Though the University of Memphis football team dismantled UT-Chattanooga’s squad 43-10 for Tommy West’s first win as Tiger head coach Saturday night before 24,053 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, West and his team aren’t getting big-headed about their success.
West said it would be difficult to measure the team’s improvement from last week’s loss to Mississippi State because Chattanooga is a Division I-AA team. In agreement with West was senior inside linebacker DeMorrio Shank, who had four tackles and three assists in the game.
“After Mississippi State, we had a lot of work to do,” Shank said Monday during the Tigers’ weekly press luncheon at the Athletic Office Building. “We still have a lot of work to do. There was a drop in competition. No disrespect to Chatt, but you can’t grade your team when there is a drop in the level of competition.”
Shank said the difference will be easier to discern as the season progresses.
“We will be able to see how much we improved in the next two to three weeks. Roles will be defined and we’ll be playing fewer players. Right now we’re playing players at different positions and trying to get a feel for the players.”
Though there are some holes to be filled, Dante Brown is one player that West has apparently developed a good feeling for. The 6-2, 220-pound junior college transfer from Middle Georgia College was given the nod at running back last weekend against Mississippi State when he ran for 49 yards on 13 carries.
Saturday night Brown accounted for 179 of Memphis’ 443 yards of total offense, rushing for 158 yards on 18 carries. He also caught two passes for 21 yards and scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.
“I think we found ourselves a good running back in Dante,” West said. “You’ve got to have players on your team that can make plays when they are there and when they’re not. Dante took a 20-yard run and turned it into 60.”
In the first quarter, Brown rushed for 75 yards, including a 62-yard run.
Brown’s numbers were good enough for him to be named Conference USA offensive Player of the Week. Punter James Gaither also got Player of the Week honors for special teams.
As for other parts of the offense, West said there is still room for improvement.
“I like our offense, but we are a long way off,” West said. “We are inconsistent at wide receiver. They are trying to learn what it is they are supposed to do. They need to work on blocking more than anything and getting an overall knowledge of what they have to accomplish.”
West did, however, commend senior wide receiver Bunkie Perkins and freshman receiver Darron White for their play Saturday.
“Bunkie has been playing his tail off,” West said. “He did a good job blocking. Darron blocked and made an effort to block. He also made a big catch for us.”
West did find several areas of the Tigers’ execution that he was happy with, though. Among the bright spots West mentioned were the Tigers’ goal-line stand, during which his defense held UTC at the 1-yard line, and the fact that the offense scored on the first possession of the game. He also talked about his team’s communication.
“We made progress,” West said. “We had better communication among the players and from the sidelines to the receivers.”
West said he was thrilled with the play of quarterback Travis Anglin. He said Anglin has been making good decisions and he likes Anglin running the ball.
“I’m comfortable with him taking it down (to run) whenever he takes it down. Travis has great legs and I want him running with the ball.”
Anglin rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries Saturday. He also threw two touchdowns while connecting on 15-of-22 passes for 145 yards, placing him 17th all-time on the team’s career passing list. Anglin also leads C-USA in completion percentage at 72.4 percent per game.
Memphis has a week off to prepare for South Florida.
