MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis will celebrate homecoming Saturday against UConn at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium with festivities that include bringing back former players and alumni and, hopefully for Tigers coach Mike Norvell, a productive offense that carried the team the first month of the season.
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The Tigers have scored 50 or more points in three games this season, but were limited to 24 in last weekend's American Athletic Conference loss at Tulane. Kickoff is 6 p.m. and the game will be shown on CBS Sports Network.
Pick up your Homecoming program at Saturday's game.
Norvell is looking forward to seeing how his team responds Saturday in the first of two consecutive AAC home games. UConn (1-4 overall, 0-2 AAC) is led by veteran coach Randy Edsall, in his second stint with the Huskies and 19th season as a college coach.
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"We've got to make sure when we hit the field Saturday that we come out with a great purpose and play at a high level," Norvell said. "We've got to be a more detailed team and (be) more consistent in how we execute to achieve success playing in this league."
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Norvell said the team is taking ownership of its shortcomings in the 40-24 loss at Tulane, which should help it recover.
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"I can tell you we know how to respond to adversity," Norvell said. "We know how to right the ship. It comes down to hard work and great focus. I know our team is going to do that."
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The Tigers should be healthier defensively when they line up against UConn. Several key defenders did not play at Tulane, including defensive back Tito Windham and linebacker Jackson Dillon.
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One Memphis defender who stepped up last weekend was linebacker Bryce Huff. He finished with nine tackles, two sacks and five tackles for loss. He leads the team with five sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss.
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The Tigers also could benefit from a return-to-form from running back Darrell Henderson. Despite being limited to 51 yards at Tulane, Henderson remains the nation's leading rusher with 760 yards and the second-leading rusher in terms of yards per game (152). He also leads the nation with an average of 11.69 yards per carry.
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Quarterback Brady White, in his first season, has passed for 1,310 yards and 14 touchdowns.
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Norvell expects both teams to be hungry for their first conference win. Like UConn, the Tigers (3-2) are 0-2 in league play, both losses coming on the road.
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"Look at their schedule," Norvell said. "They've been through it. Every team they've played was undefeated at the time they played them. They've been on the road, they've had challenges and they're a young football team, to a greater extent than we are.
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"Both teams are hungry for a victory. It's going to be two highly motivated teams, and the one that executes the best and performs at the highest level has a great chance to be successful."
 QUICK HITS
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Since 2014, the Tigers are 25-4 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, which includes a 15-2 record under coach Mike Norvell.
This will be only the fourth meeting between the programs. Memphis leads the series, 2-1, after dropping the inaugural game in East Hartford, Conn., in 2013. The Tigers won, 70-31, last year at UConn and set a school record with eight touchdown passes.
The 2014 Memphis win over UConn at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium give the program its first conference championship since 1971 when the Tigers were members of the Missouri Valley Conference.
Memphis has a 5-1 record following a regular-season loss since 2016.
