In some weirdly identical way, head football coach Tommy West is starting to remind me of my dad.
When I was in junior high school and some of the other children would get new sneakers practically every other week, I wanted new kicks.
My dad wouldn’t always buy them, though. Instead, I heard a speech about how my shoes were OK. And if I would take care of the shoes I had, they’d look as good as anybody else’s.
I never expected coach West to buy me a pair of Reeboks, but I did want him to tell me why the Tigers were playing so poorly.
The team just lost two consecutive games in bad fashion. They lost 38-16 to Ole Miss and 33-14 to Southern Miss.
The defense can’t seem to stop the run. It gave up 214 yards to the Rebels and 356 yards to the Golden Eagles.
And, the high-octane offense isn’t putting many points on the board (30 total points in the last two games). Punting is a problem, too.
So I asked West about his team’s woes. That’s when he started sounding like my old man.
First, I asked about Southern Miss running back Derrick Nix ripping 196 rushing yards on 21 carries.
“(Nix) is a good back,” he told me.
After crediting Nix, he talked about his team’s end of it.
“We had a lot of misalignments and missed assignments,” West said. “Other than having better people, you just have to work on it.”
It was kind of like Pop saying “Your friend got new shoes, good. Now’s not the time for you, though. I’ve got some other things to work out. You’re fine for now.”
They both understand where I’m coming from, they explain it a little, then they hit me with the bottom line.
The eerie part is how they both leave me room to hope.
After all, I knew my dad would want me wearing the best we could afford. He wouldn’t lie to me if he had no intention of taking me to Foot Locker.
As for West, of course, he plans to make the necessary adjustments to see Memphis get its first winning season since 1994. If he didn’t see potential for fixing things, he wouldn’t just tell the media that.
In the minds of many people, this team had a good chance of winning seven or eight games. And it still does.
Tulane comes to town Saturday. Though the Green Wave is 2-1, wins over Southern and and Houston and a loss to East Carolina shouldn’t make the Tigers cringe.
The trip to UAB the following week should help boost Memphis’ ego as well.
If they win those games, they’ll be 3-2 going into the Oct. 8 match-up with Louisville. The Cardinals, who were favored to win C-USA, have already proved themselves beatable. Mississippi State should be the last substantial threat on the schedule.
Maybe I’m dreaming because I want to witness a winning football season before I graduate in May. Or maybe West can really make losing sound promising. Or is it that the Tigers are around the corner from ending an ugly era of losing seasons?
Whatever the case, the season is still young.
By the way coach, I wear size 10 1/2.
