In Tommy West's first week back in charge of the Memphis defense, he said he felt it was a productive week on both sides of the ball at his weekly press luncheon Monday.
But with the Tennessee Volunteers coming to the Liberty Bowl this weekend and the Tigers still shaking off a tough loss to East Carolina, the news was not all good out of Tiger camp.
Defensive end Corey Mills and defensive backs Brandon Patterson, Chris Huffman and Wesley Smith have all sat out practices with various injuries.
West said the practices have all been fast and frantic on the defensive side, and he's moving players around to fit in the best spot.
"Without an open date last week, there would have been no way to put in a (new defensive) package," he said. "I hope we improve as the game goes along Saturday."
Smith, a senior safety, said the tempo has picked up quite a bit from previous practices in the past week and the new defense is "going well right now."
One of the main things the Tigers (1-3 overall, 0-1 conference) will have to watch out for Saturday is the deadly receiving combination of Tennessee wide receivers Robert Meachem and Jayson Swain. The two currently lead the NCAA in total yardage between two receivers with 734 total yards.
"UT isn't the easiest offense to start with (a new defense)," West said. "Their passing game looks better...(new Tennessee offensive coordinator) David Cutcliffe has done a good job at putting the best players in the best positions."
Besides the obvious frenzied home crowd at the Liberty Bowl Saturday morning, the Tigers might also have another small advantage.
Tennessee (3-1, 0-1), having started the season playing four straight games at home, will go on the road for the first time Saturday.
"Playing away from home will be hard for them," Smith said. "It's always nice to play at home for us in front of a big crowd, too."
West said one of the key things he's looking for from the defense is the ability to rush the opponent's quarterback more often - something he felt was lacking somewhat before.
"It's going to be a guessing game for them, too," he said. "They'll have to play through our defense to figure it out."
He added that looking at 2000's tape of the UT-Memphis game - a game the Vols won with a last-second field goal and West served as The U of M's defensive coordinator - won't be worth much to Tennessee.
On the offensive side of the ball, West focused on how the backup running backs were performing and said Greg Hinds, Miguel Barnes and T.J. Pitts all practiced well and "ran downhill all week."
Tennessee defeated fellow C-USA member Marshall 33-7 in Knoxville Saturday, but didn't pull away until the fourth quarter.
"Marshall played UT well," West said. "It seemed (Tennessee) wasn't as interested in that game as much as the Florida game."
And with the 10-year anniversary of the 21-17 Memphis victory over Peyton Manning and the Vols this season, the Tigers have some history on their side.
"This should be a fun week for the guys," West said. "You're matching up with a top 25 team at home and you've got a chance to do something special Saturday."
