Memphis Tigers 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Memphis 2008 Record: (6-7, 4-4)
Memphis 2008 Bowl: St. Petersburg Bowl vs. South Florida (L 14-41)
Memphis Coach: Tommy West (47-51 at Memphis, 82-86 overall)
Memphis Offensive Coordinator: Clay Helton
Memphis Defensive Coordinator: Kenny Ingram
Memphis Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Curtis Steele, RB, 1,223 yards
• Passing: Akrelon Hall, QB, 2,275 yards
• Receiving: Carlos Singleton, WR, 791 yards
• Tackles: Alton Starr, S, 90
• Sacks: Greg Jackson, LB, 4.0
• Interceptions: Greg Jackson, LB, 1; Deante Lamar, CB, 1; Alton Starr, S, 1; Josh Weaver, DE, 1

Notable Memphis Returning Players: LB Winston Bowens, DE Jada Brown, WR Duke Calhoun, CB D.A. Griffin, LB Jeremy Longstreet, K Matt Reagan, G Dominik Riley

Memphis Key Losses: DT Freddie Barnett, C Philip Beliles, WR Steven Black, G Michael Denning, DT Clinton McDonald, DE Corey Mills, S Brandon Patterson, OT Brandon Pearce, TE Brett Russell, OT Cody Stubblefield, WR Earnest Williams

Memphis has been one of the C-USA’s most consistent teams since head coach Tommy West took over in 2001. During that time period, the Tigers have gone to five bowls and have had only had one losing conference record in the last six seasons! Last year was another solid outing for Memphis, as a 3-1 finish earned them a berth in the St. Petersburg Bowl. While the Tigers lost badly to South Florida, there was a lot of positive development all season and Memphis could be primed for a big year in 2009.

On offense, senior Arkelon Hall has been expected to be a star since he transferred to Memphis as a top 20 national quarterback recruit. However, last season was his first full year starting and he struggled at times, throwing for 2,275 yards and 12 touchdowns against 7 picks. The athletic Hall also added 200 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground but Memphis only averaged 27 points per game. With his top two receivers, seniors Duke Calhoun (40 catches, 487 yards, 3 TDs) and Carlos Singleton (52 yards, 791 yards, 5 TDs), returning I expect Hall to be much improved in the air. Hall should also benefit from a solid rushing attack, led by senior Curtis Steele. Steele was a 2 nd team C-USA choice last year after rushing for 1,223 yards and 7 touchdowns and was the engine behind Memphis’ impressive 195 yard per game average on the ground. The only concern I have about this year’s team is the offensive line, where only two starters return. However, I like this year’s unit as junior college transfer Brad Paul was solid in the spring at right tackle and left tackle Ronald Leary was a member of the All-Conference Freshman team last fall despite only playing part time. While replacing three starters isn’t an easy task, I expect Memphis to be perfectly fine on the O-Line this year. With a more experienced Hall under center and a veteran tailback, that means that Memphis should easily eclipse last season’s 27 points per game average.

On defense, positive news abounds. Seven starters are back from 2008, where the defense held opponents to 27 points per game. The D-Line is my biggest concern as only senior end Jada Brown returns. However, senior Josh Weaver was the full time starter in 2007 at defensive end before playing outside linebacker last fall and West was very high in the spring on his defensive tackles, including some JUCO recruits. With Weaver back up front, perhaps the drop off won’t be as bad as I originally expected. At linebacker, all three starters return, led by junior Jeremy Longstreet, who made 80 tackles last year. Memphis should be very solid at linebacker this year. The secondary also looks very good as senior safety Alton Starr was the team’s top tackler in 2008, notching 90 stops. The only concern I have about the defensive backs is that they only return two total interceptions from 2008. However, the core of a group which only allowed 54 percent of opposing passes to be completed returns and I think that the Tigers will be very strong against an aerial assault. Overall, if the defensive line is as good as West claims then the Tigers could have one of the conference’s best defenses. At worst, I expect Memphis to definitely improve their scoring average this season.

The schedule is an interesting mix. The non-conference schedule includes two SEC teams, rivals Ole Miss and Tennessee. Memphis hasn’t beaten either team in five seasons, so they will be tough to overcome. In conference play, they draw Houston, Tulsa and Texas-El Paso from the West and all of tehm are expected to be contenders this season. Furthermore, they play division favorites USM and ECU in back to back weeks! I think that Memphis could get off to a solid early start but closing with road trips to Houston and Tulsa is daunting. However, the Tigers have a lot of talent and could make some noise. While I will be surprised if everything falls into place for the Tigers to win the C-USA East, I certainly wouldn’t be shocked if it did happen. However, a tough conference draw makes me believe that 3 rd place is their most likely finish. Expect the Tigers to finish with seven or eight wins this year, good enough to earn their 6 th bowl appearance in the last seven seasons.

Memphis Big Games: Sept. 26th vs. Marshall, Oct. 10th vs. UTEP, Oct. 17th @ USM, Oct. 27th vs. ECU, Nov. 21st @ Houston, Nov. 27th @ Tulsa

Memphis’s Strength:

Yet, this offense has the potential to be extremely explosive. Quarterback Akrelon Hall had a solid season, completing 57 percent of his passes for 2,275 yards and 12 touchdowns. Hall is also a capable runner and that dual-threat ability is a big bonus in this offense. When Hall is not running, Curtis Steele will be. The 6-0 senior rushed for 1,223 yards and seven touchdowns during his first year at Memphis. With the return of Carlos Singleton, who has 19 career receiving touchdowns, the Tigers offense has all the tools they need to be successful. A big year from 6-4 receiver Duke Calhoun would help too. Using his size Calhoun, who ranked second on the team with 40 receptions a year ago, should be a quality target in the red zone.

Memphis’s Weakness:

But the offense will not be as effective if the offensive line cannot fill some huge holes. Guard Dominik Riley is the lone returning starter and he has to step up and become a leader of the unit. The Tigers only gave up 1.31 sacks per game last year and while some of that is due to Hall’s ability to scramble, the line certainly deserves a ton of credit. The defense was decent last year, and should be again this year, but most of the front line needs to be replaced. Tackle Clinton McDonald was the best pass rusher on the team and now he is gone. Corey Mills and Freddie Barnett have also run out of eligibility and this team needs to find a few players who can get into the backfield or the entire defense will suffer.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Tigers:

The secondary is in good shape with Alton Starr, Deante Lamar and D.A. Griffin returning and the linebackers could end up being some of the best in the conference. Greg Jackson is ready to emerge as a superstar, Winston Bowers is now an experienced upperclassman and Jeremy Longstreet is a tackling machine. However, all the quality and experience in the back seven will do Memphis no good at all if the front four cannot get pressure on the opposing quarterback.

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