Mike Norvell has never witnessed a victory in the state of Florida or against a Florida team during his time as head coach at the University of Memphis.
The U of M football team has lost all five games either played in the Sunshine State or against a team from there during Norvell’s tenure. He saved the season and won the West division of the American Athletic Conference to earn his sixth chance during his three years at the helm.
Norvell was hired by Tulsa, Pitt and Arizona State before acquiring his first head coaching job at Memphis. Norvell was a graduate assistant wide receiver coach at Tulsa for the 2007-08 season for one of his first coaching jobs. UCF beat Tulsa twice in his first year: once in the regular season and once in the Conference-USA championship. Overall, the teams Norvell helped represent went 2-2 against Florida teams, but he was not a head coach of those teams.
The last time Memphis football saw a victory against a Florida team was in 2015 in Tampa, Florida, while Norvell was at Arizona State. The Tigers, under then-offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey, beat the University of South Florida 24-17.
The first loss against Florida team that Norvell encountered was at the hands of USF in 2016. The South Florida Bulls beat the Tigers 49-42 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Later that year, Norvell led the team to the Boca Raton Bowl in Boca Raton, Florida, in December 2016. The Tigers were outmatched by the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 51-31.
In 2017, Norvell led the Tigers into two matches against UCF in both the regular season and in the AAC Championship. Both games were played in Florida, and the Tigers lost both times.
Most recently, the Tigers were defeated 31-30 by UCF on Oct. 13 in the Liberty Bowl. Overall the Tigers have played UCF 13 times and have only won the first meeting in 1990.
Norvell just finished his third regular season and has accumulated a 26-12 record. Norvell is the highest achieving coach at the U of M in a three-year span. No other coach in Memphis history has accomplished what Norvell has in the same amount of time. Norvell led the Tigers to consecutive AAC West division championships wins and the team’s most recent win against Houston.
Norvell signed five-year, a $13 million extension with the U of M in late 2017. Several Power Five programs contacted him in hopes that could fill their coaching staff gaps.
Norvell is the highest paid non-Power Five coach with a $2.6 million annual salary. Norvell is the 48th highest paid coach in Division 1 football. The second-highest paid non-Power Five coach is AAC West opponent Ken Niumatalolo at Navy in Annapolis, Maryland. Niumatalolo is paid $2.16 million.
Norvell must take advantage of weakened UCF offense. Central Florida will be without star quarterback McKenzie Milton, as he was injured during the “War on I-4” against USF in Tampa, Florida. Milton has proved to be a driving force of the Knights’ offense. The potential Heisman candidate will be out for the remainder of the season and an unknown time after that.
Novell will lead the Tigers into their sixth match up against a Florida team or game in Florida. The UCF Knights will host the AAC Championship in Orlando, Florida. The game will be broadcast on ABC at 2:30 p.m.
This could be the best chance Norvell has to win the AAC and finally leave Florida with a win in his pocket.
