Tigers Football Preview: USF

Saturday, November 12

Memphis, Tenn.

6:00 PM

University of Memphis

USF

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Photo by: George Kubas

Nov 11, 2016 | Football

Memphis FB Notes USF FB Notes The American FB Notes

Memphis, USF have two of nation's top scoring offenses.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The scoreboard operator at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium may be a busy person Saturday when Memphis and USF meet in an American Athletic Conference football showdown. Game time is 6 p.m. (CT), and ESPNU is televising the match-up.

Saturday's clash features two of the nation's top scoring offenses. USF leads The American and is ninth nationally in scoring at 43.4 points (391 total points), and Memphis is 19^th nationally and third in the league at 38.9 points (350). It's a challenge head coach Mike Norvell and his Tigers are well aware of.

"They are an explosive football team at every position," Norvell said. "They can score from anywhere on the field. It's going to be a great challenge for us. Our guys are excited about it. This is going to be a championship-level opponent and a championship-level atmosphere Saturday.

Saturday's GameDay Program celebrates Veterans Day weekend.

"They're big up front, and they have a dynamic quarterback. He can throw it, and he can run. You can't just focus on one running back because they've got multiple running backs that all are big time players. We talk about preparation. We're going to need it every day, every second this week leading up to this game."

The Bulls present many areas of concern for the Memphis defense, but the same can be said of the Tigers offense for the USF defense. Junior college transfer QB Riley Ferguson directs an offense that averages nearly 450 yards per game and has scored 38 TD. Junior Anthony Miller is putting together one of the best seasons for a receiver in program history, as he nears 1,000 yards.

But, more than Ferguson's and Miller's numbers, Norvell likes the leadership both players have exhibited recently.

"Riley's overall understanding and experience provides confidence in leadership," said Norvell. "Riley has done a remarkable job since January when he got here, coming in and trying to be an example. His teammates got to see his understanding and the work that he in. That example provided an opportunity to lead and, with each week that goes by and everything that he does on the field, guys now listen because this is a guy that's earned it and is continuing to earn it with his actions.

"We talked last week about Anthony Miller after the Tulsa game. He had a heck of a game. He let everybody know that it wasn't good enough and what we're doing moving forward. He then came out and practiced his tail off last week at an even higher level than what he had been, which is pretty remarkable. Other players see that. That is what leadership is all about."

Television: ESPNU
Radio: 600 WREC/102.9 FM (Flagship station); 91.7 FM (WUMR/student station)
Internet Video: ESPN3.com
Live Stats: memphis.statbroadcast.com; gotigersgo.com/fblivestats
LiveTweet: @Tigersmedia, @MemphisFB

Tigers Tidbits/Five Notes To Know
• Saturday's game is only the ninth overall meeting between the two programs. Memphis leads the overall series 5-3 and also holds a 4-1 advantage in conference match-ups. The Tigers and Bulls have played as league foes in Conference USA from 2003-04 and The American from 2013-present. Memphis has won the last four meetings, including a hard-fought 24-17 victory in Tampa last season. The Tigers also won the last encounter in Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, a 31-20 victory over the Bulls in 2014.

• Saturday's match-up features two of the youngest coaches in the American Athletic Conference. Memphis head coach Mike Norvell is the league's youngest head coach at 35-years-old, and USF mentor Willie Taggart is the conference's third-youngest at 40-years-old. Norvell is the youngest head coach at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. When he was hired as USF's head coach in 2013, Taggart was the fifth-youngest head coach at the FBS level.

• Redshirt junior WR Anthony Miller is moving up the season and career receiving charts. In 2016, Miller is putting together one of the best receiving performances for a season. He enters Saturday's game with 57 catches for 924 yards and seven touchdowns. The catches (7^th), yards (2^nd) and scores (10^th) are in the top-10 for a season. Career-wise, Miller is 14^th in receptions (104), ninth in yards (1,618) and 10^th in touchdowns (12).

• It took 20 years to break the Tigers' kick return for a TD drought, and now Memphis is returning kicks for scores as if it's an everyday occurrence. The Tigers have three kick returns for TD this season and are tied first nationally in that statistical category (Pittsburgh also has three). The NCAA record for kick returns for TD is five held by two American Athletic Conference foes. Tulsa had five kick returns for scores in 2004, and Houston tied that mark in 2009.

• Memphis' wins over USF the past two seasons gave the Tigers momentum for their next game. And, Memphis hopes a win Saturday will do the same. Two years ago (2014), the Tigers posted a 31-20 win over the Bulls in late November and carried that vibe into their season-finale win over Connecticut. The win over the Huskies clinched The American regular-season title. Last season, Memphis defeated USF 24-17 in Tampa in early October and that victory carried over into the Tigers' upset of No. 13 Ole Miss.

Scouting USF
The Bulls bring a 7-2 overall record and a 4-1 American Athletic Conference mark into Saturday's conference showdown. USF has won four of its last five, including an impressive 52-45 victory over No. 22/22 Navy in its last outing Oct. 28.

QB Quinton Flowers leads the Bulls' high-powered offense. Flowers, a dual-threat QB, leads USF in rushing with 921 yards on 121 carries with 10 TD. He is The American's third-leading rusher at 102.3 yards per game. Flowers also is nearing 2,000 yard passing this season. He is 136-of-229 passing for 1,941 yards and 17 scoring tosses.

Rodney Adams is Flowers' favorite receiver with a team-high 41 receptions for 556 yards and four TD. Flowers also receives help in the ground attack from Marlon Mack. The Bulls' RB is fifth in The American in rushing at 98.0 yards per game. Mack has 784 yards on 108 carries with a team-high 11 TD.

The USF LB tandem of Auggie Sanchez and Nigel Harris paces the defense. Sanchez leads the squad in total tackles (79), solo hits (45), TFL (8.0) and sacks (6.0). He also has three PBU. Harris is second on the team with 53 total tackles and is tied with Sanchez in TFL (8.0). Harris has a team-best two interceptions.