The Memphis Tigers will host the UL Monroe War Hawks for their opening season clash in the Liberty Bowl. The game is penciled in to start on Thursday, August 31st at 9:00 p.m. EST. The non-conference match-up can be seen on the CBS Sports Network. Heading into this article, the Tigers are a mammoth -27 point favorite and the contest’s total is at 67.
The UL Monroe offense has some hope, as long as quarterback Garrett Smith is healthy. Now, it’s up to the Warhawk defense to be able to hold up. To help their cause, they do have a bunch of veteran tacklers back. The problem is, their run defense was ranked 125th (265 ypg) in the country last season.
Memphis is a loaded outfit heading into their 2017 American Athletic Conference race. There is tons of upside for the Tigers. A decisive victory over the War Hawks would also be just the start they need. The Tigers head immediately into conference play the following week on the road against Central Florida.
UL Monroe
Inconsistency was the theme for the War Hawks last season. There were three different starting quarterbacks, four starting running backs, and eight starting wide receivers. The good news is that 10 of those 15 starters at are back. The bad news is that they still carry several concerns about inconsistency.
At quarterback, Garrett Smith, a two-year starter, is the frontrunner in a three-man race. He missed the second half of the season in 2016 with an injury. Before he went down, Smith threw for 1,237 yards with nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. He must stay healthy and limit UL Monroe’s turnovers. The War Hawks had the second-most in the Sun Belt.
On the flip side, the Warhawks rushed for 181.3 yards per game. As a result, they ended the season as the third best rushing club in the Sun Belt. Both an experienced offensive line and a crowded backfield return.
Ben Luckett, Thomas Koufie, Austin Vaughn and Duke Carter each posted 100-yard rushing games. Not bad. Then again, none reached 500 yards on the year. Settling on one or two backs as primary ball carriers could be just what the doctor ordered in 2017.
At wide receiver, Marcus Green is somewhat consistent. The UL Monroe leading receiver caught 36 passes for 344 yards and four touchdowns. Xavier Brown and RJ Turner are both back and have big-play potential. Together, they posted 48 catches for over 850 more yards and seven trips to the end zone.
The inconsistency doesn’t stop with the offense. Just as much experience returns on defense, but the concerns are greater. Eight positions have a player with at least six starts last year. Furthermore, they were among the worst in FBS in rushing defense (260.3 ypg), total defense (480.3 ypg) and scoring defense (39.1 ppg). My goodness, that’s bad.
To improve on those stats, the UL Monroe Warhawks need their veterans to finally play to their potential. They also have to better adapt to the 4-2-5 scheme, which was implemented last season.
Memphis Tigers
In his first year at the helm, head coach Mike Norvell guided the Tigers to their third straight bowl game. Quarterback Riley Ferguson is back for his senior season after passing for 3,698 yards and 32 touchdowns. That’s more than you can ask from a junior college transfer.
As good as Riley Ferguson was, those numbers could improve. The Tigers return eight starters on offense, including one of the league’s top wide outs. Anthony Miller, who came to the program as a walk-on, set the school record with 1,434 receiving yards in 2016. He also snatched up a team-high 14 touchdowns.
Complimenting Miller is another reliable former walk-on in Phil Mayhue. The senior receiver was the team’s second-leading receiver. He caught 44 balls for over 650 yards with four more scores. Mayhue also averaged 16.1 yards per catch.
The Tiger’s running game is packed full of talent. It is headlined by senior Doroland Dorceus. If Dorceus matches last season’s total (810 yards), he’ll finish as the program’s second-leading rusher behind DeAngelo Williams. His nine touchdowns were a position best.
Patrick Taylor, another powerful runner gained 546 more yards and two scores. Darrell Henderson, the fastest player on the team, will get plenty of carries. Last season, he ran the rock 87 times for 482 yards and five trips to paydirt.
Defensively, Memphis ranked in the bottom half nationally in several categories, including sacks and tackles for a loss. Emphasis will be on finding replacements for six of their top eight defensive backs. Also, help is needed in the trenches. Only 11 of the Tiger’s 23 sacks in 2016 came from the defensive line.
Prediction
The Memphis Tigers are loaded on offense and are going up against a suspect UL Monroe defense. Riley Ferguson is looking to have a field day against the War Hawks on Thursday. The Tigers’ running game should also find their way down the field with little to no resistance at all.
The UL Monroe War Hawks hope to find consistency on offense. The Memphis secondary is the squad to face to do just that. Even with rotating numerous players in and out of action, the War Hawks offense should find ways to score.
Odds gurus have Memphis as heavy -27 point favorites. There are two reasons for that. One, they will score on UL Monroe in bunches. Secondly, the War Hawks struggle to find balance on offense.
Linesetters also have the game’s over/under at an inflated 67. This may seem high to some but I like it. UL Monroe will score on a weaker Tigers’ defense. Memphis will return the favor two fold. Skip the spread and capitalize on the offenses in this one. Memphis wins 45-23 and squeaks in the over.
Trends
Warhawks are 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 non-conference games.
Warhawks are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games in August.
Over is 5-0 in Warhawks last 5 road games.
Over is 8-1 in Warhawks last 9 games overall.
Tigers are 16-6-1 ATS in their last 23 non-conference games.
Tigers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Over is 5-0 in Tigers last 5 home games.
Over is 8-3 in Tigers last 11 games overall.
The getmoresports.com NCAA College Football Throwdown Podcast will be returning to the air on August 24th. We will be highlighting the first five games on August 26th of the 2017 NCAA College Football season. That will be the first of three installments leading into the first week of the season. We also we will be covering our expectations for the Heisman Trophy front runners as well as predictions for conference winners and team totals.
Our second NCAA College Football Throwdown is penciled in for August 29th. In that installment, we will be discussing all the games that will be played on August 31st and the 1st of September.
Our third segment will officially be airing on August 31st. In this edition of the NCAA College Football Throwdown, we will be covering all the relevant games for Sept 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.
