Memphis fans will have their first chance to get a look at the 2015 Memphis Tigers football team this weekend in the “Friday Night Stripes” spring game.
The Tigers will have the last of their 15 NCAA allotted practices with the spring game.
"On Friday night, I want to see them go play hard and execute," coach Justin Fuente said after the scrimmage last week. “It will be rudimentary on both sides of the ball but I want to see this team go play fast and execute. I would like to see zero mistakes on both sides of the ball.”
For the second year in a row, the Tigers will play the spring game at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
Fans will get an early look at how a new look defense is progressing after losing eight defensive starters and three backups from last year’s squad.
Though replacing the likes of cornerback Bobby McCain and his team-leading five interceptions last season will be no easy task.
In addition, the loss of AAC Defensive Player of the Year linebacker Tank Jakes who came into his own in 2014 will leave a huge hole in the middle of the defense.
However, the Tigers have players on defense who are ready to step up and fill the gaps left by them this spring.
Junior cornerback Dontrell Nelson will be one of many in the secondary who will probably have an increased role in 2015. He appeared in 12 games last season and recorded 1.5 tackles for loss and one interception.
In the middle of the defense, junior linebacker Jackson Dillon showed signs of promise last season as he recorded 33 tackles, nine of them being tackles for loss. His most impressive showing last season came in the Miami Beach Bowl in which he recorded 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks giving Tiger fans a glimpse of what they can possibly expect next season.
On offense, Memphis will have continuity at the most important position: quarterback. Paxton Lynch is entering his third year as the starter of the Tigers football team, and he will be expected to make another leap similar to what he did in 2014. He was responsible for 35 touchdowns last season (22 passing and 13 rushing).
The battle for carries in the backfield is something to watch out for as junior Sam Craft and sophomore Jarvis Cooper are currently ahead on the depth chart. Last season’s leading rusher Brandon Hayes who was a steady workhorse for four years, and rushed for 999 yards in 2014 is graduating this May.
As for the rules of Friday’s game is there will be four 12-minute quarters with a running clock, and every drive will start on the 35-yard line regardless of the plays in the scrimmage.
Scoring will go as follows, the Tiger offense will get the standard six points for a touchdown, a point for an extra point and three points for a field goal.
The Memphis defense will get seven points for a turnover, three points for a three-and-out series and one point for a series stop.
Kick off for the spring game is Friday at 7 p.m. and is free to the public.
Former Memphis Tiger running back Brandon Hayes rushed for nearly 2400 yards in his Tiger career and scored 16 rushing touchdowns. Photo by David Minkin
