Talk about not getting any respect. All Memphis did last year was go 9-4 winning its third bowl game ever, thump Louisville 37-7 along the way, destroy Hawaii Bowl-bound Houston 45-14 at Houston and finish up with the nation's ninth ranked defense and 16th ranked offense. No less than 59 lettermen return including QB Danny Wimprine, RB DeAngelo Williams and ten starters to what will be one of the nation's most powerful offensive attacks, yet no one want to give this team any love going into 2004. Consider this a big hug for one of the prime contenders for the Conference USA title.
The problem last year was consistency as the Tigers were good enough to beat Ole Miss, but flaky enough to lose to a lousy Mississippi State team. They were good enough to blow out Louisville and Houston on the road, but not focused enough against UAB and South Florida at home.
That roller coaster should change with a veteran team that will be focused and primed for a huge season. The defense gets it done with smoke and mirrors relying on Joe Lee Dunn's 3-3-5 blitzing attack to make up for the lack of many star defenders. The offense will be unstoppable with the best skill players in the league, one of the nation's deepest receiving corps, and five senior starters up front. This needs to be the year Memphis takes another step up, and all the pieces are there to do it.
The Schedule: The Tigers have it easy with only Ole Miss as a non-conference test. With Louisville and Southern Miss coming to Memphis, the schedule can't be used as an excuse if this isn't a C-USA title winning season. However, the season closing game at South Florida could be a disappointment.
Best Offensive Player: Junior RB DeAngelo Williams. The best all-around back in the state of Tennessee, Williams led the nation in all-purpose yards averaging 192.1 yards per game as a runner, receiver and kickoff return star. He was the league's best player last year despite missing time with a knee injury.
Best Defensive Player: Senior DT Albert Means. Means has been around college football for what seems like ten years, and now he'll close out his long and strange career with a flourish. The 335-pound senior is in top shape and should be one of the league's best tackles. If he cranks his game up another few notches the NFL scouts will push him up to the early rounds next year.
Key players to a successful season: The linebackers have to prove they're up to the task of handling all the pressure they'll have to apply. This is a very young group with two sophomores and a junior starting, and they'll need to hold up against the run and consistently get into the backfield like their predecessors did. Tim Goodwell should be a rock in the middle, while Mike Snyder and Quinton McCrary have to use their speed to make plays on the outside.
The season will be a success if ... Memphis wins the Conference USA title. If not now, when? It will be a while before Memphis has this much talent and experience on offense along with this favorable a schedule. The time is now for a title, but this will most likely be a second or third place team that goes off to a nice bowl.
Key game: November 13th vs. Southern Miss. The Tigers have Cincinnati and Louisville to worry about before getting the defending C-USA champs, but the Southern Miss game is the last home date of the year and a must-win before going off to play East Carolina and South Florida. If you want to be the champs, you have to beat the champs..
2003 Fun Stats:
- First quarter scoring: Memphis 104 - Opponents 61
- Penalties: Opponents 100 for 878 yards - Memphis 80 for 643
- Sacks: Memphis 35 - Opponents 12
The problem last year was consistency as the Tigers were good enough to beat Ole Miss, but flaky enough to lose to a lousy Mississippi State team. They were good enough to blow out Louisville and Houston on the road, but not focused enough against UAB and South Florida at home.
That roller coaster should change with a veteran team that will be focused and primed for a huge season. The defense gets it done with smoke and mirrors relying on Joe Lee Dunn's 3-3-5 blitzing attack to make up for the lack of many star defenders. The offense will be unstoppable with the best skill players in the league, one of the nation's deepest receiving corps, and five senior starters up front. This needs to be the year Memphis takes another step up, and all the pieces are there to do it.
The Schedule: The Tigers have it easy with only Ole Miss as a non-conference test. With Louisville and Southern Miss coming to Memphis, the schedule can't be used as an excuse if this isn't a C-USA title winning season. However, the season closing game at South Florida could be a disappointment.
Best Offensive Player: Junior RB DeAngelo Williams. The best all-around back in the state of Tennessee, Williams led the nation in all-purpose yards averaging 192.1 yards per game as a runner, receiver and kickoff return star. He was the league's best player last year despite missing time with a knee injury.
Best Defensive Player: Senior DT Albert Means. Means has been around college football for what seems like ten years, and now he'll close out his long and strange career with a flourish. The 335-pound senior is in top shape and should be one of the league's best tackles. If he cranks his game up another few notches the NFL scouts will push him up to the early rounds next year.
Key players to a successful season: The linebackers have to prove they're up to the task of handling all the pressure they'll have to apply. This is a very young group with two sophomores and a junior starting, and they'll need to hold up against the run and consistently get into the backfield like their predecessors did. Tim Goodwell should be a rock in the middle, while Mike Snyder and Quinton McCrary have to use their speed to make plays on the outside.
The season will be a success if ... Memphis wins the Conference USA title. If not now, when? It will be a while before Memphis has this much talent and experience on offense along with this favorable a schedule. The time is now for a title, but this will most likely be a second or third place team that goes off to a nice bowl.
Key game: November 13th vs. Southern Miss. The Tigers have Cincinnati and Louisville to worry about before getting the defending C-USA champs, but the Southern Miss game is the last home date of the year and a must-win before going off to play East Carolina and South Florida. If you want to be the champs, you have to beat the champs..
2003 Fun Stats:
- First quarter scoring: Memphis 104 - Opponents 61
- Penalties: Opponents 100 for 878 yards - Memphis 80 for 643
- Sacks: Memphis 35 - Opponents 12
