CUSA 2008 Football Previews > 2008 Memphis Football Preview

2008 Memphis Tigers football preview

Memphis Tigers - Conference USA

2007 Record: (7-6, 6-2)

2007 Bowl: New Orleans Bowl vs. Florida Atlantic (L 27-44)

Coach: Tommy West (41-44 at Memphis, 76-79 overall)

Offensive Coordinator: Clay Helton

Defensive Coordinator: Tim Walton

Returning Leaders for Memphis:

• Rushing: T.J. Pitts, RB, 481 yards
• Passing: Will Hudgens, QB, 587 yards
• Receiving: Duke Calhoun, WR, 890 yards
• Tackles: Brandon Patterson, S, 77
• Sacks: Clinton McDonald, DT, 4.0
• Interceptions: LeRico Mathis, CB, 4; Brandon Patterson, S, 4

Other Key Returnees: DT Freddie Barnett, C Philip Beliles, WR Steven Black, LB Winston Bowens, OT Brandon Pearce, G Dominik Riley, TE Brett Russell, CB Alton Starr, DE Greg Terrell, LB Josh Weaver, WR Earnest Williams

Key Losses: RB Joseph Doss, CB LaKeitharun Ford, QB Martin Hankins, OT Abraham Holloway, LB Jake Kasser, S Dontae Reed, G Andy Smith

The only thing that stopped the Memphis offense from being really good was the running game. Joseph Doss was not horrible, but the overall numbers were pretty bad. Now the Tigers have to find a replacement for Doss. T.J. Pitts and junior college transfer Curtis Steele are the next in line to try and revitalize the ground game.

Memphis' 2008 Strengths:

Quarterback Martin Hankins quietly put together a couple good seasons. Last year he threw for 3,220 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior. Will Hudgens has the most experience of any of the possible new signal callers, but Matt Malouf and Arkelon Hall are the more dynamic players. Malouf is a dual-threat, while Hall, a junior college transfer, was a highly rated recruit coming out of high school a few years back. No matter who ends up as the quarterback, they should be successful due to the bevy of wide receivers. Duke Calhoun and Carlos Singleton are back after combining for 1,657 yards and 16 touchdowns. Steven Black and Earnest Williams bring even more experience to the unit.

Memphis' 2008 Weaknesses:

While the front four should be decent, the Memphis defense has a lot of holes to fill in a unit that ranked 100 th in the nation in total defense in 2007. Getting pressure on the opposing quarterback was a huge problem and the team barely averaged over one sack per contest. With Clinton McDonald, Freddie Barnett, Steven Turner and Greg Terrell back, it should be better, but it could just as easily be more of the same. The linebackers have to find a replacement for leading tackler Jake Kasser and the secondary will have to replace safety Dontae Reed. While players like free safety Brandon Patterson will have a good year, the back seven needs to find a lot of new players ready to step up and make a big impact.

The Bottom Line for Memphis in 2008:

If the running game can improve, which is a distinct possibility with a line that features mostly upperclassmen, then the passing attack should flourish under the new quarterback. However, the possibility is there for the Tigers to have a very inconsistent offense and the defense is nowhere near good enough to get the team back to a bowl if that is the case.

2007 Team Stats for the Tigers:

Rushing Offense: 137.85 (74th in nation, 10th in conference)

Passing Offense: 305.77 (13, 2)

Total Offense: 443.62 (23, 3)

Scoring Offense: 29.23 (51, 7)

Rushing Defense: 202.46 (103, 10)

Pass Defense: 239.00 (74, 5)

Total Defense: 441.46 (100, 6)

Scoring Defense: 32.23 (96, 6)

Turnover Margin: .77 (15, 2)

Sacks: 1.15 (111, 11)

Sacks Allowed: 1.08 (10, 1)