Why it didn’t make any sense for Gundy, Dimel, and the Big 12 to complain about adding Houston. We’re already stealing your recruits from here…we play here and kids want to stay home. Yes, we’ll get higher rated recruits in the Big12, but so will they since some folks would rather not have to drive 3 hours to Waco or Austin every Saturday to see their kids play.
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ABOUT MEMPHIS
« In its third season under head coach Mike Norvell, Memphis enters Friday at 7-4 overall and 4-3 in The American. Memphis has picked up wins against Mercer (66-14), Georgia State (59-22), South Alabama (52-35), UConn (55-14), ECU (59-41), Tulsa (47-21) and SMU (28-18) while dropping games to Navy (22-21), Tulane (40-24), UCF (31-30), Missouri (65-33).
« Memphis is led offensively by junior running back Darrell Henderson who leads The American in rushing with 1,521 yards and 17 touchdowns on 174 attempts, an average of 8.7 yards per carry, while adding 15 receptions for 283 yards and a score. Junior quarterback Brady White has thrown for 2,738 yards and 24 touchdowns against five interceptions on 193-of-303 passing, while sophomore receiver Damonte Coxie leads with 60 receptions for 1,039 yards and seven touchdowns.
« Defensively, the Tigers are led by senior linebacker Curtis Akins who has 72 tackles including one sack. Junior linebacker Bryce Huff leads Memphis with 16 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, while senior cornerback Tito Windham has four pass breakups and two interceptions.
« Friday’s matchup is the 27th meeting between the two schools with Houston owning a 15-11 series lead. Following a six-game Houston winning streak from 2009 to 2015, Memphis has claimed the last two meetings.
I feel more confident about us winning this game than I did Tulane. I thought going into Tulane the defense was done for the year. Not that they were giving up but we just didn’t have it. Tulane has won and been competitive in some decent games this year and we were dealing with Jacketgate and the King injury while basically acting like Tulane wasn’t there.
I still think we lose if I had to choose but Thursday has given me some hope there may be some Coog magic left in the tank this year.
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This game will be about Applewhite’s ability to get the team up for the big game. Odds are against a win, but let’s see Major’s coaching chops.
A win on Friday would raise his stock tremendously with me.
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Cant wait for thanksgiving
Cant wait for friday
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So you’re saying there’s a chance! 5 time winners is all I see!
Go Coogs! Beat Memphis!
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That is exactly what I meant.
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I think we will have some opportunities if we can hold up and give Tune some time. The defense will have to apply some pressure because Memphis thrives on intermediate passing when they “chose” to actually pass it. I have confidence in our defense a little more as well. Even if we give up some scores, our offense, even without King should be very comparable to Memphis’. We can win! Tune’s getting early reps for the bowl game, and CMD is putting on his audition tape for his next job. I wish them both to shine bright Friday!
Go Coogs!
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$15 tickets if you’re still on the fence about going:
“They’re an explosive team when you look at the skill positions they have, offensive line, tight end, this is a team that can attack you in a variety of ways,” Norvell said. “The young quarterback is a true freshman, came in the second half and put up 17 points in a short period of time. It’s somebody I watched in high school. He’s very talented, athletic. The only thing he’s lacking is experience. He’s already shown to be capable. We know they’re going to have a great plan.”
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But the Tigers’ response also showed yet again that Norvell’s teams often share an important trait: They get better as the season moves along.
He’s now 9-1 in November during his three years at Memphis and is one win shy of setting a school record for wins in a three-season span. It’s why he continues to pop up on every candidate list for every open job, so much so that it hardly makes you blink anymore.
Houston perhaps has caught a break in a forecast that calls for a chance of rain before game’s end on Friday. Those are the kind of conditions that can prove an equalizer between an every-game starting quarterback such as the Tigers’ Brady White, who has not fared well in wet weather, and freshman Clayton Tune.
“It doesn’t have to be flashy,” Applewhite said. “You just have to score one more point on Friday afternoon.”
### Prediction
Neither team expected this game to matter this much, but here we are. The biggest question will be how Houston’s offense performs without King. Memphis has found new life with its new opportunity, and the Cougars might be scrambling to find answers. This game is already intense, and you can expect plenty of chirping Friday morning. Houston. Memphis. Winner takes all for the AAC West crown.
Memphis 40 Houston 38
Coaching. Good coaching means good Novembers.
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This is gonna be a good game i can feel it
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My fear is that the young DL might get the Temple treatment on Friday. If the offense can score in the 40s, I like UH’s chances.
Next point. If Memphis can run the ball and play TOP we could be in trouble. That keeps our offense off of the field and if they’re running well, they’ll probably be scoring. That’s what I figured Tulane would do but they tried to play us at our game. If you looked at McMillan he looked uninvested and confused at what Fritz had their offense do. He wasn’t ready. The only team that was successful at not playing TOP against us was honestly SMU. If Memphis tries to go light speed, doesn’t convert first downs, and gives our offense extra possessions, we WILL win the game. Lot of ifs but maybe Norvell gets baited to go fast if we get an early lead( i.e. Tulane).
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It is the defense’s responsibility to get off the field.
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The Coogs need to score first. Then score a lot more. Early and often.
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