Hot off a blowout win over Cincinnati in its American Athletic Conference opener, the University of Memphis football team has the chance to open its conference slate 2-0 for the first time since 1996.
The Tigers (3-2, 1-0 AAC) welcome the Houston Cougars (2-3, 0-1 AAC) to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
With a win over the Bearcats a week ago, Memphis’ schedule sets up perfectly for a run at the AAC title, but U of M head coach Justin Fuente said it is too early to start thinking about a conference championship. He said his team is zeroed in on Houston.
“Our challenge is to continue to play at a high level on a consistent basis,” Fuente said at his weekly press conference on Monday. “We have to play at a high level to give ourselves a chance. We are a ways away from patting ourselves on the back for a job well done.”
The Cougars are in a state of flux after switching quarterbacks early this week. Houston head coach Tony Levine announced that sophomore wide receiver Greg Ward Jr. would replace sophomore John O’Korn at the quarterback position.
Ward replaced O’Korn midway through there matchup with Central Florida last Thursday. O’Korn threw two interceptions before Ward entered the game.
Ward played well in O’Korn’s stead, but the receiver turned quarterback lost a critical fumble in the game’s final minute. Reaching for the end zone, Ward coughed the ball out of the back of the end zone, squashing any chance the Cougars had to beat the Knights.
Fuente said Saturday’s game will be a tough one for the Tigers, but he expects a ruckus crowd at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
“They've had a few extra days to prepare,” the third-year coach said. “They're coming off of a tough defeat in their first conference game; a game in which they probably should have won. They were essentially six inches away from winning. We're going to have a heck of a challenge.”
The Cougars beat Memphis a season ago in Houston, but the Tigers are favored by more than a touchdown this time around.
Although the Cougars are shuffling on offense, they boast one of the best defenses, statistically, in the nation. Through five games, Houston has forced 14 turnovers for the nation’s 18th best scoring defense.
Memphis senior quarterback Paxton Lynch is coming off a career game against the Bearcats. Lynch threw for a career-high 311 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored two touchdowns with his legs.
Lynch needs to be extra careful against the ball-hawking defense of Houston.
Lynch was not the only Tiger to have a career day. Sophomore Sam Craft excelled in his first game in the backfield. Craft said he knew he would need to be ready when fellow sophomore Doroland Dorceus went down with a knee injury in Memphis’ loss to Ole Miss.
Craft carried the ball 28 times against Cincinnati for 170 yards and a touchdown.
With its struggles under center, Houston relies on a heavy dose of the running game. Kenneth Farrow has two touchdowns this season and 321 yards through five games.
The Tigers plan to counter with this week’s AAC Defensive Player of the Week, senior Tank Jakes. Jakes leads the nation in tackles for loss with 2.4 a game, and he is sixth in the Country in sacks.
Jakes said the Tigers just have to stick to the coaches’ game plan to get a win on Saturday.
Craft agreed with Jakes and added the Tigers need to just keep doing what has gotten them to where they are.
“We have to keep doing what we've been doing,” Craft said. “We have come to practice every week and prepare every day and stay focused and play hard. We have to keep doing our assignments and play as one. We don't have one player out there that is just totally dominating the game; it's more so that everyone is doing their job. When everyone does their job, we have a pretty good offense and defense”
Kick off is slated for 6:04 p.m. at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. CBS plans to broadcast the game nationally on CBS Sports Network.
