News Ticker: Memphis 10/10

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Tigers are scoring down close, but they're not always getting touchdowns
By Phil Stukenborg (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Wednesday, September 17, 2008

From a percentage standpoint, it's a healthy number.

Through three games -- and three losses -- the University of Memphis has made 10 trips to the red zone (the opponents' 20-yard line and in) and scored eight times. At 80 percent efficiency, the Tigers rank fifth in Conference USA in red zone offense.

But it's the four times the Tigers have failed to score touchdowns that bothers coach Tommy West most.

Two drives have resulted in Matt Reagan field goals and two others have ended with turnovers: an interception in the closing seconds of the first half two weeks ago against Rice and a fumble late in the first quarter last weekend at Marshall.

In back-to-back losses by a touchdown or less, the Tigers' inability to reach the end zone has been costly.

For much of the early season West has been replacing starting quarterback Arkelon Hall, the junior college transfer from College of the Sequoias in California, with fifth-year senior Will Hudgens when the Tigers reach the red zone. Hudgens has developed into a unique dual-threat -- a power-running quarterback who possesses a strong, accurate arm.

The past two games -- a 42-35 loss to Rice and a 17-16 loss at Marshall -- West has deviated slightly from the plan. He hasn't automatically inserted Hudgens upon reaching the red zone. The philosophy, however, is under review as the Tigers prepare for Saturday's game against 1-AA Nicholls State at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

''I'm going to evaluate everything,'' West said. ''We are taking our starting quarterback out right now. When I go back and look, we were 2-for-2 at Ole Miss in the red zone and Will threw a touchdown pass and ran (for) a touchdown. We did exactly what we wanted. Will gave us the power running the ball, and he can throw it.

''Against Rice, we were 2-for-3 and Arkelon threw the pick right before the half. We left him in when (getting to the red zone). Against (Marshall), twice we left Arkelon in and he fumbled one and we kicked a field goal on the other (red-zone penetration).''

Hudgens also had two opportunities in the red zone at Marshall. On the first, he looked as if he might score on a short running play, but stumbled and was stopped short. On the other, he tossed a short touchdown pass to Earnest Williams.

When the Tigers reach the red zone Saturday, will it be Hall or will it be Hudgens at quarterback?

''I've got to look and see what we're doing and see if there's a correlation,'' West said. ''I don't want to over-react because we've been productive in the red zone. Coming into this year touchdowns in the red zone for this offense was Priority One. High priority.

''We struggled there a year ago. The answer was running your quarterback and play-action passing and fades to the wideouts, obviously. But I'll go back and look. I'll look at everything we do.''

Hudgens has been productive in the role. Most of his snaps have come in the red zone. (He did fill in for Hall when he left the Ole Miss game briefly with cramps.) Through three games, Hudgens has rushed 17 times for 58 yards and a touchdown. He also has completed 9-of-18 passes for 106 yards and three touchdowns.

As for what he offers in the red zone, Hudgens said it's as an extra back in the offense, a running threat a defense must take into account.

''And we're trying to get different looks out of the defense to help free up our receivers,'' Hudgens said. ''When you've got a talented bunch like that, that's where they make their money, especially being big guys. That's where (New York Giants star) Plaxico Burress makes his money. I'm trying to help them out any way I can.''

As for his running style, which the offensive staff calls upon in short-yardage and red-zone situations, Hudgens says it's relatively simple.

''It's get as many yards as you can, get down, and hold onto the ball,'' he said. ''I can hold onto the ball and fall forward most of the time.''

He said he erred last week against Marshall or he likely would have scored. On second-and-goal from the Thundering Herd 4 -- on the Tigers' first drive of the second half -- Hudgens lost 2 yards.

''I missed the hole a little bit,'' Hudgens said. ''That's when I came off the field (and the coaches told him) to run straight ahead and that they're not going to stop you. Sometimes you see (the holes) and sometimes you don't.''

While there have been those who have been critical of the quarterback substitution in the red zone, Hall, the starter, hasn't been one of them.

''We both play our role,'' Hall said. ''And we understand it. Me and Will are like brothers. We love each other, we joke around, we hang out with each other. That's how we are.

''There's no (hard) feelings if I come out of the game and he comes in or he comes out of the game and I go in.''

Hall, who is listed at 6-3 and 220 pounds, also understands what makes Hudgens a threat inside the red zone.

''He's 6-4 and 240,'' Hall said. ''He's a big guy. I'm not too little, but he's a big guy. He's an energizer. He gives us a boost.''

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Tigers' cornerback Griffin brings toughness to secondary
By Phil Stukenborg (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Friday, September 19, 2008

D.A. Griffin hadn't played the position in nearly three years, but he never doubted he could make the transition.

When the University of Memphis plays host to Nicholls State on Saturday night at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Griffin will be starting at cornerback for the second straight game.

It will be his second time playing with the No. 1 defense after spending the previous two seasons playing wide receiver at Itawamba (Miss.) Community College. At Itawamba, Griffin ranked in the top 10 nationally in receiving yards as a freshman and was headed for a similar finish last fall when he took a nasty fall in the end zone.

Griffin broke his sternum in the team's second game while diving and clutching a short touchdown pass. He fell to the ground with the ball pinned to the center of his chest and broke his sternum.

''I caught a ball in the end zone and I came down on the ball,'' he said.

Despite the injury, which wasn't diagnosed until the following day, Griffin remained in the game.

''It was a touchdown, a 2-yarder,'' he said. ''I had ice on my shoulder and I kept playing. I didn't know I had broken it until the next day.''

It is that toughness Tiger coach Tommy West welcomes as he and his staff have introduced more man coverage into the defensive scheme. In Griffin's debut last weekend at Marshall, he led the team with nine tackles and was involved in two tackles for lost yardage.

Memphis dropped a 17-16 decision but might have gained a dependable cover corner.

''We recruited him to be a corner,'' West said. ''And I believe he's going to be a good one. He brought an aggressiveness at corner that we really haven't had. He's been getting better every week.''

Griffin moved ahead of Michael Grandberry on the depth chart. Grandberry, also a converted receiver, had started the first two games -- against Ole Miss and Rice -- and responded with five tackles and a pass breakup at Ole Miss and nine tackles and two breakups against Rice. Grandberry also intercepted the first pass of his career against Rice, a turnover that led to a Tiger touchdown.

But the defensive staff saw Griffin making strides. And West was interested in making changes after the secondary struggled in the second half against Rice.

''He didn't play much in the first game, but the more reps he got, the more confident he got,'' said Tiger cornerbacks coach Lytrel Pollard said.

''Coming over to corner was something he hadn't done since high school. He had to get used to playing the position. A great athlete can pretty much do anything and that's what he is, a great athlete.''

The soft-spoken Griffin, who didn't sign until mid-March, consistently made plays during preseason camp. He also was a playmaker in scrimmages.

Griffin wasn't surprised he was able to contribute from the beginning of camp.

''I had expectations, to begin with, to come in and play,'' said Griffin, who will have three years to play because of a medical redshirt last fall. ''I'm in the fire a little quicker than I thought I'd be, but I'm ready to play. I'm ready to do my job.''

West said Griffin ''kind of disappeared'' after breaking his sternum and coaches were uncertain whether he'd return to Itawamba or move on to a Division 1-A program. West said Tiger assistant head coach Clay Helton pursued Griffin.

Pollard, who came to the UofM from Southern Miss, said Griffin also was in his recruiting sights when he was working for the Golden Eagles' Jeff Bower.

Griffin was a standout at Stanhope Elmore High School in Millbrook, Ala., where he was a four-year starter at receiver and defensive back. Griffin (5-11, 185) also was an all-state selection as an outfielder and helped lead Stanhope to a state title his senior season.

''D.A. is a guy I've known about since high school,'' Pollard said. ''I told him that wherever I landed (after Bower and his staff were fired last year), I'm going to call him.

''Luckily I landed up here and was right down the road at Itawamba. That wasn't far for him to come and he's been enjoying it ever since.''

Having known Griffin for as long as he has, Pollard expected Griffin to eventually nudge his way into the starting lineup.

''I knew once he got the feel of the game, once he got back to playing it after sitting out basically all of last year, he'd be OK.

''The one thing he brings to the game is toughness. And he tries to do everything right. We're happy to have him.''

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Tiger special teams improve
After 'horrible' play, West pleased with second half
By Dan Wolken (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Sunday, September 21, 2008

All last week, University of Memphis coach Tommy West challenged his special teams units to start making big plays and raised the prospect of changes if they did not produce against Nicholls State.

For a while Saturday, it appeared West might have to elevate the seriousness of his threats. But after allowing Nicholls State to block a field goal and return it for a touchdown in the first half, Memphis' kickoff coverage team responded by recovering two fumbles in the fourth quarter to help salt away a 31-10 victory.

"We gave up a special teams play which was horrible, but I thought we answered in the second half," West said. "Our special teams came back and got us two turnovers."

Despite the Tigers' 0-3 record, they came in as heavy favorites against Nicholls State, which had not played a game this season due to hurricane-related cancellations. But Memphis' inauspicious first half -- especially on special teams -- opened the door for Nicholls State to hang around longer than some fans may have expected.

It all began on the opening kickoff, which Memphis junior Matt Reagan booted out of bounds, ensuring the Colonels of good field position at the 40-yard line on their first drive. When they stalled at Memphis' 43, punter Patrick Dolan was able to pin the Tigers down to their 1.

Right away, Memphis' offense was running uphill, which was precisely what West had spent last week railing against. During a Thursday tirade, he noted that the Tigers' special teams had not done much to help their offense, ranking 107th nationally in kickoff returns (16.59 yards) and 80th in punt returns (7.0). He also challenged Memphis to break its 12-year drought since its last kickoff return for a touchdown.

Instead, it was Nicholls State's special teams making a game-changing play early on.

After the Tigers took a 3-0 lead on Reagan's 24-yard field goal, the Tigers stalled again deep in Colonels territory. West thought he was playing it safe by sending out Reagan, who went 3-for-3 in last week's loss at Marshall, for a 32-yard attempt on fourth-and-3.

Instead, it turned into disaster when the Tigers let Nicholls State safety Lardarius Webb run free through the line of scrimmage and block the field goal. Webb, a legitimate NFL prospect who was rated as a first-round pick on Rivals.com's recent mock draft, flew past Reagan to scoop up the loose ball and break away for a 70-yard touchdown return.

Though it turned out to be the Colonels' only touchdown of the night, the Tigers did not expect to be trailing 7-3 with 12:02 left in the first half.

"The kick was a mistake -- someone missed a blocking assignment," junior tailback Curtis Steele said. "But we knew we could come back and put up points."

West was concerned that his team might tighten up, especially given the Tigers' psyche after close losses to Rice and Marshall the last two weeks.

"Things happen in the course of the game," senior defensive tackle Clinton McDonald said. "A couple days ago, (West) was saying that one or two plays like that could decide a game. We didn't want that to be the deciding factor. We came back strong."

Despite some smaller mistakes -- most notably, a breakdown in coverage that allowed Nicholls State to get the ball near midfield after the Tigers took a 17-10 lead -- the Tigers finished with a flourish. After taking a 24-10 lead with 8:16 left, the Tigers forced Webb to cough up a kickoff return and capitalized with a 10 play, 59-yard touchdown drive.

Then, after the score, Memphis freshman Dasmine Cathey jarred the ball from Corey Buchanan on the following kickoff and gave it back to the Tigers offense, which essentially ran out the final 4:39.

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Tiger running backs respond to increased workload
By Phil Stukenborg (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Tuesday, September 23, 2008

University of Memphis coach Tommy West turned Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium into a laboratory last weekend against Nicholls State.

A pass-first, pass-often spread UofM offense altered its approach against the 1-AA Colonels, a move West said was meant to help the Tigers in the long run.

With the Nicholls State defense inviting a smash-mouth style, the Tigers turned to their ground game and rushed 54 times for 276 yards and three touchdowns.

The rushing attempts represented the most by a Tiger team since the 2005 Motor City Bowl in Detroit, when the UofM, led by all-American running back DeAngelo Williams, rushed 58 times for 346 yards.

West said it was the right call Saturday night and the right call for the season.

''I wasn't interested in style points, and I really didn't care what the score was,'' West said. ''If I had (been), I would have come out and flung it all over the field and tried to put up 40 points. I wanted to win the game and improve our team for down the road.

''Running it over 50 times in that game, I believe, is going to pay dividends. Now we've got some good tape of the run game and mistakes we made in the run game we can continue to improve.''

A strong running attack would be beneficial to the Tigers (1-3) this weekend, too. Memphis plays host to nemesis Arkansas State, which is off to a 3-1 start, has a win on the road at Texas A&M and owns back-to-back victories over the UofM.

West doesn't expect Arkansas State, or any upcoming Tiger opponents, to be intimidated by the UofM's rushing numbers last weekend.

''They'll probably (turn) the film on and look at us and say they're a pass team and then they played Nicholls and tried to bully them,'' West said. ''I wasn't trying to bully someone. I was trying to improve our running game and win the game.''

Memphis averaged 5.1 yards per carry against Nicholls State and had three backs -- Curtis Steele, Charlie Jones and Brandon Washington -- each gain at least 50 yards. Steele, a 2007 transfer from Northwest (Miss.) Community College, rushed for 109 yards, the first 100-yard game by a Tiger this season.

Jones, a transfer from the University of Miami, added 57 yards on 11 attempts, and Washington, a walk-on from Los Medanos (Calif.) Community College, gained 53 on 10 rushes. Steele, Jones and Washington all averaged at least 5.2 yards per carry.

''I think we've broken down our main running plays,'' Jones said. ''Last week we emphasized running the ball. That's how we practiced during the week, and we pretty much went out there in the game and did what we were going to do.''

Jones, a senior, said the run game was successful because ''not only did our offensive line do a good job blocking, but we had receivers who went out there and got the job done (blocking); they're very unselfish.''

With the effort against Nicholls State, the Tigers moved from sixth in Conference USA in rushing (144 yards per game) to third (177 ypg).

''If we can get where we can effectively run the ball,'' West said, ''and I'm not talking about running it 50 times a game, but if we can efficiently run the ball and put some pressure on you running it to a point where (an opponent) might think (we) may just keep handing it off ...''

Then West will be confident in his offense's ability to be more productive. If the Tigers start moving the ball consistently on the ground and force opposing defenses to place an extra defender in the box, a strong passing game will benefit.

As it is, the offense is ranked third in C-USA, averaging 471.8 yards per game.

''To me that's when you get really good offensively, when you can take what they give you and be effective with it,'' he said. ''Where we've kind of struggled is nobody gives us the pass. Sometimes we can take that even if (opponents) don't give it.

''But you can give us the run and we sometimes we haven't been able to take advantage. And that makes for a hard day. It really does. You're just kind of swimming upstream the whole day.''

Before last weekend's game against Nicholls State, the Tigers' rushing numbers from a year ago were nearly identical through three games. After three games in 2007, the Tigers were averaging 146 yards on the ground.

''I can't just sit back, I have to make the conscious effort to get us better,'' West said. ''You can practice it all you want, but you've got to do it in a game. That's why we ran it 50 times in the game.

''I think we took a step forward the other night. I'm not ready to jump up and say we've arrived with the run game. But I think we made some improvement.''

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Bowens leading University of Memphis' linebacker corps
After several changes, sophomore now veteran
By Phil Stukenborg (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Winston Bowens has been the constant.

Through the University of Memphis' first four games, Bowens has looked left and right at the start and either seen different faces or, in the case of the Conference USA opener against Rice, none at all.

A team suspension has created one of the changes. Opponents' offensive schemes have led to the others.

When the Tigers (1-3) play host to Arkansas State (3-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Bowens is expected to make his fifth consecutive start at middle linebacker. As for who starts alongside him -- at least on one side -- that could be a late-week or game-time decision.

After missing the team's final six games a year ago with a knee injury, Bowens, a sophomore from College Park, Ga., has become the unit's mainstay. He is second on the team with 21 tackles and his three tackles for loss leads the defense.

In last weekend's 31-10 victory over Nicholls State, Bowens had his first career sack.

"Winston Bowens is playing well," Tiger coach Tommy West said. "He is an extremely good run player and he's been adequate in the passing game."

He has also been fairly impressive in a newfound role as a leader. With Greg Jackson, a junior, out indefinitely because of a suspension for violating team policy, Bowens has assumed more responsibility.

"I'm a lot more comfortable," Bowens said. "It's different now because I feel I have a different weight on my shoulders. Not being a freshman, I have more of a (leadership) role. I feel like the veteran now. I can give my (input) to the first-year guys and tell what it was like for me when I was out there for the first time."

While Josh Weaver -- who started the past two games in place of Jackson -- is a junior, he is playing linebacker for the first time in his career. He played defensive end his first two years and began this season at safety before being summoned to fill in for Jackson.

At the other outside spot, Lester Lawson, a freshman, has made two starts and Jeremy Longstreet, a sophomore, made his first career start against Nicholls State and had a game-high 12 tackles.

Memphis did not employ a third linebacker against Rice, instead starting the game with five defensive backs.

Through the various offensive schemes the defense has played against, from the pass-oriented Rice attack to the run-heavy Nicholls State look, Bowens has stayed on the field.

"We've left him in games, where a lot of times you sub for your (middle) linebacker," West said. "He is playing really well.

"Now someone has to step up with the loss of Greg. Hopefully, Longstreet is going to take a step. I know Lester (Lawson), when we've used him in certain situations, we've gotten good play out of him. Overall, our linebackers have brought something to the table."

It is what West had hoped after several seasons of lackluster play at the position.

A year ago, the Tigers managed but 12 tackles for loss and a sack from his linebacking corps. Through four games this fall, those who have played linebacker have seven tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks.

"It's been a little bit of mix (of different personnel), but at the same time I think every guy who's been in there has brought a different aspect to the table," Bowens said.

All were impressed with Longstreet, who spent last spring trying to learn a new position. The Tigers used him at running back and he had 12 carries for 41 yards in the spring game.

But he moved back to his original position in the fall with the addition of running backs Charlie Jones, a transfer from Miami, and Brandon Washington, a walk-on from Los Medanos (Calif.) Community College.

"Jeremy Longstreet did an excellent job for us last week," Tiger linebackers coach Kenny Ingram said. "After coming over from (running back) in the spring, it has taken him a while to get comfortable at the position. But he's gotten to where he's comfortable and he's getting an understanding. That's really increased his leadership."

It's the leadership of Bowens (6 feet, 250), however, that Ingram says is having an impact on the others playing the position.

"Winston is a solid fixture," Ingram said. "He has the intelligence to direct the rest of the linebacker corps."

Bowens called last week a confidence booster for the defense. Playing against an option-oriented team, the Tiger defense did not give up a touchdown and limited Nicholls State to 164 total yards.