For the University of Memphis football team, starting out well in September is nothing new.
In 2000, with former coach Rip Scherer at the helm, the Tigers won three of their first four games. This season, Memphis (2-1) has taken two of its first three.
The problem for the Tigers last season and so far this season, though, has been finishing what they’ve started. After last season’s 4-2 start, Memphis dropped its last five games of the year to finish 4-7 and 2-5 in Conference USA.
Other than against UT-Chattanooga in Week 2 of this season, the Tigers have not been consistent on either side of the ball, including during a 30-10 loss to Mississippi State in Starkville. In that game, Memphis blew a 10-0 halftime lead.
On Saturday, Memphis jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter before allowing South Florida to creep back to within striking distance at 17-9.
Head coach Tommy West’s team does differ from last season’s in other respects, though.
The coaching staff is new, the offensive scheme is new and big plays have come from unexpected places.
“Dante (Brown) takes the pressure off the wideouts,” West said. “He makes defenses defend the whole field.”
Brown joined Memphis this season as a junior college transfer and has taken over as a force in the backfield, averaging 93.3 yards per game on the ground for third best in C-USA.
Another spark for the Tigers has been the play of junior quarterback Travis Anglin, who for the season has now completed 30-of-41 passes for 295 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
After three games, Anglin leads the conference in pass efficiency at 73.2 percent and is the top-ranked quarterback with a rating of 165.8.
Anglin — whose average of 54.3 yards rushing per game is good enough for seventh in the conference —would be rated as the nation’s 10th-best passer if he averaged 15 pass attempts per game. The Georgia native currently averages just under 14 attempts.
Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said Anglin has been working on opening up the field for the rest of team.
“We want to spread the field so when we do run, we have fewer people in there,” Fichtner said.
He added Anglin is still improving.
“He looks, he listens, he wants to do good and he wants to be good. He’s doing what we ask him to do. He’s completing passes and he’s not throwing interceptions.”
And after catching his first career pass for 45 yards against South Florida Saturday night, Fichtner said Tiger fans may see Anglin getting more receptions.
“We will have some special plays for Travis every week,” he said.
Though the team has more wins than losses, Fichtner said it and the offense both have a great deal of improving to do.
“I would love to be a balanced team. I would like to throw short and run long (after the catch),” he said.
“We’ve got to be more physical and we’ve got to be a heart team. A heart team doesn’t give up the ball and a touchdown with 38 seconds to play in the half. A heart team would have gone up 17-0 and not let the other team in the game.”
Fichtner was referring to Saturday’s game in which Memphis turned the ball over four times. South Florida got a touchdown late in the second quarter after one of those turnovers.
Fichtner said he’d like to see the Tigers develop a killer instinct, adding Memphis must work harder to put teams away at the first opportunity.
“We’re not good,” Fichtner said. “The good news is that we will be.”
