Fall break meant no work and all play for most University of Memphis students. Tiger athletes, however, stayed busy in competition over the long weekend.
Football
The U of M moved senior wide receiver Maurice Avery into the role of starting quarterback against Houston on Saturday, and the switch paid off as the Tigers came away with their first road win of the season, 35-20.
Heisman candidate DeAngelo Williams paved the way for Memphis (3-3 overall, 2-2 Conference USA) with 198 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He also continued his assault on the record books, becoming the No. 10 leading rusher in Division I history with 5,145 yards. Williams trails two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin at No. 9 by only 32 yards.
Basketball
Memphis Madness kicked off a much-anticipated season for the basketball Tigers on Friday. In front of 8,000 fans at FedExForum, The U of M held its first practice. It included a scrimmage, fast break drills and a dunk contest won by high-flying forward Rodney Carney.
At the 2005 Conference USA Basketball Media Day on Tuesday, the Tigers were unanimously picked to win the conference, receiving all first place votes from the league's coaches. Rodney Carney was chosen as the C-USA Preseason player of the year.
Men's Soccer
In a rematch of last season's C-USA final, The U of M (5-5-2, 1-2-2) dropped a tight game at UAB on Saturday, 2-1. With 51 seconds left in regulation, the Blazers' Jason McLaughlin put home a goal from 25 yards out to seal the win for UAB. Marcus McCarty scored the lone goal for the Tigers after intercepting a cleared ball in front of the UAB goal. Head coach Richie Grant admitted it was a tough loss to swallow.
"The morale of the team was down after the game to lose so late like that," he said. "We still know what we have to do, though. Our goal at this stage is to make sure we qualify for the conference tournament. It's still a reality to finish in the top four so we can secure a home game in the tournament."
With the loss, Memphis fell from 4th to 8th in the C-USA standings.
Women's Soccer
Junior midfielder Melissa Savage managed to slip the ball into the net during the 82nd minute of the Tigers' Friday contest with UAB. The late goal was all The U of M needed as they defeated the Blazers 1-0 at Mike Rose Soccer Complex. Memphis goalie Isabel Briones denied UAB from scoring nine times, the second highest save total of her career. The sophomore was also named the C-USA co-defensive Player of the Week, the second time this year that she received the award.
Women's Cross Country
The U of M put forth a strong showing on Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark., finishing 16th in a field of 38 at the Chile Pepper Invitational. Junior Daniele Riendeau posted a personal best in the 6k-distance run, finishing ahead of all other C-USA runners with a time of 21:24. It's her fifth personal record in six races this season. Assistant coach Jonas Holdeman was pleased to see his team perform so well in such a competitive field.
"It wasn't a focus tournament for us," he said. "But we beat some nice schools like Oklahoma, Miami and so forth."
Softball
In their first ever day of action on Saturday, the Lady Tigers went 3-0 with wins over Lee by a score of 7-3, Milligan by a score of 5-4 and a rout of Tusculum, 9-1, at the University of Tennessee Fall Invitational. Jenna Kubesch, Leila Dolfo and Nicki Johnson each picked up wins on the mound for Memphis.
During these three games, the Tigers hit .417 led by junior Kara Ross's gaudy average of .606. On Sunday, The U of M lost 6-0 to host and powerhouse Tennessee. The Volunteers finished third in last year's College World Series.
