Memphis Tigers

Head Coach

Tommy West	8th year
07-08	7-6
C-USA	6-2
FCR	70

Previous Season Wins

Head Coach - Tommy West enters his 8th season at Memphis coming off a seven win-season with a 6-2 mark in conference and the team earned a bowl invite. The Tigers return 16 starters but have holes to fill in the offensive backfield at quarterback and tailback. If a quarterback steps forward expect Memphis to be in the hunt for a conference title.

Quarterback - Sophomore Matt Malouf and JUCO Arkelon Hall are locked in a battle for the starting quarterback job, they both possess accurate arms and also the ability to tuck the ball and run when the need arises.

Running Backs - At the tailback spot junior Curtis Steele had a good spring and has emerged as the starter. Junior T.J. Pitts missed the spring recovering from a broken ankle but will challenge in the fall as will Miami transfer Charlie James who has one season of eligibility remaining.

Receivers - The Tigers have a talented group of wide receivers led by junior Carlos Singleton at the X and junior Duke Calhoun, the duo combined for 113 receptions for 1,657 yards and 16 TD’s. When the Tigers go four-wide look for seniors Earnest Williams at the H and Steven Black at the Z. Senior Brett Russell will be the tight end, he had 22 for 157 yards and is a force in the run game.

Offensive Line - This is a mature with three returning starters, they’ll be led by senior right tackle Brandon Pearce and junior right guard Maclom Rawls. Senior center Philip Beliles is the third returning starter and they’ll be joined by a pair of seniors on the left side in Brent Todd at tackle and at guard Terrence Echols. Memphis had the 20th ranked offense last year and some of the success was due to the play upfront, expect this senior laden group to perform well.

Defensive Line - For a team that 202 ½ rushing per game there are talented athletes upfront for the Tigers. They’re led by a pair of seniors in the middle with Clinton McDonald at defensive tackle and at the nose Freddie Barnett, the duo combined for 88 tackles and 6 ½ sacks. Returning at defensive end will be junior Greg Terrell and he’ll be joined by senior Corey Mills. This is a unit that needs to be better against the run and should be able to improve on last seasons 15 sacks.

Linebackers - In the middle sophomore Winston Bowens returns as does junior Greg Jackson on the outside, they combined for only eigth starts last season but that was due to injury and coming out of spring appear ready to contribute. Juniors Jeremy Rockette and Josh Weaver will compete for time at the other outside linebacker spot.

Defensive Backs - At cornerback junior Deante Lamar and senior LeRico Mathis have locked down the starting spots but senior Michael Grandberry was solid this spring and looks poised to contribute this fall. At strong safety will be Tony Bell and fellow senior Brandon Patterson will be the free safety, Patterson had 77 tackles and 3 INT’s for the Tigers last season, while Bell had 40 and 2 interceptions.

Special Teams - Placekicker junior Matt Reagan was 15 of 22 last year but lacks much range, senior punter Brent Sutherland averaged a respectable 40.7 yards last year. Returning punts will be Earnest Williams who averaged 9 yards per return and handling the kickoff returns is Michael Grandberry who has averaged over 23 yards a return throughout his career.

Schedule - Quite manageable is a good way to describe the Memphis schedule the 2008 season. They have seven home games, face a down Louisville and avoid both Houston and Tulsa. If they get off to a good start and win at Ole Miss they could be 7-0 when they travel to East Carolina. They’ll be in the hunt for the East crown and another bowl bid is in the cards, look for the Tigers to win 7+ games this year.