Tigers to tussle with Tulane
Memphis on the rebound after disappointing loss
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com Memphis Tigers will be looking to bounce back after suffering their first loss of the season last week against Temple that ended with a controversial catch on fourth down that was overturned, but will be facing a tough Tulane opponent who handed them their biggest upset loss last season.
The Green Wave stunned Memphis last year in New Orleans, running for four touchdowns in a 40-24 upset that dropped the Tigers to 0-2 in the AAC. Head Coach Mike Norvell said the Tigers are facing the best Tulane team they have ever seen and expects it to be an offensive battle Saturday at Liberty Bowl.
“I can tell you, if anyone wants to see a championship- caliber game, come Saturday,” Norvell said in his weekly press conference. “This Tulane team, they’re one of the best teams we will play this year. It’s going to be a heck of a matchup.”
Memphis (5-1, 1-1 AAC) suffered their first loss of the season last week and dropped out of the Top 25 polls. The Tigers suffered a disastrous first quarter with three fumbles and an interception that led to a 16-point deficit against Temple. Quarterback Brady White was a factor in all four turnovers.
But despite four turnovers in the game, the Tigers defense held Temple to field goals on the three first quarter turnovers and the offense clawed their way back.
Memphis marched their way down into Temple territory and with under three minutes left, it looked like Joey Magnifico made a diving catch on a fourth down pass from White with under 1:50 left in the fourth quarter.
The call was overturned and ruled incomplete, that the ball hit the ground, after a video review and ended with a 30-28 loss.
Norvell said while it was disappointing to come up short, the team had one of the best practices he has seen this week and that there were a lot of positives to take away from the loss.
“I hate losing,” Norvell said. “But when you come up short there is a reason. I thought last week was the best practice we’ve had. I’m encouraged by what I saw in practice last week to what that can mean for us this week. This is a really good football team that is coming in here. I’m excited about it. You talk about getting past it, you have to move on.”
Norvell said the defense played extremely well to keep the team in the game, and despite the turnovers, the offense kept fighting.
“I was really proud of our team in general and how we responded to those situations,” Norvell said. “There are a lot of teams, you turn the ball over three times in the first quarter, look up at the scoreboard and see you’re down 16-0, and there’s not a lot of teams that would respond the way ours did. They kept battling back, even when we had a mistake here, a mistake there, on all sides of the ball, they rallied.”
And despite the turnovers, the Tigers powerful offense ran up 492 yards on offense. Brady White was 28-of-43 passing with a career high 363 yards and helped the team get back in the game leading two scoring drives before halftime. On the season, White has 1,526 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Kenneth Gainwell had another big game for the Tigers with a career-high eight receptions for 98 yards. He also ran the ball for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Gainwell has emerged as one of the best running backs in the country and has 963 all-purpose yards with eight touchdowns.
Saturday’s matchup at Liberty Bowl could prove to be a high scoring affair. Tulane (5-1, 2-0 AAC) is third in points in the AAC averaging 39.2 points per game, while the Tigers are fourth with 37.8 points per game. The two teams are also third and fourth in yards per game averaging 496.3 yards for Tulane and 466.2 yards per game for Memphis.
Tulane Quarterback Justin McMillon has passed for 1,042 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions, and has also rushed for 301 yards and six touchdowns. Wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Jalen McCleskey have combined for 568 yards and five touchdowns. On the ground, runningbacks Corey Dauphine and Darius Bradwell are averaging 125 yards per game combined.
Norvell said the Green Wave have one of the most explosive offenses in the country.
“You watch them, they have been incredible in really every game,” Norvell said. “The only game they came up short was on the road against Auburn. There is a lot of versatility in who they are getting the ball to and how they are getting the ball to them. “I think it is going to be a great challenge for our team this week.”
While last year’s loss still stings, Norvell said the team has a lot of respect for Tulane and isn’t looking at the game from the standpoint of getting revenge.
“Both teams are different,” Norvell said. “They have a new offensive coordinator, defensively, their guys are more experienced as a defensive front. They were young last year, and really got after us, and now they’ve got a little more experience. It’s going to be a great challenge.”
This is the Tiger’s only October home game.
“We’re excited to be back in the Liberty Bowl,” Norvell said. “We need to have a great crowd and it needs to be a wonderful home-field advantage for us. We’re excited about getting back on the field and going to work with our preparation for what is going to be an absolute necessity for us to have a change and put ourselves in a good position come Saturday.”
Kickoff is at 6 p.m. at Liberty Bowl.
