The University of Memphis Tigers are bowl eligible for the third consecutive season. Mike Norvell is the first head coach since Richard Williamson in 1975 to win at least six games in his first season.
The University of Memphis Tigers are bowl eligible for a third straight season after their dominating 51-7 win at SMU Saturday.
Now that the Tigers are officially bowl eligible, fans can now begin to take a look at where some of the national college football websites predict Memphis will play their bowl game.
The Bleacher Report put the Tigers against the University of Miami-Florida in the Military Bowl December 27, CBS Sports projected Memphis in the Boca Raton Bowl December 20 vs. UTEP and MSN had the Tigers against Central Michigan in the Miami Beach Bowl December 19.
While ESPN has yet to update their week-by-week bowl projections, experts predicted the University of Memphis to reach either the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl vs. Old Dominion, or the Military Bowl vs. Syracuse in last week’s edition.
It is only the second time in school history the University of Memphis will play in three-straight bowl games, with the last time being between 2003-2005, and Mike Norvell becomes the first head coach since Richard Williamson in 1975 to win atleast six games in his first season.
University of Memphis football coach Mike Norvell smiles during a spring practice. Norvell and his Tigers conclude spring practice with Friday Night Stripes at the Liberty Bowl.
However, compared to former head coach Tommy West and the early 2000s Tigers, this team has brought the program to a point it hasn’t reached yet.
The U of M is coming off two seasons in which the team totaled 19 wins, including one bowl win, and had, arguably, the greatest quarterback to come through the program drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft to defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.
Norvell, who is in his first season as a head coach, came in to replace Justin Fuente, the architect behind the U of M’s surge in the Americna Athletic Conference, as a promising former assistant coach with a strong recruiting repertoire.
Before the 2016 season could begin, Norvell brought in a recruiting class, headlined by junior college quarterback recruit Riley Ferguson, that finished third in the AAC. Next year’s class is currently 42nd in the nation and second in the conference, numbers usually unheard of in Memphis football recruiting, including four-star offensive lineman Obinna Eze.
The Tigers, because of Norvell’s recruitingabilities, entered this season with plenty of expectations, one of which was to reach a third-straight bowl game.
After Saturday’s win, the team sits at 6-3 and 3-2 in league play.
Ferguson was named the AAC’s offensive player of the week for the second time this season after completing 20-of-27 passes for 287 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Kicker Jake Elliot received conference special teams honors after going 3-for-3 on his field goals.
Wide receiver Anthony Miller, who leads the team with 57 receptions for 924 yards and seven touchdowns, was recently named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list, given to nation’s top receiver. Linebacker Genard Avery leads Memphis in several categories, including 57 tackles, seven TFL, three sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and two touchdowns.
While this year’s Memphis team doesn’t have Lynch to lead the team, the Tigers still had plenty of weapons to get to a third consecutive bowl game.
If the U of M can keep hold of Norvell for the forseeable future, it isn’t unheard of to expect the Tigers to continue their string of consecutive bowl games and compete for AAC conference championships.
The University of Memphis Tigers are bowl eligible for the third consecutive season. Mike Norvell is the first head coach since Richard Williamson in 1975 to win at least six games in his first season.
