Tigers Football Preview: UCLA

Saturday, September 16

Memphis, Tenn.

11:00 a.m. CT

University of Memphis

#25 UCLA

Tickets

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Sep 15, 2017 | Football

2017 Memphis FB Notes 09 16 UCLA 2017 UCLA FB Notes 20170916 2017 American FB release 09-12

Tigers, Bruins to meet in national TV game on ABC.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – You'll be a part of history if you're in attendance at the University of Memphis football game Saturday. For the first time in program history, the Tigers are hosting a Pac-12 Conference school – and yes, a West Coast institution as well – on their home turf.

The UCLA Bruins make a nearly cross-country trek to the Mid-South Saturday for the first time in over 40 years. The last time UCLA played a football game in Memphis was the 1976 postseason Liberty Bowl game against Alabama. The Bruins also played a regular-season contest in the Liberty Bowl in 1965 versus Tennessee.

Quick Game Facts

Opponent	UCLA
Day/Date	Saturday, Sept. 16
Time	11 a.m. (CT)
Site	Memphis, Tenn./Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Television	ABC
Radio (Flagship)	600 WREC AM/Rock 103 (102.7 FM)

Memphis Head Coach Mike Norvell comments
"We are back at it here with another game week, and hopefully this week, we'll actually get the game. We're excited about this week. Obviously, last week was very unique with the circumstances of the game being canceled.

"Moving forward, there are still a lot of questions, still a lot of unknowns. We've been practicing since July 28, and we've only played one game. I have to give our players a compliment for the maturity that they've shown. The preparation and the work they've put in, they've handled a lot of different things here early when it comes to their schedule and routine, but they've responded in a first-class manner. They're definitely looking forward to Saturday. To get the opportunity to compete against a nationally-ranked opponent on our home field, they're going to be excited about the preparation leading up to this game."

(On having too much preparation)
"I think that, with as much as we've practiced without playing more than the one game, and that one game was definitely affected by weather, we're still trying to get a sense of who we are. There was a good amount of positives that we were able to take out of the first opportunity we had, but to be able to go out there and see exactly where we are with this football team is something I'm looking forward to. You can prepare for what you believe is going to come, but you still don't have a great sense of where we are. The game experience is going to provide that opportunity, and to do it against a top-25 opponent is going to be a lot of fun."

*Pick up your Memphis GameDay Program Saturday*

(On UCLA)
"We're going to be playing a really good football team – a football team that, in the last five quarters, is playing as good as anyone. Obviously, it starts with their quarterback on offense. The game against Hawaii was just about perfect. He (Rosen) was 22-of-25, multiple touchdowns, no interceptions, and played just a phenomenal football game. The last quarter of the (Texas) A&M game, he threw for almost 300 yards. He's playing at an extremely high level. He's seen pressure, he's seen coverage, he's seen a lot of different looks, and he has handled himself really well. When you talk about those top-level quarterbacks, you always want to hit them, try to rattle them and try to get them out of their game. The thing that's probably been most impressive about Josh (Rosen) is that, even though he's been hit, he's maintained his composure; he's gone out there and played the next play. He's playing at a high level.

"When you look at their defense from the second half of the Texas A&M game and last week against Hawaii, they've done a really nice job of mixing up what they're doing. They're going to be very multiple up front. They have the guys on the perimeter, including a true freshman corner that's one of the best that we'll see this year. Their defensive front has a lot of depth so they're able to roll a bunch of guys. They've got a great deal of experience, and special teams are going to be big. When you look at this football team that we're going to play, it's a very well rounded team."

Tigers Tidbits/Five Notes To Know

Saturday's game is only the second meeting between the two programs. The Bruins won the only previous encounter, which was played at the Rose Bowl in 2014. UCLA won an offensive shootout over the Tigers, 42-35.
Although unexpected, Memphis is playing Saturday after a bye week. Last week's Memphis-UCF contest scheduled for Sept. 9 – then moved up to Sept. 8 – was postponed to Sept. 30 as a result of Hurricane Irma. Since 2012, the Tigers are 5-2 in games following a bye week. Last season, Memphis posted an impressive 43-7 win over Kansas following its bye in the second week of 2016. The Tigers' regularly-scheduled bye week in 2017 is Nov. 11.
When Tiger Nation looks over on the UCLA sideline Saturday, it will see a familiar face. Former Memphis head coach Rip Scherer now serves as the Bruins senior associate head coach and also works with the tight ends. He returned to coaching in 2016. From 1995-2000, Scherer was the Tigers head coach. He guided the Tigers to what many consider the biggest victory in program history in 1996 when Memphis defeated nationally-ranked Tennessee and Peyton Manning 21-17 at the Liberty Bowl.
Can Memphis use its "big-win" recipe Saturday? The Tigers hope so. For the third season in a row, Memphis hosts a ranked opponent with a morning kickoff start time on ABC at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The last two seasons, the Tigers used that recipe to craft two upsets. In 2014, Memphis hosted Mid-South rival and No. 12 Ole Miss, and the kickoff was at 11 a.m. (CT) on ABC. The Tigers won 37-24. A year later, Memphis and No. 18 Houston kicked off at 11 a.m. (CT) on ABC. Same result: a Tigers victory, 48-44. On Saturday, the Tigers welcome No. 25 UCLA to the Liberty Bowl. Kickoff is at 11 a.m. (CT) on ABC.
Although the Bruins football program is making its first visit to the Bluff City in over 40 years, it doesn't mean UCLA athletics hasn't been in Memphis recently. The Bruins basketball program played in the 2014 and 2017 NCAA Tournament South Regionals at FedExForum. UCLA basketball also made one trip to Memphis to play the Tigers in men's basketball, and it was over 30 seasons ago in 1984-85. Memphis won that match-up in its NCAA Final Four season.

Know Your Foe/UCLA Facts-Stats Leaders

Quick Facts	2017 Statistical Leaders (2 games)
2017 Record: 2-0/0-0 Pac-12	Rushing: Bo Olorunfunmi (63 yds/TD)
Head Coach/Yrs: Jim Mora/6^th in 2017	Passing: Josh Rosen (820 yds/9 TD)
Starters Returning: 12 (7 Off/5 Def)	Receiving: Caleb Wilson (18 rec/239 yds/TD); Darren Andrews (16 rec/234 yds/5 TD)
Letterwinners Returning: 49	Tackles: Adariu Pickett (15 total/13 solo/TFL)