University of Memphis Athletics
Saturday, November 23
Tampa, Fla.
3:00 pm CT
University of Memphis
at
USF *
Damonte Coxie leads the Tigers with 765 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Photo by: Matthew A. Smith
Tigers travel to USF for key matchup
Nov 22, 2019 | Football
UofM seeking to remain on track for third-straight division title
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – When the 18th-ranked University of Memphis football team plays host to the USF Bulls at 3 p.m. Saturday in an American Athletic Conference game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., there will be obstacles other than the program honoring 17 seniors and the marketing department giving away a car to one lucky student in attendance.
USF, despite its 4-6 overall record and 2-4 conference mark, is a dangerous opponent, one that pushed nationally ranked Cincinnati to the end last weekend, held its own against Temple the week before and defeated BYU in mid-October.
Tigers' coach Mike Norvell understands his team, 9-1 overall and on a four-game win streak, is going to be challenged from the opening kickoff
"Cincinnati is 17th in the country, and it came down to a last-second field goal," Norvell said. "South Florida missed out on a lot of opportunities in the game. Their field goal kicker was 1-of-5. They had some chances to win that game, and I really thought they dominated in most phases throughout the contest.
"The week prior they played Temple, which we know is a quality opponent. That was a 10-point game to the very end. This is a team that has talent."
Quarterback Jordan McCloud passed for a career-best 267 yards against Cincinnati and has completed 63 percent of his passes in the past two games. USF also boasts one of the top defenses in the conference. The Bulls allow 367.8 yards per game to rank third in the league and their pass defense ranks first allowing only 173.2 yards per game. No other league team yield fewer than 200 passing yards.
"Defensively, it's one of the best defenses in our conference," Norvell said. "They have great length, size and athleticism. These guys can run at every position. "
As for his Tigers, Norvell is seeking to become the first coach in school history to post multiple 10-win seasons. He led the UofM to a 10-3 finish in 2017 and a berth in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
The team's recent win streak has been fueled by a combination of brilliance and execution by quarterback Brady White and the emergence of one of the deepest receiving corps in the conference.
White ranks first in The American in pass efficiency (184.0) and has thrown 28 touchdowns with only five interceptions. During the four-game win streak, White has 15 touchdowns and has been intercepted once.
"He's doing a good job," Norvell said. "We're doing a good job protecting him. We're doing a good job finishing plays. There hasn't been a night-and-day change in him. He's been playing at a high level. He's completing the ball. We're moving the ball down the field and maximizing those opportunities. I think he's played at a high level throughout this season."
The team's top receiver, Damonte Coxie, leads the Tigers in receptions (48), yards (765) and is tied for the team lead in touchdowns (7). Two others – Calvin Austin III and Antonio Gibson – are averaging more than 20 yards per reception. Gibson also has seven TDs.
Norvell has the Tigers, 5-1 in conference play, in position to win their third-straight West Division title with two regular-season games remaining. If the UofM wins its final two games it claims the division championship, but USF may have designs on spoiling the goal.
"This team in no different than any other team in our league," Norvell said. "If we don't play at a high level, we will get beat Saturday. We have to prepare, we have to improve and we have to do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position to be successful."
NOTES
USF, despite its 4-6 overall record and 2-4 conference mark, is a dangerous opponent, one that pushed nationally ranked Cincinnati to the end last weekend, held its own against Temple the week before and defeated BYU in mid-October.
Tigers' coach Mike Norvell understands his team, 9-1 overall and on a four-game win streak, is going to be challenged from the opening kickoff
"Cincinnati is 17th in the country, and it came down to a last-second field goal," Norvell said. "South Florida missed out on a lot of opportunities in the game. Their field goal kicker was 1-of-5. They had some chances to win that game, and I really thought they dominated in most phases throughout the contest.
"The week prior they played Temple, which we know is a quality opponent. That was a 10-point game to the very end. This is a team that has talent."
Quarterback Jordan McCloud passed for a career-best 267 yards against Cincinnati and has completed 63 percent of his passes in the past two games. USF also boasts one of the top defenses in the conference. The Bulls allow 367.8 yards per game to rank third in the league and their pass defense ranks first allowing only 173.2 yards per game. No other league team yield fewer than 200 passing yards.
"Defensively, it's one of the best defenses in our conference," Norvell said. "They have great length, size and athleticism. These guys can run at every position. "
As for his Tigers, Norvell is seeking to become the first coach in school history to post multiple 10-win seasons. He led the UofM to a 10-3 finish in 2017 and a berth in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.
The team's recent win streak has been fueled by a combination of brilliance and execution by quarterback Brady White and the emergence of one of the deepest receiving corps in the conference.
White ranks first in The American in pass efficiency (184.0) and has thrown 28 touchdowns with only five interceptions. During the four-game win streak, White has 15 touchdowns and has been intercepted once.
"He's doing a good job," Norvell said. "We're doing a good job protecting him. We're doing a good job finishing plays. There hasn't been a night-and-day change in him. He's been playing at a high level. He's completing the ball. We're moving the ball down the field and maximizing those opportunities. I think he's played at a high level throughout this season."
The team's top receiver, Damonte Coxie, leads the Tigers in receptions (48), yards (765) and is tied for the team lead in touchdowns (7). Two others – Calvin Austin III and Antonio Gibson – are averaging more than 20 yards per reception. Gibson also has seven TDs.
Norvell has the Tigers, 5-1 in conference play, in position to win their third-straight West Division title with two regular-season games remaining. If the UofM wins its final two games it claims the division championship, but USF may have designs on spoiling the goal.
"This team in no different than any other team in our league," Norvell said. "If we don't play at a high level, we will get beat Saturday. We have to prepare, we have to improve and we have to do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position to be successful."
NOTES
- The West Division features a three-way tie with Memphis, SMU and Navy each having 5-1 league records. The Tigers hold the tiebreaker having defeated both SMU and Navy during the regular season.
- USF's 22 turnovers gained ranks third nationally.
- The Tigers' 9-1 start marks the fifth time in program history they have started 9-1 or better. The other years: 1938, 1949, 1963 and 2017.
- USF has registered at least one takeaway in each of its 10 games this season.
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