Memphis Tigers: Will They End 43 Year Drought?
The Memphis Tigers have had a successful football season this year. They are 8-3 overall, and sitting 6-1 atop the American Athletic Conference.
The Tigers will take the field tomorrow at 3:00 PM Central to take on the visiting UConn Huskies, and will be shooting to do something they haven’ t done in 43 years – win a conference title!
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The last time the Memphis Tigers won a title was 1971 while they were still a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Not surprisingly then, they won that title during the Billy Murphy era.
In fact, in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Tigers won conference championships three years under Murphy’s direction – 1968, 1969, and last in 1971. In 1971 Murphy led them not only to a conference title, but also a win in the Pasadena Bowl!
Unfortunately for the Tigers, there’s been a 43 year drought, but that is very likely to change on Saturday as the Tigers face a decided underdog in the UConn Huskies (2-8 overall, 1-5 in conference).
The Huskies have struggled all year under first year head coach Bob Diaco. They did upset the University of Central Florida this season, but there has been little to excite fans this season beyond that one victory.
Part of the reason they’ve struggled is that their football team had more than a dozen players walk away during the season!
All that dismal data leads to one conclusion – that it’s safe to say that UConn will pose little trouble for the Memphis Tigers.
What Can The Tigers Expect?
I’m not being facetious when I say the only thing the Tigers should expect is this – to win!
They will win, and win convincingly. In fact, I’m not even sure the Tigers will play full-strength in the majority of this game with a Conference Title and a Bowl Game on the horizon. Why risk an injury to a top player?
What Can The Huskies Expect?
Again, I’m being facetious – the Huskies should expect embarrassing defeat and just get prepared for it ahead of time!
For the Memphis Tigers, it won’t even require a great deal of offense. I’ll be surprised if the Huskies are able to put many if any points on the scoreboard facing a defense as tough as the Tigers bring.
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You may not think American Athletic Conference when you think tough defense, but the Tigers are ranked 30th in total defense in all of college football.
Put simply, the Tigers don’t give up many points, and only gave up substantial points to two teams this year, two teams they could have upset – Ole Miss and UCLA.
Led by a huge quarterback in Paxon Lynch (6 foot, 7 inches, 230 pounds – Lynch is one of those who may not get a ton of notoriety because of the school and conference he plays for, but Lynch has tossed the skin this year for 2,576 yards and 14 TDs, and reminds me of one of the QBs that end up excelling in the NFL.
With a strong running game and a great receiving core, it’s no fluke that this team is this good, and it’s looking more and more like the Tigers giving head coach Justin Fuente a contract until 2017 was a wise move!
Final Truth, Prediction, Game Details
I won’t even bother trying to predict a final score for this one. Even at less than full strength, the Tigers are likely to walk away from this game with a 35 or 40 point lead at the final whistle.
After a 43 year drought, it will be exciting for fans to see the Memphis Tigers win another title – the American Athletic Conference title!
Who? Memphis Tigers (8-3, 6-1) vs. UConn Huskies (2-8, 1-5)
Where: Liberty Bowl Memorial, Memphis, TN.
When: 3:00 PM Central Standard Time
Outlet: ESPN!