2006 Memphis Tigers football preview

In early July we began our 2006 Conference USA football preview series on CUSA-fans.com. Today we have our Memphis preview written by CUSA-fans.com Memphis correspondent Kyle Eaton.

2005 Record: 7-5 (5-3) - Motor City Bowl Champions
Head Coach: Tommy West

For years, Memphis football has been deep in the shadow of Memphis basketball, struggling to get its share of the spotlight. But with three straight bowl appearances and the all-time leader in NCAA all-purpose yardage (DeAngelo Williams) has helped the football Tigers earn their fair share of headlines over the past couple of seasons. The Tigers enter the 2006 with a desire to prove that the past three years are not just a byproduct of a great player, but actually the results of a great coach building a legitimate program that will be a force in CUSA for years to come.

2006 Memphis Offense

The past couple of years have seen the Tiger offense be the strength of the team, and 2006 will be no different. The look and feel of the Tigers’ offense will be different this season, yet it will be potent as always. Gone will be the constant highlight reel runs, and in its place will be a barrage of long passes.

Tiger Quarterbacks: There is no way that the 2006 squad can have as much turmoil at the QB position as the 2005 squad did. Last season saw the Tigers lose their top two quarterbacks to injury, a third one to ineffectiveness, and the final result was transforming their top receiver, Maurice Avery, into the starting quarterback. This season, the Tigers are going to hand over the reigns to transfer Martin Hankins. Hankins put up video game numbers while throwing at Southeast Louisiana and the Tigers are banking on him to do the same this year. If Hankins falters, look for last year’s casualties of war, Patrick Byrne and Will Hudgens, to get a chance to run the Tigers’ offense again.

Tiger Running Backs: No player on the Tigers’ roster will be asked to replace DeAngelo Williams; that would not be fair to any player, fan, or Williams himself. The starting spot will go to last year’s backup, Joseph Doss. Doss performed very well last season relieving Williams and starting in the Tennessee game. Doss is a quality back with a ton of speed, maybe even more than Williams. What Doss lacks is the ankle-breaking ability that Williams made famous. Giving Doss the bulk of his breathers this year will be TJ Pitts, possibly the next great back in Tiger history.

Tiger Receivers: This is the best group of receivers that West has had at his disposal during his tenure with the Tigers. The Tigers are returning last season’s leading receiver, Ryan Scott, have Mario Pratcher returning from injury, and after a huge performance in the Motor City Bowl, Ernest Williams is poised for a huge season in 2006. Also, the Tigers are looking to first year player Carlos Singleton and his 6’ 8” to dominate in the red zone.

Tiger Offensive Line: The mammoth Willie Hernandez, the versatile Blake Butler, and Rimington Trophy hopeful Stephen Schuh lead a group of underrated linemen out to prove that they were a huge part of the rushing success over the past couple of years. The line is returning lots of depth this season and the offense’s success lies squarely on their broad shoulders.

2006 Memphis Defense

The defense has been the weak point of the Tiger’s teams the past couple of years. There has been a lack of depth on D and late in games it has shown. The Tigers are hoping that 2006 is finally the year that injuries do not cripple their front seven and the secondary can convert the lumps they took last season into solid experience this year. And forcing more turnovers and sacks this year could not hurt either.

Tiger Defensive Line: Things were so bad in 2005 that the Tigers had to resort to using two down linemen on several plays. 2006 will provide more depth on the D-line with Ole Miss transfers Jada Brown and Corey Brown, and red shirt freshman Greg Terrell joining the mix. The Tigers having a full rotation of linemen will lead to more QB pressures and less big plays by opponents.

Tiger Linebackers: This is the position of the most transition on the Tigers’ D this season. The Tigers have to replace two starters here and do not have many options to do so. The Tigers are hoping that Heath Grant’s solid spring will translate into a solid performance this fall as well.

Tiger Secondary: This unit was embarrassed time and time again last season, but there is optimism for 2006. FS Wesley Smith is one of only two Tigers to be named to the all-CUSA first team and is looking to make his senior year a memorable one.

2006 Memphis Special Teams

P Michael Gibson is the other Tiger first team all-CUSA player and should help the Tigers win the field position battle. Finding a kicker to replace Stephen Gostkowski is going to be the biggest challenge of the year, and with three possibilities for a replacement, the battle may last well into the season.

2006 Memphis Prediction

The Tigers have a strong home schedule this year, with conference champs Tulsa, conference runner-ups UCF, Tennessee, and bitter rival Southern Miss all coming to the Liberty Bowl this year. Look for the Tigers to be better than the experts think and go 8-4 (5-3) this season, with their fourth straight bowl appearance. The Tennessee game will be highly entertaining and is the Tigers’ best shot to score an upset. The most troublesome game is the Thanksgiving weekend trip to El Paso to battle with UTEP.

by Kyle Eaton -
CUSA-fans.com Memphis Team Correspondent

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