at Tulsa 1 10 10.0 0 1011/19/17 SMU 1 12 12.0 0 1211/25/17 ECU 0 0 0.0 0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 0 0 0.0 0 0


p e y t o n J o n e s

#52



MaJor: accounting

Jones’ gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays10/6/17 at UConn Special Teams10/14/17 Navy Special Teams10/19/17 at Houston Special Teams10/27/17 Tulane Special Teams11/3/17 at Tulsa Special Teams11/18/17 SMU Special Teams11/25/17 ECU Special Teams

Jones’ career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT TFL SK FF FR PB INT2016 2/0 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-02017 8/0 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0Total 10/0 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0

Jones’ gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PB INT9/24/16 BGSU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/18/16 at Cincinnati 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0


r o g e r J o s e p h

#66

Junior • tr6-5 • 317

fort LauderdaLe, f./boyd anderson hseLLsWorth cc

MaJor: Music production

Joseph’s career offensive Line statisticsYR GAMES/STARTS PLAYS/TOTAL TEAM PLAYS2017 12/11 804/882

Joseph’s career highs

Offensive Plays 74 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017

Joseph’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays8/31/17 ULM Right Tackle - 31/64 9/16/17* UCLA Right Tackle -67/769/23/17* SIU Right Tackle -29/72 9/30/17* at UCF Right Tackle - 61/7310/6/17* at UConn Right Tackle - 74/10010/14/17* Navy Right Tackle - 69/6910/19/17* at Houston Right Tackle - 76/7610/27/17* Tulane Right Tackle - 63/6311/3/17* at Tulsa Right Tackle - 72/7711/18/17* SMU Right Tackle - 69/7411/25/17* ECU Right Tackle - 39/4912/2/17* at UCF $ Right Tackle - 84/89


g a b e k u h n

#71

r-senior • 3L6-4 • 295

WiLdWood, Mo.Lafayette hs

MaJor: coMMunications

g American Athletic Conference All-Conference First Team (2017)

a 2017 Outland Trophy Watch List

a 2015 Rimington Trophy Watch List

kuhn’s career offensive Line statisticsYR GAMES/STARTS PLAYS/TOTAL TEAM PLAYS2014 13/13 797/1,0122015 12/12 816/9472016 13/13 888/9642017 12/12 750/882Total 50/50 3,251/3,805

kuhn’s career highs

Offensive Plays 97, BYU, Dec 22, 2014

kuhn’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays8/30/14* Austin Peay Center - 47/829/6/14* at UCLA Center - 41/829/20/14* MTSU Center - 68/869/27/14* at Ole Miss Center - 62/6210/4/14* at Cincinnati Center - 80/9410/11/14* Houston Center - 65/7810/25/14* at SMU Center - 42/8010/31/14* Tulsa Center - 68/7211/7/14* at Temple Center - 58/6811/15/14* at Tulane Center - 25/6511/22/14* USF Center - 62/6211/25/14* UConn Center - 82/8512/22/14* vs BYU Center - 97/979/5/15 Missouri State Did Not Play9/12/15* at Kansas Center/Right Guard - 54/799/19/15* at Bowling Green Right Guard - 84/909/24/15* Cincinnati Right Guard - 32/7310/2/15* at USF Right Guard - 72/7210/17/15* Ole Miss Right Guard - 94/9410/23/15* at Tulsa Right Guard - 75/9610/31/15* Tulane Right Guard - 79/8311/7/15* Navy Right Guard - 73/7311/14/15* at Houston Right Guard - 72/8611/21/15* at Temple Right Guard - 69/6911/28/15* SMU Right Guard - 44/6412/30/15* vs Auburn Right Guard - 68/689/3/16* SEMO Right Tackle, Left Tackle - 52/739/17/16* Kansas Right Tackle - 62/729/24/16* Bowling Green Right Guard - 51/7710/1/16* Ole Miss Right Guard - 78/7810/6/16* Temple Right Guard - 58/5810/14/16* at Tulane Right Guard - 67/6710/22/16* at Navy Right Guard - 69/71; Right Tackle 2/7110/29/16* Tulsa Right Guard - 82/8211/5/16* at SMU Right Guard - 55/7211/12/16* USF Right Guard - 81/8111/18/16* at Cincinnati Right Guard - 71/7311/25/16* Houston Right Guard - 79/7912/20/16* vs WKU Right Guard - 81/818/31/17* ULM Right Guard - 57/649/16/17* UCLA Right/Left Guard - 58/769/23/17* SIU Right Guard - 50/729/30/17* at UCF Right Guard - 62/7310/6/17* at UConn Right Guard - 74/10010/14/17* Navy Right Guard - 65/6910/19/17* at Houston Right Guard - 68/7610/27/17* Tulane Left Guard 26/63; Right Guard 26/6311/3/17* at Tulsa Right Guard - 72/7711/18/17* SMU Right Guard - 69/7411/25/17* ECU Right Guard - 39/4912/2/17* at UCF $ Right Guard - 89/89

c e n t e r

d r e W k y s e r

#54

Junior • 2L6-5 • 300

opeLika, aLa.opeLika hs

MaJor: history

a 2016, 2017 Rimington Trophy Watch Lists

kyser’s career offensive Line statistics

YR GAMES/STARTS PLAYS/TOTAL TEAM PLAYS

2015 13/12 965/1,024

2016 13/13 924/964

2017 12/12 842/882

Total 38/37 2,731/2,870

kyser’s career highs

Offensive Plays 94, vs Ole Miss, Sep 17, 2015

kyser’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays9/5/15* Missouri St Center - 63/819/12/15 at Kansas Center - 66/799/19/15* at Bowling Green Center - 90/909/24/15* Cincinnati Center - 73/7310/2/15* at USF Center - 72/7210/17/15* Ole Miss Center - 94/9410/23/15* at Tulsa Center - 82/9610/31/15* Tulane Center - 79/8311/7/15* Navy Center - 73/7311/14/15* at Houston Center - 72/8611/21/15* at Temple Center - 69/6911/28/15* SMU Center - 64/6412/30/15* vs Auburn Center - 68/689/3/16* SEMO Center - 73/739/17/16* Kansas Center - 62/729/24/16* Bowling Green Center - 51/7710/1/16* Ole Miss Center - 78/7810/6/16* Temple Center - 58/5810/14/16* at Tulane Center - 67/6710/22/16* at Navy Center - 71/7110/29/16* Tulsa Center - 82/8211/5/16* at SMU Center - 68/7211/12/16* USF Center - 81/8111/18/16* at Cincinnati Center - 73/7311/25/16* Houston Center - 79/7912/20/16* vs WKU Center - 81/818/31/17* ULM Center - 64/649/16/17* UCLA Center - 76/769/23/17* SIU Center - 72/729/20/17* at UCF Center - 73/7310/6/17* at UConn Center - 86/10010/14/17* Navy Center - 69/6910/19/17* at Houston Center - 76/7610/27/17* Tulane Center - 63/6311/3/17* at Tulsa Center - 72/7711/18/17* SMU Center - 69/7411/25/17* ECU Center - 39/4912/2/17* at UCF $ Center - 89/89


L i o L a f a e L e

#50

senior • 1L6-4 • 305

centenniaL hsriverside cc


LafaeLe’s career offensive Line statisticsYR GAMES/STARTS PLAYS/TOTAL TEAM PLAYS2016 12/2 154/8832017 12/0 154/882Total 24/2 308/1676

LafaeLe’s career highs

Offensive Plays 73 vs SEMO, Sep 3, 2016

LafaeLe’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays9/3/16* SEMO Right Guard - 73/739/17/16* Kansas Right Guard - 62/729/24/16 Bowling Green Right Guard - 17/77 10/1/16 Ole Miss Special Teams10/6/16 Temple Special Teams10/14/16 at Tulane Special Teams10/22/16 at Navy Special Teams10/29/16 Tulsa Special Teams11/5/16 at SMU Special Teams & 17/72 - Guard


LafaeLe’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays11/12/16 USF Special Teams11/18/16 at Cincinnati Special Teams & 2/73 - Guard11/25/16 Houston Special Teams8/31/16 ULM Right Guard 8/649/16/17 UCLA Right Guard - 23/769/23/17 SIU Right Guard - 25/729/30/17 at UCF Right Guard - 11/7310/6/17 at UConn Right Guard - 26/10010/14/17 Navy Right Guard - 4/69 & Special Teams10/19/17 at Houston Special Teams10/27/17 Tulane Right Guard - 37/6311/3/17 at Tulsa Right Guard - 5/77 & Special Teams11/19/17 SMU Guard & Special Teams11/25/17 ECU Right Guard & Special Teams - 10/4912/2/17 at UCF $ Special Teams


t y r e z L i n d s e y

#22


dothan, aLa.dothan hs

MaJor: bioLogy

Lindsey’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT TFL SK FF FR PB INT2017 11/4 24 15 39 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0

Lindsey’s career highs

Tackles 11 at UCF, Dec, 2, 2017Tackle for Loss -Passes Defended -

Lindsey’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PB INT8/31/17 ULM 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/16/17 UCLA 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/23/17 SIU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/30/17* at UCF 2 4 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/6/17* at UConn 4 1 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/14/17* Navy 2 2 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/19/17* at Houston 1 2 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/28/17 Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/3/17 at Tulsa 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/18/17 SMU Did Not Play11/25/17 ECU 4 2 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-012/2/17 at UCF $ 9 2 11 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0

t i g h t e n d

J o e y M a g n i f i c o

#86


cordova, tenn.st. benedict at auburndaLe


g American Athletic Conference All-Conference Second Team (2017)

Magnifico’s career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2016 13/3 9 85 9.4 2 15 0.7 6.52017 12/7 21 280 13.3 3 25 1.8 23.3Total 25/10 30 365 12.2 5 25 1.2 14.6

Magnifico’s career highs

Receptions 6 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017Receiving Yards 83 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017Long Reception 25 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017All-Purpose Yards 51.5 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017Touchdowns 1 (5x) last at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Kick Returns 1 (4x) last at UCF, Sep 30, 2017

Magnifico’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/3/16 SEMO 1 11 11.0 0 119/17/16* Kansas 1 15 15.0 0 159/24/16 Bowling Green 0 0 0.0 0 010/1/16 at Ole Miss 1 14 14.0 0 1410/6/16 Temple 0 0 0.0 0 010/14/16 at Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 010/22/16 at Navy 1 9 0.0 0 910/29/16 Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/5/16 at SMU 2 8 4.0 1 411/12/16 USF 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/16 at Cincinnati 1 2 2.0 1 211/25/16 * Houston 2 26 13.0 0 14

Magnifico’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG12/20/16 * vs WKU 0 0 0.0 0 08/31/17* ULM 1 20 20.0 0 209/16/17* UCLA 6 83 13.8 1 259/23/17* SIU 3 28 9.3 1 139/30/17 at UCF 1 21 21.0 0 2110/6/17* at UConn 3 30 10.0 1 2210/14/17* Navy 1 21 21.0 0 2110/19/17* at Houston 2 29 14.5 0 2510/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 011/3/17* at Tulsa 3 24 8.0 0 1211/18/17 SMU 1 24 24.0 0 2411/25/17 ECU 0 0 0.0 0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 0 0 0.0 0 0


p h i L M a y h u e

#89

senior • 3L6-3 • 210

sickLierviLLe, n.J.WinsLoW toWnship hs

atLanta sports acadeMy

MaJor: accounting

Mayhue’s career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2014 13/1 15 242 16.1 2 54 1.2 18.62015 13/13 51 670 13.2 1 43 3.9 51.52016 12/11 42 677 16.1 4 67 3.5 56.42017 12/12 30 436 14.5 2 46 2.5 36.3Total 50/37 138 2,025 14.7 9 67 2.8 40.5

Mayhue’s career highs

Receptions 7, Tulane, Oct 31, 2015Receiving Yards 142 vs Houston, Nov 25, 2016Long Reception 67 vs Houston, Nov 25, 2016All-Purpose Yards 142 vs Houston, Nov 25, 2016Points 12 vs Houston, Nov 25, 2016Touchdowns 2 vs Houston, Nov 25, 2016Receiving Touchdowns 2 vs Houston, Nov 25, 2016Pass Attempts 1 (2x) last at Houston, Nov 14, 2015Pass Completions 1, Missouri State, Sep 5, 2015Passing Yards 44, Missouri State, Sep 5, 2015Passing Touchdowns 1, Missouri State, Sep 5, 2015

Mayhue’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG8/30/14 Austin Peay 0 0 0.0 0 09/6/14 at UCLA 0 0 0.0 0 09/20/14* MTSU 3 25 8.3 0 129/27/14 at Ole Miss 0 0 0.0 0 010/4/14 at Cincinnati 2 38 19.0 0 2510/11/14 Houston 0 0 0.0 0 010/25/14 at SMU 2 96 48.0 1 5410/31/14 Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/7/14 at Temple 2 11 5.5 0 911/15/14 at Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 011/22/14 USF 1 16 16.0 0 1611/29/14 UConn 3 33 11.0 1 2112/22/14 vs BYU 2 23 11.5 0 119/5/15* Missouri St 1 16 16.0 0 169/12/15* at Kansas 5 68 13.6 0 329/19/15* at Bowling Green 3 40 13.3 0 159/24/15* Cincinnati 4 50 12.5 0 1810/2/15* at USF 4 69 17.3 0 3310/17/15* Ole Miss 3 29 9.7 0 2110/23/15* at Tulsa 4 60 15.0 0 2610/31/15* Tulane 7 107 15.3 0 2911/7/15* Navy 5 68 13.6 0 1711/14/15* at Houston 5 43 8.6 0 1911/21/15* at Temple 5 51 10.2 0 2111/28/15* SMU 1 43 43.0 1 4312/30/15* vs Auburn 4 26 6.5 0 119/3/16* SEMO 1 21 21.0 0 219/17/16* Kansas 4 34 8.5 1 149/24/16* Bowling Green 3 72 24.0 1 4010/1/16* at Ole Miss 6 69 11.5 0 1810/6/16* Temple 6 84 14.0 0 2110/14/16* at Tulane 4 74 18.5 0 2810/22/16* at Navy 3 43 14.3 0 1610/29/16* Tulsa 1 24 24.0 0 2411/5/16 at SMU Did Not Play11/12/16 USF 2 24 12.0 0 1611/18/16* at Cincinnati 3 42 14.0 0 1611/25/16* Houston 6 142 71.0 2 6712/20/16* vs WKU 3 48 16.0 0 228/31/16* ULM 1 19 19.0 0 199/16/17* UCLA 2 23 11.5 1 209/23/17* SIU 4 57 14.3 0 269/30/17* at UCF 3 24 8.0 0 17

Mayhue’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG10/6/17* at UConn 4 41 10.3 0 1510/14/17* Navy 2 30 15.0 0 2010/19/17* at Houston 5 63 12.6 0 1610/27/17* Tulane 3 56 18.7 0 3011/3/17* at Tulsa 4 74 18.5 0 3811/18/17* SMU 0 0 0.0 0 011/25/17* ECU 2 49 24.5 1 4612/2/17* at UCF $ 0 0 0.0 0 0

p u n t e r / h o L d e r

e v a n M i c h a e L

#35

r-senior • 3L6-1 • 230

gerMantoWn, tenn.christian brothers hs


g Graduated on December 17, 2017 with a degree in Marketing

Management

MichaeL’s gaMe-by-gaMe puntingDate Opponent No Yds Avg LG TB FC 50+ I208/30/14 Austin Peay - - - - - - - -9/6/14 at UCLA - - - - - - - -9/20/14 MTSU - - - - - - - -9/27/14 at Ole Miss - - - - - - - -10/4/14 at Cincinnati - - - - - - - -10/11/14 Houston - - - - - - - -10/25/14 at SMU - - - - - - - -10/31/14 Tulsa - - - - - - - -11/7/14 at Temple - - - - - - - -11/15/14 at Tulane - - - - - - - -11/22/14 USF - - - - - - - -11/29/14 UConn - - - - - - - -12/22/14 BYU - - - - - - - -9/5/15 Missouri St - - - - - - - -9/12/15 at Kansas - - - - - - - -9/19/15 at BGSU - - - - - - - -9/24/15 Cincinnati - - - - - - - -10/2/15 at USF - - - - - - - -10/17/15 Ole Miss - - - - - - - -10/23/15 at Tulsa - - - - - - - -10/31/15 Tulane - - - - - - - -11/7/15 Navy - - - - - - - -11/14/15 at Houston - - - - - - - -11/21/15 at Temple - - - - - - - -11/28/15 SMU - - - - - - - -12/30/15 vs Auburn - - - - - - - -9/3/16 SEMO - - - - - - - -9/17/16 Kansas - - - - - - - -9/24/16 Bowling Green - - - - - - - -10/1/16 Ole Miss - - - - - - - -10/6/16 Temple - - - - - - - -10/14/16 at Tulane - - - - - - - -10/22/16 at Navy - - - - - - - -10/29/16 Tulsa - - - - - - - -11/5/16 at SMU - - - - - - - -11/12/16 USF - - - - - - - -11/18/16 at Cincinnati - - - - - - - -11/25/16 Houston - - - - - - - -12/20/16 vs WKU - - - - - - - -8/31/16 ULM - - - - - - - -9/16/17 UCLA - - - - - - - -9/23/17 SIU - - - - - - - -9/30/17 at UCF - - - - - - - -10/6/17 at UConn - - - - - - - -10/14/17 Navy - - - - - - - -10/19/17 at Houston - - - - - - - -10/27/17 Tulane - - - - - - - -11/3/17 at Tulsa - - - - - - - -11/18/17 SMU - - - - - - - -11/25/17 ECU - - - - - - - -12/2/17 at UCF $ - - - - - - - -



a n t h o n y M i L L e r

#3

r-senior • 2L5-11 • 190

MeMphis, tenn.christian brothers hs


g NCAA Consensus All-American (2017); Third Player in Memphis his-tory and first non-specialist to earn the honor

g Named a first team All-American by AFCA, the Associated Press, ESPN, The Athletic’s All-American and Phil Steele (2017)

g Named a second team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Sports Illustrated and Sporting News

(2017)

g Burlsworth Trophy Finalist (2017)

g AAC First Team All-Conference (2017)

g Has a catch in 37 consecutive games

g Graduated on December 17, 2017 with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies

g Became Memphis career receiving yards leader with his fifth catch against Tulane, breaking the mark held by Duke Calhoun (2,981).

g Will leave Memphis with school records for catches (single game, sin-gle season, career), receiving yards (single game, single season, career)

and touchdown catches (single game, single season, career).

g AAC Weekly Honor Roll (9/17/17; 10/9/17)

g Member of the Biletnikoff Award Watch List (2016, 2017); Named a Biletnikoff Semifinalist

aAll-American Athletic Conference Second Team (2016)

a Finished 2016 with 95 catches for 1,434 yards (both school records)

a Holds the Memphis single-season record for receiving yards, passing the mark set by Isaac Bruce. Miller and Bruce are the only 2 Memphis

1,000 yard, single season receivers in school history

MiLLer’s career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2015 12/4 47 694 14.8 5 82 3.9 57.82016 13/13 95 1434 15.1 14 84 7.3 110.32017 12/12 92 1407 15.3 17 89 7.7 117.3Total 37/29 234 3,535 15.1 36 89 6.3 95.5

MiLLer’s career rushing statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/R TDS LG AVG/G2015 12/4 9 54 4.5 2 15 0.82016 13/13 12 69 5.8 1 41 5.32017 12/12 9 27 3.0 0 7 2.3Total 37/29 30 150 5.0 3 41 4.1

MiLLer’s career kick return statisticsYR G/S NO YDS TDS LG AVG/R AVG/G2015 12/4 4 105 0 47 26.2 8.8

MiLLer’s career punt return statisticsYR G/S NO YDS TDS LG AVG/R AVG/G2015 12/4 3 28 0 18 9.3 2.32016 13/13 15 97 0 17 6.5 7.52017 12/12 2 11 0 6 5.5 0.2Total 37/29 20 136 0 18 6.8 3.7

MiLLer’s career highs

Rush Attempts 3 (3x) last vs SIU, Sep 23, 2017Rush Yards 28, Tulane, Oct 31, 2015Long Rush 41 vs Kansas, Sep 17, 2016Rushing TDs 1 (2x) last at Ole Miss, Oct 1, 2016Receptions 15 (2x) last at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Receiving Yards 250 vs Tulsa, Oct 29, 2016Long Reception 89 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Receiving TDs 4 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017All-Purpose Yards 261 vs Tulsa, Oct 29, 2016Kick Returns 4, vs Navy, Nov 7, 2015Kick Return Yards 105, vs Navy, Nov 7, 2015Long Kick Return 47 vs Navy, Nov 7, 2015Punt Returns 3 vs SEMO, Sep 3, 2016Long Punt Return 17 vs SEMO, Sep 3, 2016

MiLLer’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

9/5/15 Missouri St 1 5 5.0 0 59/12/15 at Kansas 3 61 20.3 0 269/19/15 at BGSU 3 46 15.3 0 349/24/15 Cincinnati 5 156 31.2 1 8210/2/15 at USF 3 36 12.0 0 1810/17/15 Ole Miss 10 132 13.2 1 36

MiLLer’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

10/23/15* at Tulsa 5 106 21.2 1 4510/31/15* Tulane 3 32 10.7 0 1311/7/15* Navy 5 33 6.6 1 1111/14/15 at Houston Did Not Play11/21/15 at Temple 3 17 5.7 0 911/28/15 SMU 3 60 20.0 1 4412/30/15* vs Auburn 3 10 3.3 0 69/3/16* SEMO 9 103 11.4 0 179/17/16* Kansas 5 93 18.6 1 849/24/16* Bowling Green 3 72 24.0 1 4010/1/16* at Ole Miss 10 132 13.2 0 4210/6/16* Temple 1 1 1 0 110/14/16* at Tulane 4 32 8.0 0 1310/22/16* at Navy 9 134 14.9 1 3310/29/16* Tulsa 12 250 20.8 2 5911/5/16* at SMU 4 102 25.5 2 5011/12/16* USF 10 153 15.3 1 5711/18/16* at Cincinnati 2 37 18.5 1 2211/25/16* Houston 15 169 11.3 2 3512/20/16* vs WKU 11 151 13.7 3 458/31/17* ULM 2 23 11.5 0 239/16/17* UCLA 9 185 20.6 2 419/23/17* SIU 6 47 7.8 1 169/30/17* at UCF 3 37 12.3 0 1610/6/17* at UConn 15 224 14.9 4 4010/14/17* Navy 10 90 9.0 2 2810/19/17* at Houston 10 178 17.8 0 5210/27/17* Tulane 6 75 12.5 1 2111/3/17* at Tulsa 6 46 7.7 1 1811/19/17* SMU 8 163 20.4 2 4811/25/17* ECU 3 144 48.0 1 8912/2/17* at UCF $ 14 195 13.9 3 68

MiLLer’s gaMe-by-gaMe rushingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

9/5/15 Missouri St 1 5 5.0 0 59/12/15 at Kansas 3 7 2.3 0 69/19/15 at BGSU 0 0 0.0 0 09/24/15 Cincinnati 0 0 0.0 0 010/2/15 at USF 1 3 3.0 0 310/17/15 Ole Miss 0 0 0.0 0 010/23/15* at Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 010/31/15* Tulane 2 28 14.0 1 1511/7/15* Navy 2 11 5.5 1 911/14/15 at Houston Did Not Play11/21/15 at Temple 0 0 0.0 0 011/28/15 SMU 0 0 0.0 0 012/30/15* vs Auburn 0 0 0.0 0 09/3/16* SEMO 0 0 0 0 09/17/16* Kansas 3 56 18.7 0 419/24/16* Bowling Green 1 -5 -5.0 0 -510/1/16* at Ole Miss 3 25 8.3 1 1510/6/16* Temple 2 -4 -2.0 0 010/14/16* at Tulane 1 4 4.0 0 410/22/16* at Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/29/16* Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/5/16* at SMU 0 0 0.0 0 011/12/16* USF 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/16* at Cincinnati 1 5 5.0 0 511/25/16* Houston 1 -12 -12.0 0 -1212/20/16* vs WKU 0 0 0.0 0 08/31/16* ULM 1 5 5.0 0 59/16/17* UCLA 2 10 5.0 0 79/23/17* SIU 3 5 1.7 0 49/30/17* at UCF 0 0 0.0 0 010/6/17* at UConn 0 0 0.0 0 010/14/17* Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/19/17* at Houston 0 0 0.0 0 010/27/17* Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 011/3/17* at Tulsa 1 1 1.0 0 111/18/17* SMU 2 6 3.0 0 411/25/17* ECU 0 0 0.0 0 012/2/17* at UCF $ 0 0 0.0 0 0

MiLLer’s gaMe-by-gaMe kickoff returnsDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/5/15 Missouri St 0 0 0.0 0 09/12/15 at Kansas 0 0 0.0 0 09/19/15 at BGSU 0 0 0.0 0 09/24/15 Cincinnati 0 0 0.0 0 010/2/15 at USF 0 0 0.0 0 010/17/15 Ole Miss 0 0 0.0 0 010/23/15* at Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 010/31/15* Tulane 0 0 0 0 011/7/15* Navy 4 105 26.3 0 4711/14/15 at Houston Did Not Play11/21/15 at Temple 0 0 0 0 011/28/15 SMU 0 0 0.0 0 012/30/15* vs Auburn 0 0 0.0 0 0

MiLLer’s gaMe-by-gaMe punt returnsDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/5/15 Missouri St 0 0 0.0 0 09/12/15 at Kansas 0 0 0.0 0 09/19/15 at BGSU 0 0 0.0 0 09/24/15 Cincinnati 0 0 0.0 0 010/2/15 at USF 0 0 0.0 0 010/17/15 Ole Miss 0 0 0.0 0 010/23/15* at Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 010/31/15* Tulane 1 18 18.0 0 1811/7/15* Navy 1 4 4.0 0 411/14/15 at Houston Did Not Play11/21/15 at Temple 0 0 0 0 011/28/15 SMU 1 6 6.0 0 612/30/15* vs Auburn 0 0 0.0 0 09/3/16* SEMO 3 33 11.0 0 179/17/16* Kansas 3 20 6.7 0 1110/6/16* Temple 1 3 3.0 0 310/14/16* at Tulane 1 9 9.0 0 910/22/16* at Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/29/16* Tulsa 2 11 5.5 0 711/5/16* at SMU 1 6 6.0 0 611/12/16* USF 1 7 7.0 0 711/18/16* at Cincinnati 1 5 5.0 0 511/25/16* Houston 1 1 1.0 0 112/20/16* vs WKU 1 2 2.0 0 211/18/17* SMU 1 5 5.0 0 511/25/17* ECU 1 6 6.0 0 612/2/17* at UCF $ 0 0 0.0 0 0


d a v i d M o o r e

#2


aLpharetta, ga.MiLton hs

MaJor: psychoLogy

Moore’s career passing statisticsYR G/S CMP ATT INT YDS TD LG PCT AVG/P AVG/G2017 5/0 7 10 0 63 1 19 70.0 6.3 12.6

Moore’s career rushing statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG AVG/G2017 5/0 8 47 5.9 0 21 9.4

Moore’s career highs

Pass Completions 5 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Pass Attempts 7 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Passing Yards 49 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Passing Touchdowns 1 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Long Passing Play 19 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Rush Attempts 4 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Rush Yards 37 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Long Rush 21 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017

Moore’s gaMe-by-gaMe passingDate Opponent Att Comp YDs INT TD LG Sack8/31/17 ULM - - - - - - -10/6/17 at UConn 7 5 49 0 1 19 011/3/17 at Tulsa 0 0 0 0 0 0 011/18/17 SMU 1 1 11 0 0 11 011/25/17 ECU 1 2 3 0 0 3 0

Moore’s gaMe-by-gaMe rushingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG8/31/17 ULM 3 9 3.0 0 1310/6/17 at UConn 4 37 9.2 0 2111/3/17 at Tulsa 1 -5 -5.0 0 011/18/17 SMU 0 0 0 0 011/25/17 ECU 3 15 5.0 0 11


J a c e n e v i L L e

#51

r-Junior • 2L6-6 • 290

coLuMbia, Mo.rock bridge hs

MaJor: ManageMent

g Graduated on Dec 17, 2017 with a degree in Management

neviLLe’s career offensive Line statistics


2015 2/0 17/1028

2016 13/5 246/964


neviLLe’s career offensive Line statistics


2017 12/0 22/882

Total 26/5 285/2,874

neviLLe’s career highs

Offensive Plays 59 at Ole Miss, Oct 1, 2016

neviLLe’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays9/5/15 Missouri St Left Tackle - 3/8111/28/15 SMU Left Tackle - 14/649/3/16* SEMO Right Tackle - 46/739/17/16 Kansas Right Tackle - 14/729/24/16* Bowling Green Right Tackle - 50/7710/1/16* Ole Miss Right Tackle - 59/7810/6/16* Temple Right Tackle - 31/5810/14/16* at Tulane Right Tackle - 20/6710/22/16 at Navy Special Teams10/29/16 Tulsa Special Teams11/5/16 at SMU Special Teams & Tackle - 26/7211/12/16 USF Special Teams11/18/16 at Cincinnati Special Teams11/25/16 Houston Special Teams12/20/16 vs WKU Special Teams8/31/17 ULM Special Teams9/16/17 UCLA Special Teams9/23/17 SIU Special Teams9/30/17 at UCF Special Teams10/6/17 at UConn Special Teams & Right Tackle - 14/10010/14/17 Navy Special Teams10/19/17 at Houston Special Teams10/27/17 Tulane Special Teams11/3/17 at Tulsa Special Teams11/18/17 SMU Special Teams11/25/17 ECU Right Tackle & Special Teams - 3/49

p L a c e - k i c k e r

r i L e y p a t t e r s o n

#36


edWardsviLLe, iLL.edWardsviLLe hs

MaJor: business econoMics

patterson’s career scoring statisticsYR G PAT FGM-FGA PTS AVG/G2017 12 61-62 9-13 88 7.3

patterson’s career fieLd goaL statisticsYR FGM-FGA LG PCT 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+2017 9-13 42 69.2 - 2-2 5-5 2-4 0-2

patterson’s career kickoff statisticsYR G NO YDS AVG TB OB OSK2017 12 24 1432 59.7 2 2 2

patterson’s career highs

Points Scored 13 at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Kick PATs 9 vs SMU, Nov 18, 2017Points by Kicking 13 at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Field Goals Made 3 vs Navy, Oct 14, 2017Field Goal Attempts 4 (2x) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Longest Field Goal 42 (2x) vs Navy, Oct 14, 2017Tackles 2 vs SIU, Sep 23, 2017

patterson’s gaMe-by-gaMe kickingDate Opponent FG LG PAT PTS KO AVG TB OB8/31/17 ULM 0-0 - 4-4 4 3 52.7 0 09/16/17 UCLA 0-0 - 2-3 2 3 59.3 0 09/23/17 SIU 1-1 30 2-2 5 7 60.4 1 09/30/17 at UCF 0-0 - 0-0 0 2 65.0 1 010/3/17 at UConn 0-0 - 5-5 5 4 62.2 0 110/14/17 Navy 3-4 42 3-3 12 0 0.0 0 010/19/17 at Houston 0-1 - 6-6 6 0 0.0 0 010/27/17 Tulane 0-0 - 8-8 8 3 57.3 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 2-2 33 5-5 11 0 0.0 0 011/18/17 SMU 1-1 34 9-9 12 0 0.0 0 011/25/17 ECU 0-0 - 10-10 10 2 61.0 0 112/2/17 at UCF $ 2-4 27 7-7 7 0 0.0 0 0


b r y t a i n p e d d y

#59


Munford, tenn.Munford hs

MaJor: ManageMent

peddy’s career offensive Line statistics


2016 1/0 Left Guard - 9/77

2017 12/0 Special Teams & 29/882

Total 13/0 44/959

peddy’s career highs


peddy’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays9/24/16 Bowling Green Left Guard - 9/7710/6/17 at UConn Left Guard - 14/10011/3/17 at Tulsa Left Guard - 5/7711/18/17 SMU Left Guard - 5/7411/25/17 ECU Left Guard - 10/4912/2/17 at UCF $ Special Teams

peddy’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT TFL SK FF FR PB INT2017 12/0 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0


J o s h p e r r y

#4

r-freshMan • rs6-3 • 192aMite, La.aMite hs


perry’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT TFL SK FF FR PB INT2017 12/5 24 9 33 1-1 0-0 0 1 3 1-0

perry’s career highs

Tackles 9 vs SMU, Nov 19, 2017Tackle for Loss 1 (2x) last vs SMU, Nov 19, 2017Passes Defended 3 vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017Fumble Recoveries 1 vs SMU, Nov 19, 2017Interception 1 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017

perry’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PB INT8/31/17 ULM 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/16/17 UCLA 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/23/17 SIU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/30/17 at UCF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/6/17 at UConn 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/14/17 Navy 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/19/17 at Houston 3 1 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/27/17* Tulane 6 1 7 0-0 0-0 0 0 3 0-011/3/17* at Tulsa 2 2 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/19/17* SMU 5 4 9 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0-011/25/17* ECU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1-012/2/17* at UCF $ 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0


t h o M a s p i c k e n s

#40



MaJor: accounting

pickens’ career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT TFL SK FF FR PB INT2017 5/0 4 2 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0

pickens’ career highs

Tackles 3 at UCF, Sep 30, 2017Tackle for Loss -

pickens’ career highs

Passes Defended -

picken’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PB INT8/31/17 ULM 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/16/17 UCLA 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/23/17 SIU Did Not Play9/30/17 at UCF 1 2 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/6/17 at UConn 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/25/17 ECU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0


t o n y p o L L a r d

#1


MeMphis, tenn.MeLrose hs


g Walter Camp First Team All-American (2017)

g FWAA First Team All-American (2017)

g Phil Steele First Team All-American (2017)

g Sports Illustrated All-America, Second Team (2017)

g AAC Special Teams Player of the Year (2016, 2017)

g AAC First Team All-Conference (2016, 2017)

g Paul Hornung Award Watch List (2017)

g AAC Special Teams Player of the Week (9/4/17)

a Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-American (2016)

a USA Today Freshman All-American (2016)

poLLard’s career rushing statisticsYR G/S NO YDS TDS LG AVG/R AVG/G2016 13/8 31 159 1 19 5.1 12.22017 12/9 29 222 2 66 7.7 18.5Total 25/17 60 381 3 66 6.4 15.2

poLLard’s career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2016 13/8 29 298 10.3 2 45 2.2 22.92017 12/9 34 501 14.7 4 59 2.8 41.8Total 25/17 63 799 12.7 6 59 2.5 32.0

poLLard’s career kick return statisticsYR G/S NO YDS TDS LG AVG/R AVG/G2016 13/8 38 1,068 2 100 28.1 82.12017 12/9 19 806 4 100 42.4 67.2Total 25/17 57 1874 6 100 32.9 75.0

poLLard’s career highs

Receptions 9 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Receiving Yards 91 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Receiving TDs 1 (5x) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Long Reception 59 at Tulsa, Nov 3, 2017Rushes 9 at Cincinnati, Nov 18, 2016Rushing Yards 76 vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017Longest Rush 66 at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Rushing Touchdowns 1 (3x) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Kick-off Returns 6 vs Tulsa, Oct 29, 2016Long Kick Return 100 (3x) last vs ECU, Nov 27, 2017Kick Return Touchdown 1 (6x) last vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Punt Returns 1 vs SEMO, Sep 3, 2016Long Punt Return 8 vs SEMO, Sep 3, 2016Punts Blocked 1 vs SEMO, Sep 3, 2016

poLLard’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0 09/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0 0 09/24/16* Bowling Green 4 57 14.3 1 2110/1/16 at Ole Miss 1 8 8.0 0 810/6/16* Temple 1 8 8.0 0 810/14/16* at Tulane 3 24 8.0 0 2210/22/16 at Navy 4 26 6.5 0 1310/29/16* Tulsa 1 6 6.0 0 611/5/16* at SMU 3 23 7.7 0 911/12/16* USF 2 20 10.0 0 1211/18/16 at Cincinnati 2 13 6.5 0 911/25/16* Houston 2 8 4.0 0 612/20/16* vs WKU 4 81 20.3 1 458/31/17* ULM 3 14 4.7 0 79/16/17 UCLA 1 42 42.0 1 429/23/17* SIU 0 0 0.0 0 09/30/17* at UCF 3 75 25.0 0 3510/6/17* at UConn 1 14 14.0 1 14


proctor’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/12/15 at Kansas 0 0 0.0 0 09/19/15 at BGSU 4 35 8.8 0 249/24/15 Cincinnati 3 78 26.0 0 6110/2/15 at USF 3 42 14.0 0 2810/17/15 Ole Miss 3 27 9.0 0 1810/23/15 at Tulsa 3 20 6.7 0 1310/31/15 Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 011/7/15 Navy 5 58 11.6 0 2811/14/15 at Houston 1 24 24.0 0 2411/21/15 at Temple Did Not Play11/28/15 SMU Did Not Play12/30/15 vs Auburn Did Not Play9/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0 09/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0 0 09/24/16 Bowling Green 1 31 31.0 1 3110/1/16 at Ole Miss 0 0 0.0 0 010/6/16 Temple 0 0 0.0 0 010/14/16 at Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 010/22/16 at Navy 1 8 8.0 0 810/29/16 Tulsa Did Not Play11/5/16 at SMU Did Not Play11/12/16 USF Did Not Play11/18/16 at Cincinnati Did Not Play11/25/16 Houston Did Not Play12/20/16 vs WKU Did Not Play9/30/17 at UCF 1 12 12.0 0 1210/6/17 at UConn 0 0 0.0 0 010/14/17 Navy 1 13 13.0 0 1310/19/17 at Houston 0 0 0.0 0 010/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 4 64 16.0 0 3511/18/17 SMU 0 0 0.0 0 011/25/17 ECU 1 3 3.0 0 312/2/17 at UCF $ 0 0 0.0 0 0

proctor’s gaMe-by-gaMe punt returnDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG8/30/14 Austin Peay 1 8 8.0 0 89/5/15 Missouri St 3 84 28.0 1 639/12/15 at Kansas 4 13 3.3 0 89/19/15 at BGSU 1 -5 -5.0 0 09/24/15 Cincinnati 0 0 0.0 0 010/2/15 at USF 4 31 7.8 0 2910/17/15 Ole Miss 2 20 10.0 0 1510/23/15 at Tulsa 1 1 1.0 0 110/31/15 Tulane 1 0 0.0 0 011/7/15 Navy 0 0 0.0 0 011/14/15 at Houston 3 -4 -1.3 0 311/21/15 at Temple Did Not Play11/28/15 SMU Did Not Play12/30/15 vs Auburn Did Not Play

L i n e b a c k e r

J a v a r i s “J J ” r u s s e L L

#23




russeLL’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH BL2017 9/0 8 1 9 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 1

russeLL’s career highs

Tackles 3 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Tackles for Loss -Sacks -QB Hurries 1 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Forced Fumble -Interception -Passes Defended -Blocked Punt 1 vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017

russeLL’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT QBH BL8/31/17 ULM 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 09/16/17 UCLA 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/23/17 SIU Did Not Play - Inj.9/30/17 at UCF Did Not Play - Inj.10/6/17 at UConn 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/14/17 Navy 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 010/19/17 at Houston Did Not Play10/27/17 Tulane 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 111/3/17 at Tulsa 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 011/18/17 SMU 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 011/25/17 ECU 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 1 012/2/17 at UCF $ 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0

poLLard’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG10/14/17 Navy 3 55 18.3 0 3310/22/17* at Houston 9 91 10.1 0 2510/27/17* Tulane 4 42 10.5 0 2211/3/17 at Tulsa 2 61 30.5 1 5911/18/17* SMU 1 21 21.0 0 2111/25/17* ECU 1 14 14.0 0 1412/2/17* at UCF $ 6 72 12.0 1 29

poLLard’s gaMe-by-gaMe rushingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

9/3/16 SEMO 3 5 1.7 0 39/17/16 Kansas 5 40 8.0 1 149/24/16* Bowling Green 1 19 19.0 0 1910/1/16 at Ole Miss 0 0 0.0 0 010/6/16* Temple 0 0 0.0 0 010/14/16* at Tulane 1 11 11.0 0 1110/22/16 at Navy 2 15 7.5 0 1010/29/16* Tulsa 1 2 2.0 0 211/5/16* at SMU 6 26 4.3 0 911/12/16* USF 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/16 at Cincinnati 9 37 4.1 0 1211/25/16* Houston 1 -1 -1.0 0 -112/20/16* vs WKU 2 5 2.5 0 48/31/17* ULM 2 8 4.0 0 59/16/17 UCLA 1 -2 -2.0 0 09/23/17* SIU 0 0 0.0 0 09/30/17* at UCF 4 9 2.3 0 710/6/17* at UConn 6 30 5.0 0 1410/14/17 Navy 3 5 1.7 0 610/19/17* at Houston 0 0 0.0 0 010/27/17* Tulane 3 76 25.3 1 5811/3/17 at Tulsa 4 9 2.3 0 311/18/17* SMU 3 16 5.3 0 711/25/17* ECU 0 0 0.0 0 012/2/17* at UCF $ 3 71 23.7 1 66

poLLard’s gaMe-by-gaMe kickoff returnsDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/3/16 SEMO 2 63 31.5 0 389/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0.0 0 09/24/16* Bowling Green 1 39 39.0 0 3910/1/16 at Ole Miss 5 114 22.8 0 3610/6/16* Temple 4 141 35.3 1 9510/14/16* at Tulane 1 35 35.0 0 3510/22/16 at Navy 3 134 44.7 1 10010/29/16* Tulsa 6 161 26.8 0 3111/5/16* at SMU 0 0 0.0 0 011/12/16* USF 7 174 24.9 0 3611/18/16 at Cincinnati 1 24 24.0 0 2411/25/16* Houston 5 108 21.6 0 3012/20/16* vs WKU 3 75 25.0 0 308/31/17* ULM 2 144 72.0 1 999/16/17 UCLA 3 67 22.3 0 249/23/17* SIU 8 359 44.9 1 1009/30/17* at UCF 2 40 20.0 0 2210/6/17* at UConn 2 73 36.5 0 5010/14/17 Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/19/17* at Houston 2 115 57.5 1 9310/27/17* Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 1 30 30.0 0 3011/18/17* SMU 1 34 34.0 0 3411/25/17* ECU 1 100 100.0 1 10012/2/17* at UCF $ 2 55 27.5 0 32

poLLard’s gaMe-by-gaMe punt returnsDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/3/16 SEMO 1 8 8.0 0 8

L i n e b a c k e r

d a r i a n p o r t e r

#29

senior • 2L6-3 • 230

LouisviLLe, ky./seneca hs/Mt. san Jacinto coLLege

MaJor: professionaL studies

porter’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT2015 11/0 0 2 2 1 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-02016 13/0 14 6 20 0 1-0 0 2-3 0.5-1 0-02017 1/0 1 0 1 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0Total 25/0 15 8 23 1 1-0 0 2-3 0.5-1 0-0

porter’s career highs

Tackles 5 at SMU, Nov 5, 2016Pass Breakup 1, at Kansas, Sep 12, 2015Tackle for Loss 1 vs Kansas, Sep 17, 2016Fumble Recovery 1 vs Temple, Oct 6, 2016

porter’s career highs

Sacks 0.5 vs Houston, Nov 25, 2016

porter’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT FR9/5/15 Missouri St. 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/12/15 at Kansas 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 09/24/15 Cincinnati 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/2/15 at USF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/17/15 Ole Miss Did Not Play10/23/15 at Tulsa 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/31/15 Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/7/15 Navy 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/14/15 at Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/21/15 at Temple 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/28/15 SMU 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 012/30/15 vs Auburn 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/3/16 SEMO 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/17/16 Kansas 1 0 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/24/16 Bowling Green 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/1/16 at Ole Miss 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/6/16 Temple 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 1-010/14/16 at Tulane 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-010/22/16 at Navy 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-010/29/16 Tulsa 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-011/5/16 at SMU 5 0 5 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-011/12/16 USF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-011/18/16 at Cincinnati 2 1 3 0.5-1 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-011/25/16 Houston 0 1 1 0.5-1 0.5-1 0 0 0-0 0-012/20/16 vs WKU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-08/31/17 ULM 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 0-09/16/17 UCLA DNP - Inj. - Out for remainder of year


r o d e r i c k p r o c t o r

#18

senior • 2L5-11 • 175orLando, fLa.

dr. phiLLips hsMaJor: sport and Leisure ManageMent

proctor’s career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2014 13/3 27 259 9.6 1 27 2.1 19.92015 10/0 25 335 13.4 0 61 2.5 33.52016 7/0 2 39 19.5 1 31 0.3 5.62017 9/2 5 67 13.4 0 35 0.6 7.4Total 39/5 59 700 11.9 2 61 1.5 17.9

proctor’s career rushing statisticsYR G/S NO YDS TDS LG AVG/R AVG/G2014 13/3 7 -16 0 0 -- 0.02015 10/0 3 -6 0 4 0.0 -0.7Total 28/3 10 -32 0 4 0.0 -1.1

proctor’s career punt return statisticsYR G/S NO YDS TDS LG AVG/R AVG/G2014 13/3 1 8 0 8 8.0 0.62015 10/0 19 140 1 63 7.4 1.9Total 28/3 20 148 1 63 7.4 0.9

proctor’s career highs

Points Scored 6 (3x), vs Bowling Green, Sep 24, 2016Touchdowns 1 (3x), vs Bowling Green, Sep 24, 2016Receptions 5 (2x), Tulsa, Oct 31, 2014Receiving Yards 61, Cincinnati, Oct 4, 2014Long Reception 35 at Tulsa, Nov 3, 2017All-Purpose Yards 135, Missouri St, Sep 5, 2015Rush Attempts 1 (3x), at Tulsa, Oct 23, 2015Punt Returns 4, at USF, Oct 2, 2015Punt Return Yards 84, Missouri St, Sep 5, 2015Long Punt Return 63, Missouri St, Sep 5, 2015Punt Return TDs 1, Missouri St, Sep 5, 2015

proctor’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG8/30/14 Austin Peay 0 0 0.0 0 09/6/14 at UCLA 2 28 14.0 0 159/20/14 MTSU 1 5 5.0 0 59/27/14 at Ole Miss 0 0 0.0 0 010/4/14 at Cincinnati 3 61 20.3 0 2610/11/14 Houston 5 42 8.4 0 1510/25/14 at SMU 0 0 0.0 0 010/31/14* Tulsa 5 21 4.2 0 1511/7/14* at Temple 1 5 5.0 0 511/15/14* at Tulane 2 37 18.5 0 2711/22/14 USF 3 22 7.3 0 911/29/14 UConn 3 24 8.0 0 1112/22/14* vs BYU 2 14 7.0 1 119/5/15 Missouri St 3 51 17.0 0 32



M e c h a n e s L a d e

#81

r-freshMan • 1L5-8 • 165

rosWeLL, ga.rosWeLL hs


sLade’s career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2016 6/0 4 27 6.8 0 9 0.8 5.42017 9/0 8 81 10.1 1 19 0.9 9.0Total 15/0 12 108 9.0 1 19 0.8 7.2

sLade’s career highs

Touchdowns 1 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Receptions 4 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Receiving Yards 36 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Long Reception 19 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017

sLade’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/3/16 SEMO 3 21 7.0 0 99/17/16 Kansas Did Not Play9/24/16 Bowling Green 0 0 0.0 0 010/1/16 at Ole Miss Did Not Play10/6/16 Temple Did Not Play10/14/16 at Tulane Did Not Play10/22/16 at Navy Did Not Play10/29/16 Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/5/16 at SMU 1 6 0.0 0 611/12/16 USF 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/16 at Cincinnati Did Not Play11/25/16 Houston Did Not Play12/20/16 vs WKU Did Not Play8/31/17 ULM 0 0 0.0 0 09/16/17 UCLA 0 0 0.0 0 09/23/17 SIU Did Not Play9/30/17 at UCF 1 15 15.0 0 1510/6/17 at UConn 4 36 9.0 1 1910/14/17 Navy Did Not Play10/19/17 at Houston Did Not Play10/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 1 12 12.0 0 1211/18/17 SMU 2 18 9.0 0 1111/25/17 ECU 0 0 0.0 0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 0 0 0.0 0 0


c h r i s t i a n s L a u g h t e r

#39

r-senior • 1L5-10 • 170

cedar hiLL, texas

cedar hiLL hsMaJor: sport and Leisure ManageMent sLaughter’s career defensive statistics

YR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT2016 13/0 10 0 10 0 0 0 0-0 0 0-02017 11/2 17 1 18 2 1 0 2-2 0 0-0Total 24/2 27 1 28 2 1 0 2-2 0 0-0

sLaughter’s career highs

Tackles 5 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017Tackles for Loss 1 (2x) last vs SIU, Sep 23, 2017Sacks -Pass Breakups 1 vs SIU, Sep 23, 2017Fumble Recovery 1 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017

sLaughter’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PB INT9/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/24/16 BGSU 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/1/16 at Ole Miss 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/6/16 Temple 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/14/16 at Tulane 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/22/16 at Navy 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/29/16 Tulsa 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/5/16 at SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/12/16 USF 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/18/16 at Cincinnati 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/25/16 Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-012/20/16 vs WKU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-08/31/17* ULM 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/16/17 UCLA 5 0 5 1-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-09/23/17* SIU 4 0 4 1-1 0-0 0 0 1 0-0

sLaughter’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PB INT9/30/17 at UCF 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/6/17 at UConn 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0-010/14/17 Navy 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/19/17 at Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/3/17 at Tulsa DNP - Inj.11/18/17 SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/25/17 ECU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-012/2/17 at UCF $ 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0

p u n t e r

s p e n c e r s M i t h

#17

graduated: May 2017r-senior • 2L

6-1 • 195neWnan, ga./east coWeta hs

MaJor: exercise science

g Ray Guy Watch List (2016, 2017)

a All-American Athletic Conference Punter

(first team 2015, 2016; second team, 2014)

sMith’s career scoring statisticsYR G PAT FGM-FGA PTS AVG/G2014 13 1-1 0-0 1 0.12015 13 0-0 0-0 0 0.02016 13 0-0 0-0 0 0.02017 12 13-13 3-3 22 1.1Total 51 14-14 3-3 23 0.5

sMith’s career punting statisticsYR G NO YDS AVG LG BL TB FC 50+ I202014 13 58 2,335 40.3 58 0 1 27 9 182015 13 43 2,030 47.2 72 0 4 11 18 102016 13 45 2,028 45.1 63 0 3 20 13 112017 12 21 856 40.8 54 0 0 7 5 7Total 51 167 7,249 43.4 72 0 8 65 45 46

sMith’s career kickoff statisticsYR G NO YDS AVG TB OB FC OSK2014 13 1 65 65.0 1 0 0 02015 13 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 02016 13 - - - - - - -2017 12 73 4,190 57.4 19 2 0 2Total 51 74 4,255 57.5 20 2 0 2

sMith’s career highs

Points Scored 9 vs SIU, Sep 23, 2017Kick PATs 5 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Points by Kicking 9 vs SIU, Sep 23, 2017Punting Average 54.0 at Kansas, Sep 12, 2015Punt Attempts 9, Ole Miss, Sep 27, 2014Punt Yards 386, Ole Miss, Sep 27, 2014Longest Punt 72, Cincinnati, Sep 24, 2015Long Field Goal Made 35 vs Southern Illinois, Sep 23, 2017Long Field Goal Attpt. 35 vs Southern Illinois, Sep 23, 2017

sMith’s gaMe-by-gaMe puntingDate Opponent No Yds Avg LG TB FC 50+ I208/30/14 Austin Peay 2 102 51.0 55 1 0 1 09/6/14 at UCLA 7 276 39.4 49 0 1 0 49/20/14 MTSU 1 8 8.0 8 0 0 0 09/27/14 at Ole Miss 9 386 42.9 53 0 4 2 210/4/14 at Cincinnati 2 67 33.5 35 0 1 0 010/11/14 Houston 5 195 39.0 44 0 3 0 210/25/14 at SMU 1 46 46.0 46 0 0 0 110/31/14 Tulsa 4 158 39.5 43 0 4 0 311/7/14 at Temple 7 251 35.9 47 0 4 0 111/15/14 at Tulane 8 375 46.9 58 0 2 4 311/22/14 USF 1 48 48.0 48 0 0 0 011/29/14 vs UConn 6 226 37.7 53 0 4 1 112/22/14 BYU 5 197 39.4 53 0 4 1 19/5/15 Missouri St 4 186 46.5 55 1 2 2 29/12/15 at Kansas 1 54 54.0 54 0 0 1 09/19/15 at BGSU 4 192 48.0 53 0 3 2 39/24/15 Cincinnati 6 316 52.7 72 1 0 4 010/2/15 at USF 2 95 47.5 49 0 1 0 110/17/15 Ole Miss 4 159 39.8 49 0 2 0 210/23/15 at Tulsa 3 144 48.0 53 0 1 2 010/31/15 Tulane 1 42 42.0 42 0 1 0 111/7/15 Navy 2 76 38.0 42 0 0 0 011/14/15 at Houston 4 190 47.5 53 0 0 2 011/21/15 at Temple 4 189 47.2 62 1 1 1 011/28/15 SMU 2 104 52.0 53 1 0 2 112/30/15 vs Auburn 6 283 47.2 51 0 0 2 09/3/16 SEMO 3 136 45.3 60 0 0 1 09/17/16 Kansas 3 154 51.3 59 0 0 2 29/24/16 Bowling Green 6 272 45.3 57 1 5 1 110/1/16 at Ole Miss 3 105 35.0 51 0 0 1 210/6/16 Temple 3 161 53.7 58 1 1 3 010/14/16 at Tulane 5 227 45.4 63 0 1 1 2

sMith’s gaMe-by-gaMe puntingDate Opponent No Yds Avg LG TB FC 50+ I2010/22/16 at Navy 2 83 41.5 42 0 0 0 110/29/16 Tulsa 4 169 42.2 46 0 4 0 011/5/16 at SMU 5 248 49.6 58 0 2 2 211/12/16 USF 2 99 49.5 58 1 1 1 111/18/16 at Cincinnati 4 183 45.8 55 0 2 1 011/25/16 Houston 4 150 37.5 40 0 4 0 012/20/17 vs WKU 1 41 41.0 41 0 1 0 08/31/17 ULM 2 80 40.0 49 0 1 0 19/16/17 UCLA 3 121 40.3 45 0 1 0 09/23/17 SIU 2 104 52.0 54 0 1 2 19/30/17 at UCF 2 74 37.0 40 0 0 0 110/6/17 at UConn 1 52 52.0 52 0 0 1 010/14/17 Navy * 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 010/19/17 at Houston 4 119 29.8 39 0 2 0 010/27/17 Tulane 2 74 37.0 40 0 1 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 2 79 39.5 47 0 1 0 111/18/17 SMU 1 53 53.0 53 0 0 1 111/25/17 ECU 1 48 48.0 48 0 0 0 112/2/17 at UCF $ 1 52 52.0 52 0 0 1 0

* Drew a roughing the kicker penalty in his one attempt

sMith’s career fieLd goaL statisticsYR FGM-FGA LG PCT 1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50+2017 3-3 35 1.00 - 1-1 2-2 - -

sMith’s gaMe-by-gaMe kickingDate Opponent FG LG PAT PTS KO AVG TB OB8/31/17 ULM 1-1 20 0-0 3 4 48.8 0 09/16/17 UCLA 0-0 - 4-4 4 5 48.6 0 09/23/17 SIU 2-2 35 3-3 9 2 53.0 0 19/30/17 at UCF 0-0 - 1-1 1 0 0.0 0 010/6/17 at UConn 0-0 - 5-5 5 7 54.0 3 010/14/17 NAVY 0-0 - 0-0 - 8 58.2 4 010/19/17 at Houston 0-0 - - - 7 59.3 3 011/18/17 SMU 0-0 - - - 11 62.4 6 111/25/17 ECU 0-0 - - - 9 61.6 1 012/2/17 at UCF $ 0-0 - - - 7 50.9 0 0

L i n e b a c k e r

c h a n d L e r s t u M p

#59


frankLin, tenn.centenniaL hs

MaJor: undecLared

g Glenn Jones Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year (2017)

stuMp’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2017 5/0 0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0

stuMp’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PB INT9/23/17 SIU - - - - - - - - -9/30/17 at UCF - - - - - - - - -10/6/17 at UConn - - - - - - - - -11/3/17 at Tulsa - - - - - - - - -11/25/17 ECU - - - - - - - - -


J o h n t a t e

#90


pine bLuff, ark.pine bLuff hs

MaJor: ManageMent

tate’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH BK2017 12/12 16 7 23 1 1-0 0 0.5-1 0-0 0-0 1 1

tate’s career highs

Tackles 4 (2x) last vs Navy, Oct 14, 2017Tackles for Loss 0.5 at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Sacks -Fumble Recoveries 1 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Quarterback Hurries 1 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017Pass Breakup 1 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017

tate’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FR INT QBH BK8/31/17 ULM 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 09/16/17 UCLA 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0-0 1 0


tate’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FR INT QBH BK9/23/17* SIU 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 09/30/17 at UCF 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 010/6/17 at UConn 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 010/14/17 Navy 2 2 4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 010/19/17 at Houston 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 1-0 0 0-0 0 010/27/17 Tulane 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 011/18/17 SMU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 011/25/17 ECU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 112/2/17 at UCF $ 0 1 1 .5-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0


t r e v o n t a t e

#72

r-Junior • 2L6-4 • 290

houston, texas

north shore hsMaJor: sport and Leisure ManageMent

g American Athletic Conference First Team All-Conference (2017)

tate’s career offensive Line statistics


2015 13/10 708/955

2016 13/11 889/964

2017 12/12 840/882

Total 38/33 2,437/2,801

tate’s career highs

Offensive Plays 94, Ole Miss, Oct. 17, 2015

tate’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays9/5/15 Missouri St Right Tackle - 24/819/12/15 at Kansas Right Tackle - 50/799/19/15* at BGSU Right Tackle - 39/909/24/15* Cincinnati Right Tackle - 40/7310/2/15 at USF Right Tackle - 65/7210/17/15 * Ole Miss Right Tackle - 94/9410/23/15 * at Tulsa Right Tackle - 58/9610/31/15* Tulane Right Tackle - 79/8311/7/15 Navy Did Not Play11/14/15* at Houston Right Tackle - 86/8611/21/15* at Temple Right Tackle - 69/6911/28/15* SMU Right Tackle - 46/6412/30/15* vs Auburn Right Tackle - 68/689/3/16 SEMO Right Tackle & Left Tackle - 52/739/17/16* Kansas Left Tackle - 62/729/24/16* Bowling Green Left Tackle - 51/7210/1/16* at Ole Miss Left Tackle - 78/7810/6/16* Temple Left Tackle - 58/5810/14/16* at Tulane Left Tackle - 67/6710/22/16* at Navy Left Tackle - 71/7110/29/16* Tulsa Left Tackle - 82/8211/5/16* at SMU Left Tackle - 55/7211/12/16* USF Left Tackle - 81/8111/18/16* at Cincinnati Left Tackle - 73/7311/25/16* Houston Left Tackle - 79/7912/20/16* vs WKU Left Tackle - 80/818/31/17* ULM Left Tackle - 64/649/16/17* UCLA Left Tackle - 76/769/23/17* SIU Left Tackle - 72/729/30/17* at UCF Left Tackle - 73/7310/6/17* at UConn Left Tackle - 78/10010/14/17* Navy Left Tackle - 69/6910/19/17* at Houston Left Tackle - 76/7610/27/17* Tulane Left Tackle - 63/6311/3/17* at Tulsa Left Tackle - 72/7711/18/17* SMU Left Tackle - 69/7411/25/17* ECU Left Tackle - 39/4912/2/17* at UCF $ Left Tackle - 89/89


p a t r i c k t a y L o r J r .

#6


huMbLe, texas

atascocita hsMaJor: ManageMent

tayLor’s career rushing statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/R TDS LG AVG/G2016 13/0 93 546 5.9 2 51 42.02017 11/1 140 798 5.7 13 66 72.5Total 24/1 233 1,344 5.8 15 66 56.0

tayLor’s career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2016 13/0 11 37 3.3 0 17 0.8 2.82017 11/1 15 114 7.6 1 47 1.4 10.4Total 24/1 26 151 5.8 1 47 1.1 6.3

tayLor’s career highs

Rush Attempts 19 at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Rush Yards 131 vs Louisiana Monroe, Aug 31, 2017Long Rush 66 vs Louisiana Monroe, Aug 31, 2017Rushing Touchdowns 4 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Receptions 3 (4x) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Receiving Yards 47 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017Receiving Touchdown 1 vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017All-Purpose Yards 134 vs Louisiana Monroe, Aug 31, 2017

tayLor’s gaMe-by-gaMe rushingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

9/3/16 SEMO 7 86 12.3 0 519/17/16 Kansas 13 88 6.8 0 329/24/16 Bowling Green 5 45 9.0 1 3810/1/16 at Ole Miss 5 20 4.0 0 1110/6/16 Temple 0 0 0.0 0 010/14/16 at Tulane 5 3 0.6 0 0.610/22/16 at Navy 4 18 4.5 1 710/29/16 Tulsa 15 92 6.1 0 4311/5/16 at SMU 3 7 2.3 0 311/12/16 USF 9 79 8.8 0 3511/18/16 at Cincinnati 17 38 2.2 0 811/25/16 Houston 7 36 5.1 0 1112/20/16 vs WKU 3 34 11.3 0 238/31/17 ULM 15 131 8.7 1 669/16/17 UCLA 12 39 3.3 0 109/23/17 SIU 16 77 4.8 1 229/30/17 at UCF 9 29 3.2 1 910/6/17 at UConn Did Not Play - Inj.10/14/17 Navy 5 31 6.2 0 1210/19/17 at Houston 14 39 2.8 4 1110/27/17 Tulane 14 50 3.6 0 1411/3/17 at Tulsa 12 56 4.7 1 1811/18/17 SMU 18 112 6.2 2 1811/25/17* ECU 6 127 21.2 2 6012/2/17 at UCF $ 19 107 5.6 1 38

tayLor’s gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0 09/17/16 Kansas 2 21 10.5 0 179/24/16 Bowling Green 0 0 0.0 0 010/1/16 at Ole Miss 0 0 0.0 0 010/6/16 Temple 0 0 0.0 0 010/14/16 at Tulane 1 0 0.0 0 010/22/16 at Navy 1 5 5.0 0 510/29/16 Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/5/16 at SMU 2 -7 -3.5 0 011/12/16 USF 1 2 2.0 0 211/18/16 at Cincinnati 3 13 4.3 0 711/25/16 Houston 0 0 0.0 0 012/20/16 vs WKU 1 3 3.0 0 38/31/17 ULM 1 3 3.0 0 39/16/17 UCLA 1 47 47.0 1 479/23/17 SIU 2 27 13.5 0 179/30/17 at UCF 3 10 3.3 0 510/6/17 at UConn Did Not Play - Inj.10/14/17 Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/19/17 at Houston 3 21 7.0 0 910/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 1 -4 -4 0 011/18/17 SMU 1 -1 -1 0 011/25/17* ECU 0 0 0.0 0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 3 11 3.7 0 9


L a ’a n d r e t h o M a s

#12


Jackson, Miss.WingfieLd hs


thoMas’ career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2017 11/0 10 3 13 3 0-0 0 0.5-0 0-0 1-0 0

thoMas’ career highs

Tackles 3 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Tackles for Loss 0.5 at UCF, Sep 30, 2017Sacks -Fumble Recoveries -Quarterback Hurries -Pass Breakup 1 (3x) last vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017Interceptions 1 vs ECU, Nov 25, 2017

thoMas’ gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FR PB INT QBH8/31/17 ULM 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 09/16/17 UCLA 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 09/23/17 SIU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0-0 09/30/17 at UCF 1 1 2 0.5-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 010/6/17 at UConn 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 010/14/17 Navy 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 010/19/17 at Houston 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 010/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 011/25/17 ECU 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 1-0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0

L i n e b a c k e r

s h a r e e f W h i t e

#30

senior • 3L6-1 • 235



White’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2014 13/0 13 4 17 1 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 02015 13/5 51 12 63 0 0-0 1 7-23 1-10 0-0 02016 10/5 28 10 38 1 0-0 1 0-0 0-0 1-0 12017 12/2 32 13 45 0 0-0 0 6-13 1.5-5 0-0 3Total 48/12 124 39 163 2 0-0 2 13-36 2.5-15 1-0 4

White’s career highs

Tackles 17, vs Auburn, Dec 30, 2015Tackles for Loss 2 (2x) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Pass Break Ups 1 (2x) last vs Temple, Oct 6, 2016QB Hurries 1 (3x) last vs UCLA, Sep 16, 2017Sacks 1 (2x) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Interceptions 1 vs Kansas, Sep 7, 2016Forced Fumbles 1 (2x) vs Kansas, Sep 7, 2016

White’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT QBH8/30/14 Austin Peay 1 3 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/6/14 at UCLA 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/20/14 MTSU 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/27/14 at Ole Miss 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/4/14 at Cincinnati 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/11/14 Houston 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/25/14 at SMU 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/31/14 Tulsa 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/7/14 at Temple 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/15/14 at Tulane 6 0 6 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 011/22/14 USF 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/29/14 UConn 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 012/22/14 vs BYU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/5/15* Missouri St 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/12/15* at Kansas 6 1 7 2-4 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/19/15 at BGSU 4 1 5 1-5 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/24/15 Cincinnati 4 1 5 1-2 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/2/15 at USF 4 0 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/17/15 Ole Miss 4 0 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/23/15 at Tulsa 5 0 5 1-10 1-10 0 0 0-0 010/31/15* Tulane 4 1 5 1-1 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/7/15 Navy 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/14/15 at Houston 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/21/15 at Temple 1 2 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/28/15* SMU 4 1 5 0-0 0-0 1 0 0-0 012/30/15* vs Auburn 14 3 17 1-1 0-0 0 0 0-0 0


White’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT QBH9/3/16* SEMO 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 09/17/16* Kansas 7 0 7 0-0 0-0 1 0 1-0 09/24/16* BGSU 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/1/16* at Ole Miss 4 2 6 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 110/6/16* Temple 5 1 6 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 010/14/16 at Tulane Did Not Play10/22/16 at Navy 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/29/16 Tulsa Did Not Play11/5/16 at SMU Did Not Play11/12/16 USF 3 0 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/18/16 at Cincinnati 3 4 7 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/25/16 Houston 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 012/20/16 vs WKU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 08/31/17 ULM 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 19/16/17 UCLA 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 19/23/17* SIU 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0-0 09/30/17 at UCF 6 1 7 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/6/17 at UConn 5 1 6 1-2 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/14/17* Navy 4 3 7 1-5 0.5-4 0 0 0-0 010/19/17 at Houston 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 010/27/17 Tulane 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 2 1 3 1-2 0-0 0 0 0-0 111/18/17 SMU 4 1 5 1-2 0-0 0 0 0-0 011/25/17 ECU 2 2 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0 012/2/17 at UCF $ 5 1 6 2-2 1-1 0 0 0-0 0


J o h n ‘ p o p ’ W i L L i a M s

#9


destrehan, La.destrehan hs

MaJor: econoMics

WiLLiaMs’ career receiving statisticsYR G/S NO YDS AVG/C TDS LG REC/G AVG/G2016 13/0 7 79 11.3 0 20 0.5 6.12017 10/0 11 143 13.0 0 55 1.8 14.3Total 23/0 18 222 12.3 0 55 0.9 9.7

WiLLiaMs’ career punt return statisticsYR G/S NO YDS TDS LG AVG/R AVG/G2016 13/0 4 69 0 31 17.3 5.32017 10/0 17 93 0 23 5.5 9.3Total 23/0 21 162 0 31 7.7 7.0

WiLLiaMs’ career highs

Points Scored -Touchdowns -Receptions 4 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Receiving Yards 74 vs SIU, Sep 23, 2017Long Reception 55 vs SIU, Sep 23, 2017Punt Returns 5 vs SIU, Sep 23, 2017Punt Return Yards 31 vs Kansas, Sep 17, 2016Long Punt Return 31 vs Kansas, Sep 17, 2016

WiLLiaMs’ gaMe-by-gaMe receivingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/3/16 SEMO 1 13 13 0 139/17/16 Kansas 0 0 0 0 09/24/16 Bowling Green 1 15 15 0 1510/1/16 at Ole Miss 0 0 0 0 010/6/16 Temple 0 0 0 0 010/14/16 at Tulane 2 8 4.0 0 710/22/16 at Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/29/16 Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/5/16 at SMU 1 20 20.0 0 2011/18/16 at Cincinnati 0 0 0.0 0 011/25/16 Houston 0 0 0.0 0 08/31/17 ULM 1 2 2.0 0 29/16/17 UCLA 0 0 0.0 0 09/23/17 SIU 2 74 37.0 0 559/30/17 at UCF 3 28 9.3 0 1510/6/17 at UConn 4 33 8.3 0 1210/14/17 Navy 1 6 6.0 0 610/19/17 at Houston 0 0 0.0 0 010/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/17 SMU Did Not Play - Inj.11/25/17 ECU 0 0 0 0 012/2/17 at UCF $ Did Not Play - Inj.

WiLLiaMs’ gaMe-by-gaMe rushingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

8/31/17 ULM 1 2 2.0 0 29/16/17 UCLA 1 10 10.0 0 109/23/17 SIU 0 0 0.0 0 09/30/17 at UCF 0 0 0.0 0 0

WiLLiaMs’ gaMe-by-gaMe rushingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

10/6/17 at UConn 0 0 0.0 0 010/14/17 Navy 0 0 0.0 0 010/19/17 at Houston 0 0 0.0 0 010/27/17 Tulane 1 3 3.0 0 311/3/17 at Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/17 SMU Did Not Play - Inj.11/25/17 ECU 0 0 0.0 0 012/2/17 at UCF $ Did Not Play - Inj.

WiLLiaMs’ gaMe-by-gaMe punt returnsDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG9/3/16 SEMO 1 4 4.0 0 49/17/16 Kansas 1 31 31.0 0 319/24/16 Bowling Green 1 4 4.0 0 411/18/16 at Cincinnati 1 30 30.0 0 308/31/17 ULM 2 22 11.0 0 239/16/17 UCLA 2 9 4.5 0 99/23/17 SIU 5 10 2.0 0 49/30/17 at UCF 1 -1 -1.0 0 -110/6/17 at UConn 1 16 16.0 0 1610/14/17 Navy 2 9 4.5 0 510/19/17 at Houston 1 20 20.0 0 2010/27/17 Tulane 0 0 0.0 0 011/3/17 at Tulsa 0 0 0.0 0 011/18/17 SMU Did Not Play - Inj.11/25/17 ECU 1 3 3.0 0 312/2/17 at UCF $ Did Not Play - Inj.


J o n a t h a n W i L s o n

#38


port suLphur, La.south pLaQueMines hs

MaJor: heaLth studies

WiLson’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT QBH2016 13/8 20 10 30 2 0-0 0 6-26 3-20 1-61 22017 12/8 11 11 22 0 1-0 1 5-19 2-16 0-0 2Total 25/16 31 21 52 2 1-0 1 11-45 5-36 1-61 4

WiLson’s career highs

Tackles 6 at Navy, Oct 22, 2016Quarterback Hurries 1 (4x) last at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Interception 1 vs Kansas, Sep 17, 2016Int Return Yds 61 vs Kansas, Sep 17, 2016Touchdowns 1 vs Kansas, Sep 17, 2016Pass Breakups 1 vs. Temple, Oct 6, 2016Sacks 1 (3x) last vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017Tackles for Loss 1 (7x) last vs SMU, Nov 18, 2017Fumble Recovery 1 vs Louisana Monroe, Aug 31, 2017Forced Fumble 1 vs Tulane, Oct 27, 2017

WiLson’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PB INT QBH9/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19/17/16 Kansas 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1-61 09/24/16 BGSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 010/1/16 at Ole Miss 1 0 1 1-5 1-5 0 0 1 0-0 010/6/16* Temple 2 0 2 1-10 1-10 0 0 1 0-0 110/14/16* at Tulane 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/22/16* at Navy 3 3 6 1-4 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/29/16* Tulsa 3 1 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/5/16* at SMU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/12/16* USF 1 0 1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/18/16* at Cincin. 2 2 4 1-5 1-5 0 0 0 0-0 011/25/16* Houston 3 0 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 012/2/16* vs WKU 1 2 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 08/31/17 ULM 1 0 1 1-1 0-0 0 1 0 0-0 09/16/17 UCLA 1 0 1 1-10 1-10 0 0 0 0-0 09/23/17 SIU 1 2 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 09/30/17* at UCF 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 110/6/17* at UConn 0 1 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/15/17 Navy 1 2 3 0.5-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 010/19/17* at Houton 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 110/27/17* Tulane 3 1 4 1-6 1-6 1 0 0 0-0 011/3/17* at Tulsa 0 2 2 0.5-1 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/18/17* SMU 2 1 3 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 011/25/17* ECU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 012/2/17* at UCF $ 1 1 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-0 0


t i t o W i n d h a M

#24

Junior • tr5-10 • 195

guLfport, Miss./harrison centraL hs/northWest Mississippi cc


WindhaM’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT2017 11/10 28 7 35 10 1-0 3 3-17 1-11 1-2

WindhaM’s career highs

Tackles 6 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Quarterback Hurries -Interception 1 at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Int Return Yards 2 at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Passes Defended 2 (3x) last at UCF, Dec 2, 2017Sacks 1 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Tackles for Loss 2 at Houston, Oct 19, 2017Fumble Recoveries 1 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017Forced Fumbles 2 at UConn, Oct 6, 2017

WindhaM’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF FR PBU INT8/31/17 ULM 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 09/16/17* UCLA 3 0 3 1-3 0-0 0 0 2 0-09/23/17 SIU Did Not Play9/30/17 * at UCF 1 2 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/6/17 * at UConn 4 1 5 0-0 0-0 2 1 0 0-010/14/17* Navy 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-010/19/17* at Houston 5 1 6 2-14 1-11 1 0 2 0-010/27/17* Tulane 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-011/3/17* at Tulsa 4 0 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0-011/18/17* SMU 2 1 3 0-0 0-0 0 0 2 0-011/25/17* ECU 2 2 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0-012/2/17* at UCF $ 4 0 4 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1-2


d u s t i n W o o d a r d

#53


chandLer, ariz.chandLer hs

MaJor: accounting

a 247Sports True Freshman All-America Team (2016)

Woodard’s career offensive Line statistics


2016 13/11 840/964

2017 12/12 817/882

TOTAL 25/23 1,657/1,846

Woodard’s career highs


Woodard’s gaMe-by-gaMe offensive LineDate Opponent Position - Plays9/3/16 SEMO Left Guard - 25/739/17/16 Kansas Left Guard - 42/729/24/16* Bowling Green Left Guard/Center - 53/7710/1/16* at Ole Miss Left Guard - 60/7810/6/16* Temple Left Guard - 58/5810/14/16* at Tulane Left Guard - 67/6710/22/16* at Navy Left Guard - 71/7110/29/16* Tulsa Left Guard - 82/8211/5/16* at SMU Left Guard/Center - 72/7211/12/16* USF Left Guard - 81/8111/18/16* at Cincinnati Left Guard - 73/7311/25/16* Houston Left Guard - 79/7912/20/16* vs WKU Left Guard - 81/818/31/17* ULM Left Guard - 64/649/16/17* UCLA Left Guard - 71/769/23/17* SIU Left Guard - 72/729/30/17* at UCF Left Guard - 73/7310/6/17* at UConn Left Guard - 86/10010/14/17* Navy Left Guard - 69/6910/19/17* at Houston Left Guard - 76/7610/28/17* Tulane Left Guard - 37/6311/3/17* at Tulsa Left Guard - 72/7711/18/17* SMU Left Guard - 69/7411/25/17* ECU Left Guard - 39/4912/2/17* at UCF $ Left Guard - 89/89



a n t h o n y y o u n g

#31

senior • 3L6-0 • 200

MeMphis, tenn.White station hs

MaJor: bioLogicaL sciences

g Graduated on December 17, 2017 with a degree in Biology

young’s career defensive statisticsYR G/S UT AT TOT PD FR FF TFL SK INT2014 7/0 5 0 5 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-02015 1/0 1 0 1 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-02016 2/0 2 0 2 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0Total 10/0 8 0 8 0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0-0

young’s career highs

Tackles 2 (3x), vs Bowling Green, Sep 24, 2016

young’s gaMe-by-gaMe defenseDate Opponent UT AT TT TFL SK FF PB INT8/30/14 Austin Peay 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/6/14 UCLA 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/20/14 MTSU 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/27/14 Ole Miss 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/4/14 Cincinnati Did Not Play10/11/14 Houston Did Not Play10/25/14 SMU Did Not Play11/7/14 Temple Did Not Play11/15/14 Tulane 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-011/22/14 USF Did Not Play11/29/14 UConn 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-012/22/14 BYU 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-09/5/15 Missouri St Did Not Play9/12/15 at Kansas Did Not Play9/19/15 at BGSU Did Not Play9/24/15 Cincinnati Did Not Play10/2/15 at USF 1 0 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-010/17/15 Ole Miss Did Not Play10/23/15 at Tulsa Did Not Play10/31/15 Tulane Did Not Play11/7/15 Navy Did Not Play11/14/15 at Houston Did Not Play11/21/15 at Temple Did Not Play11/28/15 SMU Did Not Play12/30/15 vs Auburn Did Not Play9/3/16 SEMO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 09/24/16 Bowling Green 2 0 2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0-0

young’s gaMe-by-gaMe rushingDate Opponent No Yds Avg TDs LG

11/25/17 ECU 2 5 2.5 0 3


Mother Nature provided the rain and wind. The University of Memphis football team brought the lightning in the Tigers’ 2017 season-opening 37-29 victory over Louisiana Monroe.

Before a monsoon-soaked crowd of 10,263 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis used big play af-ter big play to build a lead over the visiting Warhawks and then held on for the non-conference victory. It was Memphis’ fourth-straight season/home opening win.

With the deteriorating weather conditions, Tigers head coach Mike Norvell’s normal high-flying air attack took to the ground and piled up over 300 rushing yards. The 319 yards is the first 300-yard rushing performance by the Tigers since they ran for 317 yards vs. Missouri State in the 2015 season opener.

The Darrell Henderson-Patrick Tay-lor Jr. tandem accounted for most of the

rushing yardage with 169 and 132 yards, respectively, and both were career rush-ing bests. The duo combined for three rushing touchdowns (Henderson 2; Taylor 1). Henderson (63 yards) and Taylor (66 yards) also had career-long rushes in the victory.

The Tigers led 20-7 at the break and broke the game open on the second half opening kickoff. After returning two kicks for scores in 2016, Tony Pollard did it again for his school-record third kick return for a score. Pollard took the opening kickoff of the second half and went 99 yards for the score and a 27-7 Memphis lead. Pollard’s 99-yard kick return was the second-longest in program history (the longest is Pollard’s 100-yard return at Navy in 2016).

Game 1 // August 31 // vs. Louisiana Monroe

Louisiana Monroe 29

Memphis 37Liberty bowl Memorial Stadium

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 FLouisiana Monroe 7 0 7 15 29Memphis 7 13 17 0 37

team StatiSticS ULM MEMFirst Downs 25 16Net Yards Rushing 49-146 39-319Net Yards Passing 279 97Comp-Att-Int 21-37-1 10-25-1Total Offense Yards 86-425 64-416Punts: Number-Average 6-37.2 5-40.8Fumbles: Number-Lost 6-3 1-1Penalties: Number-Yards 8-53 10-96Possession Time 37:42 22:18Third-Down Conversions 10 of 18 7 of 15Fourth-Down Conversions 2 of 2 0 of 0Red-Zone Scores-Chances 4-5 2-2Sacks by: Number-Yards 1-6 2-23

Scoring Summary

Q Time Scoring Play V-H1st 10:43 MEM - TAYLOR 66 run (PATTERSON kick) 3-50 0:52 0-7

03:17 ULM - GORE 14 run (FORD kick) 9-97 4:23 7-72nd 14:28 MEM - FERGUSON 2 run (MOORE rush fumbled) 10-55 3:31 7-13 09:11 MEM - HENDERSON 55 run (PATTERSON kick) 1-55 0:12 7-203rd 14:47 MEM - POLLARD 99 kickoff return (PATTERSON kick) 7-27 08:30 MEM - SMITH 20 FG, 11-71 3:18 7-30

00:39 ULM - WHITE 2 run (FORD kick) 16-68 7:44 14-30 00:13 MEM - HENDERSON 63 run (PATTERSON kick) 2-63 0:20 14-374th 05:21 ULM - GREEN 16 pass from SMITH (FORD kick) 15-84 6:06 21-37

00:40 ULM - BROWN 6 pass from ECANS (WILLIAMS, pass) 8-66 1:47 29-37

Oops, the University of Memphis football team did it again. For the third season in a row, the Tigers used the same recipe to craft an upset.

Home game at the Liberty Bowl: üAn 11 a.m. Saturday morning kickoff: üA ranked opponent: üA national TV audience on ABC: üA Memphis victory: ü

In a quarterback shootout battle for the ages, Tigers signal-caller Riley Fer-guson stayed step-for-step with UCLA’s Josh Rosen in leading the home squad to a 48-45 upset victory over the No. 25 Bruins. Memphis won the game before a crowd of 46,291 at Liberty Bowl Me-morial Stadium.

Ferguson finished the contest with 398 yards and a career-high tying six touchdown passes. Rosen was just as good, throwing for 463 yards and four scores.

It is the third year in a row that Memphis has pulled an upset over a ranked foe in the Liberty Bowl. In 2014, the Tigers defeated No. 12 Ole Miss 37-24. Last season, Memphis posted a come-from-behind 48-44 win over No. 18 Houston at home. Today, and for a third-straight year, the Tigers recorded a win over a ranked opponent – No. 25 UCLA –at home. And, all three games were televised to a na-tional audience on ABC.

The contest was a back-and-forth affair all afternoon with six lead changes, including two in the final quarter.

Game 2 // September 16 // vs. UCLA

No. 25 UCLA 45


Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 FNo. 25 UCLA 7 17 14 7 45Memphis 7 20 14 7 48

team StatiSticS UCLA MEMFirst Downs 31 26Net Yards Rushing 35-170 37-162Net Yards Passing 463 398Comp-Att-Int 34-56-2 23-39-2Total Offense Yards 91-463 76-560Punts: Number-Average 5-40.8 6-39.8Fumbles: Number-Lost 1-1 1-1Penalties: Number-Yards 10-99 11-109Possession Time 31:53 28:07Third-Down Conversions 8 of 17 3 of 12Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 1 2 of 3Red-Zone Scores-Chances 4-5 3-4Sacks by: Number-Yards 2-8 1-10

Scoring Summary

Q Time Scoring Play V-H1st 11:32 MEM - MAGNIFICO 2 pass from FERGUSON (SMITH kick) 2-91 0:26 0-7

06:19 UCLA - STARKS 7 run (MOLSON kick) 5-50 1:56 7-72nd 14:44 UCLA - MOLSON 33 FG, 13-56 3:51 10-7

12:42 UCLA - WILSON 5 pass from ROSEN (MOLSON kick) 2-55 0:33 17-710:44 MEM - TAYLOR 47 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick failed) 5-75 1:58 17-1303:48 MEM - POLLARD 42 pass from FERGUSON (SMITH kick) 6-95 1:53 17-2001:22 UCLA - ROSEN 1 run (MOLSON kick) 2-64 0:44 24-20

00:42 MEM - MILLER 33 pass from FERGUSON (SMITH kick) 3-72 0:35 24-273rd 11:03 MEM - MILLER 12 pass from FERGUSON (SMITH kick) 10-75 3:57 24-34

10:16 UCLA - ANDREWS 65 pass from ROSEN (MOLSON kick) 2-64 0:44 31-3406:58 MEM - HART 60 interception (PATTERSON kick) 31-4105:29 UCLA - LASLEY 21 pass from ROSEN (MOLSON kick) 5-52 1:23 38-41

4th 11:51 UCLA - ROBERTS 22 pass from ROSEN (MOLSON kick) 6-99 2:17 45-4109:56 MEM - MAYHUE 3 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 4-81 1:49 45-48


It wasn’t the easiest. It wasn’t the smoothest. And, it may not have been the prettiest Homecoming game in Uni-versity of Memphis program history. But, it did go down as a win.

The Tigers overcame a slow start and used an electrifying Tony Pollard second-half kick return for a touch-down to propel the home squad to a 44-31 victory over Southern Illinois Sat-urday night. Memphis posted the win before a Homecoming crowd of 41,548 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

The Tigers improved to 3-0 in 2017. Southern Illinois fell to 2-1. It is the second-straight season that Memphis started a campaign with a 3-0 record.

For a second-straight week, Tigers quarterback Riley Ferguson was in a shootout, this time with the Salukis’ Sam Straub. Ferguson passed for 288 yards and two scores, and on the other side, Straub was just as prolific with 290 yards and four touchdowns.

The Tigers were down 21-17 at halftime. Southern Illinois outgained Mem-phis in total yards (241-200) in the opening half and held the ball over 18 minutes (18:05). The Salukis also converted 6-of-10 third-down conversions in the first half.

The momentum shifted to the Tigers’ side after the break. Memphis used a 10-0 run to grab a lead it did not lose the remainder of the contest.

Southern Illinois answered with a touchdown with five minutes remaining, but Memphis wrapped up the victory on a Patrick Taylor Jr. six-yard touchdown scam-per with just over a minute left.

Game 3 // September 23 // vs. Southern illinois

Southern Illinois 31


Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 FSouthern Illinois 14 7 3 7 31Memphis 7 10 17 10 44

team StatiSticS SIU MEMFirst Downs 23 24Net Yards Rushing 37-103 36-176Net Yards Passing 290 288Comp-Att-Int 30-49-1 22-36-0Total Offense Yards 86-393 72-464Punts: Number-Average 5-48.8 3-48.7Fumbles: Number-Lost 0-0 1-0Penalties: Number-Yards 7-56 8-90Possession Time 35:44 24:16Third-Down Conversions 10 of 20 5 of 12Fourth-Down Conversions 3 of 4 1 of 1Red-Zone Scores-Chances 3-4 7-7Sacks by: Number-Yards 0-0 0-0

Scoring Summary

Q Time Scoring Play V-H1st 11:29 SIU - IWEMA 36 pass from STRAUB (SOTIROPOULOS kick) 9-78 3:31 7-0

08:10 MEM - MILLER 1 pass from GERGUSON (SMITH kick) 3-14 0:50 7-701:10 SIU - JAMES 7 pass from STRAUB (SOTIROPOULOS kick) 15-73 6:53 14-7

2nd 09:53 MEM - MAGNIFICO 9 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 10-71 3:05 14-1401:31 MEM - SMITH 33 FG, 13-59 3:35 14-17

00:36 SIU - JAMES 33 pass from STRAUB (SOTIROPOULOS kick) 5-65 0:55 21-173rd 13:47 MEM - HENDERSON 14 run (SMITH kick) 4-75 1:13 21-24 09:08 MEM - PATTERSON 30 FG, 10-63 3:12 21-27

00:20 SIU - SOTIROPOULOS 32 FG, 16-60 8:42 24-2700:05 MEM - POLLARD 100 kickoff return (PATTERSON kick) 24-34

4th 10:31 MEM - SMITH 31 FG, 11-54 4:11 24-3704:51 SIU - GRAHAM 1 pass from STRAUB (SOTIROPOULOS kick) 13-56 5:31 31-3701:21 MEM - TAYLOR 6 run (SMITH kick) 8-72 3:25 31-44

In a rescheduled game from the Sept. 8-9 weekend, the University of Memphis football team fell to UCF 40-13 at Spectrum Stadium. It was the Knights’ 10-straight win the series.

The UCF defense forced four Ti-gers turnovers and held the Memphis offense to 396 total yards in posting a victory in the American Athletic Con-ference opener for both teams. UCF had over 600 yards of total offense and dominated the time of possession, holding on to the ball for over 37 min-utes.

UCF struck first on its opening pos-session with a 17-play, 92-yard touch-down drive. The Knights held the ball for nearly seven minutes. UCF attempt-ed a two-point conversion, but was un-successful.

Memphis answered quickly on its first possession of the game, moving the ball 71 yards in just under three minutes. The Tigers scored on a two-yard Patrick Taylor Jr. run, and with a Spencer Smith PAT, took a 7-6 lead.

The game had a back-and-forth change of possessions over the remainder of the first quarter until UCF broke the game’s 11:26 scoreless stretch with a 28-yard FG to grab a 9-7 lead with 8:29 left before halftime.

The Knights broke the game open in the first half’s final five minutes. After a Memphis punt pinned UCF inside its own 10-yard line, the Knights scored on their first play of the drive. Following a UCF penalty, Adrian Killins Jr. ran 96 yards for a score and a 16-7 UCF lead. Then after a Knights interception, the UCF offense was set up with a short field and took advantage of it. The Knights scored a touchdown on a 34-yard pass from McKenzie Milton to Tre’Quan Smith for a 23-7 lead at the break.

Game 4 // September 30 // at UCF

Memphis 13

UCF 40Spectrum stadium

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 FUCF 6 17 7 10 40Memphis 7 0 0 6 13

team StatiSticS MEM UCFFirst Downs 25 27Net Yards Rushing 24-75 49-350Net Yards Passing 321 253Comp-Att-Int 27-49-3 19-31-1Total Offense Yards 73-396 80-603Punts: Number-Average 4-44.5 3-39.7Fumbles: Number-Lost 1-1 2-0Penalties: Number-Yards 3-20 12-109Possession Time 22:37 37:23Third-Down Conversions 4 of 12 10 of 18Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 4 1 of 2Red-Zone Scores-Chances 2-4 4-6Sacks by: Number-Yards 0-0 2-17

Scoring Summary

Q Time Scoring Play V-H1st 08:11 UCF - MCGOWAN 1 run (LOUDERMILK pass failed) 17-92 6:49 0-6

05:15 MEM - TAYLOR 2 run (SMITH kick) 8-71 2:56 7-62nd 08:29 UCF - WRIGHT 28 FG, 7-46 2:03 7-9 04:23 UCF - KILLINS 96 run (WRIGHT kick) 1-91 0:13 7-16

02:08 UCF - SMITH 34 pass from MILTON (WRIGHT kick) 4-46 0:47 7-233rd 11:19 UCF - KILLINS 19 pass from MILTON (WRIGHT kick) 8-70 2:55 7-304th 14:52 UCF - SMITH 25 pass from MILTON (WRIGHT kick) 3-26 1:27 7-37 04:01 UCF - WRIGHT 35 FG, 14-72 7:24 7-40

00:00 MEM - COXIE 14 pass from FERGUSON ( ) 7-83 1:11 13-40


Talk about a “bounce-back” perfor-mance.

After a suffering its first loss of 2017 less than a week ago, the University of Memphis football squad hit on all cyl-inders in its 70-31 American Athletic Conference win over Connecticut. The contest was played before a crowd of 19,230 at Pratt & Whitney Stadium.

Those in attendance at the contest saw school record-tying efforts from Tigers quarterback Riley Ferguson and wide receiver Anthony Miller. Ferguson tied a program single-game record with seven touchdown tosses, and Miller tied his own single-game receptions mark with 15 catches. Miller also set a school single-game record with four touchdown receptions.

Ferguson tied Paxton Lynch’s re-cord of seven scoring passes. Lynch had seven touchdown strikes in the 2015 regular-season finale win over SMU. Miller first set his own single-game re-ceptions record with 15 catches in the

2016 regular-season finale victory over No. 18/21 Houston.In fact, the entire Memphis offense got into the “setting-record” act. The Ti-

gers racked up a school-record 711 yards of total offense. It is the second 700-yard total offense game in program history and the second in the last three seasons (704 yards at Tulsa in 2015).

Memphis also snapped 100 plays, which is only the second time in program history that the Tigers had 100 plays in a game. The Tigers ran 108 plays in a 2007 contest against SMU.

The quarterback tandem of Ferguson and David Moore combined for 480 yards passing, also a school single-game team record. The previous team passing record was 447 yards at Tulsa in 2015.

Game 5 // October 6 // at UCONN

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Memphis 70

UConn 31Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 FUConn 14 10 0 7 31Memphis 7 28 21 14 70

team StatiSticS MEM UCONNFirst Downs 34 24Net Yards Rushing 45-231 34-167Net Yards Passing 480 310Comp-Att-Int 39-55-0 21-35-1Total Offense Yards 711 477Punts: Number-Average 4-39.0 5-34.0Fumbles: Number-Lost 2-0 5-2Penalties: Number-Yards 12-104 6-55Possession Time 36:50 23:10Third-Down Conversions 13 of 20 2 of 11Fourth-Down Conversions 2 of 3 1 of 3Red-Zone Scores-Chances 6-6 3-4Sacks by: Number-Yards 4-21 1-11

Scoring Summary

Q Time Scoring Play V-H1st 13:44 UCONN - NEWSOME 64 run (TARBUTT kick) 3-77 1:16 0-7

11:02 MEM - DYKES 30 pass from FERGUSON (SMITH kick) 9-75 2:42 7-700:19 UCONN - HOPKINS 1 run (TARBUTT kick) 8-41 2:40 7-14

2nd 14:00 MEM - MILLER 17 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 6-45 1:19 14-1408:00 MEM - MILLER 8 pass from FERGUSON (SMITH kick) 12-76 4:15 21-14

07:13 UCONN - BLOOM 30 pass from SHIRREFFS (TARBUTT kick) 3-75 0:47 21-2101:47 MEM - MILLER 40 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 4-75 1:21 28-21

00:57 MEM - POLLARD 14 pass from FERGUSON (SMITH kick) 4-34 0:44 35-2100:04 UCONN - TARBUTT 37 FG, 8-40 0:53 35-24

3rd 10:23 MEM - MAGNIFICO 5 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 13-75 4:37 42-2401:36 MEM - MILLER 32 pass from FERGUSON (SMITH kick) 2-32 0:19 49-2401:25 MEM - DORECUS 7 run (PATTERSON kick) 1-7 0:03 56-24

4th 11:57 MEM - DORCEUS 26 run (SMITH kick) 8:85 3:22 63-2409:05 UCONN - NEWSOME 13 run (TARBUTT kick) 7-68 2:52 63-3101:42 MEM - SLADE 10 pass from MOORE (PATTERSON kick) 14-74 7:23 70-31

If you were one of the 40,177 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Oct. 14, you, once again, witnessed Univer-sity of Memphis football history.

With its thrilling 30-27 victory over No. 25/24 Navy, the Tigers won its second game over a ranked opponent in 2017. It is the first time in program history Memphis posted two wins over ranked foes in a season. Earlier this sea-son, the Tigers upset No. 25 UCLA 48-45 at the Liberty Bowl.

Coming into Saturday’s game, all the talk was about the two teams’ of-fenses. However, it was the defenses that shined. The Memphis and Navy offenses combined to average over 1,000 yards per game, but the Tigers and Midshipmen defenses stepped up to the challenge and held both offenses to under 400 yards each (Memphis, 397 yards; Navy, 334 yards).

The Tigers defense played especial-ly strong, holding the Midshipmen to 314 yards on the ground. Navy’s rushing output Saturday was 100 yards below its season average (414.2 yds/game). Memphis also forced Navy into five turnovers (3 fumbles/2 interceptions), the most Midshipmen miscues in a game since 2002 (Oct. 19, 2002, six total turnovers vs. Boston College).

The leaders for the Memphis defense were Curtis Akins, Genard Avery and Austin Hall. The trio combined for 31 of the team’s 80 total tackles. Akins and Hall each logged a fumble recovery, and Hall picked off two Zach Abey passes, including the one that sealed the victory with 1:42 left in the game.

Game 6 // OCtober 14 // Vs. Navy

No. 24 Navy 27

Memphis 30Liberty Bowl Memorial stadium

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 FNo. 24 Navy 10 0 9 8 27Memphis 7 3 10 10 30

team StatiSticS NAVY MEMFirst Downs 19 24Net Yards Rushing 68-314 29-118Net Yards Passing 20 279Comp-Att-Int 1-8-2 24-40-0Total Offense Yards 76-334 69-397Punts: Number-Average 4-52.8 2-39.0Fumbles: Number-Lost 4-3 1-1Penalties: Number-Yards 5-65 9-39Possession Time 37:04 22:56Third-Down Conversions 7 of 14 4 of 14Fourth-Down Conversions 2 of 2 0 of 1Red-Zone Scores-Chances 4-4 4-5Sacks by: Number-Yards 2-20 1-8

Scoring Summary

Q Time Scoring Play V-H1st 13:21 NAVY - MOEHRING 23 FG, 4-5 1:39 3-0

10:54 MEM - MILLER 5 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 7-75 2:27 3-702:29 NAVY - ABEY 1 run (MOEHRING kick) 16-70 8:20 10-7

2nd 00:36 MEM - PATTERSON 30 FG, 4-15 0:25 10-103rd 14:15 MEM - HENDERSON 10 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 2-12 0:27 10-17 11:42 NAVY - TEAM safety 12-17

07:30 NAVY - ABEY 8 run (MOEHRING kick) 10-70 4:12 19-17 05:15 MEM - PATTERSON 42 FG, 9-50 2:15 19-204th 13:17 MEM - MILLER 8 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 9-99 2:57 19-27

11:08 MEM - PATTERSON 42 FG, 4-0 1:17 19-3003:25 NAVY - ABEY 1 run (BONNER rush) 10-82 3:09 27-30


A shoot-out was expected in Hous-ton. The script, though, is one many Ti-gers fans would have preferred not to go through.

In a game that will go down as one of the largest comebacks in University of Memphis football history, the Tigers spotted American Athletic Conference West Division rival Houston a 17-0 half-time lead and then outscored the Cou-gars 42-21 in the second half for a dra-matic 42-38 victory. The pivotal West Division showdown was played before 30,001 at TDECU Stadium.

The win improved the Tigers to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the American Athletic Conference. With its last two victories over Navy and Houston, Memphis now owns the tie-breaker with both if the division is decided in that fashion at season’s end. Houston fell to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the league. The win is Mem-phis’ first in Houston since 2005.

To win a game in this manner, a team needs a herculean effort and timely plays. The Tigers got both versus the Cougars.

Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson threw for a school-record 471 yards and one touchdown. He accounted for 465 of the team’s 501 total yards (471 pass-ing/-6 rushing). In addition, Patrick Taylor Jr. rushed for a program-record four touchdowns, including his final one with 5:14 left to put the Tigers in position to finish the comeback.

The Tigers also came up with big plays to propel them to victory. The first was Tony Pollard’s 93-yard kick return for a score to cut the Houston lead to 24-14. The kick-return touchdown is Pollard’s third of the season and the fifth of his career.

Game 7 // October 19 // at Houston

No. 25 Memphis 42

Houston 38TDECU STadium

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 FNo. 25 Memphis 0 0 21 21 42Houston 7 10 14 7 38

team StatiSticS MEM HOUFirst Downs 28 25Net Yards Rushing 23-30 54-239Net Yards Passing 471 315Comp-Att-Int 33-53-1 29-41-1Total Offense Yards 76-501 95-554Punts: Number-Average 7-33.9 6-44.8Fumbles: Number-Lost 1-1 2-2Penalties: Number-Yards 2-10 8-72Possession Time 22:22 37:38Third-Down Conversions 5 of 13 11 of 21Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 0 2 of 3Red-Zone Scores-Chances 4-4 6-6Sacks by: Number-Yards 1-11 2-13

The cold and rain could not place a damper on the University of Memphis football celebration at Liberty Bowl Me-morial Stadium Friday night.

The Tigers reveled not only be-cause their 56-26 American Athletic Conference win over Tulane improved the season record to 7-1 overall, but the victory also made the 2017 seniors the winningest four-year class in pro-gram history with their 34th win (34-13 record). The 2017 four-year seniors sur-passed the previous record of 33 wins by the 1963 four-year class (1960-63; 33-5-1 record).

Memphis rolled out to a 35-0 lead and held off a Green Wave rally to se-cure the win. The victory kept the Tigers at the top of the conference’s West Divi-sion with a 4-1 league mark.

While the Tigers offense cranked out big plays in the first half to build its advantage, the Memphis defense rose to the occasion throughout the contest. The Tigers defense held Tulane to 122 yards rushing, the Green Wave’s lowest ground output of the season (previous low was 191 yards at Navy Sept. 9). Memphis tied a school record for sacks (7) and set season-highs for TFL (13), sack yardage (52) and TFL yardage (73). The Tigers defense also got into the scoring mix in the fourth quarter when Austin Hall fell on a fumble in the end zone.

Game 8 // OCtober 27 // vs. Tulane

Tulane 26

NO. 24 Memphis 56Liberty Bowl Memorial stadium

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 FTulane 0 12 7 7 26No. 24 Memphis 14 21 0 21 56

team StatiSticS TLN MEMFirst Downs 18 18Net Yards Rushing 52-122 32-259Net Yards Passing 203 298Comp-Att-Int 15-31-0 18-31-1Total Offense Yards 83-325 63-557Punts: Number-Average 8-35.5 4-38.5Fumbles: Number-Lost 3-1 0-0Penalties: Number-Yards 4-27 8-80Possession Time 37:28 22:32Third-Down Conversions 11 of 23 9 of 14Fourth-Down Conversions 2 of 3 0 of 1Red-Zone Scores-Chances 3-3 3-3Sacks by: Number-Yards 0-0 7-52

Scoring Summary

Q Time Scoring Play V-H1st 03:29 HOU - BIRDEN 1 run (NOVIKOFF kick) 5-28 1:16 0-72nd 09:55 HOU - CATALON 4 run (NOVIKOFF kick) 15-94 5:59 0-14

00:17 HOU - NOVIKOFF 30 FG, 4-3 0:44 0-173rd 11:42 MEM - TAYLOR 2 run (PATTERSON kick) 8-64 2:30 7-17

06:11 HOU - CATALON 1 run (NOVIKOFF kick) 13-80 5:31 7-24 05:57 MEM - POLLARD 93 kickoff return (PATTERSON kick) 14-24

01:31 HOU - CATALON 1 run (NOVIKOFF kick) 10-75 4:26 14-3100:30 MEM - TAYLOR 9 run (PATTERSON kick) 3-62 1:01 21-31

4th 11:04 MEM - TAYLOR 1 run (PATTERSON kick) 9-64 1:41 28-3106:44 HOU - DUNBAR 8 pass from POSTMA (NOVIKOFF kick) 13-81 4:20 28-38

05:14 MEM - TAYLOR 5 run (PATTERSON kick) 5-77 1:30 35-3801:28 MEM - DYKES 21 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 8-80 1:49 42-38

Scoring Summary

Q Time Scoring Play V-H1st 10:42 MEM - POLLARD 58 run (PATTERSON kick) 3-65 0:30 0-7

06:48 MEM - MILLER 16 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 8-88 2:20 0-142nd 13:59 MEM - DYKES 38 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 8-87 2:13 0-21 12:40 MEM - HENDERSON 82 run (PATTERSON kick) 1-82 0:13 0-28

11:20 MEM - JONES 37 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 2-37 0:13 0-35 03:44 TLN - BANKS 4 run (GLOVER kick failed) 12-62 6:43 6-35

00:00 TLN - JONES 7 pass from BANKS (BANKS rush failed) 9-77 1:46 12-353rd 04:08 TLN - JONES 6 pass from BANKS (GLOVER kick) 12-62 6:43 19-354th 12:32 MEM - HALL 0 fumble recovery (PATTERSON kick) 19-42

11:16 TLN - MOONEY 41 pass from BANKS (GLOVER kick) 5-69 1:09 26-42 07:32 MEM - FERGUSON 1 run (PATTERSON kick) 7-49 3:43 26-49

01:59 MEM - FERGUSON 11 run (PATTERSON kick) 5-22 2:55 26-56


And, so the climb continues.Behind a second-half shutout

thrown by the defense and steady per-formances from Riley Ferguson and Darrell Henderson, the University of Memphis football took another step toward claiming the American Athletic Conference West Division title with a 41-14 road victory at Tulsa Friday night.

With the win, Memphis contin-ues to control its own destiny in the league’s West Division with a 5-1 con-ference mark and an 8-1 overall record. The Tigers now take their “officially” scheduled bye week Nov. 11 before re-turning to action for its final two games of the season, with both at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The first of the two home games is Nov. 18 against SMU, which is just behind the Tigers in the West Division standings with a 3-1 re-cord.

Ferguson threw for four touch-downs – each to a different receiver

– and 298 yards and no interceptions. Henderson logged his second-straight 100-yard rushing game, this time amassing 123 yards on 14 carries. In last week’s win over Tulane, Henderson had 112 yards.

But, it was the defense that shined at H.A. Chapman Stadium Friday, especially in the second half. After giving up nearly 250 yards of total offense in the opening half, the Tigers defense clamped down on the Golden Hurricane after halftime. Memphis held Tulsa to no points and 59 total yards on 26 offensive plays for a 2.3 yards-per-play average in the third and fourth periods. Memphis allowed five or fewer yards on four of Tulsa’s six second-half possessions, including three 3-and-outs.

Game 9 // November 3 // at Tulsa

No. 22/21 Memphis 41

tulsa 14H.A. Chapman STadium

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 FNo. 22/21 Memphis 14 7 10 10 41Tulsa 7 7 0 0 14

team StatiSticS MEM TLSFirst Downs 28 17Net Yards Rushing 37-191 35-145Net Yards Passing 333 157Comp-Att-Int 28-40-0 18-31-1Total Offense Yards 77-524 66-302Punts: Number-Average 5-40.6 9-44.1Fumbles: Number-Lost 0-0 0-0Penalties: Number-Yards 10-77 14-103Possession Time 34:07 25:53Third-Down Conversions 6 of 14 4 of 14Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 1 1 of 1Red-Zone Scores-Chances 6-6 2-2Sacks by: Number-Yards 3-10 0-0

Scoring Summary

Q Time Scoring Play V-H1st 06:46 MEM - HENDERSON 17 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 7-86 3:17 7-0

02:48 TLS - SKIPPER 10 run (JONES kick) 11-95 3:51 7-7 01:44 MEM - POLLARD 59 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 3-75 1:04 14-72nd 12:40 TLS - PRESIDENT 7 run (JONES kick) 8-80 3:58 14-14

06:42 MEM - MILLER 18 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 7-59 3:06 21-143rd 08:31 MEM - TAYLOR 1 run (PATTERSON kick) 17-90 6:23 28-14

03:05 MEM - PATTERSON 33 FG, 6-57 1:42 31-144th 10:43 MEM - COXIE 9 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 12-70 6:12 38-14 05:38 MEM - PATTERSON 30 FG, 6-59 2:47 41-14

Say it, Tiger Nation, say it.The University of Memphis is your

American Athletic Conference West Di-vision champion!

A week-long forecast of rain and a 57-minute lightning delay were not going to halt the Tigers’ CLIMB to the divisional title at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Saturday. Senior quarterback Riley Ferguson threw for over 300 yards and the Tigers’ ground attack – led by Darrell Henderson and Patrick Taylor Jr. – paced Memphis to a 66-45 victo-ry before a home crowd of 35,329 that braved the elements.

The Tigers secured not only The American West Division title but also a spot in the league’s championship game Dec. 2. Memphis faces the win-ner of the Nov. 24 USF-UCF contest, and the site of the title game is to be deter-mined. Championship game time is 11 a.m. (CT) on ABC (LocalMemphis24).

However, before the title game, Memphis wraps up its 2017 campaign with a home contest against ECU Saturday, Nov. 25. Game time is 11 a.m. (CT) at the Liberty Bowl. Prior to kickoff, Senior Day festivities will take place, honoring this year’s class of 21 seniors.

With a win over the Pirates, Memphis would post its 10th win in a regular season for only the second time in school history. The 1938 team is the last Tigers squad to win 10 games in a regular season. The 2015 team won 10 games, but its 10th victory came in the Miami Beach Bowl.

Game 10 // November 18 // vs. SMU

SMU 45

No. 17/18 Memphis 66Liberty Bowl Memorial stadium

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 FSMU 10 14 14 7 45No 17/18 Memphis 10 21 14 21 66

team StatiSticS SMU MEMFirst Downs 28 32Net Yards Rushing 37-259 46-333Net Yards Passing 218 331Comp-Att-Int 15-35-0 22-28-1Total Offense Yards 72-477 74-664Punts: Number-Average 6-35.3 2-51.0Fumbles: Number-Lost 1-1 0-0Penalties: Number-Yards 5-39 11-132Possession Time 28:39 31:21Third-Down Conversions 3 of 11 6 of 11Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 1 1 of 1Red-Zone Scores-Chances 5-5 7-7Sacks by: Number-Yards 1-6 1-6

Scoring Summary

Q Time Scoring Play V-H1st 12:41 SMU - SUTTON 35 pass from HICKS (ROBLEDO kick) 6-75 2:19 7-0

08:59 SMU - ROBLEDO 27 FG, 6-26 1:36 10-004:57 MEM - TAYLOR 1 run (PATTERSON kick) 10-73 3:57 10-7

01:37 MEM - PATTERSON 34 FG, 8-63 2:07 10-102nd 12:34 MEM - MILLER 34 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 6-68 2:07 10-17 10:17 MEM - HENDERSON 70 run (PATTERSON kick) 1-70 0:11 10-24

03:54 SMU - JONES 12 run (ROBLEDO kick) 7-93 3:29 17-2401:49 MEM - TAYLOR 9 run (PATTERSON kick) 6-80 1:58 17-3100:03 SMU - QUINN 1 pass from HICKS (ROBLEDO kick) 10-77 1:39 24-31

3rd 10:19 MEM - FERGUSON 8 run (PATTERSON kick) 11-75 4:41 24-38 07:55 SMU - EPPS 17 pass from HICKS (ROBLEDO kick) 5-65 2:24 31-38

03:44 MEM - FERGUSON 12 run (PATTERSON kick) 10-74 4:06 31-4500:50 SMU - JONES 1 run (ROBLEDO kick) 7-85 2:50 38-45

4th 14:36 MEM - MILLER 24 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 3-33 1:04 38-4213:29 MEM - HENDERSON 52 run (PATTERSON kick) 1-52 0:09 38-5908:24 MEM - FERGUSON 2 run (PATTERSON kick) 2-18 0:46 38-6603:38 SMU - QUINN 27 pass from HICKS (ROBLEDO kick) 10-75 4:46 45-66


Wow, what a way to send your se-niors off!

On a beautiful fall Saturday after-noon (finally!) at Liberty Bowl Memori-al Stadium, the University of Memphis football team overwhelmed ECU early on the way to a 70-13 American Athletic Conference victory.

The game was the regular-season home finale for the Tigers, including 21 seniors. The senior class wrapped up its career with a perfect 7-0 home record in 2017. It is the first time the Tigers posted an undefeated home record at the Liberty Bowl. It is only the third time in program history that Memphis post-ed an unblemished home mark. The other two times were in 1938 (6-0) and 1959 (5-0).

The seniors also improved their school-record win total to 37 over the last four seasons (37-13 record).

The 2017 Tigers also became only the second team in program history to

win 10 games in a regular season, tying the mark by the 1938 squad (10-0 record). The 2015 Tigers won 10 games, but that squad’s 10th victory came in the Miami Beach Bowl.

While many contributed to the win, the seniors set the tone early. Memphis seniors scored four of the first five touchdowns to give the Tigers a 35-0 lead just three minutes into the second quarter. Seniors Anthony Miller (pass from Riley Ferguson), Jonathan Cook (interception return), Phil Mayhue (pass from Fergu-son) and Doroland Dorceus (19-yard run) all found the end zone in Memphis’ ear-ly-scoring barrage.

Game 11 // November 25 // Vs. ECU

ECU 13

No. 17/16 Memphis 70Liberty Bowl Memorial stadium

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 FECU 0 0 13 0 13No. 17/16 Memphis 28 21 14 7 70

team StatiSticS ECU MEMFirst Downs 27 23Net Yards Rushing 37-115 34-333Net Yards Passing 351 302Comp-Att-Int 28-54-3 10-15-0Total Offense Yards 91-466 49-635Punts: Number-Average 3-37.3 1-48.0Fumbles: Number-Lost 1-0 0-0Penalties: Number-Yards 8-74 8-88Possession Time 39:50 20:10Third-Down Conversions 7 of 18 3 of 6Fourth-Down Conversions 2 of 4 1 of 1Red-Zone Scores-Chances 1-3 3-3Sacks by: Number-Yards 0-0 2-12

Scoring Summary

Q Time Scoring Play V-H1st 11:46 MEM - MILLER 89 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 1-89 0:15 0-7

05:07 MEM - HENDERSON 4 run (PATTERSON kick) 10-73 3:11 0-14 04:42 MEM - COOK 32 interception (PATTERSON kick) 0-21

00:56 MEM - MAYHUE 46 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 5-66 1:25 0-282nd 12:35 MEM - DORCEUS 19 run (PATTERSON kick) 6-82 2:04 0-35

06:40 MEM - TAYLOR 41 run (PATTERSON kick) 5-64 1:55 0-4202:10 MEM - HENDERSON 14 run (PATTERSON kick) 5-93 1:37 0-49

3rd 11:35 MEM - COXIE 61 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 6-75 3:25 0-5607:10 ECU - WILLIAMS 33 pass from MINSHEW (PAT blocked) 9-66 4:17 6-5606:56 MEM - POLLARD 100 kickoff return (PATTERSON kick) 6-6303:04 ECU - BAGGETT 5 pass from MINSHEW (VERITY kick) 8-50 3:52 13-63

4th 09:17 MEM - TAYLOR 60 run (PATTERSON kick) 4-75 2:12 13-70

No, Tiger Nation, it wasn't the out-come we wanted.

But, Tiger Nation, you should only be bursting with pride for your Univer-sity of Memphis football team. Proud of the way the Tigers played. Proud of their fight. Proud of their desire.

And yes, proud of the way the team represented your city, the city of Mem-phis!

The Tigers fell just short in their quest for the American Athletic Con-ference Championship with a 62-55 double-overtime loss at UCF at Spec-trum Stadium. The game was the high-est-scoring championship game in Foot-ball Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history.

The two teams combined for 1,479 yards, the most for an FBS game in 2017. The Tigers piled up school-record 753 yards of total offense in the set-back. Getting lost among the offensive numbers was the clutch play of the Ti-gers defense. Memphis forced four UCF turnovers, including three intercep-tions. Two of the interceptions halted Knights' drives deep in Memphis territory.

The Tigers held a 31-24 halftime lead, but UCF battled back to regain the ad-vantage at 38-34 on a Tre'Quan Smith 34-yard TD pass from McKenzie Milton. UCF then pushed further ahead with the game's next 10 points to build a 48-34 lead five minutes into the fourth quarter.

The Tigers, though, did not go away. A Tony Pollard 66-yard TD scamper cut the Knights' lead in half at 48-41 with 9:02 left. After the Memphis defense forced a UCF punt, the Tigers drove 68 yards on seven plays and the drive ended with a 10-yard TD pass from Riley Ferguson to Anthony Miller. The score tied the game at 48-all with 4:13 left and neither team was able to get the game-winning score in regulation.

AAC Championship // December 2 // at UCF

No. 16/14 Memphis 55

No. 12/11 UCF 62Spectrum Stadium

Score by Quarter 1 2 3 4 OT OT2 FNo. 16/14 Memphis 7 24 3 14 7 0 55No. 12/11 UCF 17 7 21 3 7 7 62

team StatiSticS MEM UCFFirst Downs 32 32Net Yards Rushing 45-282 39-232Net Yards Passing 471 494Comp-Att-Int 30-44-1 28-40-3Total Offense Yards 753 726Punts: Number-Average 3-48.0 2-28.0Fumbles: Number-Lost 1-1 1-1Penalties: Number-Yards 14-127 8-68Possession Time 33:29 26:31Third-Down Conversions 6 of 14 8 of 13Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 1 1 of 1Red-Zone Scores-Chances 6-8 5-7Sacks by: Number-Yards 1-1 4-33

Scoring Summary

Q Time Scoring Play V-H1st 11:19 UCF - SNELSON 24 pass from MILTON (WRIGHT kick) 5-55 1:48 0-7

06:56 UCF - WRIGHT 31 FG 6-80 2:24 0-1002:57 MEM - TAYLOR 3 run (PATTERSON kick) 9-75 3:59 7-10

01:32 UCF - AKINS 48 pass from MILTON (WRIGHT kick) 4-73 1:25 7-172nd 14:27 MEM - POLLARD 13 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 6-89 2:05 14-17 13:06 UCF - SMITH 50 pass from MILTON (WRIGHT kick) 4-76 1:21 14-24

08:52 MEM - HENDERSON 30 run (PATTERSON kick) 2-31 0:30 21-2404:13 MEM - MILLER 68 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 5-97 1:57 28-2400:00 MEM - PATTERSON 27 FG 8-66 1:50 31-24

3rd 13:06 UCF - MILTON 16 run (WRIGHT kick), 6-46 1:54 31-31 10:21 MEM - PATTERSON 22 FG 9-74 2:45 34-31

07:15 UCF - SMITH 34 pass from MILTON (WRIGHT kick) 7-65 3:06 34-3802:29 UCF - SNELSON 28 pass from MILTON (WRIGHT kick) 4-85 1:33 34-45

4th 09:51 UCF - WRIGHT 31 FG 10-57 3:43 34-4809:02 MEM - POLLARD 66 run (PATTERSON kick) 2-70 0:49 41-4804:13 MEM - MILLER 10 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 7-68 2:38 48-48

OT - MEM - MILLER 15 pass from FERGUSON (PATTERSON kick) 2-25 55-48- UCF - KILLINS 2 run (WRIGHT kick) 4-25 55-55- UCF - ANDERSON 1 run (WRIGHT kick) 3-25 55-62

DECEMBER 30, 2017 LIBERTY BOWL MEMORIAL STADIUM / MEMPHIS, TENN. Page 412017 Memphis Football

Memphis Combined Team Statistics (as of Dec 03, 2017)All games

Date Opponent Score Att.Aug 31, 2017 LOUISIANA MONROE W 37-29 10263Sep 16, 2017 #25 UCLA W 48-45 46291Sep 23, 2017 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W 44-31 41584

* Sep 30, 2017 at UCF L 13-40 34022* Oct 06, 2017 at UConn W 70-31 19230* Oct 14, 2017 #24 NAVY W 30-27 40177* Oct 19, 2017 at Houston W 42-38 30001* Oct 27, 2017 TULANE W 56-26 17989* Nov 03, 2017 at Tulsa W 41-14 17383* Nov 18, 2017 SMU W 66-45 35329* Nov 25, 2017 ECU W 70-13 41517

Dec 02, 2017 at #11 UCF L 55-62 41433

Rushing gp att gain loss net avg td lg avg/gHENDERSON, Darrell 12 130 1196 42 1154 8.9 9 82 96.2TAYLOR, Patrick 11 140 833 35 798 5.7 13 66 72.5POLLARD, Tony 12 29 237 15 222 7.7 2 66 18.5DORCEUS, Doroland 7 39 208 7 201 5.2 3 26 28.7MOORE, David 5 8 53 6 47 5.9 0 21 9.4FERGUSON, Riley 12 47 167 124 43 0.9 6 15 3.6MILLER, Anthony 12 9 28 1 27 3.0 0 7 2.2SLADE, Mechane 9 1 20 0 20 20.0 0 20 2.2WILLIAMS, John 10 2 13 0 13 6.5 0 10 1.3DYKES, Sean 12 1 7 0 7 7.0 0 7 0.6YOUNG, Anthony 1 2 5 0 5 2.5 0 3 5.0WILSON, Jonathan 12 1 4 0 4 4.0 0 4 0.3DAVIS, Brady 1 1 1 0 1 1.0 0 1 1.0Total 12 427 2772 263 2509 5.9 33 82 209.1Opponents 12 526 2657 295 2362 4.5 24 96 196.8

Passing gp effic comp-att-int pct yds td lg avg/gFERGUSON, Riley 12 161.53 278-441-9 63.0 3971 36 89 330.9MOORE, David 5 155.92 7-10-0 70.0 63 1 19 12.6MILLER, Anthony 12 131.33 1-3-0 33.3 35 0 35 2.9PATTERSON, Riley 12 -200.00 0-1-1 0.0 0 0 0 0.0Total 12 160.42 286-455-10 62.9 4069 37 89 339.1Opponents 12 134.90 259-448-16 57.8 3353 29 65 279.4

Receiving gp no. yds avg td lg avg/gMILLER, Anthony 12 92 1407 15.3 17 89 117.2POLLARD, Tony 12 34 501 14.7 4 59 41.8MAYHUE, Phil 12 30 436 14.5 2 46 36.3HENDERSON, Darrell 12 24 226 9.4 2 45 18.8MAGNIFICO, Joey 12 21 280 13.3 3 25 23.3COXIE, Damonte 12 19 292 15.4 3 61 24.3TAYLOR, Patrick 11 15 114 7.6 1 47 10.4DYKES, Sean 12 14 332 23.7 3 63 27.7WILLIAMS, John 10 11 143 13.0 0 55 14.3SLADE, Mechane 9 8 81 10.1 1 19 9.0JONES, Kedarian 11 7 130 18.6 1 37 11.8PROCTOR, Roderick 8 5 67 13.4 0 35 8.4DORCEUS, Doroland 7 4 36 9.0 0 27 5.1BURCHAM, Ross 4 2 24 12.0 0 13 6.0Total 12 286 4069 14.2 37 89 339.1Opponents 12 259 3353 12.9 29 65 279.4

Field Goals fg pct. 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-99 lg blkSMITH, Spencer 3-3 100.0 0-0 1-1 2-2 0-0 0-0 35 0PATTERSON, Riley 9-13 69.2 0-0 2-2 5-5 2-4 0-2 42 0

PATScoring td fg kick rush rcv pass dxp saf ptsMILLER, Anthony 17 - - - - - - - 102PATTERSON, Riley - 9-13 61-62 - - - - - 88TAYLOR, Patrick 14 - - - - - - - 84HENDERSON, Darrell 11 - - - - - - - 66POLLARD, Tony 10 - - - - - - - 60FERGUSON, Riley 6 - - - - - - - 36SMITH, Spencer - 3-3 13-13 - - - - - 22MAGNIFICO, Joey 3 - - - - - - - 18DORCEUS, Doroland 3 - - - - - - - 18DYKES, Sean 3 - - - - - - - 18COXIE, Damonte 3 - - - - - - - 18MAYHUE, Phil 2 - - - - - - - 12JONES, Kedarian 1 - - - - - - - 6COOK, Jonathan 1 - - - - - - - 6SLADE, Mechane 1 - - - - - - - 6Total 77 12-16 74-75 0-1 - - - - 572Opponents 53 10-13 47-49 1-2 1 1-2 - 1 401

Score by Quarters 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT TotalMemphis 115 168 141 141 7 572Opponents 99 101 109 78 14 401

Record: Overall Home Away NeutralAll games 10-2 7-0 3-2 0-0Conference 7-1 4-0 3-1 0-0Non-Conference 3-1 3-0 0-1 0-0

Team Statistics MEM OPPFIRST DOWNS 310 296 R u s h i n g 104 120 P a s s i n g 174 146 P e n a l t y 32 30RUSHING YARDAGE 2509 2362 Rushing Attempts 427 526 Average Per Rush 5.9 4.5 Average Per Game 209.1 196.8 TDs Rushing 33 24PASSING YARDAGE 4069 3353 C o m p - A t t - I n t 286-455-10 259-448-16 Average Per Pass 8.9 7.5 Average Per Catch 14.2 12.9 Average Per Game 339.1 279.4 TDs Passing 37 29TOTAL OFFENSE 6578 5715 Average Per Play 7.5 5.9 Average Per Game 548.2 476.2KICK RETURNS: #-Yards 45-1174 70-1253PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards 19-104 5-23INT RETURNS: #-Yards 16-239 10-146FUMBLES-LOST 9-6 26-14PENALTIES-Yards 106-972 95-820PUNTS-AVG 46-41.1 62-40.3TIME OF POSSESSION/Game 2 6 : 4 5 3 3 : 1 53RD-DOWN Conversions 71/157 91/1984TH-DOWN Conversions 10/17 18/27

Interceptions no. yds avg td lgCARTER, T.J. 5 74 14.8 0 42HALL, Austin 3 29 9.7 0 26COOK, Jonathan 2 32 16.0 1 32WINDHAM, Tito 1 2 2.0 0 2PERRY, Josh 1 0 0.0 0 0RUPERT, Shaun 1 36 36.0 0 36HART, Tim 1 60 60.0 1 60GONZALEZ, Carlito 1 6 6.0 0 6THOMAS, La'Andre 1 0 0.0 0 0

Punting no. yds avg lg tb fc i20 50+ blkJACOBS, Nick 24 1001 41.7 55 2 9 13 6 0SMITH, Spencer 21 856 40.8 54 0 7 7 5 0FERGUSON, Riley 1 32 32.0 32 0 0 1 0 0

Punt Returns no. yds avg td lgWILLIAMS, John 17 93 5.5 0 23MILLER, Anthony 2 11 5.5 0 6Total 19 104 5.5 0 23Opponents 5 23 4.6 0 12

Kick Returns no. yds avg td lgPOLLARD, Tony 19 806 42.4 4 100HENDERSON, Darrell 13 250 19.2 0 64MAGNIFICO, Joey 4 22 5.5 0 11CARTER, T.J. 2 17 8.5 0 10MILLER, Anthony 2 31 15.5 0 17WILLIAMS, John 2 25 12.5 0 16HART, Tim 1 12 12.0 0 12DORCEUS, Doroland 1 11 11.0 0 11WILSON, Jonathan 1 0 0.0 0 0Total 45 1174 26.1 4 100Opponents 70 1253 17.9 0 40

All Purpose g rush rcv pr kr ir total avg/gHENDERSON, D 12 1154 226 0 250 0 1630 135.8POLLARD, Tony 12 222 501 0 806 0 1529 127.4MILLER, Anthony 12 27 1407 11 31 0 1476 123.0TAYLOR, Patrick 11 798 114 0 0 0 912 82.9MAYHUE, Phil 12 0 436 0 0 0 436 36.3Total 12 2509 4069 104 1174 239 8095 674.6Opponents 12 2362 3353 23 1253 146 7137 594.8

Total Offense g plays rush pass total avg/gFERGUSON, Riley 12 488 43 3971 4014 334.5HENDERSON, Darrell 12 130 1154 0 1154 96.2TAYLOR, Patrick 11 140 798 0 798 72.5POLLARD, Tony 12 29 222 0 222 18.5DORCEUS, Doroland 7 39 201 0 201 28.7Total 12 882 2509 4069 6578 548.2Opponents 12 974 2362 3353 5715 476.2

Tackles Sacks Pass defense Fumbles blkd## Defensive Leaders gp ua a tot tfl/yds no-yds int-yds brup qbh rcv-yds ff kick saf25 HALL, Austin 12 62 17 79 7.0-13 . 3-29 5 4 2-0 . . .7 AKINS, Curtis 10 56 23 79 4.0-12 0.5-2 . 2 . 1-0 2 . .6D AVERY, Genard 12 49 26 75 19.5-76 6.5-47 . 2 6 1-0 2 . .14 COOK, Jonathan 12 56 13 69 5.0-17 . 2-32 12 . 1-0 1 . .2D CARTER, T.J. 12 49 12 61 1.0-1 . 5-74 9 1 2-0 1 . .

Total 12 638 234 872 86-283 23-154 16-239 65 37 14-0 15 2 .Opponents 12 543 192 735 63-231 15-114 10-146 48 32 6-0 7 . 1

Combined Team statistics

MEMPHIS VS. IOWA STATE / AUTOZONE LIBERTY BOWL GAME 132017 Memphis Football

Memphis Game Results (as of Dec 03, 2017)All games

Date Opponent Score Overall Conference Time AttendAug 31, 2017 LOUISIANA MONROE W 37-29 1-0 0-0 3:31 10263Sep 16, 2017 #25 UCLA W 48-45 2-0 0-0 3:55 46291Sep 23, 2017 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W 44-31 3-0 0-0 3:25 41584

* Sep 30, 2017 at UCF L 13-40 3-1 0-1 3:13 34022* Oct 06, 2017 at UConn W 70-31 4-1 1-1 3:42 19230* Oct 14, 2017 #24 NAVY W 30-27 5-1 2-1 3:20 40177* Oct 19, 2017 at Houston W 42-38 6-1 3-1 3:41 30001* Oct 27, 2017 TULANE W 56-26 7-1 4-1 3:27 17989* Nov 03, 2017 at Tulsa W 41-14 8-1 5-1 3:14 17383* Nov 18, 2017 SMU W 66-45 9-1 6-1 3:37 35329* Nov 25, 2017 ECU W 70-13 10-1 7-1 3:14 41517

Dec 02, 2017 at #11 UCF L o 55-62 10-2 7-1 3:53 41433

Game Results


Memphis Overall Team Statistics (as of Dec 03, 2017)All games

Team Statistics MEM OPPSCORING 572 401 Points Per Game 47.7 33.4 Points Off Turnovers 100 56FIRST DOWNS 310 296 R u s h i n g 104 120 P a s s i n g 174 146 P e n a l t y 32 30RUSHING YARDAGE 2509 2362 Yards gained rushing 2772 2657 Yards lost rushing 263 295 Rushing Attempts 427 526 Average Per Rush 5.9 4.5 Average Per Game 209.1 196.8 TDs Rushing 33 24PASSING YARDAGE 4069 3353 C o m p - A t t - I n t 286-455-10 259-448-16 Average Per Pass 8.9 7.5 Average Per Catch 14.2 12.9 Average Per Game 339.1 279.4 TDs Passing 37 29TOTAL OFFENSE 6578 5715 Total Plays 882 974 Average Per Play 7.5 5.9 Average Per Game 548.2 476.2KICK RETURNS: #-Yards 45-1174 70-1253PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards 19-104 5-23INT RETURNS: #-Yards 16-239 10-146KICK RETURN AVERAGE 26.1 17.9PUNT RETURN AVERAGE 5.5 4.6INT RETURN AVERAGE 14.9 14.6FUMBLES-LOST 9-6 26-14PENALTIES-Yards 106-972 95-820 Average Per Game 81.0 68.3PUNTS-Yards 46-1889 62-2501 Average Per Punt 41.1 40.3 Net punt average 39.7 38.7KICKOFFS-Yards 97-5622 65-3753 Average Per Kick 58.0 57.7 Net kick average 39.6 32.8TIME OF POSSESSION/Game 2 6 : 4 5 3 3 : 1 53RD-DOWN Conversions 71/157 91/198 3rd-Down Pct 45% 46%4TH-DOWN Conversions 10/17 18/27 4th-Down Pct 59% 67%SACKS BY-Yards 23-154 15-114MISC YARDS 0 0TOUCHDOWNS SCORED 77 53FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS 12-16 10-13ON-SIDE KICKS 0-2 2-7RED-ZONE SCORES (53-59) 90% (44-54) 81%RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS (43-59) 73% (34-54) 63%PAT-ATTEMPTS (74-75) 99% (47-49) 96%ATTENDANCE 233150 142069 Games/Avg Per Game 7/33307 5/28414 Neutral Site Games 0/0

Score by Quarters 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT TotalMemphis 115 168 141 141 7 572Opponents 99 101 109 78 14 401

Team Statistics


Memphis Overall Individual Statistics (as of Dec 03, 2017)All games

Rushing gp att gain loss net avg td lg avg/gHENDERSON, Darrell 12 130 1196 42 1154 8.9 9 82 96.2TAYLOR, Patrick 11 140 833 35 798 5.7 13 66 72.5POLLARD, Tony 12 29 237 15 222 7.7 2 66 18.5DORCEUS, Doroland 7 39 208 7 201 5.2 3 26 28.7MOORE, David 5 8 53 6 47 5.9 0 21 9.4FERGUSON, Riley 12 47 167 124 43 0.9 6 15 3.6MILLER, Anthony 12 9 28 1 27 3.0 0 7 2.2SLADE, Mechane 9 1 20 0 20 20.0 0 20 2.2WILLIAMS, John 10 2 13 0 13 6.5 0 10 1.3DYKES, Sean 12 1 7 0 7 7.0 0 7 0.6YOUNG, Anthony 1 2 5 0 5 2.5 0 3 5.0WILSON, Jonathan 12 1 4 0 4 4.0 0 4 0.3DAVIS, Brady 1 1 1 0 1 1.0 0 1 1.0TEAM 8 17 0 33 -33 -1.9 0 0 -4.1Total 12 427 2772 263 2509 5.9 33 82 209.1Opponents 12 526 2657 295 2362 4.5 24 96 196.8

Passing gp effic comp-att-int pct yds td lg avg/gFERGUSON, Riley 12 161.53 278-441-9 63.0 3971 36 89 330.9MOORE, David 5 155.92 7-10-0 70.0 63 1 19 12.6MILLER, Anthony 12 131.33 1-3-0 33.3 35 0 35 2.9PATTERSON, Riley 12 -200.00 0-1-1 0.0 0 0 0 0.0Total 12 160.42 286-455-10 62.9 4069 37 89 339.1Opponents 12 134.90 259-448-16 57.8 3353 29 65 279.4

Receiving gp no. yds avg td lg avg/gMILLER, Anthony 12 92 1407 15.3 17 89 117.2POLLARD, Tony 12 34 501 14.7 4 59 41.8MAYHUE, Phil 12 30 436 14.5 2 46 36.3HENDERSON, Darrell 12 24 226 9.4 2 45 18.8MAGNIFICO, Joey 12 21 280 13.3 3 25 23.3COXIE, Damonte 12 19 292 15.4 3 61 24.3TAYLOR, Patrick 11 15 114 7.6 1 47 10.4DYKES, Sean 12 14 332 23.7 3 63 27.7WILLIAMS, John 10 11 143 13.0 0 55 14.3SLADE, Mechane 9 8 81 10.1 1 19 9.0JONES, Kedarian 11 7 130 18.6 1 37 11.8PROCTOR, Roderick 8 5 67 13.4 0 35 8.4DORCEUS, Doroland 7 4 36 9.0 0 27 5.1BURCHAM, Ross 4 2 24 12.0 0 13 6.0Total 12 286 4069 14.2 37 89 339.1Opponents 12 259 3353 12.9 29 65 279.4

Punt Returns no. yds avg td lgWILLIAMS, John 17 93 5.5 0 23MILLER, Anthony 2 11 5.5 0 6Total 19 104 5.5 0 23Opponents 5 23 4.6 0 12

Interceptions no. yds avg td lgCARTER, T.J. 5 74 14.8 0 42HALL, Austin 3 29 9.7 0 26COOK, Jonathan 2 32 16.0 1 32RUPERT, Shaun 1 36 36.0 0 36WINDHAM, Tito 1 2 2.0 0 2THOMAS, La'Andre 1 0 0.0 0 0GONZALEZ, Carlito 1 6 6.0 0 6HART, Tim 1 60 60.0 1 60PERRY, Josh 1 0 0.0 0 0Total 16 239 14.9 2 60Opponents 10 146 14.6 0 58

Kick Returns no. yds avg td lgPOLLARD, Tony 19 806 42.4 4 100HENDERSON, Darrell 13 250 19.2 0 64MAGNIFICO, Joey 4 22 5.5 0 11WILLIAMS, John 2 25 12.5 0 16MILLER, Anthony 2 31 15.5 0 17CARTER, T.J. 2 17 8.5 0 10DORCEUS, Doroland 1 11 11.0 0 11WILSON, Jonathan 1 0 0.0 0 0HART, Tim 1 12 12.0 0 12Total 45 1174 26.1 4 100Opponents 70 1253 17.9 0 40

Fumble Returns no. yds avg td lgHALL, Austin 0 0 0.0 1 0Total 0 0 0.0 1 0Opponents 0 0 0.0 0 0

Individual Statistics


2017 Memphis FootballMemphis Overall Individual Statistics (as of Dec 03, 2017)

All games

PATScoring td fg kick rush rcv pass dxp saf ptsMILLER, Anthony 17 - - - - - - - 102PATTERSON, Riley - 9-13 61-62 - - - - - 88TAYLOR, Patrick 14 - - - - - - - 84HENDERSON, Darrell 11 - - - - - - - 66POLLARD, Tony 10 - - - - - - - 60FERGUSON, Riley 6 - - - - - - - 36SMITH, Spencer - 3-3 13-13 - - - - - 22DYKES, Sean 3 - - - - - - - 18DORCEUS, Doroland 3 - - - - - - - 18COXIE, Damonte 3 - - - - - - - 18MAGNIFICO, Joey 3 - - - - - - - 18MAYHUE, Phil 2 - - - - - - - 12HART, Tim 1 - - - - - - - 6COOK, Jonathan 1 - - - - - - - 6HALL, Austin 1 - - - - - - - 6JONES, Kedarian 1 - - - - - - - 6SLADE, Mechane 1 - - - - - - - 6MOORE, David - - - 0-1 - - - - 0Total 77 12-16 74-75 0-1 - - - - 572Opponents 53 10-13 47-49 1-2 1 1-2 - 1 401

Total Offense g plays rush pass total avg/gFERGUSON, Riley 12 488 43 3971 4014 334.5HENDERSON, Darrell 12 130 1154 0 1154 96.2TAYLOR, Patrick 11 140 798 0 798 72.5POLLARD, Tony 12 29 222 0 222 18.5DORCEUS, Doroland 7 39 201 0 201 28.7MOORE, David 5 18 47 63 110 22.0MILLER, Anthony 12 12 27 35 62 5.2SLADE, Mechane 9 1 20 0 20 2.2WILLIAMS, John 10 2 13 0 13 1.3DYKES, Sean 12 1 7 0 7 0.6YOUNG, Anthony 1 2 5 0 5 5.0WILSON, Jonathan 12 1 4 0 4 0.3DAVIS, Brady 1 1 1 0 1 1.0TEAM 8 17 -33 0 -33 -4.1Total 12 882 2509 4069 6578 548.2Opponents 12 974 2362 3353 5715 476.2

Field Goals fg pct. 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-99 lg blkSMITH, Spencer 3-3 100.0 0-0 1-1 2-2 0-0 0-0 35 0PATTERSON, Riley 9-13 69.2 0-0 2-2 5-5 2-4 0-2 42 0

FG Sequence Memphis OpponentsLouisiana Monroe (20) -UCLA - (33)Southern Illinois (35),(30),(31) (32)UCF - (28),(35)UConn - (37)Navy 41,(30),(42),(42) (23),50Houston 52 (30)Tulane - -Tulsa (33),(30) -SMU (34) (27)ECU - 52,40UCF (27),(22),46,51 (31),(31)

Numbers in (parentheses) indicate field goal was made.

Punting no. yds avg lg tb fc i20 50+ blkJACOBS, Nick 24 1001 41.7 55 2 9 13 6 0SMITH, Spencer 21 856 40.8 54 0 7 7 5 0FERGUSON, Riley 1 32 32.0 32 0 0 1 0 0Total 46 1889 41.1 55 2 16 21 11 0Opponents 62 2501 40.3 61 0 13 21 9 1

Kickoffs no. yds avg tb ob retn net ydlnSMITH, Spencer 73 4190 57.4 19 2PATTERSON, Riley 24 1432 59.7 2 2Total 97 5622 58.0 21 4 17.9 39.6 25Opponents 65 3753 57.7 18 2 26.1 32.8 32

Scoring Statistics


Memphis Overall Individual Statistics (as of Dec 03, 2017)All games

All Purpose g rush rcv pr kr ir total avg/gH E N D E R S O N , 12 1154 226 0 250 0 1630 135.8POLLARD, Tony 12 222 501 0 806 0 1529 127.4MILLER, Anthon 12 27 1407 11 31 0 1476 123.0TAYLOR, Patric 11 798 114 0 0 0 912 82.9MAYHUE, Phil 12 0 436 0 0 0 436 36.3DYKES, Sean 12 7 332 0 0 0 339 28.2MAGNIFICO, Jo 12 0 280 0 22 0 302 25.2COXIE, Damont 12 0 292 0 0 0 292 24.3WILLIAMS, John 10 13 143 93 25 0 274 27.4DORCEUS, Dor 7 201 36 0 11 0 248 35.4JONES, Kedaria 11 0 130 0 0 0 130 11.8SLADE, Mechan 9 20 81 0 0 0 101 11.2CARTER, T.J. 12 0 0 0 17 74 91 7.6HART, Tim 12 0 0 0 12 60 72 6.0PROCTOR, Rod 8 0 67 0 0 0 67 8.4MOORE, David 5 47 0 0 0 0 47 9.4FERGUSON, Ril 12 43 0 0 0 0 43 3.6RUPERT, Shaun 3 0 0 0 0 36 36 12.0COOK, Jonatha 12 0 0 0 0 32 32 2.7HALL, Austin 12 0 0 0 0 29 29 2.4BURCHAM, Ros 4 0 24 0 0 0 24 6.0GONZALEZ, Ca 7 0 0 0 0 6 6 0.9YOUNG, Anthon 1 5 0 0 0 0 5 5.0WILSON, Jonath 12 4 0 0 0 0 4 0.3WINDHAM, Tito 11 0 0 0 0 2 2 0.2DAVIS, Brady 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1.0TEAM 8 -33 0 0 0 0 -33 -4.1Total 12 2509 4069 104 1174 239 8095 674.6Opponents 12 2362 3353 23 1253 146 7137 594.8

All-Purpose yards


2017 Memphis FootballMemphis Overall Defensive Statistics (as of Dec 03, 2017)

All games

Tackles Sacks Pass defense Fumbles blkd## Defensive Leaders gp ua a tot tfl/yds no-yds int-yds brup qbh rcv-yds ff kick saf25 HALL, Austin 12 62 17 79 7.0-13 . 3-29 5 4 2-0 . . .7 AKINS, Curtis 10 56 23 79 4.0-12 0.5-2 . 2 . 1-0 2 . .6D AVERY, Genard 12 49 26 75 19.5-76 6.5-47 . 2 6 1-0 2 . .14 COOK, Jonathan 12 56 13 69 5.0-17 . 2-32 12 . 1-0 1 . .2D CARTER, T.J. 12 49 12 61 1.0-1 . 5-74 9 1 2-0 1 . .30 WHITE, Shareef 12 32 13 45 6.0-13 1.5-5 . . 3 . . . .35 HART, Tim 12 26 15 41 3.0-9 1.0-5 1-60 . 2 . 2 . .22 LINDSEY, Tyrez 11 24 15 39 . . . . . . . . .24 WINDHAM, Tito 11 28 7 35 3.0-17 1.0-11 1-2 10 . 1-0 3 . .4D PERRY, Josh 12 24 9 33 1.0-1 . 1-0 3 . 1-0 . . .55 HUFF, Bryce 12 23 7 30 5.0-28 2.0-19 . 1 4 1-0 1 . .1D GOODSON, O'Bryan 11 18 8 26 4.0-19 1.0-16 . 1 2 . . . .97 COOPER, Emmanuel 11 13 10 23 5.0-7 . . . 1 1-0 1 . .90 TATE, John 12 16 7 23 0.5-1 . . 1 1 1-0 . 1 .15 JOHNSON, C. 12 17 6 23 3.5-10 3.5-10 . . 2 . . . .38 WILSON, Jonathan 12 11 11 22 5.0-19 2.0-16 . . 2 1-0 1 . .16 AUGUSTUS, Nehemiah 12 12 7 19 . . . 1 . . . . .39 SLAUGHTER, Christian 11 17 1 18 2.0-2 . . 2 . 1-0 . . .94 DORCEUS, Joseph 10 11 5 16 5.0-12 1.0-6 . 1 1 . . . .19 RUPERT, Shaun 3 14 . 14 . . 1-36 3 . . . . .12 THOMAS, La'Andre 11 10 3 13 0.5-0 . 1-0 3 . . . . .23 RUSSELL, JJ 9 8 1 9 . . . . 1 . . 1 .37 HARDEN, Caelon 12 6 2 8 . . . . 1 . . . .48 SUTTLES, Ernest 5 7 1 8 4.0-18 2.0-13 . . 3 . . . .1 POLLARD, Tony 12 6 1 7 . . . . . . . . .9D COLLINS, Jamil 10 5 1 6 . . . 1 . . . . .40 PICKENS, Thomas 5 4 2 6 . . . . . . . . .9 WILLIAMS, John 10 5 . 5 . . . . . . 1 . .2Z GONZALEZ, Carlito 7 4 1 5 . . 1-6 1 . . . . .32 FRANCIS, Jacobi 11 3 1 4 . . . 4 1 . . . .52 HILL, Jacoby 10 3 . 3 2.0-8 1.0-4 . . . . . . .98 GENTRY, Jared 1 2 . 2 . . . . 1 . . . .59 PEDDY, Brytain 12 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .34 DILLON, Jackson 1 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .96 JOHNSON, Khalil 12 . 2 2 . . . 1 1 . . . .3 MILLER, Anthony 12 1 1 2 . . . . . . . . .36 PATTERSON, Riley 12 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .89 MAYHUE, Phil 12 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .54 KYSER, Drew 12 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .47 JACOBS, Nick 11 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .29 PORTER, Darian 1 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .57 FERRARI, Hayden 1 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .3J JORDAN, Ladarius 1 1 . 1 . . . 1 . . . . .4S COCHRAN, Colton 5 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .18 GORDON, Tim 1 1 . 1 . . . 1 . . . . .4 FERGUSON, Riley 12 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .72 TATE, Trevon 12 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .13 JONES, Kedarian 11 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .10 COXIE, Damonte 12 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .17 SMITH, Spencer 12 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .6 TAYLOR, Patrick 11 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .8 HENDERSON, Darrell 12 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .

Total 12 638 234 872 86-283 23-154 16-239 65 37 14-0 15 2 .Opponents 12 543 192 735 63-231 15-114 10-146 48 32 6-0 7 . 1

Defensive Statistics


2017 Memphis FootballMemphis Team Game-by-Game (as of Dec 03, 2017)

All games

TEAM STATISTICS

Rushing Receiving Passing Kick Returns Punt Returns totDate Opponent no. yds td lg no. yds td lg cmp-att-int yds td lg no. yds td lg no. yds td lg offAug 31 LOUISIANA MONROE 39 319 4 66 10 97 0 23 10-25-1 97 0 23 3 166 1 99 2 22 0 23 416Sep 16 UCLA 37 162 0 80 23 398 6 47 23-39-2 398 6 47 3 67 0 24 2 9 0 9 560Sep 23 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 36 176 2 22 22 288 2 55 22-36-0 288 2 55 5 164 1 100 5 10 0 4 464Sep 30 at UCF 24 75 1 20 27 321 1 35 27-49-3 321 1 35 5 74 0 22 1 -1 0 0 396Oct 06 at UConn 45 231 2 26 39 480 8 40 39-55-0 480 8 40 3 73 0 50 1 16 0 16 711Oct 14 NAVY 29 118 0 32 24 279 3 33 24-40-0 279 3 33 0 0 0 0 2 9 0 5 397Oct 19 at Houston 23 30 4 11 33 471 1 52 33-53-1 471 1 52 7 175 1 93 1 20 0 20 501Oct 27 TULANE 32 259 4 82 18 298 3 45 18-31-1 298 3 45 2 18 0 9 0 0 0 0 557Nov 03 at Tulsa 37 191 1 53 28 333 4 59 28-40-0 333 4 59 2 40 0 30 2 5 0 5 524Nov 18 SMU 46 333 7 70 22 331 2 48 22-28-1 331 2 48 5 150 0 64 1 5 0 5 664Nov 25 ECU 34 333 5 60 10 302 3 89 10-15-0 302 3 89 1 100 1 100 2 9 0 6 635Dec 02 at UCF 45 282 3 66 30 471 4 68 30-44-1 471 4 68 9 147 0 38 0 0 0 0 753Memphis 427 2509 33 82 286 4069 37 89 286-455-10 4069 37 89 45 1174 4 100 19 104 0 23 6578Opponents 526 2362 24 96 259 3353 29 65 259-448-16 3353 29 65 70 1253 0 40 5 23 0 12 5715

Games: 12 • Avg/rush: 5.9 • Avg/catch: 14.2 • Pass effic: 160.42 • KR avg: 26.1 • PR avg: 5.5 • All purpose avg/game: 674.6 • Total offense avg/gm: 548.2

Tackles Sacks Fumble Pass Defense blkd PAT Attempts offDate Opponent ua a total tfl-yds no-yds ff fr-yds int-yds qbh brup kick kick rush rcv saf t/o ptsAug 31 LOUISIANA MONROE 61 8 69 6.0-29 2.0-23 3 3-0 1-0 4 7 0 4-4 0 0 0 0 37Sep 16 UCLA 60 18 78 11.0-34 1.0-10 1 1-0 2-102 4 8 0 6-7 0 0 0 7 48Sep 23 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 60 12 72 6.0-9 0.0-0 0 0-0 1-36 4 5 0 5-5 0 0 0 7 44Sep 30 at UCF 45 32 77 7.0-17 0.0-0 0 0-0 1-0 5 2 0 1-1 0 0 0 0 13Oct 06 at UConn 45 18 63 6.0-25 4.0-21 4 2-0 1-0 2 2 0 10-10 0 0 0 14 70Oct 14 NAVY 54 26 80 4.0-15 1.0-8 2 3-0 2-29 0 1 0 3-3 0 0 0 13 30Oct 19 at Houston 64 32 96 7.0-19 1.0-11 2 2-0 1-7 4 5 0 6-6 0 0 0 7 42Oct 27 TULANE 61 6 67 13.0-73 7.0-52 1 1-0 0-0 3 8 1 8-8 0 0 0 7 56Nov 03 at Tulsa 41 24 65 7.0-17 3.0-10 0 0-0 1-6 1 9 0 5-5 0 0 0 0 41Nov 18 SMU 36 20 56 6.0-14 1.0-6 1 1-0 0-0 2 7 0 9-9 0 0 0 7 66Nov 25 ECU 55 18 73 7.0-22 2.0-12 0 0-0 3-32 4 8 1 10-10 0 0 0 21 70Dec 02 at UCF 56 20 76 6.0-9 1.0-1 1 1-0 3-27 4 3 0 7-7 0 0 0 17 55Memphis 638 234 872 86.0-283 23.0-154 15 14-0 16-239 37 65 2 74-75 0 0 0 100 572Opponents 543 192 735 63.0-231 15.0-114 7 6-0 10-146 32 48 0 47-49 1 1 1 56 401

Punting Field Goals KickoffsDate Opponent no. yds avg long blkd tb fc 50+ i20 md-att long blkd no. yds avg tb obAug 31 LOUISIANA MONROE 5 204 40.8 53 0 0 2 1 3 1-1 20 0 7 353 50.4 0 0Sep 16 UCLA 6 239 39.8 52 0 0 2 1 1 0-0 0 0 8 421 52.6 0 0Sep 23 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 3 146 48.7 54 0 0 1 2 1 3-3 35 0 9 529 58.8 1 1Sep 30 at UCF 4 178 44.5 52 0 0 0 2 2 0-0 0 0 2 130 65.0 1 0Oct 06 at UConn 4 156 39.0 52 0 0 0 1 3 0-0 0 0 11 627 57.0 3 1Oct 14 NAVY 2 78 39.0 44 0 0 1 0 2 3-4 42 0 8 466 58.2 4 0Oct 19 at Houston 7 237 33.9 53 0 1 3 1 2 0-1 0 0 7 415 59.3 3 0Oct 27 TULANE 4 154 38.5 42 0 0 3 0 1 0-0 0 0 8 464 58.0 0 0Nov 03 at Tulsa 5 203 40.6 47 0 0 3 0 2 2-2 33 0 8 499 62.4 2 0Nov 18 SMU 2 102 51.0 53 0 1 0 1 1 1-1 34 0 11 686 62.4 6 1Nov 25 ECU 1 48 48.0 48 0 0 0 0 1 0-0 0 0 11 676 61.5 1 1Dec 02 at UCF 3 144 48.0 55 0 0 1 2 2 2-4 27 0 7 356 50.9 0 0Memphis 46 1889 41.1 55 0 2 16 11 21 12-16 42 0 97 5622 58.0 21 4Opponents 62 2501 40.3 61 1 0 13 9 21 10-13 37 0 65 3753 57.7 18 2

Team Game-By-Game Statistics


2017 Memphis FootballMemphis Opponent Game-by-Game (as of Dec 03, 2017)

All games

OPPONENT STATISTICS

Rushing Receiving Passing Kick Returns Punt Returns totDate Opponent no. yds td lg no. yds td lg cmp-att-int yds td lg no. yds td lg no. yds td lg offAug 31 LOUISIANA MONROE 49 146 2 20 21 279 2 46 21-37-1 279 2 46 7 117 0 32 0 0 0 0 425Sep 16 UCLA 35 170 2 36 34 463 4 65 34-56-2 463 4 65 8 119 0 32 1 0 0 0 633Sep 23 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 37 103 0 11 30 290 4 36 30-49-1 290 4 36 6 150 0 40 1 9 0 9 393Sep 30 at UCF 49 350 2 96 19 253 3 34 19-31-1 253 3 34 1 17 0 17 2 12 0 12 603Oct 06 at UConn 34 167 3 64 21 310 1 58 21-35-1 310 1 58 6 113 0 32 0 0 0 0 477Oct 14 NAVY 68 314 3 28 1 20 0 20 1-8-2 20 0 20 3 54 0 20 0 0 0 0 334Oct 19 at Houston 54 239 4 40 29 315 1 38 29-41-1 315 1 38 4 58 0 24 0 0 0 0 554Oct 27 TULANE 52 122 1 22 15 203 3 41 15-31-0 203 3 41 9 179 0 32 0 0 0 0 325Nov 03 at Tulsa 35 145 2 30 18 157 0 44 18-31-1 157 0 44 6 101 0 20 0 0 0 0 302Nov 18 SMU 37 259 2 58 15 218 4 35 15-35-0 218 4 35 4 52 0 23 0 0 0 0 477Nov 25 ECU 37 115 0 12 28 351 2 33 28-54-3 351 2 33 9 194 0 38 1 2 0 2 466Dec 02 at UCF 39 232 3 62 28 494 5 50 28-40-3 494 5 50 7 99 0 24 0 0 0 0 726Opponents 526 2362 24 96 259 3353 29 65 259-448-16 3353 29 65 70 1253 0 40 5 23 0 12 5715Memphis 427 2509 33 82 286 4069 37 89 286-455-10 4069 37 89 45 1174 4 100 19 104 0 23 6578

Games: 12 • Avg/rush: 4.5 • Avg/catch: 12.9 • Pass effic: 134.90 • KR avg: 17.9 • PR avg: 4.6 • All purpose avg/game: 594.8 • Total offense avg/gm: 476.2

Tackles Sacks Fumble Pass Defense blkd PAT Attempts offDate Opponent ua a total tfl-yds no-yds ff fr-yds int-yds qbh brup kick kick rush rcv saf t/o ptsAug 31 LOUISIANA MONROE 42 0 42 2.0-7 1.0-6 0 1-0 1-18 1 6 0 3-3 0 1 0 8 29Sep 16 UCLA 47 10 57 7.0-23 2.0-8 1 1-0 2-1 1 5 0 6-6 0 0 0 0 45Sep 23 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 52 16 68 3.0-5 0.0-0 1 0-0 0-0 1 4 0 4-4 0 0 0 0 31Sep 30 at UCF 38 32 70 6.0-26 2.0-17 1 1-0 3-49 6 8 0 4-4 0 0 0 14 40Oct 06 at UConn 59 28 87 7.0-24 1.0-11 2 0-0 0-0 4 2 0 4-4 0 0 0 0 31Oct 14 NAVY 45 4 49 6.0-26 2.0-20 1 1-0 0-0 1 4 0 2-2 1 0 1 8 27Oct 19 at Houston 40 20 60 7.0-31 2.0-13 1 1-0 1-58 5 5 0 5-5 0 0 0 10 38Oct 27 TULANE 38 2 40 5.0-12 0.0-0 0 0-0 1-1 4 3 0 2-3 0 0 0 6 26Nov 03 at Tulsa 54 16 70 4.0-13 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 5 0 2-2 0 0 0 0 14Nov 18 SMU 51 14 65 6.0-18 1.0-6 0 0-0 1-19 0 2 0 6-6 0 0 0 3 45Nov 25 ECU 27 12 39 2.0-2 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 1-2 0 0 0 0 13Dec 02 at UCF 50 38 88 8.0-44 4.0-33 0 1-0 1-0 7 4 0 8-8 0 0 0 7 62Opponents 543 192 735 63.0-231 15.0-114 7 6-0 10-146 32 48 0 47-49 1 1 1 56 401Memphis 638 234 872 86.0-283 23.0-154 15 14-0 16-239 37 65 2 74-75 0 0 0 100 572

Punting Field Goals KickoffsDate Opponent no. yds avg long blkd tb fc 50+ i20 md-att long blkd no. yds avg tb obAug 31 LOUISIANA MONROE 6 223 37.2 46 0 0 0 0 1 0-0 0 0 3 179 59.7 0 0Sep 16 UCLA 5 204 40.8 49 0 0 0 0 4 1-1 33 0 8 516 64.5 5 0Sep 23 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 5 244 48.8 55 0 0 0 2 1 1-1 32 0 6 332 55.3 1 0Sep 30 at UCF 3 119 39.7 46 0 0 2 0 2 2-2 35 0 7 397 56.7 1 1Oct 06 at UConn 5 170 34.0 40 0 0 2 0 1 1-1 37 0 6 361 60.2 3 0Oct 14 NAVY 4 211 52.8 61 0 0 0 3 3 1-2 23 0 4 260 65.0 4 0Oct 19 at Houston 6 269 44.8 59 0 0 4 1 2 1-1 30 0 7 351 50.1 0 0Oct 27 TULANE 8 284 35.5 46 1 0 2 0 3 0-0 0 0 2 81 40.5 0 0Nov 03 at Tulsa 9 397 44.1 61 0 0 2 2 3 0-0 0 0 3 195 65.0 1 0Nov 18 SMU 6 212 35.3 52 0 0 0 1 0 1-1 27 0 7 418 59.7 2 0Nov 25 ECU 3 112 37.3 45 0 0 1 0 1 0-2 0 0 3 182 60.7 1 1Dec 02 at UCF 2 56 28.0 31 0 0 0 0 0 2-2 31 0 9 481 53.4 0 0Opponents 62 2501 40.3 61 1 0 13 9 21 10-13 37 0 65 3753 57.7 18 2Memphis 46 1889 41.1 55 0 2 16 11 21 12-16 42 0 97 5622 58.0 21 4

Opponent Game-By-Game Statistics


2017 Memphis FootballMemphis Game Superlatives (as of Dec 07, 2017)

All games

INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHS

Rushes 22 DORCEUS, Doroland at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Yards Rushing 169 HENDERSON, Darrell vs Louisiana Monroe (Aug 31, 2017)TD Rushes 4 TAYLOR, Patrick at Houston (Oct 19, 2017)Long Rush 82 HENDERSON, Darrell vs Tulane (Oct 27, 2017)Pass attempts 53 FERGUSON, Riley at Houston (Oct 19, 2017)Pass completions 34 FERGUSON, Riley at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Yards Passing 471 FERGUSON, Riley at Houston (Oct 19, 2017)

471 FERGUSON, Riley at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)TD Passes 7 FERGUSON, Riley at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Long Pass 89 FERGUSON, Riley vs ECU (Nov 25, 2017)Receptions 15 MILLER, Anthony at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Yards Receiving 224 MILLER, Anthony at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)TD Receptions 4 MILLER, Anthony at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Long Reception 89 MILLER, Anthony vs ECU (Nov 25, 2017)Field Goals 3 PATTERSON, Riley vs Navy (Oct 14, 2017)Long Field Goal 42 PATTERSON, Riley vs Navy (Oct 14, 2017)Punts 4 SMITH, Spencer at Houston (Oct 19, 2017)Punting Avg 53.0 SMITH, Spencer vs SMU (Nov 18, 2017)Long Punt 55 JACOBS, Nick at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Punts inside 20 2 JACOBS, Nick at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)

2 JACOBS, Nick vs Navy (Oct 14, 2017)2 JACOBS, Nick at Houston (Oct 19, 2017)2 JACOBS, Nick at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)

Long Punt Return 23 WILLIAMS, John vs Louisiana Monroe (Aug 31, 2017)Long Kickoff Return 100 POLLARD, Tony vs Southern Illinois (Sep 23, 2017)

100 POLLARD, Tony vs ECU (Nov 25, 2017)Tackles 14 CARTER, T.J. at Houston (Oct 19, 2017)Sacks 3.5 AVERY, Genard vs Tulane (Oct 27, 2017)Tackles For Loss 5.5 AVERY, Genard vs Tulane (Oct 27, 2017)Interceptions 2 HALL, Austin vs Navy (Oct 14, 2017)

Individual Game Highs



All games

TEAM GAME HIGHS

Rushes 46 vs SMU (Nov 18, 2017)Yards Rushing 333 vs SMU (Nov 18, 2017)

333 vs ECU (Nov 25, 2017)Yards Per Rush 9.8 vs ECU (Nov 25, 2017)TD Rushes 7 vs SMU (Nov 18, 2017)Pass attempts 55 at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Pass completions 39 at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Yards Passing 480 at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Yards Per Pass 20.1 vs ECU (Nov 25, 2017)TD Passes 8 at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Total Plays 100 at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Total Offense 753 at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Yards Per Play 13.0 vs ECU (Nov 25, 2017)Points 70 at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)

70 vs ECU (Nov 25, 2017)Sacks By 7 vs Tulane (Oct 27, 2017)First Downs 34 at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Penalties 14 at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Penalty Yards 132 vs SMU (Nov 18, 2017)Turnovers 4 at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)Interceptions By 3 vs ECU (Nov 25, 2017)

3 at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Punts 7 at Houston (Oct 19, 2017)Punting Avg 51.0 vs SMU (Nov 18, 2017)Long Punt 55 at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Punts inside 20 3 vs Louisiana Monroe (Aug 31, 2017)

3 at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Long Punt Return 23 vs Louisiana Monroe (Aug 31, 2017)

Team Game Highs



All games

OPPONENT INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHS

Rushes 37 ABEY, Zach, vs Navy (Oct 14, 2017)Yards Rushing 175 JONES, Xavier, vs SMU (Nov 18, 2017)TD Rushes 3 ABEY, Zach, vs Navy (Oct 14, 2017)

3 CATALON, Duke, at Houston (Oct 19, 2017)Long Rush 96 KILLINS, Adrian, at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)Pass attempts 56 Rosen, Josh, vs UCLA (Sep 16, 2017)Pass completions 34 Rosen, Josh, vs UCLA (Sep 16, 2017)Yards Passing 494 MILTON, M., at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)TD Passes 5 MILTON, M., at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Long Pass 65 Rosen, Josh, vs UCLA (Sep 16, 2017)Receptions 10 Andrews, Darren, vs UCLA (Sep 16, 2017)Yards Receiving 175 Andrews, Darren, vs UCLA (Sep 16, 2017)TD Receptions 2 James, Darrell, vs Southern Illinois (Sep 23, 2017)

2 SMITH, Tre'Quan, at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)2 JONES, Charles, vs Tulane (Oct 27, 2017)2 QUINN, Trey, vs SMU (Nov 18, 2017)2 SMITH, Tre'Quan, at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)2 SNELSON, D., at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)

Long Reception 65 Andrews, Darren, vs UCLA (Sep 16, 2017)Field Goals 2 WRIGHT, Matthew, at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)

2 WRIGHT, Matthew, at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Long Field Goal 37 TARBUTT, Mike, at UConn (Oct 06, 2017)Punts 9 BENNETT, T., at Tulsa (Nov 03, 2017)Punting Avg 52.8 WHITE, Owen, vs Navy (Oct 14, 2017)Long Punt 61 WHITE, Owen, vs Navy (Oct 14, 2017)

61 BENNETT, T., at Tulsa (Nov 03, 2017)Punts inside 20 4 Flintoft, Stefa, vs UCLA (Sep 16, 2017)Long Punt Return 12 HUGHES, Mike, at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)Long Kickoff Return 40 Davis, D.J., vs Southern Illinois (Sep 23, 2017)Tackles 13 JASINSKI, Pat, at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Sacks 2.0 GRIFFIN, Shqm, at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Tackles For Loss 2.5 OLIVER, Ed, at Houston (Oct 19, 2017)Interceptions 1 Turner, Collin, vs Louisiana Monroe (Aug 31, 2017)

1 Spencer, Ocatvi, vs UCLA (Sep 16, 2017)1 Pickett, Adariu, vs UCLA (Sep 16, 2017)1 HUGHES, Mike, at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)1 GIBSON, Kyle, at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)1 LOWRY, Seyvon, at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)1 DAVIS, Garrett, at Houston (Oct 19, 2017)1 FRANKLIN, J., vs Tulane (Oct 27, 2017)1 WYATT, Jordan, vs SMU (Nov 18, 2017)1 NEAL, Tre, at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)

Opponent Individual Game Highs



All games

OPPONENT TEAM GAME HIGHS

Rushes 68 vs Navy (Oct 14, 2017)Yards Rushing 350 at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)Yards Per Rush 7.1 at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)TD Rushes 4 at Houston (Oct 19, 2017)Pass attempts 56 vs UCLA (Sep 16, 2017)Pass completions 34 vs UCLA (Sep 16, 2017)Yards Passing 494 at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Yards Per Pass 12.4 at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)TD Passes 5 at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Total Plays 95 at Houston (Oct 19, 2017)Total Offense 726 at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Yards Per Play 9.2 at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Points 62 at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Sacks By 4 at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)First Downs 32 at UCF (Dec 02, 2017)Penalties 14 at Tulsa (Nov 03, 2017)Penalty Yards 109 at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)Turnovers 5 vs Navy (Oct 14, 2017)Interceptions By 3 at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)Punts 9 at Tulsa (Nov 03, 2017)Punting Avg 52.8 vs Navy (Oct 14, 2017)Long Punt 61 vs Navy (Oct 14, 2017)

61 at Tulsa (Nov 03, 2017)Punts inside 20 4 vs UCLA (Sep 16, 2017)Long Punt Return 12 at UCF (Sep 30, 2017)

Opponent Team Game Highs


2017 Memphis FootballMemphis Red-Zone Results (as of Dec 07, 2017)

All games

Memphis Inside Opponent Red-Zone

Times Times Total Rush Pass FGs Failed to score inside RZDate Opponent Score In RZ Scored Pts TDs TDs TDs Made FGA Down Int Fumb Half GameAug 31, 2017 LOUISIANA MONROE W 37-29 2 2 9 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Sep 16, 2017 UCLA W 48-45 4 3 21 3 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0Sep 23, 2017 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W 44-31 7 7 37 4 2 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0Sep 30, 2017 at UCF L 13-40 4 2 13 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0Oct 06, 2017 at UConn W 70-31 6 6 42 6 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Oct 14, 2017 NAVY W 30-27 5 4 24 3 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0Oct 19, 2017 at Houston W 42-38 4 4 28 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Oct 27, 2017 TULANE W 56-26 3 3 21 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Nov 03, 2017 at Tulsa W 41-14 6 6 34 4 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0Nov 18, 2017 SMU W 66-45 7 7 45 6 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Nov 25, 2017 ECU W 70-13 3 3 21 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Dec 02, 2017 at UCF L 55-62 8 6 34 4 1 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 0

Totals 59 53 329 43 21 22 10 2 1 2 1 0 053 of 59 (89.8%)

Opponents Inside Memphis Red-Zone

Times Times Total Rush Pass FGs Failed to score inside RZDate Opponent Score In RZ Scored Pts TDs TDs TDs Made FGA Down Int Fumb Half GameAug 31, 2017 LOUISIANA MONROE W 37-29 5 4 29 4 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0Sep 16, 2017 UCLA W 48-45 5 4 24 3 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0Sep 23, 2017 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W 44-31 4 3 17 2 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0Sep 30, 2017 at UCF L 13-40 6 4 19 2 1 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 0Oct 06, 2017 at UConn W 70-31 4 3 17 2 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0Oct 14, 2017 NAVY W 30-27 4 4 25 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Oct 19, 2017 at Houston W 42-38 6 6 38 5 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Oct 27, 2017 TULANE W 56-26 3 3 19 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Nov 03, 2017 at Tulsa W 41-14 2 2 14 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Nov 18, 2017 SMU W 66-45 5 5 31 4 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Nov 25, 2017 ECU W 70-13 3 1 7 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0Dec 02, 2017 at UCF L 55-62 7 5 27 3 3 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0

Totals 54 44 267 34 22 12 10 0 4 5 1 0 044 of 54 (81.5%)

Red-Zone Statistics


Memphis By-Quarter Statistics (as of Dec 07, 2017)All games

3rd-Down Conversions

Date Opponent Score Overall 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr OvertimeAug 31, 2017 LOUISIANA MONROE W 37-29 7-15 46.7 4-6 66.7 2-4 50.0 1-2 50.0 0-3 0.0Sep 16, 2017 UCLA W 48-45 3-12 25.0 0-3 0.0 1-3 33.3 2-3 66.7 0-3 0.0Sep 23, 2017 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W 44-31 5-12 41.7 0-2 0.0 4-7 57.1 0-1 0.0 1-2 50.0Sep 30, 2017 at UCF L 13-40 4-12 33.3 1-1 100.0 1-5 20.0 1-4 25.0 1-2 50.0Oct 06, 2017 at UConn W 70-31 13-20 65.0 3-5 60.0 5-7 71.4 2-4 50.0 3-4 75.0Oct 14, 2017 NAVY W 30-27 4-14 28.6 1-2 50.0 1-5 20.0 1-3 33.3 1-4 25.0Oct 19, 2017 at Houston W 42-38 5-13 38.5 0-4 0.0 1-4 25.0 1-1 100.0 3-4 75.0Oct 27, 2017 TULANE W 56-26 9-14 64.3 3-5 60.0 2-2 100.0 1-3 33.3 3-4 75.0Nov 03, 2017 at Tulsa W 41-14 6-14 42.9 1-2 50.0 1-3 33.3 2-5 40.0 2-4 50.0Nov 18, 2017 SMU W 66-45 6-11 54.5 0-3 0.0 1-2 50.0 4-4 100.0 1-2 50.0Nov 25, 2017 ECU W 70-13 3-6 50.0 2-2 100.0 0-1 0.0 0-1 0.0 1-2 50.0Dec 02, 2017 at UCF L 55-62 6-14 42.9 2-3 66.7 0-2 0.0 2-4 50.0 2-4 50.0 0-1 0.0

Memphis 71-157 45.2 17-38 44.7 19-45 42.2 17-35 48.6 18-38 47.4 0-1 0.0Opponents 91-198 46.0 24-52 46.2 23-53 43.4 16-41 39.0 28-52 53.8 0-0 0.0

4th-Down Conversions

Date Opponent Score Overall 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr OvertimeAug 31, 2017 LOUISIANA MONROE W 37-29 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0Sep 16, 2017 UCLA W 48-45 2-3 66.7 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 1-2 50.0Sep 23, 2017 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W 44-31 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0Sep 30, 2017 at UCF L 13-40 1-4 25.0 0-0 0.0 0-1 0.0 1-2 50.0 0-1 0.0Oct 06, 2017 at UConn W 70-31 2-3 66.7 0-0 0.0 0-1 0.0 1-1 100.0 1-1 100.0Oct 14, 2017 NAVY W 30-27 0-1 0.0 0-1 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0Oct 19, 2017 at Houston W 42-38 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0Oct 27, 2017 TULANE W 56-26 0-1 0.0 0-1 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0Nov 03, 2017 at Tulsa W 41-14 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0Nov 18, 2017 SMU W 66-45 1-1 100.0 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0Nov 25, 2017 ECU W 70-13 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0Dec 02, 2017 at UCF L 55-62 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 1-1 100.0

Memphis 10-17 58.8 2-4 50.0 2-4 50.0 3-4 75.0 2-4 50.0 1-1 100.0Opponents 18-27 66.7 4-5 80.0 2-3 66.7 8-9 88.9 4-10 40.0 0-0 0.0

Time of Possession

Date Opponent Score Overall 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr OvertimeAug 31, 2017 LOUISIANA MONROE W 37-29 22:18 7:54 5:26 3:57 5:01Sep 16, 2017 UCLA W 48-45 28:07 3:49 7:32 9:14 7:32Sep 23, 2017 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS W 44-31 24:16 3:02 8:53 4:40 7:41Sep 30, 2017 at UCF L 13-40 22:37 4:23 8:02 5:34 4:38Oct 06, 2017 at UConn W 70-31 36:50 5:53 10:19 10:12 10:26Oct 14, 2017 NAVY W 30-27 22:56 4:16 5:38 4:20 8:42Oct 19, 2017 at Houston W 42-38 22:22 7:17 5:39 3:45 5:41Oct 27, 2017 TULANE W 56-26 22:32 6:42 3:25 3:49 8:36Nov 03, 2017 at Tulsa W 41-14 34:07 4:58 7:33 11:23 10:13Nov 18, 2017 SMU W 66-45 31:21 8:15 5:59 9:42 7:25Nov 25, 2017 ECU W 70-13 20:10 4:51 5:39 5:09 4:31Dec 02, 2017 at UCF L 55-62 33:29 9:23 8:25 8:27 7:14 0:00

Memphis Total 321:05 70:43 82:30 80:12 87:40 0:00Avg. 26:45 5:53 6:52 6:41 7:18 0:00

Opponents Total 398:55 109:17 97:30 99:48 92:20 0:00Avg. 33:14 9:06 8:07 8:19 7:41 0:00

By-Quarter Statistics


Memphis Games Played (as of Dec 07, 2017)All games

## PLAYER GP-GS ULM UCLA SIU UCF UCONN NAVY HOU TLN TLS SMU ECU UCF7 AKINS, Curtis 10/8 START START START . . . . . . X X X X X X START START START START START16 AUGUSTUS, N. 12/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X6D AVERY, Genard 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START58 BRADY, Preston 1/- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . .87 BURCHAM, Ross 4/- . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X . . .2D CARTER, T.J. 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START43 CHOATE, Connor 11/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X X X X4S COCHRAN, Colton 5/- . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X . . .9D COLLINS, Jamil 10/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X14 COOK, Jonathan 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START97 COOPER, E. 11/4 START START START X X X X X X START X X X X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X10 COXIE, Damonte 12/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X7Q DAVIS, Brady 1/- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . .49 DILL, Scottie 12/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X34 DILLON, Jackson 1/1 START . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 DORCEUS, D. 7/- X X X . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X . . .94 DORCEUS, Joseph 10/- . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X5 DYKES, Sean 12/7 X X X START X X X START START START START START X X X START X X X X X X4 FERGUSON, Riley 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START57 FERRARI, Hayden 1/- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . .32 FRANCIS, Jacobi 11/- . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X98 GENTRY, Jared 1/1 START . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 GILL, Harneet 9/1 START X X X X X X X X X X X X . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X2Z GONZALEZ, C. 7/- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X1D GOODSON, O. 11/9 X X X START X X X START START . . . START START START START START START18 GORDON, Tim 1/- X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2S GREEN, Marcus 1/- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . . . . . . .25 HALL, Austin 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START37 HARDEN, Caelon 12/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X35 HART, Tim 12/9 X X X X X X X X X START START START START START START START START START8 HENDERSON, D. 12/10 START START START START X X X START START X X X START START START START82 HILL, Hunter 2/- X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . .52 HILL, Jacoby 10/- X X X X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X X X X75 HO CHING, Tau 5/- . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X . . .55 HUFF, Bryce 12/3 X X X START X X X X X X X X X START START X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X47 JACOBS, Nick 11/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X . . . X X X15 JOHNSON, C. 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START96 JOHNSON, Khalil 12/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X13 JONES, Kedarian 12/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X5L JONES, Peyton 8/- . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X3J JORDAN, L. 1/- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . .66 JOSEPH, Roger 12/11 X X X START START START START START START START START START START START71 KUHN, Gabe 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START5C KYSER, Drew 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START50 LAFAELE, Lio 11/- X X X X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X22 LINDSEY, Tyrez 11/4 X X X X X X X X X START START START START X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X86 MAGNIFICO, Joey 12/7 START START START X X X START START X X X X X X START X X X X X X START

Participation

DECEMBER 30, 2017 LIBERTY BOWL MEMORIAL STADIUM / MEMPHIS, TENN. Page 572017 Memphis FootballMemphis Games Played (as of Dec 07, 2017)

All games

## PLAYER GP-GS ULM UCLA SIU UCF UCONN NAVY HOU TLN TLS SMU ECU UCF89 MAYHUE, Phil 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START3H MICHAEL, Evan 11/- X X X X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X3 MILLER, Anthony 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START2 MOORE, David 5/- X X X . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X . . .51 NEVILLE, Jace 12/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X36 PATTERSON, R. 12/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X59 PEDDY, Brytain 12/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X4D PERRY, Josh 12/5 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X START START START START START40 PICKENS, Thomas 5/- X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . .1 POLLARD, Tony 12/9 START X X X START START START X X X START START X X X START START START29 PORTER, Darian 1/- X X X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1W PROCTOR, R. 9/2 . . . . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X START X X X START X X X19 RUPERT, Shaun 3/3 START START START . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 RUSSELL, JJ 9/- X X X X X X . . . . . . X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X81 SLADE, Mechane 9/- X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X39 SLAUGHTER, C. 11/2 START X X X START X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X X X X17 SMITH, Spencer 12/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X5K STUMP, Chandler 5/- . . . . . . X X X X X X X X X . . . . . . . . . X X X . . . X X X . . .48 SUTTLES, Ernest 5/2 X X X X X X X X X START START . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 TATE, John 12/1 X X X X X X START X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X72 TATE, Trevon 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START6 TAYLOR, Patrick 11/1 X X X X X X X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X START X X X X X X X X X X X X12 THOMAS, L. 11/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X . . . X X X X X X30 WHITE, Shareef 12/2 X X X X X X START X X X X X X START X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X9 WILLIAMS, John 10/- X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X . . . X X X . . .38 WILSON, J. 12/8 X X X X X X X X X START START X X X START START START START START START24 WINDHAM, Tito 11/10 X X X START . . . START START START START START START START START START53 WOODARD, Dustin 12/12 START START START START START START START START START START START START31 YOUNG, Anthony 1/- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . X X X . . .

Participation


THE LAST TIME A TIGER TEAM ...

RUSHINGHad 500 or more yards rushing ...................................................................vs Tulsa, 1969 (507)Had 400 or more yards rushing ...................................................................vs Tulsa, 1972 (436)Had 300 or more yards rushing ................................................................vs ECU, 2017 (333)Had 200 or more yards rushing ................................................................ at UCF, 2017 (282)Had 80 or more rushing attempts .............................................vs North Texas State, 1971 (81)Had 75 or more rushing attempts ....................................................vs Wichita State, 1972 (77)Had 70 or more rushing attempts .................................................... vs Georgia Tech, 1981 (70)Had seven or more rushing TDs ................................................................. vs SMU, 2017 (7)Had six or more rushing TDs ..................................................................vs Austin Peay, 2014 (7)Had five or more rushing TDs ...................................................................... vs ECU, 2017 (5)Had four or more rushing TDs ................................................................. vs Tulane, 2017 (4)Had three or more rushing TDs ...................................at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (3)Had two or more players with 100 yards rushing in a game ..........................................................................................vs. UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (Taylor, 107; Henderson, 109)

PASSINGHad 400 or more yards passing ............................... at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (471)Had 375 or more yards passing ..............................................................vs UCLA, 2017 (398)Had 350 or more yards passing ............................................................. at Ole Miss, 2016 (355)Had 300 or more yards passing ................................................................ at UCF, 2017 (321)Had 275 or more yards passing ............................................................vs Tulane, 2017 (298)Had 250 or more yards passing ............................................................. at Houston, 2015 (278)Had 60 or more pass attempts ...................................................................... vs SMU, 2007 (61)Had 50 or more pass attempts ............................................................at Houston, 2017 (53)Had 40 or more pass attempts .................................. at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (42)Had 30 or more pass completions ............................. at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (30)Had 25 or more pass completions ............................................................ at Tulsa, 2017 (28)Had seven or more passings TDs ............................................................. at UConn, 2017 (7)Had six or more passing TDs ..................................................................... vs UCLA, 2017 (6)Had five or more passing TDs .......................................................................... vs SMU, 2007 (5)Had four or more passing TDs .....................................at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (4)Had three or more passing TDs ................................................................... vs ECU, 2017 (3)Had five or more passes intercepted .................................................. vs East Carolina, 2006 (5)Had four or more passes intercepted ........................................................ vs Ole Miss, 2007 (4)Had three or more passes intercepted ......................................................... at UCF, 2017 (3)Had three players throw a TD pass .....vs Missouri St, 2015 (P. Lynch, P. Mayhue, C. Holgorsen)Had two players throw a touchdown pass ..............at UConn, 2017 (R. Ferguson, D. Moore)Had two or more players with 100 yards passing in a game ................................................................................................................................... vs UCF, 2009 (T. Bass 115 & W. Hudgens 143)

RECEIVINGHad two or more players with 100 yards receiving in a game .................................................................................................at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (Miller, 195; Dykes, 161)Had 10 players with at least 1 reception ..................................................at Tulsa, 2017 (10)

TOTAL OFFENSEHad 700 or more yards of total offense ................... at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (753)Had 600 or more yards total offense ........................................................vs ECU, 2017 (635)Had 500 or more yards total offense ...................................................... at Tulsa, 2017 (524)Had 400 or more yards total offense ........................................................vs SIU, 2017 (464)Had 100 or more plays .........................................................................at UConn, 2017 (100)Had 90 or more plays .................................................................................... at Tulsa, 2015 (96)Had 80 or more plays ................................................ at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (89)Had 75 or more plays ............................................................................... at Tulsa, 2017 (77)

SCORINGHad 70 or more points ...............................................................................vs ECU, 2017 (70)Had 60 or more points ........................................................................ vs SMU, 2017 (66-45)Had 50 or more points ................................... at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (55-62 2ot)Had 40 or more points ........................................................................ at Tulsa, 2017 (41-14)Allowed 50 or more points ............................ at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (55-62 2ot)Allowed 40 or more points ...................................................................... vs SMU, 2017 (45)Was held scoreless .......................................................................................at UCF, 2011 (0-41)Was held scoreless at home ....................................................................... vs SMU, 2011 (0-42)Last time without scoring in first half ........................................at Houston, 2017 (W, 42-38)Last time without scoring in first half at home .......................................................vs Rice, 2012Was held scoreless on the road ....................................................................at UCF, 2011 (0-41)Held an opponent scoreless ....................................................................... vs SMU, 2015 (63-0)Held an opponent scoreless in the first half ..........................................................vs SMU, 2015Held an opponent scoreless at home ......................................................... vs SMU, 2015 (63-0)Held an opponent scoreless on the road............................................... vs Arkansas, 1993 (6-0)Held two opponents scoreless in a season ................................................. vs Tulsa; USM, 1968 Held three opponents scoreless in a season .... vs Utah St.; North Texas; McNeese State, 1965Held four opponents scoreless in a season ...................................... vs Louisville; McNeese St.; ................................................................................................... West Texas State; Tampa, 1964Scored a two-point conversion rushing ............................................ at Tulane, 2016 (Craft run)Scored a two-point conversion passing ................ vs Southeast Missouri, 2016 (A. Miller pass)

TURNOVERSHad eight or more turnovers ................................................. vs Louisville, 1979 (8: 6 FR, 2 int.)Had seven or more turnovers ............................................................. vs USF, 2003 (3 FR; 4 Int) Had six or more turnovers ................................................... vs East Carolina, 2006 (1 FR; 5 Int)Had eight or more fumbles .......................................................................vs Alabama, 1986 (8)Had seven or more fumbles ......................................................................vs Alabama, 1986 (8)Had six or more fumbles ............................................................ vs Middle Tennessee, 2012 (6)Had five or more fumbles .......................................................................... at Houston, 2013 (5)Lost seven or more fumbles ......................................................... vs Mississippi State, 1976 (7)Lost six or more fumbles .......................................................................... vs Louisville, 1979 (6)Lost five or more fumbles ....................................................................... vs Tennessee, 1984 (5)Lost four or more fumbles ......................................................................... at Houston, 2013 (4)Lost three or more fumbles .......................................................................... at Kansas, 2015 (3)Did not commit a turnover ...............................................................................vs ECU, 2017Had eight or more takeaways ...................................................... vs North Texas State, 1968 (8)Had six or more takeaways .................................................vs Kansas, 2016 - 6 (4 fumble, 2 int)Had five or more takeways ............................................. vs Navy, 2017 - 5 (3 fumbles, 2 int)Had four or more takeaways .......................................................at UCF - 4 (1 fumble, 3 INT)Had three or more takeaways ........................................................... vs ECU, 2017- 3 (3 INT)Returned two interceptions for TDs ............. at Tulane - 2, 2014 (B. McCain, 15; D. Nelson, 58)Returned an interception for a TD.......................................... vs ECU, 2017 (Jonathan Cook)Returned a fumble for a TD ..................................................... vs Tulane, 2017 (Austin Hall)Returned two fumbles for TDs ..............................................................................vs SMU, 2013Blocked two punts for touchdowns ............................................ vs Tulsa, 1968 (Dees & Marks)

DEFENSEHeld an opponent to 10 or fewer first downs ............................................... vs SMU, 2015 (10)Held an opponent to 0 or fewer yards rushing ......................................... vs Ole Miss, 1993 (-4)Held an opponent to 50 or fewer yards rushing ............................................ vs SMU, 2015 (33)Held an opponent to 100 or fewer yards rushing ........................................ at SMU, 2016 (100)Held an opponent to 25 or fewer yards passing ....................................... vs Navy, 2017 (20)Held an opponent to 50 or fewer yards passing ..................................vs Austin Peay, 2014 (30)Held an opponent to 100 or fewer yards total offense ................................. vs SMU, 2015 (97)Held an opponent to 200 or fewer yards total offense ................vs Missouri State, 2015 (125)Held an opponent to 300 or fewer yards total offense ....................... at Cincinnati, 2016 (244)Intercepted six or more passes........................................................... vs East Carolina, 1993 (6)Intercepted five or more passes ................................................... vs Mississippi State, 1998 (5)Intercepted four or more passes ..................................................... vs Bowling Green, 2016 (4)Intercepted three or more passes ................................................................ at UCF, 2017 (3)Recovered four or more fumbles ................................................................. vs Kansas, 2016 (4)Recovered three or more fumbles ............................................................. vs Navy, 2017 (3)Recorded a safety ...............................................................................................vs Tulane, 2015Recorded two safeties in a game ........................................................................vs Tulane, 2015Recorded seven or more sacks ................................................................ vs Tulane, 2017 (7)Recorded six or more sacks ........................................................ vs Western Kentucky, 2016 (6)Recorded five or more sacks ..................................................................... at Houston, 2015 (5)Recorded four or more sacks .................................................................. at UConn, 2017 (4)Recorded 12 or more tackles for loss .................................................... vs Tulane, 2017 (13)Recorded 10 or more tackles for loss ...................................................... vs UCLA, 2017 (10)Had three or more players with 2 or more tackles for loss ........ vs Middle Tennessee, 2014 (3)Had four or more players with 2 or more tackles for loss .................................vs UCF, 2008 (4)

SPECIAL TEAMSReturned a punt for a TD ......................................... vs Missouri State, 2015 (Roderick Proctor)Returned a blocked punt for a TD ................................... at Arkansas State, 2012 (Tevin Jones)Returned a kickoff for a TD ........................................vs ECU, 2017 (Tony Pollard, 100 yards)Blocked one punt ....................................................................... vs Tulane, 2017 (JJ Russell)Blocked two punts .....................................................................................vs Arkansas, 1992 (4)Blocked three punts ..................................................................................vs Arkansas, 1992 (4)Blocked four punts ....................................................................................vs Arkansas, 1992 (4)Blocked a field goal ................................................................... vs Cincinnati, 2015 (Reggis Ball)Blocked a PAT .................................................................................vs ECU, 2017 (John Tate)Returned a Blocked PAT for 2 Points .............................................at UAB, 2012 (Charles Harris)Punted 13 or more times..................................................................... vs Texas A&M, 1979 (13)Punted 12 or more times............................................................................... vs SMU, 2011 (12)Punted 11 or more times................................................................ at Southern Miss, 2011 (11)Punted 10 or more times......................................................................... at Ole Miss, 2014 (10)Punted one time in a game ......................................................................... vs ECU, 2017 (1)Punted two times or less ........................................................................... at SMU, 2017 (2)Missed a kicking PAT ...................................................................................... vs UCLA, 2017Had a kicking PAT blocked .............................................................................. vs Marshall, 2011Had a punt blocked............................................................................................vs Temple, 2013Had a field goal blocked ................................................................................... vs Auburn, 2015Had a blocked field goal returned for a TD .....................................................vs Louisville, 2008Recorded 2 Special Teams TDs .....................................at Arkansas State, 2012 (2, BL P & P FF)Gave up 2 Special Teams TDs.............................................. vs Louisville, 2008 (2, BL FG & KOR)Recovered an opponent’s on-side kick ............................................................ vs SMU, 2017Recovered a Memphis on-side kick ........................................................................ vs USF, 2016Recovered two on-side kicks in a game ...........at Tulane, 2016 (1 Memphis kick, 1 Tulane kick)Totaled 200 or more kickoff return yards ............................... vs Middle Tennessee, 2012 (200)Totaled 150 or more kickoff return yards ................................................at SMU, 2017 (150)Totaled 100 or more kickoff return yards ................................................. vs UCF, 2017 (147)Returned 10 or more kickoffs ..................................................... vs Mississippi State, 2011 (10)

DECEMBER 30, 2017 LIBERTY BOWL MEMORIAL STADIUM / MEMPHIS, TENN. Page 59MISCELLANEOUSHad 30 or more first downs ...................................... at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (32)Had 20 or more first downs .......................................................................vs ECU, 2017 (23)Had 16 or more penalties ........................................................................ at Marshall, 2012 (16)Had 15 or more penalties ......................................................... at Middle Tennessee, 2013 (15)Had 10 or more penalties ......................................... at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (14)Had 125 or more yards in penalties ........................ at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (127)Had 100 or more yards in penalties ....................................................... vs SMU, 2017 (132)Had a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in the same game .................................................... at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (Henderson, 109 yards rushing, Taylor, 107 yards ............................................ rushing; Miller 195 yards receiving, Dykes 161 yards receiving)Had 2 100-yard receivers in a game .......................................................................................................................................at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (Miller, 195; Dykes, 161)Had 2 100-yard rushers and 2 100-yard receivers in the same game ................................................................at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (Henderson, 109 rush, Taylor, 107 rush; ........................................................................... Miller, 195 receiving, Dykes 161 receiving)Had 40 or more minutes of TOP ....................................................... at Cincinnati, 2014 (40:55)Had 35 or more minutes of TOP ........................................................at UConn, 2017 (36:50)Had a tie game.......................................................................................vs Arkansas State, 1990Was involved in an overtime ............................................................................ at UCF, 2017Gave up a safety ............................................................................................. vs Navy, 2017

THE LAST TIME A TIGER PLAYER ...

RUSHINGRushed 40 or more times .................................................Marcus Holliday vs Tulane, 1994 (42)Rushed 35 or more times ......................................................Sam Craft at Cincinnati, 2014 (38)Rushed 30 or more times ............................................................. Doroland Dorceus, 2015 (32)Rushed 25 or more times ............................................................ Doroland Dorceus, 2015 (26)Rushed for 250 or more yards ........................................ DeAngelo Williams vs USF, 2004 (263)Rushed for 200 or more yards ................................................Curtis Steele vs Tulsa, 2009 (232)Rushed for 175 or more yards .............................................. Brandon Hayes vs USF, 2014 (189)Rushed for 150 or more yards ...............Darrell Henderson vs Louisiana Monroe, 2017 (169)Rushed for 125 or more yards ............................................ Patrick Taylor vs ECU, 2017 (127)Rushed for 100 or more yards .... Darrell Henderson at UCF, (AAC Championship) 2017 (109)......................................................... Patrick Taylor at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (107)Rushed for four or more TDs ...........................................Patrick Taylor at Houston, 2017 (4)Rushed for three or more TDs .............................................Riley Fergsuon vs SMU, 2017 (3)Rushed for two or more TDs ................ Darrell Henderson & Patrick Taylor vs ECU, 2017 (2)Had a run of 90 or more yards .................................... Herb Covington vs Cincinnati, 1966 (92)Had a run of 80 or more yards ................................. Darrell Henderson vs Tulane, 2017 (82)Had a run of 70 or more yards .................................... Darrell Henderson vs SMU, 2017 (70)Had a run of 60 or more yards .............. Tony Pollard at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (66)Had a run of 50 or more yards ....................................Darrell Henderson at Tulsa, 2017 (53)Had 2 players rush for two or more TDs 2 times ...... Henderson & Taylor vs SMU & ECU, 2017 (2)

PASSINGPassed for 400 or more yards ............................................Riley Ferguson at UCF, 2017 (471)Passed for 350 or more yards ......................................... Riley Ferguson vs UCLA, 2017 (398)Passed for 300 or more yards .......................................... Riley Ferguson vs SMU, 2017 (320)Passed for 250 or more yards ........................................... Riley Ferguson vs ECU, 2017 (299)Passed for 200 or more yards ........................................... Riley Ferguson at Tulane, 2016 (236)Attempted 60 or more passes .................................Martin Hankins vs East Carolina, 2007 (60)Attempted 50 of more passes ..................................... Riley Ferguson at Houston, 2017 (53)Attempted 40 or more passes .............................................Riley Ferguson at UCF, 2017 (42)Attempted 30 or more passes ...........................................Riley Ferguson at Tulsa, 2017 (39)Completed 30 or more passes ............Riley Ferguson at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (30)Completed 25 or more passes .............................................Riley Ferguson at UCF, 2017 (27)Completed 20 or more passes ...........................................Riley Ferguson vs SMU, 2017 (21)Threw seven or more TD passes.......................................Riley Ferguson at UConn, 2017 (7)Threw six or more TD passes .............................................Riley Ferguson vs UCLA, 2017 (6)Threw four or more TD passes ............ Riley Ferguson at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (4)Threw three or more TD passes ........................................... Riley Ferguson vs ECU, 2017 (3)Threw five or more interceptions ........................... Martin Hankins vs Southern Miss, 2006 (5)Threw four or more interceptions ....................................Martin Hankins vs Ole Miss, 2007 (4)Threw three of more interceptions .......................................Riley Ferguson at UCF, 2017 (3)Completed a pass for 90 or more yards .......................... Taylor Reed vs Austin Peay, 2011 (93)Completed a pass for 80 or more yards .............................. Riley Ferguson vs ECU, 2016 (89)Completed a pass for 70 or more yards .......................... Paxton Lynch vs Cincinnati, 2015 (82)Completed a pass for 60 or more yards ...............................................Riley Ferguson at UCF ............................................................................................ (AAC Championship), 2017 (68)Completed a pass for 50 or more yards ...............................................Riley Ferguson at UCF ............................................................................................ (AAC Championship), 2017 (52)

RECEIVINGCaught 10 or more passes ..................................................Anthony Miller at UCF, 2017 (14)Caught seven or more passes ...........................................Tony Pollard at Houston, 2017 (7) Had 250 or more yards receiving .......................................Anthony Miller vs Tulsa, 2016 (250)Had 200 or more yards receiving ................................ Anthony Miller at UConn, 2017 (224)Had 180 or more yards receiving .....................................Anthony Miller at UCF, 2017 (195)Had 175 or more yards receiving ..............................Anthony Miller at Houston, 2017 (178)

Had 150 or more yards receiving ..........Sean Dykes at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (161) Had 125 or more yards receiving .................................... Anthony Miller vs ECU, 2017 (144) Had 100 or more yards receiving ..........................................Daniel Montiel vs USF, 2016 (100) Caught four or more TD passes ....................................... Anthony Miller at UConn, 2017 (4)Caught three or more TD passes .............................................. Anthony Miller at UCF, 2017 (3)Caught two or more TD passes .......................................... Anthony Miller vs SMU, 2017 (2)

TOTAL OFFENSEHad 400 or more yards of total offense ... Riley Ferguson at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (466)Had 350 or more yards of total offense .......................... Riley Ferguson vs UCLA, 2017 (394)Had 300 or more yards of total offense ........................... Riley Ferguson vs SMU, 2017 (349)Had 250 or more yards of total offense ............................... Riley Ferguson at SMU, 2016 (284)

SCORINGResponsible for seven or more TDs ........................ Riley Ferguson at UConn, 2017 - 7 (7 pass)Responsible for five or more TDs ................ Riley Ferguson vs SMU, 2017 - 5 (2 pass, 3 rush)Responsible for four or more TDs ..Riley Ferguson at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017- 4 (4 pass)Responsible for three or more TDs...........................Riley Ferguson vs ECU 2017 - 3 (3 pass)Scored four or more TDs .....................................Patrick Taylor at Houston, 2017 (4 rushing)Scored three or more TDs ....Anthony Miller at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 - 3 (3 receiving)Scored in three different ways .............. Arkelon Hall vs vs Louisville, 2008 (2 pass, 1 rsh, 1 rec)

DEFENSEIntercepted three or more passes ............................................. Bobby McCain at USF, 2013 (3)Intercepted two or more passes .............................................. Austin Hall vs Navy, 2017 (2)Returned an interception for a touchdown ...............................Jonathan Cook vs ECU, 2017Recovered three or more fumbles ....................................... Quinton McCrary vs UCF, 2007 (3)Recovered two or more fumbles .................................Michael Edwards, Jr. vs Kansas, 2016 (2)Returned two fumbles for TDs ................................................ Ryan Coleman vs SMU, 2013 (2)Returned fumble for TD ..............................................................Austin Hall vs Tulane, 2017Recorded four or more sacks ..................................Clinton McDonald vs Arkansas St., 2008 (4)Recorded three or more sacks ....................................... Genard Avery vs Tulane, 2017 (3.5)Recorded two or more sacks ..................................................Genard Avery at SMU, 2016 (2.0)Recorded five or more TFLs ............................................ Genard Avery vs Tulane, 2017 (5.5)Recorded four or more TFLs .......................................................Tank Jakes at UCLA, 2014 (4.0)Had three or more TFLs .................................................... Genard Avery vs SMU, 2017 (3.0)

SPECIAL TEAMSScored 18 or more points kicking ................................................Ryan White vs UAB, 1999 (18)Scored 15 or more points kicking .................................................Jake Elliott at SMU, 2016 (15)Scored 10 or more points kicking ..................................... Riley Patterson vs SMU, 2017 (12)Kicked five or more field goals..................................................Jake Elliott at Houston, 2013 (5)Kicked four or more field goals ...................................................Jake Elliott at Temple, 2015 (4)Kicked three or more field goals ........................................Riley Patterson vs Navy, 2017 (3)Attempted five or more field goals .............................................Jake Elliott at Temple, 2015 (5)Attempted four or more field goals .....Riley Patterson at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (4)Attempted three or more field goals ............................................... Jake Elliott vs USF, 2016 (3)Made a field goal of 50 or more yards ......................................Jake Elliott at Tulane, 2016 (50)Punted 12 or more times......................................................... Tom Hornsey vs SMU, 2011 (12)Punted 11 or more times.......................................... Tom Hornsey at Southern Miss, 2011 (11)Punted 10 or more times................................................. Spencer Smith at Ole Miss, 2014 (10)Punted 70 or more yards ............................................... Spencer Smith vs Cincinnati, 2015 (72)Punted 60 or more yards .................................................... Spencer Smith at Tulane, 2016 (63)Had a punt average over 50 yards (min. 2 punts) ....Nick Jacobs at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (52.0)Totaled 175 or more yards in kick returns. ........................Joe Craig at Connecticut, 2013 (177)Totaled 150 or more yards in kick returns. ............................. Tony Pollard vs Tulsa, 2016 (161)Totaled 125 or more yards in kick returns. ............................Tony Pollard vs SIU, 2017 (148)Totaled 100 or more yards in kick returns. ................ Darrell Henderson vs SMU, 2017 (116)Returned a kick 90 or more yards ...................................Tony Pollard at Houston, 2017 (93)Returned a kick 50 or more yards ............................... Darrell Henderson vs SMU, 2017 (64)Returned a kickoff for a TD ..................................................Tony Pollard vs ECU, 2017 (100)Returned nine or more kickoffs ...................................Marcus Hightower vs Houston, 2009 (9)Returned eight or more kickoffs ..............................................D.A. Griffin vs Houston, 2010 (8)Returned seven or more kickoffs ..............................................Curtis Johnson vs UAB, 2011 (7)Returned six or more kickoffs ..................................................... Tony Pollard vs Tulsa, 2016 (6)Returned 10 or more punts .................................................... Ryan Roskelly vs Tulsa, 1994 (10)Returned seven or more punts .....................................Darron White vs Chattanooga, 2004 (7)Returned six or more punts ............................ Keiwone Malone vs Middle Tennessee, 2014 (6)Had 150 or more punt return yards ..................................... Ryan Roskelly vs Tulsa, 1994 (194)Had 100 or more punt return yards ................................. Keiwone Malone at UAB, 2012 (112)Had a punt return of 90 or more yards ............................. Keith Wright vs Louisville, 1975 (94)Had a punt return of 80 or more yards .......................... Ryan Johnson vs Cincinnati, 2000 (82)Had a punt return of 50 or more yards .............. Roderick Proctor vs Missouri State, 2015 (63)Returned a punt for a TD ............................................Roderick Proctor vs Missouri State, 2015Blocked a punt.............................................................................. JJ Russell vs Tulane, 2017Returned a blocked punt for a TD ......................................Tevin Jones at Arkansas State, 2012Blocked a field goal ................................................................................Reggis Ball vs USF, 2015Blocked a PAT ................................................................................... John Tate vs ECU, 2017Returned a blocked PAT for a score ................................................ Charles Harris at UAB, 2012


THE LAST TIME A TIGER PLAYER ...

IN ONE QUARTERPassed for 75 yards or more ....................................... Riley Ferguson vs ECU, 2017 (75-2nd)Passed for 100 yards or more .... Riley Ferguson at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (133-3rd)Passed for 150 yards or more ......................................Riley Ferguson vs ECU, 2017 (163-1st)Passed for 175 yards or more .............................. Riley Ferguson at Houston, 2017 (181-4th)Passed for 200 yards or more ................................ Riley Ferguson at UConn, 2017 (248-2nd)Passed for four or more TDs .....................................Riley Ferguson at UConn, 2017 (4-2nd)Passed for three or more TDs......................................Riley Ferguson vs UCLA, 2017 (3-2nd)Passed for two or more TDs ..........................................Riley Ferguson at Tulsa, 2017 (2-1st)Rushed for 75 yards or more ................................ Darrell Henderson vs SMU, 2017 (83-2nd)Rushed for 100 yards or more ..............................Jarvis Cooper vs Austin Peay, 2014 (101-4th)Rushed for 150 yards or more ......................................... Paul Gowen vs Tulsa, 1969 (150-2nd)Rushed for two TDs or more ......................................Riley Ferguson vs Tulane, 2017 (2-4th)Rushed for three TDs or more ...................................... Riley Ferguson vs SMU, 2017 (2-3rd)Caught nine or more passes ..................................... Anthony Miller at UConn, 2017 (9-2nd)Caught six or more passes ..........................................Anthony Miller vs Houston, 2016 (6-4th)Caught five or more passes ....................................... Anthony Miller vs Tulane, 2017 (5-1st)Caught four or more passes ......... Anthony Miller at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (4-4th)Caught three or more passes ....... Anthony Miller at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (3- 3rd)Caught two or more TD passes ................................ Anthony Miller at UConn, 2017 (3-2nd)Had 75 or more receiving yards ................................. Anthony Miller vs SMU, 2017 (87-1st)Kicked three or more field goals ........................ Stephen Gostkowski vs Ole Miss, 2003 (3-4th)

IN ONE HALFPassed for 300 yards or more ................................. Riley Ferguson at UConn, 2017 (325-1st)Passed for 200 yards or more ....................................Riley Ferguson at Tulsa, 2017 (264-1st)Passed for 175 yards or more .................................... Riley Ferguson vs SMU, 2017 (188-1st)Rushed for 150 yards or more .............................DeAngelo Williams vs Akron, 2005 (154-2nd)Rushed for 100 yards or more .................. Darrell Henderson vs Louisiana Monroe (106-1st)........................................................................Patrick Taylor vs Louisiana Monroe (106-1st)Rushed for three TDs or more ............................................Curtis Steele vs Tulsa, 2009 (3-2nd)Rushed for two TDs or more ...........................................Patrick Taylor vs SMU, 2017 (2-1st)Passed for seven or more TDs ............................................. Paxton Lynch vs SMU, 2015 (7-1st)Passed for six or more TDs ................................ Riley Ferguson vs Bowling Green, 2016 (6-1st)Passed for five or more TDs ....................................... Riley Ferguson at UConn, 2017 (5-1st)Passes for four or more TDs ......................................... Riley Ferguson vs UCLA, 2017 (4-1st)Passed for three or more TDs........................................Riley Ferguson at Tulsa, 2017 (3-1st)Caught 12 or more passes ....................................... Anthony Miller at UConn, 2017 (12-1st)Caught eight or more passes ........Anthony Miller at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (8-2nd)Caught seven or more passes .................... Anthony Miller vs Western Kentucky, 2016 (7, 2nd)Caught six or more passes ........................................... Anthony Miller vs SMU, 2017 (6-1st)Had 150 yards receiving .........................................Anthony Miller at UConn, 2017 (157-1st)Had 125 yards receiving ........................................... Anthony Miller vs SMU, 2017 (138-1st)Had 100 yards receiving .....................................Anthony Miller at Houston, 2017 (113-2nd)Caught three or more TD passes ............................... Anthony Miller at UConn, 2017 (3-1st)Caught two or more TD passes...................Anthony Miller vs Western Kentucky, 2016 (2-2nd)Kicked four or more field goals ................................................Ryan White vs UAB, 1999 (4-1st)Kicked three or more field goals .......................................... Jake Elliott at Temple, 2015 (3-1st)

THE LAST TIME A TIGER TEAM ...

IN ONE QUARTERPassed for 75 yards or more .............................................................. vs SMU, 2017 (91-3rd)Passed for 100 yards or more ............................................................vs SMU, 2017 (130-1st)Passed for 150 yards or more ....................................................... vs Tulane, 2017 (152-2nd)Passed for 175 yards or more ......................................................at Houston, 2017 (181-4th)Passed for 200 yards or more ....................................................... at UConn, 2017 (248-2nd)Passed for two TDs .............................................................................. at Tulsa, 2017 (2-1st)Passed for three TDs .......................................................................... vs UCLA, 2017 (3-2nd) Passed for four TDs .......................................................................... at UConn, 2017 (4-2nd)Rushed for 75 yards or more .............................................................. vs SMU, 2017 (78-4th)Rushed for 100 yards or more .........................................vs Louisiana Monroe, 2017 (115-2nd)Rushed for 125 yards or more ......................................................... vs SMU, 2017 (151-2nd)Rushed for three TDs or more .................................................................. at SMU, 2014 (3-2nd)Rushed for two TDs or more ................................................................vs SMU, 2017 (2-4th)Kicked three or more field goals ..........................................................vs Ole Miss, 2003 (3-4th)Had four receivers catch three passes ....................................... vs Southern Miss, 2007 (4-4th)Had seven receivers catch one pass .....................................................vs SMU, 2017 (7-3rd)

IN ONE HALFPassed for 300 yards or more .........................................................at UConn, 2017 (325-1st)Passed for 200 yards or more ........................... at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (282-2nd)Passed for 175 yards or more ............................................................vs SMU, 2017 (188-1st)Passed for 150 yards or more .......................................................... vs Navy, 2017 (172-2nd)Passed for two or more TDs ................................................................ vs SMU, 2017 (2-2nd)Passed for three or more TDs............................................................... at Tulsa, 2017 (3-1st)Passed for four or more TDs ................................................................vs UCLA, 2017 (4-1st)Passed for five or more TDs ...............................................................at UConn, 2017 (5-1st)

Passed for six or more TDs ........................................................ vs Bowling Green, 2016 (6-1st)Passed for seven or more TDs ................................................................... vs SMU, 2015 (7-1st)Rushed for 250 yards or more ............................................................ vs Akron, 2005 (252-2nd)Rushed for 200 yards or more ...................................... vs Louisiana Monroe, 2017 (247-1st)Rushed for 150 yards or more ...........................................................vs SMU, 2017 (188-1st)Rushed for four TDs or more ..................................................................vs ECU, 2017 (4-1st)Rushed for three TDs or more .............................................................. vs SMU, 2017 (3-1st)Rushed for two TDs or more ................................. at UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (2-1st)Kicked four or more field goals ................................................................... vs UAB, 1999 (4-1st)

THE LAST TIME A TIGER OPPONENT ...

RUSHINGHad 500 or more yards rushing ............................................................. Texas A&M, 1978 (523)Had 400 or more yards rushing ..................................................................... vs USF, 2016 (416)Had 300 or more yards rushing .................................................................. Navy, 2017 (314)Had 75 or more rushing attempts ........................................................... Texas A&M, 1978 (75)Had 70 or more rushing attempts ................................................................. at Navy, 2016 (74)Had seven or more rushing TDs ............................................................................ UCF, 2007 (7)Had six or more rushing TDs ................................................................................ Tulsa, 2016 (6)Had five or more rushing TDs .............................................................................. Navy, 2015 (5)Had four or more rushing TDs ...................................................................Houston, 2017 (4)Had two players with 100 yards rushing in game ................................................................................................................................... Ole Miss, 2016 (Eugene Brazley, 124; Akeem Judd, 108)

PASSINGHad 500 or more yards passing ............................................................... Cincinnati, 2015 (620)Had 400 or more yards passing ................................... UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (494)Had 300 or more yards passing .............................................................Houston, 2017 (315)Had 60 or more pass attempts .....................................................................Houston, 2016 (69)Had 50 or more pass attempts .......................................................................ECU, 2017 (54)Had 40 or more pass attempts ......................................UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (40)Had 35 or more completions ........................................................................Houston, 2016 (47)Had 30 or more completions ........................................UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (31)Had 25 or more completions ..................................................................Houston, 2017 (29)Had six or more TD passes .............................................................................Houston, 2010 (6)Had five or more TD passes ............................................UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (5)Had four or more TD passes ........................................................................... SMU, 2017 (4)Had three or more TD passes ...................................................................... Tulane, 2017 (3)Had six or more passes intercepted ....................................................... East Carolina, 1993 (6)Had five or more passes intercepted .................................................Mississippi State, 1997 (5)Had four or more passes intercepted ...................................................Bowling Green, 2016 (4)Had three or more passes intercepted ............................UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (3)

RECEIVINGHad two or more players with 100 yards receiving in game ......................................................................... UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (Tre’Quan Smith-161, Dredrick Snelson-145)Has a receiver with 200 or more yards receiving ...............Houston, 2016 (Linell Bonner, 235)

TOTAL OFFENSEHad 700 or more yards of total offense ....................... UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (726)Had 600 or more yards of total offense ........................................................ UCF, 2017 (603)Had 500 or more yards of total offense .................................................Houston, 2017 (554)Had 400 or more yards of total offense .......................................................SMU, 2017 (477)Had 100 or more plays ...............................................................................Houston, 2016 (101)Had 90 or more plays ..............................................................................Houston, 2017 (95)Had 80 or more plays .................................................................................Tulane, 2017 (83)Had 75 or more plays ................................................................... Western Kentucky, 2016 (78)

SCORINGScored 70 or more points ............................................................................ Ole Miss, 1935 (92)Scored 60 or more points .................................................................................... UCF, 2017 (62)Scored 50 or more points ............................................................. Western Kentucky, 2016 (51)Scored 40 or more points ............................................................................. SMU, 2017 (45)Scored a two-point conversion passing ................................................................at UCLA, 2014Scored a two-point conversion running .............................................................. Navy, 2017

TURNOVERSCommitted seven or more turnovers .............................. Cincinnati, 1998 (7, 5 fumbles, 2 int.)Committed six or more turnovers .................................................. Kansas (6, 4 fumbles, 2 int.)Committed five or more turnovers...................................... Navy, 2017 (5, 3 fumbles, 2 int.)Committed four or more turnovers ....... UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (4, 1 fumble, 3 int.)Had five or more fumbles ..........................................................Louisiana Monroe, 2017 (6)Lost four or more fumbles ................................................................................ Kansas, 2016 (4)Did not commit a turnover ..........................................................................................USF, 2016Returned an interception for a touchdown ....................Ole Miss, 2016 (Zedric Woods - 31 yd)Returned a fumble for a touchdown .................................Tulsa, 2014 (DeMarco Nelson - 6 yd)

DEFENSEHeld UM to 10 or fewer first downs .................................................................... SMU, 2012 (9)Held UM to 0 or fewer yards rushing ............................................................... SMU, 2011 (-14)


Held UM to under 100 yards rushing ............................................................. UCF, 2017 (75)Held UM to 100 or fewer yards passing ....................................Louisiana Monroe, 2017 (97)Held UM to under 300 yards of total offense .............................................. Auburn, 2015 (205)Held UM to under 200 yards of total offense ............................................ Ole Miss, 2014 (104)Intercepted five or more UM passes ...................................................... East Carolina, 2006 (5)Intercepted four or more UM passes ............................................................ Ole Miss, 2007 (4)Intercepted three or more UM passes .............................................................UCF, 2017 (3)Recorded a safety ............................................................................................... Navy, 2017Recorded six or more quarterback sacks ...................................................... Louisville, 2010 (6)Recorded five or more quarterback sacks ...................................... Western Kentucky, 2016 (6)

SPECIAL TEAMSReturned a punt for a TD ................................................................. Houston, 2010 (P.Edwards)Returned a blocked punt for a TD ..............................................Temple, 2013 (Michael Felton)Returned a kickoff for a TD ..............................................................Louisville, 2008 (Trent Guy)Blocked a punt ............................................................................Temple, 2013 (Michael Felton)Blocked a field goal .................................................................... Auburn, 2015 (Blake Countess)Blocked a field goal for a TD ................................................... Louisville, 2008 (Brandon Heath)Blocked a PAT .......................................................................................................... Tulane, 2012Punted 10 or more times.................................................................... Missouri State, 2015 (10)Did not punt ........................................................................................................ Houston, 2010Missed a PAT (kicking) ...................................................................................... Tulane 2017Kicked an on-side kick ..................................................................................... Tulane, 2017Scored two special teams TDs ............................................................................Louisville, 2008

MISCELLANEOUSHad 30 or more first downs .........................................................................UCLA, 2017 (31)Had 25 or more first downs ......................................................................... SMU, 2017 (28)Had 10 or more penalties ........................................................................ at Tulsa, 2017 (14)Had 100 or more penalty yards .............................................................. at Tulsa, 2017 (103)Had 35 minutes or more of possession .................................................Tulane, 2017 (37:28)Had a 100 yard receiver and rusher ...............................................................Houston, 2017 ................................................................... (Dillon Birden, 106 rush; Linell Bonner, 121 rec)

THE LAST TIME A TIGER OPPOSING PLAYER ...

RUSHINGRushed 45 or more times .................................................. Cyrus Lawrence, Va. Tech, 1981 (45)Rushed 35 or more times ............................................................Zach Abey, Navy, 2017 (37)Rushed 30 or more times ........................................................James Flanders, Tulsa, 2016 (33)Rushed 25 or more times ................................................ David Oku, Arkansas State, 2012 (25)Rushed for 300 or more yards .................................... Chris Johnson, East Carolina, 2007 (301)Rushed for 250 or more yards .................................... Chris Johnson, East Carolina, 2007 (301)Rushed for 200 or more yards .......................... Anthony Wales, Western Kentucky, 2016 (245)Rushed for 150 or more yards ............................................... Xavier Jones, SMU, 2017 (175)Rushed for 100 or more yards .........................................D’Angelo Brewer, Tulsa, 2017 (119)Rushed for five or more TDs ......................................................James Flanders, Tulsa, 2016 (5)Rushed for four or more TDs .......................................... Chris Johnson, East Carolina, 2007 (4)Rushed for three or more TDs ........................................... Duke Catalon, Houston, 2017 (3)Rushed for two or more TDs ...................................................... Xavier Jones, SMU, 2017(2)Had a run of 90 yards or more .................................................Adrian Killins, UCF, 2017 (96)Had a run of 80 yards or more ........................................................... L. Murray, UCF, 2012 (83)Had a run of 70 yards or more ..................................................... Marlon Mack, USF, 2014 (75) Had a run of 60 yards or more ...................................... Arkeel Newsome, UConn, 2017 (64) Had a run of 50 yards or more ............................................... Xavier Jones, SMU, 2017 (58)

PASSINGPassed for 500 yards or more ........................................ Hayden Moore, Cincinnati, 2015 (557)Passed for 400 yards or more .......... McKenzie Milton, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (494)Passed for 300 yards or more ........................................... Kyle Postma, Houston, 2017 (315)Attempted 60 or more passes ............................................. Greg Ward, Jr., Houston, 2016 (67)Attempted 50 or more passes ....................................................Josh Rosen UCLA, 2017 (56)Attempted 40 or more passes ...........McKenzie Milton, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (40)Attempted 35 or more passes ...........................................Bryan Shirreffs, UConn, 2017 (35)Completed 40 or more passes ............................................. Greg Ward, Jr., Houston, 2016 (47)Completed 30 or more passes ..................................................... Sam Straub, SIU, 2017 (30)Completed 25 or more passes ...........McKenzie Milton, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (28)Threw for five or more TDs .................McKenzie Milton, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (5)Threw for four or more TDs ......................................................... Sam Straub, SIU, 2017 (4)Threw for three or more TDs ............................................ Jonathan Banks, Tulane, 2017 (3)Threw four or more interceptions .....................................................Mike White, USF, 2013 (4)Threw three or more interceptions .....McKenzie Milton, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (3)Completed a pass for 90 or more yards ....................Matt Johnson, Bowling Green , 2015 (94)Completed a pass for 80 or more yards ........................................Dane Evans, Tulsa, 2015 (80)Completed a pass for 70 or more yards ............................... Keenan Reynolds, Navy, 2015 (75)Completed a pass for 60 or more yards .....................................Josh Rosen, UCLA, 2017 (65)Completed a pass for 50 or more yards ... McKenzie Milton, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (50)

RECEIVINGCaught 15 or more passes ..................................................... Linell Bonner, Houston, 2016 (17)

Caught 10 or more passes ................................................ Darren Andrews, UCLA, 2017 (10)Had 200 or more yards receiving ........................................Linell Bonner, Houston, 2016 (235)Had 175 or more yards receiving ....................................Darren Andrews, UCLA, 2017 (175)Had 150 or more yards receiving ...... Tre’Quan Smith, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (161)Had 125 yards or more receiving .... Dredrick Snelson, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (145)Had 100 or more yards receiving ....................................Linell Bonner, Houston, 2017 (121)Caught three or more TD passes ..............................................Keyarris Garrett, Tulsa, 2015 (3)Caught two or more TD passes ............. Tre’Quan Smith, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (2)...........................................................Dredrick Snelson, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (2)

TOTAL OFFENSEHad 500 or more yards of total offense ..... McKenzie Milton, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (562)Had 400 or more yards of total offense ...................................Josh Rosen, UCLA, 2017 (495)Had 300 or more yards of total offense ............................ Kyle Postma, Houston, 2017 (364)

SCORINGAccounted for five or more TDs ..................................................................................................................................McKenzie Milton, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (5 pass - 1 rush)Accounted for four or more TDs ........................................ Ben Hicks, SMU, 2017 (4 - 4 pass)Accounted for three or more TDs ...........................Duke Catalon, Houston, 2017 (3 - 3 rush)Scored five or more TDs ................................................................... J. Flanders, Tulsa, 2016 (5)Scored four or more TDs ................................................ Chris Johnson, East Carolina, 2007 (4)Scored three or more TDs .............................................................Zach Abey, Navy, 2017 (3)Scored two or more TDs ...Tre’Quan Smith & Dredrick Snelson, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (2)Kicked four or more field goals ................................................Kevin Fitzpatrick, Tulsa, 2009 (4)Kicked three or more field goals ..................................................Cairo Santos, Tulane, 2012 (3)

DEFENSEIntercepted two or more passes ..........................................Zedrick Woods, Ole Miss, 2016 (2)Recovered two or more fumbles .............................................. D. Mathews, Houston, 2013 (2)Recorded three or more sacks ..................................................... Nick Brents-Dawson, 2016 (3)Recorded two or more sacks ...............Shaquem Griffin, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (2)Recorded five or more tackles for loss ................................. Haason Reddick, Temple, 2016 (5)Recorded four or more tackles for loss ..............................................Chris Daley, USF, 2001 (4)Recorded three or more tackles for loss ........................ Nick Brents-Dawson, WKU, 2016 (3.0)

SPECIAL TEAMSScored 10 or more points kicking ...... Matthew Wright, UCF (AAC Championship), 2017 (14)Kicked four or more field goals ................................................Kevin Fitzpatrick, Tulsa, 2009 (4)Kicked three or more field goals ..................................................Cairo Santos, Tulane, 2012 (3)Kicked a field goal of 50 yds or more ...................................... Kevin Phillips, Auburn, 2015 (50)Kicked a 70-yard punt .................................................................Caleb Houston, UCF, 2013 (71)Kicked a 60-yard punt .................................................................. Dalton Parks, Tulsa, 2014 (61)Totaled 150 or more kick return yards............................ Sherman Badie, Tulane, 2017 (159)Totaled 100 or more kick return yards .................................... Kyle Buss, UConn, 2017 (111)Totaled 100 or more punt return yards ..........................................Mario Hull, Rice, 2011 (121)Had a punt return of 50 or more yards .....................................Kenneth Acker, SMU, 2012 (59)Had a 100-yard kickoff return ................................................... Fred Reed, Mississippi St., 2003


scoring indiv. records

Most Points scored (Min. 18)

Rk PTs Player vs Opponent Year

T1 24 Patrick Taylor at Houston 2017

T1 24 Anthony Miller at UConn 2017

T1 24 Curtis Steele vs Tulsa 2009

T1 24 DeAngelo Williams vs Chattanooga 2004

T1 24 DeAngelo Williams vs Houston 2004

T1 24 DeAngelo Williams vs East Carolina 2004

T1 24 Dante Brown vs Houston 2001

T7 18 Riley Ferguson vs SMU 2017

T7 18 Anthony Miller vs Western Kentucky 2016

T7 18 Jamarius Henderson at Tulsa 2015

T7 18 Brandon Hayes vs Tulsa 2014

T7 18 Paxton Lynch vs BYU 2014

T7 18 Sam Craft vs Temple 2013

T7 18 Brandon Hayes vs UAB 2012

T7 18 Steven Black vs Tulane 2008

T7 18 Carlos Singleton vs SMU 2007

T7 18 Joseph Doss vs UTEP 2006


T7 18 DeAngelo Williams vs Tulsa 2005

T7 18 DeAngelo Williams vs Akron 2005

T7 18 DeAngelo Williams vs Ole Miss 2003

T7 18 DeAngelo Williams vs Tennessee Tech 2003

T7 18 Ryan White vs UAB 1999

T7 18 Gerard Arnold vs Tulane 1999

T7 18 Gerard Arnold vs Arkansas State 1997

T7 18 Russell Copeland vs Tennessee 1992

T7 18 John Martin vs Tulane 1992

T7 18 Larry Porter vs Arkansas State 1990

T7 18 Billy Moody vs Louisville 1987

T7 18 Jeff Womack vs Southwestern Louisiana 1985

T7 18 Paul Gowen vs Cincinnati 1971

T7 18 Stan Davis vs Ole Miss 1971

T7 18 Jay McCoy vs Wichita State 1970

T7 18 Danny Pierce vs Southern Miss 1968

T7 18 Bob Sherlag vs Mississippi State 1965

T7 18 Dave Casinelli vs The Citadel 1962

T7 18 Dave Casinelli vs UT-Arlington 1962

T7 18 Dave Casinelli vs The Citadel 1961

T7 18 James Earl Wright vs The Citadel 1961

T7 18 Don Coffee vs Tulsa 1961

T7 18 Nick Bouni vs Southern Miss 1959

T7 18 Bill Robertson vs Arkansas State 1950

T7 18 Frank Berry vs Tampa 1949

tds resPonsible For (Min. 4; Pass/rush)

Rk TDs Player vs Opponent Year

T1 7 Riley Ferguson at UConn (7 pass) 2017

T1 7 Riley Ferguson vs Bowling Green (6 pass, 1 rush)

2016

T1 7 Paxton Lynch vs SMU 2015


T5 6 Riley Ferguson vs UCLA 2017

T5 6 Riley Ferguson vs Bowling Green 2016

T7 5 Riley Ferguson vs SMU (3 rush, 2 pass) 2017

T7 5 Riley Ferguson vs Tulane (3 pass, 2 rush) 2017

T7 5 Paxton Lynch at Tulsa 2015

T7 5 Danny Wimprine vs Louisville 2004

T7 5 Danny Wimprine vs Murray State 2002

T7 5 Danny Wimprine vs Army 2001

T7 5 James Earl Wright vs Tulsa 1961

T14 4 Patrick Taylor at Houston (4 rush) 2017

T14 4 Anthony Miller at UConn (4 rec) 2017

T14 4 Riley Ferguson vs. Western Kentucky 2016

T14 4 Riley Ferguson vs Houston 2016

T14 4 Riley Ferguson vs USF (3 pass, 1 rush) 2016

T14 4 Riley Ferguson at SMU 2016

T14 4 Paxton Lynch vs UConn 2014

T14 4 Paxton Lynch vs USF 2014

T14 4 Paxton Lynch at Cincinnati 2014

T14 4 Paxton Lynch vs Austin Peay 2014


T14 4 Tyler Bass vs UT Martin 2009

T14 4 Arkelon Hall vs UAB 2008

T14 4 Martin Hankins vs East Carolina 2007

T14 4 Martin Hankins vs Southern Miss 2007

T14 4 Martin Hankins vs SMU 2007

T14 4 Danny Wimprine vs Bowling Green St. 2004



T14 4 Danny Wimprine vs East Carolina 2003

tds resPonsible For (Min. 4; Pass/rush)

Rk TDs Player vs Opponent Year

T14 4 Travis Anglin vs Chattanooga 2001


T14 4 Bernard Oden vs UAB 1997

T14 4 Steve Matthews vs Tulane 1992

T14 4 Tim Jones vs Tulane 1989

T14 4 Lloyd Patterson vs Auburn 1976

T14 4 Danny Pierce vs Louisville 1969

T14 4 Billy Fletcher vs Mississippi State 1965

T14 4 James Earl Wright vs Hardin Simmons 1961

T14 4 James Earl Wright vs Abilene Christian 1960

T14 4 James Earl Wright vs Tennessee Tech 1960

Most Pat Made KicKing (Min. 7)

Rk PAT Player vs Opponent Year

1 11 Jake Elliott vs Bowling Green 2016

2 10 Riley Ferguson vs ECU 2017

T3 9 Riley Ferguson vs SMU 2017

T3 9 Jake Elliott vs SMU 2015

T3 9 Jake Elliott at Tulsa 2015

T3 9 Jake Elliott vs Missouri State 2015

T3 9 Jake Elliott vs Austin Peay 2014

T3 9 Pete Weeks vs Louisville 1969

T9 8 Riley Patterson vs Tulane 2017

T9 8 Joe Allison vs Tulane 1992

T9 8 Jack Carter vs Hardin-Simmons 1961

T12 7 Riley Patterson vs UCF 2017

T12 7 Jake Elliott at Kansas 2015

T12 7 Jake Elliott v BYU 2014

T12 7 Matt Reagan vs SMU 2007

T12 7 Stephen Gostkowski vs Chattanooga 2005


T12 7 Stephen Gostkowski vs Tulane 2004

T12 7 Ryan White vs Houston 2001

T12 7 Hal McGeorge vs Virginia Tech 1973

Most consecutive Pat Made (100)

Rk PAT Player Year

1 202 Jake Elliott (202x202) 2013-16

2 101 Ryan White (101x101) 1998-2001

Most Points KicKing (Min. 13)

Rk Pts Player vs Opponent Year

1 18 Ryan White vs UAB 1999

2 17 Stephen Gostkowski vs Arkansas State 2004

T3 16 Jake Elliott vs Tulsa 2014

T3 16 Ryan White vs Cincinnati 1998

T5 15 Jake Elliott at SMU 2016

T5 15 Jake Elliott at Houston 2013

T7 14 Jake Elliott at Bowling Green 2015

T7 14 Stephen Gostkowski vs Marshall 2005

T7 14 Stephen Gostkowski vs Ole Miss 2003


T11 13 Riley Patterson vs UCF 2017

T11 13 Jake Elliott vs Kansas 2016

T11 13 Jake Elliott vs Tulane 2015


T11 13 Jake Elliott vs BYU 2014

T11 13 Matt Reagan vs UAB 2007


T11 13 Stephen Gostkowski vs Louisville 2004

T11 13 Ryan White vs Arkansas State 2000

T11 13 Don Glosson vs Ole Miss 1983

Most Field goals Made (Min. 4)

Rk FGs Player vs Opponent Year



T3 4 Jake Elliott at Temple 2015




T3 4 Stephen Gostkowski vs Arkansas State 2004



T3 4 Joe Allison vs Mississippi 1992

T3 4 Rusty Bennett vs North Texas 1977

Most Field goals atteMPted (Min. 4)

Rk Att Player vs Opponent Year





Most Field goals atteMPted (Min. 4)


T5 4 Riley Patterson vs Navy 2017



T5 4 Jake Elliott at Cincinnati 2014

T5 4 Matt Reagan vs Southern Miss 2009

T5 4 Matt Reagan vs UAB, Rice 2007

T5 4 Matt Reagan vs UAB, Houston 2006

T5 4 Trey Adams vs Chattanooga 2006


T5 4 Stephen Gostkowski vs Arkansas State 2004

T5 4 Stephen Gostkowski vs Tennessee Tech 2003



T5 4 Joe Allison vs Mississippi 1992


scoring team records

Most Points scored

Rk Pts Opponent Year

1 77 vs Bowling Green 2016

T2 70 vs ECU 2017

T2 70 at UConn 2017

T2 70 vs Tampa 1949

5 69 vs Louisville 1969

T6 66 vs SMU 2017

T6 66 at Tulsa 2015

8 64 vs Union University 1950

T9 63 vs Missouri State 2015

T9 63 vs SMU 2015

T9 63 vs Austin Peay 2014

12 62 vs Tulane 1992

13 61 vs Arkansas State 1949

Most touchdowns scored

Rk TDs Opponent Year

T1 11 vs Bowling Green 2016

T1 11 vs Tampa 1949

T3 10 vs ECU 2017

T3 10 at UConn 2017

T3 10 vs Louisville 1969

T3 10 vs Union 1950

T7 9 vs SMU 2017

T7 9 vs SMU 2015

T7 9 at Tulsa 2015



T7 9 vs East Central Oklahoma 1951

Most rushing touchdowns


T1 7 vs SMU 2017


T1 7 vs North Texas State 1971

T1 7 vs The Citadel 1962

T5 6 vs Tulane 2008

T5 6 vs Wichita State 1972

T5 6 vs Tulsa 1972

T5 6 vs Tulsa 1969

T5 6 vs Cincinnati 1969

Most Passing touchdowns


1 8 at UConn 2017

2 7 vs SMU 2015

T3 6 vs UCLA 2017

T3 6 vs Bowling Green 2016

T5 5 vs SMU 2007

T5 5 vs Murray State 2002


T5 5 at Tulsa 2015

T9 4 17 times, last vs UCF 2017

Most extra Points

Rk EP Opponent Year


2 10 vs ECU 2017

T3 9 vs SMU 2017


T3 9 at Tulsa 2015

T3 9 vs SMU 2015


Most extra Points

Rk EP Opponent Year


T8 8 vs Tulane 2017

T8 8 vs Chattanooga 2005

T8 8 vs Tulane 1992

Most Field goals Made

Rk FGs Opponent Year

T1 5 at Houston 2013

T1 5 vs UAB 1999

T3 4 at Temple 2015

T3 4 vs Tulsa 2014

T3 4 vs UAB 2007

T3 4 vs Marshall 2005

T3 4 vs Arkansas State 2004


T3 4 vs Ole Miss 1992


Most Field goals atteMPted

Rk Att Opponent Year

T1 6 vs UAB 1999


T3 5 at Temple 2015

T3 5 vs Tulsa 2014


T6 4 15 times, last vs Navy 2017

Most consecutive Field goals Made

Rk FGs Years

T1 16 1998-99

T1 16 1983-84

Most 2-Point conversions Made

Rk No. Opponent Year

1 2 Louisville 1998

rushing indiv. records

Most rushing atteMPts


1 42 Marcus Holliday vs Tulane 1994

T2 39 Curtis Steele vs UTEP 2009


4 38 Sam Craft at Cincinnati 2014

T5 37 DeAngelo Williams vs Ole Miss 2004

T5 37 Larry Porter vs Ole Miss 1993

T5 37 James King vs Wichita State 1977

8 36 DeAngelo Williams vs Southern Miss 2005

T9 35 DeAngelo Williams vs UTEP 2005

T9 35 Frank Fletcher vs Cincinnati 1994



T11 33 Marcus Holliday vs Arkansas 1994

T11 33 Dave Casinelli vs South Carolina 1963

Most Yards rushing

Rk Yds Player vs Opponent Year

1 263 DeAngelo Williams vs USF 2004

2 262 DeAngelo Williams vs Houston 2004

3 260 Paul Gowen vs Tulsa 1969

4 240 Curtis Steele vs UTEP 2009

5 238 DeAngelo Williams vs Akron 2005

6 236 DeAngelo Williams vs UTEP 2005

7 232 Curtis Steele vs Tulsa 2009

8 226 DeAngelo Williams vs East Carolina 2005

9 225 DeAngelo Williams vs East Carolina 2004

10 223 DeAngelo Williams vs Tulsa 2005

11 210 Dave Casinelli vs Houston 1963

12 206 Larry Porter vs Arkansas State 1990

13 205 DeAngelo Williams vs Chattanooga 2005

14 203 Curtis Steele vs Arkansas State 2008

15 200 DeAngelo Williams vs Louisville 2004

16 199 DeAngelo Williams vs USM 2004

17 198 DeAngelo Williams vs Houston 2005

18 195 DeAngelo Williams vs Tulane 2003

19 190 Teofilo Riley vs Arkansas State 1998

20 189 Richard Williams vs Georgia Tech 1980


highest average Per carrY (Min. 12)

Rk Avg Player vs Opponent Year

1 15.8 Richard Williams vs Georgia Tech 1980

2 15.3 Paul Gowen vs Tulsa 1969

3 14.7 Darrell Henderson vs SMU 2017

4 14.1 Darrell Henderson vs ULM 2017

5 12.2 Curtis Steele vs Tulsa 2009

6 11.0 DeAngelo Williams vs Army 2002

7 10.8 DeAngelo Williams vs Murray State 2002

8 10.4 Eddie Hill vs Cincinnati 1978

9 10.3 DeAngelo Williams vs Chattanooga 2005

longest run FroM scriMMage


1 95 Keith White vs Arkansas State 1948

T2 92 Herb Covington vs Cincinnati 1966

T2 92 Sonny Parsons vs The Citadel 1961

T4 89 Keith Benton vs Louisville 1990

T4 89 Jack Scott vs Union 1948


Rk Tds Player vs Opponent Year

T1 4 Patrick Taylor at Houston 2017






T2 3 28 times (last; Lynch vs BYU, 2014)) 2014

rushing team records

Most rushing atteMPts


1 81 vs North Texas State 1971

2 77 vs Wichita State 1972


T4 70 vs Georgia Tech 1981

T4 70 vs Virginia Tech 1970

Fewest rushing atteMPts


T1 19 vs Arkansas 1998

T1 19 vs UCF 2006

3 20 vs Mississippi 1998

Most Yards rushing

Rk Yds Opponent Year


2 507 vs Tulsa 1969



5 436 vs Tulsa 1972

6 419 vs The Citadel 1962

Fewest Yards rushing


T1 -14 vs SMU 2011

T1 -14 vs Houston 1998


Rk Tds Opponent Year

T1 7 vs SMU 2017



T1 7 vs The Citadel 1962

T5 6 vs Tulane 2008

T5 6 vs Wichita State 1972

T5 6 vs Tulsa 1972

passing indiv. records

Most Passing atteMPts



T1 60 Martin Hankins vs Ole Miss 2007

T1 60 Danny Wimprine vs Mississippi State 2003

4 59 Martin Hankins vs SMU 2007

5 55 Arkelon Hall vs Louisville 2008

T6 53 Riley Ferguson at Houston 2017

T6 53 Paxton Lynch vs Ole Miss 2015

T6 53 Danny Wimprine vs USF 2002

T9 51 Arkelon Hall vs Marshall 2008




11 49 Riley Ferguson at UCF 2017

T12 48 Riley Ferguson at UConn 2017

T12 48 Will Hudgens vs East Carolina 2009



T16 46 Riley Ferguson vs USF 2016

T16 46 Riley Ferguson at Ole Miss 2016




T19 45 Andy Summerlin vs Southern Miss 2011

T19 45 Will Hudgens vs Marshall 2007


T19 45 Steve Matthews vs Mississippi State 1993

Most Pass coMPletions

Rk Cmp Player vs Opponent Year

1 41 Martin Hankins vs Ole Miss 2007

2 39 Paxton Lynch vs Ole Miss 2015

3 35 Martin Hankins vs Southern Miss 2007



T6 33 Riley Ferguson at Housston 2017

T6 33 Will Hudgens vs East Carolina 2009

T6 33 Arkelon Hall vs Louisville 2008


T9 32 Danny Wimprine vs UAB 2003





T13 30 Will Hudgens vs Marshall 2007


T13 30 Riley Ferguson vs UCF 2017

T18 29 Riley Ferguson vs. USF 2016

T18 29 Paxton Lynch at Bowling Green 2015

T18 29 Arkelon Hall vs Rice 2008

T22 28 Will Hudgens vs Southern Miss 2009


T24 27 Riley Ferguson at Tulsa 2017

T24 27 Riley Ferguson at UCF 2017

T24 27 Paxton Lynch at UCLA 2014

T24 27 Martin Hankins vs UCF 2006

T24 27 Paxton Lynch vs Houston 2014

Most Yards Passing


T1 471 Riley Ferguson at Houston 2017


3 447 Paxton Lynch at Tulsa 2015

4 431 Riley Ferguson at UConn 2017

5 416 Martin Hankins vs East Carolina 2007

6 412 Paxton Lynch vs Cincinnati 2015

7 409 Riley Ferguson vs Houston 2016




11 386 Paxton Lynch at Bowling Green 2015


13 373 Arkelon Hall vs Rice 2008

14 364 Arkelon Hall vs Marshall 2008

15 361 Danny Wimprine vs Louisville 2004

16 359 Riley Ferguson vs Bowling Green 2016

17 356 Danny Wimprine vs Arkansas State 2004

T18 355 Martin Hankins vs Tulane 2007

T18 355 Danny Wimprine vs Ole Miss 2003

T18 355 Rusty Trail vs Southern Miss 1988

21 354 Paxton Lynch at Kansas 2015

22 350 Arkelon Hall vs Louisville 2008

23 349 Riley Ferguson vs Tulsa 2016

24 347 Danny Wimprine vs UAB 2004

25 346 Will Hudgens vs Marshall 2007


T26 343 Paxton Lynch vs Tulane 2015

highest average gain/coMPletion

Rk Yds Player vs Opponent (Cmp-Yds) Year

1 33.22 Riley Ferguson vs ECU (9-299) 2017

2 29.22 Danny Wimprine vs Chattanooga (9-263) 2004

3 28.25 Neil Suber vs East Carolina (8-226) 1999

4 28.10 Keith Benton vs UCF (7-197) 1990

5 24.85 Lloyd Patterson vs N. Texas (7-171) 1977

highest average gain/coMPletion

Rk Yds Player vs Opponent (Cmp-Yds) Year

6 24.77 Bernard Oden vs Michigan St. (9-223) 1997

T7 24.67 Paxton Lynch vs SMU 2015

T7 24.67 Neil Suber vs Tennessee (9-222) 1999

8 23.88 Lloyd Patterson vs USM (9-215) 1977

10 23.83 Will Hudgens vs UCF (6-143) 2009

11 23.70 Danny Sparkman vs ASU (9-214) 1984

12 23.20 Keith Benton vs UT (5-116) 1991

Most touchdown Passes



T1 7 Paxton Lynch vs SMU 2015



5 5 Danny Wimprine vs Murray State 2002


T6 4 Riley Ferguson at Tulsa 2017



T6 4 Riley Ferguson at SMU 2016


T6 4 Paxton Lynch vs UConn 2014


T6 4 Tyler Bass vs UT Martin 2009

T6 4 Arkelon Hall vs UAB 2008




T6 4 Danny Wimprine vs Bowling Green 2004


T6 4 Danny Wimprine vs East Carolina 2003


T6 4 Danny Wimprine vs Army 2001

T6 4 Steve Matthews vs Tulane 1992

Most intercePtions thrown

Rk INTs Player vs Opponent Year



T1 5 Darrell Martin vs Vanderbilt 1980

T1 5 Keith Benton vs Missouri 1990

T5 4 Several tied; last Hankins vs. Ole Miss 2007

passing team records




T1 61 vs East Carolina 2007

T1 61 vs SMU 2007

T1 61 vs Mississippi State 2003


T6 55 at UConn 2017

T6 55 vs USF 2002


T8 54 vs Tulane 2000



12 51 vs USF 2003

T13 49 at UCF 2017


T13 49 vs Southern Miss 2007

16 48 vs Ole Miss 2002

T17 47 at Ole Miss 2016



T20 46 vs Houston 2016

T20 46 vs BYU 2014


T20 46 vs Florida Atlantic 2007




T20 46 vs Murray State 1985

Fewest Passing atteMPts



Most Passing coMPletions

Rk Cmp Opponent Year


T2 39 at UConn 2017


4 35 vs Southern Miss 2007





T7 33 vs USF 2002


T10 32 at Tulsa 2015

T10 32 vs SMU 2007


T10 32 vs UAB 2003

15 31 at Ole Miss 2016




T16 30 at UCF 2017

T20 29 vs USF 2016

T20 29 at Bowling Green 2015

T20 29 vs Rice 2008




Fewest Pass coMPletions

Rk Cmp Opponent Year

1 1 five times (last vs Marshall) 2005

Most Passing Yards


1 480 at UConn 2017


T2 471 at UCF 2017

4 447 at Tulsa 2015

5 416 vs East Carolina 2007

6 412 vs Cincinnati 2015

7 409 vs Houston 2016

T8 398 vs UCLA 2017




12 390 vs Tennessee Tech 2003

13 389 vs Ole Miss 2003

14 386 at Bowling Green 2015

15 384 vs Ole Miss 2015



18 373 vs Rice 2008

19 370 at Kansas 2015

20 368 vs Marshall 2008


22 358 vs Tulane 2015




Fewest Passing Yards


1 -3 vs Marshall 2005


Most Passes had intercePted

Rk Int Opponent Year



T1 5 vs Miami 1993

T1 5 vs Missouri 1991

T1 5 vs Southwestern Louisiana 1987

T1 5 vs Vanderbilt 1980

T1 5 vs Vanderbilt 1979


T1 5 vs New Mexico 1986

receiving indiv. records

Most Pass recePtions

Rk Rec Player vs Opponent Year

T1 15 Anthony Miller at UConn 2017

T1 15 Anthony Miller vs Houston 2016

3 14 Anthony Miller at UCF 2017


Most Pass recePtions

Rk Rec Player vs Opponent Year

4 13 Maurice Avery vs UAB 2003

T5 12 Anthony Miller vs Tulsa 2016

T5 12 Steven Black vs SMU 2007


T7 11 Tannar Rehrer vs Rice 2011

T7 11 Duke Calhoun vs Southern Miss 2009

T7 11 Carlos Singleton vs Marshall 2008

T11 10 Anthony Miller at Houston 2017

T11 10 Anthony Miller vs Navy 2017

T11 10 Anthony Miller vs USF 2016

T11 10 Anthony Miller at Ole Miss 2016

T11 10 Anthony Miller vs Ole Miss 2015

T11 10 Keiwone Malone vs MTSU 2012

T11 10 Marcus Rucker vs Middle Tennessee 2012

T11 10 Tannar Rehrer vs Middle Tennessee 2011

T11 10 Duke Calhoun vs Ole Miss 2007

T11 10 Darron White vs Mississippi State 2003

T11 10 Richie Floyd vs Arkansas State 1997

T11 10 Isaac Bruce vs Southwestern La. 1993

T11 10 Mac Cody vs Mississippi State 1993

T11 10 Russell Copeland vs Mississippi State 1992


Most Yards receiving


1 250 Anthony Miller vs Tulsa 2016

2 224 Anthony Miller at UConn 2017

3 195 Anthony Miller at UCF 2017

4 186 Bob Sherlag vs Mississippi State 1965

5 185 Anthony Miller vs UCLA 2017

6 178 Anthony Miller at Houston 2017

7 177 Marcus Rucker vs Middle Tennessee 2012

T8 174 Duke Calhoun vs UT Martin 2009

T8 174 Ryan Roskelly vs Tulsa 1994

10 173 Maurice Jones vs Rice 2008

11 172 Richie Floyd vs Tulane 1996

12 163 Anthony Miller vs SMU 2017

13 162 Duke Calhoun vs UCF 2009

14 161 Sean Dykes at UCF 2017

15 160 Bill Robertson vs Arkansas State 1950

T16 159 Duke Calhoun vs UAB 2007

T16 159 Preston Riley vs Louisville 1968

18 158 Carlos Singleton vs Marshall 2008

19 156 Anthony Miller vs Cincinnati 2015

T20 155 Marcus Rucker vs Southern Miss 2010

T20 155 Richie Floyd vs Cincinnati 1997

22 153 Anthony Miller vs USF 2016

23 151 Anthony Miller vs Western Kentucky 2016

24 150 Travis Anglin vs Houston 2002

25 147 Isaac Bruce vs East Carolina 1993

avg. gain/recePtion (Min. 3 rec.)


1 53.6 Sean Dykes at UCF (3-161) 2017

2 40.5 Duke Calhoun vs UCF (4-162) 2009

3 39.8 Duke Calhoun vs UAB (4-159) 2007

4 38.8 Marcus Rucker vs USM(4-155) 2010

5 37.6 Tavarious Davis vs Ole Miss (3-113) 2003

6 36.3 Antoine Harden vs Army (3-109) 2001

7 34.3 Ryan Scott vs Akron (3-103) 2005

8 33.8 DeAngelo Williams vs TTU (4-135) 2003

9 33.0 Darrius Blevins vs Tulane (4-132) 1997

10 32.7 Tevin Jones at Bowling Green (3-98) 2015

11 32.0 Earnest Williams vs Tulane (3-96) 2007

12 31.8 Preston Riley vs Louisville (5-159) 1968

13 29.8 Duke Calhoun vs Rice (4-119) 2007

14 29.5 Billy Foster vs APSU (4-118) 2011

15 29.3 Maurice Jones vs Tulane (4-117) 2007

16 29.0 Ryan Roskelly vs Tulsa (6-174) 1994

17 28.3 Darron White vs ASU (3-85) 2004

18 28.2 Duke Calhoun vs Marshall (5-141) 2009

19 28.0 Robert Douglas vs ASU (3-84) 2004

20 27.7 Sam Craft (3-83) 2013

21 27.3 Duke Calhoun vs UCT (4-109) 2006

22 27.3 Mose Frazier vs USF (3-82) 2014

T23 27.0 Keiwone Malone at Louisville (3-81) 2013

T23 27.0 Chris Kelley vs BGSU (4-108) 2004

25 26.3 Billy Foster vs UAB (3-79) 2011

T26 26.0 Roderick Proctor vs Cincinnati (3-78) 2015

T26 26.0 Darren Garcia vs N. Texas (4-104) 2003

28 25.8 Duke Calhoun vs UTEP (5-129) 2006

T29 24.7 Tevin Jones at UCLA (3-74) 2014

T29 24.7 Maurice Jones vs Rice (3-74) 2007

Most touchdown recePtions


1 4 Anthony Miller at UConn 2017

T2 3 Anthony Miller at UCF 2017


T2 3 Carlos Singleton vs SMU 2007


T2 3 Stan Davis vs Ole Miss 1971

T2 3 Bob Sherlag vs Mississippi State 1965

T2 3 Don Coffey vs Tulsa 1961

longest Pass recePtion


1 94 Earnest Gray vs Houston 1978

2 93 Billy Foster vs Austin Peay State 2011

T3 92 Tavarious Davis vs Ole Miss 2003

T3 92 Damien Dodson vs Houston 1998

5 85 Duke Calhoun vs UT Martin 2009

T6 84 Anthony Miller vs Kansas 2016

T6 84 Chris Martin vs Southern Miss 1988

T6 84 Edwin Lovelady vs Arkansas State 1984

8 83 Derrick Crawford vs Arkansas State 1983

T9 82 Anthony Miller vs Cincinnati 2015

T9 82 Ryan Scott vs UAB 2006

T9 82 Damien Dodson vs East Carolina 1998

T9 82 Teofilo Riley vs Houston 1996

T9 82 Harold Sterling vs Southern Miss 1960

14 81 Marcus Rucker vs Southern Miss 2010

T15 80 Duke Calhoun vs Marshall 2009

T15 80 Steven Black vs Arkansas State 2007

T15 80 DeAngelo Williams vs TTU 2003

T15 80 Russell Copeland vs East Carolina 1992

19 79 Jerry Harris vs Florida State 1984

20 76 Russell Copeland vs UCF 1990

T21 75 Enis Jackson vs Mississippi State 1984

T21 75 Billy Moody vs Virginia Tech 1985

Most consecutive gaMes with a recePtion

Rk Gms Player vs Opponent

1 49 Duke Calhoun

2 37 Phil Mayhue

3 36 Anthony Miller

4 28 Carlos Singleton

5 27 Russell Copeland

6 26 Earnest Gray

7 24 Darron White

T8 22 Bunkie Perkins

T8 22 Isaac Bruce

T8 22 Ryan Roskelly

11 21 Richie Floyd

12 19 Damien Dodson

13 18 John Bush

T14 16 Ryan Scott

T14 16 Tannar Rehrer

total offense indiv. records

Most oFFensive PlaYs (Min. 50)

Rk No. Player vs Opponent Year




T4 63 Martin Hankins vs Ole Miss 2007


6 62 Martin Hankins vs SMU 2007



T8 60 Bernard Oden vs Minnesota 1997

10 59 Paxton Lynch vs BYU 2014

11 57 Riley Ferguson at Houston 2017

12 56 Riley Ferguson vs Western Kentucky 2016

T13 54 Qadry Anderson vs Louisville 1996

T13 54 Billy Fletcher vs Wake Forest 1965

15 53 Danny Wimprine vs USF 2003

T16 52 Paxton Lynch vs Houston 2014


T16 52 Steve Matthews vs Louisville 1993



T19 51 Paxton Lynch at UCLA 2014



T19 51 Rusty Trail vs Southern Miss 1988

Most total oFFense (Min. 350)


1 466 Riley Ferguson at UCF 2017

2 465 Riley Ferguson at Houston 2017

3 464 Paxton Lynch vs Cincinnati 2015

4 453 Paxton Lynch at Tulsa 2015

5 420 Riley Ferguson at UConn 2017

6 414 Riley Ferguson vs Houston 2016

7 409 Arkelon Hall vs Rice 2008


9 403 Paxton Lynch at Bowling Green 2015


T10 394 Paxton Lynch vs Ole Miss 2015


T13 386 Paxton Lynch vs Tulane 2015


T15 383 Danny Wimprine vs Arkansas State 2004


17 376 Danny Wimprine vs Ole Miss 2003

18 375 Rusty Trail vs Southern Miss 1988

19 373 Tyler Bass vs UT Martin 2009

T20 372 Riley Ferguson vs USF 2016


22 368 Paxton Lynch at Kansas 2015

23 366 Riley Ferguson vs Western Kentucky 2016

24 364 Danny Wimprine vs UAB 2004

25 362 Arkelon Hall vs Marshall 2008

avg. gain/PlaY (Min. 25 PlaYs)


1 12.5 Riley Ferguson vs Houston 2016

2. 12.3 Riley Ferguson at UCF 2017

3 12.0 Riley Ferguson at UConn 2017

4 11.7 Paxton Lynch vs Tulane 2015

5 11.5 Danny Sparkman vs Cincinnati 1984

6 11.3 Riley Ferguson vs USF 2016

7 10.8 Martin Hankins vs UAB 2007

8 10.6 Taylor Reed vs Austin Peay State 2011

9 10.7 Danny Wimprine vs Ole Miss 2003

10 10.4 Paxton Lynch at SMU 2014

11 10.2 Steve Matthews vs East Carolina 1992

T12 9.6 Paxton Lynch at Cincinnati 2014

T12 9.6 Ryan Williams vs East Carolina 2010

14 9.4 DeAngelo Williams vs USF 2004

total offense team records

Most oFFensive PlaYs


1 108 vs SMU 2007

2 100 at UConn 2017

3 97 vs BYU 2014

T4 96 at Tulsa 2015



T6 94 at Cincinnati 2014

8 92 vs Murray State 1985



11 90 at Bowling Green 2015


T12 89 vs Rice 2007


T12 89 vs USF 2003



T12 89 at UCF 2017





T22 86 vs Middle Tennessee 2014



T26 85 vs UConn 2014

T26 85 vs Nicholls State 2008


Fewest oFFensive PlaYs



Most total Yards


1 753 at UCF 2017

2 711 at UConn 2017

3 704 at Tulsa 2015

4 664 vs SMU 2017


6 651 at Kansas 2015



9 610 at Cincinnati 2014

10 608 vs USF 2016



13 592 vs Chattanooga 2005

14 582 at SMU 2014

15 581 vs Tulane 2015

16 571 vs Rice 2007


18 568 vs Mississippi State 2003

19 567 vs Tennessee Tech 2003

20 563 vs UAB 2007

21 560 vs UCLA 2017

Fewest total Yards



punting indiv. records

Most Punts

Rk No. Player Year

1 13 Hugh Owens vs Texas A&M 1979

T2 12 Tom Hornsey vs SMU 2011

T2 12 Mike Coughlin vs Michigan 1995

T2 12 Hugh Owens vs Texas A&M 1978

T2 12 Paul Wilson vs South Carolina 1972

T2 12 Arthur Franklin vs Southwestern La. 1986

T7 11 Tom Hornsey vs Southern Miss 2011

T7 11 Jim Cande vs Ole Miss 1999

T7 11 Hugh Owens vs Houston 1978

T7 11 Durwood Gordon vs W. Texas State 1968

T7 11 Ben Graves vs Southern Miss 2000

T12 10 Tom Hornsey vs Rice 2011

T12 10 Tom Hornsey vs UCF 2011

T12 10 Tom Hornsey vs Middle Tennessee 2010

T12 10 Tom Hornsey vs Louisville 2010

T12 10 Matt Reagan vs Middle Tennessee 2009

T12 10 Ben Graves vs Mississippi State 2000

T12 10 James Gaither vs Southern Miss 2001

T12 10 Drew Pairamore vs Louisville 1996

T12 10 Mike Coughlin vs Southwestern La. 1995

Most Yards Punted



2 475 Tom Hornsey vs SMU 2011

T3 471 Tom Hornsey vs Rice 2011

T3 471 Tom Hornsey vs Southern Miss 2011

5 450 James Gaither vs Southern Miss 2001

6 442 Ben Graves vs Mississippi State 2000

7 438 Tom Hornsey vs Mississippi State 2010


9 423 Hugh Owens vs Houston 1978

10 421 Stan Weaver vs Vanderbilt 1982

11 419 Tom Hornsey vs Louisville 2010

12 417 Tom Hornsey vs Middle Tennessee 2010

T13 416 Matt Reagan vs Middle Tennessee 2009

T13 416 Paul Wilson vs South Carolina 1972

highest Punting average (2 Punts Min.)


1 53.7 Spencer Smith vs Temple (3-161) 2016

2 53.5 Matt Reagan vs Marshall (6-321) 2009

3 53.0 Brent Sutherland vs Rice (2-106) 2007

T4 52.7 Spencer Smith vs Cincinnati (6-316) 2015

T4 52.7 Tom Hornsey vs Tulane (3-158) 2012

6 52.5 Michael Gibson vs UAB (2-105) 2005

7 52.3 James Gaither vs Army (4-209) 2001

T8 52.0 Spencer Smith vs SIU (2-104) 2017

T8 52.0 Spencer Smith vs SMU (2-104) 2015

T8 52.0 Preston Watts vs Union 1942

11 51.7 Tom Hornsey at Houston (3-155) 2013

12 51.3 Spencer Smith vs Kansas (3-154) 2016


highest Punting average (2 Punts Min.)


T13 51.0 Spencer Smith vs Austin Peay 2014

T13 51.0 Matt Reagan vs East Carolina (4-204) 2009

T13 51.0 Brent Sutherland vs Nicholls St. (2-102) 2008

16 50.9 Michael Gibson vs Tennessee (7-356) 2006

17 50.5 Tom Hornsey vs Temple (4-202) 2013

18 50.3 Jeff Buffaloe vs Louisville (7-352) 1992

T19 49.6 Spencer Smith at SMU (5-248) 2016

T19 49.6 Tom Hornsey at MTSU (5-248) 2013

T20 49.5 Spencer Smith vs USF (2-99) 2016

T20 49.5 Michael Gibson vs ASU (4-198) 2006

T20 49.5 Brandon Roberson vs TTU (2-99) 2003

longest Punt


1 85 Roland Eveland vs Washington 1950

2 79 Tom Hornsey vs Duke 2013

3 78 Jeff Fite vs Alabama 1989

4 73 Michael Gibson vs Tennessee 2006

5 72 Spencer Smith vs Cincinnati 2015

6 71 Olie Cordill vs West Texas State 1963

T7 70 Tom Hornsey vs UT Martin 2013

T7 70 Brent Sutherland vs Florida Atlantic 2007

T7 70 Michael Gibson vs Tennessee 2006

T7 70 Michael Gibson vs Marshall 2005

T7 70 Russell Richards vs Florida State 1980

T12 69 Jeff Fite vs Florida 1988

T12 69 Virgil Pearcy vs Mississippi State 1974

punting team records

Most Punts


1 13 vs Texas A&M 1979

T2 12 vs SMU 2011

T2 12 vs Michigan 1995


T2 12 vs Texas A&M 1978

T2 12 vs South Carolina 1972





T7 11 vs West Texas State 1968

Most Yards Punted


1 492 vs Texas A&M 1979

2 475 vs SMU 2011

T3 471 vs Rice 2011


T5 450 vs UTEP 2005




9 433 vs Texas A&M 1978

10 423 vs Houston 1978

11 421 vs Vanderbilt 1982


13 417 vs Middle Tennessee 2010


T14 416 vs South Carolina 1972

Fewest Yards Punted



highest Punting average (Min. 2 Punts)

Rk Avg Opponent Year

1 53.5 vs Marshall 2009

2 53.0 vs Rice 2007

3 52.7 vs Cincinnati 2015

4 52.7 vs Tulane 2012

5 52.5 vs UAB 2005

6 52.3 vs Army 2001

7 52.0 vs Houston 2004

8 51.7 at Houston 2013

T9 51.0 vs Austin Peay 2014

T9 51.0 vs East Carolina 2009

11 50.9 vs Tennessee 2006

12 50.5 at Kansas 2015

13 50.3 vs Louisville 1992

lowest Punting average

Rk Avg Opponent Year

1 11.0 vs Southern Miss 1977

kicking indiv. records

Most Points KicKing

Rk Pts Player vs Opponent Year


2 17 Stephen Gostkowski vs Arkansas St. 2004



T5 15 Jake Elliott at SMU 2016




T7 14 Stephen Gostkowski vs Ole Miss 2003


T11 13 Riley Patterson at UCF 2017



T11 13 Jake Elliott vs Ole Miss 2015





T11 13 Stephen Gostkowski vs Louisville 2004


T11 13 Don Glosson vs Ole Miss 1983

Most Pat atteMPted



2 10 Riley Patterson vs ECU 2017

T3 9 Riley Patterson vs SMU 2017
















T12 7 W.D. Weeks vs Wichita State 1970

T12 7 Roger Carter vs Cincinnati 1972

Most Pat Made

Rk PAT Player vs Opponent Year


2 10 Riley Patterson vs ECU 2017

T3 9 Riley Patterson vs SMU 2017















T12 7 Pete Weeks vs Wichita State 1970

T12 7 Roger Carter vs Cincinnati 1972

Most Field goals Made in a halF

Rk FGs Player vs Opponent Year










T5 4 Riley Patterson vs Navy 2017



T5 4 Jake Elliott at Cincinnati 2014

T5 4 Matt Reagan vs Southern Miss 2009

T5 4 Matt Reagan vs Rice 2007



T5 4 Matt Reagan vs Houston 2006


T5 4 Stephen Gostkowski vs East Carolina 2005

T5 4 Stephen Gostkowski vs Arkansas St. 2004

T5 4 Stephen Gostkowski vs TTU 2003



T5 4 Joe Allison vs Ole Miss 1992










T4 4 Matt Reagan vs Houston 2006


T4 4 Stephen Gostkowski vs Arkansas St. 2004





longest Field goal Made


1 56 Jake Elliott at USF 2013

2 54 Jake Elliott vs BYU 2014

T3 53 Jake Elliott vs Auburn 2015






T6 52 Luis Tejeda vs Ole Miss 1994

T6 52 Don Glosson vs Florida State 1985


T11 51 Paulo Henriques vs UAB 2012

T11 51 Stephen Gostkowski vs East Carolina 2005


T11 51 Joe Allison vs Arkansas 1992

T11 51 Joe Allison vs East Carolina 1990

T11 51 Don Glosson vs Georgia 1984

T11 51 Thomas Ingles vs Ole Miss 1982

kicking team records

Most extra Points

Rk EP Year

1 74 2017

2 63 2015

T3 58 2016, 2014

5 57 2017

6 48 2004

7 44 2003

8 41 2008

9 40 1961

10 39 1969

11 37 2007


Rk Fgs Year

T1 23 2015, 1992

3 22 2005

T4 21 2016, 2014

6 20 2004

7 19 2003

8 17 2007

9 16 2013

T10 15 2006, 1994, 1984

Fewest Field goals Made

Rk Fgs Year

1 0 1958


Rk Fgs Year

1 32 2014

T2 28 2003, 2015

4 26 2016

T5 25 2007, 2005, 1992

8 24 2004

9 22 2006

10 21 1994

T11 20 1983, 1977

Fewest Field goals atteMPted

Rk Fgs Year

T1 8 1978

T1 8 1968

Most consecutive Field goals Made

Rk Fgs Year

T1 16 1998-99

T1 16 1983-84

3 13 2005

T4 11 2013, 1992

kick return indiv. records

Most KicKoFF returns

Rk Ret Player Year

1 59 Michael Grandberry 2007

2 39 D.A. Griffin 2010

3 38 Tony Pollard 2016


5 30 Charles Wilson 1988

T6 28 Bobby McCain 2012

T6 28 Reginald Jones 1989

8 27 Joe Craig 2013

9 26 Antoine Harden 2002

10 25 Antoine Harden 2001

T11 24 Marcus Hightower 2009

T11 24 William Arnold 1987

T11 24 Curtis Johnson 2011

Most KicKoFF return Yards

Rk Yds Player Year

1 1,286 Michael Grandberry 2007

2 1,068 Tony Pollard 2016


4 748 D.A. Griffin 2010

5 735 Charles Wilson 1988

6 724 Joe Craig 2013

7 721 Bobby McCain 2012


9 622 Reginald Jones 1989

10 588 Jae’Lon Oglesby 2015


highest KicKoFF return average

Rk Avg Player Year

1 33.0 Mac Cody 1993

2 31.0 Nick Pappas 1967

3 30.2 John Martin 1992

4 28.9 Bobby Ward 1973

5 28.1 Tony Pollard 2016

6 27.5 Xavier Crawford 1991

7 27.4 Bobby Ward 1974

42.4 To Watch: Tony Pollard 2017

Most KicKoFF return td

Rk Td Player Year



T3 1 Darrell Henderson vs. SMU 2016

T3 1 Kevin Cobb vs Tennessee 1996

T3 1 Mac Cody vs Cincinnati 1993

T3 1 Charles Wilson vs Tulane 1988

T3 1 Jerry Harris vs Southern Miss 1983

T3 1 Charles Greenhill vs Cincinnati 1983

T3 1 Terdell Middleton vs North Texas 1975

T3 1 Stan Davis vs Cincinnati 1972

T3 1 Nick Pappas vs Ole Miss 1967


Most KicKoFF return td

Rk Td Player Year

T3 1 Billy Fletcher vs Houston 1963

T3 1 Billy Russell vs Tennessee Tech 1954

T3 1 Frank Mawyer vs Chattanooga 1950

kick return team records

Most KicKoFF returns

Rk Ret Opponent Year


T2 9 at UCF 2017


T2 9 vs Tennessee 2009


T2 9 vs UCF 2007



T2 9 vs Tennessee 2001

Most KicKoFF return Yards


1 214 vs UCF 2007

2 200 vs Middle Tennessee 2012


4 195 vs UAB 2011




7 177 at Connecticut 2013

8 175 at Houston 2017

9 174 vs USF 2016



T11 169 vs Florida State 1979

Fewest KicKoFF return Yards


1 0 vs several opponents; last vs Navy

2017

punt return indiv. records

Most Punt returns

Rk Ret Player vs Opponent Year

1 10 Ryan Roskelly vs Tulsa 1994

2 7 Darron White vs Chattanooga 2004

T3 6 Keiwone Malone vs MTSU 2014

T3 6 Ryan Johnson vs UAB 2001


T3 6 Russell Copeland vs Cincinnati 1992

T3 6 Jerry Harris vs Mississippi State 1985

T3 6 Keith Wright vs North Texas State 1974

T3 6 Stan Davis vs Tennessee 1969

T3 6 Bob Baxter vs Ole Miss 1965

Most Punt return Yards


1 194 Ryan Roskelly vs Tulsa 1994

2 133 David Berrong vs Wichita State 1968

3 120 Keith Wright vs North Texas State 1974

4 112 Keiwone Malone vs UAB 2012


T5 94 Keith Wright vs Louisville 1975


T8 92 Darron White vs Tulane 2004

T8 92 Ryan Johnson vs Cincinnati 2000

T8 92 Stan Davis vs Southern Miss 1972


highest Punt return average


1 33.3 David Berrong vs Wichita State 1968

2 30.7 Bob Baxter vs Ole Miss 1967

3 30.6 Ryan Johnson vs Cincinnati 2000

4 30.0 Keith Wright vs North Texas 1974

5 28.0 Roderick Proctor vs. Missouri State 2015

6 22.4 Keiwone Malone vs UAB 2012

7 21.8 Bobby Ward vs Ole Miss 1973

8 19.4 Ryan Roskelly vs Tulsa 1994

9 18.4 Darron White vs Tulane 2004

10 17.0 Darron White vs Houston 2004

Most Punt return tds

Rk Td Player vs Opponent Year

T1 1 Roderick Proctor vs. Missouri State 2015

T1 1 Darron White vs Tulane 2004

T1 1 Keith Cobb vs Southwestern La. 1995

T1 1 Ryan Roskelly vs Tulsa 1994

T1 1 Judson Flint vs Ole Miss 1978

T1 1 Judson Flint vs Louisville 1978


T1 1 Keith Wright vs Wichita State 1976


T1 1 Keith Wright vs North Texas 1974

T1 1 Steve Jaggard vs Tulsa 1968


T1 1 Bob Sherlag vs Wake Forest 1964

T1 1 Russell Vollmer vs Ole Miss 1962

T1 1 10 blocked punts for TD 1974

longest Punt return


1 97 Keith Wright vs North Texas 1974



4 89 Billy Russell vs Tennessee Tech 1954

5 88 Russ Vollmer vs Ole Miss 1962

T6 86 Ricky Rivas vs Wichita State 1975

T6 86 Jack Carter vs Chattanooga 1961

punt return team records

Most Punt returns

Rk Ret Year

1 47 1994

2 44 2002

3 42 2014

4 39 2000

5 38 1971

6 36 2001

T7 35 1995, 1993

9 33 2004

10 32 2005

Fewest Punt returns

Rk Ret Year

1 10 2011

Most Punt return Yards

Rk Yds Year

1 514 1994

2 468 1992

3 408 1961

4 385 1972

5 381 1968

Fewest Punt return Yards

Rk Yds Year

1 5 2010

2 54 1980

Most Punt return tds

Rk Tds Year

1 3 1968

T2 2 1978, 1976, 1974

defense indiv. records

Most solo tacKles


1 19 Pete Scatamacchia vs Louisville 1979

2 16 Alex Dees vs Southern Miss 1968

T3 15 Jamon Hughes vs Southern Miss 2010

T3 15 Dave Pawlik vs San Jose State 1971

T5 14 Shareef White vs Auburn 2015

T5 14 Jamon Hughes vs UAB 2010

T5 14 Todd Ondra vs Louisville 1978

T5 14 Wilson Neely vs Mississippi St. 1986

8 12 Glenn Sumter vs Southern Miss 2001

9 11 Austin Hall vs Tulane 2017

Most assisted tacKles


1 19 Art Brumit vs Utah State 1967

T2 13 Quinton McCrary vs Tennessee 2006

Most assisted tacKles


T2 13 Joe Rushing vs Utah State 1967

T2 13 Damon Young vs Tulane 1987

T5 12 Charles Harris vs Arkansas State 2012

T5 12 Jamon Hughes vs East Carolina 2010

T5 12 Jamon Hughes vs Marshall 2010

T5 12 Jamon Hughes vs Houston 2009

T5 12 Todd Ondra vs Northeast La. 1979

T5 12 Todd Ondra vs Louisville 1979

Most total tacKles


1 25 Pete Scatamacchia vs Louisville 1979

2 21 Jamon Hughes vs Southern Miss 2010

3 21 Tommy James vs Utah State 1970

4 21 Alex Dees vs Southern Miss 1968

5 20 Kamal Shakir vs Army 1999

6 20 John Allen vs Houston 1968

7 20 Glenn Whittemore vs Southern Miss 1973

8 20 Todd Ondra vs Texas A&M 1979

9 20 Mike Kleimeyer vs Tennessee 1981

10 18 Jamon Hughes vs Houston 2009

10 18 Todd Ondra vs Tulane 1980

Most QuarterbacK sacKs


T1 4 Clinton McDonald vs Arkansas St. 2008

T1 4 James Logan vs Arkansas St. 1994

T1 4 Marlon Brown vs Louisville 1987

4 3.5 Genard Avery vs Tulane 2017

T5 3 by eight different players

Most tacKles For lost Yardage


1 6 Tony Williams vs Tennessee 1996

2 5.5 Genard Avery vs Tulane 2017

T3 5 Marlon Brown vs Southern Miss 1987

T3 5 Rod Brown vs Arkansas 1993

5 4.5 Martin Ifedi vs Arkansas State 2013

T6 4 by 15 diff. players; last Tank Jakes vs UCLA 2014

Most FuMble recoveries


T1 3 Quinton McCrary vs UCF 2007

T1 3 Ricky Kale vs Southern Miss 1970

T3 2 Michael Edwards Jr. vs Kansas 2016

T3 2 Ryan Coleman vs SMU 2013

T3 2 Akeem Davis vs SMU 2011

T3 2 Jake Kasser vs Ole Miss 2007

T3 2 Eric Taylor vs Arkansas State 2003

T3 2 Reginald Howard vs Ole Miss 1999

T3 2 Demorrio Shank vs Houston 1998

T3 2 Larry Frankenbach vs North Texas 1970

T3 2 Ricky Kale vs Southern Miss 1970

Most FuMbles returned For touchdowns


1 2 Ryan Coleman vs SMU 2013

longest FuMble return


1 88 Freddie Barnett vs Arkansas State 2007

2 84 Corey Irby vs Louisville 1999

3 73 Glenn Sumter vs Mississippi State 2001

4 66 Idrees Bashir vs Tulane 2000

5 64 Manny Santibanez vs USM 1997

6 59 Bobby McCain vs MTSU 2014

7 57 Ruben Melton vs Cincinnati 1971

8 54 Jeremy Stewart vs East Carolina 1998

9 50 Jonathan Cook vs Kansas 2016

10 47 John Allen vs North Texas 1968

Most Pass intercePtions


T1 3 Bobby McCain at USF 2013

T1 3 Eddie Moore vs Tulane 1988

T1 3 Keith Simpson vs North Texas 1977

T1 3 Olie Cordill vs Mississippi State 1965

T1 3 Bob Ford vs Murray State 1952

Most intercePtion return Yards


1 100 Idrees Bashir vs Army 2000

Most intercePtion return Yards


2 99 Robert Lyles vs Mississippi State 1958

3 98 Paul Haynes vs Tampa 1948

T4 95 Marty Hammock vs Southern Miss 1973

T4 95 Chris Hobbs vs Tennessee 1991

6 93 Bob Sherlag vs Wake Forest 1964

7 91 Bob Orians vs Southern Miss 1977

T8 90 Dominic Calloway vs East Carolina 1993

T8 90 Preston Watts vs Middle Tennessee 1941

longest intercePtion return


1 100 Idrees Bashir vs Army 2000

2 99 Robert Lyles vs Mississippi State 1958

3 98 Paul Haynes vs Tampa 1948

T4 95 Marty Hammock vs Southern Miss 1973

T4 95 Chris Hobbs vs Tennessee 1991

T6 93 Reggis Ball vs SMU 2013

T6 93 Bob Sherlag vs Wake Forest 1964

8 91 Bob Orians vs Southern Miss 1977

T9 90 Dominic Calloway vs East Carolina 1993

T9 90 Preston Watts vs Middle Tennessee 1941

Most blocKed Punts


1 4 Ken Irvin vs Arkansas 1992

defense team records

Most rushes allowed

Game 82 by Houston 1968

Fewest rushing Yards allowed

Game -4 by Ole Miss 1993

Most rushing Yards allowed

Game 523 by Texas A&M 1978

Fewest Pass coMPletions allowed

Game 1 three times; last vs Southern Miss 1976

Most Pass coMPletions allowed

Game 47 by Houston 2016

Fewest Passing Yards allowed

Game 5 by Southern Miss 1976

Most Passing Yards allowed

Game 620 by Cincinnati 2015

Fewest total Yards allowed

Game 87 by Texas-Arlington87 by Tennessee Tech

19621962

Most total Yards allowed

Game 752 by Cincinnati 2015

Most Points allowed

Game 92 by Ole Miss66 by Florida State (modern day records since 1947)

19351979

Most rushing touchdowns allowed

Game 7 by UCF 2007

Most touchdown Passes allowed

Game 6 by Florida State6 by Tennessee & Houston6 by Houston

196920092010

Most intercePtions

Game 6 vs East Carolina6 vs Tulsa

19931972

Most FuMble recoveries

Game 6 vs North Texas 1968

Most QuarterbacK sacKs

Game 7 vs Tulane7 vs Arkansas State7 vs Houston7 vs East Carolina7 vs East Carolina7 vs Arkansas State

201720132006200319981994


Most blocKed KicKs

Game 4 vs Arkansas 1992

Most tacKles For lost Yardage

Game 16 vs Tennessee 1996

misc team records

Most Points scored in a Quarter


T1 35 vs Bowling Green (1st) 2016

T1 35 vs Tulane (1st) 1992

3 33 vs North Texas (3rd) 1971

4 30 vs Cincinnati (4th) 1983

T5 28 at UConn (1st) 2017

T5 28 vs. SMU (1st) 2015

T5 28 vs. SMU (2nd) 2015

T5 28 vs. Missouri State (1st) 2015

T5 28 vs Chattanooga (3rd) 2004

T5 28 vs Arkansas State (4th) 2004

T5 28 vs West Texas State (4th) 1968

12 26 vs Tulsa (2nd) 1968

Most Points scored in a halF


T1 56 vs. Bowling Green (1st) 2016

T1 56 vs. SMU (1st) 2015


T3 49 vs ECU (1st) 2017

T5 42 at Houston (2nd) 2017

T5 42 vs. Missouri State (1st) 2015

T5 42 vs Austin Peay (1st) 2014

8 41 vs Louisville (2nd) 1969

T9 38 at SMU (1st) 2016

T9 38 vs Houston (1st) 2003

T9 38 vs Cincinnati (2nd) 1969

T12 35 SMU (2nd) 2017

T12 35 Tulane (1st) 2017

T12 35 at UConn (2nd) 2017

T12 35 at UConn (1st) 2017

T12 35 at Tulsa (1st) 2015

T12 35 vs Chattanooga (1st) 2005

T12 35 vs Chattanooga (2nd) 2004

T12 35 vs Arkansas State (2nd) 2003

T12 35 vs West Texas State (2nd) 1968

Most Points allowed in a halF


1 51 by Florida State (1st) 1989

T2 42 by Tennessee (1st) 2009

T2 42 by Houston (1st) 2009

T2 42 by UCF (1st) 2007

T2 42 by Michigan State (1st) 1997

T2 42 by Florida State (2nd) 1979

T2 42 by Ole Miss (1st) 1971

8 41 by Alabama (2nd) 1983

T9 40 by Tennessee (1st) 2010

T9 40 by Ole Miss (1st) 1980

Most coMbined Points in a halF


1 68 vs Louisville (1st) 2004

2 64 vs Florida State (1st) 1989

T3 63 at Houston (2nd) 2017

T3 63 vs Bowling Green State (1st) 2004

T5 62 vs East Carolina (2nd) 2007


7 60 vs Rice (2nd) 2008

T8 59 at UConn (1st) 2017

T8 59 vs Bowling Green (1st) 2016

10 58 vs Cincinnati (1st) 2015

T11 56 vs SMU 2017

T11 56 vs SMU (1st) 2015

T11 56 at Tulsa (1st) 2015

T11 56 vs Houston (1st) 2009

T11 56 vs Florida State (2nd) 1979

Most Points scored in a gaMe



2 76 vs Memphis Navy 1950

T3 70 at UConn 2017

T3 70 vs Tampa 1949

Most Points scored in a gaMe



T6 66 vs SMU 2017

T6 66 at Tulsa 2015

8 64 vs Union University 1950

T9 63 vs SMU 2015

T9 63 vs. Missouri State 2015



T13 61 vs East Central Oklahoma 1951

T13 61 vs Arkansas State 1949

Most Points allowed in a gaMe


1 66 by Florida State 1979

2 62 by UCF 2017

3 61 by Ole Miss 1980

T4 59 by Tulsa 2016

T4 59 by Mississippi State 2011

6 58 by Texas A&M 1978

7 57 by Florida State 1989

T8 56 by Houston 2010

T8 56 by Louisville 2010

T8 56 by Tennessee 2009

T8 56 by East Carolina 2007

T8 56 by UCF 2007

Most coMbined Points in a gaMe


1 117 at UCF (55-62) 2017

2 111 vs SMU (66-45) 2017

2 108 at Tulsa (66-42) 2015

3 107 vs SMU (55-52) 2007

4 105 vs Louisville (49-56) 2004

5 103 vs BYU (55-48, 2 ot) 2014

6 101 at UConn (70-31) 2017

7 99 vs. Cincinnati (53-46) 2015

8 96 vs East Carolina (40-56) 2007

9 93 vs UCLA (48-45) 2017

10 92 vs Houston (48-44) 2016

11 91 vs USF (42-49) 2016

12 89 vs Tulsa (30-59) 2016

13 88 vs Louisville (69-19) 1969

14 87 vs Bowling Green (35-52) 2004

T15 85 at Bowling Green (44-41) 2015

Most First downs rushing


1 26 vs Tulsa 1972


3 24 vs The Citadel 1962

4 22 vs Tulane 2008


T6 21 vs Georgia Tech 1981


Most First downs Passing


T1 21 at UConn 2017

T1 21 vs. Ole Miss 2015

3 20 at Houston 2017




T7 18 at UCF 2017

T7 18 at Navy 2016

T7 18 vs Southeast Missouri 2016

T7 18 at Tulsa 2015


T7 18 vs SMU 2007


T13 17 at SMU 2014

T13 17 at UCLA 2014


T17 16 vs SMU 2017



T17 16 at Kansas 2015




Most First downs bY PenaltY


T1 6 vs UCLA 2017

T1 6 vs Tulsa 2015

T3 5 at Tulsa 2017

T3 5 at UCF 2017


T3 5 vs SMU 2007


T3 5 vs Alabama 1987


10 4 vs several opponents; last at Houston

2017

Most total First downs



T2 35 at Tulsa 2015

T2 35 vs SMU 2007

T4 34 at UConn 2017

T4 34 at Kansas 2015

T6 32 at UCF 2017

T6 32 vs SMU 2017



T6 32 vs Chattanooga 2005


T11 31 vs Nicholls State 2008

Fewest total First downs



Most Penalties



2 15 at Middle Tennessee 2013

15 vs Houston 2000

15 vs Tulane 1992

15 vs Mississippi State 1985

6 14 vs Tennessee 1999

14 at UCF 2017


13 vs Mississippi State 1998

Fewest Penalties



Most PenaltY Yards


1 147 vs West Texas State 1964

2 145 at Middle Tennessee 2013



T5 132 vs SMU 2017




9 127 at UCF 2017

longest tiMe oF Possession


1 40:55 at Cincinnati 2014

2 40:54 vs East Carolina 2000

3 39:44 vs Cincinnati 1984

T4 38:08 vs Nicholls State 2008

T4 38:08 vs Cincinnati 1994

6 37:55 vs Ole Miss 1983

7 37:41 vs Tulane 1985

8 37:40 vs Murray State 1985

9 37:37 vs Marshall 2012

10 37:36 vs Tulane 2008

shortest tiMe oF Possession


1 19:19 vs North Carolina 1983

Most 3rd down conversions


1 14 vs SMU 2007

2 13 at UConn 2017


T3 12 at Cincinnati 2014

T3 12 vs Rice 2008

Most 3rd down conversions




T8 10 vs UTEP 2009

T8 10 vs USF 2004

T8 10 vs UAB 2004

11 9 29 times; last vs Tulane 2017

best 3rd down conversion Percentage


1 .705 vs Louisville (12-of-17) 2004

2 .692 vs Ole Miss (9-of-13) 2006

3 .666 vs Cincinnati (12-of-18) 1994

4 .650 at UConn (13-of-20) 2017

T5 .643 vs Tulane (9-of-14) 2017

T5 .643 vs. Missouri State (9-of-14) 2015

T5 .643 vs Tulane (9-of-14) 2008

T5 .643 vs Chattanooga (9-of-14) 2005

9 .632 vs Rice (12-of-19) 2008

T10 .600 vs Ole Miss (12-of-20) 2015

T10 .600 vs Nicholls State (9-of-15) 2008

T10 .600 vs SMU (9-of-15) 2008

T10 .600 vs Tulane (9-of-15) 2007

T10 .600 vs Tulane (9-of-15) 2003

Fewest 3rd down conversions


T1 1 vs Tennessee (1-of-9) 2006

T1 1 vs Cincinnati (1-of-12) 2004

T1 1 vs Cincinnati (1-of-12) 199

Most FuMbles




T3 9 vs Florida State 1977



T3 9 vs Tennessee Tech 1962

Most FuMbles lost






T3 6 vs Tennessee Tech 1962


individual single gaMe all-PurPose Yards

Rk Player vs Opponent Yards Rush Rec PR KR Year1 Ryan Roskelly vs Tulsa 368 0 174 194 0 1994

2 DeAngelo Williams vs Tulane 305 195 41 0 69 2003

3 DeAngelo Williams vs Houston 281 262 19 0 0 2004

4 Darrell Henderson vs SMU 278 147 15 0 116 2017

5 Larry Porter vs Arkansas State 275 206 -1 0 70 1990

6 DeAngelo Williams vs USF 273 263 10 0 0 2004

7 Xavier Crawford vs Missouri 262 46 53 0 163 1991

8 Paul Gowen vs Tulsa 260 260 0 0 0 1969

9 Curtis Steele vs Tulsa 257 232 25 0 0 2009

10 DeAngelo Williams vs Chattanooga 251 136 87 0 28 2004

T11 Anthony Miller vs Tulsa 250 0 250 0 0 2016

T11 Curtis Steele vs UTEP 250 240 10 0 0 2009

13 DeAngelo Williams vs East Carolina 240 226 14 0 0 2005

T14 DeAngelo Williams vs UTEP 239 236 3 0 0 2005

T14 DeAngelo Williams vs Ole Miss 239 135 31 0 73 2003

T16 Curtis Steele vs Southern Miss 237 178 59 0 0 2008

T16 Eddie Hill vs Cincinnati 237 188 0 0 49 1978

T16 John Martin vs East Carolina 237 166 16 0 55 1992

19 DeAngelo Williams vs Akron 236 238 -2 0 0 2005

T20 DeAngelo Williams vs East Carolina 226 225 1 0 0 2004

T20 Anthony Miller vs UCF 226 0 195 0 31 2017

22 Eddie Hill vs Wichita State 225 107 0 11 107 1978

T23 Anthony Miller at UConn 224 0 224 0 0 2017

T23 DeAngelo Williams vs Tulsa 224 223 1 0 0 2005

25 Russell Copeland vs Florida State 221 0 113 0 108 1989

26 Larry Porter vs Arkansas State 220 167 9 0 44 1991

T27 Bobby Ward vs Houston 218 0 105 2 111 1973

T27 Charles Wilson vs Southern Miss 218 0 88 0 130 1988

29 Stan Davis vs Tennessee 217 76 3 0 138 1969

30 DeAngelo Williams vs Louisville 215 200 15 0 0 2004

all-purpose individual records


Memphis State College 32

East Tennessee State 12Memorial Stadium (8,000)

November 22, 1956

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — In November of 1956, Memphis State College received its second bowl bid in school history, but this time University officials ac-cepted the invitation and the team traveled to East Tennessee to participate in its first postseason event.

In 1938, the Tigers received an invitation to the Prune Bowl in California and asked bowl officials for a financial guarantee to help cover the cost of trans-porting the squad to the Golden State. When the guarantee did not come through, Memphis opted to stay home.

In 1956, the Memphis squad finished the season with a 4-4-1 record under head coach Ralph Hatley. Andy Nelson and Cotton Clifford served as team cap-tains and helped Memphis to victories in two of the final three games.

During that three-week stretch, the Tigers had back-to-back shutouts, defeating Western Kentucky 42-0 and Arkansas State 34-0.

November 22 was a cold and blustery day in Johnson City, Tenn. Not suited for football or any oth-er outdoor event, the day was highlighted by a light snowfall and spitting rain and sleet.

East Tennessee State College tallied the game’s first points on a 14-yard pass from quarterback How-ard Tippett to halfback Bob Lindsey in the first peri-od. The point after failed, as did most that day, and the Buccaneers led 6-0.

The Tigers answered the East Tennessee State College score before the first quarter ended. Bob Schmidt blasted into the end zone from two yards

out and, following the missed PAT by Memphis, the score was tied at 6-all.

Neither team could do much to defeat the weather the remainder of the first half, although the Tigers penetrated several times into Buccaneers ter-ritory in the second quarter. Memphis even moved down to the East Tennessee State College 1-yard line before a fumble halted the drive. The first half ended with the score knotted at 6-all.

In the second half, the Tigers got their offense going. After being held to only six points in the first half by a battling Buccaneers bunch, Memphis shook off the effects of the biting cold weather conditions and took charge of the Burley Bowl — which was witnessed by 700 fans on a frigid Thanksgiving af-ternoon — in the third quarter. The Tigers punched across three touchdowns in that third period to take control of the contest on the way to the program’s first bowl victory.

The first time Memphis received the ball in the third quarter, fullback Bobby Brooks sprinted right up the middle, veered to the left and went 45 yards for a touchdown. And, before that decisive period ended, the Tigers also scored on a one-yard plunge by Eddie Gebara and a 64-yard screen pass from Bubba Leon-ard to Gebara.

Andy Nelson took a pitchout four yards for the final Memphis touchdown in the opening minutes of the fourth period. Leonard converted the PAT after the third and fourth touchdowns.

East Tennessee State College’s last touchdown came midway in the fourth period when quarterback Joe Dixon ran in from one yard out.

The Tigers ended the season with a 5-4-1 record, while East Tennessee State College dropped to a 4-5 mark.

Memphis State 6 0 20 6 — 32East Tennessee 6 0 0 6 — 12Attendance: 700; Weather: Snow/Sleet

ETSC (1st) Lindsey 14 pass from Tippett (PAT failed)MSC (1st) Schmidt 2 run (PAT failed)MSC (3rd) Brooks 45 run (PAT failed)MSC (3rd) Gebara 1 run (Leonard kick)MSC (3rd) Gebara 64 run (Leonard kick)MSC (4th) Nelson 4 run (PAT failed)ETSC (4th) Dixon 1 run (PAT failed)

TEAM STATISTICS

MSC ETSCFirst Downs 14 12Yards Rushing 282 158Yards Passing 128 101Total Yards 410 259Total Offensive Plays NA NAPasses (C-A) 3-6 7-12Punts 4-38.9 6-30.5Fumbles 2-2 5-5No. of Interceptions 2 0Penalties 6-30 4-203rd Down Conversions NA NASacks By NA NA

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: MSC-Brooks 1-45 ETSC-N/APassing: MSC-Leonard 3-6-128, ETSC-Tippett 7-12-21Receiving: MSC-Gebara 1-64 ETSC-N/AInterceptions: MSC-2 ETSC-0

SCORING SUMMARY

Halfback Andy Nelson served as team co-captain and helped the 1956 Tigers to their first postseason victory in the Burley Bowl.

Burley Bowl • 1956


Memphis State 28

San Jose State 9Rose Bowl (104,091)

December 18, 1971

PASADENA, Calif. — A hard-nosed defense that caused numerous San Jose State mistakes and an explosive offense that capitalized on those miscues led the Tigers to a 28-9 Pasadena Bowl rout over the Spartans, before a sparse crowd of 15,244 in the Rose Bowl.

Memphis State, making its first major bowl ap-pearance, trailed 3-0 early in the opening period until a blocked punt by Tom Carlsen, who was named the bowl’s Defensive Player of the Game, gave the Tigers a lead they never relinquished.

The Tigers received the opening kickoff, and af-ter failing to move the ball, were forced to punt from their own 26-yard line. The Spartans drove the ball 19 yards and attempted a 42-yard field goal that fell short and was returned by the Tigers.

Following another failed drive, San Jose State moved the ball to the Memphis 16-yard line before kicker Larry Barnes connected on a 33-yard field goal. It was San Jose State’s only lead of the contest.

With 50 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Spartans punter John McMillan stood at his own 15-yard line. Carlsen, a Tigers defensive back, blocked McMillan’s punt and fell on the loose ball in the end zone for the score. Hal McGeorge added the point after, and Memphis had a 7-3 lead.

The Tigers defense gained an air of confidence and stopped San Jose State on the ensuing series. Following a short Spartans punt, the Tigers took over at midfield.

With quarterback Al Harvey leading the offen-sive attack, the Tigers moved into scoring position. A 13-yard pass from Harvey to Dornell Harris, who was named the bowl’s Offensive Player of the Game, and runs by Harvey, Skeeter Gowen and Paul Wilson set up the Tigers at the 9-yard line. Harvey gobbled up the final nine yards on a run around right end. The 65-yard drive early in the second period gave Mem-phis a 14-3 lead at intermission.

The Tigers kicked off to begin the second half. San Jose State did not move the ball on its opening drive of the second half, but but got a quick second

chance when Gowen fumbled on Memphis’ first of-fensive play. Bill Brown recovered on the Tigers 24 and Memphis’ 14-3 lead looked precarious. The Spar-tans moved to the Memphis 2-yard line, where on fourth down, the Tigers defense buckled down and stopped Spartans running back Joe Hicks at the line of scrimmage. The defensive stand ended San Jose State’s only real threat of the second half.

The third period featured strong defensive play from both teams, and when the quarter ended, the score remained 14-3 in favor of the Tigers.

The final stanza opened with San Jose State with the ball, but an interception and 27-yard return by the Tigers’ David Johnson, his second of the game, put the ball at the Spartans 18-yard line. Memphis’ Gowen wasted no time and raced 18 yards to the end zone on the first play from scrimmage for a score. The scoreboard then read 21-3 in the Tigers’ favor.

Lightning struck immediately for Memphis. On the Spartans’ first play following the Tigers score, back Larry Lloyd fumbled and Memphis’ Carl Taylor recovered.

Five plays later, Tigers fullback Clifton Taylor punched the ball in from the 1-yard line, and Tigers fans rejoiced a 28-3 lead and with 10 minutes re-maining.

Frustration mounted for San Jose State as the Memphis defense continued its strong play. Forced to pass the ball with time running out, Tigers cor-nerback Walter Daggett recorded Memphis’ fourth interception of the game to halt another Spartans’ drive.

San Jose State’s only touchdown of the game was set up when a Memphis special teams snap sailed over punter John Kidwell’s head and was re-covered at the Memphis 20-yard line. A Brad Met-heany 1-yard quarterback keeper with 36 seconds left in the contest was the Spartans’ only touchdown. The extra point attempt was wide to the left.

The victory over San Jose State marked the sec-ond bowl win for the Tigers in school history. The game also marked the end of an era in Tigers foot-ball history. Head coach Billy J. Murphy stepped down from his coaching position following the bowl win and dedicated his time to being the University’s athletics director. The former Marine compiled a re-cord of 91-44-1 over his 14 seasons as head coach at Memphis.

Memphis State 7 7 0 14 — 28San Jose State 3 0 0 6 — 9Attendance: 15,2440Weather: temp 72 degrees, sunny and clear, wind - none

SJSU (11:01 re 1st) Barnes 33 FGMSU (0:50 re 1st) Carlsen blocked punt recovery

in end zone (McGeorge kick)MSU (12:28 re 2nd) Harris 9 run (McGeorge kick)MSU (12:14 re 4th) Gowen 18 run (McGeorge kick)MSU (10:04 re 4th) Taylor 1 run (McGeorge kick)SJSU (0:36 re 4th) Metheany 1 run (kick failed)

TEAM STATISTICS

MSU SJSUFirst Downs 15 11Rushes-Yds. 53-208 47-187Passing Yds. 41 81KO Returns-Yds. 2-41 5-82Passes (C-A-I) 3-13-2 6-19-4Punts-Avg. 7-39.0 6-35.7Fumbles-Lost 5-1 3-1Penalties-Yds. 3-35 9-85Time of Possession N/A N/ASacks by N/A N/A

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: MSU-Harris 10-87-1, Gowen 10-63-1, Jamieson 10-32-0, Quintel 2-22-0, Har-vey 10-31-0, Wilson 3-15-0; SJSU-Brice 12-54-0, Hicks 12-52-0, Lloyd 5-25-0.

Passing: MSU-Harvey 3-9-0-41-0, Robinson 0-4-2-0-0; SJSU-McMichael 5-16-3-67-0, Metheany 1-3-1-14-0.

Receiving: MSU-Davis 1-24-0, Harris 1-13-0, Taylor 1-6-0; SJSU-Brice 3-48-0, Alley 2-19-0, Ellis 1-14-0.

Interceptions: MSU-Johnson (2), Carlsen, Daggett; SJSU-Scott, Duncan.

SCORING SUMMARY

Tailback Dornell Harris was named the Offensive MVP in leading the U of M to a win over San Jose State in the 1971 Pas-adena Bowl.

Pasadena Bowl • 1971


Memphis 27

North Texas 17Louisiana Superdome (69,767)

December 16, 2003

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The nation’s longest bowl drought of 32 years ended in a big way for the Uni-versity of Memphis. The Tigers, which had not par-ticipated in a bowl game since 1971, received a bid to the 2003 New Orleans Bowl and faced Sun Belt Conference champion North Texas.

The city of Memphis was electrified. Excitement abounded and the Tigers faithful bought tickets and prepared for the trip to the “Big Easy.”

Playing in the first bowl game of the 2003 post-season and before a national television audience on ESPN, the Tigers’ biggest challenge was to stop one of college football’s top running backs in North Texas’ Patrick Cobbs. And, Memphis was without its top of-fensive weapon, tailback DeAngelo Williams, as the result of a late-season injury.

Gameday arrived Dec. 16, and Memphis won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving the Mean Green the ball to open the game.

On the opening drive, North Texas gave the ball to Cobbs six times, but was forced to call on kicker

Nick Bazaldua when the drive stalled at the Tigers 30-yard line. Bazaldua booted a 47-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

But, this night belonged to the bowl-hungry Ti-gers, and the North Texas lead was short-lived.

After Memphis receiver Chris Kelley returned the kickoff to the Tigers 34-yard line, junior quarterback and New Orleans native Danny Wimprine took over.

When rushes by Darron White and Derron Par-quet failed to gain yardage, Wimprine went up top and connected with wideout Darren Garcia for 63 yards to the North Texas 6-yard line. Three plays lat-er, Wimprine kept the ball and raced seven yards into the end zone for the go-ahead score.

The Tigers defense, having had a taste of the North Texas offense, returned to the field deter-mined to shut down the Mean Green. Three plays later, punter Brad Kadlubar kicked the ball back to the Tigers.

But, possible disaster struck on the Tigers’ next possession as Parquet was knocked out of the game with a shoulder injury. Memphis was forced to put the ball in the hands of walk-on back LaKendus Cole.

Midway through the second quarter, North Tex-as punted, and the Tigers offense got the ball at the Memphis 24. Powered by the running of Cole and the passing of Wimprine, the Tigers drove the ball to the Mean Green 10-yard line, where Wimprine found Kelley in the end zone for the team’s second score. Stephen Gostkowski added the PAT for a 14-3 Tigers’ lead.

Lightning struck again for the Tigers. On the en-suing kickoff, Memphis’ Shaka Hill stripped the ball from returner Kevin Moore, and Cato Mott recov-ered at the North Texas 8-yard line. After three plays, Gostkowski was connected on a 21-yard field goal for a 17-3 advantage Memphis took to the half.

The game’s third stanza was a defensive battle, and both teams were unable to move the ball until the two-minute mark.

The Mean Green, starting near midfield, marched 58 yards in six plays with Cobbs going the final 35 yards for their first touchdown. Suddenly, the Memphis lead was cut to 17-10 as the third quarter ended.

Memphis regained its composure and took con-trol of the game in the fourth quarter. And, it started early in the final period.

At the 12:28 mark of the fourth quarter, Mem-phis took over at its own 38-yard line. Wimprine hit White for 20 yards, and Robert Douglas gained three

Memphis 7 10 0 10 — 27North Texas 3 0 7 7 — 17Attendance: 25,184 Weather: temp 72 degrees indoor, wind - none

UNT (9:44 re 1st) Bazaldua 47 FGUM (6:57 re 1st) Wimprine 7 run (Gostkowski kick)UM (4:58 re 2nd) Kelley 10 pass from

Wimprine (Gostkowski kick)UM (3:39 re 2nd) Gostkowski 21 FGUNT (00:13 re 3rd) Cobbs 35 run (Bazaldua kick)UM (9:08 re 4th) Cole 5 run (Gostkowski kick)UNT (7:13 re 4th) Cobbs 2 run (Bazaldua kick)UM (2:26 re 4th) Gostkowski 42 FG

TEAM STATISTICS

UM UNTFirst Downs 15 11Rushes-Yds. 45-88 33-122Passing Yds. 254 152KO Returns-Yds. 4-69 4-61Passes (C-A-I) 17-24-0 9-21-0Punts-Avg. 6-38.7 8-37.3Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1Penalties-Yds. 9-57 6-61Time of Possession 34:08 25:52Sacks by 3-13 1-1

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: UM-Cole 27-62-1, Parquet 3-9-0, White 4-8-0, Wimprine 6-17-1, Avery 2-3-0, Douglas 1-3-0; UNT-Cobbs 23-110-2, Branch 2-10-0, Hall 8-2-0.

Passing: UM-Wimprine 17-23-0-254-1; UNT-Hall 9-21-0-152-0.

Receiving: UM-D.White 3-34-0, Scott 1-8-0, Garcia 2-109-0, Pratcher 2-62-0, Avery 3-14-0, Doucette 2-14-0, Kelley 1-10-1, Cole 3-3-0; UNT-Quinn 4-56-0, Branch 3-50-0, Blount 2-46-0.

Interceptions: UM-0; UNT-0

SCORING SUMMARY

on his first carry of the game. After a North Texas facemask penalty, Cole had gains of two yards and 14 yards to the Mean Green 5-yard line. On 2nd-and-goal, Cole burst up the middle for the touchdown and a 24-10 lead. It was Cole’s first collegiate touch-down and put the game out of reach.

North Texas scored again on Cobb’s run of two yards with 2:26 on the clock, but it was too little, too late.

The Tigers scored on their next possession to ice the victory. With Cole gaining yards on the ground and Wimprine connecting with receivers Mario Pratcher and John Doucette, Memphis moved within field goal range, and Gostkowski’s 42-yard field goal gave Memphis a 27-17 lead and started the celebra-tion in both New Orleans and the Bluff City.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the play-ers gave head coach Tommy West a cooler bath and then carried him onto the field on their shoulders.

New Orleans Bowl director Ron Maestri present-ed the Tigers the championship trophy at midfield, and Wimprine was named the game’s MVP.

Cole was presented the game ball by West after rushing for 62 yards and one score in a reserve role.

Tailback LaKendus Cole received the game ball for his efforts in the 2003 New Orleans Bowl.

New Orleans Bowl • 2003


Bowling Green 52

Memphis 35Ladd Peebles Stadium (40,646)

December 22, 2004

MOBILE, Ala. — In an aerial battle before a rain-drenched 29,500 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mem-phis’ Danny Wimprine and Bowling Green’s Omar Jacobs put on a show for the ESPN national televi-sion audience. In the end, Jacobs won the shootout in leading the Falcons to a high-scoring 52-35 GMAC Bowl victory over the Tigers.

Jacobs, the GMAC Bowl MVP, connected on 26-of-44 passes for 365 yards and five touchdowns. Not to be outdone, Wimprine was just as impressive. The Memphis senior quarterback was 26-of-39 passing

for 324 yards and four touchdowns. Each signal-call-er had one interception.

Wimprine and Jacobs received help from each team’s running game. For the Tigers, DeAngelo Wil-liams, the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, carried the ball 18 times for 120 yards, includ-ing an impressive 31-yard touchdown run in the sec-ond quarter. Williams missed the final quarter after breaking his right fibula in the third period. P.J. Pope aided the Falcons’ cause with 151 rushing yards on 28 carries and two scores.

The offensive fireworks started almost from the opening kickoff. After Bowling Green held the Tigers on their first possession, the Falcons took over on their own 41. Nine plays later, Pope found the end zone from a yard out for a 7-0 Bowling Green lead.

However, the Falcons were not done. On the ensuing kickoff, Bowling Green pulled some trickery out of the playbook early with an onside kick. The Falcons recovered the kick, and the Bowling Green offense was back in business. Jacobs directed a four-play, 52-yard drive in only 45 seconds to give the Fal-cons a 14-0 lead just over five minutes into the con-test. The score came when Jacobs connected with Charles Sharon from 18 yards out.

Memphis got its second possession of the game and took little time cutting the Bowling Green lead in half. The Tigers went 80 yards in seven plays, and the drive culminated in a Wimprine-to-John Dou-cette 42-yard touchdown toss with 6:51 left in the first quarter.

With the game taking on a back-and-forth na-ture, the Falcons answered immediately. Jacobs led Bowling Green on a six-play, 68-yard drive over the next 2:05 to put the Falcons ahead 21-7. Jacobs hooked up with Sharon for a 36-yard scoring toss.

In the second quarter, the Tigers scored 17 sec-onds into the period on a Wimprine 60-yard pass to Chris Kelley. The score began a five-touchdown quarter that ended with the Falcons holding a 35-28 halftime lead.

Memphis pulled even at 28-all on a Williams’ 31-yard touchdown scamper with 3:37 left. Bowling Green, though, had one final answer before halftime. Jacobs threw his fourth touchdown pass of the first half when he found Steve Sanders in the end zone with only :37 on the clock. The score gave the Falcons

Bowling Green 21 14 7 10 — 52Memphis 7 21 0 7 — 35Attendance: 29,500 Weather: temp 61 degrees, wind - SSE9, clouds and rain

BGSU (10:24 re 1st) Pope 1 run (Suisham kick)BGSU (9:37 re 1st) Sharon 18 pass from Jacobs (Suisham kick) UM (6:51 re 1st) Doucette 18 pass from Wimprine (Gostkowski kick) BGSU (4:39 re 1st) Sharon 36 pass from Jacobs (Suisham kick) UM (14:43 re 2nd) Kelley 60 pass from Wimprine (Gostkowski kick)BGSU (9:54 re 2nd) Sanders 31 pass from Jacobs (Suisham kick) UM (6:41 re 2nd) Avery 38 pass from Wimprine (Gostowski kick)UM (3:37 re 2nd) Williams 31 run (Gostkowski kick) BGSU (0:37 re 2nd) Sanders 17 pass from Jacobs (Suisham kick)BGSU (3:18 re 3rd) Pope 13 pass from Jacobs (Suisham kick) BGSU (14:09 re 4th) Suisham 37 FG BGSU (8:01 re 4th) Pope 1 run (Suisham kick)UM (3:48 re 4th) Doucette 14 pass from Wimprine (Gostkowski kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

BGSU UMFirst Downs 29 21Rushes-Yds. 43-193 27-90Passing Yds. 365 324KO Returns-Yds. 1-26 3-57Passes (C-A-I) 26-44-1 26-39-1Punts-Avg. 4-31.8 6-32.8Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-1Penalties-Yds. 2-14 4-28Time of Possession 33:23 26:37Sacks By 0-0 2-17

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: UM-Williams 18-120-1, Doss 5-7-0; BG-SU-Pope 28-151-2, Lane 5-36-0, Jacobs 7-9-0, Magner 1-3-0.

Passing: UM-Wimprine 26-39-4-324-1; BGSU-Ja-cobs 26-44-5-365-1.

Receiving: UM-Gideon 6-38-0, Kelley 4-108-1, Avery 3-51-1, Doucette 2-56-2, White 2-32-0, Davis 2-16-0; BGSU-Magner 9-68-0, Sanders 7-123-2, Sharon 5-117-2, Hawkins 2-25-0.

Interceptions: UM-1; BGSU-1

SCORING SUMMARY

a 35-28 lead and the momentum heading into the second half.

After the break, Bowling Green took control of the game. The Falcons scored the lone touchdown in the third quarter -- Jacob’s fifth touchdown pass -- and added 10 points in the final quarter before Memphis’ last score with under five minutes to play for the 52-35 final.

Tim Goodwell finished the game with 10 total tackles (five solo), two TFL and a quarterback sack to lead the Tigers defense. Jovon Burkes led the Bowling Green defense with 11 hits (six solo) and two TFL.

Wimprine went over 10,000 yards passing and finished his career with nearly every Memphis pass-ing record. The Tigers quarterback topped the record book for career passing yards (10,215), completions (808), attempts (1,469) and touchdowns (81).

Before his third quarter injury, Williams went over 4,000 career rushing yards. The 100-yard GMAC Bowl performance was the 24th 100-yard rushing game of his career.

Danny Wimprine hands the ball to DeAngelo Williams in the 2004 GMAC Bowl. Rain fell through most of the game.

GMAC Bowl • 2004


Memphis 38

Akron 31Ford Field (50,616)

December 26, 2005

DETROIT, Mich. — It was the holiday season, and the Memphis Tigers football team gave its fans a Merry Christmas — even though it came a day later. Behind a DeAngelo Williams 238-yard rushing per-formance and three Stephen Gostkowski field goals, the Tigers posted their second postseason victory in three seasons with a 38-31 win over Akron in the 2005 Motor City Bowl. The game was played at Ford Field, the site of the NFL’s 2006 Super Bowl in early February.

Williams, who was named the Motor City Bowl MVP, compiled his bowl record-setting 238 yards on 31 carries and scored three touchdowns. Gostkowski hit field goals of 32, 25 and 50 yards, and the 50-yard effort set a Motor City Bowl mark.

The way the game started gave no indication it would end up being a 38-31 shootout. The Mem-

phis offense sputtered at the start, and the Tigers relied on their defense and punter Michael Gibson’s foot. The Tigers defense allowed the Zips only three points, despite having two first-quarter drives deep in Memphis territory. Akron scored the field goal on its second drive, but on the first trip across the 50-yard line, the Zips’ series was halted at the Memphis 25 when Tim Goodwell and Rod Smith stopped Brett Biggs on 4th-and-1. Gibson played just as important a role in the first quarter with two long punts – 51 and 49 yards – that pinned Akron inside its own 10-yard line both times.

After watching the defense keep the Tigers in the game in the first quarter, the Memphis offense got on track in the second frame. Williams, who gained only 19 yards in the first quarter, picked it up on the Tigers’ first scoring drive with 34 yards on the ground. Tigers quarterback Maurice Avery also found his groove in the second quarter, hitting Ernest Wil-liams on a 42-yard strike to the Akron 23. Four plays later, Gostkowski connected on a 32-yard field goal to tie the contest at 3-all.

The Tigers kept it going. The defense held the Zips to 3-and-out on their next series, and the Mem-phis offense continued to roll. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Avery found his target in Ryan Scott for a 50-yard gain to the Akron 2-yard line. Williams then pushed the ball across the goal line for the first Memphis lead of the game. After Gostkowski’s PAT, the Tigers led 10-3.

With just over four minutes left before halftime, Akron got the ball with an opportunity to cut into the Tigers lead, but it didn’t happen. The Tigers offense took over with 2:30 on the clock and took advantage of another scoring chance. After two rushes netted a minus-3 yards, Avery took back to the air and again hit Scott for a long gain – this time, 48 yards – to the Akron 27. From there, the Tigers moved the ball to the Zips 7, where Gostkowski hit his second field goal for a 13-3 halftime lead.

The early portion of the second half looked no different for the Akron offense. Stymied by the Tigers in the first half, the Zips were unable to get past their own 40-yard line on the first two possessions. Aided by two Akron defensive pass interference calls, the Tigers moved down to the Akron 2, where Williams scored his second touchdown for a 20-3 Memphis lead.

With only three minutes left in the third quarter and down 20-3, the Zips scored via the air on the en-suing drive. Zips quarterback Luke Getsy was 6-of-7 passing for 80 yards on the series that resulted in a 46-yard scoring strike to Jabari Arthur to cut the Ti-gers’ lead to 20-10.

The game moved into the fourth quarter, and the shootout began. Gostkowski got it started with

Memphis 0 13 7 18 — 38Akron 3 0 7 21 — 31Attendance: 50,616

UA (00:40 re 1st) Swiger 43 FGUM (7:02 re 2nd) Gostkowski 32 FG UM (4:08 re 2nd) Williams 1 run (Gostkowski kick) UM (00:18 re 2nd) Gostkowski 25 FG UM (3:02 re 3rd) Williams 2 run (Gostkowski kick)UA (00:46 re 3rd) Arthur 46 pass from Getsy (Swiger kick) UM (12:04 re 4th) Gostkowski 50 FGUA (11:03 re 4th) Biggs 72 pass from Getsy (Swiger kick) UM (10:41 re 4th) Williams 2 run (Avery rush)UM (3:09 re 4th) E. Williams 5 run (Gostkowski kick) UA (1:46 re 4th) Hixson 14 pass from Getsy (Swiger kick) UA (0:55 re 4th) Arthur 19 pass from Getsy (Swiger kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

UM UAFirst Downs 21 24Rushes-Yds. 58-346 23-47Passing Yds. 170 455KO Returns-Yds. 3-97 2-39Passes (C-A-I) 7-14-0 34-59-0Punts-Avg. 5-45.6 8-40.5Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0Penalties-Yds. 7-62 10-61Time of Possession 29:48 30:12Sacks By 3-22 0-0

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: UM-Williams 31-238-3, Doss 9-56-0, E. Williams 3-18-1; UA-Briggs 14-46-0, Kennedy 3-13-0, McDaniel 1-5-0.

Passing: UM-Avery 7-13-0-170-0, Scott 0-1-0-0-0; UA-Getsy 34-59-4-455-0.

Receiving: UM-Scott 3-103-0, E. Williams 1-42-0; UA-Arthur 8-180-2, Briggs 4-79-1, Kasparek 6-70-0, Hixson 7-63-1.

Interceptions: UM-0; UA-0

SCORING SUMMARY a 50-yard field goal for a 23-10 Tigers lead. Akron re-sponded with a quick three-play, 80-yard drive to cut the Memphis lead to 23-17. The big play was a Getsy-to-Biggs 72-yard scoring strike.

The Tigers then answered with their own big play in the form of Williams. With the Zips closing in and also gaining momentum, Memphis’ All-America run-ning back took a handoff and raced 67 yards to the Akron 2. On the next play, Williams scored his third touchdown. Avery added the two-point conversion for a 31-17 Memphis advantage. The Tigers added another score on an Ernest Williams 5-yard run to increase the lead to 38-17 with only 6:38 left.

However, the Zips did not quit. Akron scored two touchdowns in under six minutes to pull to within seven at 38-31 with only 50 seconds left. The Zips’ first drive took nearly five minutes, and ended when Getsy hit Domenik Hixon from 14 yards out. The Ak-ron special teams then executed a perfect onside kick, and recovered the ball at midfield with 1:45 left. One minute later, Getsy connected with Arthur for a 19-yard touchdown pass to cut the Tigers lead to 38-31.

The Zips tried their magic one more time, but this time, the Tigers special teams recovered the on-side kick, and Memphis ran out the clock for the win.

Goodwell, who received the UAW Lineman Award, led the Tigers defense with 12 tackles, five TFL and two sacks.

Team captains Maurice Avery (1), John Doucette (82) and Marcus West (43) proudly display the Motor City Bowl champi-onship trophy.

Motor City Bowl • 2005


Florida Atlantic 44

Memphis 27Louisiana Superdome (68,500)

December 21, 2007

NEW ORLEANS, La. — Four out of five. Let’s say it again! For the fourth time in the last five seasons, the Memphis Tigers football team earned a postseason bowl berth.

Despite their 44-27 setback to Florida Atlantic in the 2007 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the Tigers and their fans had a lot to be proud of when looking at the entire 2007 campaign. The season began with a tough start, but Memphis caught its stride in late October and rode that wave to a fourth bowl game under head coach Tommy West.

Let’s take a quick review:• A bowl looked like a distant dream after a 2-4 start

to the season.• The schedule took on a major shift when the Sept.

8 game at Arkansas State was postponed due to inclement weather. The contest was moved to Sept. 27, making the Tigers play three games in 11 days.

• After losing the first two games in the rugged three-games-in-11-days stretch, the Tigers suf-fered an even greater loss on the night of Sept. 30 when defensive lineman Taylor Bradford was shot and later died. After two days of emotional outpouring, the Memphis players took the field arm-in-arm for its Conference USA home opener versus Marshall. The Tigers won the game 24-21.

• With a home loss to Middle Tennessee in mid-Oc-tober, bowl hopes were all but lost with three of the next four C-USA games on the road.

• As was the trend in the West era, the Tigers did not fold. Memphis won all three league road games (at Rice, Tulane and Southern Miss) in that stretch and repositioned itself in the bowl picture.

• The Tigers sealed the bowl invitation with back-to-back home wins over UAB and SMU to close the regular season.

So, you ask, what did the Tigers accomplish?• A winning record for the fourth time in the last

five years (2003-07). The last time Memphis did that was from 1973-77 when the Tigers had five-straight winning seasons.

• Six conference wins, the most league victories in school history.

• A second-place C-USA East Division finish, the sec-ond in three years.

• A fourth bowl in the last five years, the first time for a stretch like that in school history.

Granted, the bowl setback to Florida Atlantic put a small bitter taste in the mouths of the Tigers, but Memphis’ “never-give-up” attitude kept them in the game until the end despite several injuries that side-lined key Tigers. Kicker Matt Reagan left the game with a concussion, and receiver Maurice Jones was sidelined with a dislocated hip. In addition, T.J. Pitts broke his ankle and quarterback Martin Hankins was knocked out of the game with a knee injury in the third quarter.

Before a crowd of 25,146 at the Louisiana Super-dome, seniors Joseph Doss and Hankins went out in style with solid performances. Hankins was 25-of-39 passing for 281 yards and three scores, and Doss rushed for 91 yards on 20 carries and caught a team-high five passes for 42 yards.

With his 281 yards passing, Hankins set the Memphis single-season mark with 3,220 yards. He also set season records for completions (261) and touchdowns (25). For his career, Hankins totaled 5,770 yards, 43 touchdowns and 487 completions — all second to Danny Wimprine.

In the game, Hankins’ favorite targets were Car-los Singleton (4 receptions/63 yards/1 TD) and Duke Calhoun (4 catches/40 yards). With their receptions, both Singleton and Calhoun extended streaks. Single-ton extended his streak to 21 games with a recep-tion, while Calhoun has caught a pass in all 24 of his collegiate games.

After a first quarter warm-up with Florida Atlan-tic leading 17-7, the teams combined for 26 points in the second period. Two Joey Mack field goals kept the Tigers close, but the Owls answered with touch-downs for a 30-13 lead. However, Memphis closed the gap to 30-20 just before the half when Hankins hit Earnest Williams from 19 yards out.

Following halftime, Memphis cut further into the Florida Atlantic lead. A Hankins-to-Singleton six-yard

Memphis 7 13 7 0 — 27FAU 17 13 7 7 — 44Attendance: 25,146

FAU (12:03 re 1st) Pierre 4 pass from Smith (Leroy kick)UM (9:20 re 1st) Russell 8 pass from Hankins (Reagan kick) FAU (7:23 re 1st) Leroy 22 FGFAU (5:00 re 1st) Edgecomb 29 pass from Smith (Leroy kick) UM (12:12 re 2nd) Mack 38 FGFAU (10:25 re 2nd) Bonner 16 pass from Smith (Leroy kick) UM (5:55 re 2nd) Mack 35 FGFAU (3:34 re 2nd) Rose 4 pass from Smith (Leroy kick failed) UM (00:52 re 2nd) Williams 19 pass from Hankins (Mack kick)UM (9:30 re 3rd) Singleton 6 pass from Hankins (Mack kick) FAU (1:39 re 3rd) Harmon 16 pass from Smith (Leroy kick) UA (9:12 re 4th) Edgecomb 4 run (Leroy kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

UM FAUFirst Downs 24 25Rushes-Yds. 32-117 33-115Passing Yds. 281 350Passes (C-A-I) 26-46-0 26-33-1Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0Penalties-Yds. 5-45 5-29Punts-Avg. 7-38.7 3-35.7Punt Returns-Yds. 0-0 2-34KO Returns-Yds. 8-153 6-182Time of Possession 31:11 28:49Sacks By 1-8 1-2

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: MEM-Doss 20-100-0, Hankins 2-12-0, Malouf 2-11-0. FAU-Pierre 11-49-0, Clayton 4-32-0, Edgecomb 5-23-1, Rose 5-22-0.

Passing: MEM-Hankins 25-39-281-3-0, Hudgens 1-5-0-0-0. FAU-Smith 25-32-336-5-1.

Receiving: MEM-Doss 5-42-0, Singleton 4-63-1, Russell 4-45-1, Calhoun 4-40-0, Williams 3-37-1. FAU-Harmon 7-97-1, Rose 6-52-1, Jean 4-73-0, Gent 3-52-0, Bonner 2-27-1, Pierre 2-6-1, Edgecomb 1-29-1.

Interceptions: MEM-Mathis 1-34. FAU-None.

SCORING SUMMARY

scoring connection sliced the Owls’ lead to 30-27 with 9:30 left in the third quarter. However, Florida Atlantic scored the final two touchdowns for the 44-27 final.

Punter Brent Sutherland set a New Orleans Bowl record with a 70-yard punt in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with six punts for a 45.2 average.

Clinton McDonald led the Memphis defense with eight total tackles, while Jeremy Rockette and LaKeitharun Ford each had seven hits. McDonald also had one quarterback sack and two TFL. LeRico Mathis recorded his third interception of the season, tying him for team-high honors with Brandon Patterson.

Quarterback Martin Hankins threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury.

New Orleans Bowl • 2007


Memphis 14

USF 41TROPICANA FIELD (33,000)

DECEMBER 20, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — This was the bowl game head coach Tommy West wanted for his program. Sure, he and his Tigers enjoyed their bowl trips four of the previous five years. But, this invitation to the inaugural magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl was — in West’s eyes — an opportunity to see where Mem-phis stood on the national scene, no matter the game’s outcome.

The bowl game had Memphis playing its first BCS league foe in school postseason history, as the Tigers faced the USF Bulls. While the previous bowl trips were important in their own right, West believed this bowl would set the course for the direction of the program’s future.

The Bulls won the game 41-14 before a predom-inantly pro-USF crowd of 25,205 at Tropicana Field, home of the MLB American League champion Tampa Bay Rays. The appearance at Tropicana Field made

history for the Tigers, as it was the first time Mem-phis played in a Major League Baseball stadium.

As for the game, it pitted one of the nation’s best rushing offenses (Memphis) against one of the coun-try’s top rushing defenses (USF), and on this day, the defense won the battle. The Tigers entered the con-test averaging over 200 yards via their ground game, but the Bulls had the nation’s ninth-best rushing de-fense and it showed. USF held Memphis to only 66 yards on 30 carries, and Tigers running back Curtis Steele, a 1,000-yard rusher, gained most of those with 48 yards on 12 rushes.

While the Bulls defense shut down the Mem-phis offense, the Tigers defense had no answer for USF quarterback Matt Grothe, who was named the bowl game’s MVP. Grothe was 17-of-24 passing for 236 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 83 yards on 15 carries. He also had one reception for 14 yards. Grothe did all of his damage in the first three quarters, as he sat out the final period.

The Bulls got started early and never looked back. On the game’s opening kickoff, USF’s Dontavia Bogan took Matt Reagan’s kickoff at the 1-yard line and returned it 56 yards to the Memphis 43. Three plays later, the Bulls were on the board when Grothe hit Taurus Johnson with a 28-yard scoring strike for a 7-0 lead. The USF scoring drive only took 1:02 off the clock.

Later in the first period, USF struck again on a short six-play drive. Grothe was 3-of-3 passing for 57 yards in putting the Bulls at the Memphis 4-yard line. From there, Ben Williams gained the final four yards and increased the USF lead to 14-0.

However, West’s Tigers did not go away. On the ensuing drive, Memphis marched 73 yards on six plays and cut the USF advantage in half at 14-7. The drive only took 2:19, and it ended when Tigers quar-terback Arkelon Hall hit pay dirt from three yards out.

The Bulls, though, took the momentum back on their next possession. After striking quickly on its first two scoring drives, USF put together a lengthy 14-play, 63-yard possession that ended in a Maikon Bonani 23-yard field goal for a 17-7 advantage. The drive took 5:51 off the clock.

After holding the Tigers on their next possession, USF had another five-minute scoring drive — this time, 5:24 — that culminated in a Grothe-to-Ben Busbee 13-yard touchdown connection to give the Bulls a 24-7 lead with only 4:15 left before halftime.

Again, the Tigers mounted a response. With a lit-tle over four minutes before intermission, Memphis started on its own 20, and Hall led the way. The Ti-

Memphis 7 7 0 0 — 14USF 14 10 10 7 — 41Attendance: 25,205

USF (13:58 re 1st) Johnson 26 pass from Grothe (Bonani kick)USF (4:28 re 1st) Williams 3 run (Bonani kick) UM (2:09 re 1st) A. Hall 3 run (Reagan kick)USF (11:18 re 2nd) Bonani 23 FGUSF (4:15 re 2nd) Busbee 13 pass from Grothe (Bonani kick)UM (0:08 re 2nd) Calhoun 2 pass from A. Hall (Reagan kick) USF (8:36 re 3rd) Bonani 37 FGUSF (1:50 re 3rd) Bogan 24 pass from Grothe (Bonani kick) USF (12:40 re 4th) Plancher 2 run (Bonani kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

UM USFFirst Downs 15 29Rushes-Yds. 30-66 49-232Passing Yds. 172 264Passes (C-A-I) 18-35-0 20-30-0Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-1Penalties-Yds. 3-25 7-270Punts-Avg. 8-42.1 2-36.0Punt Returns-Yds. 0-0 5-29KO Returns-Yds. 8-137 2-71Time of Possession 25:16 34:44Sacks By 3-23 1-6

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: MEM-Steele 12-48-0, Ross 7-11-0, Hall 3-6-1, Williams 1-2-0. USF-Grothe 15-83-0, Ford 8-34-0, Plancher 7-31-1, Williams 6-18-1.

Passing: MEM-Hall 15-31-154-1-0. USF-Grothe 17-24-236-3-0.

Receiving: MEM-Calhoun 6-39-1, Black 4-23-0. USF-Mitchell 4-60-0, Johnson 4-40-1, Bogan 3-51-1, Busbee 2-34-1.

Interceptions: MEM-None. USF-None.

SCORING SUMMARYgers quarterback was 7-of-10 passing for 60 yards, in-cluding a two-yard touchdown pass to Duke Calhoun with 0:08 left in the second quarter. The score cut the USF lead to 24-14 at the break and pulled momen-tum back to the Tigers’ side.

That momentum, however, swung back to the Bulls in the third quarter. The USF defense held Memphis to only 60 yards on its first two second-half drives, while the Bulls offense capitalized with 10 points to increase their lead to 34-14 by the end of the third quarter. Bonani added a 37-yard field goal midway through the third quarter, and Grothe threw his third touchdown pass near the end of the period to put the contest out of reach.

The Bulls added a final touchdown early in the fourth quarter for the 41-14 final.

Hall was 15-of-31 passing for 154 yards and one score. Calhoun was the Tigers’ leading receiver with a game-high six catches for 39 yards and one touch-down. Brandon Patterson led the Tigers defense with nine tackles.

Grothe’s primary targets were Carlton Mitchell (60 yards) and Johnson (40 yards, 1 TD), who each had four receptions. Tyron McKenzie led the USF de-fense with a game-best 11 tackles.

With eight seconds remaining in the first half, Memphis scored on 3rd-and-goal off a two-yard pass from Arkelon Hall to Duke Calhoun.

ST. PETERSBURG BOWL • 2008


BYU 48

MEMPHIS 55MARLINS PARK (20,761)

DECEMBER 22, 2014

MIAMI, Fla. — Dramatic. It’s certainly one word which epitomized Memphis’ 55-48, dou-ble-overtime win over BYU in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl.

Memphis had to overcome five turnovers, includ-ing a BYU 19-yard interception return for a touch-down with 7:48 to play in regulation which gave the Cougars a 45-38 lead. In the final minutes of the fourth quarter the Ti-gers converted two fourth-down plays. The second conversion resulted in a five-yard touchdown pass from Paxton Lynch to Keiwone Malone with 45 sec-onds to play to tie the game at 45-all. In the first overtime period, Jake Elliott kicked a 54-yard field goal to tie the game at 48-all and send the contest to a second overtime. Elliott’s 54-yarder was the longest in an overtime period in FBS bowl history and also the fourth-longest in bowl history. And after Memphis scored in the second overtime period, DaShaughn Terry intercepted a pass on BYU’s second play from scrimmage to end the game. Quarterback Paxton Lynch equaled an NCAA bowl record for touchdowns responsible for with seven and was named the Miami Beach Bowl’s Most Valu-able Player. Lynch completed 24-of-46 passes for 306 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning, 11-yard strike to Roderick Proctor in the end zone to cap Memphis’ second overtime series. Lynch also ran for 38 yards and three scores. In his final game as a Tiger, Malone caught six passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a career-long, 41-yard run in the game. The two teams combined to run an NCAA bowl record-tying 188 offensive plays, including 97 by the Tigers (tied for seventh-most in a bowl game), and accounted for a combined 905 yards of total offense. Memphis twice led by 10 points in the game, the last coming with 3:45 to play in the third quarter, when Alan Cross hauled in a 17-yard touchdown pass from Lynch. The Cougars took advantage of three fourth-quar-ter Memphis turnovers to go from 10 points down to leading 45-38 when Zac Stout returned his intercep-tion 19 yards for a score with 7:48 to play. Late in the game and the Tigers trailing by seven, punter Nick Jacobs pinned BYU at its own 4-yard line. A 3-and-out series by the Cougars followed by a short punt and a nine-yard return by Joe Craig gave the Ti-

BYU 14 14 0 17 3 3 0 — 48 MEMPHIS 17 7 14 7 10 3 7 — 55Attendance: 20,761

UM (13:54 re 1st) Malone 33 pass from Lynch (Elliott kick)BYU (12:17 re 1st) Juergens 47 pass from Stewart (Samson kick)UM (9:49 re 1st) Lynch 1 run (Elliott kick)BYU (7:16 re 1st) Mathews 25 pass from Stewart (Samson kick)UM (2:22 re 1st) Elliott 39 FGUM (12:44 re 2nd) Lynch 3 run (Elliott kick)BYU (4:55 re 2nd) Leslie 23 FGBYU (3:11 re 2nd) Lasike 3 run (Samson kick)UM (9:50 re 3rd) Lynch 1 run (Elliott kick)UM (3:45 re 3rd) Cross 17 pass from Lynch (Elliott kick)BYU (11:35 re 4th) Samson 23 FGBYU (10:52 re 4th) Lasike 7 run (Samson kick)BYU (7:48 re 4th) Stout 19 INT return (Samson kick)UM (0:45 re 4th) Malone 5 pass from Lynch (Elliott kick)BYU (1st OT) Samson 45 FGUM (1st OT) Elliott 54 FGUM (2nd OT) Proctor 11 pass from Lynch (Elliott kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

BYU UMFirst Downs 22 24Rushes-Yds. 42-77 51-174Passing Yds. 348 306Passes (C-A-I) 23-49-3 24-46-3Fumbles-Lost 4-1 4-2Penalties-Yds. 7-70 6-43Punts-Avg. 9-46.9 6-38.8Punt Returns-Yds. 0-0 6-42KO Returns-Yds. 6-109 8-166Time of Possession 229:13 30:47Sacks By 1-7 2-22

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: BYU-Brown 19-79-0, Lasike 7-11-2, Juergens 1-3-0. MEM-Hayes 22-49-0, Malone 2-41-0, Lynch 13-38-3, Craft 7-28-0.

Passing: BYU-Stewart 23-48-3-348-3. MEM-Lynch 24-46-3-306-4.

Receiving: BYU-Mathews 9-82-1, Juergens 4-87-1, Mahina 2-54-0, Houk 2-42-0, Leslie 1-23-1. MEM-Malone 6-75-2, Hayes 4-35-0, Frazier 4-31-0, Cross 3-69-1, Mayhue 2-23-0, Montiel 2-17-0, Proc-tor 2-14-1.

Interceptions: BYU-Fua 1-37-0, Pikula 1-2-0, Stout 1-19-1. MEM-McCain 1-(-2)-0, Howard 1-2-0, Terry 1-0-0.

SCORING SUMMARY

gers the ball at the BYU 33 with 2:34 left in the fourth quarter. Lynch and Malone first hooked up on a 4th-and-seven pass play for a 15-yard pickup to the Cougars 11. Four plays later and facing another fourth down, Lynch scrambled and Malone made a diving catch in the end zone to tie the game at 45-all in the final min-ute. Trevor Samson kicked a 45-yard field goal to give BYU a 48-45 lead in the first overtime period. After Memphis’ first offensive series in overtime lost 12 yards on three plays, Elliott booted a 54-yard field goal to extend the game to another overtime. In the second overtime period, Malone caught a 15-yard pass on second down, and following a Bran-don Hayes’ four-yard run, Lynch found Proctor open in the end zone for the rookie’s first career touch-down reception.

Senior receiver Keiwone Malone caught six passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns including a five-yard TD grab on a fourth-down play late in the fourth quarter to tie the game and send it to overtime.

MIAMI BEACH BOWL • 2014


Memphis 10

Auburn 31legion FIELD (71,594)

DECEMBER 30, 2015

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In front of a Birmingham Bowl-record crowd of 59,430, the Memphis Tigers overcame a 10-point first-half deficit, but Auburn scored all of the game’s 21 second-half points en route to a 31-10 win at Legion Field.

The historic record-breaking season for Memphis ended with a 9-4 overall record and the program’s second-straight bowl game appearance. During the season the team set single-season records with 522 points, 64 touchdowns, 6,331 offensive yards and 322 first downs.

The record-breaking season added two more notches to its belt when Memphis recorded its 95th third-down conversion of the season, breaking the previous record set in 2007 and ended with 101 for the season. The second record came in the middle of

the third quarter when the Tigers eclipsed the team single-season passing yardage mark, previously set in 2007, and now stands at 3,995.

Paxton Lynch, who has single-season school re-cords for touchdown passes, passing yards and 300-yard passing games, was 17-of-38 behind center for 104 yards. The rushing attack was paced by Doroland Dorceus, who ran 10 times for 39 yards. Jarvis Coo-per had five rushes for 35 yards. Mose Frazier and Phil Mayhue each hauled in four receptions, with Frazier recording a team-high 47 yards.

Memphis forced three turnovers, two on Reggis Ball interceptions, and the third on an interception from Dontrell Nelson.

Auburn used trickery on its first drive of the game, converting a fake punt for a 37-yard pass to the Memphis 3-yard line. However, the defense tight-ened and did not allow another positive yard, forcing the Tigers to a 20-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

On its second drive of the game, Auburn got a nine-yard rush from Kerryon Johnson to push Au-burn’s advantage to 10-0 with just under two min-utes remaining in the first quarter.

With 10:03 to play in the second quarter, Mem-phis kicker and Lou Groza Award finalist Jake Elliott booted a 53-yard field goal — tied for the third-lon-gest in program history — and cut the Memphis defi-cit to seven at 10-3. Elliott’s 53-yard field goal set a Birmingham Bowl record for the longest field goal.

It was Elliott’s sixth career field goal of 52 yards or more, as he owns four of the five longest field goals in program history (the other is held by current New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski). Elliott’s kick also tied a school record for most field goals in a season (23), as he tied Joe Allison’s total from the 1992 season.

On Memphis’ next drive, Elliott was set to take sole possession of the field goal record, but his 34-yard attempt was blocked, keeping the Auburn ad-vantage at 10-3 with 5:55 to play in the opening half.

After stopping Auburn on a third down near midfield, the visitors on the scoreboard attempted a fourth-down pass that was picked off by Ball for his second interception in the game. Ball returned this one 56 yards for his first collegiate touchdown and knotted the score at 10-all at halftime.

Auburn 10 0 7 14 — 31Memphis 0 10 0 0 — 10Attendance: 59,430

AU (8:35, 1st) Carlson 20 FGAU (1:58, 1st) Johnson 8 run (Carlson kick)UM (10:01, 2nd) Elliott 53 FGUM (3:06, 2nd) Ball 53 interception return (Elliott kick)AU (3:12, 3rd) Smith 11 pass from Johnson (Carlson kick)AU (14:57, 4th) Johnson 5 run (Carlson kick)AU (12:57, 4th) Robinson 4 run (Carlson kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

AU UMFirst Downs 23 13Rushes-Yds. 56-252 31-99Passing Yds. 150 106Passes (C-A-I) 10-16-3 16-37-1Fumbles-Lost 0-0 1-0Penalties-Yds. 3-45 6-40Punts-Avg. 3-39.7 6-47.2Punt Returns-Yds. 6-94 0-0KO Returns-Yds. 1-27 1-23Time of Possession 24:17 25:43Sacks By 2-14 0-0

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: AU-Robinson 27-126-1, Barber 12-41-0, Thomas 5-29-0, J. Johnson 3-26-1, K. Johnson 6-24-1, Smith 1-6-0, White 1-0-0, Louis 1-0-0. UM-Dorceus 11- 48-0, Cooper 4-26-0, Craft 5-12-0, Henderson 2-10-0, Frazier 3-6-0, Lynch 5-(-1)-0, Cross 1-(-2)-0Passing: AU-White 8-13-102-0-2, Phillips 1-1-37-

0-0, Johnson 1-1-11-1-0, Smith 0-1-0-0-1. UM-Lynch 16-37-106-0-1.

Receiving: AU-Ray 2-50-0, Stevens 2-25-0, Davis 2-7-0, Johnson 1-37-0, Louis 1-17-0, Smith 1-11-1, Barber 1-3-0. UM - Frazier 4-47-0, Mayhue 4-26-0, Jones 3-16-0, Miller 3-10-0, Henderson 1-7-0, Cross 1-0-0Interceptions: AU-Matthews 1-6-0. UM-Ball, 2-65-1, Nelson 1-0-0

SCORING SUMMARY

Shareef White had 17 tackles, including 14 solo stops, in the 2015 Birmingham Bowl.

Memphis came out of the halftime break and drove 56 yards on 13 plays, moving the ball down to the Auburn 9-yard line before Lynch’s pass attempt was tipped and intercepted in the end zone.

Two possessions later, Auburn used eight plays to drive 44 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown when quarterback Jeremy Johnson found Jason Smith out of the backfield. Smith evaded Memphis tacklers on his way to the end zone, giving Auburn a 17-10 lead near the end of the third quarter.

Auburn extended its advantage to 24-10 on the Tigers’ first play of the fourth quarter when Johnson found pay dirt from five yards out with 14:57 remain-ing in the contest. Following a 56-yard punt return after Memphis’ next possession, Auburn’s Javon Rob-inson scored his first touchdown of the game from four yards out, pushing Auburn’s lead to 21 at 31-10 with 12:57 to play.

BIRMINGHAM BOWL • 2015


Memphis 31

Western Kentucky 51FAU STADIUM (30,000)

DECEMBER 20, 2016

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Tigers redshirt junior Antho-ny Miller posted his eighth 100-yard receiving game of the 2016 campaign, but it wasn’t enough as the University of Memphis football squad dropped a 51-31 decision to Western Kentucky in the Boca Raton Bowl Tuesday.

The Boca Raton Bowl, which was played at FAU Stadium on Florida Atlantic University’s campus, was Memphis’ third-straight postseason trip. It is the second time in program history the Tigers played in

three-consecutive bowl games, with the first stretch being from 2003-05.

Miller finished Tuesday’s contest with 151 yards on 11 catches and three touchdowns. Miller’s recep-tions (11), receiving yards (151) and touchdowns (3) all were Memphis bowl records. His 18 points scored tied another Memphis bowl mark. The three scores also were a career single-game best for Miller. The 100-yard receiving game was the 10th of his career, tying Miller with Duke Calhoun for the most 100-yard performances in program history.

The Memphis, Tenn., native wrapped up his sea-son totals with 95 receptions for 1,434 yards and 14 touchdowns. He now holds the top spot on all three single-season receiving charts. For his career, Miller has 142 catches for 2,128 yards and 19 touchdowns. He is on the Memphis career lists for catches (4th), yards (3rd) and touchdowns (2nd).

Quarterback Riley Ferguson, who left the game for a series late in the third quarter, returned and ended the game 25-of-43 passing for 372 yards and four touchdowns. Ferguson’s 372 yards is a Tigers bowl record and his four touchdowns tied a school bowl mark.

Ferguson now holds the program record for most touchdown tosses in a season with 32. His 372-yard passing performance Tuesday was his seventh 300-yard game of 2016. He wrapped up the season with 3,698 passing yards, the second-most for a season in program history.

The Tigers jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on their second drive of the game. Ferguson tossed a pass to Tony Pollard in the right flat, and Pollard took it in from 45 yards out for the score.

After a Western Kentucky touchdown tied the game at 7-all, Memphis regained the advantage at 10-7 on a Jake Elliott 33-yard field goal. The score capped a nine-play, 59-yard drive.

Memphis 10 7 7 7 — 31Western Kentucky 14 14 16 7 — 51Attendance: 24,726

UM (10:43, 1st) Pollard 45 pass from Ferguson (Elliott kick)WKU (7:42, 1st) Donatell 4 pass from White (Simcox kick)UM (5:38, 1st) Elliott 33 FGWKU (1:47, 1st) Lamp 9 run (Simcox kick)WKU (11:59, 2nd) NORRIS 37 pass from White (Simcox kick) UM (9:00, 2nd) Miller 7 pass from Ferguson (Elliott kick)WKU (2:16, 2nd) Wales 2 run (Simcox kick)WKU (13:24, 3rd) Taylor 41 pass from White (Simcox kick)WKU (7:31, 3rd) Wales 3 run (Kick failed)UM (5:34, 3rd) Miller 10 pass from Ferguson (Elliott kick)WKU (3:34, 3rd) Simcox 21 FGUM (8:47, 4th) Miller 45 pass from Ferguson (Elliott kick)WKU (2:18, 4th) Wales 1 run (Simcox kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

UM WKUFirst Downs 27 28Rushes-Yds. 32-73 48-262Passing Yds. 418 336Passes (C-A-I) 27-49-1 20-30-1Fumbles-Lost 0-0 0-0Penalties-Yds. 5-53 8-84Punts-Avg. 2-39.5 3-41.0Punt Returns-Yds. 1-2 0-0KO Returns-Yds. 4-90 2-47Time of Possession 23:22 36:38Sacks By 6-24 5-31

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing: UM-Taylor 3-34-0, Dorceus 5-27-0, Henderson 9-13-0. WKU- Wales 35-253-3, Baker 2-9-0, Lamp 1-9-1.Passing: UM-Ferguson 25-43-372-4-1, Stewart

1-5-28-0-0, Mayhue 1-1-18-0-0. WKU-White 20-30-336-3-1.

Receiving: UM-Miller 11-151-3, Pollard 4-81-1, Hurd 3-70-0, Mayhue 3-48-0, Montiel 2-34-0, Williams 2-23-0. WKU-Taylor 9-144-1, Wales 4-84-0, Norris 3-65-1, Jackson 2-26-0.Interceptions: UM-Nelson 1-0-0. WKU-Brown 1-8-0.

SCORING SUMMARY

Freshman Tony Pollard caught four passes for 81 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown reception for the game’s opening score. Pollard also returned three kicks for 75 yards.

Boca Raton Bowl • 2016

That, however, was Memphis’ final lead of the contest. The Hilltoppers outscored the Tigers 34-7 over the next two-plus quarters to take a 41-17 ad-vantage and put the contest out of reach.

The Tigers managed to cut the Western Kentucky lead to 13 points at 44-31 after two Ferguson-to-Mill-er touchdown connections. The first was a 10-yard score near the end of the third quarter, and the sec-ond was a beautiful 45-yard strike to the back of the end zone in the fourth period.

The Hilltoppers responded with a final touch-down with just over two minutes left to secure the bowl victory.


INDIVIDUAL RECORDS

ScoringMost Points Scored: ..........................................18, Anthony Miller vs. Western Kentucky, 2016................................................................................................... 18, Paxton Lynch vs. BYU, 2014...................................................................................... 18, DeAngelo Williams vs. Akron, 2005Most Touchdowns: .............................................3, Anthony Miller vs. Western Kentucky, 2016..................................................................................................... 3, Paxton Lynch vs. BYU, 2014........................................................................................ 3, DeAngelo Williams vs. Akron, 2005Most Touchdowns Responsible For: ............................................ 7, Paxton Lynch vs. BYU, 2014

RushingMost Rushing Attempts: ................................................31, DeAngelo Williams vs. Akron, 2005Most Yards Rushing: ....................................................238, DeAngelo Williams vs. Akron, 2005Highest Average Per Carry (Min. 12): ...........................7.7, DeAngelo Williams vs. Akron, 2005Longest Run From Scrimmage: ......................................67, DeAngelo Williams vs. Akron, 2005Most Rushing Touchdowns: ......................................................... 3, Paxton Lynch vs. BYU, 2014........................................................................................ 3, DeAngelo Williams vs. Akron, 2005

PassingMost Passing Attempts: ............................................................. 46, Paxton Lynch vs. BYU, 2014Most Pass Completions: .....................................26, Danny Wimprine vs. Bowling Green, 2004Most Yards Passing: ........................................ 372, Riley Ferguson vs. Western Kentucky, 2016Highest Average Gain/Completion: ...................................24.3, Maurice Avery vs. Akron, 2005Most Touchdown Passes: ................................... 4, Riley Ferguson vs. Western Kentucky, 2016..................................................................................................... 4, Paxton Lynch vs. BYU, 2014............................................................................. 4, Danny Wimprine vs. Bowling Green, 2004Most Interceptions Thrown: ........................................................ 3, Paxton Lynch vs. BYU, 2014

ReceivingMost Pass Receptions: ......................................11, Anthony Miller vs. Western Kentucky, 2016Most Yards Receiving: .....................................151, Anthony Miller vs. Western Kentucky, 2016Highest Average Gain/Reception (Min. 3): .............................. 34.3, Ryan Scott vs. Akron, 2005Most Touchdown Receptions: ............................3, Anthony Miller vs. Western Kentucky, 2016Longest Pass Reception: .................................64, Eddie Gebara vs. East Tennessee State, 1956

OffenseMost Offensive Plays: ................................................................ 59, Paxton Lynch vs. BYU, 2014Most Total Offense: ........................................ 366, Riley Ferguson vs. Western Kentucky, 2016Highest Avg. Gain/Play (Min. 25): .................................7.4, DeAngelo Williams vs. Akron, 2005Most All-Purpose Yards: ..............................................236, DeAngelo Williams vs. Akron, 2005

PuntingMost Punts: ........................................................................... 8, Brent Sutherland vs. USF, 2008Most Yards Punted: ........................................................... 337, Brent Sutherland vs. USF, 2008Highest Punting Average: (Min. 2): .................................. 47.8, Michael Gibson vs. Akron, 2005Longest Punt: .....................................................70, Brent Sutherland vs. Florida Atlantic, 2007

KickingMost Points Kicking: ...................................................................... 13, Jake Elliott vs. BYU, 2014Most PATs Attempted: ..................................................................... 7, Jake Elliott vs. BYU, 2014Most PATs Made: ............................................................................. 7, Jake Elliott vs. BYU, 2014Most Field Goals Attempted: ........................................................... 3, Jake Elliott vs. BYU, 2014...................................................................................... 3, Stephen Gostkowski vs. Akron, 2005............................................................................. 3, Stephen Gostkowski vs. North Texas, 2003Most Field Goals Made:................................................ 3, Stephen Gostkowski vs. Akron, 2005Longest Field Goal Made: .............................................................. 54, Jake Elliott vs. BYU, 2014

Kick ReturnsMost Kickoff Returns: ..................................... 8, Michael Grandberry vs. Florida Atlantic, 2007Most Kickoff Return Yards: ......................... 153, Michael Grandberry vs. Florida Atlantic, 2007Highest Kickoff Return Average (Min. 3): ............................. 32.3, Joseph Doss vs. Akron, 2005Most Kickoff Returns TDs: .................................................................................................... N/ALongest Kickoff Return:............................................................ 35, Joseph Doss vs. Akron, 2005

Punt ReturnsMost Punt Returns: ........................................................5, Brandon McDonald vs. Akron, 2005Most Punt Return Yards: ...............................................39, Brandon McDonald vs. Akron, 2005Highest Punt Return Average: .....................................11.0, Charlie Babb, San Jose State, 1971Most Punt Returns TDs: ........................................................................................................ N/ALongest Punt Return: ....................................................15, Brandon McDonald vs. Akron, 2005

DefenseMost Solo Tackles: ..............................................................14, Shareef White vs. Auburn, 2015Most Assisted Tackles: .............................................................8, Tim Goodwell vs. Akron, 2005Most Total Tackles: .............................................................17, Shareef White vs. Auburn, 2015Most Quarterback Sacks: .....................................3, Arthur Maulet vs. Western Kentucky, 2016Most Tackles For Lost Yardage: .........................3.5, Arthur Maulet vs. Western Kentucky, 2016..............................................................................................3.5, Tim Goodwell vs. Akron, 2005Most Interceptions: ................................................................... 2, Reggis Ball vs. Auburn, 2015...................................................................................2, David Johnson vs. San Jose State, 1971

TEAM RECORDS

ScoringMost Points Scored: .......................................................................................... 55 vs. BYU, 2014Most Touchdowns Scored: ................................................................................. 7 vs. BYU, 2014Most 2-Point Conversions Made: ....................................................................1 vs. Akron, 2005

RushingMost Rushing Attempts: ................................................................................58 vs. Akron, 2005Fewest Rushing Attempts: ...............................................................27 vs. Bowling Green, 2004Most Yards Rushing: ....................................................................................346 vs. Akron, 2005Fewest Yards Rushing: .......................................................................................66 vs. USF, 2008Most Rushing Touchdowns: ....................... 4 vs. Akron, 2005; 4 vs. East Tennessee State, 1956

PassingMost Passing Attempts: ............................................................. 49 vs. Western Kentucky, 2016Fewest Passing Attempts: ........................................................ 6 vs. East Tennessee State, 1956Most Pass Completions: ............................................................ 27 vs. Western Kentucky, 2016Fewest Pass Completions: ....................................................... 3 vs. East Tennessee State, 1956Most Passing Yards: ................................................................. 418 vs. Western Kentucky, 2016Fewest Passing Yards: .......................................................................41 vs. San Jose State, 1971Most Passing Touchdowns: ........ 4 vs. WKU, 2016; 4 vs. BYU, 2014; 4 vs. Bowling Green, 2004Most Passes Had Intercepted: ............................................................................ 3 vs. BYU, 2014

OffenseMost Offensive Plays: ....................................................................................... 97 vs. BYU, 2014Fewest Offensive Plays: .....................................................................................65 vs. USF, 2008Most Total Yards: .........................................................................................516 vs. Akron, 2005Fewest Total Yards: ................................................................................... 205 vs. Auburn, 2015

PuntingMost Punts: .........................................................................................................8 vs. USF, 2008Most Yards Punted: .........................................................................................337 vs. USF, 2008Fewest Yards Punted: .......................................................... 155 vs. East Tennessee State, 1956Highest Punting Average: ...........................................................................45.6 vs. Akron, 2005Lowest Punting Average: ..............................................................32.8 vs. Bowling Green, 2004

KickingMost Extra Points: .............................................................................................. 7 vs. BYU, 2014Most Field Goals Made:...................................................................................3 vs. Akron, 2005Most Field Goals Attempted: ......... 3 vs. BYU, 2014; 3 vs. Akron, 2005; 3 vs. North Texas, 2003

Kick ReturnsMost Kickoff Returns: .............................................8 vs. BYU, 2014; 8 vs. Florida Atlantic, 2007Most Kickoff Return Yards: ............................................................................. 166 vs. BYU, 2014Fewest Kickoff Return Yards: ............................................................41 vs. San Jose State, 1971

Punt ReturnsMost Punt Returns: ............................................................................................ 6 vs. BYU, 2014Most Punt Return Yards: ...................................................................66 vs. San Jose State, 1971Fewest Punt Return Yards: .....................2 vs. Western Kentucky, 2016; 2 vs. North Texas, 2003

DefenseFewest Rushing Attempts Allowed: ............................................................... 23 by Akron, 2005Most Rushing Attempts Allowed: ................................................................56 by Auburn, 2015Fewest Rushing Yards Allowed: ..................................................................... 47 by Akron, 2005Most Rushing Yards Allowed: ................................................... 262 by Western Kentucky, 2016Fewest Pass Completions Allowed: .................................................... 6 by San Jose State, 1971Most Pass Completions Allowed: .................................................................. 34 by Akron, 2005Fewest Passing Yards Allowed: ......................................................... 81 by San Jose State, 1971Most Passing Yards Allowed: ....................................................................... 455 by Akron, 2005Fewest Total Yards Allowed: ................................................ 259 by East Tennessee State, 1956Most Total Yards Allowed: ........................................................ 598 by Western Kentucky, 2016Most Points Allowed: ...................................................................... 52 by Bowling Green, 2004Most Rushing Touchdowns Allowed: ............................................ 4 by Western Kentucky, 2016Fewest Rushing Touchdowns Allowed: ............................................................ 0 by Akron, 2005Most Touchdown Passes Allowed: .......................... 5 by Bowling Green, 2004; 5 by FAU, 2007Fewest Touchdown Passes Allowed: ...................................................... 0 by North Texas, 2003............................................................................................................ 0 by San Jose State, 1971Most Total Touchdowns Allowed: ......7 by Western Kentucky, 2016; 7 by Bowling Green, 2004Fewest Total Touchdowns Allowed: .................................................... 1 by San Jose State, 1971Most Interceptions Thrown: ............................................................... 4 by San Jose State, 1971Fewest Interceptions Thrown: ......... 0 by North Texas, 2003; 0 by Akron, 2005; 0 by USF, 2008Most Fumble Recoveries: ........................................................ 5 vs. East Tennessee State, 1956Most Quarterback Sacks: ............................................................. 6 vs. Western Kentucky, 2016Most Tackles For Lost Yardage: ............................................................ 11 vs. North Texas, 2003

MiscellaneousMost First Downs:...................................................................... 27 vs. Western Kentucky, 2016Fewest First Downs:.................................................................................... 13 vs. Auburn, 2015Most Penalties: ...................................................................................... 9 vs. North Texas, 2003Fewest Penalties: ................................................................................3 vs. San Jose State, 1971Most Penalty Yards: .......................................................................................62 vs. Akron, 2005Longest Time of Possession: ........................................................... 34:08 vs. North Texas, 2003Shortest Time of Possession: ................................................ 23:22 vs. Western Kentucky, 2016Most Third Down Conversions: ........................................................ 9 vs. Florida Atlantic, 2007

Bowl Records


TigersTraveltoJacksonforCampLambuth

www.gotigersgo.comAugust9,2017JACKSON,Tenn.–ForthesecondconsecutiveseasonunderHeadCoachMikeNorvell,theMemphisTigersfootballteamhaspackedupandmovedtotheUniversityofMemphisLambuthCampusforathree-daygetaway.TheTigerspracticedWednesdayattheBillyJ.MurphyComplexbeforeloadingupandtravellingthe70milesdownI-40toJackson.MemphiswillcontinueitsnormalpracticescheduleonThursdayandFridaymorningbuttherewillbeseveralteam-buildingexercisesbuiltinwhentheyaren'tonthefield."Ilikechanginguptheirroutine.That'ssomethingwetalkabout,"Norvellsaid."Especiallystartingasearlyaswehave.Everythinghasbeenveryroutine,sonowwegettochangeitup.Guysgettogobeonadifferentfield,adifferentsurfaceandadifferentatmosphere.Wehavetogocreateourownintensityandmaximizeeveryday."MemphisisnearthemidwaypointoffallcampwiththeirsightssetontheAug.31season-openeragainstLouisiana-Monroe.Now11practicesintopreseason,thistripservesasagreatwaytobreakupcamp."Theyneedtocontinuetogrowandcontinuetobethemselves.IlovebeingapartofthisteamandIlovethisgroupthatwehave.Theseguysareworkinghardandthisisagetawayforustobeabletogoandbetogetherasateam.WealsogettogotoLambuthtoseeallofoursupportersinwesternTennessee,"Norvellsaid.DuringtheirstayinLambuth,theteamwillhearfromamotivationalguestspeakeronenight,whiletheywillspendanothernightaroundthecampfirelearningmoreabouteachother.ForNorvell,thistripisasmuchaboutimprovingonthefieldasitisaboutgrowingcloserasateam."Ithinkthosethreedayslastyearwerephenomenalfortherelationships.Someoftheseguyshavebeentogetherforfourorfiveyearsanddidn'tknowsomeofthestories,someoftheupbringingsandsomeofthejourneys.Forguystobeabletohearthatandhavethatexperienceisprettyspecial.Thisisforcoachesandforplayersandeverybodyinvolvedbecausetheyhaveanopportunitytogrow,"saidNorvell.TheTigerswillwrapuptheweekwithanopenscrimmageonSaturdayattheLambuthCampusfootballfieldat10a.m.Clickheretoviewacampusmapwithparkingoptions.


TigersWrapCampLambuth

www.gotigersgo.comAugust12,2017JACKSON,Tenn.–TheMemphisTigersfootballteamwrappedupitsthree-daytriptoJacksonwithascrimmageinfrontofagreatcrowdattheUniversityofMemphisLambuthCampusSaturdayinJackson."Itwasanincredibleday,"MemphisheadcoachMikeNorvellsaid."LastyearwasourfirsttriptoJacksonandtheopportunitytocometoLambuthandit'sbeenanotherwonderfulweekforourguystogrowtogether.ThentodaytoseeallofourTigerfansupheregivingtheirsupportandcheeringontheseyoungmen,itsspecialforusasastaffandanorganization."TheTigers'first-teamdefensehadagooddayoverallandoffensivelythedepthatrunningbackwasondisplay.SeniordefensivelinemanErnestSuttlesmadeapairofbigplaysondefense,recordingasackandbattingdownapassattempt.SophomorerunningbacksTonyPollardandPatrickTaylorbothhadlongtouchdownruns,whilefreshmanTimothyTayloralsohadagooddayandmanagedtofindtheendzone."Isawbothsidesoftheballcompeting.Thefirstdefensecameoutandstartedreallyfastandveryaggressive.Thereweresomeguysweheldbackandhadlimitedwork.Wewantedtoseetheyoungguysplay.Thereweresomemistakesmadeandsomecommunicationthathastoimprovebutyougottoseesomeyoungguysthatarereallysteppingupandelevatingtheirgame,"Norvellsaid.Nowatthemidwaypointoffallcamp,Memphiswillreturntocampustocontinuepreparationsfortheseason-opener.TheTigersopentheir2017seasonwithaspecialLaborDayweekend/ThursdaynightgameagainstLouisiana-MonroeAug.31.Kickoffissetfor8p.m.(CT)atLibertyBowlMemorialStadium.Memphis'seasonopeneristhefirstofsevenhomegamesforthe2017campaign.FanshavemultipleoptionsforpurchasingticketsandcandosoonlineatGoTigersGoTix.comorbycalling901-678-2331.


Storyinink

By:TomSchad,CommercialAppealAugust27,2017TheinkstretchesfromtheedgeofRileyFerguson’sshoulderstothebottomofhisbiceps,atapestrypeekingoutfrombelowthesleevesofhisMemphisfootballjerseywheneverhetakesthefield.Fergusonwas15whenhegothisfirsttattoo,alreadyahighlytoutedquarterbackprospectatButlerHighSchoolnearCharlotte,N.C.AshemovedfromTennesseetoCoffeyville(Kan.)CommunityCollegetoMemphis(withastintdetailingcarsandpowder-coatingfencesalongtheway)he’scontinuedtoaddartworktohisupperbody,creatingintricatehalf-sleevesonbothofhisarms.“Onceyougetone,”hesaid,“youkindofwanttoimmediatelygobackandgetanotherone.”WhyFergusonhastattoosTattoosarerelativelycommoninsports,andAmericansocietyoverall.AccordingtoaHarrisPollreleasedlastyear,nearlythreein10Americanshaveatleastone.Butinfootball,visibletattoosonquarterbacksarerare—andtherearestillsomewhohavedated,preconceivednotionsabouthowplayersatthatpositionshouldactandlook.“Ifeellikejustgrowingup,mywholelife,peoplehavealwaysjudgedmebeforetheygottoreallyknowme,”Fergusonsaid,whenaskedaboutthoseperceptions.“Untiltheygettoknowme,youcan’tjudgemejustbasedoffmyarmsbeingtattedup.Ithinkit’sjustmoreofgettingtoknowme,andgettingtoknowthereasonswhyIhavetattoos.”

EverytattooonFerguson’sarmshasmeaning.“I’vepiecedallmytattoostogethertokindoftellastory,”heexplained.SoasFergusonbeginshisfinalcollegeseasonThursdaynightagainstLouisiana-Monroe,withhopesofleadingtheTigerstoaconferencechampionshipandvaultinghimselfintotheNFL,perhapsthebestwaytounderstandthe6-foot-4seniorandwhatdriveshimisthroughtheswirlsofinkonhisarms.Howthetattoosstarted“Growingup,Ialwayswantedsometattoos,”Fergusonsaid.Hegothisfirstoneonthesamedaythathisolderbrother,Zach,wasgettingoneonhisback.Bothwereminorssotheirmother,Diana,hadtogivethempermission.Fergusonflippedthroughabookfilledwithpossibledesignsandsettledontheimageoftwohandsholdingafootball,withthewords“GodGiven”incursivescriptabovethem.“IknewIwantedsomethingwithafootball,andthenwiththehandsholdingit,justkindoflikewhenIwasababy,”Fergusonsaid.“I’mthinkingbacktowhenIwasababyorwhenIwasyounger,havingafootballinmyhands.Godgavemethetalent.”That’salsowhyhegotitonthesideofhisrightarm,“thearmthatmakesithappen.”


“IwanttohonorHimandusethattalenttodoasmanythingsasIcanonthefield,butaswellasoffthefield,”Fergusonsaid.“Theplatformthatitputsmeontogooutandchangepeople’slives,that’swhatI’mallabout.“I’vealwaysdreamedaboutgoingtotheNFL,butIthinksomethingthatIlookatmorethanthatisIknowthatIwouldgetmoneygoingthere.…IfeellikeIwanttousethatmoneytogohelppeople,likedonatetocharities,openmyowncharityifIcan.Ithinkaboutitallthetime,drivinginMemphis,youseeallthesehomelesspeople.Iwouldlovetogooutonedayandhavemoneyinmypocketandbelike,‘Look,here’s$1,000.Godowhatyouwantto,Ihopeyou’remakingtherightdecisionswithit,butI’mtryingtohelpyouout.’Justhelppeopleandtrytomaketheworldbetter.That’sreallywhatIwanttodo.”Howfamily,friend,hometownarehonoredFergusonwaitedafewyearsbeforegettinghisnexttattoos—twowordsetchedverticallyalongthebacksofhisarms:“Family”downhisleftarm,and“Forever”downhisright.“Youprobablyhaven’tevennoticedthose,”Fergusonsaid.“IwanttodoeverythingIcantohelppeople,butIwanttomakesuremyfamily’sgood,aswell.Ithinkjustputtingthatonmyarms,itkindofremindsmeofwhatIstandbyandwhatIwanttorepresent.”WhenFergusonthinksaboutthosetwowords,hethinksabouthissiblings,ZachandBailey,andhisparents,DianaandDon.Thentherearehisgrandparents.Hiscousins.Evenhisclosefriends,thoseclosesttohimbutnotrelatedbyblood.“Iwouldn’tsayIhaveahugegroupoffriendsbecauseIknowthere’speopleoutherethatwouldwanttobemyfriendforthewrongreasons,”Fergusonsaid.“SoreallyI’vehadthesamegroupoffriendsgrowingup,andwe’veallstayedreallytight.I’djustsayallofthemaremyfamily,aswell.”OneofthosefriendsisJoshGlisson.Beginningwhentheywere7yearsold,FergusonplayedquarterbackandGlissonwashisrunningback.Fergusonsaidtheyonlylosttwogameswhenplayingtogether.TheylatergotidenticaltattoosontheirrightarmsoftheEyeofHorus,anEgyptiansymbolthat,toFerguson,means“brotherhoodineternity.”“Wegotitthesameday,samelocationonourarms,”Fergusonsaid.“He’sbeenthroughalotofstruggles,andIhaveaswell,sowekindofuseeachothertohelpgetourselvesfurtherdowntheroadinlife.”NexttotheEyeofHorus,FergusonalsohasatattooofacrownasanhomagetoCharlotte,whichisoftenreferredtoas“theQueenCity.”“IjustwantedtorepresentwhereIcomefrom,”heexplained.Onetattoohonorsthosehe’slostOnFerguson’sleftshoulder,thereisacross,withlightburstingoutfrombehindit.It’sinmemoryofthosehe’slost.Hegotitonemonthafterthedeathofhisyoungerbrother.


“OnethingthatI’vealwayswantedgrowingupwasalittlebrother,tolookafterandhelpmakehimanathleteandteachhimeverythingthatIknow,”Fergusonsaid.“Ihaveanolderbrother,soIknewhowmuchhe’smeanttome.Iwantedtodothesamethingformylittlebrother.”FergusonsaidhewasheadingtotheElite11quarterbackcampinCaliforniathesummerbeforehissenioryear.Hismotherwaspregnantwithababyboy,but“somethingwaswrong,”hesaid.“Ihadnoideawhatwasgoingon.TheyweresayingshewasOKandallthis,”Fergusonrecalled.“Iguessmylittlebrotherwasaliveforabout15to20minutes,thenhisheartjuststopped.“Iknewitreallyhurther,becauseIknewshewantedanotherkid.Butitiswhatitis,andGodhasaplan.Iknewitwaskindofhardforme,becauseIwasoutinCalifornia,bymyself,gettingallthisnews.”Thatsameday,Fergusonbrokethethumbonhisthrowinghandduringashuttledrill.Whenaskedifhestillfeelsaconnectionwithhisyoungerbrother,henodded.“Yeah,”hesaid.“Nodoubt.”Anotherlosscamemorerecently.TendaysbeforetheBocaRatonBowl,Fergusonattendedthefuneralofhiscousinandclosefriend,ThomasMcDonald,atachurchinCharlotte.Mc-DonalddiedDec.7.“Ijustgotthecloudsgettinglighter,thenI’mgoingtohaveasunthatI’mgoingtogetuphere,”Fergusonsaid,gesturingtohisshoulder.“It’sgoingtobeshiningdown,thenI’mgoingtohavetheirnamesandtwoangelsrightthere.”Hepointedtothespaceabovehisheart.JustonetattoohascolorFergusonhasonlyonetattooincolor:Apinkrosewithgreenleavesonthelowerpartofhisleftbicep.“Iwantthistattootostand(out),peopletoseethatcolor,”Fergusonsaid.“Andifpeopleaskmeaboutit,Itellthem,‘Hey,that’sformymom.’”Fergusonsaidhismotherwastheonewhoboughthiscleatsandsenthimtofootballcampsandpaidforhisunofficialvisitstocollegecampuses,sohecouldbesuretofindthebestplaceforhim.WhenheneededacarduringhistimeatCoffeyville,hesaidshesoldherownanddroveacheaperoneinstead,sotheycouldaffordtobuyFergusonone,too.Herinitialsrestinscriptabovetherose.“She’stheonepersonwho’sbeenthereformemywholelife,”Fergusonsaid.“Ilivedwithmymomgrowingup.She’salwayshadmyback.She’sdonecountlessnumberofthingstogetmewhereIamtoday,andshe’ssacrificedalot.SoreallyIhavetothankhermorethananybody.“People,hopefullytheydoaskmeaboutit,soIcanletthemknowaboutmymom.”Allthetattooshaveonetheme


AllofFerguson’stattoosaretiedtogetherbyanoverarchingtheme.Hisleftarmrepresentsdaytime.It’sdarkerneartheelbow,likestormcloudsonarainyday,butthereareclearerskiesaroundtheshoulder,wherebeamsoflightappearfrombehindthecross.Hisrightarm,meanwhile,representsthenighttimeandhisdreams.“It’smydreamtogototheNFL,”hesaid,pointingtothetattoooftwohandsholdingafootball.“It’smydreamtolookaftereverybody,helpchangetheworld.That’swhatIreallywanttodo.Justmaketheworldbetter,makeonepersonbetter,onedayatatime.That’swhyIhaveallthesestarseverywhere.”Fergusonplanstogetmoretattoos.He’sthoughtaboutcontinuingthenighttimethemeatophisrightshoulderwithimageryofspace.Thesunonhisleftshoulderwillcastlightontohisheart,andhistwoangels.Moretattooswillfollow,hesaid,ashisjourneycontinues—newimagesanddesignsandartworklikelystretchingacrossthetopofhisback.“Youcanjustaddon.That’swhyIlikethemsomuch,”Fergusonsaid.“Ifeelliketheytellthestory.”


Closetohome

MemphisplayersfromHoustoncanonlywatchfromafarBy:TomSchad,CommercialAppealTwelveyearsagothisweek,MemphisrunningbackDorolandDorceusandhisfamilywereinNewOrleanswhenHurricaneKatrinahit.Theytookshelterinaconventioncenter,thenaparkinggarage,thenmanagedtocatchaflighttoTexasandeventuallysettledintheHoustonarea.

“There’ssomanydifferent,horriblethings(thatIexperienced),Ican’teventellyouallofit,”DorceussaidSunday,whenaskedaboutKatrina.“It’shorrible.Iwouldn’twantnobodytogothroughit.”

ButonSunday,thousandsofpeoplefoundthemselvesfightingmoredeadlyfloods,thistimeinwhatbecameDorceus’secondhome.HurricaneHarveyhasdumpedmorethan40inchesofrainintosoutheasternTexas,floodingthecountry’sfourth-largestcity.

ForthesevenplayersonMemphis’rosterwhocallHoustonhomeorplayedhighschoolfootballnearby,alltheycoulddowaswatchfromafarandpray.

“Somepeoplearetryingtogetoutofthere,evacuating,”saidsophomoretightendSeanDykes,whoisfromsouthHouston.“Forthemostpart,peoplearebeingsafe.”

DykesandDorceussaidtheirfamiliesaresafe.Dykesiscontinuingtoreceivedailyupdatesfromhisfather,whohelpedevacuatethefamilytoAustin,Texas.TheformerManvelHighSchoolstarsaidhisneighborhoodhasbeenhithard.

“Oneoftheworstpartswhereithit,”hesaid.“Buteverybody’smaintaining.Ifyouneedtoevacuate,they’regettingpeopleoutofthere.Somearedoingitontheirown.Butforthemostpart,everybody’sstayingsafe.”

DykesandstartingoffensivelinemanTrevonTate,whoplayedatNorthShoreHighSchoolineasternHouston,aretheonlytwoTigersfromthecityitself.Threeothers—CoyeFairman,TreHamiltonandPatrickTaylorJr.—arefromHumble,Texas,anareaabout20milesnorthofthecity.Dorceusandhisyoungerbrother,Joseph,playedatSpringHighSchool,northwestofthat.

MemphiscoachMikeNorvellsaidnewsofthefloodinghasbeentoughtowatch.HesaidherecentlytextedHoustoncoachMajorApplewhite,whorelocatedhisteamtoAustinonFriday.

“Ourthoughtsandprayersarewiththem,”hesaid.“Butforeverybody—notjusttheteams,buteverybodythatlivesthere.We’vegotalotofkidsfromHoustonhereonourfootballteam.It’ssadwhat’shappening.We’lljustcontinuetoprayforthemandbeabletosupportinanywaywecan.”

AsofSundaynight,atleastfivepeoplehavebeenreporteddeadinareasaffectedbyHurricaneHarvey.Andunfortunately,theremaystillbemoreraintocome.AccordingtotheNationalHurricaneCenter,anadditional15to25inchesofraincouldhittheHoustonareaandsouthwesternLouisianathroughFriday.

“JustprayforHouston,”Dorceussaid.

Norvellstillevaluatingkickers

TheTigers’season-openeragainstLouisiana-Monroeisquicklyapproaching,andit’sstillunclearwhowillbehandlingextrapointsandfieldgoalsforthem.


AlthoughfreshmanRileyPattersonenteredfallcampasthepresumedstarter,punterSpencerSmith,whooriginallycametoMemphisasakickerandhandledplacekickingdutiesinthespring,hasbeencompetingwithhimforthejobinrecentweeks.Norvellsaidthecoachingstaffwillcontinuetoevaluatebothplayersthroughtherestoftheweek.

“SpencerandRileyarebothcompetingthereforfieldgoals,thefieldgoalrole,”Norvellsaid,addingthatPatterson’skickoffshavebeenimpressive.“NickJacobshashadanunbelievablecampatpunter,sothatgivesussomeversatility—ifSpencerdoesdomoretherewiththekickingsituation,thenwehavesomeflexibilityinlimitinghispuntopportunitiesbecauseofhowwellNick’sdone.

“Sowe’regoingtolookatalloptionsandputthebestguysouttherewhocanhelpuswinfootballgames.”

“Everybody’smaintaining.Ifyouneedtoevacuate,they’regettingpeopleoutofthere.Somearedoingitontheirown.Forthemostpart,everybody’sstayingsafe.”

SEANDYKES

MEMPHISSOPHOMORETEFROMHOUSTON


Slowingdownnotanoption

By:TomSchad,CommercialAppealAugust30,2017MemphisfootballcoachMikeNorvellprobablysaystwowordsatpracticemorethananyothers:“Runit!”WhentheTigers’offenseisdraggingtothelineofscrimmageorslowtogetasnapoff,Norvellwillbethefirsttoremindthegroupthatslowingdownisnotanoption.Hisentiresystemisbuiltontempo.HewantsquarterbackRileyFergusontoconstantlypushthepace—duringindividualplays,andinbetweenthem.“We’reoperatingalotfasterthanwewerelastyear,”Fergusonsaid,“butwe’restillnotevenclosetowhereweneedtobe.”WhenMemphisopensits2017seasonagainstLouisiana-MonroeattheLibertyBowlonThursdaynight,alleyeswillbeonaTigersoffensethatcouldbeamongthemostexplosiveinthehistoryoftheprogram.Butforthatoffensetothrive,Fergusonandcompanywillneedtoplayevenfasterthantheydidin2016.And,atleastfromwhatNorvellhasseeninpractices,theyare.

“Ithinktheconfidencethatourguyshave,thecomforttheyhaveinwhatwe’reaskingthemtodoisallowingthemtoplayfaster,”Norvellsaid.“Youlookatouroffenseandtheskillpositionplayersthatwehave,wehavealotmoredepththanwehadthistimelastyear.Sowethinkwecanplaymoreplayers,wethinkmoreguyscanbeinvolved,andthatallowsustostayfreshandreallypushthepace.”WhyMemphisisn’tquiteuptospeedyetForallthetalkabouttempolastyear,MemphisrankedjustsixthintheAmericanAthleticConference(and39thintheFBS)inoffensiveplayspergame.TheTigersranalittlemorethan74playspergamein2016,afterNorvell’soffensesatArizonaStateaveraged78.5playsduringhisfourseasonsthereasoffensivecoordinator.Inthreeofthoseseasons,theSunDevilsrankedamongthetop20teamsinthecountryinthatcategory.OnereasonfortheslightdecreaseisthattheTigershadsomanyexplosiveplaysin2016,including24touchdowndrivesthatlastedfiveplaysorfewer—andfourthattookonlyoneplay.Butplayerssaytheyalsoweren’tmovingquiteasquicklybecausetheywerestilllearningNorvell’soffense,tryingtomasterandexecuteconceptsthathavesincebecomesecondnaturetothem.“We’reatanotherspeednow.We’reawholeyearintoit,”seniorrunningbackDorolandDorceussaid.“Itwasbrandnewtouslastyear.Nowwe’reayearintoit,everybodyknowstheirassignments,theiralignments,whattechniquethey’vegottotake,wheretheirman’sgoingtobeat.”FergusonsaidMemphis’offenseprobablyreacheditsfastestpointinthelatterportionoflastseasonandhasplayedatthatsametempooccasionally,butnotconsistently,thisfall.Butplayersbelievethatconsistencywillcome.“Everybodygetstheconcepts.Everybodyknowswhattodo,basically,”seniorwidereceiverAnthonyMillersaid.“Ijustbelievewe’rejustgoingtobeclicking.…We’llbegoingsofast,it’shardtokeepup.”


Averyreadytopounce

By:TomSchad,CommercialAppealAugust31,2017FormerNFLAll-ProdefensivelinemanChuckSmithdescribedhisfirstimpressionsofGenardAverywithoneword:Surprise.

“Honestly,”Smithsaid,“(I)wasreallysurprisedbythemultipleskillsthathealreadyhad,thepotentialthathehas.”

AfterstarringatTennesseeandplayingnineyearsintheNFL,Smithhasbecomeapass-rushguruofsorts,traininglinebackersanddefensivelinemenoutofafacilityjustnorthofAtlanta.He’sworkedwithsomeofthetoppass-rushersincollegeandtheNFL,helpingDenverBroncoslinebackerVonMillerandLosAngelesRamsdefensivetackleAaronDonald,amongothers,honetheirskills.

WhyMemphisLBisworkingwithformerVol

Andthisoffseason,heworkedwithAvery.

“Man,he’sagreatguy,”Memphis’seniorlinebackersaidofSmith.“ThemainthingsweworkedonwerehowcanIgetfromPointAtoPointB,what’smyapproach,what(move)canIuseandwhentouseit.

'It’sjustlittlethingsincertainsituationsthatIlearnedfromhim.”

LikeTigerswidereceiverAnthonyMiller,AveryconsidereddeclaringfortheNFLdraftthiswinterbeforedecidingtoreturntoMemphis.Ashepreparedforhisseniorseason,whichbeginsThursdaynightagainstLouisiana-Monroe,healsoreachedouttoSmithonsocialmediawithhopesoffurtherdevelopinghisgame.

SmithsaidAveryfirststartedtrainingwithhiminGeorgiaafewweeksbeforespringball,thenreturnedinthesummer,spendingabout15daystotalonthefield.Theyworkedonindividualrushmovesandtechniques,butalsothementalaspectofpassrushing.

“Passrushingisathinkingman’sposition.It’sanartthathastobetaught,”Smithsaid.“It’snotsomethingyou’rebornwith.That’samisconception.Passrushersaren’tborn.Mostpassrushershavebeendevelopedatsomepoint,orgiventheinformation.”

Averysaidhespenthissummerfocusingontwomainareas:Handsandeyes.Helearnedsomeoftheminutedetailsthatcanmakeabigdifferenceinpass-rushingsituations,likewheretopointhisfootatthelineofscrimmage,andhowtodevelopaplanofattackforeverysituation.

WhyAvery'sfilmstudyhaschanged

Averysaidhe'salsobeenwatchingmorefilmofabroadervarietyofpassrushersthisoffseason,fromMillerandDonaldtoOaklandRaiderslinebackerKhalilMackandNo.1overallpickMylesGarrett.Twoyearsago,hewasmostlyjustwatchinghighlightsofahandfulofplayers.Hesaidhisunderstandingofthegame,andtheposition,hasgrown.

“It’sallamindgame,”Averysaid.

“Themostimportantthingwhengoingagainstanoffensivelinemanisyourapproach.Ifyoucanhaveaplanbeforeyou’regoing,usuallyyou’llwineverytime.That’sbeenthebigdealwithme.”


Averywasfirst-teamAll-AmericanAthleticConferencelastseason,leadingtheTigerswith11tacklesforalossandfivesacks.Healsointerceptedtwopasses,returningbothfortouchdowns.

Butthegoalenteringthisseason,coachMikeNorvellsaid,isforAverytobeevenbetter.Andsofar,Norvellsaidhe’sseenthatimprovementinpreseasoncamp,bothinpass-rushingsituationsandinhisgameoverall.

“Iknow(assistant)Coach(Dan)LanningandCoach(defensivecoordinatorChris)Ballarereallychallenginghimtobethecompletebacker,”Norvellsaid.“WeaskalotofthingsoutofGenard,probablymorethanalotofpeoplehavetoface.ButGenardisreallyworkingtobecomeastudentofthegame.Andthemorehecandothat,themoreversatileofaplayerhebecomesandputshimselfinapositiontogooutthereandbeimpactful.”

TrainingwithSmithwillonlyhelpAveryashetransitionstotheNFLnextsummer.Butmorethananything,itwasaboutimprovinghisplaythisyear.NorvellsaidtheGrenada,Miss.,native“wantstofinishwhathestarted'atMemphis.AndSmithsaidfanswillseeacompletelydifferentversionofAveryin2017.

“He’sgoingtodominateeverybodyheplays—especiallyiftheoffensegivesthemalead,'Smithsaid.'GenardAveryisgoingtobeasdominantasanybodyincollegefootballthisyear.'


Leader&Servant

By:BillSalyer,www.gotigersgo.comAugust31,2017

Hisloveforthecityisundeniable.

Hislovefortheprogramisbeyondreproach.

HisnameisChristianJohnson,andheloveseverythingMemphis.

“I’vegotabigMemphistattooonmystomach,”saidChristian.“MemphisiswhereIhavebeenbornandraised.Allofmybestmemoriesarehere.”

Christian,whocarriesahulking270poundsoverhis6-5frame,hasstartedatdefensiveendfortheTigersthelastthreeseasons.HegraduatedfromSouthwindHighSchoolandmadetheshortmovetotheUniversityofMemphiscampusin2013.

InMay2017,Christianearnedhisbachelor’sdegreeininterdisciplinarystudiesandisworkingtowardsamaster’sdegreeinhealthadministration.Itistherewherehisloveforthecitygrowsevendeeper,andhisdesiretohelpothersblossoms.

“Christianisauniquetypeofleader,”saidCoreyJohnson,Christian’suncle.“Heisnota‘look-at-me,’‘beat-his-chest,’‘sing-his-own-accolades’typeofperson.He’sneverbeenlikethat.Christianwasalwayssomeonethateveryonenaturallygravitatedtowards.

“Weneedmorepeoplelikehiminhealthcare–notjustinnursingorfront-linecareers,whicharegreat–butweneedqualitypeoplemakingdecisionsinthehospitals,andhehastherighttemperamentandcorrectleadershipabilitiestoleadthoseorganizations.Heknowswhathewantstodo,andthatistomakeanimpactontheMemphiscommunity.”

Hisuncle,Corey,servedastheExecutiveDirectorofCommunityHealthandWellBeingforLeBonheurChildren’sHospital.HeleftLeBonheurin2014togotoworkforamorenarrowfocusofpeople,pinpointingahandfulofat-riskzipcodesthathavenotbeenasfortunateforsocio-economicdevelopmentwithinMemphis.CoreyhassincebecometheexecutivedirectorofMemphisAcademyofHealthSciences(MAHS)CharterSchools(middleandhigh),whicharelocatedintwoofthosechallengingzipcodesandimpactsover750youngpeople.

BecauseofCorey’smentorshipanddedicationtohelpingthelessfortunatearoundhim,Christianhasadesiretofollowalonginthosefootsteps.

“Myunclewasinhealthadministration,andhehasinspiredmetogointothatfield,”saidJohnson.“Itisawaytohelpmycommunity,andissomethingthatIreallywanttodo.”

Onthefield,Christianhasexperiencedanunprecedentedlevelofsuccess.HisfreshmanyeartheTigerswon10gamesandashareoftheAmericanAthleticConferencechampionship.And,ninemorewinsfollowedasasophomore.Aneight-victory2016seasonbroughtthethree-yearwintotalto27andpulledChristianandhisfellowseniorswithinreachoftheproducingthewinningestfour-yearperiodinschoolhistory.


“WhenIfirstcamehere,Iwasonamissiontohelpturnthingsaroundfromwhereitwas,”saidJohnson.“Weareontherighttrackrightnow,andwewanttotakeittothenextlevel.

“OneofthethingsthepreviousstafftoldmewasIwouldgetachancetoseeMemphisfootballdosomedifferentthings,andwehave.Ithasbeenoneofthebestdecisionsofmylife,andI’mgratefulforit.”

Hisimprovementsonthefieldhavebeenasstrongashisloveforthecity.Christianplayedinsevengameshisfreshmanseason,ayearafterredshirtingin2013.Asasophomorein2015,heplayedinall13gamesandstartedthefinal11contests.Christianlogged23stops,foursacks,afumblerecoveryandapassbreak-up.Hepostedfivemulti-tacklegamesandhadsacksintwoofthelastfourgames.

Lastseason,Christianhadtwosacksandthreetacklesforlossinhis13appearances,whichincludedfivestarts.Hehadhisbestperformancesinthebiggestgames,includingthreetacklesandatackleforlossatOleMissandfivesolostopsatNavy.

Christianlovesthebiggames.HelovestheUniversity.HesimplylovesthecityofMemphis.

Thatwon’tchangeanytimesoon.


Gentry/Kyser:TogethernessInTheTrenches

By:PhilStukenborg,www.gotigersgo.comSeptember5,2017ThebattletheystageonadailybasisduringMemphisfootballpracticeshasbeenfoughtsince,well,shortlyaftertheturnofthecentury.TigersoffensivelinemanDrewKyseranddefensivelinemanJaredGentryhavebuttedhelmetsandshoulderpadsfromthemomenttheyfirstwerefittedforfootballequipment."Howlonghaveweknowneachother?"Kysersaid."I'dsayprobablysincewewere5or6yearsold."KyserandGentry,enteringtheirjuniorseasons,havefollowedaremarkablysimilarpath,onethathastakenthemfromsmall,dustypeeweefootballfieldsinAlabamatothepristineartificialplayingsurfaceatLibertyBowlMemorialStadium.BothgrewupinOpelika,Ala.,aboutanhournortheastofMontgomery.Bothplayedyouthfootballtogether–althoughnotonthesameteam.AndbothwerekeymembersofanOpelikaHighteamthatreachedthesecondroundoftheAlabamaHighSchoolAthleticAssociationClass6Astateplayoffsin2014.Sothosehandslapstothehelmet,jerseygrabsandemphaticpushes–frequentlyexchangedwhilelinedupagainstoneanotherinpractices–arefamiliar.Kyser,acenter,andGentry,anoseguard,havebeentrading"friendly"jabs,mixedwithtrashtalk,for15years."IrememberwhenweplayedintheSaturdaymorning(peewee)footballleague,"Kysersaid."JaredandIwerethebiggestonesoutthere.Sowewerealwaysonopposingteams,goingagainstoneanother."OnetimeIblockedhimreallygood–Imayhaveknockedhimdown–andonthenextplayIwasrunningdownthefieldandheblindsidedme.So,yeah,we'vehadarivalrygoingonbackandforthforawhile."Gentrysaid,"ItseemslikeI'vealwaysbeen(linedup)overhim.ButI'velovedit."KysersaidheandGentryplayedondifferentteamsuntilreachingjuniorhigh.Forthepastdecade,they'vebeenwearingthesameuniformandseekingthesameteamgoals,evenastempershaveflared,onoccasion,intheheatofpractice."Meandhimstartedabigfightinpracticeinhighschoolonetime,"Kysersaid."Coach(BrianBlackmon)madeuscarryeachotheronourbacks.Iwas300pounds.Hewas300pounds.Wehadtocarryeachother50yards."Coachalsomadeusholdhandsandwalkaroundthefieldanothertime.Thatwaspunishmentforgettingafterit."GentrysaidthroughtheyearsheandKyserhavelearnedoneanother'stendencies.There'srarelyamove,orstep,theotherhasn'tseen."Heknowshowtoreadme,howtoreadmychest,"Gentrysaid."AndIknowhowtoreadhim,howto


readhishands,hischestandfootwork."Withallthatknowledgeathisdisposal,Kyserusesit,attimes,tofrustrateGentry.DefensivelinecoachPaulRandolphusuallygetstippedbyKyser,whowilllooktoRandolphandwinkbeforemakinghismove."DrewisalwaysrazzingJared,"Randolphsaid."HeknowswhatbuttonstopushtogetGentryexcited.It'sfunformetowatch."DrewwillhaveJaredsohotandthewholetimeDrewislaughingbecauseheknowshe'sgottenunderhisskin.Buthe'smakingJaredbetterbecausetheopponentsmaytrytoantagonizehimduringgames."Kyser,6-5and300pounds,hasstarted25oftheteam's26gamesthepasttwoseasons.Inthelonegamehedidnotstart,heplayed63of79snapsagainstKansas(2015).Forthesecond-straightseason,hehasbeennamedtotheRimingtonWatchList.TheRimingtonAwardisgivenannuallytothenation'stopcenter."Heissmartandtough,"offensivelinecoachRyanSilverfieldsaid."Youcanwinalotofgameswithasmartandtoughcenter."Gentry,6-2and325pounds,hasplayedin23games.Althoughhemissedtheregular-seasonfinaleandtheBocaRatonBowllastyearbecauseofinjury,hehadacareer-highsixtacklesagainstnationally-rankedNavyanda40-yardfumblereturnatSMUthatsetupafirst-quartertouchdown.TheircontinuedprogresscouldplayaroleinthesuccessoftheUofM'ssecondseasonundercoachMikeNorvell."Theyknowbothpositionsareextremelytoughandextremelyphysical,"Randolphsaid."Theyknowhowtopusheachother."Itisthatnon-stopcompetitivenaturethatimpressesSilverfieldmost."Inthespring,whenwearegoingagainsteachotherallthetime,theyarematchedupagainstoneanotheralmostonadailybasis,almostonanevery-repbasis,"Silverfieldsaid."Thoseguysaregettingafterit.Theyhaveagoodunderstandingandrespectforoneanother.Theyaregreatcompetitorsandgreatyoungmen."AtOpelikaHighasfreshmen,Gentrysaidtheywerebothplacedontheoffensivelineinagoal-linepackage.Gentrysaideachtimeitresultedinatouchdown."Iwasrighttackle,hewaslefttackle,"Gentrysaid."Itwasalotoffun."KysergraduatedearlyfromOpelikaHigh,leavingthetwoseparatedforseveralmonths.ButGentrysignedwithMemphisinFebruary2015,andthetwosoonwerereunited."Iwasveryexcitedwhenhetextedmeandtoldmehewascominguphere,"Kysersaid."Beingawayfromhome,itwasnicehavingsomeoneelseupherefromhome."We'refive-and-a-halfhoursfromOpelika.Heridesbackwithmehomeallthetime.ItgivesmecomfortknowingIhaveapieceofhomeawayfromhome."


TigersFootballQ&A:TonyPollard

www.gotigersgo.comSeptember6,2017Q:WhenyoureturnedthekickoffforatouchdownagainstTemplelastseason,didyouimmediatelyknowthatyouhadendedtheprogram's20-yearstretchwithoutakickreturnforatouchdown?A:Instantly.That'sallwetalkedaboutinspecialteamsmeetings.WehadithighlightedoneveryPowerPoint.Iknewexactlywhatwasgoingon.AssoonasCoach(Joe)Loriggothere,hesaidthisistheyearwearegoingtoreturnakick(foratouchdown).Wegotthefirstone,anditbroketheice.Lastseason,weendedupreturningthreekicksfortouchdowns.Itstillisapointofemphasisforus.Q:Whatisthefirstinstinctonakickoffreturn?A:Thefirstthingthatcoachesalwaystellusistosecurethecatch.Then,afterIcatchtheball,everythingelseisjustnatural.Igofullspeed,hittheholeandfollowtheblockingschemethatwehave.Wepracticeiteveryday:hittheholefullspeed,trusttheblockingandknowit'sgoingtoopenup.Q:Howmuchthinkingisinvolvedinakickoffreturn?A:Ifeelifyoustarttothink,thenthat'swhenyou'regoingtomessup.Youjusthavetobenatural,dowhatitisthatGodblessedyoutodo,andtrustthescheme.Q:Youaresuchaversatileplayer.What'syourfavoritepartofthegame?A:Growingupmyfavoritepartwasoffense.Inlittleleague(football),Iplayedonspecialteams,butIscoredsomanytimesonoffense,andthat'swhyIlikeditmore.Now,myfavoritepartisreturningkicks.Q:Youalsoblockedakicklastseason.Howwasthat?IsurprisedmyselfwhenIblockedthatkickbecauseIgottohimsoquickly.Wearetaughttoblockkickswithyourhands,butIendedupblockingitwithmystomachbecauseIgottheresofast.WhenIrealizedIhadblockedit,IlookedbackandsawDorolandDorceuspickitup.Ijustcelebratedwitheverybody.Q:DidyougrowupknowingyouwantedtogotoMemphis?A:WhenIwasgrowingup,Memphishadadownperiodinfootball,butIalwayscheeredfortheteambecauseIlivedhereandwantedthemtodowell.WhenIstartedhighschool,IsawtheprogramgetbetterandthatstartedtoincreasemyinterestingoingtoschoolatMemphis.Q:FavoriteMemphisplace?IhavetogowithPollard'sBBQ(familybusiness)everytime.Itismyfavoriteplace.Itgavemealittleadvantage.Kidswerealwayslookingforwaystomakealittlemoney,andIcouldalwaysdoafewthingshereandthereattherestaurantandmakealittleeasymoney.Q:Anythinguniqueaboutyou?A:Ihaveabigthingfordogs.MydadandIlovetrainingdogs,andwehavesomeGermanShepherdsatthehouse.


StatementonTigersFootballReturningtoMemphis

www.gotigersgo.comSeptember8,2017FromTheAmericanAthleticConference:PROVIDENCE,R.I.--ThefootballgamebetweenMemphisandUCF,whichhadbeenslatedforFridaynight,willnotbeplayedasscheduledasaresultofcontinuingconcernsrelatedtoHurricaneIrma.ThegamewasoriginallyscheduledSaturdayandwaslateradjustedfora6:30p.m.starttimeFriday.InlightofFloridagovernorRickScott'sThursdayorderforpublicuniversitiestofocusonstormpreparation,theschoolsandtheconferenceagreedthatthegamewouldnotbeplayedthisweek.At2:01a.m.(CT):TheUniversityofMemphisfootballteamhasreturnedtoMemphisafterGovernorRickScottclosedallFloridastateuniversities,Thursdaynight.MemphiswillcontinueworkingwithTheAmericanAthleticConferenceandUCFinthemorning.


NewnumbershowsnewroleforfreshmanDLGoodson

By:TomSchad,CommercialAppealSeptember9,2017Single-digitjerseynumbersarenottypicallyreservedfordefensivelinemen.TruefreshmanO’BryanGoodsonknowsthis.ButheworeNo.1atSouthPanolaHighSchool.Hefeltattachedtoit.

“Ijustwantedtokeepthattraditiongoingincollege,”Goodsonsaid.

SoGoodsonaskedsomeofMemphis’coachesifhecouldwearhisfavorite.Theirresponse?

“Wesaid,‘You’vegottoearnthat,’”defensivecoordinatorChrisBallsaid.“Andhe’sdonethat.”

WithnewsthatstartingnosetackleJaredGentrywillmisstheremainderoftheseasonbecauseofaleginjury,Goodsonnowfindshimselfthrustintoapivotalrolealongthedefensiveline.HeisexpectedtostartatnosetackleinjusthissecondcollegegameFridaynightagainstUCF,astheTigersopenAmericanAthleticConferenceplay.

MemphiscoachMikeNorvellhasravedaboutGoodsonsincehesignedwiththeTigersinlateMay,anditbecameclearwhyina37-29winoverLouisiana-Monroelastweek.Goodsonfinishedwiththreetackles,includingtwoforaloss,andasackandhelpedfillthevoidleftbyGentrywhenhewascartedoffthefieldlateinthefirsthalf.

“IknewIhadtorespond,hadtostepup,”Goodsonsaid.“Ihadtorespondandgooutthereandplayball.”

GoodsonwasalateadditiontotheTigers’mostrecentrecruitingclass.AfterstartingthreeyearsatSouthPanola,rackingup50tacklesforalossand13sacks,hecommittedtoMemphisonNationalSigningDaybutwasunabletoofficiallyjointheprogramuntilsummerconditioningbegan.NorvellsaidMondaythatGoodson“hadtofinishupsomethingsacademically”beforeenrolling.

WhenGoodsonarrived,however,Norvellsaiditbecameclearhewouldbeoneofthenewcomerswhocouldcontributerightaway.He’slistedat6-1,245poundsbutappearsconsiderablylargerandstrongerthanthat,andNorvellsaidhe’sbeenabletopickupthedefensiveschemesquickly.

“Whenyouwatchhimplay,he’srelentlesswithhishands,”Norvellsaid.“Hecanplaytherun,butthenhe’spassionatetogettothequarterbackonceherecognizespass.Thenyou’veobviouslygottohavethementalcapacityandmaturitytocomeinhereandplay.…He’sdoneagreatjobinbothofthosecapacities.”

Goodson,wholistedArkansasStateandFloridaAtlanticashisotherfinalists,saidhepickedMemphisbecauseit“feltlikehome”andwasrelativelyclosetohishomeinBatesville,Miss.Theprimarychallengesofarhasbeenadjustingtothespeedofthecollegegame,hesaid.

“Ijusthadtogetusedtothings,”Goodsonsaid.“Iwasn’tusedtoitasusual,soIhadtocomeinandjustadapttothings,sitbackandlearn,nottrytorushthings.Enjoytheprocess.”

BallsaidGoodsonhas“everythingyou’relookingfor”atthenosetacklespot,wherehewilllikelyrotatewithredshirtfreshmanJohnTate.

“It’sagreatopportunityforhim,”Ballsaid.“Youworryaboutafreshmannotbeingphysicallyreadytodothat,butheis.He’soneofourstrongest,mostexplosiveguys.

“He’sready.”

Andforproofofthatbelief,looknofurtherthanthenumberonhisjerseyFridaynight:No.1.

“TheytoldmeIhadtoworkforittogetit,”saidGoodson,whohadwornNo.95throughoutpreseasoncamp.“IbelieveIwentandgotit.SonowI’vegottoshowit.”


Tigerseagerfor‘showcasegame’withRosen,UCLA

By:TomSchad,CommercialAppealSeptember13,2017Morethan50,000peopleareexpectedtopackLibertyBowlMemorialStadiumforMemphis’gameagainstNo.25UCLAonSaturdaymorning.HundredsofthousandsmorewilltuneintothenationaltelevisionbroadcastonABC.CoachMikeNorvellhascalledit“ashowcasegame”—andforgoodreason.

“Thisonegamedoesnotdefineeverythingwithourseason,butthisisanopportunitytobeshowcased,”Norvellsaid.“It’sonABCat11o’clock.It’sgoingtobenationallytelevised.PeoplegetanopportunitytoseewhatMemphisisallabout.”

Forthefirsttimethisseason,theTigerswillstepintoanationalspotlight,hostingthepremiergameinitstimeslotagainstanationalbrand(UCLA)anditsstarquarterback,JoshRosen.It’sthegamethatmanyMemphisfanshavehadcircledontheircalendarforthebetterpartofthepastyear.

WhilethegamewillbepivotalforaMemphisteamwithloftyexpectationsonthefield,it’salsoamajoropportunityfortheathleticdepartment,theuniversityandthecommunityasawhole.DeputyathleticdirectorMarkAlnuttsaidit’sdifficulttoquantifythevalueoftheexposurethatcancomefromsuchagame.

“Youcan’tputadollaramounttoit,”hesaid.“Forus,it’sanopportunitytogetourprogramoutthere,ouruniversity....Youputonagoodshowandpeoplearetalkingaboutourprogram,goingupagainstatraditionalPowerFiveprogram—it’snothingbutpositive.”

Saturday’sgamewasoriginallyslatedtobeshownonABCinsomemarkets,andonESPN2inothers.ButtheeffectsofHurricaneIrmacausedsomeschedulingchanges,leavingMemphis-UCLAastheonlygameonABCduringitstimeslot.

Locally,theexcitementforthegamehasonlycontinuedtobuildinrecentweeks.UCLAralliedfroma34-pointthird-quarterdeficittobeatTexasA&Minitsopener,andRosenhasblossomedintoapotentialHeismanTrophycandidate.AnditcouldtranslatetoamassivecrowdSaturdaymorning.

DuringitsopeneragainstLouisiana-Monroe,universitypresidentM.DavidRuddannouncedonTwitterthatMemphishadsoldaprogram-record22,500seasonticketsfor2017.Seasonparkingpasseshavealsosoldoutforthefirsttime.Andsingle-gameticketsforSaturdayarestillbeingsold.

“Weanticipateaverygoodcrowd,”AlnuttsaidTuesday.“WhenIsaygoodcrowd,somethingverysimilartowhatwehadwithNavytwoyearsago.PossiblyOleMiss.We’renotattheOleMissthresholdyet,butwecouldeasilyhaveover50,000peoplehere,whichwouldbephenomenalforanon-conferencegamehereattheLibertyBowl.”

AlnuttsaidticketsalesarecomparablewithMemphis’2015gameagainstNavy,whichdrewanannouncedcrowdof55,212.Thatwasthe11th-largestcrowdinLibertyBowlhistory,andthesecond-largestofanygameagainstanon-SoutheasternConferenceopponent.

“Obviouslypeoplearereallyexcitedaboutthedirectionourprogramhastaken,”Alnuttsaid,“butnowyoubringinthischallengetoourprogramandpeoplearereallyanticipatingthismatchupandhowwe’llstackupagainstanopponentofthiscaliber.”


AlnuttsaidMemphisisencouragingfanstoarrivetothestadiumearlyandwillopenthegates30minutesearlierthanusual,at9a.m.,toallowthemtofindtheirseats.

PartofthechallengefortheTigerswillberemainingcomposedinthefaceofallthehype.Norvellsaidhisteamisusedtoplayinginshowcasegames,whetherit’sOleMiss,Navyoranationallytelevisedseason-finaleagainstHoustonlastyear.QuarterbackRileyFergusonsaiditallcomesdowntostayingfocusedamidthehype.

“I’mready.Iknowallofourguysarereadyforit,”Fergusonsaid.“Everybody’sgoingtobewatching.(It’stimeto)gooutandshoweverybodywhatwecando.”

ElliottsignswithEagles

AformerTigerfoundanewhomeintheNFLonTuesday,asthePhiladelphiaEaglessignedkickerJakeElliottofftheCincinnatiBengals’practicesquad.

Elliott,whowasselectedbytheBengalsinthefifthroundofApril’sNFLdraft,wasbeatenoutinthepreseasonbyveteranRandyBullock.PhiladelphiahadaneedatthepositionwithkickerCalebSturgisreportedlysettomissseveralweekswithahipinjury.


FootballReplacingGeorgiaStateGameonSchedulewithUCFGame

www.gotigersgo.comSeptember14,2017MEMPHIS–TheAmericanAthleticConferenceannouncedaschedulechangethatwillaffectMemphisfootball.OnSaturday,September30,theUniversityofMemphiswilltraveltoUCFtocompeteinaconferencematch-upinsteadofplayinganon-conferencegameatGeorgiaStateaspreviouslyscheduled.UCFwasscheduledtohostMainethatsameweekend.MemphisandUCFweretohaveplayedlastFriday,butHurricaneIrma'spendingarrivalinFloridaforcedthegametobepostponed.MemphisfanswhohadpurchasedticketstotheGeorgiaStategamethroughtheUniversityofMemphisTicketOfficewillhavetheirpurchasesrefunded.Pleasecall901-678-2331orvisittheathleticticketofficefordetails.Gametimeforthenow-rescheduledcontesthasnotyetbeenestablished.


RecipeForLeadership

By:BillSalyer,www.gotigersgo.comSeptember16,2017

Acupoftoughness.Ateaspoonofintelligence.Apinchofgrittiness.Adashofleadership.Thatistherecipeforagreatcollegefootballplayer,andperfectlydescribesMemphisseniordefensivebackJonathanCook.Cookisnostrangertorecipes,however.TheDaphne,Ala.,nativetookupcookingasahobbythissummer.Inanattempttogainweight,hedecidedtotryandmakehisownmeals.Withhissignaturedishofspaghettiandsausage,hecontinuestolearnmoreabouthisnewinterest,especiallywiththehelpfromonespecialperson.“IcallmygrandmaifIneedsomehelpwithsomething,”saidCook.“Icallherallthetimeandaskherhowtocookdifferentdishes.”Cookingisn’ttheonlythingtheformerjuniorcollegeperformerhasbecomeproficientat.Cookhasstartedall14gamesinhisMemphiscareer–acareerthathadawindingpathtotheBluffCity.CookstartedhiscollegiatecareerplayingfortheCrimsonTideofAlabama.HewasamemberoftheTideprogramin2013and2014,anditwasinTuscaloosawhere,amongotherthings,helearnedpatienceandthementalpartofthegame.Cookredshirtedhisfreshmancampaignin2013andthensawlimitedplayingasasophomorethefollowingseason.Inthosetwoyears,Cooklearnedsomelessonsthatheusestoday.“Disciplineandfocus,”saidCookaboutwhathewasabletotakefromhistimeatAlabama.“IgotsmarterasIgotolder,andbeingtherehelpedmewiththeknowledgeofthegame.”AfterajuniorcollegeyearatGardenCityCommunityCollege,Cookwaslookingforaplacethatfeltlikehome,anditwastwofamiliarfacesthathelpedhimfeelcomfortableinMemphis.“MyoldteammateDeMarcoMontgomery,wearefromthesamehighschoolandIjustthoughtitwasagoodfit(atMemphis),”saidCook.“Coach(Dan)LanningcoachedmeatAlabama.Iwantedtogosomewherewithpeoplethatknewmeandcouldhelpme–peopleIcouldtalkto.”CookjoinedtheTigersprograminJanuary2016and,fromhisfirstgamewearingtheBlueandGray,he’sbeeninthestartinglineup.However,beingastarterwasn’tnecessarilyCook’sgoalforthe2016campaign.


“Lastseason,IjustwantedtogetonthefieldbecauseIhadgonethroughalot,”commentedCook.“Ijustwantedtocomeinandhelptheteam.IwantedtohelpMemphisbeabetterdefensiveteam–thatwastheonlythingIwantedtodowhenIgothere.Now,I’mjusttryingtotakethenextstep.Iknowtheplaybookwell,andeveryoneismorecomfortable.”DefensivebackscoachMarcusWoodsonalsonotedCook’squickrisetobecomingakeycogintheMemphissecondary.“Heacceptedthechallengeearlyon,”saidWoodson.“Hewasabletogetoutthereandbeanimpactplayerforusassoonashesteppedoncampus.Heisobviouslytalented,andhehasabrightfutureaheadofhimwhenitcomestothegameoffootball.Aslongashecontinuestogrowandmakeprogress,Icanseehimplayingatthenextlevelforalongtime.”AccordingtoWoodson,Cook’sunderstandingoftheplaybookandhelpingteammatesdeveloptheirgamesarehisbestattributes.“Hisleadershipissocritical,”saidWoodson,whoalsowasaformerdefensivebackinhiscollegeplayingdays.“Withhimbeingtheonlyreturningstarterthisseason,hisleadershipishelpinghimbecome‘that’guy.Himembracingtheyoungerguysthatdidn’tplayasmuchlastyear,alongwiththisyear’sfreshmen,hasbeenimpactfulbecausehecanhelpkeepthemcalmwhenthereisahostileenvironment.Hisleadershiphasbeeninvaluableuptothispoint.”Allofthoseingredientsnotonlyleadstoagreatplayer,butagreatleader–onethattheTigersaregladtohave.


FergusonGarnersNationalHonors

www.gotigersgo.comSeptember17,2017MEMPHIS–SeniorquarterbackRileyFerguson'snamewasoneanumberofnationalhonorlistsSunday.FergusonbecamethefirstplayerinMemphishistorytobenamedtheWalterCampOffensivePlayeroftheWeek,thenwasnamedtheAthlonSportsOffensivePlayeroftheWeek.HewasalsonamedtotheCollegeSportsMadnessNationalOffensivePlayeroftheweekSunday.Ina48-45winover#25rankedUCLA,Fergusonwent23-of-38,finishingwith398yardsandsixtouchdownstohelphisTigerteamtoa2-0record.With9:56remaining,FergusonfoundseniorwidereceiverPhilMayhueintheendzonetoretaketheleadat48-45.Afterplayinginatropicaldepression,theremnantsofHurricaneHarvey,inMemphis'season-opener,FergusoncurrentlyranksfourthintheAmericanAthleticConferencewith247.5yardspergameandhissixpassingtouchdownsthroughtwogamesranksthirdbehindSMU'sBenHicksandUSF'sQuintonFlowers.BothHicksandFlowershaveplayedthreegamessofarthisseason,whileMemphishaditsweektwogameatUCFrescheduledduetoHurricaneIrma'slandfallinFlorida.FergusonhasbeenhelpedbyaMemphisrushingoffensethatranks23rdinthecountrywith240.5yardspergamethroughtwoweeksofplay.SophomorerunningbackDarrellHendersonrankssecondinthecountrywitha10.54ypcaverage.Memphisplaysitsfinalnon-conferencegameoftheseasononSaturdaywhenregionalfoeSouthernIllinoiscomestoLibertyBowlMemorialStadiumfora7p.m.game.ThatgamewillbecarriedonESPN3.comandwillbeMemphis'Homecoming.TheTigerswillthenopenplaythefollowingweekatUCF.AgametimeandtelevisionpartnerfortherescheduledUCFgamestillhavetobeannounced.


Amomentinthesun

By:GeoffCalkins,CommercialAppealSeptember18,2017UpsetofUCLAashowcaseandatriumphfortheMemphisfootballprogram

AsMemphianslaydowntheirblanketsandsetuptheirlawnchairsattheLevittShellonSaturdayevening,asongcameoverthesoundsystem.

“TheMemphisfightsong,”saidKyleVeazey,deputydirectorofcommunicationsfortheCityofMemphis,whohappenedtobeinthecrowd.“Outofnowhere,itstartedplaying.Peopleimmediatelybeganclappingandsingingalongwithit.Theyweregoingcrazy.”

Aswelltheyshouldhavebeen.

Ifyoucan’tbreakoutthefightsongafteradaylikeSaturday,whencanyou?Ifyoudon’tgoalittlecrazyafterwatchingMemphisbeatJoshRosenandUCLAattheLibertyBowl,whenwillyouever?

Tennessee,OleMissandLouisvillealllostincrushingfashionSaturday.MemphisupsetUCLA48-45.

So,yes,itiscompletelyappropriateforTigersfanstoclap,sing,playthefightsongandotherwiserevelinthemoment–andinthenationalattentionthatisnowcomingtheprogram’sway.

Thatispartofthejoyofweekslikethis,isn’tit?Trackingdownthenicethingsthatarewrittenorsaid?

CrisCarter,theHallofFamewidereceiver,tweeted:“Formerwalk-on#3AnthonyMillerfromMemphisisaspecialplayer.IseetheNFLinhisfuture.”

FormerOleMissreceiverDonteMoncrief—nowwiththeIndianapolisColts—tweetedaboutMiller:“That#3fromMemphisaproblem.”

JasonMcIntyreofTheBigLeadtweeted:“UCLAdefenseremainsajoke,butRileyFergusoncandeal.He’lldefinitelygetanNFLlook.”

ESPNreleaseditsnewcollegefootballpowerrankingsSundaymorning.MemphiswasNo.24.

ItwasexactlywhatathleticdirectorTomBowen,coachMikeNorvellandeveryoneconnectedwiththeMemphisfootballprogramhopedfor.Saturdaywasashowcaseandatriumph,both.

Granted,itmayseemalittlesillytocaresomuchaboutwhatotherpeoplethink.ShouldMemphisfansreallygiveaflipthatESPN’sDarrenRovellsaidthattheMemphisfootballhelmetswereoneoftwohelmets—OklahomaState’swastheother—that“everyoneistalkingabouttoday?”

Answer:Yes!AtanunderdogprogramlikeMemphis,it’sonlynaturaltogiveaflip.Beyondthat,inauniversewhereperceptioncouldplayanactualroleinfuturedecisionsaboutconferencerealignment,therearepracticaladvantagestoimpressingsomefolks.

Thereisplentymoreimpressingyettobedone,ofcourse.MemphismaybeNo.24inESPN’spowerrankings,butithasn’tcrackedeitherofficialTop25.Memphisreceived21pointsintheAssociatedPressrankingsand36intheCoachesPoll.TheTigerswillhavetobeatSouthernIllinoisandCentralFloridainthenexttwoweeksbeforethey’llhaveanychanceofworkingtheirwayintoeitherTop25.


ThatisalmostcertainlyfinewithNorvellandtheMemphisplayers,giventhewaythey’rewired.Walk-onsvs.fivestarsmighthavebeenoverplayedasathemebeforetheUCLAgame—mostMemphisplayersarenotactuallywalk-ons—butitstuckbecauseitfelttrue,ifnotliterally.

Millerreallywasawalk-on.Hereallywasn’tnamedtotheAmericanAthleticConferencefirstteamlastseasonaftercatching95passesfor1,434yards.HereallydidreturntoMemphisforhisseniorseasoninpartbecausetheNFLwasn’tgoingtomakehimahighdraftpick.Hereallydoesuseallofthatashisfuel.

Fergusonreallydidspendayearoutoffootball.Hereallydidgetabluecollarjobataplacethatmadesigns.Hereallydidgetleftoffnearlyeveryone’spreseasonlistofthebestquarterbacksincollegefootball.Hereallyisdrivenbyanurgencytomakethemostofhissecondchance.

SoitwasfittingtoseethosetwobringdownUCLA.ToseeFergusonthrowfortwomoretouchdownsthanRosenandtoseeMillercatchninepassesfor185yardsandtwotouchdowns.

FergusonandMilleraren’tjusttwoofthebestplayersontheMemphisfootballteam;theyrepresentwhattheteamisabout.

“That’swhatItoldtheteam,”Norvellsaid.“‘Theydidn’tgiveyounothing.’Theyhadtoearneverythingthey’vegotten.”

So,yes,feelfreetogocrazy.Readallthenicethingsthatpeoplearesaying.Watchareplayofthegame.

TheMemphisfootballprogramdoesn’tgetmanyofthesemoments.Whenitdoes,youshoulddefinitelyturnthefightsonguploud.


Stillthe‘sameguy’

By:TomSchad,CommercialAppealSeptember20,2017FergusonfindshimselfinnewspotlightafterwinoverUCLA

“Mr.ESPN,”areporterjokedasRileyFergusonsteppedinfrontofacrowdofmicrophonesandcamerasafterpracticeTuesday.Fergusonshookhishead.“I’mthesameguyIwaslastweek,”hesaid.

InthedaysafterMemphis’48-45winoverUCLAonSaturdayattheLibertyBowl,thehypesurroundingFergusonhasstartedtoswell.Hissix-touchdownperformanceagainsttheBruinsledtoaseriesofnational,regionalandconferenceawards,includingnationalOffensivePlayeroftheWeekhonorsfromtheWalterCampFootballFoundation.Interviewrequestshavepouredin.AndonTuesdaymorning,FergusoncalledinforasegmentonESPN’s“SportsCenter”,whichpromptedthereporter’sjoke.

Throughitall,Fergusonhasmaintainedwhathesaidbeforetheseason,beforeallthehype.HesaidagainTuesdaythathisfocusisonhelpingtheTigerswinbecauseheknowsrecognition—bothforhimselfandtheteam—willfollow.

“Weknowwhatwe’recapableof,”Fergusonsaid.“We’rejustgoingtostayfocusedonourselvesandtakethingsoneweekatatime.Ifwedothat,andweallplaytoourabilitiesandcapabilities,Ithinkwe’llgooutandalotofotherpeoplewillgetrecognized,aswell.”Fergusoncompleted23of38passesfor398yards,sixtouchdownsandoneinterception.

Butperhapshismostimportantthrowsweresomeoftheonesthatflewoutofboundsorlandedharmlesslyontheturfbutcould’vebeensacksorinterceptions.

CoachMikeNorvellsaidhewaspleasedwithhowFergusonbouncedbackfromsomeofthenegativeplaysinthegame,includingafirst-halfinterceptionandariskyshovelpasslaterinthegame.

“IthoughtthatwasoneofthethingsIwasmostproudof(with)Rileywashowheresponded,”Norvellsaid.“Ithoughtgoodplay,badplay,hedidagreatjobofrespondingandfocusingonthenextone.Thosedecisions,man,they’recritical.”

Fergusonsaidhe’slearnedtotailorhisplaytospecificsituations,understandingwhentotakeariskandwhentotakecareoftheball.Meanwhile,offthefield,he’sbecomemoreaccustomedtodealingwiththeebbandflowofthemediaspotlight.

Earlierinhislife,Fergusonadmitted,appearingon“SportsCenter”would’vebeenamilestone.Instead,heappearedmoreinterestedTuesdayinspeakingabouttheTigers’upcominggameagainstSouthernIllinoisonSaturdaythanthenationaltelevisioninterview.

“That’sjustablessingbeingonthere,”Fergusonsaid.“Butattheendoftheday,IamthesameguyIwaslastweek.JusthappenedthatweplayedUCLA,Ihadagoodgameandwegotthe‘W.’”


JoeyMagnificoislivinguptohisname

By:GeoffCalkins,CommercialAppealSeptember21,2017RileyFergusonrolledrightandfiredthetouchdownpasstoJoeyMagnifico,whereuponsomethingstrangeandwonderfulbegantohappen.

Americanoticed.FootballfansallacrossthiscountrybegantorealizetheUniversityofMemphishasatightendwithatrulyspectacularname.

TwittercamealivewithJoeyMagnificomentions.Suchas:“JoeyMagnificoisthebestnameincollegefootball,maybeever.”

“MemphisTigershaveatightendnamedJoeyMagnifico?Whatatimetobealive!”

“I’mrootingforMemphisbecauseJoeyMagnificosoundslikeanameyougiveacreatedplayerinNCAA’14.”

“JoeyMagnifico:MemphisTigerendorfutureWWEIntercontinentalChampion:Youmakethecall.”

“UofMemphisfootballhasaplayernamedJoeyMagnifico.HowcouldhisparentsnotnamehimDon?!?#operacharacternames.”

“ArewesureLaneKiffinisn’tplayingforMemphisunderthenameJoeyMagnifico?”

“I’mprettysureJoeyMagnificohasaloser-leaves-townmatchwithBillDundeeafterthegameisover.”

Andthentherewas:“Therehasn’tbeenenoughsaidaboutMemphishavingatightendnamedJoeyMagnifico.”

Untilnow,perhaps.

Afterhissix-catch,83-yardperformanceagainstUCLA,thereisplentybeingsaidaboutJoeyMagnifico,whichcanmake67-year-oldJimMagnifico—Joey’sgrandfather—starttogetemotional.

“WhenIhearit,itactuallybringstears,”JimMagnificosaid.“Anamelikethatisalottoliveupto,it’sgoingtomakeyouorbreakyou.”

Accordingtofamilylegend,thenamewasn’talwaysMagnifico.ItwasMangiafico,whichtranslatesto(OK,thisissomewhatlessglamorous)“figeater.”

“Idon’tknowifitwasoneofthoseEllisIslandscenariosorwhytheydecidedtochangeit,”saidJimMagnifico,“butthat’swhereitcamefrom.”

JimMagnificoactuallygrewupinBoston’sNorthEnd.Hemovedtohisnewwife’shomeinMemphiswhenhegotoutoftheMarinesin1971.

“Downhere,peopleloveMagnifico,”hesaid.“Downhere,it'sunusual.'

SotheMagnificosofMemphisbeganmakeanameforthemselves.Jim’sson,Keith,becameaMemphisfirefighter.ThenKeithandhiswife,Ellen,hadthreelittleMagnificosoftheirown,theyoungestonenamedJoey,notDon.

“Hewasalwaysajokester,”saidEllen.“Hewasverygoodatsports,andverycompetitive.”


JoeyMagnificostarredatlinebackerandreceiveratSt.Benedict.HedesperatelywantedtoplayhiscollegefootballatMemphis,whichhadlongbeenhisfavoriteteam.

“ButIhadalittlesituationwithmygrades,soitwaskindofhardforthemtooffermeascholarship,”Magnificosaid.“TheyfinallytoldmeIcouldcomeasapreferredwalk-onandgetascholarshipaftermyfirstyear.”

SaidEllenMagnifico:“CoachDickeyandCoachFuentewerereadytotakeachanceonhim.CoachDickeywasawesome.MemphistookachanceonhimandI’llalwaysbeappreciativeofthat.”

Onlyproblem:FuenteleftafterMagnifico'sredshirtseason,alongwiththepromisethatJoeywouldgetascholarshipafterayear.

“Itwasalittletough,”saidMagnifico.“ButIknewIwouldjusthavetogooutandprovemyselfagain.That’swhatIdid.”

Magnificoplayedin13gamesasaredshirtfreshman,catchingninepassesfor85yardsandtwotouchdowns.Thatwasgoodenoughtofinallyearnascholarship,butMemphistightendscoachKennyDillinghamwantedmore.

“Joey’salwayshadalotofpotential,”Dillinghamsaid.“ButJoey’sthefun,joking-aroundguythateverybodylikestobearound.Sometimes,hecanlosethatfocus.Sowechallengedhimtobeknownasasmartperson,tobeknownasasmartpersonandasmartfootballplayer.Nowhe’stheguythatthe(tightends)looktowhentheyhaveaquestionabouttheoffenseandhe’sgota3.5GPAaswell.”

Intheopeninggame,againstLouisiana-Monroe,Magnificocaughtonepassfor20yards,butthrewtheblockthatsprungPatrickTaylorona66-yardtouchdownrun.Then,againstUCLA,heemergedasoneofthestars.

“Itwaslikebeinginadream,honestly,”Magnificosaid.“I’dalwaysdreamedofbeingabletodothat,butthentogooutanddoit,itwassomethingIcan’tdescribe.”

“MagnificentMagnifico,”saidDillingham.“That’swhatwe’vebeencallinghimafterthat.Butnowhe’sgottogooutandshowushecanbemagnificentinpracticeanotherweek.”

Suchistheburdenofthenamewhich,intruth,isn’taburdenatall.

“Iloveit,”saidMagnifico.“Ilovewhatitstandsfor.I’mabigfamilyguy.”

Indeed,whenMagnificograduatedfromhighschool,hehadhismindononeparticulargraduationpresent.HisgrandmotherMagnificosaidshe’dpayforit.Thewholefamilytookhimtogetthething.

SoitwasthatMagnifico’sfather,mother,sisterandbrothercrowdedintoatattooshoptowatchJoeygettheword“Magnifico”inkedintotheinsideofhisrightarm.

“Mybrotherhasitonhisback,”saidJoey.“Butthatwasalittletoomuchforme.”

SaidEllen,thedubiousmother:“Wefigurethatiftheboysevergetlostorforgettheirnamestheycanfindtheirwayhome.”

ButlettherecordshowthatJimMagnifico,thegrandfather,thinksthetattoosaretheperfectwaytoembraceallthatcomeswithsuchaproudname.

Youcan’tfadeintothebackgroundifyou’reaMagnifico.Youcan’tjustgoalongtogetalong.

“WiththelastnameMagnifico,peoplearegoingtorememberyou,”hesaid.“Joey'sworkinghardtoberememberedforgreatthings.'


Redshirtyearpaysoff

By:TomSchad,CommercialAppealSeptember22,2017Memphis’LBHartnevertookdayoffdespitenotappearinginagamelastseason

TimHarthadwatchedenoughfilmtoknowthatJoshRosenwouldtrytomakeaplayinthiskindofsituation.SoastheUCLAquarterbackrolledoutofthepocketlastweekendattheLibertyBowl,Hartfollowedhim.

“IplayedtowhatIknewforthegame—myknowledge,thefilm,”Hartsaid.“Itrustedmyteammatestobeinposition,andIbrokeontheball.”

HartsteppedinfrontofRosen’sintendedreceiver,interceptedhisfirstcollegiatepassandtookofffortheendzone,completinga60-yardpick-sixthatprovedtobeoneoftheturningpointsinMemphis’48-45winovertheBruins.ItwasamomentthatHart,anativeMemphianandMemphisUniversitySchoolproduct,hadbeenworkingtowardformorethanayear.

AlongtimeTennesseecommit,HartreopenedhisrecruitmentlessthanthreeweeksbeforeNationalSigningDayin2016becauseof“poorcommunication”anda“lackofopenness”fromtheVolunteers’coachingstaff.Afterconsideringavarietyofschools,hedecidedtostayhomeandplayforMemphis,wherehisfather,TimHartSr.,hadbeenadefensivelineman.

“HewantedtocometoMemphisbecausehewantedtoplayearly,”defensivecoordinatorChrisBallsaid.

Butitquicklybecameevidentthat,withCurtisAkins,GenardAveryandShareefWhiteinfrontofhim,“early”wouldnotmean2016.HewouldredshirthisfirstseasonatMemphis,practicingbutneverappearinginagame.

Hartsaidthenewswastoughtodigestatfirst.

“Asaredshirtfreshman,naturallyyouwanttotakeayearoffandpoutandblameeverybodyelse,”hesaid.“(But)youputyourtrustinyourcoaches.Theyknowwhat’sbestforyou.ItookthatyearandIgotbetter.Iworked.Inevertookadayoff.Notoneday.”

Instead,Hartchanneledhisenergyintothedefensivescoutteam,agroupthatinsidelinebackerscoachDanLanningsaidismorecommonlyreferredtoas“thelooksquad”or“thegoons.”Eachweek,Hartandacollectionoffellowredshirtsandwalk-onsweretaskedwithmirroringthedefenseofMemphis’upcomingopponent,modelingcoveragesandblitzesthatthefirst-teamoffensemightseeongameday.

Onscoutteam,Lanningsaid,Hartwasabletobenefitfrommorerepetitionsthanhewould’veotherwisereceived.

“ThebestthingforTimishe(was)goingagainstourbesttalentonoffenseeveryday,”Lanningsaid.“Havingtotacklethoserunningbacks,havingtogoagainstthoseoffensivelinemen,workingagainstaquarterbacklikeRiley(Ferguson)—youreallygetthereps,ratherthansittingoveronthesidelinesandwatchingtheonesgowhileyou’reoverthereasatwo.Soforhim,itwasreps.”Hartwentontoearnco-defensivescoutteamplayeroftheyearhonors,alongsidedefensivelinemanJosephDorceus.“HewasthebestlinebackerI’veeverseenonascoutteam,”coachMikeNorvellsaid.And,accordingtoBall,he’sstillgettingbetter.


“Heprobablyhasimprovedmorethananybodyonourfootballteam,fromlastyeartonow,”Ballsaid.“Hecanplayboth(insidelinebackerspots),whichishugeforusrightnow.He’sdoneagreatjobleading,agreatjobcommunicating.…He’sgoingtobeareally,really,reallygoodplayerforus.”

WithseniorlinebackerDarianPorteroutfortheseasonwithaninjury,andWhitenowplayingthe“KAT”hybridoutsidelinebackerposition,HarthasslidintotheinsidelinebackerrotationwithAkinsandAvery.He’srecordedseventacklesintwogamesandalsoforcedafumble,inadditiontohispick-sixagainstUCLA.AndhefigurestoplayakeyroleagainSaturdayagainstSouthernIllinois,aFootballChampionshipSubdivisionteam.

Hartwillbethefirsttoadmitthathe’sgrownupalotoverthepastyear.Theredshirtdecisionthatatfirstlefthimthinking“man,IthoughtIwasgoodenough”hasbeenputinperspective.Withoutthatpreparation,andthemindsetitcreated,Hartisn’tsurehewould’vebeeninpositiontointerceptRosenlastweekend,normaketheimpacthe’salreadyhadin2017.“Lookingback,Iknownowthateverydayonscoutteamandeverydayasaredshirt,Iwaspreparingforthatmoment,”Hartsaid.“Anditpaidoff.”


GridironBrotherhood

By:PhilStukenborg,www.gotigersgo.comSeptember23,2017They’llfindoneanothershortlybeforekickoff,exchangingauniquehandshakethey’veunfailinglysharedsincebecomingUniversityofMemphisteammatesthreeyearsago.PhilMayhueandRoderickProctordidn’tknowoneanotherbeforetheircareerpathsintersectedinMemphis,butMayhue,fromSicklierville,N.J.,andProctor,fromOrlando,Fla.,likelywillstayintouchlongafterthey’vecaughttheirfinalpassesasTigers.MayhueandProctorbecameroommatesshortlyafterbecomingteammatesandspentthefirstthreeseasonsenvisioninghowtheywouldbepartoftheprogram’sturnaround.EachtookaleapoffaithinchoosingtheUofM.TheTigershadwononly12gamesthepreviousfiveseasons,includinga1-11finishin2010.Buttheybelievedandtheycontributedfromtheoutset.ProctorcaughtthewinningtouchdownpassindoubleovertimetolifttheTigerspastBYUinthe2014MiamiBeachBowl,theprogram’sfirstpostseasonappearancesince2008.Mayhue,apreferredwalk-on,performedlikeacovetedrecruitfromhisinitialpreseasoncamp,impressingthecoachingstaffwithhisunderstandingoftheoffenseandhisabilitytocatchanythinginthevicinityofhis6-foot-3frame.Enteringthisfall,MayhueandProctorareinthemidstofprogramrenaissance.From2014–theduo’sfirstseason–to2016,theTigerswon27gamesandappearedinthreebowlgames.Itisthewinningestthree-yearstretchintheTigers’100-year-plushistory.Thesuccesshasn’tsurprisedProctor.“WhenIsaw(former)coach(Justin)Fuente’sattitudetowardturningtheprogram(around),IthoughtI’dgiveitashot,”Proctorsaid.“Iputallmytrustinhim.“AndwhenCoach(Mike)Norvellcamein(followingthe2015season),Ididthesamething.Iputmytrustinhim.Wesawhewasfiredupabouttheprogramandwantedtokeepitupandelevateit.Wewereallonboard.”Proctor’sdecisiontocometoMemphiswasamixofwantingtopartofaprogram’sreversalasmuchasitwastoreunitewithafamiliarface.“Comingoutofhighschool,oneofthecoachesthatrecruitedme,(formerTigerassistant)GalenScott,Igrewupwithhisfamily,”Proctorsaid.“HisbrotherstaughtmeeverythingIknewaboutfootball.Memphisalsohadstuckwithmefromthestart(oftherecruitingprocess)soIthoughtwhynotstickwiththem.”Proctor,limitedtosevengamesandtwocatchesayearagobecauseofaninjury,saidhestillhastheglovesheworeintheMiamiBeachBowlwhilecatchingthe11-yardTDpass–thefirstofhiscareer.Thegloves,thefootballandapictureofthecatcharehangingonthelivingroomwallofthefamilyhomeinOrlando.“Idon’tthinkthey’llevercomeoffthatwall,”Proctorsaid.“That’sbeenthehighlightofmycollegecareersofar.Hopefully,I’llhavesomemorethisyear.”ItwasduringhisfreshmanseasonhemetMayhue,whocametotheUofMfromAtlantaSportsAcademy,aprepschool.Theybonded,perhapsbecausetheywereout-of-townnewcomersplayingthesameposition.“Wewereroommatesfortwotothreeyears,”Mayhuesaid.“Weclickedinstantly.”


MayhuesaidheconsidersProctorabrotherasmuchashedoesateammate.“Wedoeverythingtogether,”Mayhuesaid.“Wehangout,godowntown,go(visit)friends.Alittlebitofeverything.”Onthefield,Mayhuesaidheknows“whatsets(Proctor)off”andwhatmotivateshim.“I’mnotafraidto,basically,showhimtoughloveaboutstuff,”Mayhuesaid.“Andhe’snotafraidtodothesame.”SecondsafterProctorcaughtthegame-winneragainstBYU,MayhuesaidhewasamongthefirsttosprintovertoProctorandpileonhimincelebration.“Iwasexcitedforhim,”Mayhuesaid.“Thatwasabigmomentforhimandtheteam.”Mayhueplayedineachoftheteam’s13gamesasafreshmanandstartedonce.Hehasbeenaregularstarterthepasttwoseasons,haulingin93passesfor1,347yards.“Icameinasfifth-orsixth-string,”Mayhuesaid.“ButIendedupbeingoneofthefewfreshmenwhoplayedrightoffthebat.Iwasoneofthefewfreshmenwhoknewtheplays.”AninjurytoAnthonyMiller,whohadsatout2013asaredshirt,beforethe2014seasoncreatedanopportunityforMayhue.“Theyhadtomoveguysaroundandthatmovedmeupandintotherotation,”Mayhuesaid.“OnceIgotonthefieldandgotmyfeetwet,IfeltIbelonged.”HesaidMemphiswastheonlyFootballBowlSubdivision(FBS)schoolthatofferedhimanopportunity.Now,TigersreceiverscoachDavidJohnsonexpectsMayhuetogetaseriouslookfromNFLteams,particularlyifhelowershis40-yarddashtime.“PhilandProcaregreatleaders,”Johnsonsaid.“They’vebeenhereawhile,theyunderstand.Theyhelpouttheyoungguys.”Mayhueaveraged16.1yardspercatchlastseasonandexcelledinthe2016regular-seasonfinale,a48-44winoverNo.18/21Houston.AgainsttheCougars,hehadsixreceptionsforacareer-high142receivingyards.“Philputhisgameonanotherlevellastyear,”Johnsonsaid.“He’ssoconsistent.AndProcprobablyhadthebestsummerandworkoutamonganybody.Aninjury(thatforcedhimtomissthefirsttwogamesthisseason)sethimback.“Boththoseguysarereallycoachableandtheyreallyhelptheyoungkids,notonlyabouttheoffensebuthowtobeaprofessional.I’mblessedtohavethoseguysinmy(meeting)room.”


DreamSeeker

By:JenHannah,www.gotigersgo.comSeptember23,2017LET’STAKEALOOKBACKTOTHE2009-10SEASON,ChristianSlaughter’sfreshmanyearatCedarHillHighSchoolintheDallas,Texas,area.Eventhoughhewasamemberofthefootballteam,thesportoftrackandfieldwashisfirstpriority.Asa100-,200-and800-meterathlete,Slaughterconsideredhimselfa“trackguy”growingup.Then,duringhissophomoreyear,thetablesturned,andhisinterestswereredirectedbacktofootball.“IrealizedIcoulddosomethingwithfootball,morethanIcouldintrackandfield,”saidSlaughter.“Itwasreallymydadthatkeptmelevel-headed,andIjusttookoffandchosefootball.”ForthefinalthreeyearsofhighschoolatCedarHill,hedevotedhimselftofootball.Withthedriveanddesiretoplayatthehighestlevel,SlaughterknewhehaditinhimtoplayataFootballBowlSubdivision(FBS)school.Therewasoneissue,however.Testtaking,atthattime,wasn’thisstrongsuit.Asaresult,oneofSlaughter’sfewfootballscholarshipofferswastoMissouriValleyCollege,aNAIAschoolinMarshall,Mo.AsanativeofTexas,movingnorthtotheMidwestwasnotSlaughter’sideallocation,butheknewitwastheroadhehadtotakeifhewantedtopursuefootballatthenextlevel.“MissouriValleywasreallytheonlyschoolthatgavemeachance,soIjustranwithit,”statedSlaughter.“IfeellikegoingtherewasagoodexperiencebecauseitopenedmyeyesandshowedmethepotentialIhad.”AfterspendingayearatMissouriValley,Slaughterwasinthemarkettofigureoutwherehisnextstopwas,evenifthatwastowalkonsomewhere.Afterdoingtheresearchandknowinghewantedtobebackinacity,Memphiswasatthetopofhislist.“MemphisfeltlikeagoodplaceformetowalkonbecausetheyhadPhilMayhue,AnthonyMillerandAlanCross,”saidSlaughter.“Ifeltlikeifthoseguyscoulddoit,socouldI.”AllthreeoftheaforementionedplayersalsowalkedonattheUniversityofMemphisandgaveSlaughterhopethathisdreamcouldbecomeareality.Allthreeofthoseplayershavemadeandcontinuetomakelastingimpactsontheprogram.Now,it’sSlaughter’sturntodothesame.WiththeguidanceofdefensivebackscoachMarcusWoodson,Slaughtersawactioninall13gamesin2016,includingtheBocaRatonBowl,inthedefensivebackfieldandonspecialteams.HefinishedhisfirstyearasaTigerwith10totaltackles,includingthreesolohitsintheroadwinatTulane.“Christianisaphenomenalyoungman,”saidWoodson.“Thejourneythathehasbeenonupuntilthispointinhislifehastaughthimgritandperseverance.Heperseveredallthroughoutlastyearandacceptedhisroleonspecialteams,andnowheisamajorcontributorondefense.”Inthe2017homeopeneragainstLouisianaMonroe,anotherofSlaughter’sdreamswasrealized.HeearnedthestartatcornerversustheWarhawks.Whatmadehisfirstcareerstartevensweeterwasthat


hismother,Araminta,wasinattendance–despitethegamebeingplayedinextremeweatherconditions–toseeithappen.“It’sablessing,”saidSlaughteraboutearninghisfirstcareerstart.“Iprayedonthisforalongtime.Formetobeawalk-onatfirst,thentocomeinandgetascholarship(andastart),it’sablessing.Idreamedofit,butIneverthoughtitwouldactuallyhappen.Godblessedmewiththisopportunity.”Woodsonadded,“Itjustgoestoshowthatwhenyouwantsomething,youcangoandgetit.Hestartedfromthebottombeingawalk-onandworkedhiswaytobecomeastartertoday.ThefirstdayImetChristian,Iaskedhimwhathewantedtoaccomplishwithinthisnextyear.Hesaid,‘Coach,Iwanttobeastarter.’Toseehimaccomplishthatgoalisreallyencouraging,anditspeaksvolumestowhoheisasaperson.”Justbecauseheearnedhisfirststartdoesn’tmeanSlaughter’sworkethicanddriveisslowingdown.JustlikeeveryoneelseonheadcoachMikeNorvell’ssquad,hisgoalistowinandtodoitwithhisfootballfamily.“Mygoalistoplaymyrole,domyone-eleventh,domyjobandwin,”Slaughtersaid.“Iwanttohelpthisteamwinwhetherit’sonspecialteams,atcorner,oranywhereelsetheyneedme.”Slaughterhashissightsonfuturefootballendeavors,butuntilthen,heisgoingtocontinuetodevotehistimeandeffortsintomakingtheTigersprogramthebestitcanbe,whichincludesmentoringthestudent-athletesthatnowlookuptohim.“Hehasbecomealeaderatourposition.He’salwaysinthefront,takingnotes,”saidWoodson.“Theguyshavegravitatedtowardhisworkethicandthatisreallybenefittingusasapositiongroup.”


RileyTheRilentless

By:PhilStukenborg,www.gotigersgo.comSeptember27,2017Therewerethosewhodidn'tseewhatMikeFairfaxsaw,butwhocouldblamethemfordoubtingtheCharlotte,N.C.,youthfootballcoach?Afterall,Fairfaxwasmakinganassessmentofa7-year-oldbaseballplayer,projectinghim–basedonhisbodylanguage–tobemoresuitedforfootball."I'dseenhimplayingonalittlebaseballall-starteam,"Fairfaxsaid."Itoldsomeofthebaseballcoaches`I'mgoingtotakethatkidandhe'sgoingtoplayquarterbackonmyyouthteam.'"Theylaughedatme.Theysaidhecouldn'tpayattentionlongenoughtotiehisshoes.Isaidifyoulookathimandwatchhiseyes,he'sbored.Thisgamedoesn'tmovefastenoughforthischild.He'sbuiltforfootballorbasketball.I'llproveyouguyswrong."Fairfaxfollowedthroughonhishunch.HeconvincedayoungRileyFergusontogivefootballachanceandignited,inhim,apassionforthesport.FergusondevelopedunderFairfax'sguidancefromaprecociouspre-teenwithanaccuratearmtoamatureteenagerwithakeenunderstandingoftheposition.FergusonledhisteamstotwoAmericanYouthFootballnationaltitlesandhishighschoolteaminNorthCarolinatotwostatetitles.Lastseason,hisfirstattheUniversityofMemphis,FergusondirectedtheTigerstoan8-5recordandathird-straightbowlappearancewhilesettingaschoolseasonrecordwith32touchdownpasses.AskFergusonaboutthosemostresponsibleforhissuccess,forhelpinghimnavigateawindingcareerpathfromNorthCarolinatotheUniversityofTennesseetoCoffeyvilleCommunityCollegetotheUofM,andFairfax'snameimmediatelysurfaces."Hewasteachingme(toreadcoverages)whenIwas8-years-old,"Fergusonsaid."Ineverlostagamewithhimasmycoach."FairfaxcoachedFergusonfromthetimehewas7-years-olduntilheenteredButlerHighSchool.Severalofhisyouthfootballteammatesduringthoseyearsalsowereblessedwithabove-averageskills,butFergusonwastheirleader."Wewerepassingforabout150yardspergameinMightyMitesfootball,"Fairfaxsaid."Andcoacheshadnoideahowtostopthepassinggamewith7-year-olds.Atthatage,it'sprettymuchsnaptheball,handitoffandrun."Butwehadacoupleofprettygoodreceiversandacoupleofprettygoodroutes,andRileyranagoodoffense.WeprettymuchsmashedeverybodywithRileyplayingquarterback."Ferguson'smother,Diana,whohasplayedassignificantaroleinhersonemergingasoneofthebestquarterbacksintheAmericanAthleticConference,saidthetimingofFairfaxenteringherson'slifecan'tbeoverlooked.Fairfaxbecame,shesaid,somewhatofafatherfigureaftersheandherhusbanddivorced.Fairfaxexpressedabeliefinherson'sabilitytoperform,andlead,fromtheoutset."Miketaughthimbasicallyeverythingheknows,"Dianasaid."MikesawsomethinginRiley.IknewfromayoungagethatRileyhadagift,andMikesawthatinhim,too."HewassuperhardonRiley.Parentswouldaskmeallthetime'HowareyouOKwiththat?'ButIknewhewaspushinghimtobethebestplayerhecouldbe,pushinghimtodomore,tolearnmore.Ineverhadaproblemwith(Fairfax).IknewhehadRiley'sbestinterestsatheart."


Dianasaidhersonalwayshasbeen"strong-willed"andunrelenting."Ifhemakesuphismindaboutsomething,you'renotgoingtochangeit,"shesaid."ButIcanseewherethathashelpedhiminfootball.Hedoesn'ttakenoforananswer."Whileit'sapersonalitytraitthathasaidedFerguson'srise,it'sonethatoccasionallyhascausedDianaconcern.Hehastoldhermanytimesthatifhegetshurtduringagame"theonlywaytheyaretakingmeoffthefieldisiftheycarrymeoffofit.""That'shismentality,"shesaid."He'sgoingtowinthegameifhecan.Heisnotgoingtogiveup.Heisnotgoingtoquit."FairfaxsaidhealsohaslovedFerguson'sconfidencethat,attimes,hasborderedoncockiness.WhenFergusonwas14-years-old,FairfaxaccompaniedhimtoaCarolinaPanthersgameatBankofAmericaStadiuminCharlotte,N.C.Athalftime,Fergusonparticipatedinapassingcontestandhisfirsttwothrows,frommidfield,reachedtheendzone.Thesecondthrowtraveledbeyondtheendzone."Backinthetunnel,thePantherswerewatching,andtheywereshakingtheirheads(atthestrengthofFerguson'sarm),"Fairfaxsaid."Rileysaw(Panthers'receiver)SteveSmithandsaid:'Tell(Panthers'quarterbackJake)DelhommethatI'mcomingforhim.'Stevejustsmiled.He'djustseenthis14-year-oldthrowtheball60yards."Fairfaxsaidtherehavebeenveryfewplayershehascoachedin30-plusyearsthathehasprojectedaspotentialNFLplayers."Thatcatisoneofthem,"hesaidofFerguson.Ferguson'ssuccesstothispointhasbeenareflectionofthosewhohavebeenmostinvolvedinhislifeandsharehispassionforthesport.TigerscoachMikeNorvellsaidtheinfluenceFerguson'smomhashadisundeniable."Whenyoumeether,theconnectionandlovetheyhaveforotherisprettyspecial,"Norvellsaid."She'sdoneagreatjob."ItisFerguson'sleadershipabilities–perhapsinborn,perhapsdevelopedthroughhisexperiences–thatimpressNorvellmost.Thoseattributesaredisplayedon,andoff,thefootballfield.Teammatesrespecthiseventemperament."He'sanaturalleader,"saidreceiverAnthonyMiller,whohad13touchdownreceptionsfromFergusonayearago.Oncehelearnedtheoffense,Millersaid,hetookcontroland"demandedexcellence"fromtheplayers."He'sseensomehighsandlowsandneverhadavictim'smentality:woeisme,whyisthishappeningtome?"Norvellsaid."He'salwaysfoundasolution.That'ssomethingI'velovedabouthim.Evenondaysthathaven'tgoneaswellashewanted,hisresponsehasbeenphenomenal.That'sagreatcharacteristictrait."


FergusonNamedSemifinalistForNFFCampbellTrophy

www.gotigersgo.comSeptember27,2017MEMPHIS--MemphisseniorquarterbackRileyFergusonhasbeennamedasafinalistfortheNationalFootballFoundation'sWilliamV.CampbellTrophy,presentedannuallytothenation'stopfootballscholar-athlete."InmyopiniontheCampbellTrophyisthetopawardincollegefootball,"MemphisheadcoachMikeNorvellsaid."It'sprestigiousbecauseitcoversallgrounds,itlooksattheindividual,thestudent,thethingstheydoawayfromthefieldandtakesintoaccountwhattheydoonthefield.ItisatremendoushonorthatRileyisasemifinalistforit."TheNFFwillannounce12-14finalistsonNov.1,andeachofthemwillreceivean$18,000postgraduatescholarshipasamemberoftheNFFNationalScholar-AthleteClass,presentedbyFidelityInvestments.ThefinalistswilltraveltoNewYorkCityforthe60thNFFAnnualAwardsDinneronDec.5,whereonememberoftheclasswillbedeclaredasthewinnerofthe28thWilliamV.CampbellTrophy®andhavehispostgraduatescholarshipincreasedto$25,000.Fergusonhaspassedfor4,481yardsand40touchdownsinhis16careergamesfortheTigers.Hestandsinthetop-5ofseveralcareerpassingcategoriesatMemphis.Fergusonisfourthinprogramhistoryinpassingyardsandtouchdowns,andfifthwith335completionson542attempts.AnativeofMatthews,N.C.,Fergusonthrewfor3,698yardsandaschool-record32touchdownslastseason.HerankedsecondintheAmericanAthleticConferencewith284.5yardspassingpergameanda152.7passerefficiencyrating.His3,698passingyardsranksecondonlyto2016NFLFirstRounddraftpickPaxtonLynchintheMemphisrecordbook.Fergusonwas280-of-443passinglastseason,postingseven300-plusyardpassingperformancesandbecomingjustthethirdquarterbackinschoolhistorytopassforover400yardsinagame.His400-yardgamecameinaregular-seasonfinalewinoverNo.18/21Houston.Agreatstudentaswell,Fergusonhascompileda3.21GPAasanInterdisciplinaryStudiesmajor.Alongwithhistimespentonthefield,hehasvolunteeredatSt.JudeChildren'sResearchHospitalandLeBonheurChildren'sHospital.Nominatedbytheirschools,whicharelimitedtoonenomineeeach,candidatesfortheawardsmustbeaseniororgraduatestudentintheirfinalyearofplayingeligibility,haveaGPAofatleast3.2ona4.0scale,haveoutstandingfootballabilityasafirstteamplayerorsignificantcontributorandhavedemonstratedstrongleadershipandcitizenship.TheclassisselectedeachyearbytheNFFAwardsCommittee,whichiscomprisedofanationallyrecognizedgroupofmedia,CollegeFootballHallofFamersandathleticsadministrators.Launchedin1959,theNFFNationalScholar-AthleteAwardsprogrambecamethefirstinitiativeinhistorytoawardpostgraduatescholarshipsbasedonbothaplayer'sacademicandathleticaccomplishments,andithasrecognized828outstandingindividualssinceitsinception.TheCampbellTrophy®,firstawardedin1990,addstotheprogram'sprestige,havingpreviouslyhonoredtwoRhodesScholars,aRhodesScholarfinalist,twoHeismanTrophywinnersandfivefirst-roundNFLdraftpicks.TheNationalFootballFoundation&CollegeHallofFameisanon-profiteducationalorganizationthatrunsprogramsdesignedtousethepowerofamateurfootballindevelopingscholarship,citizenshipandathleticachievementinyoungpeople.With120chaptersand12,000membersnationwide,NFFprogramsincludeFootballMatters.org,theCollegeFootballHallofFameinAtlanta,TheWilliamV.CampbellTrophy®presentedbyFidelityInvestments,annualscholarshipsofmorethan$1.3millionandaseriesofinitiativestohonorthelegendsofthepastandinspiretheleadersofthefuture.


WrestlingbackgroundhelpingDLWilson

By:TomSchad,CommercialAppealSeptember28,2017JonathanWilsonhasalwaysfeltathomeonthefootballfield,butduringhisjunioryearatSouthPlaqueminesHighSchoolinLouisiana,hediscoveredanewpassion:Wrestling.

BeforehebecameastartingdefensivelinemanfortheUniversityofMemphis,whichwillfaceUCFinitsAmericanAthleticConferenceopeneronSaturday,Wilsonwasalsoastatechampiononthemat.Asajunior,Wilsonwasa230-pounderwrestlinginthe285poundweightclassandstillmanagedtofinishthirdinhisdivisionatthestatetournament.Then,asasenior,hecommittedhimselftothesport,gained35poundsandwonaLouisianastatetitle,pinninghisopponentinthechampionshipmatch.

“Myjunioryear,Ireallywasn’tworkingfundamentals,likemytechnique,”saidWilson,whowasnamedthemostoutstandingwrestlerinhisdivisionbyTheNewOrleansAdvocate.“Mysenioryear,Iwasworkingwithlittleguys,like(using)smallerweight-classmovesonbiggerguys.That’swhatreallyhelpedme.”Sowhat,exactly,doeswrestlinghavetodowithWilson’sfootballcareer?AskMemphisdefensivelinecoachPaulRandolphandhe’lltellyouithelps.

“Twothings:Bodycontrol,whichyouhavetohavedowninside.Hands.Hand-to-handcombat,whichyoudoeverydownwhenyou’redowninside,”Randolphsaid.“Iask(recruits),‘Areyouawrestler?Haveyouwrestledatanypoint?’…Becauseiftheyhave,there’snodoubtit’saplusforthem—amajorplusforthem.”

Wilson,a6-foot-3sophomore,hasalwayshadararecombinationofsizeandquickness.Inhighschool,forexample,heplayedlinebackerandoffensiveline.And,inadditiontowrestling,healsowasamemberofthetrackandfieldteam,runningthe200-meterdashandthrowingshotput.

Wilsondidn’tnecessarilywrestletohelphimonthefootballfield,butlookingbackonitnow,hedoesbelievetherewerebenefits.

“Conditioning-wise,yes.Ithelpsalot.Becauseinwrestling,that’sallwedid—runallday,”Wilsonsaid.“Inwrestling,it’sreallyjustallaboutstance.…AndD-Line,that’swhatitistoo—allaboutyourstance.Wrestling,it’sreallyanaggressivesport.D-Line,you’vegottobeaggressive.Soithelpsalot.”

Wilsonoriginallyplannedtobringhisfootballskills—andwrestlingbackground—toTulane,wherehisolderbrother,Sean,wasalreadyadefensivelineman.ButafterfailingtoacademicallyqualifyafterNationalSigningDay,Wilsonsaid“everythingwasgoingallcrazy”andhesoonfoundhimselflookingatDivisionIIschools.

Memphisdidn’tbecomeapossibilityuntilWilsonlearnedthattakinganotherhighschoolclasswouldboosthisgrade-pointaverageandmakehimDivisionIeligible.Atthatpoint,Wilsonsaid,TigerswidereceiverscoachDavidJohnson,whohadrecruitedhimasanassistantatTulane,helpedbringthedefensivelinemanaboardmidwaythroughpreseasoncamp.

“Whenhehadtheopportunitytoexploreotheroptionsforhiseducation,heelectedtocomeupandtakealookatMemphis.I’lltellyou,we’reextremelygladthathedid,”MemphiscoachMikeNorvellsaid.“Whatimpressedmesomuchishehadneverplayedwithhishandinthegrass.Tocomeinandplayasmanysnapsashedidlastyear,neverplayingontheinterior,andtohavetheimpacthedid,thatwasprettyremarkable.”


DespitehislatearrivaltoMemphis,Wilsonwentontoplayinall13gamesasatruefreshmanwitheightstarts,finishingwith30tackles,includingsixforaloss,andthreesacks.HealsointerceptedapassagainstKansasandreturnedit61yardsforatouchdown.

“Hepickedupandlearnedthesystem,”Randolphsaid,“andoncehegotthatdown—he’sareallysmartkid—itwasamatterofjustlettinghisabilitytakeover.”

DespitemissingthefirsthalfoftheUCLAgameafterbeingejectedfortargetingagainstLouisiana-Monroe,Wilsonhasalreadyrecordedfivetackles,includingtwoforaloss,andasacksofarin2017.Hesaidhe’sstrongerthanhewasayearago,whichhelpedhimgetoffblockswhilepassrushingandnotgetpushedoutofhisgaponrunningplays.Despitehissuccessonthewrestlingmat,heknowshisfutureisinfootball.

“Ilovedwrestling,too,”Wilsonsaid.“ButIplayedfootballallmylife.”


Newrole

By:TomSchad,CommercialAppealOctober6,2017Memphisfreshmanswitchesfromquarterbacktocorner

MemphisfootballcoachMikeNorvelladmittedtheconversationkindofshockedhimatfirst.

Abouttwoweeksaftersummerworkoutsbegan,incomingquarterbackrecruitLa’AndreThomasapproachedNorvellandaskedifhecouldswitchpositions.Thomasknewthatplayingquarterbackprobablywouldrequirehimtoredshirt,andhewantedtohelptheteam—notjustinthefuture,butin2017,too.NorvelltoldhimtheTigersneededdepthatcornerback.SoThomasswitchedtocornerback.

“Preferably,I’manoffensiveplayer,”Thomassaid.“ButwhenIaskedCoachNorvell,he(said)thebestchanceformetocomeonandreallymakeanimpactontheteamwasatDB.Ihadnoproblemdoingthat.”

LittledidThomasknowthat,bytheendofSeptember,hewouldbetakingfirst-andsecond-teamrepetitionsinthesecondaryandplayingasignificantnumberofsnapsina40-13losstoCentralFlorida.AscornerbacksTimGordon,MarcusGreen,ChristianSlaughterandTitoWindhamhavedealtwithinjuriesofvaryingseverity,Thomassuddenlyhasfoundhimselfthrustintoaseriousrole.

It’sbeenquitealearningcurveforafreshmanwho,untilthisfall,neverhadplayedondefenseatanypointinhiscareer.

“Imean,inseven-on-sevenacoupletimes(they)putmebackatsafety,”hesaidwithashrug.“ButI’dneverplayedDB,really.”

Forhishighschoolcoach,JoelSinclair,Thomas’decisiontoswitchpositionswascertainlyabitofasurprise,butthespeedwithwhichhe’sprogressedatcornerbackwasnot–notafterhowhardhe’sworkedtogettothispointandeverythinghe’sbeenthrough.

ThomasgrewupinJackson,Miss.,largelyonhisown.HetoldtheJacksonClarion-Ledgerlastfallthathehasnorelationshipwithhismotherandnevermethisfather.Heatefoodoutoftrashbinsasachild,bouncedaroundfromfourthtoseventhgradewithoutanystablehomeandlivedinahousewithoutelectricityfortwoyears.

“Thenwhenhecamehere,hewasabletoshowtheworld(that)nomatterwhereIcamefromanddespitemyupbringingandmydifficulttimes,lookwhereI’mat.Istillrise,”Sinclairsaid.

SinclairdescribedThomasasa“generationaltypeofathlete”anda“specialguy”whohasredefinedtheconceptofhardworkinhiseyes.WhenhearrivedatWingfieldHighSchool,heweighed138pounds.Bythetimehewasasenior,hehadadded40poundsofmuscleandledtheFalcons,whotraditionallystruggledinfootball,toa4-0start.

Evennow,Thomaswillgothroughthedailygrindofcollegefootball,thenpostvideosofhimselfonsocialmediadoingadditionalpush-ups,sit-upsorfullworkoutsatnightorearlyinthemorning.

“It’spurework,”Sinclairsaid.“Hewillnotbebeat.Hefeelsthatifhe’sresting,somebody’soutworkinghim.Sohegoesbacktowork.”


ThatworkethicisthemainattributethathasallowedThomastotransitionseamlesslytothesecondary,wherehesaidhe’shadnoproblempickingupthenewtechniquesandterminologythatcomewiththeposition.NorvellsaidThomashasbroughta“quarterbackmentality”tothedefensivebackfield.

“He’ssmart,”defensivecoordinatorChrisBalladded.“Helearnsreallywell,soinmeetings,hegraspsitreallywell.Thethingwithhimishe’dbeenahighschoolquarterbackforsolong,it’sthefundamentalstuffthathe’stryingtogetcaughtupon.”

Morespecifically,Thomassaid,thechallengehasbeenfootwork.The6-foot-1,185-pounderwassoaccustomedtoplayingwithquarterbackfootworkthathestillsometimesfallsbackintoitincoverage.Buttheotherdemandsoftheposition,includingplayrecognitionandtackling,havecomeeasilytohim,hesaid.

“Iactuallylikeit,thephysicalityoutthereontheperimeter,”Thomassaid.“It’sactuallyexcitingforme.”

Perhapsthat’sonereasonwhyThomascouldseehimselfremainingatcornerbackfortheforeseeablefuture.Heinitiallyplannedtoplaycornerbackforonlyoneseason,thenmovebackundercenterduringspringballandcompeteforthechancetoreplaceRileyFerguson.

Nowheseeshimself“mostlikely”stayingatcornerback—thoughSinclairbelieveshecouldbeoneofthoserareDivisionIplayerscapableofmakinganimpactonbothsidesoftheball.Norvellsaidhe’sbeenimpressedbyhowquicklyThomashaspickedupthenuancesofplayinganewposition,especiallygiventhefactthathemissedthreeweeksoffallcampwithakneeinjury.ButNorvellalsoisn’trulingoutthepossibilityofThomas,whoaveragedmorethan400yardsoftotaloffensepergameasasenioratWingfield,movingbacktoquarterbackatsomepointinthefuture.

“Ithinkhe’sgotaspecialfutureatcornerashecontinuestoprogress,”Norvellsaid.“Itoldhimwheneverhedidit,though,thatIwasgoingtoholdthefinalcardofwhetherornotwelookathimasstillhavinganopportunitytocompeteat(quarterback).We’llseewherethatisdowntheroad.Butrightnow,allhisfocusisatcorner.”


FergusonMakesJohnnyUnitasGoldenArmCut

www.gotigersgo.comOctober12,2017MEMPHIS–SeniorquarterbackRileyFergusonmadetheTheGoldenArmAwardcutasthelistfortheawardforthetopquarterbackinthecountrywascutfrom47to20Wednesday.TheGoldenArmAwardispresentedattheendofeachseasontothetopcollegequarterback.Candidatesmustbeacollegeseniororafour-yearjunioronscheduletograduatewiththeirclass.In18careergames,Fergusonhasgone396-for-639for5,233yardsand48touchdownsagainst15interceptions.HecurrentlyranksfourthincareerpassingatMemphisjustfivegamesintohissecondseasonandhis48careertouchdownpassesranksthirdinTigerhistory.WithhisthirdofseventouchdownpassesinthewinatUConnlastweek,FergusonpassedMartinHankins'markof43touchdownpassestotakeoverthirdonthecareerlist.HeadingintoaSaturdaymatchupagainst#24/25rankedNavy,FergusonleadstheAmericanAthleticConferencewith307.0passingyardspergame.His16touchdownpassesalsoleadstheleague.AlsoasemifinalistfortheNationalFootballFoundationCampbellTrophy(forhavingaGPAof3.2orhigher),FergusonhastwicethisyearbeennamedtheAmerican'sOffensivePlayeroftheWeekandwasnamedtheWalterCampOffensivePlayeroftheWeekearlierthisseasonafterawinoverthen-No.25rankedUCLA.FergusonisalsoonthewatchlistsfortheDaveyO'BrienTrophyandtheManningTrophy,aswellastheJohnnyUnitasGoldenArmlist.MemphiscontinuesitsAmericanAthleticConferencescheduleonSaturdayat2:45p.m.(CT)whennationally-rankedNavycomestotownforaWestDivisionclash.Ticketsforthatgamearestillonsaleandcanbepurchasedatwww.GoTigersGo.com/FootballTickets.


ImpactfulLeader

By:PhilStukenborg,www.gotigersgo.comOctober14,2017Earlyinhiscareer,UniversityofMemphisseniorlinebackerGenardAveryshedinterviewrequestsasquicklyashedidchargingtightends.Averypreferredtoplay,nottalk,aboutthesport.AsAveryapproachesthemidwaypointofhisfinalseason,theGrenada,Miss.,nativehasdismissedhisdislikefortalking.HeendedarecentinterviewbyturningtoamemberoftheTigersAthleticsCommunicationsstaffandacknowledged:“I’vegottogetusedtothis.”Indeed,hedoes.AverywasanAll-AmericanAthleticConferencefirstteamselectionlastseasonafterstartingeachoftheteam’s13gamesandfinishingwithteam-bestsintacklesforloss(11)andsacks(5).Histwointerceptionstiedfortheteamleadandhis63solostopsweresecond-mostforaTigersdefensethatrankedfifthnationallyinturnoverscaused.Ifhefollowswithasimilarseasonin2017,Averycouldfindhimselfasalate-roundNFLDraftselectionnextspring–heisappearingonmockdraftboards–andtalkingconsiderablymoreabouthiscareertrekfromGrenada(Miss.)HighSchool.Whenhewassignedbythepreviousstaff,then-headcoachJustinFuenteravedaboutbeingabletopersuadeAvery,andteammateShareefWhite,tocometoMemphis.ThecurrentstaffalsohasenjoyedhavingAveryonboard.“Genardisagreatleaderforourdefense,”saidTigersheadcoachMikeNorvell.“He’simpactfulforusinwhatwewanttodo.Havinghimoutthereandmakingplaysiskeytooursuccess.”WhenhearrivedattheUofM,Averysaidhewasn’tcertainaboutmakinganimmediateimpact.EventhoughhehadbeenadecoratedprepplayerhavingbeennamedtotheJacksonClarion-Ledger2013All-StateteamandselectedtoplayintheMississippi-AlabamaAll-StarGame,hequicklyrealizedhehadalottolearn.“Ididn’tknowanythingcomingin,”Averysaid.“Ididn’t(have)knowledgeofthegameorknowofsituationsthedefensecouldcontrol.Iknewenoughtoplay.Ihadthespeedandthestrength,butnottheknowledge.”Astatechampionpowerlifter,Averymadeonly18tacklesasafreshman,butmanyofthosestopsseemedtobe,well,impactful.HisfirstcareersackinascorelessgameatSMUforcedaMustangs’puntandwasfollowed,twoplayslater,bytheUofM’sfirstscoreinalopsidedTigersvictory.Asasophomore,hedevelopedintoaforceandfinishedastheteam’sfifth-leadingtackler.His28yardsoftacklesforlossledtheteam.Asajunior,hereturnedtwopicksfortouchdowns.Duringthosethreeseasons,healsocontributedtoaphenomenalrun,thewinningestthree-seasonstretchintheprogram’shistory(27wins).“Comingoutofhighschool,yourgoalistobe‘thatguy’attheprogram,”Averysaid.“ButwhenIgothere,therewasalotofstuffIhadtolearn.Icouldn’tbe‘thatguy.’”


Hehadtoworkwithintheconceptoftheteam’sdefensivephilosophy,asometimesdifficulttransitionafterbeing‘thatguy’forhishighschoolteam’sdefense.AshleyKuhn,Avery’shighschoolcoach,saidFuente’sstaffdidagoodjobidentifyinghisstarplayer’sstrengths:workethicandcharacter.“And,hetookthatstrongworkethictocollege,”Kuhnsaid.“Hejusthasthat‘it’factorabouthim.”KuhnsaidAveryoftenmakestheshorttriptoGrenadawhentheTigershaveanoffday.He’seitheronthefieldorintheweightroomwhenKuhnspotshim.“Wehavetorunhimoffsometimes,”Kuhnsaidjokingly.“Hesetsagreatexampleforourkidsofwhatittakes(tosucceed):justwork,work,work.”Beingafreshman,Averysaidhecouldn’tfullyappreciatewhatitmeant–particularlyforhisolderteammates–toplayinabowl.Theprogramhadenduredsix-consecutivelosingseasonsunderthreedifferentcoaches.Then,inFuente’sthirdseason,theimpacttookeffect.LedbyquarterbackandfutureNFLDraftfirst-roundpickPaxtonLynch,theTigerswon10gamesforthefirsttimein76years.“Itwasabigturnaround,”Averysaid.“Fuentehada3-9yearbefore(Averyarrived),thenwewent10-3.It’smovedbyquick,butI’vebeenpartofitandit’staughtmealot,especiallyhowtobealeader.”KuhnadmitsthatAverycomingfromahighschoolprogramthathadalsoexperiencedaturnaroundmadeMemphisasmuchanattractionasafamiliarchallenge.“Ithinkitalltiedtogether(duringtherecruitingprocess),”Kuhnsaid.Averyandhisotherfour-yearteammatesareseekingwhatnoothermemberoftheprogramhasexperienced.IftheTigersqualify,they’llappearinapostseasongameforthefourth-straightseason,surpassingthepreviousmarkofthree-straightsetduringAll-AmericacareerofrunningbackDeAngeloWilliamsfrom2003-05.Avery,however,doesn’twanttosimplyappearinanotherbowl.“Winningaconferencechampionshipandabowlgame,likewedid(in2014),that’swhatweworkhardfor,”Averysaid.“Wearedoingwhateverwecantodothatagain.It’sbeenhumbling(tolosethelasttwobowlgames).WewantthatMiamiBeachBowlandconferencechampionshipfeelingagain.”


Multi-RolePerformer

By:KevinRodriguez,www.gotigersgo.comOctober14,2017Ithasn’teverreallybeenclear-cut.Playsoccer?Howaboutfootballinstead?Youwanttokick?Howaboutpunting?Howaboutboth?SpencerSmithhasdoneitall.HisrolefortheTigersfootballprogramoverthepastfiveyearshasbeendefinedbythefactthathedoesn’tfitintoanyonerole.Hiscareerhasbeensandwichedbetweenthatof2013RayGuyAwardwinnerTomHornseyandfour-timeAll-AmericanAthleticConferenceplace-kickerJakeElliott.Nottobeoutdone,Smithhasputtogetherthree-straightall-conferenceseasonsastheTigers’primarypunter.“Inhighschool,allIwantedtodowaskick,”Smithsaid.“Mycoachtriedtogetmetopuntalittlebit,butIhonestlyneverreallylikedit.HefeltlikeIalwayshadaknackforitsohekeptpushingmetodoit.”Hornseywasawell-establishedseniorin2013whenSmithandElliottbotharrivedoncampus.Smith’spathtogettingonthefieldwouldlikelytakethepuntingrouteafterHornsey’sdeparture.“IcameintoMemphiswithJakeElliott,andhe’sobviouslyprettygood,sohehadthejob(placekicker)fromfreshmanyearon,”saidSmith.“IthoughtImightaswellstartpunting,otherwiseI’llprobablysitthebenchforfouryears,andthat’snotwhatIwantedtodo.”Smithdidjustthat.Hestartedpunting,learnedfromanall-timegreatandsatbehindHornseyandElliottforaseason.Hepracticedastheback-uptobothpositionsandeventraveledforeverygameduringhisredshirtseasonin2013.“Itwasn’tthetypicalredshirtyear,”saidSmith.“Iwastheback-upforbothJakeandTom,soItraveledtoeverygameandlearnedalotfromthem.Itreallyhelpedmegoingintothosebiggamesandseeingthosepressuresituations.”SmithsethissightsonwinningtheroleastheTigers’startingpunterin2014,butanotherwrinkleappeared.Memphishadanotherpuntercomingtocampus,NickJacobsfromMelbourne,Australia.ThepuntingpairofSmithandJacobsbattleditoutthroughcamp,andSmithwontheprimaryjob.However,thetwohavesplittimeatpunterthelastthreeseasons,andthetandemhasbecomeoneofthebestinthenation.InSmith’sfirstaction,heshowcasedexactlywhathisformerhighschoolcoachhadseeninhim.Hebootedtwopuntsinthe63-0winoverAustinPeay,includingabooming55-yardpunt.Afterhisfirstseason,heearnedAll-AmericanAthleticConferencesecondteamhonors,finishingwitha40.3average,18puntsinsidethe20-yardlineandninepuntsover50yards.“IwashappythatIreceivedsomerecognition,butIwasn’tsatisfied.Iwantedtogetthetopspot.ItpushesmeeverydaytodothebestIcan,”saidSmith.Again,Smithdidjustthat.Hehasbeennamedtheconference’sfirstteampunterinback-to-backseasons(2015,2016)andledtheAmericanAthleticConferenceinpuntingaveragebothcampaigns.Smithhasexcelledintherolethatheneverreallywanted.Butcouldhedomore?


Elliott’sgraduationandsubsequentNFLDraftselectionin2017providedanotheropportunityforSmith.Itwasthejobhewantedallalong:kicking.“WeknewJakewasleavingandgoingontothenextlevel,”saidSmith.“Oncetheseasonwasdone,andwhilehewastrainingforProDayandtheNFLCombine,Iwouldpuntandkickwithhim.Wewouldhelpeachotherout.”Now,Smithisdoingitall.In2017,hehashandledkickoffduty18times,punted10timesandconnectedonthefirstthreefieldgoalsandfirst13PATofhiscareer.HestillsplitsallofthesedutieswithJacobsandfreshmankickerRileyPatterson.Smithisembracingtherolejustashealwayshas.“RileyPattersonisagreatkickerandhasagreatfuture,”saidSmith.“Ihavesteppedinand,whenevertheyneedmetokick,I’mgoingtotrytodoittothebestofmyability.”Memphismightbetheonlyteaminthenationwithtwodifferentpuntersandtwodifferentkickers,butit’shardtoarguewiththesuccess.Alongwiththegreatresults,thatgroupofspecialistshasformedabondunlikemanyothers.“Weareclose.Wedoprettymucheverythingtogether,”Smithsaid.“Weallshareduties,andthatbenefitsusbecauseitdoesn’tputtoomuchpressureononeguy.”It’shardtoarguewiththeresults.Smithmaynotbemostheraldedoftheprogram’sspecialistsinrecentseasons,buthedefinitelyhasbeenthemostversatile.


HallNamedNagurskiNationalDefensivePlayeroftheWeek

www.gotigersgo.comOctober17,2017MEMPHIS--AustinHalladdedanationalawardtohisbioonTuesdayashewasnamedtheBronkoNagurskiNationalDefensivePlayeroftheWeek.HallhelpedMemphisupsetNo.24/25rankedNavywith10tackles,twointerceptions,onepassbreakupandafumblerecoveryonSaturday.HewasnamedtheAmericanAthleticConference'sDefensivePlayeroftheWeek,Monday.Ontheseason,thesophomorefromColliervilleleadsMemphiswith44totaltackles,including4.5tacklesforloss.HisthreeinterceptionsistiedfortheteamleadwithfreshmandefensivebackTJCarter.Hall'sthreepassbreakupsarealsotiedfortheteamleadwithdefensivebacksJonathanCookandTitoWindham.HallisthesecondTigerthisyeartoearnanationalweeklyhonor.SeniorquarterbackRileyFergusonwasnamedtheWalterCampOffensivePlayeroftheWeekonSept.17afterawinoverthen-No.25UCLA.HallandhisteamareinashortweekofprepforanotherWestDivisionclashinAmericanAthleticConferenceplay.MemphiswillplayatHouston,Thursday,ina7p.m.clashthatwillbebroadcastbyESPN.Thenon-Saturdaygameisoneofthree-in-a-rowfortheTigers.MemphiswillhostTulanenextFriday,Oct.27th,thenplaysatTulsaonFriday,Nov.3.


NorvellNamedtoPaul“Bear”BryantWatchList

www.gotigersgo.comOctober18,2017MEMPHIS–MemphisfootballcoachMikeNorvellhasbeennamedtothePaul"Bear"BryantCoachoftheYearAwardwatchlistitwasannounced,Wednesday.Norvellisoneof20coachestomakethisyear'slist.ThefinalistswillbeannouncedinDecemberandthewinnerwillbepresentedtheawardonJan.10duringtheawardsdinnerandceremonyattheHiltonAmericasinHouston.InhissecondseasonatthehelmoftheMemphisfootballprogram,NorvellhasguidedtheTigerstoacombined13-6record.Memphisiscurrently5-1overalland2-1inAmericanAthleticConferenceplay.Followinga30-27winoverthen-No.24/25rankedNavy,thesecondwinoverarankedfoeforMemphisthisseason,Norvell'sTigerteambrokeintotheAssociatedPresstop25pollthisweekforthefirsttimesince2015.UnderNorvell'sguidance,apairofTigershasalsocapturednationalweeklyhonorssofarthisseason.SeniorquarterbackRileyFergusonwasnamedtheWalterCampOffensivePlayeroftheWeekafterguidingMemphistoawinoverthen-No.25rankedUCLA.Thisweek,sophomoredefenderAustinHallmadeamovetostrongsafetyandearnedtheBronkoNagurskiNationalDefensivePlayeroftheWeekawardforhis10-tackle,two-interception,onefumblerecoveryandonepassbreak-upperformanceinthewinoverNavy.OnWednesdaymorning,HallwasalsonamedtheweeklywinnerofthePaycomJimThorpeAwardPlayeroftheWeek.NorvellisoneofthreeAmericanAthleticConferencecoachesonthe20-coachwatchlist.UCF'sScottFrostandUSF'sCharlieStrongarealsoonthelistreleasedWednesday.TheothercoachesonthelistfromoutsideoftheAmericanAthleticConferenceare:PaulChryst(Wisconsin),MarkDantonio(MichiganState),DaveDoeren(NorthCarolinaState),JamesFranklin(PennState),MikeGundy(OklahomaState),ClayHelton(USC),BrianKelly(NotreDame),MikeLeach(WashingtonState),RockyLong(SanDiegoState),UrbanMeyer(OhioState),GaryPatterson(TCU),ChrisPetersen(Washington),MarkRicht(Miami),LincolnRiley(Oklahoma),NickSaban(Alabama),KirbySmart(Georgia),andDaboSwinney(Clemson).MemphisiscurrentlyheadingtoHoustontofacetheCougarsinanAmericanAthleticConferenceWestDivisionmatch-up.Thatgamewillkickoffat7p.m.(CT),ThursdayandwillairnationallyonESPN.MemphisreturnshomenextweektohostanotherWestDivisionopponent,Tulane,onFriday,Oct.27that7p.m.(CT).ThatgamewillbecarriedbyCBSSportsNetwork.


Tigers’Hallthrivesalloverthefield

By:JohnVarlas,CommercialAppealOctober18,2017BaseballlegendReggieJacksonwasknownas“Mr.October”forhisprowessinthepostseason.JustcallAustinHall“Mr.October14th.”Hall,Memphis‘sophomoredefensiveback,wasnamedAmericanAthleticConferenceDefensivePlayeroftheWeekforhiseffortsinSaturday’s30-27victoryoverNavy.TheColliervillegradrecorded10tackles,pickedofftwopasses,brokeupanotherpassandrecoveredafumble.

It’sthesecondcareerhonorforHall,whowashonoredbytheAAClastseasonafterleadingtheTigerstoavictoryoverTulane.Thatgame,liketheNavygame,wasplayedonOct.14.WhatkindofcosmicforceshaveconvergedforHalltohavethetwobestgamesofhiscollegecareeronthesamedayofthecalendar?

“Mymom’sbirthdayisthe12th(ofOctober),”heventured.“Ireallydon’tknow.IsawsomeonetweetthatandIthoughtitwasprettyfunny.”

“Ihadabout40messagesandabout40notificationsoneachsocialmediaapp.Itwasdefinitelyexciting....Isaw(myfamily)rightthereoutofthetunnelaftershoweringup.Havingstufflikethat,withfriendsandfamilycontactingyou,isagreatfeeling.

“Butcomingoutwiththat‘W’isanevenbetterfeeling.Fortheteammatesyou’realongsidewithallyearround...justplayingforeachother.”

Somaybeitdoesn’thaveanythingtodowiththecalendaratall.MaybetheawardsandaccoladesarecomingbecauseHallisdevelopingintooneoftheleague’sbetterall-arounddefenders.

HeadingintoThursday’sgame(7p.m.CT,ESPN)atHouston(4-2,2-1AAC),HallleadstheTigers(5-1,2-1)intackleswith44.He’stiedwithT.J.Carterforfirstwiththreeinterceptionsandhis4.5tackles-for-lossaresecondtoGenardAvery’ssix.

Butnumbersjusttellpartofthestory.TohelpcounterNavy’sdangeroustriple-optiongroundgame,Hallmovedtofreesafetyfromhisnormal“Star”position,whichisahybridoutsidelinebackerrole.

DefensivecoordinatorChrisBallsaiditwasn’tahardchoicetomake.

“Westartedworkingonthisinthespring,”Ballsaid.“Weputaplantogether,assignedpositions,andweknewwe’dhavetoputsomeguysinsomedifferentpositions.Andthenwestartedgettingpeoplehurt,bangedup.

“Sowesatdownandhadabig,bigpersonnelmeetingonSunday(beforethegame)...anditwasano-brainer.He’sprobablyourbestdefensiveplayerrightnow.Hefitwhatweneededhimtodo,whichwastobesmart,patientandbeabletomakeadjustmentsasthegamegoesalong.”

HallwasinvolvedinseeminglyeverybigplayastheTigersmadeschoolhistorybydefeatingaTop25teamforthesecondtimethisseason.Hissecond-quarterfumblerecoverysetupRileyPatterson’s30-yardfieldgoalthattiedthescore10-10athalftime.

HepickedoffNavyquarterbackZachAbeyonthefirstpossessionofthesecondhalf,returningit26yardstotheNavy12.QuarterbackRileyFergusoncashedintwoplayslaterwithatouchdownpasstoDarrellHendersonthatputMemphisup17-10.


Hall’ssecondinterceptioncamewithlessthantwominutestogoandsecuredMemphis’victory.OfthefiveturnoverstheTigerscreated,hehadahandinthreeofthem.

“Whatyou’redoingisreactingtoreads,”Ballsaid.“Peoplesay,‘Justputyourfastest,bestathletebackthere.’No.Youhavetoputyourmostdisciplined.”

HallwillbebackattheStarspotThursdayagainsttheCougars,whoareaveragingmorethanhalfoftheir424.8yardspergamethroughtheair.That—combinedwithashortweekofpractice—makesforanaltogetherdifferentchallengeforHallandthedefense.

“It’sdefinitelydifficult,”Hallsaid.“Butthat’swhatourcoachesdo;theygetusreadyandgetourgameschemeandputusintherightposition.They’regoingtogetusintherightspot.It’slikeit’seasyonthefieldbecausethecoachesaredoingsuchagoodjob.”


TJCarterNamedNagurskiNationalDefensivePlayeroftheWeek

www.gotigersgo.comOctober24,2017MEMPHIS–FreshmandefensivebackTJCarterhasbeennamedtheFWAA/BronkoNagurskiNationalDefensivePlayeroftheWeekitwasannounced,Tuesday.ThatisthesameawardsophomoreAustinHallwonlastweek.TheFWAAhasselectedanationaldefensiveplayeroftheweekeveryTuesdaydatingtothe2001seasonandthismarksthefirsttimesincethatprocessstartedthatteammateshavewontheawardonback-to-backweeks.Carter,theAmericanAthleticConferenceDefensivePlayeroftheWeek,playedacrucialroleina42-38comebackwinatHouston.Aftertrailing17-0athalftime,Memphisreeledoffsixstraightpossessionswithatouchdowntodefeatthehome-standingCougars.CarterledMemphiswithacareer-high14tackles,includingoneTFL,oneforcedfumbleandalsoaddedapassbreak-upbeforegrabbinghisfourthinterceptionoftheseasononHouston'sfinaldriveofthegame.Carter,agraduateofStratfordHighSchoolinNashville,hasfourinterceptionsontheseason,amarkthattiesforthemostbyaMemphisfreshman.Healsohastwofumblerecoveriesandoneforcedfumbletohiscreditinsevencareergames.Memphis,whichisrankednumber24inthecountryinthelatestAssociatedPresspoll,hostsTulaneinAmericanAthleticConferenceWestDivisionaction,Fridayat7p.m.ThatgamewillbeplayedatLibertyBowlMemorialStadiumandwillbecarriedbyCBSSportsNetwork.Aspartofthegame'sSalutetothe901promotion,aflashsaleforticketswillbeginat9:01am,Wednesday.Ticketsarejust$9.01from9:01amWednesdayuntil6:02pm.Chairbackboxseatswillbediscountedto$29.01aspartoftheflashsale.LibertyBowlMemorialStadiumwillalsoofferSalutetothe901specials,witha$3popcorndealformembersoftheTSF901Clubwhoshowtheir901Clubcards.TheTigerswillalsoofferaStephenGostkowskibobbleheadforthefirst5,000fansinthedoor,sponsoredbyMid-SouthChevyDealers.Ticketscanbepurchasedonlineatwww.GoTigersGoTix.com.


Everygametrulymatters

By:MarkGiannotto,CommercialAppealOctober24,2017RecentsuccesshasTigersinthenationalrankingsandincontrolofAACWestrace

Thewords“justcameout,”accordingtoMemphiswidereceiverAnthonyMiller,anunplannedresponsemomentsaftertheTigers’completedtheirdramaticcomebackina42-38winatHoustononThursdaynight.

InthemidstofapostgameinterviewwithESPNthatsubsequentlywentviralonsocialmedia,MillerchanneledhisinnerTonyAllenbydeclaring,“Weknewwewasgoingtowin.Wejusthadtokeepatit.That’swhatMemphisis.It’sagrind.It’sagrindeveryday.”

EvenonMonday,theexperienceofrecallinghowtheTigerseraseda17-pointdeficitthreedifferenttimesgotMillerexcited.

“Weliterallyputeverythingwehadintothatgame.Weknewwhatwasatstake,”hesaidafterpractice.“IwasoverwhelmedwithemotionsinthatinterviewandIcouldn’tbemoreproudofmyteamandthecoachingstaffforwhatwedid.”

Thechallengenow,moresothanthisweek’sopponent(Tulane),willbetomovepastthehighofthepasttwogames,whenMemphispulledoffthrillingwinsoverNavyandHouston.

TheTigersaresuddenlyincontroloftheAmericanAthleticConferenceWestdivisionrace,withaspotinthenationalrankingsandaberthinaNewYear’sSixbowlgamepossible.Theywilllikelybefavoredtowintheirfourremainingregularseasongames.

That,ofcourse,isthelastthingMemphiscoachMikeNorvellwantstothinkaboutatthispoint.

“There’satremendoussenseofurgencytoimprove,atremendoussenseofurgencytocontinuetoputyourbestfootforward,”hesaid,“becausethisfootballteam,allwe’veaccomplishedisputourselvesinapositionthateverygametrulymatters.”

TheTigershavewon10straightgamesoverTulane(3-4,1-2AAC)datingbackto2002,butFriday’smatchupwillforceMemphistodefendanoption-basedoffenseforthesecondtimeinthreeweeks.

NorvellsaidtheGreenWave’sschemeis“sodifferent”thantheoneusedbyNavyand“thereisn’tgoingtobealotofcarryover”forhisdefense,whichiscurrentlytiedforsecondinthecountrywith20turnoversthisseason.

ToMiller,however,thewaythesepasttwogamesplayedoutwillhavealastingimpactonthisteam’spsychefromhereonout.TheMemphisnativenotedhecanfeelthecity’spridebuildingwitheachwinand“we’regoingtogivethepeoplewhattheywant.”

“We’veseenhowbigourheartisandhowmuchthatworkappliestothefield,”Millersaid.“Whenwecameoutthisweek,wewereallfocusedandIthinkwehadagoodpracticetodayandIthinkwe’regoingtocontinueourstreakthroughtherestoftheseason.”

Gonzalezmakeshisdebut

FreshmanCarlitoGonzalezmadehisfirsttwoappearancesoftheregularseasonagainstNavyandHouston,NorvellconfirmedMonday.Thedefensivebackiscurrentlylistedastheback-upstrong


safetybehindredshirtfreshmanTyrezLindsayandiscontributingonspecialteams.Hehasyettorecordatackleintwogames.

It’snonethelessasignificantdevelopmentbecauseGonzalezonlyjoinedtheprograminAugustafterbeingruledacademicallyineligibleatAuburn.The6-foot-1,190-poundStoneMountain,Ga.,nativereceivedawaiverfromtheNCAAonOct.6,thesamedayMemphisplayedatUConn,thatgrantedhimeligibilitytoplaythisseason.

“Carlitoisaverytalentedyoungmanandhe’sgoingtobeagreatplayerhere.Heworksextremelyhard,”NorvellsaidMonday.“Hisstatuswasupintheairforthebetterpartoftheseason…Weweren’tabletogethimtoUConnintime,buthe’splayedthelastcoupleweeks.Didareallynicejobonspecialteams.Hisdefensiveroleisgoingtocontinuetoincreaseandhe’sgoingtobeabletohelpusheredownthestretch.”

Gonzalezwasratedasathree-starrecruitbyeverymajorrecruitingservicecomingoutofhighschoolandconsideredoneofthetop35safetiesinthecountryby247Sports,ScoutandESPN.

CarterearnsAAChonor

FreshmancornerbackT.J.CarterwasnamedtheAAC’sdefensiveplayeroftheweekafterrecordingateam-high14tackles,oneinterceptionandaforcedfumbleatHouston.It’sthesecondtimeinarowthattheTigersearnedtheleague’sdefensiveplayeroftheweekawardafterredshirtsophomoreAustinHallpickedupthosehonorsforhisplayagainstNavy.


T.J.Cartertacklingcollegefootballheadon

By:JohnVarlas,CommercialAppealOctober25,2017BuckFitzgeraldwasn’ttryingtodisrespectanybody.Hewasjustcallingitlikehesawit.

Fitzgerald—whoplayedcollegiatelyattheUniversityofTennesseebeforemovingintocoachingandtraining—toldtheUniversityofMemphiscoachingstaffthattheyweregettingararegemindefensivebackT.J.Carter.

“Bucksaid,‘He’sprobablygoingtocomeinandstart,’“saidMauriceFitzgerald,whoisBuck’sfather,Carter’sgreat-uncleandhiscoachlastseasonatStratfordHighinNashville.

“Notonlythat,hesaid,‘He’llprobablycomeinandbeyourbestdefensiveplayer.’TheMemphiscoacheswerelike,‘Man,areyououtofyourmind?’“Fast-forwardseveralmonthsandthepredictiondoesn’tlookcrazyatall.

CarterwasthedefensivestarintheTigers’come-from-behind42-38victoryoverHoustonlastweek,recordingacareer-best14tackles(oneforlostyardage)whileforcingafumbleandinterceptingapass.HejoinsAustinHallasback-to-backwinnersoftheAAC’sdefensiveplayeroftheweekawardandhealsoscoopedhonorsfrom24/7Sports(truefreshmanoftheweek)andCollegeSportsMadness.com(defensiveplayeroftheweek).

Healsotakespossessionofthecovetedtakeawaybelt,giventotheplayerwhoforcesthemostturnoversduringtheweek.

“Wereallytakeprideinit,”saidCarterofthestrapsimilartowhatawrestlerorboxerwouldcarrytothering.

“Itfeelsreallygood.Wetakealotofprideincreatingturnovers.That’shelpeduswinmultiplegamesthisyear,forcingturnoversinclutchsituations.

Wewanttogetasmanyturnoversaswecanandatleastberankedinthetop-five,top-10fortheseason.”

Sofarsogood.HeadingintoFriday’s7p.m.homegameagainstTulane,Memphisistiedforsecondinthenationwith20turnoversforcedthroughsevengames.They’veforcedmultipleturnoversinfivegames.

Andwhilethere’sneverabadtimetotaketheballawayfromtheotherteam,Carter’sbigplaysagainsttheCougarswereparticularlyopportune.

AfterMemphishadfinallygoneaheadonRileyFerguson’spasstoSeanDykeswith1:28togo,CarterforcedafumblewithabighitonHoustonquarterbackKylePostma.Memphiswentthree-and-outtogivetheCougarsonemorechancebutthistimeCartersteppedinfrontofaPostmapasstosealtheTigers’sixthvictoryinsevengames.

Moreimpressively,theturnoverscameafterCarterwasbeateninthecorneroftheendzonebyHouston’sStevenDunbarearlierinthefourth,aplaythatputtheCougarsahead38-28withundersevenminutesleft.

“Asadefensivebackyouhavetohavethemindsetof,sowhat?Nextplay,”saidCarter.


“You’regoingtogetbeat...eventhebestcornersgetbeat.Butespeciallywhenthere’salotoffootballleft,you’vegottoforgetaboutthatplay.Yourteamstillneedsyou.”

SeniorfreesafetyJonathanCooklovedthewayCarterresponded.

“WhenthatdudecaughtatouchdownonT.J.Ijusttoldhim,‘Makeplays,’“saidCook.“Hewasn’t(down).Wejustflushit.That’swhat(defensivecoordinator)Coach(Chris)Balltellsustodowhenwemakeabadplay.Justflushit.”

ThatshortmemoryisoneofthereasonswhyCarterhasstartedallsevengamesthisseasonwhileleadingtheteamwithfourinterceptions.He’soneofonlytwoFBSplayerswithsixtakeaways.

“Hewasneverthebiggestorthefastestbuthisworkethicisoffthecharts,”saidBuckFitzgerald,whohasmovedfromStratfordtoHillsborothisseason.

“He’sdoggedinside.Andhe’sgotthatarrogantconfidencethatyouhavetohave(asadefensiveback).Heexpectstobegood.”


Passingonthe(TightEnd)Torch

By:PhilStukenborg,www.gotigersgo.comOctober27,2017DanielMontielcompletedhisUniversityofMemphiscareerayearago,leavinghisshareofaccomplishmentsincludinganAll-AmericanAthleticConferencefirstteamselectionin2016.Hispredecessor,AlanCross,mayhavebeenthe“feel-good”storyofthefootballprogram’srecentrisefromone-andtwo-winseasonstoback-to-back-to-backbowlgameappearances.Cross,aformerwalk-on,setschoolrecordsforproductionattightendandisinhissecondseasonwiththeNFL’sTampaBayBuccaneers.ThesuccessfulachievementsofMontielandCrosshaveleftthecurrentgroupoftightends,allsophomores,withconsiderablecleatstofillandcareerstoemulate.JoeyMagnifico,whoalsocametotheUofMasawalk-on,isatopthedepthchartandrapidlyestablishinghimselfattheposition.HeisfollowedbySeanDykesofHouston,Texas,andScottieDill,aformerBriarcreststandout.MostofthenewcomershaveremainedintouchwitheitherCross,whoholdstheschoolrecordforreceivingtouchdowns(14)byatightend,orMontiel,whohad45catchesfor617yardsandsevenscoreshisfinalthreeseasons.MagnificowasabackuptoMontiellastfallandtheformerSaintBenedictatAuburndale(SBA)starfinishedwithninecatchesfor85yardsandtwotouchdowns.“WhenIfirstcamehere(in2015),Alanwasstillhere,”Magnificosaid.“Itwasspecialplayingbehindthembecausetheywereliketwoolderbrotherstome.Italktothemallthetime.ItalkedtoDanielthenightbeforeweplayed(atUCF).It’sabrotherhood.”TigersoffensivecoordinatorDarrellDickey,alsoamemberofthepreviouscoachingstaff,saidMagnificoattendedaUofMfootballcampasaninthgraderandattractedattentionwithhisathleticism.AsMagnificogrew,thestaffenvisionedhimjoiningtheprogramasatightend/H-back.“We’reoneofthefewoffensesthatstillutilizesatightend/H-back,”Dickeysaid.“We’vehadAlan,Daniel,JoeyandSean.And,Seanprobablybringsthemostspeedtothepositionwe’veeverhad.”Magnifico,whoattractedinterestfromtheUniversityofCincinnatiwhileattendingSBA,cametoMemphisafterspendingmuchofhishighschoolcareeratwidereceiver.HavingCrossinstructhimonthefinerpointsofplayingtightendwasinvaluableforawalk-onmakingapositionchange.“HetaughtmesomeofthebasicsofthefootworkIneeded,”Magnificosaid.“Andhetaughthowtokeepmy(helmet)intherightplace,howtoblock.“WatchingAlanplaywasdifferentthananythingI’dseen.Hewashard-nosed,heneverfeltanypain.AndhewasalwaysonhisPsandQs,whetherinpracticeorgames.Ijustlearnedfromthat.”


MagnificosaidbothCrossandMontielofferedassistancewiththeUofMplaybook,achallengeforanyfreshman.HetermedMontielaplayerwithadvancedknowledgeofthegamewhowaseagertoshareitwithhisteammates.Dykes,sonofaformerOklahomaplayer,creditstheformerTigerstightendsforhisdevelopment,too.“IlearnedallmyblockingskillsfromMontiel,”Dykessaid.“FromCross,Ilearnedhowtobephysicalintherungame.Hetaughtmealotintherungame.IfeltlikeIhadsomeofthepass-catchingskills,but(MontielandCross)helpedmebecomeacompletetightend.”DykessaidMontielattendedthehomewinoverUCLAlastmonthandspentmuchofthetimeleaningoverthewallfromhisfirst-rowseatandshoutingencouragement.“Hestillremembersalltheplays,”Dykessaid.“Andhenoticedwhenweweredoingwellandmadesuretotellusaboutit.”Dykesappearedin10gamesasafreshmanandmadehisfirststartinaroadgameatNo.24/25Navy.AgainsttheMidshipmen,hehauledinonepassforacareer-best30-yardreception.Dykestiedthatcareer-longreceptionwhenhepulledina30-yardscoringstrikefromRileyFergusonintheOct.6victoryatConnecticut.Thetouchdowncatchwasthefirstofhiscareer.AtManuelHighinHouston,hecaught83passesfor1,454yardsand29touchdownsinthreeseasons.Fourteenofthosetouchdownreceptionscameduringhissenioryear.“IthoughtIwouldbecatchingmorepassesherethanblocking,”Dykessaid.“Inhighschool,IwasanoutsidereceiverlikeAnthonyMillerandKedarianJones.But,assoonasIgothere,theyquicklytoldmeIwasgoingtohavetobemorephysical,andIwasgoingtohavetoblockifIwantedtogettheball.”Dykesgotthemessage.HehasbecomeabetterblockertwoyearsintohisTigerscareer.“Rightnow,JoeyandSeanarelearningbothtightendandH-back(responsibilites),”Dickeysaid.“Weutilizetheminthoseroles.We’reveryhappywithwhattheseguysaredoingrightnow.”At6-7and285pounds,Dill,whoplayedleftandrighttackleinareserverolelastseason,isa“short-yardage,blocking-type”tightend,accordingtoDickey.“Icamehereasatightend(in2015),butthenewstaffmovedmetooffensiveline,”Dillsaid.“I’mstilldoingoffensiveline,butIplaytightendinthegoal-linepackage.It’sreallyacomfortablepositionforme.Itjustcomesnaturally.”


TheyCallHim“Pop”

By:JenHannah,www.gotigersgo.comOctober27,2017Quick.Hard-working.Humble.That’sjust“Pop.”Whois“Pop,”youmightask?And,whywoulda20-year-oldfootballplayerbecalledthat?Well,here’stheanswer:“ItoriginallycamefrommydadwhenIwasfirstborn.Hecalledme,‘Poppy,’”saidJohn“Pop”Williams,asophomorewidereceiverfortheTigers.“WhenIstartedplayingsports,allofmyfriendsjustshorteneditupandcalledme‘Pop.’”PriortocomingtoMemphis,itwasprettyevidentthatWilliamshaddefinedhimself.EveryoneinsouthernLouisianaknewwho“Pop”was.Theyoungestoffourchildren,Williamsranwithhisnickname,andnotonlyonthefieldwithhissuccessesatDestrehanHighSchool,butalsointheclassroomwhereevenhisteacherscalledhimbythemoniker.UponhisarrivaltoMemphis,thenicknamestuck,butfordifferentreasons.“That’sbeenhisnicknamesincehegothere,”saidfellowwidereceiverAnthonyMiller.“Onthefield,he’ssoquickandelusive.Thatnamefitshimwell.”Eventhoughthenicknamestuck,WilliamsjoinedtheMemphisreceivingcorpsatatimewheretherewereseveraltalentedveteransaheadofhimonthesquad.SomeofthoseplayersareMillerandPhilMayhue,andlastseason,therealsowasDanielHurd.ItforcedWilliamstoredefinehimselfinadifferentsense.“HereatMemphis,we’reallaboutwork,”addedMiller.“Whenhecamein,wetoldhimthat.Wetoldhimitwasn’tgoingtobeeasytoplayhere,andheacceptedthechallengerightoffthebat.Everydayhecomestowork.He’seagertolearneveryday,andthat’swhatmakeshimagoodplayer.”Asafreshmanin2016,Williamssawactioninall13gamesinvariousroles.Sometimes,he’dcomeinatwidereceiver.Othertimes,he’dbetheTigerspuntreturner.Whateverthesituationwas,Williamswasdeterminedtomakethemostofeveryopportunityhehadonthefield.Whenaskedabouthisfavoritefootballmemory,hisresponseisn’tthatofaspecificvictoryorgame-winningplay.It’saboutjusthavingtheopportunity.“Justbeingouthere.Beingapartofit,watchingtheguysandlearningeverychanceIget,”saidWilliams.Havingthatmentalitydoesn’tgounnoticedbyhisfellowteammatesandcoaches.“He’sverycapableofbreakingjustabouteverybody’srecordsbecausehe’ssoexplosive,”saidwidereceiverscoachDavidJohnson.“Whenhehastheballinhishands,hecantakeitthedistanceatanytime.HeremindsyouofayoungerAnthonyMiller,asheiscapableofdoingeverythingAnthonydid.”


Milleradded,“Everythingisalearningexperienceand‘Pop’embracesthat.We’renotgoingtosugarcoatanything.Coach(Mike)Norvellalwaystellstheguysnottohaveanattitudewhenwearetoldsomething.”BeforecomingtoMemphis,WilliamshadalreadyexperiencedthestraightforwardapproachNorvellhaswithhisplayersandstaff.Whilestillinhighschool,NorvellhadhiseyeonWilliamsevenbeforehewasnamedtheTigersheadcoachinDecemberof2014.“OnethingIcansayaboutCoachNorvellisthathealwayskeptitrealwithme,”saidWilliams.“Healwaystoldmehowhewasgoingtoofferascholarship,butitwasalluptomewhetherornotIwasgoingtobeabletoplaymyfreshmanyearbygettingallofmyplaysdown.Hewastheonlycoachwhotoldmethat.”Evolvingintoaquietleader,Williamscontinuestoprovehimselftobeworthyoftimeonthefield.Afteronlysevengamesin2017,healreadyhasmorereceptions,moretotalyards,moretacklesonspecialteams,andmorepuntreturnopportunitiesthanallofhisfreshmancampaign.“He’smoreofaleaderlikePhilMayhue,heleadsbyexample,”addedJohnson.“Hedoesn’thavetosaymuch,butwhenhedoestalk,peoplelisten.He’sgoingtobeareallygoodleader,andhe’salreadyguidingsomeoftheyoungerguyslikeDamonteCoxie.”Williams,though,isjustcontentlearningandgrowingintothebest“Pop”hecanbe.“I’mjustahumbleguyandthatwillneverchange.Itdoesn’tmatterhowmuchfameIget,howmuchcloutIget,Iwillalwaysstaythesame,”saidWilliams.Anotherthingthatwon’tchange–“Pop”continuingtomakeanameforhimself.


Speedingticket

By:MarkGiannotto,CommercialAppealOctober27,2017Morethanthethrillingsecond-halfcomeback,oreventhegame-winningtouchdownpass,MemphisoffensivecoordinatorDarrellDickeywillrememberthehalftimelockerroomatHoustonlastThursdaynight.

TheplayerswereallsittingtherewhencoachMikeNorvellwalkedin,waitingtohearhowthe36-yearoldformerwidereceiverwouldreacttotheprevious30minutesofaction.ForjustthethirdtimeinNorvell’ssevenseasonsasaheadcoachoroffensivecoordinator,histeamhadfinishedafirsthalfscoreless.Initially,hisassistantsbegantogooverHouston’sdefensiveadjustmentsandtheTigers’potentialresponse.Here’swhat’shappeningonfirstdown,andhere’swhattheCougarsaredoingdifferentlythanMemphisexpected.

Norvelllistened,andthendecidedonasimplesolution.

“Let’sjuststickwithourstuff,”DickeyrecalledNorvellsayinginthatmoment.“Therewasn’tanypanicinhim.”

HowMemphisendedupwiththisoffense

“Ourstuff,”iswhyMemphis(6-1,3-1AAC)continuestobeoneofthemostprolificoffensesinthecountryenteringFriday’sgameagainstTulane(3-4,1-2)atLibertyBowlMemorialStadium(7p.m.CT,CBSSN).

It’salsothereasonNorvellwillbeatrendynameoncollegefootball’scoachingcarouselthisoffseason,particularlyiftheTigersareabletocloseoutthisyearbyqualifyingfortheAmericanAthleticConferencechampionshipgameandaNewYear’sSixbowlgame.

Memphisranks14thinthecountryinscoring(40.6points)and15thintotaloffense(492.1).QuarterbackRileyFergusonisamongthenation’sleadersinpassingyards(2,285)andtouchdowns(20),whilewidereceiverAnthonyMilleristhirdinthecountryinreceivingyardspergame(112)andsecondintouchdowns(nine).

OnlythreeoftheTigers’41scoringdriveshavelastedlongerthanfourminutes.

Beneathalltheseoffensivefireworks,though,isanup-temposchemethatMillerdescribedas“hardtolearn”atfirstand“likeclockwork”onceyoudopickitup.Norvellisthemastermindbehinditallandhelpedre-settheprogram’svisionevenbeforearrivingoncampusinDecember2015.

ItwasformerTigerscoachJustinFuentewhodecidedtoswitchtothisstyleofoffenseaheadofquarterbackPaxtonLynch’sfreshmanyearin2013.Beforedoingso,hevisitedwithNorvell,thentheoffensivecoordinatoratArizonaState,forthreedays.

Fuente“stolealotofideas,”accordingtoDickey,whoalsoservedasFuente’soffensivecoordinator.

“Wedecidedtogotothenohuddle,gotothistempo,andwedidanditwaseffectiveforus.Butitwasn’tneartothislevel,”Dickeysaid.“Forwhatweweredoing,thisisaspeedingticket.”

Atitscore,theoffenseboilsdownto“newpresentationsofthesameconcepts,”Dickeynoted.Norvellcallsitaspreadoffensewithpro-styletendencies.


Memphiscanoftenconfuseopponentssimplybyrunningvariationsofthesameplayoutofdifferentformations.

“You’rethrowingabunchofthingsatadefensethatisverycomplicatedforthemtodigest,”Dickeysaid.“Butit’sveryrepetitiveforus.It’sjustdifferentpeopledoingthejobs.”

Whythere’sbeenimprovementthisyear

CenterDrewKysersaiditbecameobvioushalfwaythroughlastseasonthattheTigerswerebeginningtomastertheunderlyingprinciplesoftheoffense.

Fergusonhasgrownintohisrolebeyondbeingatalentedpasser,whetherit’schanginghisprotectionatthelineofscrimmageorcallinganaudible,accordingtoNorvell.TakelastThursdayatHouston,whenMemphisran18passplaysandjustfourrunsduringthefirstquarter.Almostallofthoseplaycallswererun-passoptionswhereFergusonreadthedefenseanddeterminedwhethertothrowtheballorhandittoatailback.

“Rileywasrightmostofthetime,”Dickeysaid.

“Everybodyhasgottenmorecomfortable,andIthinkthat’swhywe’reabletodomorethingsthisyear,”Fergusonadded.“Theydefinitelyfititaroundtheplayers,buttheplayershavetogoinandbelieveinthesystemandgetthejobdone.”

WiththedepartureofformeroffensivecoordinatorChipLongtoNotreDamethisoffseason,Norvellsaidheiscallingtheplaysduringeachgame.DickeyservesasNorvell’s“eyeinthesky,”fromthecoachesboxalongwithquarterbacks/tightendscoachKennyDillinghamandgraduateassistantAustinTucker.

ButtheirroleistoconfirmtoNorvellwhatthedefenseisdoing.

“Oncehegetstheinformation,heknowsexactlywhathewantstorun,”Dickeysaid.

“Italwaysevolvestothepersonnelyouhave,”Norvellsaid.“Ifyou’renotputtingyourplayersinapositiontobesuccessful,you’renotaverygoodcoach.

“That’sthebiggestthingforus.Welookatwhatwehave.Wewanttomakesurethatthisoffenseevolvesaroundthemandwhattheirstrengthsandtalentsare,andthenobviouslythere’sthingsyoulearnfromyourteam.

“We’vedonesomethingsthroughoutthisyearthatattimeshaven’tbeenbestforwhoweare,butthat’swhyyouhavetolearnfromtheseexperiences.”

ButinspiteoftheTigers’statisticalsuccessandtheirskillpositiontalent,alackofconsistentproductionthisyearstillirksplayersandcoaches.AsNorvellputit,“thebigplayshaveshownup,butwe’vegottoeliminatesomeofthemissedopportunities.”

Fergusonfindsit“unbelievable”Memphisrankssohighlyinsomanyoffensivecategoriesrightnow.“Itjustshowshowgoodweareandwhatwecanreallygooutandaccomplish,”hesaid.

ThatbeliefresonatedfromcoachtoplayerinthehalftimelockerroomatHouston,longbeforetheTigersembarkedontheirdramaticcomeback.

“Wewereconfident,”Kysersaid,“andwetrustedthissystem.”


Smashingrecords,teachinglessons

By:GeoffCalkins,CommercialAppealOctober29,2017Heattendedthesigningceremony.WhenAnthonyMillerwasasenioratChristianBrothersHighSchool,heattendedthesigningceremonyalongwitheveryoneelse.Hesatatalongtable.HeputonaMemphishat.Heposedforphotosandhepickedupapenandhesignedthepaperthatwasinfrontofhim.

Except,forMiller,thatpaperwasdifferentthanfortheotherplayers.

“Therewasnothingonit,”hesaid.“Itwasjustapieceofpaper.Istillhavethepicture.”

It’sareminderofhowfarMillerhascome.

FromafterthoughttopotentialAll-American.

Fromwalk-ontothemostprolificreceiverinMemphishistory.

WhenMillercaughta12-yardpassattheendofthefirstquarterinFridaynight’s56-26winoverTulane,hebecametheschool’scareerleaderinreceivingyardswith2,987.

“It’samazing,”Millersaid.“It’sjustcrazyhowhardworkgetsyoutoplacesthatyouwanttobe.”

Whichisthemoralofthisstory,ofcourse,andreasonenoughtotellitagainandagain.

Millerwasn’tsomeslouchinhighschool.Hecaught14touchdownpassesatChristianBrothersandendedhiscareerastheschool’s—notethetheme—all-timeleaderinreceivingyards.

Buthewastooshort.Ortooslow.Ortoowhatever-it-is-that-makes-college-recruiters-overlook-your-actual-production-on-the-field.“TherewerealotofschoolsthatcameandvisitedChristianBrothers,”Millersaid.“Theycamethroughallthetime,Ishookalotofcoaches’hands.”

Noneofthosehandshakescamealongwithascholarshipoffer.Notasingleone.ThebestMillercouldgetwasanofferfromMemphistojointheprogramasapreferredwalk-on.

Thatledtotheblank-piece-of-papersigningceremony.Andthatled—inaveryrealway—towhereMilleristoday.

He’snottheall-timeleaderinreceivingyardsbecauseofhissizeorhisspeedorhiselusivenesswiththeballinhishands.He’stheall-timeleaderinreceivingyardsbecauseherefusedtobeanythingless.

“HisworkethicistrulywhatseparateshimfromalotofgreatplayersthatI’vebeenaround,”saidMemphisheadcoachMikeNorvell.“Heisthebest,hardestworkingplayerI’veeverhadtheopportunitytocoach.”AllofMiller’scoachessayexactlythesamethingaboutMiller.KevinLocastro(Miller’scoachatChristianBrothers)calledhimthebestplayerheevercoached.JustinFuente(Miller’sfirstcoachatMemphis)ravedabouthisworkethic.“IalwaysknewIcouldcompetewiththebigdogsbecauseIbelieveI’mabigdog,”saidMiller.

Therearen’tmanybiggerdogsnow.Lastseason,Millersettheprogram’ssingle-seasonrecordforcatches(95)andreceivingyards(1,434).Nowheownsthecareerrecordfortouchdowncatches(29)andreceivingyards(2,987).


Thecareerrecordforreceptions(Millerhas203,therecordis212)willfallnext.

AndMillerdelivershisbiggestgamesinthebiggestmoments,amongthem:1)10catchesfor132yardsagainstOleMissin20152)10catchesfor132yardsagainstOleMissin20163)9catchesfor134yardsagainstNavyin20164)15catchesfor159yardsagainstHoustonin20165)9catchesfor185yardsagainstUCLAin20176)10catchesfor178yardsagainstHoustonin2017.

DuringtheUCLAgame,NFLHall-of-FamereceiverCrisCarterwasamongthosewhotooknotice,“Formerwalk-on#3AnthonyMillerfromMemphisisaspecialplayer.IseetheNFLinhisfuture.”

SaidMiller:“Thatwascrazy.Iwaslike,`Oneofthegreatestjusttweetedme.’”MorecrazinessmightbeaheadforMiller.Enteringthisweekend’splay,Millerwastheonlyreceiverinthecountrytorankinthetopfiveintouchdownreceptions,yardspergameandreceptionspergame.Ifhecontinuesonthatpace,hedeservestobeanAll-American.

Notbadforakidwhocouldn’tgetmorethansomehandshakeswhenhewasinhighschool.

Notabadlessonfortherestofus.

“IguessI’msendingamessagetokidsthattheymaybedoubtingthemselves,ortheymaynotgetthechancetheywantoffthebat,butyoucandoit,”Millersaid.“Youcandoanythingyouputyourmindto.”

Millerbelievedinhimselfwhenothersdidn’t.Hebelievedthatthekeytoitallwasrelentlesswork.

AftertheTulanegame,areporteraskedMillerwhathewouldhavesaidifsomeonehadtoldhim--waybackwhenhefirstchosetowalkonatMemphis-thathewouldwindupastheleadingreceiverintheprogram’shistory.

“Iwouldhavesaid,`You’reright,’”Millersaid.“`You’reprobablyright.’”


FergusonNamedaFinalistforUnitasGoldenArmAward

www.gotigersgo.comNovember1,2017BALTIMORE,Md.–MemphisseniorquarterbackRileyFergusonhasbeennamedamongthenation'selite,asoneofthe10finalistsfortheJohnnyUnitasGoldenArm.FergusonisoneoftwoquarterbacksfromtheAmericanAthleticConference,joiningUSF'sQuintonFlowers.Finalistsforthe2017JohnnyUnitasGoldenArmAward•J.T.Barrett,OhioState•RileyFerguson,Memphis•RyanFinley,NCState•NickFitzgerald,MississippiSt.•QuintonFlowers,SouthFlorida•KennyHill,TCU•BakerMayfield,Oklahoma•TraceMcSorley,PennSt.•MasonRudolph,OklahomaState•LoganWoodside,ToledoFergusonhascompleted191-of-320passesfor2,583yardsand23TDthisseason.His322.9passingyardspergameisseventhinthenationandthe23TDistiedforthefifth-mostintheFBS.TheMatthews,N.C.native,settheTigerssingle-gamerecordwith471passingyards(33-of-53passing)inthewinoverHouston.The400-yardpassingperformancewasthethirdofhiscareer,aprogramrecord.Itwasalsothe11th300-yardpassinggameofhiscareer,whichissecondonlytoPaxtonLynch's12.HemovedintotheNo.3spotontheTigersall-timepassingyardagechart,with6,281yards.Fergusonalsotiedtheprogram'ssingle-gamerecordwithsevenpassingTDinthewinoverUConn.Hesitsinthirdwith55careerpassingTD.Fergusonsetthesingle-seasonpassingTDrecordwith32lastseason.CandidatesfortheGoldenArmAward–whichhasbeenpresentedattheendofeachcollegefootballseasonsince1987–mustbecollegeseniorsorfourth-yearjuniorsonscheduletograduatewiththeirclass.Inadditiontotheaccomplishmentsonthefield,candidatesarejudgedontheircharacter,citizenship,scholasticachievement,andleadershipqualities.The2017JohnnyUnitasGoldenArmAwardwillbepresentedataceremonyonFriday,December8th,inBaltimore,MD.Forthe2017GoldenArmAwardceremony,TheJohnnyUnitasGoldenArmEducationalFoundation,Inc.willbereturningtothebeautifullyrenovatedEmbassySuitesBaltimoreInnerHarbor&TheGrandforthepresentation.PaststandoutwinnersoftheJohnnyUnitasGoldenArmAward®include:PeytonManning(Tennessee,1997);CarsonPalmer(USC,2002);EliManning(OleMiss,2003);BradyQuinn(NotreDame,2006);MattRyan(BostonCollege,2007);ColtMcCoy(Texas,2009),AndrewLuck(Stanford,2011),MarcusMariota(Oregon,2014)ConnorCook(MichiganState,2015)Lastyear'swinnerDeshaunWatson,Clemson.


FergusonNamedSemifinalistforDaveyO’BrienAward

www.gotigersgo.comNovember7,2017MEMPHIS–SeniorquarterbackRileyFergusonwasoneof16quarterbacksnamedasemifinalistfortheDaveyO'BrienAwardfollowingatabulationoftheresultsoftheDaveyO'BrienNationalSelectionCommittee'sballots,Tuesday.FergusonwasalsonamedasemifinalistfortheUnitasGoldenArmAwardlastweek.Semifinalists• J.T.Barrett(OhioState)• JakeBrowning(Washington)• KellyBryant(Clemson)• SamDarnold(USC)• LukeFalk(WashingtonState)• RileyFerguson(Memphis)• NickFitzgerald(MississippiState)• WillGrier(WestVirginia)• KennyHill(TCU)• JalenHurts(Alabama)• LamarJackson(Louisville)• BakerMayfield(Oklahoma)• TraceMcSorley(PennState)• McKenzieMilton(UCF)• MasonRudolph(OklahomaState)• KhalilTate(Arizona)Fergusonhascompleted498of802attemptsfor27touchdownsthisseason.The27touchdownsisthirdinMemphissingleseasonhistoryandhis59careertouchdownsistiedforsecondinprogramhistorywithformerTigerPaxtonLynch.His2,881yardsthroughninegamesthisseasoniscurrentlyseventhinMemphissingleseasonhistory.AnativeofMatthews,N.C.,Fergusonhastwicepassedforover400yardsthisseasonandhaspassedforover300-yardstwoothertimes.Inthelasttwogamesaspartofafive-gameMemphiswinstreak,Fergusonhaspassedfor298yardsandsevencombinedtouchdowns.AlsoasemifinalistfortheNFFCampbellTrophy,FergusonwasnamedtheWalterCampOffensivePlayeroftheWeekafterMemphis'winoverthen-No.25UCLAandhehelpedMemphisstartitscurrentfive-gamewinningstreakwithawinoverthen-No.25rankedNavy.TheDaveyO'BrienFanVotecountsasfivepercentduringeachroundofthevotingprocess,andiscombinedwiththeresultsfromtheFoundation'snationalselectioncommittee,whichiscomprisedofjournalists,broadcasters,commentatorsandformerwinners.TheFanVoteatVoteOBrien.orgwillreopentoday(Nov.7)andremainopenuntilnoon(CT)onSunday,Nov.19,forthesecondroundofballoting.Fansareinvitedtocasttheirvoteforthenation'sbestcollegequarterbackasoftenasoncedailyperemailaddress.InconjunctionwithESPN,theDaveyO'BrienFoundationandtheSelectionCommitteewillreleasethenamesofthethreefinalistsonTuesday,Nov.21.The2017DaveyO'Brienwinnerwillbeannouncedlive


onTheHomeDepotCollegeFootballAwardsThursday,Dec.7.Previouswinnersinclude:JimMcMahon(BYU,1981),ToddBlackledge(PennState,1982),SteveYoung(BYU,1983),DougFlutie(BostonCollege,1984),ChuckLong(Iowa,1985),VinnyTestaverde(Miami,1986),DonMcPherson(Syracuse,1987),TroyAikman(UCLA,1988),AndreWare(Houston,1989),TyDetmer(BYU,1990-91),GinoTorretta(Miami,1992),CharlieWard(FloridaState,1993),KerryCollins(PennState,1994),DannyWuerffel(Florida,1995-96),PeytonManning(Tennessee,1997),MichaelBishop(KansasState,1998),JoeHamilton(GeorgiaTech,1999),ChrisWeinke(FloridaState,2000),EricCrouch(Nebraska,2001),BradBanks(Iowa,2002),JasonWhite(Oklahoma,2003-04),VinceYoung(Texas,2005),TroySmith(OhioState,2006),TimTebow(Florida,2007),SamBradford(Oklahoma,2008),ColtMcCoy(Texas,2009),CamNewton(Auburn,2010),RobertGriffinIII(Baylor,2011),JohnnyManziel(TexasA&M,2012),JameisWinston(FloridaState,2013),MarcusMariota(Oregon,2014)andDeshaunWatson(Clemson,2015-16).The41stAnnualDaveyO'BrienAwardsDinnerwillbeheldMonday,Feb.19,2018,atTheFortWorthClubinFortWorth,Texas.


LBGenardAverystayedatMemphis,anditpayedoff

By:MarkGiannotto,CommercialAppealNovember3,2017CoachMikeNorvellsaidhestoodinfrontoftheMemphisfootballteamearlierthisweekandmadesuretopraisetheeffortsofseniorGenardAvery.

InthemidstofthebeststatisticalstretchofhiscollegecareerheadingintoFridaynight’sgameatTulsa,thelinebackerisincreasinglybeingusedasadefensiveendwithgreatsuccess.Justlastweek,AveryaccumulatedanAmericanAthleticConferencerecord5.5tacklesforlossandacareer-best3.5sacksagainstTulane.

Hewasnamedtheleague’sdefensiveplayeroftheweek,cappingoffathree-gamesurgeinwhichhedominatedthelineofscrimmageasanedgerusher.

It’sthesortofmomentthatforcedNorvelltoreflectonAvery’splaceamongthegreatestTigers’footballplayers,andhowhistenureatMemphisalmostendedprematurelylessthantwoyearsago.

“ThethingI’llbeforevergratefulfor,”Norvellsaid,“ishegavemeachance.”

BackinFebruary2016,justtwomonthsafterNorvellhadbeenhiredatMemphis,aRivalsreportercaughtAveryinanunguardedmoment.

Followinganencouragingsophomorecampaigninwhichhestartedsevengamesbeforeaseason-endingwristinjury,theGrenada,Miss.,nativeexpressedadesiretotransfertoOleMissandbeclosertohome.HesaidtheRebelswerehisdreamschoolcomingoutofhighschool,butthatNorvellhadblockedhisreleasetoOleMissandMississippiState.

NorvellsaidthisweekAverywasthefirstplayertomeetwithhimupontakingthejobwiththeTigers.HispitchwasonlythatAverygivethisstaffanopportunitytoearnhistrust.

“Idon’teventhinkhewasintheofficeanhourandIwantedtomakeadecision,”Averyrecalled.

WhyAverydidn’tturnproearly

NorvellultimatelywonoutandAveryelectedtoremainatMemphis.ThatleapoffaithwasrewardedwhenAveryearnedfirstteamAll-AAChonorsafterleadingtheTigersintacklesforloss(11)andsacks(5)andreturningtwointerceptionsfortouchdownsasajunior.

ButthatsuccessgavehimanotheropeningtoleaveMemphis.

The6-foot-1,255-poundplaymakerpondereddeclaringfortheNFLdraftthispastoffseason.Self-awarenesstookovertoacertainextent.AsinsidelinebackerscoachDanLanningexplained:“Genardknewtherewereareasofhisgamethathewantedtoimprovebeforehechasedthat.”

Morethananything,though,Averylongedtobeattheschoolheoncesoughttoleave.

“Everythinghappensforareason,man,andIloveithere,”Averysaid.“IloveeverythingaboutMemphisand,youknow,themistakesthatImade,Ilearnfromtoday.I’vematuredsomuchthroughouttheyearsI’vebeenhereandit’sbeengreat.”

“Iwantedtograduateanddosomethingweneverdidwiththisprogram:Winaconferencechampionshipandabowlgame.”


WhatthisyearmeansforAvery’sfuture

Thesedays,Avery’strustinthecoachingstaffisunflinchingandtheimprovementthisMemphisdefensehasshowninrecentweeksdirectlycorrelatestohisversatility.He’sonpacetosetcareerhighsintacklesandsackseventhoughhispositioncanchangefromdown-to-down.

Averynotedplayingalongtheedgeinvolves“lessthinking”thanlinebackerandcomesmorenaturallytohim.Theabilitytoexcelintheboxandalongthelineofscrimmage,however,willmakehimattractivetoNFLteams.

Norvell,meanwhile,ismakingsureeveryoneatMemphissavorsAvery’slastfewgameshere.

“GenardAveryisgoingtohavehispictureinthisbuildingfortherestofhislife,”Norvellsaid.“Whathe’sdonehereandthecommitmenthe’smadetothisprogram,he’llalwaysbeenremembered.”

“Istayed,”addedAvery,“andthat’sthebestdecisionImade.”


MillerNamedSemifinalistforBurlsworthTrophy

www.gotigersgo.comNovember7,2017MEMPHIS–SeniorwidereceiverAnthonyMillerwasnamedoneof10semifinalistsfortheBurlsworthTrophy,awardedtothemostoutstandingfootballplayerinAmericawhobeganhiscareerasawalk-on.ThetrophyisnamedinhonorofBrandonBurlsworth,whowalkedonatArkansasin1994andworkedhiswaytoathree-yearstarterandAll-Americanhonorsin1998.Burlsworthwasselected63rdoverallbytheIndianapolisColtsin1999,butwastragicallykilledinacaraccident11dayslater.Hislifewasthesubjectofamajormotionpicture"Greater,"whichwasreleasedlastyear.TheBurlsworthFoundationwascreatedinhismemoryandsupportsthephysicalandspiritualneedsofchildren,inparticularthosewhohavelimitedopportunities.The10semifinalistsforthisyear'sBurlsworthTrophyare:• LeightonVanderEsch,BoiseState,Linebacker,Jr.• PatrickLaird,Cal,RB,Jr.• AaronDavis,Georgia,DB,Sr.• TrentTanking,KansasState,LB,Sr.• AnthonyMiller,Memphis,WR,Sr.• AustinCorbett,Nevada,OL,Sr.• BakerMayfield,Oklahoma,QB,Sr.• HaydenHurst,SouthCarolina,TE,Jr.• LukeFalk,WashingtonState,QB,Sr.• TroyFumagalli,Wisconsin,TE,Sr.Miller,whowalkedonatMemphisin2013,missedthe2014seasonduetoashoulderinjury.HesteppedintotheTigerlineupin2015and34gameslater,heholdsthecareerreceivingyardsrecordatMemphis(3,033),andisjustfourcatchesawayfromthecareerreceptionsrecord(212)currentlyheldbyDukeCalhoun(2006-09).His30receivingtouchdownssmashedthepreviousrecordof22heldbyCarlosSingleton(2006-09)andheisjust95yardsfromasecondstraight1,000-yardreceivingseason.OnlyMillerandNFLstarIsaacBrucehaveturnedin1,000-yardreceivingseasonsinMemphishistory.Athree-yearletterwinnerfortheTigers,MillerrankssecondintheAmericanAthleticConferencewith7.4receptionspergameandsecondwith100.6receivingyardspergame.League-leadingTreyQuinnofSMUwillbeonthefieldwithMillerintheTigers'nextouting,asMemphishostsSMU,Saturday,Nov.18thfollowingabye.TicketsfortheWestDivisionshowdownintheAmericanAthleticConferenceareavailablenowatwww.GoTigersGoTix.com.


ImprovedMemphisO-linedeservessomeofthespotlight

By:MarkGiannotto,CommercialAppealNovember7,2017MemphisrunningbackPatrickTaylorJr.andrightguardGabeKuhnapproachedthemicrophonesimultaneouslylastweek,eachreadytofulfillhismediaobligationsasquicklyaspossibleafteratwo-hourpractice.Soforamoment,theyarguedoverwhoshouldgofirst.Kuhn,afifth-yearseniorwhohasstartedeverygamehe’splayedinatMemphis,initiallyclaimedseniority.Taylor,however,wasthemorepersistentofthetwo,andthesophomoreeventuallyconvincedKuhntocedethespotlight.

Asanoffensivelinemaninthishigh-poweredTigers’offense,it’safeelinghe’sgottenusedtoatthispoint.

“Theonlytimewegetmentionedgenerallyiswhensomethingbadhappens,andhopefullyournamesstayoutofthatspotlight,”offensivelinecoachRyanSilverfieldsaid.“Thespotlightisnotforus.”

Butit’sbecomingdifficulttonotpayattentiontotheaccomplishmentsoftheMemphisoffensivelineoverthepastyear,evenastheteam'scadreofskillpositiontalentdrawsmoreattentionwitheachwinthisseason.

WhatdostatssayabouttheTigers'O-line?

CoachMikeNorvellsaidlastweekhewishedtherewerestatisticalcategoriestodemonstratetheindividualimprovementsmadebyKuhn,lefttackleTrevonTate,leftguardDustinWoodard,centerDrewKyserandrighttackleRogerJoseph.That’sthequintetthathasstartedallbutonegamethisyear.

HeadingintotheTigers’byeweek,however,thereareseveralteamstatisticsthatshowjusthoweffectivetheunithasbecome.

Memphishasgivenupjust10sacksthroughninegames,tiedfor11thintheentirecountry.ButnoneoftheteamsthathaveallowedfewersackshaveattemptedasmanypassesastheTigersthisseason.

TheyarealsoonpacetoallowthefewestsacksbyaMemphisfootballteaminatleastadecade.Ayearago,opponentshad35sacksagainsttheTigers'offense.

Inaddition,Memphisisaveraging5.2yardsperrushthisseason,upfrom4.3yardsin2016.SophomoreDarrellHendersonleadstheway,averaging8.2yardspercarry.NoTigersfootballplayereverhasfinishedaseasonaveragingmorethan7.6yardsinthatcategory.

It’sallthemorerewardinggiventhecriticismtheoffensivelinefacedduringNorvell’sfirstseasonatMemphis.Kuhn,forone,called2016a“terrible,terribleyear”forhisunitandthat'wedon’twantanythinglikethattohappenagain.'

EvenNorvellsaidlastweektheoffensivelinewas“oneofthebiggestquestionmarksandthegroupthathasbeentalkedaboutthemost”enteringthisyear.

“Itlefteverysingleoneofuswithachiponourshoulder,butitwastoughattimes,”Kuhnsaidoflastseason.“Itgetsdiscouragingwhenyouhearalltheoutsidestuff,butattheendoftheday,you’vegottotrytoblockitoutandmakesureitdoesn’taffectyouonthefield.”

WhyistheMemphisO-linebetter?


AllofthoseinvolvedintheMemphisoffense,fromSilverfieldandNorvelltoKuhnandquarterbackRileyFerguson,saidtheline’sprogressismostlythankstoexperienceandcomfortinNorvell’sscheme.Thelinemenhaveabetterunderstandingofwhat’sneededoneachplay,andthat,inturn,hasledtobetterfootwork,moreconfidenceandtheabilitytoplayfaster,Silverfieldsaid.

Thefivestartershave139combinedstartsbetweenthematthispoint.EvenmorepromisingisthateveryonebutKuhnwillbebacknextseason.

“ThewordIwoulduseisconsistency,”Silverfieldsaid.“Thedevelopmentofoffensivelinemendoesn’thappenovernight.”

KuhnandKyserbothsaidtheoffensiveline,ingeneral,preferstoblockforrunningplays,especiallythesevenrunsof50ormoreyardstheTigershavepulledoffthisseason.Butthey’vealsotakenparticularprideinkeepingFergusonuprightforthemostpart.

“Everytimeweseemtokeeppeopleoffhim,hemakesabigplay,”Kuhnsaid.“Itrustthem,”Fergusonadded.“Iknowthey’regoingtogooutthereandblocktheirtailsoffforme.”

ThatdynamicwashighlightedFridaynightatTulsa,whenMemphisbeganthesecondhalfwitha17-play,90-yarddrive.ThesequenceendedwithNorvellcallingfourstraightrunplaysinsidethe2-yardline.

Onfourth-and-goal,thegame’sofficialplay-by-playsimplystatedTaylorrushedfora1-yardtouchdown.Butitwasalsomoreproofthat,underneaththisdynamicoffense,isalinethatthisteamnowhasfaithin.

“Thebuy-inthatthey’vehad,thegrowth,it’sbeenfuntosee,”Norvellsaid.


MillerNamedBiletnikoffAwardSemifinalist

www.gotigersgo.comNovember13,2017MEMPHIS–SeniorwidereceiverAnthonyMillerhasbeennameda2017BiletnikoffAwardsemifinalistitwasannouncedbytheTallahasseeQuarterbackClubFoundation,Monday.Theseniorisoneof10semifinalistsfortheawardpresentedannuallytocollegefootball'soutstandingreceiveratanyposition.MillerrecentlybecametheUniversityofMemphis'all-timeleadingreceiverinawinoverTulaneandentersSaturday'smatch-upwithSMUwith3,033receivingyardsand30receivingtouchdowns,bothMemphisrecords.Heneedsjustfourmorecatchestobecometheprogram'sall-timeleaderinthatcategoryaswell.Sofarthisseason,Millerhas67catchesfor905yardsand11touchdowns.Heneedsjust95yardstobecomethefirstTigerinschoolhistorytohavemultiple1,000yardreceivingseasons.Asofnow,justheandNFLstarIsaacBrucehaverecorded1,000yardreceivingseasonsfortheTigers.Inthesinglegamerecordbook,MilleralsoholdsMemphismarksformostpassreceptions(15),mostyardsreceiving(250)andmosttouchdownreceptions(4).Lastweek,hewasalsonamedasemifinalistfortheBurlsworthTrophy,awardedtothemostoutstandingfootballplayerinAmericanwhobeganhiscareerasawalk-on.MillerisoneoftwoplayersfromtheAmericanAthleticConferencetomakethesemifinalistlist.SMU'sTreyQuinnalsomadethecutto10semifinalists.• DarrenAndrews,UCLA• A.J.Brown,OleMiss• DeontayBrunett,USC• KekeCoutee,TexasTech• MichaelGallup,ColoradoState• SteveIshmael,Syracuse• AnthonyMiller,Miller• TreyQuinn,SMU• DavidSillsV,WestVirginia• JamesWashington,OklahomaStateThetwoplayerswillbeonthesamefieldthisSaturdayatLibertyBowlMemorialStadium,whenMemphisfacesSMUat11:00a.m.(CT)inaWestDivisiongamethatwillalsobeshownonESPNews.Ticketsforthatgameareavailableatwww.gotigersgotix.com.


MillerNamedFinalistforBurlsworthTrophy

www.gotigersgo.comNovember14,2017MEMPHIS–SeniorwidereceiverAnthonyMillerhasbeennamedoneoffourfinalistsforthe2017BurlsworthTrophyitwasannouncedbytheBurlsworthSelectionCommittee,Tuesday.Theotherthreefinalistsincludetwo-timeBurlsworthTrophywinnerBakerMayfieldofOklahoma,two-timefinalistLukeFalkofWashingtonStateandWisconsintightendTroyFumagalli."Ourselectioncommitteevotenecessitatedbringinginafourthfinalistthisyear,andwe'reexcitedtohonortheseoutstandingplayersinSpringdale,Ark.,onDecember4th,"saidBurlsworthTrophyCEOMartyBurlsworth.Miller,whowasnamedoneof10semifinalistsfortheBiletnikoffAwardonMonday,willendhiscareeratMemphisastheprogram'sall-timeleadingreceiver.Heentersthematch-upagainstSMUonSaturdaywith3,033careerreceivingyardswith30receivingtouchdowns,bothschoolrecords.Heneedsjustfourmorecatchestobecometheprogram'sall-timeleaderinthatcategoryaswell.Sofarin2017,Millerhas67catchesfor905yardsand11touchdowns.Heneedsjust95yardstobecomethefirstTigerinschoolhistorytohavemultiple1,000yardreceivingseasons.Asofnow,justheandNFLstarIsaacBrucehaverecorded1,000yardseasons.Miller,whodidnothaveawrittenscholarshipofferafterhisgraduationfromChristianBrothersHighSchool,walkedonatMemphisin2013andredshirttheseason.Hesufferedashoulderinjurybeforethe2014season,forcinghimtomissthatentireyear.In2015,Millersetsingleseasonrecordsforreceivingyards(1,434),catches(95)andtouchdownreceptions(14).Fansareallowedtovotefortheirfavoriteplayerviathe"GREATER"FanVote.Votingcanbeaccessedatburlsworthtrophy.com.Fansarelimitedtoonevoteperday,andthevotingwillconcludeonNovember29at12:00a.m.CST.The4finalistswillbehonoredandthewinnerofthe2017BurlsworthTrophywillbeannouncedDec.4atabanquetinSpringdale,Ark.,hostedbytheBrandonBurlsworthFoundation,inconjunctionwithSpringdaleRotaryClub.ThetrophyisnamedinhonorofBrandonBurlsworth.WithoutoneD1scholarshipoffer,BrandonwalkedontotheArkansasteamin1994,workedhiswaytobeingathree-yearstarterandwaseventuallynamedanAll-Americanin1998.Burlsworthwasselectedasthe63rdoverallpickbytheIndianapolisColtsinthe1999NFLdraft,butwastragicallykilledinacaraccident11dayslater.TheBurlsworthFoundationwascreatedinhismemoryandsupportsthephysicalandspiritualneedsofchildren,inparticularthosechildrenwhohavelimitedopportunities.TheFanVotecountsas5percentduringeachroundofvoting,anditiscombinedwiththeresultsfromtheSelectionCommittee.Fanscancasttheirvoteforthenation'smostoutstandingplayerwhobeganhiscareerasawalk-ononceperday.FanVotetotalsareclearedaftereachround.FormoreinformationabouttheBurlsworthTrophy,visitburlsworthtrophy.com.


JoeAllisontobeInductedtoTennesseeSportsHallofFame

www.gotigersgo.comNovember16,2017MEMPHIS–Formerplace-kickerJoeAllisonhasbeennamedtothe2018TennesseeSportsHallofFameclassitwasannounced,Thursday.Allison,theinauguralwinneroftheLouGrozaAward,stillranksthirdinMemphishistorywith51fieldgoalsmadeand262pointskicking.AmemberoftheMemphisrosterfrom1990-1993,AllisonleftMemphiswithanumberofcareerkickingrecords,includingbecomingthefirstkickerinMemphishistorytoscore100pointsinaseason.OnlyJakeElliott(2014-2016)andStephenGostkowski(2003-05)havealsorecorded100pluspointseasons.Inhisfouryears,Allisonwas51-for-71infieldgoalattempts,andatonepointin1992,converted13straightattempts.His23fieldgoalsin1992,theyearhewonthefirst-everLouGrozaAward,isstilltiedfortheMemphissingleseasonrecord(withJakeElliottfrom2015)andhis92percentkickratein1992isstillsecondonlytoRyanWhite's16-for-16seasonin1998.In1992,Allisonmade23-of-25fieldgoalattemptsandconvertedall32extrapointattemptshetried.HewasnamedanAssociatedPressAll-American,becomingthefirstplayerforthen-MemphisStatetoearnfirstteamAll-AmericanhonorsfromtheAP.AllisonsignedwiththeTampaBayBuccaneersoftheNFLbeforeleavingfootballtoopenhisownbusinessinAtlanta,Georgia.HewasinductedtotheMClubHallofFamein1999.Thecomplete12-memberclassforthe2018TennesseeSportsHallofFameis:• JoeAllison,UniversityofMemphis• AllanHouston,UniversityofTennessee• JohnnieJones,UniversityofTennessee• RaleighMcKenzie,UniversityofTennessee• ReggieMcKenzie,UniversityofTennessee• TimMack,2004OlympicGoldMedalistPoleVaulter• GeorgeQuarles,MaryvilleHighSchool/FurmanUniversity• ChuckKriese,WinningestcoachinACCTennisHistory• JackiePope,MiddleTennessee• IsabelleDanielsHolston,TennesseeState(posthumous)• GlennMcCadams,LipscombAcademy(posthumous)• BlaineBishop,TennesseeTitans• JamesHaslamII,PatSummittLifetimeAchievementAwardrecipientThebanquetwillbeheldonSaturday,June16attheOmni-NashvilleHotel.TicketsandsponsorpackagesfortheinductionbanquetweekendcanbepurchasedbycontactingLynnPowellToyat615-202-3996orbyemailinglynnpowelltoy@gmail.com.TheSportsHallofFame,whichhelditsfirstinductionbanquetin1966,hasasitsgoaltoenshrinesuccessfulteamsandindividualswhodisplaysportsmanship,goodcharacterandsuccess,creatingalegacyforotherstofollow.TheTennesseeSportsHallofFameMuseumishousedinsidetheBridgestoneArenainNashville.TheTennesseeSportsHallofFame,a501c3,paystributetoallthosewhohavemadeanimpactthroughsportsinTennessee.TheHallsubscribestotheprinciplethatsportsservesociety'shighestidealsbyeducatingyouththroughsports.Itpromotesthevirtuesofcompetition,fairplay,friendship,solidarity,mutualunderstandingandrespectforhumandignity.Thebestwaytohonoroursportslegendsistopassthislegacydowntofuturegenerations.


AustinHallNamedtoCoSIDAAcademicAll-DistrictTeam

www.gotigersgo.comNovember16,2017MEMPHIS–SophomoreAustinHallhasbeennamedtotheCoSIDAAcademicAll-DistrictTeamandwillnowappearontheCoSIDAAcademicAll-Americaballotitwasannounced,Thursday.Hall,whoisajuniorintheclassroom,carriesa3.45GPAinCriminalJusticeandistheTigers'leadingtacklerwith66totaltackles.NamedtheBronkoNagurskiDefensivePlayeroftheWeekoncethisseasonandanAmericanAthleticConferenceDefensivePlayeroftheWeekonce,Hallistiedfortheteamleadwithtwofumblerecoveries,whilehisthreeinterceptionsissecondontheteam.TheCollierville,Tenn.,nativehasplayedin20careergames,includingninestraightstartsaftermissingthelasttwogamesoflastseasonduetoinjury.Against#25Navy,Hallfinishedwith10tackles,thenacareer-high,andaddedonefumblerecoveryandtwointerceptions.Twoweekslater,Hallfinishedwith11tacklesandafumblerecoveryintheendzoneinawinoverTulane.ThisisthethirdstraightseasonthatMemphishashadanacademicall-districthonoree.In2015,CharlesHarrisearnedacademicall-districthonors.Lastyear,JakeElliottandDanielMontielwerenamedAcademicAll-Americansaftermakingtheall-districtteam,justthesecondtimeinschoolhistorythatMemphishadtwohonoreesontheacademicsquadinthesameseason.HallandhisMemphisteammatesarepreparingforanAmericanAthleticConferenceWestDivisionshowdownonSaturdaywhenSMUanditshigh-flyingoffensevisitLibertyBowlMemorialStadium.Thatgamewillfeaturetwoofthetop10scoringoffensesinthecountry.MemphiscurrentlyrankssixthintheNCAAwith42.3ppgandSMUisninthwith39.6ppg.Ticketsforthat11a.m.(CT)Saturdaymatchuponareonsalenowatwww.GoTigersGoTix.comorbycalling901-678-2331.


Packsapunch

By:MarkGiannotto,CommercialAppealNovember17,2017ThewhistleblewduringMemphisfootballpracticeandcornerbackTitoWindhambeganexchangingpuncheswithascoutteamreceiverafterajarringhitincoverage.

SeniorPhilMayhue,whohadhisownscufflewithWindhamduringpassingdrillsaweekearlier,walkeduptothefrayandbeganyellingatWindham.Thetwohadtobeheldbackbyteammatesandcoachesbeforetheskirmishescalatedfurther.WhenremindedabouttheepisodeonTuesday,Mayhuelaughed.

“Itgetsheatedoutthere,butwesquashedit.He’sverycompetitive,andhe’saveryaggressiveplayer,”Mayhueexplained.“HedoeshisjobonSaturdays,sothat’sallIcanaskfor.ButIwouldn’tbesurprisedifhegetsunderotherpeople’sskin.”

WhatgivesTitoWindhamthatedge

WindhamisembracingtheroleofresidentpestontheTigers’defenseenteringSaturday’sgameatSMU(11a.m.,ESPNews),andhe’snowentrenchedasastarteratapositionofneedduringhisfirstyearwiththeprogram.

Thejuniorhas24tacklesandleadstheteaminforcedfumbles(3),includingacrucialonelateinacome-from-behindwinatHoustonlastmonth.

CoachMikeNorvellsaidWindham’srelativelysmoothtransition,alongwiththeascensionoffreshmancornerbackT.J.Carterontheothersideofthefield,havebeen“critical”thisseason.CornerbackscoachMarcusWoodsonnotedthatWindhamhas“exceededmyexpectations.”

Butit’sWindham’senergyandswagger,inpracticeandongamedays,thatquicklycaughttheattentionofteammates,coachesandthewidereceivershecovers.

“Titois5-9andahalf,buthethinkshe’s6-3.Hethinkshe’sbiggerthanwhatheisandheplaysbiggerthanwhatheis,”Woodsonsaid.“Hedoesliketochallengeguysverballyanditkindofhelpshimtakethemoutoftheirgame.”

Windham,aGulfport,Miss.,native,arrivedatMemphislastJanuaryafterspendingthe2016seasonwithNorthwestMississippiCommunityCollege.HebeganhiscollegecareeratOklahoma,redshirtingasafreshmanin2014beforeleavingtheprogramduetodifferenceswiththecoachingstaff.

HeinitiallyemergedasapotentialstarteratMemphisduringspringpractice.WhentheteamreturnedfortrainingcampinAugust,Windham“separatedhimselfanditallcamebacktohiscompetitivenature,”Woodsonsaid.

Windhamcreditshispitstopatthejuniorcollegelevelforgivinghimmorepurpose,onandoffthefield.

Foryears,hisfatherencouragedhimtostartafamilybusinessaftercollege,andtheplanshavenowbeenhatched.Windhamsaidthisweekheandhissisterwanttorunapharmacyormedicalclinicaftercollege.He’smajoringinprofessionalstudiesandwillrunthebusinessside.HissisterisasophomoreatGeorgiaStatestudyingtobecomeaplasticsurgeon,andshewilldealwiththemedicalaspects.


Windham’sreasonsforchoosingtoenterthepharmaceuticalindustryarebothpracticalandafunctionofhisassuredness.

“Medicationisalwaysgoingtobethereandthere’sgoingtobealotmoreolderpeoplewiththeyearstocome,”hesaid.

WhySMUwillbeWindham’sbiggesttestyet

Thisnaturalconfidenceandperspectivewerecrucialwhenthingsdidn’tworkoutonthefootballfieldatOklahoma.

“Ithumbledmebigtime,”Windhamsaid.“ButIknewIwasgoingtogetback(totheDivisionIlevel)thewholetime.Iknewthiswasthedestinyformefromthejump.Ifeellikeinordertohaveagoodfeeling,youhavetobelieveinyourselfandIreallybelieveinmyself.”

ThatcertaintywillbetestedlikeneverbeforewhenMemphisattemptstoclinchtheAmericanAthleticConferenceWestdivisiontitleagainstSMUatLibertyBowlMemorialStadium.

Nobodyinthecountryhasmorereceptions(96)thanMustangswidereceiverTreyQuinnthisyear,and6-foot-4widereceiverCourtlandSuttonisconsideredapotentialfirst-roundNFLdraftpick.WithQuinn,SuttonandsophomoreJamesProche,SMUhasthreeplayerswhocouldfinishwithmorethan1,000receivingyards.

Truetoform,though,thisisachallengeWindhamrelishes.

“It’sexciting,Iwantyoutothrowmyway.Iwanttheattention,”hesaid.“Iwantthegametobelikethat.Iloveit.Idon’trunfromit.”

Windhamstillremembersthispreseason,wheneventeammateshaddoubtstheTigers’inexperiencedsecondary.

AsMayhueputit:“Thatwasthebigtoss-upintheair.Howwasourbackendgoingtolook?”

Butwhetherit’sinpracticeoragame,Windhamisalwaysreadytopunchback.

“Welovedthequestionmarkwehadoverourhead,”hesaid,“andtheconferenceseesusnow.Attitudeisneededatmyposition.”


QuiteACatch

By:PhilStukenborg,www.gotigersgo.comNovember18,2017

UniversityofMemphisoffensivecoordinatorDarrellDickeyrecallsseveralyearsagowhenthepreviousTigersfootballstaffwasseekingreceiversforthe2013recruitingclass.

DickeysaidformerheadcoachJustinFuentewasinterestedina“burner,”awideoutwithblazingspeedtostretchdefensesandtestsecondaries.Dickeydidn’thaveaburnertooffer,buthehadaninterestingwalk-onprospect,aplayerfromalocalhighschoolprogram.

“Coach(Holmon)Wiggins(formerreceiverscoach)andIkindofjumpeduponthetableforhim,”Dickeysaid.“Wesaidthisguycanplay.”

Fiveyearslater,ashenearsthecompletionofhiscareer,AnthonyMillerhasprovenmorethanareliablerosteraddition.AformerChristianBrothersHighSchoolplayer,MillerisendinghisUofMrunastheschool’smostprolificreceiver.

Itisaremarkablefeatconsideringthewideoutsthisprogramhasproduced.TherewasEarnestGrayinthe1970s,DerrickCrawfordinthe1980s,IsaacBruceandRussellCopelandinthe1990sandDukeCalhounandCarlosSingletoninthe2000s.

Millerhasnearlypassedthemall,benefitingfromthetouchandaccuracyofformerTigerandcurrentDenverBroncoPaxtonLynchandcurrentquarterbackRileyFerguson,twoofthetopquarterbacksinUofMhistory.

Millerbecametheschool’scareerleaderinreceivingyardslastmonthandistheonlyTigertosurpass3,000yardsinthecategory.His2016seasonsetrecordsforcatches(95),receivingyards(1,434)andtouchdowns(14).Healsoownsthesingle-gamerecordforreceptions(15,ontwooccasions)andtouchdowns(4).

“Anthonyisaspecialplayer,he’saspecialperson,”headcoachMikeNorvellsaid.“Heisphenomenal.YouwatchhimonaTuesdaypracticeandheplayslike(it’saSaturday).Thepassion,theenergyhebrings.Hehelpsdeveloptheculturewehavehere.”

Askedifhecouldhaveforeseenbeingarecord-breakingMemphisreceiverasawalk-onfreshman,Millerdidn’thesitatewithacomeback,producingaresponseascrispasoneofhispost-cornerroutes.

“Iwouldhavesaid,‘You’reright,’”Millersaid.“I’vealwayshadthatconfidencegrowingupandbelievinginwhatIcando.”

Millerwasn’trecruitedheavily.Hesaidhislackofspeed–hewastimedat4.6or4.7secondsinthe40-yarddash–wasadrawback.Asaresult,hewasn’trecruiteduntilheturnedinastrongperformanceatahighschoolall-stargameafterhisseniorseason.

“Myintentgoingintothatgamewasjusttohavefun,”Millersaid.

Theperformanceattractedattention.Dickey,whohadbeenimpressedbyMiller’splayatUofMhighschoolfootballcamps,wasconvincedMillercouldmakeanimportantcontributiontotheoffense.Miller’sfirstspringatMemphisservedasconfirmation.


“HewasprobablythemostviciousblockerforawidereceiverI’deverseen,”Dickeysaid.“Then,westartedseeingtheunbelievablecatches.”

DickeyhadmadeseveralvisitstoChristianBrothersHighSchooltotalkwithMillerbeforesigningday.MillersaidheandDickeyforgedabond,andhemadethedecisiontowalkon.

“Ithought,‘Hey,whynotplayforthecity,thecitythatmademe,’”Millersaid.“AndIknewIwasgoingtoplay(attheFootballBowlSubdivisionlevel)somewhere.Ijustcouldn’tacceptgoingtoa(FootballChampionshipSubdivision)school.IalwaysknewIcouldcompetewiththebigdogs.”

DickeysaidMiller’sloveforthegamesetsatone.Herefusestositoutpracticesifhe’sbotheredbyanagginginjury.

Miller,listedat5-11and190pounds,hasproventobedifficulttosinglecover.He’samatchupnightmareforcornersonfaderoutesintheendzone,andhehasanuncannyabilitytoadjustaroutewhenneeded,anodtowhathecallshis“fastfeet.”

ForTigerswidereceivercoachDavidJohnson,nothingamazeshimaboutwhatMillercando“becauseheworkssoextremelyhard.”

“Helovesfootball,andhe’satrueteamplayer,”Johnsonsaid.“Mostsuperstars,it’saboutthem.Nothim.It’sabouthisteam.Inhismind,he’sstillawalk-on,stilltryingtomakethetravelsquad.Whenyouhaveamindsetlikethat,itrubsoffontheotherguys.”

Withhisstrongrouterunning,handsandelusivenessafterthecatch,Millerisaprojectedearly-roundpick(rounds2-3)innextspring’sNFLDraft.He’slikely,however,tohavetogothroughanotherroundofconvincingdoubters.

AccordingtoNorvell,itshouldn’ttakelongforMillertomakeanNFLteamcomfortablewithitsdecisiontodrafthim.

“Iknewthatveryfirstspringwegothere–afterIsawhimonthatfootballfield–Iknewhehadanopportunitytohaveaspecialcoupleofyears,”Norvellsaid.“Iwasgladhecamebackforhissenioryearbecausefortherestofhislife...he’llbeknownasoneoftheall-timegreatstohaveeverplayedatMemphis.”


LeadershipFocus

By:KevinRodriguez,www.gotigersgo.comNovember18,2017TrevonTatewouldtellyouheusedtobeselfish.Itwasallabouthim.But,thingschangeandpeoplegrowup,andfortheredshirtjunioroffensivetackle,thathasbeenthecase.“AsI’vegrownolder,Ihavestartedtakingintoconsiderationwhypeopledowhattheydo,whyIdowhatIdoandunderstandingeveryone’s‘why,’”Tatesaid.“It’sbeenaconsciouschangeofbecomingabetterme.”Hehasn’tonlybecomeabetter“me,”butalsohasbecomeabetteroffensivelinemanandakeypartoftheTigers’mostimprovedunitthisseason.TateandtheMemphisoffensivelinehaveblockedforaprolificoffensethatranksinthetop-10nationallyintotaloffense,passingoffenseandscoringoffense.Alongwiththoserankings,TatehashelpedMemphisgettothepositiontheyareintoday–nationally-rankedandplayingfortheAmericanAthleticConferenceWestDivisiontitleandaspotintheleague’schampionshipgameDec.2.Tateplaysforhisteammatesnowandunderstandsthat,iftheTigersaregoingtoreachtheirgoalsthisseason,theyhavetodoitplayingtogether.“Alotofmyteammatesaremyfriendsand,foralotofthem,thisistheirlastchance,”saidTate.“Withoutme,theywouldn’tgetasfar,andIwouldn’tgetfarwithoutthem.Week-inandweek-out,it’sachallengetokeepgettingbettersothatwecanachievetheultimategoal,whichistowinaconferencechampionship.”TheTigersoffensivelinehashadalevelofcontinuitythisseasonthattheywereunabletoachieveayearago.ThequintetofTate,leftguardDustinWoodard,centerDrewKyser,rightguardGabeKuhnandrighttackleRogerJosephhavestartedthelasteightgamestogether.TackleHarneetGillandguardLioLafaelehaveprovidedqualitydepthwhencalledonthisseasonaswell.Lastseason,theTigershadsomemovingpartsontheoffensiveline.Kuhnstartedgamesatthreedifferentpositions,andhewasoneofthreeplayerstostartatrighttackle.Atotalofsevendifferentplayersstartedatleastonegameontheline.“Personally,that’sbeenthebiggestdifferenceforme.OnceIwassetatlefttackle,allIhadwasonejobandonefocus.Alongwiththefourotherguys,weonlyhavetoworryaboutoneposition.Nomoreworryingaboutguard,tackleorcenter.Itisjustaboutdoingyouronejob,”Tatesaid.OffensivelinecoachRyanSilverfieldhasoverseenthedevelopmentofTateandtherestoftheoffensivelinethelasttwoseasonsandhaswitnessedfirst-handhowmuchTatehasgrown.“Withanycollegestudent,there’sabigdifferencebetweena17-yearoldfreshmananda22-yearoldsenior,”Silverfieldsaid.“Havingtheunderstandingofwhatittakes.It’snotjustinbetweenthewhitelines.It’salsomakingsureI’mhandlingmybusinessoffthefield.Watchingfilmandtakingcareofbusinessintheclassroom.“Whenyoutakecareofallofthosethings,itisfunnyhowallthedetailsoffthefieldcarryovertothedetailsonthefield.Trevonhasreallyboughtintothatandtakentherightapproachtoit.”


Tate’srevelationthatitisn’tjustabouthimactuallymadeonesituationthisseasonthatmuchmoredifficult.InSeptember,hefoundhimselfhundredsofmilesawayfromhishomeinHouston,Texas,whereHurricaneHarveywascausingcatastrophicflooding.Despitebeinginthedirectpathofthestorm,hisfamilymanagedtostaysafe.“ItwasoneofthehardestthingsI’vehadtodoinmylife,being10hoursawayfrommyfamily.Youkindofquestionandwonderhowtheyareduringpractice,andyoucan’ttalktothemthroughouttheday.Itwasquitenerve-wracking,butonceIlearnedthattheyweregood,itwaseasiertogetitoffmymind,”Tatesaid.SilverfieldwentastepfurtherinstatinghowwellTatehandledthesituation.“Hekeptagreatfocusonwhatheneededtoaccomplish,”Silverfieldsaid.“Iknowthatheisveryclosewithhisfamilybackhome,andtheykeepinconstantcontact.Hetakesgreatprideinhiscity,whichisgreatandIloveseeingthat,butheplayswithgreatpassionandisreallyproudtobeaMemphisTigertoo.Thatcombinationdirectshisfocusonwhatheneedstogetdone.”TateisthemantaskedwithprotectingquarterbackRileyFerguson’sblindside.DueinlargeparttoTate’simprovement,Fergusonhasbeensackedjust10timesthisseason.TheTigers’1.11sacksallowedisranked12thintheFootballBowlSubdivision(FBS)thisseason.Memphishasimprovedintherushinggameaswell,averaging5.3yardspercarryand173.4yardspergame.Lastseason,theTigersaveraged4.3yardsperrushand159.3yardspergame.AllofTate’spersonalimprovementhasclearlyleantitselftotheoffense’soverallimprovementthisseason.Silverfieldadded,“Trevonislockedinandlaserfocused.Hetriestoshowleadershipqualitiesbyhisactionsonthefield.Hehasaverycalmdemeanor,butdoesgetafteritbetweenthelinesandbetweenthewhistles.Hehasafirmunderstandingofwhatwearetryingtoaccomplishasanoffensiveline,asanoffenseandasateam.Hehastrulyboughtcompletelyintowhatweneedtogetdone.That’spartofthegrowthandthematurity.”


HowMemphisbecamefearedonkickoffreturns

By:MarkGiannotto,CommercialAppealNovember18,2017SophomoreTonyPollardremembersthefirstkickoffheeverfieldedattheUniversityofMemphis.

Itwasduringtrainingcampbeforelastseasonbegan,immediatelyafterspecialteamscoordinatorJoeLorigelevatedhimtostartingkickreturner.

Onhisfirstpracticerep,theMemphisnativescoredatouchdown.

“Wasitthateasy,orwasIjustthatgood?”Pollardsaidthisweek,recallingwhathethoughtinthatmoment.“Andthen,itjustkepthappening.”

Just13monthsafterPollardgavetheTigerstheirfirstkickoffreturnforatouchdowninnearly20years,endingthelongestsuchdroughtincollegefootballatthetime,he’snowonthecuspofre-writingthehistorybooksagain.

WhatrecordscouldPollardset?

AsMemphispreparestofaceSMUonSaturdaywithachancetoclinchtheAmericanAthleticConferenceWestdivisiontitle,itownsperhapsthemostpotentkickoffreturnunitinthecountry.

Pollardcurrentlyleadsthenationinkickoffreturnaverage(41.1yards),andtheTigersareoneofthreeteamsintheFootballBowlSubdivisionwiththreekickoffreturntouchdownsthisyear.

IfPollardweretomaintainthispace,hewouldbreakthecurrentNCAArecordforaverageyardsperkickoffreturn(40.3)inaseason.

Pollardalreadybecametheonlyplayerinschoolhistorywithmultiplekickoffreturntouchdownsasafreshman.Now,heneedsjusttwomoretotietheNCAArecordforcareerkickoffreturntouchdowns(7).

Keepinmind,thiswasallaccomplishedinjust20games,andPollardhadakickoffreturnforatouchdowncalledbackduetoaholdingpenaltytwoweeksagoatTulsa.HealsoreturnedakickoffintheTigers'seasonopenerthatresultedinfreejewelryformanyMemphians.

Lorig,meanwhile,wasrecentlynamedoneof56nomineesforthisyear’sBroylesAward,givenannuallytocollegefootball'stopassistantcoach.Buthecreditsthataccoladetoaconclusionhereachedoverthepasttwoseasons.

“IfyoukicktoTonyPollard,you’restupid,”Lorigsaidlastweek.“I’mnotsayingthattoberude,butifyoukicktoTony,we’regoingtoscore.”

Howa‘guru’changedtheTigers’specialteams

TherootsofPollard’skickoffreturnsdatebackto1999andasmallapartmentinPocatello,Idaho.

LorigwasinhisfirstseasonasanassistantcoachatIdahoStatewhenheandroommateJeffBanks,thespecialteamscoordinatoratTexasA&M,cameupwithmuchoftheschemetheystillusetodayonkickoffreturns.

“Noneofit’soriginal,andwejusttookabunchofstolenstuffthatwelikedandstartedtoputittogether,”Lorigsaid.


Overtheyears,duringstopsatUTEP,CentralWashington,ArizonaStateandUtahState,headdedtweakstothoseideas.ButLorigisquicktopointoutthatthesuccessMemphishasenjoyedonkickoffreturnsismoreafunctionoftheplayersexecutinghisplan.

CoachMikeNorvellallowsLorigtousethebestplayersontherosteronspecialteams.SoinadditiontoPollard,starterssuchasseniorPhilMayhueandsophomoresJonathanWilsonandAustinHallhaveemergedascrucialblockersonkickoffreturnsthroughoutthisseason.

Lorig’sarrivalbeforelastyearbroughtmoreattentiontodetailonspecialteams,accordingtoMayhue,particularlyasitpertainedtoassignmentsandalignments.Pollardsaidtheteampracticesspecialteamsasmuchasoffenseeachweek.

Everyplayerhasadifferentblockingtechnique,andthedifficultyislargelybasedontheangleinwhichtheyhavetoblock.Fasterplayersgetthemorethedifficultangles.

Mayhue,forinstance,isconsideredtheleftpivotonkickoffreturns,responsibleforaback-sideblockhecalls“oneofthetoughestblocksincollegefootball.”

“ItakeitasacomplimentthattheytrustmetogetthatblocktospringTony,”hesaid.

Norvell,whocoachedwithLorigatArizonaState,saidthebiggestreasonfortheunit’sprogressisthattheplayers“believeinwhathe’steaching.”

“Themanisaguruwhenitcomestospecialteams,”MayhuesaidofLorig.“Themanknowswhathe’sdoing.”

WhyPollardisa'special'returner

Pollard’sdaysasapuntreturneratMelroseHighSchoolweremuchsimpler.Therewasnoschemetofollow.AcoachwouldsimplytellhisteammateswhotoblockanditwasuptoPollardto'makesomethinghappen,'hesaid.

ButPollardunderstandshowmuchmoregoesintothekickoffreturnsatMemphis.Everytimehereachestheendzone,hethankshisblockers.

“WhenIcatchtheball,Itrustthemtoblock,”Pollardsaid.“That’swhyIcanhititthewayIcanbecauseItrustthemtoholdtheirblocks,andtheyblockthewaytheydobecausetheytrustI’mgoingtohitit.”

Still,thereisaboldnesstoPollardthatishardtoreplicate.Lorignoticeditrightaway.

“Youhavetoberunning100milesanhourandtrustthatit’sgoingtoopen,andwhenitdoesn’t,youhavethechancetotakeabighit,”Lorigexplained.“Alotofguys,there’sthatlittledoubtorfearinsidesotheydon’thititquiteasfast.Andthat’swhatmakesTonyspecial.'

“Hegoes100milesanhouratthatbrickwalleverytimeandwhenitopens,likeweexpectitto,he’sgone.”

Thesedays,Pollard’sprowessonkickoffreturnsissowellknownthatteamsareavoidingkickingtohimforthemostpart.Overthepastfourgames,hehasreturnedtheballjustthreetimes.

Whetherit’skickingawayfromhim,intentionallyloftingtheballhighintheairtocreateashorterkickorsimplykickingtheballoutoftheendzone,Pollard’spresenceonthefieldisnowpartofanopponent’sgameplan.

HowSMUhandlesPollardcouldfactorintoSaturday’sresultbecausetheMustangscurrentlyrank94thinthecountryinkickoffreturndefense.


FergusonNamedToManningStarsofWeekList

www.gotigersgo.comNovember20,2017MEMPHIS–SeniorquarterbackRileyFergusonwasoneofeightquarterbacksnamedaManningAwardStaroftheWeekandseniorwidereceiverAnthonyMilleracceptedhisinvitationtotheSeniorBowlinabusyMondayfortheTigerfootballteam.MillerandsophomoreDarrellHendersonwerealsonamedtotheAmericanAthleticConferenceweeklyhonorrollfortheiraccomplishmentsinaWestDivision-clinchingwinagainstSMU,Saturday.ThisisthesecondweekasaManningAwardStaroftheWeekforFergusonthisseason.Theseniorrushedforacareer-highthreetouchdownsandaddedtwopassingtouchdowns,Saturday.Fergusonwas21-for-27for320yards,hisfifth300-plusyardpassinggamethisseason.HendersonwasalsonamedtotheAmerican'sweeklyhonorroll.Hefinishedwithacareer-best278all-purposeyardsinthewinoverSMU,rushing10timesfor147yardsandtwotouchdowns.AsteamshavedecidedtokickawayfromsophomorekickreturnerTonyPollard,Hendersonfieldedacareer-highfourkickoffreturnsagainstSMU,finishingwith116returnyards,includinga64-yardreturn.Healsocaughtonepassfor15yardsandnowneedsjust77yardstopassthe1,000yardrushingmarkforthefirsttimeinhisMemphiscareer.MillergrabbedanotherMemphisrecordinthewinonSaturday.TheChristianBrothersgraduateandBurlsworthTrophyfinalistwillleaveMemphiswithsinglegame,singleseasonandcareerrecordsincatches,receivingyardsandreceivingtouchdowns.HeisalsotheonlyTigerreceiverinschoolhistorytohavemultiple1,000yardreceivingseasonsandenterstheTigers'regularseasonfinaleSaturdaywith1,068yardsthisseasonon75catcheswith13touchdowns.His13receivingtouchdownsrankssecondinthecountry.Heistheonlywidereceiverinthetop15ofthemostrecentNCAAstatstoonlyhaveplayed10gamesthisseason(Memphislostonenon-conferencegamewiththeUCFmake-upgamefromweektwo),butstillrankseighthintheNCAAwith1,068receivingyardsthisseason.His106.8yardspergameaverageiscurrentlyfourthintheNCAA.MillerwillbethesecondTigerinasmanyseasonstoearnaSeniorBowlinvitationunderCoachMikeNorvell.Heisoneof26playerswhoacceptedtheirinvitationsonMonday.Lastyear,place-kickerJakeElliottplayedintheannualbowlgameanddefensivebackArthurMauletwasalateadditiontothegamedayroster.The2018Reese'sSeniorBowlwillbeplayedJanuary27thatLadd-PeeblesStadiuminMobile,Alabama.All-TimeMemphisSeniorBowlHonorees1962:BillHudson,Guard1963:JohnGriffin,Halfback1964:DaveCasinelli,Fullback1965:HarrySchuh,Tackle1977:BobRush,CenterEricHarris,Cornerback1978:KeithButler,LinebackerKeithSimpson,Cornerback1979:EarnestGray,WideReceiver1985:TimLong,OffensiveLineDerrickBurroughs,Cornerback

1986:JeffWalker,OffensiveTackleTimHarris,Linebacker1988:ScottDill,OffensiveGuard1991:ReggieJones,DefensiveBack1993:JeffSawyer,DefensiveEndRussellCopeland,Receiver1994:JoeAllison,PlaceKicker*SteveMatthews,Quarterback1995:KenIrvin,DefensiveBack1996:JeromeWoods,DefensiveBack1997:MarvinThomas,DefensiveEnd2001:MichaelStone,DefensiveBack2006:DeAngeloWilliams,RunningBackStephenGostkowski,PlaceKicker2017:JakeElliott,Place-Kicker2018:AnthonyMiller,WideReceiver


Feelingrightathome

By:MarkGiannotto,CommercialAppealNovember21,2017TigerscouldgoundefeatedatLibertyBowlforfirsttime

TheMemphisfootballteamhadalistofgoalsitsetouttoaccomplishthisseason,andtheyareallbeginningtocomeintofocusasthishistoric2017campaignnearsitsend.

OnSaturday,theTigerscheckedoffAmericanAthleticConferenceWestdivisionchampionforthefirsttime.Butthisweek’sregular-seasonfinalecouldbethesiteofamilestonemorethan50yearsinthemaking.

IfMemphisbeatsEastCarolinaonSaturday(11a.m.CT,ESPNU),itwouldgoundefeatedathomeforthefirsttimesincetheschoolstartedplayingfootballgamesatLibertyBowlMemorialStadiumin1965.

“TheLibertyBowlisaspecialplace,”coachMikeNorvellsaidMondayduringhisweeklyluncheonwithreporters.“Wewanttodefendourhometurf,andtobeabletocomeintothelastgame,totrytoaccomplishthatgoal,issomethingwetakeagreatdealofpridein.”

WithaspotintheAACchampionshipgameonDec.2alreadysecured,Memphisisusingtheseincrementalachievementsasmotivation.First,itwasthedivisiontitle.Now,itwillbeanundefeatedhomerecordandthechancetowin10gamesforthesecondtimeinprogramhistoryaspartofseniorday.

Ofcourse,theTigersstillcouldhostyetanothergameattheLibertyBowlthisyear.IftheybeatECUandSouthFloridaupsetsCentralFloridaonFriday,it’slikelyMemphiswouldhosttheAACchampionshipgame.

ButNorvellinsistedMondaythatECU(3-8)willpresentastiffchallengedespitebeing28-pointunderdogs.Afterstartingtheyearwithsixlossesintheirfirstsevengames,thePiratesare2-2overthepastmonth.

OneofthosesetbackswasanovertimedefeattoTulane.

QuarterbackGardnerMinshewhasthrownforatleast444passingyardsintwoofthepastthreegamesaftersupplantingseniorThomasSirkastheteam’sstarterbehindcenter.ButECUalsorankssecond-to-lastinthecountryinscoringdefense(42.7points/game)andthird-to-lastintotaldefense(533.2yards/game).

Nonetheless,NorvellrefusedtobitewhenaskedwhetherhewantedUSFtobeatUCFthisweekinordertogetonemorehomegameattheLibertyBowl.

“Weknowthosearetwogreatfootballteams,buttobehonestwithyou,ourfocuscan’tbeonanythingbeyondthisweek,”Norvellsaid.

Millersnubbedandrewarded

AlthoughseniorAnthonyMilleristheonlyplayerinthecountryamongthetopfiveinreceptionspergame,receivingyardspergameandtouchdowns,hewasnotamongthethreefinalistsforthisyear’sBiletnikoffAwardannouncedonMonday.


OklahomaState’sJamesWashington(94receptionsfor1,317yards),WestVirginia’sJamesSillsV(national-best18touchdowns)andColoradoState’sMichaelGallup(national-best1,345receivingyards)madethecutdownfrom10semifinalistsfortheawardgivenannuallytocollegefootball’sbestwidereceiver.

Miller,aformerwalk-on,istheTigers’all-timeleaderinreceptions,receivingyardsandreceivingtouchdowns.

Hehas75catchesfor1,068yardsand13TDsthisseason.

TheMemphisnativedidhavesomegoodnewstoreportonMonday.TheSeniorBowl,whichisconsideredthemostprestigiouspostseasonall-stareventbyNFLscouts,announcedthatMillerhadacceptedaninvitationtoparticipateinthisyear’sgame.

ItwillbeplayedonJan.27inMobile,Ala.,withpracticesscheduledduringtheweekleadinguptothat.


VisionForHisFuture

By:PhilStukenborg,www.gotigersgo.comNovember25,2017EmmanuelCooperremembersbeing9-years-oldandwakingbeforesunrise.TherewasworktobedoneandCooperandhisuncle,SamMitchell,hadalistofappointmentstokeep.Therewereyardstocut.Thereweretreestotrim.Therewerelandscapingprojectstotackle.Atthetime,Cooperdidn’trealizetheimpactofbeinghisuncle’stopassistant.Mitchellwasinstillingastrongworkethic,atraitthathascarriedCoopertoaspotontheUniversityofMemphisdefensivelineandapotentialjobinhospitaladministrationwhenhisplayingcareerends.Morethanmostofhispeers,Cooper,adefensivetacklefromArkadelphia,Ark.,isfocusedonlifeafterfootball.Hisenthusiasmforthenextstageofhiscareerisnotonlyrare,butendearing.“IwantedtobenursewhenIcamehere,”hesaid.“Butwiththescheduleforfootball,itjustdidn’tlineupforme.Istillwantedtohelppeople,soIfeelthiswillbeabetterwaytodoit.”Coopersaidit’sanonlinemajor,whichallowshimto“focusonfootballandalsogetmy(academic)workdonewhenIneedto.”Shortlyafterhisdaughter,OliviaKate,wasborntwoyearsago,heinitiallywasinterestedinbecomingamidwife.Hehadbeenimpressedbyamidwife’shandlingofhisdaughter’sbirth.Again,thedemandsoffootballpracticemadesuchapursuitimpossible.“Theclinicals,andstuff,justwouldn’tworkout,”hesaid.“BythetimeI’dgetoutofpractice,I’dbeanhourlateforclinicals.OrI’dhavebeenanhourlateforfootball(iftryinganotherclassschedule).Itjustdidn’tworkout.”Cooperhasbeendirectedtowardamedicalcareersincehewasingradeschool.Hisyoungerbrother,JacobMitchell,hascerebralpalsy,andCooperrecallswantingtofindaprofessionthatwouldallowhimtounderstandhisbrother’scondition.Hesaidwhenhewasaskedasachildwhathewantedtobe,he’dsayorthopedicsurgeonbecauseofhisbrother’scondition.“IguessIsaidthatbecauseIwantedtobedifferent,too,”Coopersaid.“Everyoneelsewassayingpolicemanorfireman.Evennow,mostwanttobeinsportsandleisuremanagement.Iwanttogoagainstthegrain,butalsodosomethingIlove.”Inmedicaladministration,Coopersaidhewouldwelcomethechallengeofprovidingqualityhealthcarewhilekeepingthehospital’sexpensesincheck.ChallengesarenothingnewforCooper,whoheldthreejobs(twoatafast-foodrestaurantandathirdatalumberyard)whileinhighschool.“IlearnedasmuchasIcould,”hesaid.“I’vehadthatdriveallofmylife.”Muchofthedrivewastheresultofhisuncle’sdesiretohelphisnephew,whowasinasingle-parentfamily.


“Myunclehelpedmesomuch,”Coopersaid.“Irememberwhenwe’dsitbackandtakeabreakwhilecuttingayard.Hewouldsay,‘Lookatthattree,andwhatdoyousee?’“I’dsayit’sjustatree,buthe’dsayitwasmoney.Youcancutitdown,youcanhaulitoff,andyoucantrimit.Youcandoallthesedifferentthingstoitandsomebodywillpayyoutodothat.Youdon’thavetogooutandhustleinthestreets.”Coopersaidhisunclewouldwakehimupat5a.m.,andtheywouldbeworkingby5:30.Coopersaidheandhisunclewouldcutandtrimahalfadozenyardsdaily.“Iknewwhenhewasyoungitwastimeforsomebodytostepupandthatpersonwasme,”saidMitchell,69,wholivesinMalvern,Ark.“AnythingIwasdoing,Emmanueldid.Wedidlawncare.Wedidcarpenterwork,whateverwasneeded.Hecandoanything.MitchellisconvincedCooperwillsucceedinwhatevercareerhechooses.“Heisaone-in-a-thousandperson,”Mitchellsaid.“Andhe’salwayshadthat(upbeat)personality.Hecaresaboutotherpeoplemorethanhecaresabouthimself.Iknowhe’smynephew,butheismorelikemyson.”Cooperstartedtheteam’sfirstthreegamesandhadabreakoutperformanceinanupsetofthen-rankedUCLAinmid-September.DefensivelinecoachPaulRandolphsaidCooperplayed“lights-out”footballtowardtheendoflastseasonandenteredthisfallplayingjustasdetermined.Offthefield,Cooper’smajoringinhealthstudieswithaconcentrationinhealthcareleadership.“He’smaturebeyondhisage,hereallyis,”Randolphsaid.“Hehasapurpose,hehasafocus.Heknowswhathewantstodo.”Randolphdescribeditas“trulyrare”toseeaplayerwithsuchclearvisionforhiscareerandadjustingtolifewhenhenolongerisdonningfootballgear.“Mostplayers,atthisage,it’sallaboutfootball,”Randolphsaid.“He’sbeenabletobalancethetwo,footballandacademics,whichisreallyatestamenttohimselfandhisfamily.Emmanuelhasaplan.”


Memphiscelebratesseniorswhochangedeverything

By:GeoffCalkins,CommercialAppealNovember25,2017PhilMayhuerememberswhentheMemphisTigersstartedrecruitinghim.Onlyproblem?

“Ididn’tknowanythingaboutMemphis,”Mayhuesaid.“Ididn’tknowtheyhadafootballteam.”

GabeKuhnrememberswhentheMemphisTigersstartedrecruitinghim.HeknewsomethingaboutMemphis,right?

“Iwasreallynotfamiliarwiththefootballprogram,”Kuhnsaid.“Iknewbasketball,but,whenitcamedowntoit,Ihadnoideaaboutthefootballprogram.WhenIlookedattherecord,IsawsomethingsIdidn’treallylike.”

SpencerSmithrememberswhentheMemphisTigersstartedrecruitinghim.HehadthesamereactionasMayhueandKuhn.

“Tobehonest,Ididnotknowmuchatallaboutthem,”hesaid.“Theyweren’tverygood.Itwasprobablymybestsituationtobeabletoplayearly,soIjusttookitandstuckwithitanditgotmehere.”

Here,toSeniorDay.

Here,wherehe’samemberofthewinningestseniorclassinMemphisfootballhistory.

It’stheonlyseniorclasstohavewon36gamesatMemphis.It’stheonlyseniorclassthatwillhavebeentofourstraightbowlgames.

It’stheseniorclassthat—asmuchasanyother—transformedMemphisfootballfromaquestionmark(Memphisfootball?)toanemphaticexclamationpoint(Memphisfootball!)“They’vebeenthroughquiteajourney,”coachMikeNorvellsaid.

FromlaughingstocktoacoupleofwinsawayfromanAmericanAthleticConferencechampionshipandaNewYear’sDaybowl.

Ofcourse,thereareseniorsbeingcelebratedalloverthecountrythisweekend.ButcananysaytheydidwhattheMemphisseniorshavedone?

TheseniorsatAuburnweredrawntothewinningtraditionofAuburn.TheseniorsatOklahomawerejoiningaprogramthatdidnothingbutwin.TheseniorsatTennessee,well,theydeservetheirownspecialrecognition,aschampionsofstrife.

ButtheseniorsatMemphisforgedsomething.TheyfoundaprograminshamblesandturneditintoaprogramthathasbecomearegularontheweeklyCollegeFootballPlayoffsrankingshow.

Theseniorclassesof2012wonatotalofninegamesatMemphis.Theseniorclassof2013wonatotalof10.Theseniorclassof2017alreadyhaswonninegamesthisseason,andcanwinits10thbybeatingEastCarolinaonSaturday.

Anditdidn’tdoitwithalotoffourandfive-starrecruits,either.Itdiditwithtwo-andthree-starrecruits,andwithwalk-ons.


Therecruitingclassof2013(whichproducedAnthonyMiller,SamCraft,ChristianJohnson,Kuhn,DorolandDorceusandSmith,amongothers)wasranked90thinthecountry,11thintheAAC.Therecruitingclassof2014(whichproducedShareefWhite,RoderickProctor,GenardAvery,NickJacobsandMayhue,amongothers)wasranked78thinthecountry,seventhintheACC.

Dorceus,Avery,Mayhue,KuhnandJohnsonweretwo-starplayers.Craft,WhiteandProctorwerethreestars.MayhueandMillerweren’tconsideredgoodenoughtoearnscholarshipsatall.

“ItwastheonlychanceIhadtoplayDivisionIfootball,”Mayhuesaid.“Ijustwantedthatchance.”

Somaybeweshouldn’tbesurprisedbytheresiliencethathascometocharacterizethisteam.Maybeweshouldn’tbesurprisedthatlittlethingslikeatropicaldepression,a17-0halftimedeficitoratriptoOrlandoandbackwithoutanactualgametoshowforitcouldn’tthrowthemoff.

Theseseniorseithercasttheirlotwithateamthatwasconsideredajokearoundcollegefootballor—iftheycameaboardasjunior-collegeplayers,likeRileyFerguson,JonathanCookandLioLafaele—theycasttheirlotwithateamthathadjustlostitsheadcoachandquarterback.

Thatrequiresfaith.Also,athickskin.

“Man,theculture,therewasnoculture.Itwasstraightbasketball,”Dorceussaid.“Footballgotnolove.Nowwewalkoncampusandpeoplewanttotalktous,wanttotakepictures.We’rethesamepeoplewewerefreshmanyear;it’sjustadifferentculturenow.”

SomeoneaskedDorceustopickafavoritememoryfromhisyearsatMemphis.Hisanswerwasperfect:“Justone?”

SomeMemphisclassesmighthavestruggledtofindasinglegloriousmemory.Dorceushadtoflipthroughthemall.ThecomebackwinoverBYUintheMiamiBeachBowl.ThewinsoverOleMissandUCLAattheLibertyBowl.Theseason-endingwinoverHoustonin2016.ThewinsoverNavyandHoustonearlierthisyear.

IthasbeenaglorioustimetobeaMemphisfootballplayer,andaglorioustimetobeaMemphisfootballfan.Once,peopletalkedaboutdisbandingthisprogram.Now,theytalkaboutfollowingitallthewaytothePeachBowl.

ThatistheworkoftheplayerswhowillbehonoredatSeniorDay.Thatistheworkofplayerswhobelievedwhennobodyelsedid.

“It’scrazy,”Mayhuesaid.

“It’sbeenawesome,”Kuhnsaid.

“It’sspecial,”Dorceussaid.“Wedidit,man.”


Pictureperfect

By:GeoffCalkins,CommercialAppealNovember26,2017MEMPHISTIGERSPUTAPERFECTENDINGONAPERFECTHOMESEASON

AnthonyMillergatheredintheflankerscreenatthe11,cutbacktowardthemiddleofthefield,thenburstupfieldandtowardtheendzone,runningangry,runningtoprovesomething—becauseheisalwaysrunningtoprovesomething—abouthimselfandabouthisteam.

ThiswasthefirstplayofthelastregularseasongameMillerandthe2017MemphisTigerswouldplayattheLibertyBowl.

Eighty-nineyardslater,Millerwasintheendzone.MemphiswentontodefeatEastCarolina,70-13.ItwastheperfectstarttoaperfectendtothefirstperfecthomeseasonattheLibertyBowl.

Seventimes,theseTigerstookthefieldatthisstadium.Seventimes,theyemergedwithvictories.

TheybeatLouisiana-Monroeinatropicaldepression.TheybeatUCLAandNavyastop25opponents.TheybeatSouthernIllinois,Tulane,SMUandEastCarolinaandaveraged—averaged!—59pointsintheprocess.

SmallwondertheMemphisfanswereinparticularlygiddyspirits,evenbreakingoutanimpromptuwave.

ManyofthemwereinattendancewhentheTigerswent0-5athomein1981,andwhentheywent1-5athomein1982,andwhentheywent0-4athomein1986,andwhentheywent1-5athomein1989,andwhentheywent1-6athomein2006,andwhentheywent1-5athomein2010andwhentheywent1-5athomein2011.

So,yes,theseTigerswontwomorehomegamesthanthoseseventeamsputtogether.Ifyouwanttostartasmallwaveinyourlivingroom,everyonewouldunderstand.

Saturdaywasarout,andacelebration,andonelastemphaticwinfortheroad.Nextweek,MemphiswilltraveltoOrlandotoplayCentralFloridafortheAmericaAthleticConferenceChampionship.Thisweek,theyservednoticethatthey’vecomealongwaysincelosingtoCentralFlorida40-13backonSept.30.

Millerstartedthingsoffwiththat89-yardtouchdownpass.Theguyisnotthefastestrunnerincollegefootball,buthemaybetheangriest.

He’sangrythathedidn’tgetascholarshipoutofhighschool,he’sangrythathewasn’tfirst-teamAll-AAClastyear,he’sangrythathewasn’tnamedafinalistfortheFredBiletnikoffAwardearlierthisweekandhe’sangry—allofthisinthebestwaypossible,ofcourse—thatmorepeopleoutsideofMemphisdon’tappreciatethewonderofthisteam.

Butmaybeafewmoredonow.Afterthatbreathtakingfirsthalf,howcouldtheynot?

DarrellHendersonfollowedMiller’sscorewitha4-yardtouchdownburst.ThenJonathanCookreturnedaninterception32yardsforatouchdown.ThenPhilMayhuescoredona46-yardpassfromFerguson.ThenDorolandDorceusrippedoffa19-yardtouchdownrun.ThenPatrickTaylortookahandoffonfourth-and-1fromtheEastCarolina41anddidn’tstopuntilhereachedtheendzone.


ThenHendersonscoredagainfrom14yardsout,andifitsoundslikeI’mrunningoutofwaystodescribetouchdowns,Imostcertainlyam.

Memphisscoredseventouchdowns.Inthefirsthalf.TheTigers'49-0halftimeleadwasthebiggestoftheseasoninanygameinvolvingtwoFBSteams.

Allthatwasleftwastosoakinthesunshine,watchTonyPollardreturnyetanotherkickoffreturnforatouchdown(hisfourthoftheyear)andrevelinwhattheMemphisfootballprogramhasbecome.

ItisjustthesecondMemphisteamtowin10gamesintheregularseason,andthefirstsince1938.ItisthefirstMemphisteamtohavea3,000-yardpasser(Ferguson),a1,000-yardreceiver(Miller)anda1,000-yardrusher(Henderson).NoMemphisteamhaseverscored70pointstwiceinaseason.NoMemphisteamhaseverscoredasmanytouchdownsasthisone(70).NoMemphisteamhaseverconvertedasmanyextrapoints(67).

Oh,andnoMemphisteamhaseverhadthechancetogettoaNewYear’sDaybowlbywinningtheAACChampionship,whichistheopportunitythatawaitsMemphisthisweek.

ItcouldbeasurrealweekinOrlando,asrumorsswirlaboutthefuturesofbothheadcoaches.WillScottFrostremainatCentralFlorida?WillNorvellremainatMemphis?TomBowensaidSaturdaythattheschoolhasenteredintonegotiationswithNorvellonanewcontract,buttheschoolenteredintonegotiationswithJustinFuenteaboutanewcontracttwoyearsagoandthatdidn’texactlykeepFuentearound.

Butitdidn’truinMemphis,either.Itdidn’tmeanareturntothebadolddays.Indeed,itsetthestageforthearrivalofNorvellandFerguson,whichsetthestagefortheperfectendtothefirstperfecthomeseasoninLibertyBowlhistory.

Sonobodycanbecertainwhatthefuturewillbring.Butthepresentsurebeatsthepast.Or,as81-year-oldTigerfanRoyBottenfieldputit,“Whatadifference30yearsmakes.”


Memphisreachesnewheightsinrankings

By:MarkGiannotto,CommercialAppealNovember27,2017TheMemphisfootballteamreachednewheightsinthenationalrankingsafterconcludingitshistoricregularseason.

TheTigersclimbedtoNo.14inthelatestUSATODAYcoachespollandmoveduptoNo.16inthenewAssociatedPresstop25rankingsthatwerereleasedonSunday.

It’stiedforthehighestrankingMemphisfootballhaseverearnedinthecoachespoll.The1963Memphisteamthatfinishedwitha9-0-1recordwasalsorankedNo.14inthefinalcoachespolloftheseason.MemphisgotashighasNo.15intheAPpollduringits8-0starttothe2015season.

Thisyear’sTigersbecamejustthesecondteaminprogramhistorytowin10gamesduringtheregularseasonafterdefeatingEastCarolina,70-13,onSaturday.TheyalsocompletedtheirfirstundefeatedseasonattheLibertyBowlwiththatvictory.

MemphiswillnowplayintheAmericanAthleticConferencechampionshipgameforthefirsttimeSaturdayinOrlandoagainstUCF,whichmoveduptoNo.11inthecoachespollandNo.12intheAPtop25thisweek.

TheTigers’onlylossthisseasoncameina40-13defeattoUCFontheroadatSpectrumStadiumonSep.30.UCFisoneoftwoundefeatedteamsremainingintheFootballBowlSubdivision.

Saturday’srematchwillpitthetwohighest-scoringteamsinthecountryagainstoneanother.

Memphisisaveraging47pointspergamethisseasonandnearly53.7pointsduringitscurrentseven-gamewinningstreak.UCFleadsthenationaveraging48.3pointspergamethisyear.

ThewinneroftheAACchampionshipgamewouldlikelyearnaspotinaNewYear’sSixbowlgamesinceMemphisandUCFarecurrentlythehighest-rankedteamsfromaGroupofFiveconferenceinthelatestCollegeFootballPlayoffselectioncommitteerankings.

Givenwhat’satstake,MemphiscoachMikeNorvellsaidhispostgamespeechfollowingSaturday’sregularseasonfinalefocusedonwhatstillliesaheadratherthanwhathadalreadybeenaccomplished.

“Youembracetheemotion,butthenyouknowthisjourneyisnotoverandthenextchapterisinfrontofusandit’sgoingtotakeeverybitofpreparationwehave,”Norvellsaid.“We’replayingagreatfootballteam.IknewwewereplayingagreatfootballteambackinweekfourandIthinkthatourfootballteamhasprogressed.”

“Butlasttimewewentdownthere,itwasn’tthebestofoutcomes.We’regoingtohavetogotoworkandputourselvesinpositiontotrytobesuccessfulthisweek.”


TigerFootballPlacesNineonAll-ConferenceTeams

www.gotigersgo.comNovember29,2017MEMPHIS,Tenn.–TheUniversityofMemphisfootballteamplacedninetotalplayersontheAmericanAthleticConferenceall-leagueteamsandtwoTigersclaimedindividualawards,theleagueofficeannouncedWednesday.RedshirtsophomoreTonyPollardwasnamedtheconference'sSpecialTeamsPlayeroftheYearforthesecond-consecutiveseason,markingthefifthstraightseasonaTigerhasgrabbedAACSpecialTeamsPlayeroftheYearhonors.PollardandseniorlinebackerGenardAverywererepeatfirst-teamhonoreesinthevoteoftheleaguecoachesandwerejoinedonthefirstteambyseniorsRileyFerguson,AnthonyMiller,GabeKuhnandjuniorTrevonTate.FreshmandefensivebackTJCarterwasnamedtheleague'sRookieoftheYearandgarneredsecond-teamhonorsalongwithteammatesDarrellHendersonandJoeyMagnifico.MemphismatchestherecordsixAll-AmericanAthleticConferencefirstteamselectionsfromthe2014season.TheTigersfelljustshortofthe2014team's10totalall-conferencehonorees.ThefollowingaretheninehonoredTigersandabriefsummaryoftheirstatisticsandaccomplishmentsfrom2017:FirstTeam–LBGenardAvery,QBRileyFerguson,WRAnthonyMiller,KRTonyPollard,OLGabeKuhnandOLTrevonTateLBGenardAvery//Senior/Linebacker//6-1//255//Grenada,Miss./GrenadaHS• Two-timefirst-teamAll-AmericanAthleticConferencelinebacker• LeadsTheAmericanwith18.5tacklesforlossthisseasonandstandsinthetop-10intheFBS• AveryistheTigerssecond-leadingtacklerwith67stopsandleadstheteamwith18.5tacklesforloss

and6.5sacks.• Hasacareer-high6.5sacksthisseasonandisjustthreesacksfromtyingtheMemphiscareersacks

record• NamedtheAmericanAthleticConferenceDefensivePlayeroftheWeekaftertheTigers56-25win

overTulane.Averyhadacareer-high3.5sacksand5.5TFL.TheTigersfinishedwithsevensacks,tyingaprogramrecordlastsetinawinoverArkansasStatein2013

RileyFerguson//Senior//Quarterback//6-4//210//Matthews,N.C./ButlerHS• Top-15intheFBSinpassingyards(3,500),passingtouchdowns(32)andpointsresponsiblefor(228)• Ferguson's3,500passingyardsranksthirdinasingleseasoninprogramhistoryandhis32TDpasses

tieshisownschoolrecord,whichhesetin2016• Passedforasinglegameschool-record471yards(33-of-53passing)intheTigers'winatHouston• Holdstheprogramrecordwiththree400-yardpassinggamesand12300-yardpassinggames• TiedtheprogramrecordwithseventouchdownpassesinthewinatUConn• Ferguson's7,198careerpassingyardsisthirdall-timeatMemphisandhis64careertouchdowns

rankssecond


AnthonyMiller//Senior//WideReceiver//5-11//190//Memphis,Tenn./ChristianBrothersHS• Memphis'all-timeleadingreceiverwith220receptionsfor3,340receivingyardsand33touchdowns,

whichareallprogramrecords.• Milleristop-10nationallythisseasoninreceptionspergame(7.1),receivingyards(1,212)and

receivingtouchdowns(14)• Miller's14receivingtouchdownsthisseasontieshisownschoolrecord,whichhesetin2016• Hehasfive100-yardreceivinggamesthisseasonandholdstheprogramrecordwith16total100-

yardreceivinggames• Caughtaprogramsingle-gamerecordfourTDpassesinthisseason'swinatUConn• Millerstandsamongthetop-10scorersinprogramhistorywith36totalTD(33receiving/3rushing)

for216totalpoints,whichisgoodforeightTonyPollard//Sophomore//KickReturner//5-11//200//Memphis,Tenn./MelroseHS• Back-to-backwinneroftheAmericanAthleticConferenceSpecialTeamsPlayeroftheYearandthe

fifthstraightMemphisTigertowintheaward• PollardleadsthenationinkickoffreturnTD(4)andkickoffreturnaverage(44.2)• Returnedfourkickoffsfortouchdownsthisseason,againstULM,SouthernIllinois,HoustonandEast

Carolina• ThesophomoreisclosinginontheNCAArecordsforkickreturnsfortouchdowninaseason(5)and

career(7)• OneofonlytwoactiveFBSplayerswithsixormorecareerkickoffreturnTDGabeKuhn//Senior//OffensiveLine//6-4//295//Wildwood,Mo./LafayetteHS• Seniorhasblockedforthefourhighestscoringoffensesinprogramhistory.TheTigershavescored

517pointsin11gamesthisseason,thesecond-mostforaseasoninprogramhistory• TheTigershaveamassed5,825totalyardsofoffensethisseason,thethirdmostinprogramhistory• KuhnhasbeeneffectiveinhelpingprotectQBRileyFerguson.TheTigersrankseventhintheFBSin

sacksallowedatjustoneagame• Haspavedthewayforthefirst1,000-yardsingleseasonrusherforMemphissince2009• Willmakehis50thcareerstartintheAmericanAthleticConferenceChampionshipatUCFSaturday,

makinghimthefirstTigerinprogramhistorytostart50gamesTrevonTate//Junior//OffensiveLine//6-4//290//Houston,Texas/NorthShoreHS• Tatehasstartedall11gamesatlefttackle,protectingQBRileyFerguson'sblindside.LedbyTate,the

TigersrankseventhintheFBSinsacksallowedatjustoneagame• TheTigershaveamassed5,825totalyardsofoffensethisseason,thethirdmostinprogramhistory• Memphishasscored517pointsin11gamesthisseason,thesecond-mostforaseasoninprogram

history• Haspavedthewayforthefirst1,000-yardsingleseasonrusherforMemphissince2009.• Tatehasmade33careerstartsoverthelastthreeseasonsSecondTeam–DBTJCarter,RBDarrellHendersonandTEJoeyMagnificoTJCarter//Freshman//DefensiveBack//5-11//180//Nashville,Tenn./StratfordHS• Hasstartedall11gamestodateinhistruefreshmanseasonatMemphis• NamedtheBronkoNagurskiDefensivePlayeroftheWeekafterpostingacareer-best14tackles,

includingoneTFL,oneforcedfumble,onepassbreak-upandagame-sealinginterceptionina42-38comebackwinontheroadatHouston

• Leadstheteamwithfourinterceptions,tyingtheMemphisfreshmanrecord


• His1.18passbreakupspergameranksthirdintheAACandheistheonlyfreshmanrankedinthetop40intheconferencewith5.3tacklespergame.

• Alsorankstiedforsecondintheleaguewithtwofumblerecoveriesontheseason,includinghisfirstcollegiatesnapagainstULM

DarrellHenderson//Sophomore//RunningBack//5-9//200//Batesville,Miss./SouthPanolaHS• Becamefirst1,000-yardsingleseasonrusherforMemphissince2009.Withtwogamesremaining,

has1,045yardson115rusheswitheighttouchdowns• His9.09yardsperrushrankssecondinthecountryandfirstamongNCAArunningbacks• Hasastreakoffourconsecutive100-plusyardrushinggamescomingintotheAACChampionship

gameatUCF,Saturday• RanksthirdintheAACwith95.0yardspergameandfourthinall-purposeyardswith132.1• Alsohas11catchesfor212yardsandtwotouchdownsandninekickreturnsfor196yards(21.8ypr

average)• IsthefirstMemphisrunningbacktoearnall-conferencehonorssinceCurtisSteele(2009–C-USA)JoeyMagnifico//Sophomore//TightEnd//6-4//235//Cordova,Tenn./St.BenedictHS• Had21catchesfor280yardsandthreetouchdownsinhisfirstyearasastarterattightend• AlsohelpsaMemphisoffensivelinethatpowersanoffensethatranksninthintheNCAAwith327.1

yardspassingpergameand32ndwith202.5rushingyardspergame• Hassixpasses20-or-moreyardsin2017• IsthethirddifferentMemphistightendinasmanyseasonstoearnall-conferencehonors(2014–

AlanCross;2015--DanielMontiel)• Hadacareer-highsixcatchesfor83yardsandonetouchdowninthewinoverthen-No.25UCLA


Tigers’pride

By:MarkGiannotto,CommercialAppealNovember29,2017MemphissafetyJonathanCookemergesasleader

ItwasearlySaturdaymorning,hoursbeforeMemphissafetyJonathanCookwouldcapoffseniordaywiththefirstpick-sixofhiscollegecareer,andcoachMikeNorvelldecidedtostartoffastaffmeetingtalkingaboutCook.

HowCookhadoncebeenkickedoffAlabama’sfootballteamandseemedtohavegrownupineveryfacetofhislifesincethen.Howhehadnochoicebuttobecomealeaderforthisyear’ssecondaryandnevershiedawayfromthatchallenge.Howeventhewayheapproachesmeetingsisjustdifferentnow.

“YouhaveguysthatgetalotofrecognitionandIthinkJohnmightbeonewhogetsoverlooked,”saidNorvell,whoseTigersplayatUCFonSaturday(11a.m.,ABC)intheAmericanAthleticConferencechampionshipgame.

CookhasbeenthelonereturningstarterintheTigers’defensivebackfieldthisseasonandhelpedweathertheunitthroughinjuriesandinexperience.Heisthestableforcemakingpre-snapreadsandorganizingcoveragesonthefield.

ButCookwilltellyouthecircuitouspathhetooktogettothispoint,onthecuspofanAACchampionshipinhisfinalyearofcollegefootball,isjustasimportantasthesuccessheenjoyedafterarrivingatMemphisaheadofthe2016season.

“Thejourneyjustmademe,madeeverythingeasierinmylife,”Cooksaid.

HowCookendedupatMemphis

TheDaphne,Ala.,nativewasafour-starrecruitoutofSpanishFortHighSchoolin2012andoriginallycommittedtoNebraskabeforesigningwithAlabama,whichwascomingoffitsthirdnationalchampionshipinfouryears.Afteraredshirtyearin2013,Cooksawlimitedplayingtimeasaredshirtfreshman.

TheninJune2015,hegotaphonecallfromcoachNickSabannotifyinghimofhisdismissalfromtheteam.CooksaidTuesdayitwasbecauseof“notfollowingteamrules.Iwasbeingselfish,reallythinkingaboutmyselfinsteadofthem.”

HeharborsnoillwilltowardAlabama,noting“thatprogramhelpedmoldmeaswell.”

Cookcansaythatwithcertaintybecauseofhowthingshaveplayedout.

HesoonlandedatGardenCityCommunityCollegeinKansasandmetthendefensivecoordinatorBrianMichalowski,whonowservesasagraduateassistantatMemphis.

MichalowskiultimatelycalledcurrentMemphisrecruitingcoordinatorDanLanning,agraduateassistantforAlabamaduringthe2015season,andlethimknowaboutCook’ssituation.LessthantwoweeksafterNorvellwashiredatMemphisinDecember2015,CooksignedwiththeTigersasajuniorcollegetransfer.


“WiththeadversityIwasfacedwithinmylife…Ilearnedalotofstufffromeachplace,”Cooksaid.“It’sallworkedoutformeforthebest,eventhoughsometimeswhenIwasinjuco,whenIgotkickedout,Ididn’tthinkI’dmakeitthisfar.EvenwhenIgotherelastyear,Ididn’tthinkwe’dbeinthiskindofposition.”

WhyCookissoimportanttotheTigers

ButhistransitionbacktoDivisionIfootballappearedmostlyseamless.HeledMemphisintackles(88)lastyear.Thisseason,Cookisonpacetorecordfewertackles,buthisversatilityasapassdefenderhasbeenindispensable.Hehasateam-high11passbreak-ups.

OnSaturday,theseniorsnaggedhisfirstinterceptionoftheseasonandreturnedit32yardsforatouchdown.

MoreimportantareCook’sresponsibilitiesbeforetheballissnapped.

He’stheoneentrustedtolineupthesecondaryandlinebackersinthecorrectcoverageoneveryplay.He’stheonewhoembracedthethreefirst-yearstartershe’sliningupwithinthedefensivebackfield.He’stheonewhobecamemorevocaland“thatguytheycandependontoaskthatquestionto,”Cooksaid.

Theresultshavebeenmoreevidentasthisseasonworeon,especiallyoncetheMemphisdefensetookitslumpsatUCFbackonSept.30.

It’swhy,beforehetakesthefieldeverygame,CooklikestohugMichalowski,LanningandNorvell.Hedoesn'teverwanttooverlookthecircumstancesthatbroughthimtoMemphis.

“I’mgladGodputmeinthesesituations,”Cooksaid.“MyjourneyheremademewhoIamtoday,andIthinkHeputmeheretohelpotherpeopleatMemphisforareason.Ithinkthatshowswithourrecord,ourdefenseandthethingsthatwe’vedonetocomethisfar.”


DillinghamSelectedToAFCA35Under35Institute

www.gotigersgo.comDecember4,2017MEMPHIS–MemphisquarterbacksandtightendscoachKennyDillinghamhasbeenselectedtotheAFCA's35Under35CoachesLeadershipInstitutethatwilltakeplaceonSunday,January7thatthe2018AFCAConventioninCharlotte,NorthCarolina,itwasannouncedMonday.

Dillinghamwasselectedfromapoolof138applicantsandwillattendtheone-dayinstitute,whichfeaturesaseriesoflecturesfocusedontopicsspecificallytailoredtoemphasizeleadershipinthecoachingprofession,ethics,influentialresponsibilities,careerprogression,andfamilybalance.

"KennyisoneofthebestyoungcoachesI'veeverbeenaround,"HeadCoachMikeNorvellsaid."Hehasaterrificoffensemind,isawonderfulteacherofthegameandisarelentlessrecruiter.HehasanincrediblefutureinfrontofhimandI'mhonoredtoworksidebysidewithhim."

Dillinghamiscompletinghisfirstseasonasafull-timeassistantcoachfortheUniversityofMemphis,butisinhissecondseasonasamemberoftheTigercoachingstaffafterjoiningtheprogramasagraduateassistantcoachin2016.Intwoyears,hehasguidedfirstteamall-conferencequarterbackRileyFergusonto7,198yards,64touchdownsandanaverageof299.9yardspergamepassingover24games.

Thispastseason,Dillinghamalsotookoverthedevelopmentofthetightends,helpingsecondteamall-conferencehonoreeJoeyMagnificofinishthisseasonwith21catchesfor280yardsandthreetouchdowns.

Ontherecruitingfront,DillinghamhelpedMemphissigntwoofthehighest-rankedrecruitingclassesinschoolhistory,evenwhilenotbeingabletotravelasarecruiterin2016asagraduateassistant.Evenwiththetravelrestrictions,Dillinghamwasnamedthesecond-bestrecruiterintheAmericanAthleticConferenceby247sports.com.

DillinghambeganhiscoachingcareerinArizonaasacoachintheAthletesinTrainingprogramfrom2008-10.HealsoworkedfortheCityofScottsdaleasafootballcampmanagerwhilealsocoachinginseveralcapacities,fromfreshmancoachtooffensivecoordinator,atChapparalHighSchool.


Libertyontheirmind

By:MarkGiannotto,CommercialAppealDecember4,2017TIGERSHEADEDTOHOMETOWNBOWLFORFIRSTTIME

TheLibertyBowl—thestadium—hasbeenterrifictotheMemphisfootballteamthisyear.Andbecauseofthatsuccess,itwillhaveonemoregameinfrontofthehomefans.

TheAutoZoneLibertyBowlannouncedSundaythattheTigers,wholosttoCentralFloridainSaturday’sAACchampionshipgameinOrlando,willtakeontheBig12’sIowaStateinthisyear’sgameonDec.30(11:30a.m.CT,ABC).It’sthefirsttimesincethegame’sinceptionin1959thattheTigershaveplayedinthepostseasoncontest.

TheTigers,whowererankedNo.18inthelatestUSATODAYcoachespollandNo.19inthenewAPpollonSunday,finishedundefeatedathomethisyearforthefirsttimesinceLibertyBowlMemorialStadiumopenedin1965.

“Ithinkit’sawesome,”offensivelinemanGabeKuhnsaid.“Ithinkalltheseniors...wethoughtourlastgameattheLibertyBowlwasgoingtobeSeniorDayagainstECU.It’sagoodthingtobeabletoplay(there)again,anditaddsanemotionalvalueforus.

“There’salotofhistoryI’veseeninmyfiveyearshere.I’veseen(thestadium)whentherewere3,000peoplethereandI’veseenitwhentherewere45,000peoplethere,andtoseethedifference,it’sawesome.’Theatmosphereshouldbeawesomeaswell;theCyclonesareinabowlgameforthefirsttimesince2012,whentheylosttoTulsainMemphis.Thisyear’steamfinished7-5incoachMattCampbell’ssecondseason,highlightedbyvictoriesoverOklahomaandTCU,thetwoteamsthatplayedintheBig12championshipgameovertheweekend.

“Ithinkthis(is)afootballteamthat’sreallychangedthecultureofourprogram,”CampbellsaidviatelephoneduringSunday’sannouncementatTheHiltonMemphis.

“We’vegotagroupof20seniorsthathaveneverhadtheopportunitytoplayinabowlgame,andwehaveayoungteamaroundthem....It’sagroupIknowthatisextremelyexcitedabouttheopportunityandIknowisextremelyexcitedtorepresentIowaStateUniversity.”

LibertyBowlexecutivedirectorSteveEhrhartsaidhewasthrilledwiththechancetomatchtheup-and-comingCycloneswiththehometownteam.

“USCandUCLAhavebasicallymadetheirlivingbyhavinganopportunitytoplayintheRoseBowl,”hesaid.“AndtheUniversityofMiamiisgoingtoplayintheirhometownbowl,theOrangeBowl.Ithinkit’sgoingtobeanoutstandinggame.”

SundayalsomarkedthefirsttimeinMemphisfootballhistorythattheTigershavegonetobowlgamesinfourstraightyears.Lastyear,MemphislosttoWesternKentuckyintheBocaRatonBowl.

“BeingaMemphian,comingtothegame...it’sjustexciting,”saidseniorChristianJohnsonofSouthwind.

“Iremember(theLibertyBowl)asexcitinggames,lotsofgoodtalentoutthere,andIfeellikeitwillbegreattobeapartofit.Allthepeoplethatsupportedmeovertheyears...it’stremendousforittobemylastcollegegame.”

MemphiscoachMikeNorvellwasnotatSunday’spressconferenceandunavailabletospeakwithreporters.AnathleticdepartmentspokespersonsaidNorvellhadapreviouslyscheduledrecruitingvisitonSundayafternoonandcouldnotattendthebowlgameannouncement.


Norvellagreesto5-year,$13millionextension

By:MarkGiannottoandGeoffCalkins,CommercialAppealDecember6,2017MikeNorvellagreedTuesdaytoafive-year,$13millioncontractextensiontoremaintheMemphisfootballcoach.

Accordingtotwopeoplewithdirectknowledgeoftheagreement,Norvell’snewcontractrunsthroughthe2022season.HesignedthenewdealTuesday.Theextensionalsoincreasedhissalarypoolforassistantcoachesandfootballstaffby$250,000to$3.01million.That$3.01millionisdividedbetweenNorvell’snineassistantcoachesandadditionalmembersoftheprogram’sstaff.

Norvellwillearnanaverageannualsalaryof$2.6million,whichmakeshimthehighest-paidGroupofFivecoachinthecountry,accordingtotheUSATODAYcollegefootballcoachessalarydatabase.

The$250,000forhisstaffdoesnotincludethesalaryfora10thassistantallowedbytheNCAAeffectiveJan.9.

“I’melatedbythecommitmentoftheuniversityandhowmuchthecommunityhasembracedourstaff,ourplayersandourfootballteam,”NorvellsaidinaninterviewwithTheCommercialAppeal.“Obviouslytherehadbeencalls(fromotherschools),butIwantedtomovepastanyspeculation.”

NorvellannouncedthenewsinatweetTuesdayafternoonsentfromhisofficialTwitteraccount.ItincludedapictureofhimsigningthecontractwithMemphisathleticdirectorTomBowen.BothwereinNewYorkCityforTuesdaynight’sNationalFootballFoundationawardsdinner.

“SoexcitedaboutthefutureofMemphisTigerfootballandtoannouncethatIhavesignedanextensiontocontinuetoleadthisgreatprogram,”Norvellwroteinhistweet.

Norvell’snamewasmentionedinconjunctionwithnumerousjobsinrecentweeks,mostnotablytheheadcoachingvacancyatArkansas.Hepreviouslysignedaone-yearcontractextensionthroughthe2021seasonlastMaythatdidnotincreasehiscompensationpackage.

BowentoldTheCommercialAppeallastmonththatthesidesbegannegotiatingacontractextensionaboutthetimeoftheTigers’48-45winoverUCLAonSept.16.

Norvellearned$1.86millionandatleastanadditional$175,000inpostseasonbonusesthisyear.

Norvellis18-7intwoseasonsatMemphisandledtheTigerstotheirsecond10-winregularseasoninprogramhistoryin2017.MemphislosttoCentralFloridaintheAmericanAthleticConferenceChampionshipgameSaturdayandwillfaceIowaStateintheAutoZoneLibertyBowlonDec.30(11:30a.m.CT,ABC).

“Afterthatgame,eventhoughwecameupalittlebitshort,thephonecallsandmessagesmadeitclearwe’rerepresentingMemphisandappreciatedinthecommunity,”Norvellsaid.


MillerandPollardEarnSIHonors

www.gotigersgo.comDecember7,2017

MEMPHIS–SeniorwidereceiverAnthonyMillerandsophomorekickreturnerTonyPollardwerenamedsecondteamAll-AmericahonoreesbySportsIllustrated,Thursday.ItisthefirstAll-AmericahonorforMillerandthethirdforPollard,whowasnamedaFWAAandUSATodayFreshmanAll-Americanlastseason.

MillerwillleaveMemphiswithvirtuallyeveryreceivingrecordatMemphis.HecurrentlyrankssecondintheNCAAinreceivingyards(1,407),receivingyardspergame(117.3)andreceivingtouchdowns(17)andfifthinthecountrywith7.7receptionspergame.Atwo-timeall-conferencehonoree,MillerholdstheMemphissinglegame,singleseasonandcareerrecordsforpassreceptions,mostyardsandreceivingtouchdowns.His37consecutivegameswithacatchisthesecond-longeststreakinMemphishistoryandrankseighthinthecountryamongactivestreaks.

Pollard,thetwo-timedefendingAmericanAthleticConferenceSpecialTeamsPlayeroftheYear,leadsthecountrywitha42.4yardperreturnaverageonkickoffsandhisfourkickoffreturntouchdownsistiedwithULMonroe'sMarcusGreentoleadthenation.

In12games,Pollardhasalsoadded34catchesfor501yardsandfourtouchdownsandhas29rushesfor222yardsandtwotouchdowns.

TheTigertandem,bothMemphisnatives,arethesixthandseventhplayersinMemphishistorytobetabbedwithAll-AmericahonorsfromSportsIllustratedandarethefirsthonoreessinceJamonHughesearnedhonorablementionhonorsin2010.Thisisthefirsttimesince2005thatMemphishashadapairofhonoreesinthesameseason.Inback-to-backyears,2004and2005,Memphishadapairofhonorees.

SportsIllustratedAll-AmericaHonorees2004DeAngeloWilliams(RB),2ndTeamGeneFrederic(OL),HonorableMention2005DeAngeloWilliams(RB),2ndTeamStephenGostkowski(K),3rdTeam2009CurtisSteele(RB),HonorableMention2010JamonHughes(LB),HonorableMention2017AnthonyMiller(WR),2ndTeamTonyPollard(KR),2ndTeam

BowlGameHypeSportsIllustratedalsoprovidedanearlylookatthepulseofthefootballaudience'sthoughtsontheupcomingDec.30thAutoZoneLibertyBowlGamebetweenMemphisandIowaState.Themagazinerankedthebowlthesecond-mostentertainingofthe40gamesontheupcomingbowlslate.

LookingatCommencementMemphisfootballwasalsonamedinareleasefromtheAmericanFootballCoachesAssociationonThursdaymorning.TheAFCA,inareleasehonoringthesevenschoolswhoachieveda100percentgraduationratewiththeir2010freshmanclass,citedtheTigersasoneof22schoolswithaGSRover90percent.TheGSRisbasedonasix-yeargraduationwindowforstudent-athletes.TheGSRwasdevelopedbytheNCAAaspartofitsacademicreforminitiativetomoreaccuratelyassesstheacademicsuccessofstudent-athletes.TheGSRholdsinstitutionsaccountablefortransferstudent,unlikethefederalgraduationrate.TheGSRalsoaccountsformidyearenrollees.


TonyPollardNamedWalterCampAll-American


MEMPHIS–SophomorekickreturnerTonyPollardhasbeennamedafirstteamWalterCampAll-Americanitwasannounced,Thursday.PollardisjustthefourthTigertobenamedtotheWalterCamplist,theoldestAll-Americanteam,andisjustthesecondTigertoearnfirstteamhonorsfromthenationalvotingpoolof130FBSheadcoachesandsportsinformationdirectors.

Pollardleadsthecountryinkickoffreturnyardspergame(42.4ypr)andkickoffreturntouchdowns(4).Heisthetwo-timedefendingAmericanAthleticConferenceSpecialTeamsPlayeroftheYearandisatwo-time,firstteamall-conferencehonoree.

Asafreshmanin2016,Pollardhad38returnsfor1,068yardsandtwotouchdowns.Thisyear,hehashadfeweropportunitiestofieldkickoffs(17),butstillhas751yardsandfourtouchdowns,givinghim1,819careerreturnyardswithsixtouchdowns.HissixcareerkickoffreturntouchdownsisjustoneshyoftheNCAAcareerrecord,currentlysharedbyTyronCarrier,RashaadPennyandCJSpiller.

TheMelrosegraduatehasalsotakenonabiggerroleintheMemphisoffense.Thisseason,whilehelpingMemphistoanAmericanAthleticConferenceWestDivisiontitleandtheprogram'sfirst-everfootballchampionshipgameappearance,hehasadded34catchesfor501yardsandfourtouchdownsand22rushesfor222yardsandtwotouchdowns.

PollardwasnamedtotheFWAAandUSATodayFreshmanAll-Americansquadslastseasonandearliertoday,wasnamedasecondteamAll-AmericanbySportsIllustrated.

HeisjustthefourthplayerinMemphishistorytoearnanodfromtheWalterCampAll-Americanvotersandisjustthesecondtoearnfirst-teamhonorsinMemphishistory.

2005–DeAngeloWilliams(RB),1stTeam2013–TomHornsey(P),2ndTeam2015–JakeElliott(K),2ndTeam2017–TonyPollard(KR),1stTeam

AsafirstteamWalterCampAll-Americahonoree,Pollardwillbehonoredattheorganization's51stannualnationalawardsbanquetinNewHaven,Connecticut,Jan.11-13,atYaleUniversityCommons.

Thisisthe128theditionoftheWalterCampAll-Americanteam,thenation'soldestAll-AmericaTeam.Twenty-sixplayerswerenamedtothisyear'sfirstteam.PollardisoneoftwoplayersfromtheAmericanAthleticConferencenamedtotheteam.HoustondefensivelinemanEdOliverwasalsonamedtothefirstteam.PollardandOliverweretwoofthreesophomoresnamedtothefirstteam.


MemphisKRPollardnamedall-American

By:MarkGiannotto,CommercialAppealDecember9,2017MemphisredshirtsophomoreTonyPollard‘sruntowardre-writingtheNCAAfootballrecordbooksthisseasonnowincludesall-Americanhonorsaswell.

Pollardwasnamedafirstteamall-AmericanbytheWalterCampFootballFoundationonThursdaynight.HejoinsformerrunningbackDeAngeloWilliamsastheonlyTigerfootballplayerstoearnthathonorfromcollegefootball’soldestall-Americateam.

PollardisonpacetosetanewNCAArecordforkickoffreturnaverage(42.4yards)thisseason.TheMemphisnativeandMelroseHighgraduatealsohasfourkickreturntouchdownsthrough12games,andsixforhiscareer.

PollardisjustonekickoffreturntouchdownawayfromtyingtheNCAAsingle-seasonmarksetbyAshlanDavisofTulsain2004.

He’salsooneawayfrommatchingtheNCAAcareermarkofsevenheldbyClemson’sC.J.Spiller(2006-2009),Houston’sTyronCarrier(2008-2011)andSanDiegoState’sRashaadPenny(2014-2017).

Pollardisthetwo-timedefendingAmericanAthleticConferencespecialteamsplayeroftheyear.

Inaddition,hetookonanexpandedoffensiverolethisyear.Hehad34catchesfor501yardsandfourtouchdownsasareceiverand222rushingyardsandtwotouchdownsasarunner.

EarlierThursday,PollardandMemphiswidereceiverAnthonyMillerwerebothnamedsecondteamall-AmericansbySportsIllustrated.

Milleristheall-timeleaderinreceptions,receivingyardsandreceivingtouchdownsatMemphisandrankssecondinthecountrythisyearinreceivingyards(1,407)andreceivingtouchdowns(17).


HighlandHundredHonorsFootballatAnnualBanquet


MEMPHIS–TheHighlandHundredhonoredtheUniversityofMemphisfootballteamatitsyearlybanquet,Sunday,attheHiltoninEastMemphis.

Membersoftheseniorclassgrabbedsevenofthe13awardshandedout.AnthonyMillerreceivedtheDeAngeloWilliamsMostValuablePlayerAwardwhileRileyFergsongrabbedtheIsaacBruceOffensivePlayeroftheYearhonor.GenardAverywonhissecondstraightJohnBramlettDefensivePlayeroftheYearhonorwhiledefensiveteammateJonathanCookwasnamedtheMostImprovedDefensivePlayer.SeniorsChristianJohnsonandPhilMayhuewerenamedco-recipientsoftheTrueTigerAward.

Theeveningbeganwithfourawardsforscoutteamplayers,student-athleteswhohelpedpreptheTigerseachweekthroughoutthecourseoftheseason.BraylonBrownandChandlerStumpwontheGlennJonesDefensiveScoutTeamPlayeroftheYearAward,whileConnorAdairclaimedtheGlennJonesOffensiveScoutTeamPlayeroftheYearAward.HaydenFerrariroundedoutthewinnerswithhisSpecialTeamsScoutTeamPlayeroftheYearHonor.

SophomoreTonyPollardaddedanotherhonortohislonglistofpost-regularseasonawards,earningtheJoeAllisonSpecialTeamsPlayeroftheYearAward.

InadditiontoCook'sMostImprovedDefensivePlayerAward,apairofTigerfirst-teamall-conferencelinemengrabbedMostImprovedOffensivePlayerhonorsasGabeKuhnandTrevonTatesharedthataward.2017AwardsGlennJonesDefensiveScoutTeamPlayeroftheYearAwardBraylonBrownChandlerStumpGlennJonesOffensiveScoutTeamPlayeroftheYearAwardConnorAdairGlennJonesSpecialTeamsScoutTeamPlayeroftheYearAwardHaydenFerrariJoeyAllisonSpecialTeamsPlayeroftheYearAwardTonyPollardIsaacBruceOffensivePlayeroftheYearAwardRileyFergusonJohnBramlettDefensivePlayeroftheYearAwardGenardAveryDeAngeloWilliamsMostValuablePlayerAwardAnthonyMiller


MostImprovedOffensivePlayerTrevonTateGabeKuhnMostImprovedDefensivePlayerJonathanCookTrueTigerAward–"Representswhatwerepresent"ChristianJohnsonPhilMayhue


DickeyResignsToBecomeOffensiveCoordinatoratTexasA&M


MEMPHIS–DarrellDickeyhasresignedfromMemphistobecometheOffensiveCoordinatoratTexasA&MitwasannouncedMonday.DickeyhasspentnineseasonsatMemphis,andspentthelastsixonstaffasamemberofJustinFuenteandMikeNorvell'sstaffs.

"I'mthankfulforalltheworkthatDarrellhasputinthroughouthisyearsattheUniversityofMemphis,"Norvellsaid."Hehasrepresentedouruniversityinafirstclassmannerandwe'reexcitedforhimandTorywiththeopportunitytoreturntohishomestateofTexasatTexasA&M."

DickeyservedastheoffensivecoordinatoratMemphisfrom1986-89andreturnedtoMemphisin2012inthesamecapacityunderFuente,servingastheOCuntil2015.In2016,Dickeyservedastheassistantheadcoachandcoachedtherunningbacks.ThispastJanuary,hereturnedtotheoffensivecoordinatorpost,guidingarecord-settingTigeroffensethatrankssecondinpointspergame(47.7ppg)andfourthintotaloffensewith548.2yardspergame.

"We'reextremelyexcitedforfutureofMemphisTigerfootballwithourcontinuedtraditionofexcellenceontheoffensivesideoftheball,"Norvellsaid."Wewillexplorealloptionsinfindingtherightfitforourstafftocontinuetoleadourgreatgroupofplayers."

MemphisTigerfootballispreparingforitsfourthstraightbowlgameanditsfirst-everappearanceintheAutoZoneLibertyBowl.MemphiswillfaceIowaStateinthehometownbowlgameandticketshavebeenfast-moving.OnThursday,theTigersannouncedthattheyhadsolditsallotmentplusanadditional7500tickets.ThatgamewillairnationallyonABConDec.30that11:30a.m.(CT).


Miller,PollardandCarterAddAll-AmericaHonors


MEMPHIS–OnedayaftertheteambanquetandtheawardsfromtheTigercoachingstaff,theMemphisfootballteamhadthreeplayersaddvariousAll-Americahonors,Monday.

SeniorwidereceiverAnthonyMillerwasnamedafirstteamAll-AmericahonoreebytheAssociatedPress,andearnedsecondteamhonorsfromtheFootballWritersAssociationofAmerica(FWAA).SophomorekickreturnerTonyPollardwasnamedafirstteamhonoreebytheFWAAandfreshmanT.J.CarterwasnamedtoESPN.com'sFreshmanAll-Americateam.

MilleriscappingacareerthatsawhimwalkonatMemphiswithoutascholarshipandwalkoutoftheprogramastheTigers'all-timeleadingreceiverwithvirtuallyeveryreceivingrecordtohiscredit.AfinalistfortheBurlsworthTrophy,MilleralreadyownsMemphissinglegame,singleseasonandcareermarksinthreecategories:catches,receivingyards,andreceivingtouchdowns.

WiththeupcomingAutoZoneLibertyBowlstilltoplay(Dec.30,11:30am,ABC),MillerrankssecondintheNCAAinreceivingyards(1,407),receivingyardspergame(117.3)andreceivingtouchdowns(17).Heisalsofifthinthecountrywith7.7yardspergame,despiteplayingthefirstgameoftheseasonintheremnantsofHurricaneHarveyandlosingoneregularseasongametoHurricaneIrma.His37consecutivegameswithacatchisthesecond-longeststreakinMemphishistoryandrankseighthinthecountryamongactivestreaks.HewasalsonamedasecondteamAll-AmericahonoreebySportsIllustratedlastweekandisatwo-timeall-AACwidereceiver.

PollardearnedfirstteamhonorsfromtheFWAA,hissecondfirst-teamAll-AmericahonorafterbeingnamedaWalterCampAll-Americahonoreelastweek.Pollardleadsthecountryinkickoffreturnyards(42.4ypr)andkickoffreturntouchdowns(4).Thetwo-timedefendingAmericanAthleticConferenceSpecialTeamsPlayeroftheYear,Pollardisalsooneofjusttwoplayersinthecountrythisseasonwithfourkickoffreturntouchdowns.TwoofPollard'sreturntouchdownsthisseasonwerefor100yards.InhistwoyearMemphiscareer,henowhassixkickreturntouchdowns.

PollardhasalsotakenonabiggerroleintheMemphisoffensethisseason,wish34catchesfor501yardsandfourtouchdownsand22rushesfor222yardsandtwotouchdowns.

CarterwashonoredbyESPNaftertyingtheMemphisfreshmanrecordforinterceptions,withfive.AstarterineverygameinhisfirstyearinMemphis,CarterfinishedsecondintheAmericanAthleticConferenceininterceptions(5),addingninepassbreakupsand61tackles.Carter,aNashvillenative,recoveredafumbleonhisfirstcollegiatesnapandisheadingintohisfirstcareerbowlappearancewithtwofumblerecoveriesandoneforcedfumble.

TheMemphisfootballteamiscurrentlyinfinalexamsandhasbegunbowlprepforaDec.30thmeetingagainstIowaStateoutoftheBig12intheAutoZoneLibertyBowl.TheTigersappearanceinthehometownbowlgamemarksthefirstinthe59yearsinthehistoryofthebowlandticketshavebeenmovingquickly.MemphisandIowaStateeachsoldoutoftheirrespectiveallotmentsandtheAutoZoneLibertyBowlissellingalloftheremainingticketsatwww.libertybowl.org.


CarterNamedToUSATodayFreshmanAll-AmericaTeam

www.gotigersgo.comDecember12,2017MEMPHIS–Forthesecondyearinarow,theUniversityofMemphisfootballteamhasaplayerontheUSATodayFreshmanAll-Americanteam,asdefensivebackT.J.CarterwasnamedtotheteamTuesday.KickreturnerTonyPollard,whowasnamedaWalterCampandFWAAfirstteamAll-Americahonoreeearlierthisweek,wasnamedaFreshmanAll-AmericanbyUSATodaylastseason.

Carter,theAmericanAthleticConferenceRookieoftheYear,startedall12Memphisgamesthisseasonandleadstheteamwithfiveinterceptions.ThefiveinterceptionsisaMemphisfreshmanrecord,rankssecondintheconferenceandistiedforeighthinthecountry.AgraduateofStratfordHighSchoolinNashville,CarterwasalsonamedtotheESPNFreshmanAll-AmericateamonMonday.

Asecond-team,all-AAChonoree,Carterhasninepassbreakups,twofumblerecoveries,includingoneonhisfirstcollegiatesnap,andoneforcedfumble.HewasnamedtheNagurskiNationalDefensivePlayeroftheWeekafterMemphis'comebackwinatHouston.Memphistrailed17-0atthehalfandcamebacktowin42-38,asCarterforcedafumbleandgrabbedaninterceptioninthefinalthreeminutesofthegametosealthevictory.

MemphisiscurrentlyfinishingsemesterexamsandwillreturntothepracticefieldFridayinpreparationfortheAutoZoneLibertyBowl.TheTigersaremakingtheirfirst-everappearanceinthehometownbowlgameandwillfaceBig12foeIowaState,Dec.30th,at11:30a.m.onABC.


MemphisWRMillernamedAll-American;KRPollardalsohonored

By:MarkGiannotto,CommercialAppealDecember12,2017Overtheyears,theslightsagainstMemphiswidereceiverAnthonyMillerpiledupandheusedeachofthemasmotivation.

TheMemphisnativehadtowalkonwiththeTigersafternotreceivingaFootballBowlSubdivisionscholarshipoutofChristianBrothersHigh.Hedidn’tearnfirstteamAthleticConferencehonorslastyeardespiteaseasonthatre-wrotetheMemphisrecordbook.Then,hegotpassedoverwhentheBiletnikoffAwardannounceditsfinalistslastmonth.Butthisjourney,fromunheraldedprospecttothemostprolificreceiverinschoolhistory,gotsomevalidationonMonday.

MillerwasnamedfirstteamAll-AmericanbyUSATODAYandTheAssociatedPress.HeisjustthesecondMemphisfootballplayertoearnthathonorfromUSATODAYandthefourthtobetabbedbytheAP.

Milleristheall-timeleaderinreceptions,receivingyardsandreceivingtouchdownsatMemphis.Through12gamesthisseason,hehas92catchesandrankssecondinthecountryinbothreceivingyards(1,407)andreceivingtouchdowns(17).

UntilMonday,however,hehadbeensnubbedbysomeofthemajorhonorteamssofar.

ThoughMillerearnedfirstteamhonorsfromTheAthleticthispastweekend,hewasnotnamedtooneoftheAll-AmericateamsputoutbytheWalterCampFootballFoundation.HewasasecondteamselectionbySportsIllustratedandtheFootballWriters’AssociationofAmerica.

MilleristhefirstTigers’skillpositionplayertobenamedafirstteamAll-AmericanbytheAPandUSATODAY.OffensivelinemanMikeStark(1971),kickerJoeAllison(1992)andpunterTomHornsey(2013)alsoearnedfirstteamhonorsfromtheAPpreviously.HornsleywasalsoaUSATODAYfirstteamselectionin2013.

OnSunday,MillerwastabbedtheTigers’mostvaluableplayerthisseasonattheannualMemphisfootballbanquet.

KickreturnerTonyPollard,meanwhile,pickeduphissecondmajorhonorwhenhewasnamedafirstteamselectionbytheFWAA.PollardisonpacetosetanewNCAArecordforkickoffreturnaverageandhasfourkickoffreturnsfortouchdownsthisseason.

TheMemphisnativewasasecondselectionbyUSATODAY.

AlsoonMonday,cornerbackT.J.CarterearnedfreshmanhonorsfromESPN.

Carter,whowastheAAC’srookieoftheyear,rankedsecondintheconferencewithfiveinterceptionsandfinishedwith61tacklesandninepassbreak-upswhilestartingeverygame.

Memphisfootballwon10gamesthisregularseasonforthesecondtimeinprogramhistoryandwillplayintheAutoZoneLibertyBowlforthefirsttimeonDec.30.

Kickoffisscheduledfor11a.m.andthegamewillbebroadcastnationallyonABC.


MillerNamedAFCAFirstTeamAll-American


MEMPHIS–SeniorwidereceiverAnthonyMilleraddedtohislistofaccoladeswithafirstteamAll-AmericanodfromtheAFCA,Wednesday.MillerwasalsonamedthewinnerofthePaulWarfieldAward,awardedbytheTouchdownClubofColumbustocollegefootball'stopreceiver.Theaward,namedforProFootballHallofFamerPaulWarfield,ispresentedannuallybytheTouchdownClubofColumbus.PreviouswinnersoftheawardincludeAmariCooper,CalvinJohnson,LarryFitzgeraldandRandyMoss.

MillerwashonoredinthepreseasonbytheTouchdownClubofColumbusasaPlayertoWatch,alongwithteammateRileyFerguson.

AgraduateofChristianBrothersHighSchoolinMemphis,MillerwillleaveastheTigers'all-timeleadingreceiverafterwalkingontotheroster.Hewillleavewithreceivingrecordsincatches,receivingyardsandreceivingtouchdownsinallthreecategories:singlegame,singleseasonandcareer.In37careergames,Millerhas234catchesfor3,535yardsand36touchdowns.

In2017,hehas92catches,threeoffhisownsingleseasonrecordfromlastseason,for1,407yardsand17touchdowns.His1,407receivingyardsissecondinthecountry,asarehis17receivingtouchdownsandhis117.3yardspergamereceiving.

AnthonyMillerAll-AmericanHonorsAFCA,FirstTeamAssociatedPress,FirstTeamESPN,FirstTeamFootballWritersAssociation,SecondTeamSportsIllustrated,SecondTeamTheAll-American,FirstTeam

MemphisiscurrentlyinfinalexamsandwillreturntothepracticefieldonFridayinpreparationfortheAutoZoneLibertyBowl.Thegame,featuringMemphisagainstBig12foeIowaState,willbeplayedontheTigers'homefield,butMemphisisthevisitingteamforthegame,whichkicksat11:37a.m.(CT)onABConDec.30th.TicketsremainavailableatTicketMaster.comforthe59thannualgame.


AnthonyMillerNamedNCAAConsensusAll-American

www.gotigersgo.comDecember14,2017MEMPHIS–SeniorwidereceiverAnthonyMillerwasnamedanNCAAConsensusAll-American,Thursday.HeisjustthethirdNCAAConsensusAll-AmericaninMemphishistoryandisthefirstnon-specialisttoearnConsensushonors.JoeAllison(1992)andTomHornsey(2013)aretheothertwoNCAAConsensusAll-Americansinprogramhistory.MillerisoneofthreewidereceiversontheNCAAConsensusTeamthisyear.OklahomaState'sJamesWashingtonwasaunanimousselectionandMillerisjoinedontheteambyColoradoState'sMichaelGallup.Withthetie,bothMillerandGallupearnedNCAAConsensushonors.MillerwasnamedafirstteamAll-AmericahonoreebytheAFCA,theAssociatedPress,ESPNandTheAthletic'sAll-American.HeearnedsecondteamhonorsfromtheFootballWritersAssociationofAmerica(FWAA),SportsIllustratedandtheSportingNews.AlsothewinneroftheTouchdownClubofColumbus'PaulWarfieldAwardandafinalistfortheBurlsworthTrophy,MillerislookingtoleaveMemphisastheprogram'sall-timeleadingreceiver.Heneedsthreemorecatchesand27yardstotiehisownsingleseasonrecordsintheMemphisrecordbooks.HewillleaveMemphisasthesinglegame,singleseasonandcareerrecordholderincatches,receivingyardsandreceivingtouchdowns.AgraduateofChristianBrothersHighSchoolinMemphis,Millerhas92catchesfor1,407yardsand17touchdownssofarthisseasonwiththeTigers'bowlgameappearanceagainstIowaStateintheAutoZoneLibertyBowlstillontheslateforDec.30that11:30a.m.onABC.Ticketsforthatgamearestillavailableatwww.TicketMaster.com.ThefollowingplayerswerelistedonthemostfirstteamAll-Americateamscompetingagainstplayersatthatpositiononly.TobeselectedaplayermustbenamedfirstteamonatleasttwoofthefiveselectedAll-Americateams.Secondteamswereusedtobreakties.Fourteenplayerswereunanimouschoicesbythefiveorganizationsusedintheconsensuschart—AmericanFootballCoachesAssociation,AssociatedPress,FootballWritersAssociationofAmerica,TheSportingNewsandWalterCampFoundation.Note:Eachofthefiveteamshasadifferentwayoflistingthereturnerorall-purposeplayer.ForthepurposeoftheConsensusAll-Americateamthosecategoriesweretreatedasoneposition.OffenseWR—*JamesWashington,OklahomaSt.,6-0,205,Sr.+WR—MichaelGallup,ColoradoSt.,6-1,200,Sr.+WR—AnthonyMiller,Memphis,5-11,190,Sr.TE—*MarkAndrews,Oklahoma,6-5,254,Jr.OL—*OrlandoBrown,Oklahoma,6-8,345,Jr.OL—*QuentonNelson,NotreDame,6-5,330,Sr.OL—MikeMcGlinchey,NotreDame,6-8,315,Sr.OL—CodyO'Connell,WashingtonSt.,6-9,368,Sr.C—*BillyPrice,OhioSt.,6-4,312,Sr.QB—*BakerMayfield,Oklahoma,6-1,220,Sr.


RB—*BryceLove,Stanford,5-10,196,Jr.RB—RashaadPenny,SanDiegoSt.,5-11,220,Sr.PK—MattGay,Utah,6-1,220,Jr.Returner/All-Purpose—DantePettis,Washington,6-1,195,Sr.Returner/All-Purpose—#SaquonBarkley,PennSt.,5-11,230,Jr.DefenseDL—*BradleyChubb,NCState,6-4,275,Sr.DL—HerculesMata'afa,WashingtonSt.,6-2,252,Jr.DL—EdOliver,Houston,6-3,290,So.+DL—SuttonSmith,NorthernIll.,6-0,225,So.+DL—MauriceHurst,Michigan,6-2,282,Sr.LB—*RoquanSmith,Georgia,6-1,225,Jr.LB—*JoseyJewell,Iowa,6-2,236,Sr.DB—*MinkahFitzpatrick,Alabama,6-1,202,Jr.DB—*JoshJackson,Iowa,6-1,192,Jr.DB—*DeShonElliott,Texas,6-2,210,Jr.DB—DenzelWard,OhioSt.,5-10,191,Jr.P—*MichaelDickson,Texas6-3,205,Jr.*Indicatesunanimousfirstteamselection;Boldindicatesconsensusrepeatfrom2016.Notes:Onlytwolinebackerswerenamedfirst-teamAll-Americaonatleasttwooftheteams.+Thereweretiesforthefinalwidereceiveranddefensivelinepositions.#SaquonBarkleywasfirstteamAll-Americaonallfivelistsbuthewaslistedasrunningbackontwoandall-purposeontheotherthree.


BlueChristmas:MemphisTigersbringjoy(andsilliness)tosickkids

By:GeoffCalkins,CommercialAppealDecember15,2017TheMemphisfootballplayersputontheiruniforms.No,notthoseuniforms.TheChristmasuniforms,ofcourse.“I’mtheElfontheShelf,”saidEvanMichael,theMemphisholder.“Ithadmynamewrittenalloverit.”KickerRileyPattersonchosebackupelf.RunningbackPatrickTaylorwentwithsnowman.DefensivebackCaelonHardenchosechiefelf.LongsnapperPrestonBradywentwithelfsupervisor.Oh,andpunterSpencerSmithchosetheChristmastree.“Why?”hesaid.“It’satree.AllIhavetodoisstandthere.”Whichturnedouttobeonlypartlytrue,becausewithinminutes,Smithwassprucedupanddancingalongwiththerestofhisteammates.AndwhiletherearealotofreasonstobeproudoftheMemphisfootballteamthesedays,noneofthemisanymoremeaningfulthanthefestivecrazinessthatunfoldedThursdayinthe“RoomofMagic”atLeBonheurChildren’sHospital.That’swherehalfadozenMemphisplayerscontinuedtheteam’spracticeofactingridiculoustomakesomeailingkidssmile.“They’vebeendoingitfortwoyears,”saidDavidHenson,ofLeBonheur.“They’vebeenincredible.”Itstartedwithasinglevisit.Thatvisitbegatmorevisits.Andmorevisits.Andprettysoon,somecollectionofTigerswasvisitingnearlyeveryweek.BraxtonBrady,theteam’sdirectorofplayerrelations,wouldsendoutane-mailoutliningtheweek’sactivity.“Theplayerswouldracetosignup,”hesaid.“ItwaslikeafatherbuyingTaylorSwiftticketsforhisdaughter.That’showfasttheslotswouldfill.”Indeed,whenNCAAregulationsprohibitedtheschoolfromschedulingactivities—evenvolunteeractivities—ontheteam’soffdayduringtheseason,Smithsteppedinandstartedorganizingthevisitshimself.“It’sfuntomakepeoplefeelbetter,”Smithsaid.“IalwaysmakesureI’mfirstonthelist.”Thursday’svisitwasespeciallypreposterous.Andbypreposterous,Imeanawesome.Theplayersdresseduptohelpwith“NamethatTune,”agamethatisplayedoverthehospital’sinternalTVstation.Atunestarted.Theplayersdanced.Kids—watchingfromtheirrooms—calledintoguessthenameofthetuneandwinprizes.

DECEMBER 30, 2017 LIBERTY BOWL MEMORIAL STADIUM / MEMPHIS, TENN. Page 195SoitwasthatHarden(chiefelf),Taylor(snowman),Patterson(backupelf),Brady(elfsupervisor)andMichael(ElfontheShelf)soonfoundthemselvesrockin’aroundthepunter,er,Christmastree.TheydancedtoChristmassongsandtopopsongs,toJay-ZandtoMichaelJacksonandtoEdSheeran.“Ihadtolockin,”Taylorsaid.“Itookitonesongatatime.”Thiswentonforhalfanhour.GoodthingtheplayersareusedtoMikeNorvell’sfast-pacedpractices.Andgiventhattheywereallvolunteeringtheirtime,Iwon’teventellyouthenamesofthetwoplayerswhogotsohotintheircostumestheyhadtotapoutearly(OK,itwasSmithandMichael).Whenthesongsfinallystopped,MeriArmour,presidentofLeBonheur,stoppedbytothankthem.“Youmaylooklikefools,butyoubringalotofhappiness,”shesaid.“Wait,”Pattersonsaid.“Welooklikefools?”Oh,absolutely.Butthenthefoolsgottodotheotherpartofthejob.Deliveringprizestothewinners.Theydeliveredteddybearsandautographs,theysatandtheytalkedaboutfootballanddancingandChristmas.Atonepoint,Smithspottedanotherclusterofelves(volunteersfromFedEx)deliveringdonutsdownahallway.“Hey,look,”hesaid.“We’vegotcompetition.”Exceptthere’snocompetitionwhenitcomestogenerosity,ofcourse.There'snocompetitionwhenitcomestokindness.There’sjustapunter/Christmastree,walkingintothehospitalroomofabeaming9-year-oldgirlnamedCarleigh,andholdingouttwoteddybears.“You’vegottwochoices,”hesaid.“Goodorbetter.”


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