- Thread starter
- #41
Dolgevillefootballfan
Well-Known Member
Memphis
Preview segment: The Memphis Tigers
Last season: All right, Memphis! You guys finally reached the big time last year with a AAC trophy and an appearance in the Cotton Bowl. And the journey included QB Brady White setting passing records, a festive appearance hosting "College Gameday", and 2 big wins over Cincinnati to win the AAC title.
...But head coach Mike Norvell is gone now, off to Florida State. So what can Memphis do for an encore, now that Ryan Sliverfield has stepped in?
Bad news: Norvell took a lot of his assistant coaches with him to FSU, including the defensive coordinator. Speaking of the defense, it gave up too many big plays last year, so that problem needs to get fixed.
Good news: Maybe Sliverfield has what it takes to be a coach! I mean, he managed to convince people like Brady White and WR Damonte Coxie to stay put in Memphis for another year, so the offense shouldn't skip a beat. And the special teams look OK, too.
2020 X-factor: New defensive head Mike MacIntyre- Sliverfield also found a fine coach to be the new defensive coordinator in MacIntyre. Mike did win national coach of the year honors twice, you know, so he should do nothing but help the Memphis defense.
Key games:
9/12 @ Purdue (Much like their game against Ole Miss last year, Memphis will treat their game with Purdue as a possible launching pad for the season.)
9/19 vs. Houston (A high-scoring AAC opener is expected between these two teams.)
10/1 @ SMU (Another AAC game where a lot of points is expected.)
10/17 vs. UCF (Memphis has only defeated UCF once all-time... and that was back in the 20th century.)
10/31 @ Cincinnati (Another tough assignment for the Tigers, traveling out to Cincinnati. But at least Cincy hasn't beaten Memphis since 2013.)
Bottom line: Tough games at places like Purdue, SMU, and Cincinnati (combined with that UCF game) means that the Tigers will have an uphill climb in defending their AAC title. But with Brady White returning to lead the offense, at least the Tigers won't give up their throne without a fight! It'll be up to the new head-man to guide Memphis towards another title shot... and maybe even another big-time bowl.
Preview segment: The Memphis Tigers
Last season: All right, Memphis! You guys finally reached the big time last year with a AAC trophy and an appearance in the Cotton Bowl. And the journey included QB Brady White setting passing records, a festive appearance hosting "College Gameday", and 2 big wins over Cincinnati to win the AAC title.
...But head coach Mike Norvell is gone now, off to Florida State. So what can Memphis do for an encore, now that Ryan Sliverfield has stepped in?
Bad news: Norvell took a lot of his assistant coaches with him to FSU, including the defensive coordinator. Speaking of the defense, it gave up too many big plays last year, so that problem needs to get fixed.
Good news: Maybe Sliverfield has what it takes to be a coach! I mean, he managed to convince people like Brady White and WR Damonte Coxie to stay put in Memphis for another year, so the offense shouldn't skip a beat. And the special teams look OK, too.
2020 X-factor: New defensive head Mike MacIntyre- Sliverfield also found a fine coach to be the new defensive coordinator in MacIntyre. Mike did win national coach of the year honors twice, you know, so he should do nothing but help the Memphis defense.
Key games:
9/12 @ Purdue (Much like their game against Ole Miss last year, Memphis will treat their game with Purdue as a possible launching pad for the season.)
9/19 vs. Houston (A high-scoring AAC opener is expected between these two teams.)
10/1 @ SMU (Another AAC game where a lot of points is expected.)
10/17 vs. UCF (Memphis has only defeated UCF once all-time... and that was back in the 20th century.)
10/31 @ Cincinnati (Another tough assignment for the Tigers, traveling out to Cincinnati. But at least Cincy hasn't beaten Memphis since 2013.)
Bottom line: Tough games at places like Purdue, SMU, and Cincinnati (combined with that UCF game) means that the Tigers will have an uphill climb in defending their AAC title. But with Brady White returning to lead the offense, at least the Tigers won't give up their throne without a fight! It'll be up to the new head-man to guide Memphis towards another title shot... and maybe even another big-time bowl.