Unpredictable.
It is the best word to describe The University of Memphisfootball team this season.
Like always, many fans and analysts have very dim hopes theTigers will break 'The Steak' this season, but, like last year andvirtually everyone before it, there are those who have unusuallyhigh expectations for this team.
Unusual may not be the right word...insanely high expectations,perhaps ludicrous expectations, maybe even absurd.
Those two polar-opposites are the same each year, but short ofthose extremes it could very well be a tossup as to what Memphisactually does this year.
Coach Tommy West has already admitted this year's team is lesstalented than last year's.
Less talented than a team that went 3-9?
What West hasn't said yet is last year was a disaster.
Last season West had his quarterback, he had his JUCO superstar(or so he thought) running back, he had a receiving corps as goodas anyone in Conference USA.
That's when the defense happened.
Actually it was defense not happening that was the problem.
Enter Joe Lee Dunn.
The off-season acquisition of the gridiron guru lead many tobelieve the defense will be on the upswing this year. That maybethe Tigers won't give up 200 yards rushing every game thisyear.
Not just that, but now DeAngelo Williams will be getting thebulk of the carries from the backfield.
Memphis fans were beginning to get that grin on their face.
You know the grin right?
The grin before Darren Garcia dropped game-winning touchdownagainst Louisville.
The grin before the Tigers couldn't score on Houston from insidethe 10-yard line with more than a minute to play.
The grin before Cincinnati's Jon Olinger caught the first-downpass on 4th and 27 with just 24 seconds standing between the Tigersand a bowl bid in 2001.
And like in those cases and this summer after everything seemedto be going smoothly...rip.
Tavares Gideon tears his ACL - out for the season.
Now who'sDanny gonna throw to?
Darren Garcia?
Von Webb?
But this may actually be a better role for the team -- theunderdog role that is.
We saw what happened last year when everyone thought they wouldbe in a bowl game before the season kicked off.
Well, now that everyone knows they're not, will everyone bewrong again? West hopes so.
With that foreboding review, let's breakdown this year'ssquad.
Everyone is focusing on the defense this off-season. Why, youask? It is probably the only positive change fans will see thisyear.
The defense should play well, not top ten in the nation like2001, but definitely top ten in C-USA.
Sorry I couldn't resist. Seriously though, the defense will showmarked improvement and I think they will be the determining factorfor this year's bowl chances.
One thing going for Joe Lee Dunn is his defense is under nopressure. They will improve this year because they certainly can'tget any worse...right?
Tommy West is the best coach the Tigers have had since BillyMurphy, who was incidentally the last Memphis coach to take histeam to a bowl game.
West will break the 32-year drought. Maybe not this season, but(just in case you want a really early prediction) definitely bynext season.
Well, at least if I'm wrong no one will remember it.
Perhaps the largest question mark goes to the receivers.
Mainly who are they and what have you done with Antoine Harden,Travis Anglin and Gideon.
Harden was booted from the team, Anglin graduated and see abovefor Gideon.
Now we have Maurice Avery, a former quarterback, Ryan Scott, afreshman, and Chris Kelley, a JUCO transfer all likely to get majorplaying time.
Raw doesn't begin to describe it.
With Dante Brown playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, DeAngeloWilliams will be the main tailback and that might be the bestdifference between this season and last.
Williams showed flashes of greatness and was named to the DoakWalker Award watchlist after only seeing major playing time in halfthe Tiger's games last season...seems I'm not the only one thatsees the potential.
On defense Derrick Ballard could very well look like a man amongboys.
He is the team's only all-conference selection and is probablythe fastest backer in the conference.
O.C. Collins should continue to improve on his impressivefreshman campaign at safety and could be the stud of the Tigersecondary.
Albert Means is back. The big lineman was held out last seasonfor his grades, but has apparently made an about face getting hisgrades and losing 40 pounds to make him a slender 330.
If you only watch one game this year, come to the liberty Bowlon Sept. 6.
Memphis will host Ole Miss and Heisman hopeful Eli Manning.
Memphis already put the hurtin' on his brother's Heisman hopes(see Liberty Bowl, Nov. 9, 1996. UM 21 - UT 17.)
Manning will definitely test the defense..
However, The game could do a lot of things for Memphis.
It could get them their first win over an SEC school since theTennessee win in 1996.
It could put them at 2-0 to start the season and could put anearly end Manning"s dream of a Heisman.
However, the Tigers aren't dreaming of Heismans.
This season they'd settle for the GMAC Bowl.
