As the Memphis Tigers football team comes off its bye week and heads into its clash with SMU this weekend, it is time to reflect on what they’ve done through the first half of the season and look forward to in the future.
The Tigers (3-3, 1-1 AAC) are two wins better than they were at this point last season, and already have as many conference wins through two games than they did all of last season.
Head coach Justin Fuente said at his weekly press conference on Monday that he can sense the energy and urgency within his players.
“I felt the excitement with the kids last night (Sunday),” Fuente said. “There's a very real energy about them. They understand that the first six games are over with and done. I've asked you all to judge us in the long run and not in the middle and that's the theme I've had with the kids too. Every single week we have to take care of our business, and we'll look back at the end of the year to see how we did. They have a sense of urgency to see how they can finish."
ESPN’s college football power index, meant to be the best predictor of team’s performance for the remainder of the season, projects the Tigers to finish second in the American just behind East Carolina. Memphis has a 37 percent chance to win the AAC, and the Pirates have a 53 percent chance, according to ESPN.
In addition, ESPN insiders have the Tigers projected in two different bowl games this season. Brett McMurphy has the Tigers in the Bitcoin ST. Petersburg Bowl against North Carolina State, and Mark Schlabach projects Memphis to be in the Birmingham bowl against UAB.
Although being projected into bowl games is a nice step for the Tigers, they will have to win at least three more games to be bowl eligible for the first time since 2008. They have gotten through the rough part of the schedule and are set up to finish strong with games against SMU, Tulsa, Temple, Tulane, South Florida and UConn. The Tigers will, probably, be favored in every game remaining except for maybe the Temple game.
Sophomore quarterback Paxton Lynch needs to continue playing well, if the Tigers hope to make a bowl game. He has 15 total touchdowns this season (nine passing and six rushing) to only six interceptions, and has improved his completion percentage (58 percent last year to 64 percent this season) and yards per attempt (5.9 to 7.2).
As a result, the Tigers offense has improved drastically averaging almost 34 points a game.
However, Lynch isn’t doing it all by himself. The Tigers have found a very solid running game to pair him up with this season. They’ve rushed for over 1300 yards and have nine rushing touchdowns this season.
Leading the way has been sophomore running back Sam Craft who has 338 yards on 78 carries and 3 touchdowns. Craft’s role has grown significantly since running back Doroland Dorceus was ruled out for the season with a leg injury after the Ole Miss game. Dorceus had 251 yards on just 46 carries along with four touchdowns.
Senior running back Brandon Hayes has had another solid season so far with 235 yards on 50 carries with the one touchdown.
Hayes praised the maturity of Lynch and said this is the best team he’s been on as a Tiger.
“I think Paxton [Lynch] is more mature and the chemistry of our offensive line is incredible,” Hayes said. “There are a lot of factors playing into it as well with our receivers making big plays. I think our team is the best team since I've been here. Going into this game, I feel the most confident that I have ever felt playing SMU."
The receivers, like the running backs, have all been solid, if not spectacular, in the first half of the season. Keiwone Malone leads the team with 21 catches for 275 yards and Tevin Jones has 20 catches for 252 yards with two touchdowns. However, it’s tight end Alan Cross who leads the team in touchdown receptions with three.
The offense is not the only part of the team that’s grown this season. The defense has been much improved only giving up 21 points per game good enough for 27th in the country.
Senior linebacker Tank Jakes has been the standout player on defense for the Tigers this season. Jakes leads the team in total tackles with 50, as well as tackles for loss (12). He also has four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception and the Tigers first safety in over 10 seasons, which he got against MTSU.
Senior cornerback Bobby McCain’s ball-hawking skills have been as sharp as ever. He already has three interceptions this season and a 59-yard fumble return for a touchdown against MTSU.
The Tigers defense should only improve in the final stretch, as star defensive end Martin Ifedi works his way back into form after missing most of the first half of the season with an injury. He led the team with 11.5 sacks last season.
Senior linebacker Ryan Coleman said any new trend for Memphis football will be because of the results of the second half of the season.
“Before the season started we had a talk with our coaches about how the last six games of our season were the home stretch,” Coleman said. “The last six games were going to determine our season, which is what it is right now. These six games are going to determine our season. Whether or not we get to accomplish our goal and set a new trend for Memphis, it's all up to these next games."
The Tigers take on SMU in Dallas on Saturday at 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPNNews.
