After beating Tulane 38-7 last week in New Orleans, the University of Memphis football team (7-3, 5-1 American Athletic Conference) will now finish the season with two home games – the first a matchup with the University of South Florida on Saturday.
Though the Bulls (4-6, 3-3 AAC) have had a rough season, they still have a lot to play for, as they can still become bowl eligible by winning their final two games of the season.
Memphis coach Justin Fuente said, despite USF’s losing record, they still have an incredible challenge this week.
“South Florida won last week (14-13 against SMU),” Fuente said at his weekly press conference. “They still have an opportunity to be bowl eligible. Coach [Willie] Taggart has done a really good job of building that program back up. They've got skill kids all over the place. Our defense will have an incredible challenge with a fantastic wide receiver and prominent running game.”
Although USF ranks 120th out of 124 FBS schools in points per game, averaging a little less than 19 points per contest, they still have a few weapons that the Tigers hope to contain like senior wide receiver Andre Davis, who leads the team in receptions (26) and yards (475) with an impressive six touchdowns on the season.
The quarterback, who will be throwing Davis the ball on Saturday, is sophomore Mike White. White has only completed 49.5 percent of his passes this season and thrown for 1288 yards and eight touchdowns to seven interceptions. However, White led a fourth-quarter comeback at SMU last weekend, throwing two touchdowns in the final frame.
Despite the Bulls ranking a measly 109th in rushing yards per game with 119.5, most of their yards come from star freshman running back Marlon Mack. Mack has rushed for 907 yards on just 142 carries, averaging 5.2 yards a carry. He also has eight touchdowns on the season, but Mack hasn’t found the end zone since an Oct. 18 victory over Tulane.
Memphis senior linebacker Charles Harris said he expects the Bulls to run the ball heavily, and the Tigers will have to outlast them if they want to pull out the win this weekend.
“We know they're going to come out and try to be physical,” Harris said. “They're going to try and run the ball down our throat. We pride ourselves on our run game and defense. It's going to come down to who can withstand the opponent the longest and win it at the end."
Memphis senior cornerback Bobby McCain said that USF’s record doesn’t show what they can do as a team.
“They have great athletes,” McCain said. “They have great perimeter guys. They have a wide receiver that's a pretty good ballplayer. Defensively they're pretty strong. They like to play aggressive like we do. We're going to have to come out and play our A-game."
The Bulls defense ranks 75th in the country in points given up per game with 27.7. They also lack playmakers on defense with their team leader in interceptions, senior defensive back Johnny Ward, with only two.
The Tigers will take on the Bulls this Saturday at 3 p.m. at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. ESPNews plans to televise the game.
