The motto for this year’s football team is “Bringin’ It,” but it’s what they didn’t bring that cost them Saturday’s game against UAB.
UAB was supposed to be the easy road win the Tigers hadn’t been able to nail down, but instead they became the latest, in a line of teams, to abuse Memphis’ defense.
The Blazers tallied 390 yards of total offense in the contest.
Though the Tigers had 327 yards of offense, a lack of focus and an inability to score would prove costly to Memphis.
It was evident from the kickoff that The U of M (2-3 overall, 1-2 in C-USA) was not motivated.
UAB jumped out to a 21-3 lead ealy in the first half before the Tigers scored a touchdown.
Memphis never quite found a rhythm in the 31-17 loss.
Head coach Tommy West was disappointed in his team’s preparation and readiness for the Blazers. He said not being mentally prepared lost the game.
“We didn’t bring the emotion with us tonight,” West said. “In today’s game, if you don’t bring the emotion every week then you can lose every week.”
One bright spot in a dark evening for the Tigers was Dante Brown’s resurgance.
The running back somewhat reestablished himself by rushing for 81 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
Though Brown had been struggling, his performance Saturday was his best since the first game of the season.
Brown might have been mentally awake for the game, but much of his team wasn’t. Brown said the Tigers lacked the intensity they played with against Tulane in a 38-10 victory last week.
“We weren’t fired up like we were last week and that played a big part in it,” Brown said. “We weren’t focused and we made a lot of mental mistakes.”
Though it might have been easy to look past UAB and think about next week’s game against Louisville, Brown said that wasn’t the case with him.
“This was the only game that mattered to me,” Brown said. “Louisville didn’t matter.”
Memphis defensive end and captain Tony Brown was also disappointed after the loss. He said the blame should fall on the shoulders of the Tiger defense.
“It’s our fault,” Brown said. “We knew what we had to do defensively and we just couldn’t get things stopped.”
West also chose to take responsibility for the loss. After the game West said he was at fault for not having his team mentally prepared for UAB (2-3, 1-0).
“I didn’t do a good enough job of having them mentally ready to play,” West said. “So, obviously, I didn’t do my job either tonight.”
The Tiger air attack picked up yards, but the team could hardly convert good opportunities into points.
Memphis quarterback Danny Wimprine threw for 259 yards on 22 of 39 passing and one touchdown.
He was forced to pass because Memphis was unable to develop a running game. The Tigers rushed 35 times for 68 yards.
The offense’s reliance on the pass likely contributed to the 6-foot 1-inch passer throwing two interceptions for the second consecutive game.
Freshman running back DeAngelo Williams was averaging over 100 yards rushing per game but had a paltry day.
Williams ran for 25 yards on nine carries against the Blazers and never gained more than seven yards on any carry.
Memphis found itself on the short end of a 21-3 score very early in the second quarter and was never able to get back into the game.
Dante Brown said after the team got off to such a bad start they were unable to correct their mistakes and get themselves over the hill.
“If you find yourself in a hole, like we did, you’re supposed to pull yourself out,” Brown said. “That’s something we’ve got to improve on. When we get down we’ve got to be able to keep our heads up.”
With three tough games against Louisville, Mississippi State and Cincinnati coming up, West said this loss was especially tough.
“I felt like this game could get us a game ahead,” West said. “(Instead) we’re a game behind. We just got to keep fighting.”
Knowing this was a game that Memphis was supposed to win made the loss harder to take, said Dante Brown.
“It’s very disappointing,” Brown said. “Everybody knew this was a game we had to win.”By Daniel Ford
Sports Reporter
The motto for this year’s football team is “Bringin’ It,” but it’s what they didn’t bring that cost them Saturday’s game against UAB.
UAB was supposed to be the easy road win the Tigers hadn’t been able to nail down, but instead they became the latest, in a line of teams, to abuse Memphis’ defense.
The Blazers tallied 390 yards of total offense in the contest.
Though the Tigers had 327 yards of offense, a lack of focus and an inability to score would prove costly to Memphis.
It was evident from the kickoff that The U of M (2-3 overall, 1-2 in C-USA) was not motivated.
UAB jumped out to a 21-3 lead ealy in the first half before the Tigers scored a touchdown.
Memphis never quite found a rhythm in the 31-17 loss.
Head coach Tommy West was disappointed in his team’s preparation and readiness for the Blazers. He said not being mentally prepared lost the game.
“We didn’t bring the emotion with us tonight,” West said. “In today’s game, if you don’t bring the emotion every week then you can lose every week.”
One bright spot in a dark evening for the Tigers was Dante Brown’s resurgance.
The running back somewhat reestablished himself by rushing for 81 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
Though Brown had been struggling, his performance Saturday was his best since the first game of the season.
Brown might have been mentally awake for the game, but much of his team wasn’t. Brown said the Tigers lacked the intensity they played with against Tulane in a 38-10 victory last week.
“We weren’t fired up like we were last week and that played a big part in it,” Brown said. “We weren’t focused and we made a lot of mental mistakes.”
Though it might have been easy to look past UAB and think about next week’s game against Louisville, Brown said that wasn’t the case with him.
“This was the only game that mattered to me,” Brown said. “Louisville didn’t matter.”
Memphis defensive end and captain Tony Brown was also disappointed after the loss. He said the blame should fall on the shoulders of the Tiger defense.
“It’s our fault,” Brown said. “We knew what we had to do defensively and we just couldn’t get things stopped.”
West also chose to take responsibility for the loss. After the game West said he was at fault for not having his team mentally prepared for UAB (2-3, 1-0).
“I didn’t do a good enough job of having them mentally ready to play,” West said. “So, obviously, I didn’t do my job either tonight.”
The Tiger air attack picked up yards, but the team could hardly convert good opportunities into points.
Memphis quarterback Danny Wimprine threw for 259 yards on 22 of 39 passing and one touchdown.
He was forced to pass because Memphis was unable to develop a running game. The Tigers rushed 35 times for 68 yards.
The offense’s reliance on the pass likely contributed to the 6-foot 1-inch passer throwing two interceptions for the second consecutive game.
Freshman running back DeAngelo Williams was averaging over 100 yards rushing per game but had a paltry day.
Williams ran for 25 yards on nine carries against the Blazers and never gained more than seven yards on any carry.
Memphis found itself on the short end of a 21-3 score very early in the second quarter and was never able to get back into the game.
Dante Brown said after the team got off to such a bad start they were unable to correct their mistakes and get themselves over the hill.
“If you find yourself in a hole, like we did, you’re supposed to pull yourself out,” Brown said. “That’s something we’ve got to improve on. When we get down we’ve got to be able to keep our heads up.”
With three tough games against Louisville, Mississippi State and Cincinnati coming up, West said this loss was especially tough.
“I felt like this game could get us a game ahead,” West said. “(Instead) we’re a game behind. We just got to keep fighting.”
Knowing this was a game that Memphis was supposed to win made the loss harder to take, said Dante Brown.
“It’s very disappointing,” Brown said. “Everybody knew this was a game we had to win.”
