Memphis Football Game 9 // Cross Division Clash // Nov
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Memphis Football Game 9 // Cross division clash // Nov. 3 // 11 aM CT // Dowdy-Ficklen stadium // ESPNU OVERALL AMERICAN 4-4 | 1-3 2-5 OVERALL | 0-4 AMERICAN PIRATES Streak: L2 | Ranking: N/A THE Streak: L3 | Ranking: N/A ECU Last Result: Missouri 65, Memphis 33 MATCHUP Last Result: #9/10 UCF 37, ECU 10 HEAD COACH MIKE NORVELL HEAD COACH SCOTTIE MONTGOMERY TIGERS Alma Mater: Central Arkansas, 2005 Alma Mater: Duke, 2000 MEMPHIS Record at UofM: 22-12 | Third Season Record at ECU: 8-23 | Third Season Career Record: Same Career Record: Same A LITTLE OFF THE TOP... Memphis is looking for its first back-to-back wins over ECU since winning three-straight over the Pirates from FOLLOW THE GAME 2003-05. Last season, Memphis snapped a seven-game losing streak to ECU with a 70-13 win at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. With the win, the Tigers still trail the all-time series with the Pirates 15-7. Memphis makes its first trip to the state of North Carolina since 2012. That season, the Tigers made two trips TELEVISION // ESPNU // WATCHESPN.COM to the Tar Heel state, playing at Duke and ECU. The Tigers have only won twice in 10 meetings at Dowdy-Fick- Play-by-Play ........................................... Mike Corey len Stadium in Greenville, N.C. (1993, 2004). Analyst ...............................................Rene Ingoglia The Tigers enter the final month of the regular season with the need for a strong finish. Under head coach Mike Norvell, the Tigers have a track record of doing just that. Since 2016, Memphis has posted a combined RADIO // MEMPHIS TIGERS NETWORK 6-1 record in the month of November. Of the six November wins, three of them have come on the road. Play-by-Play ..................................... Dave Woloshin RB Darrell Henderson is the nation’s most explosive back, with an FBS-best 10.07 yards per carry. He is one Analyst ................................................. Jarvis Greer of four RB in the FBS with over 1,000 rushing yards this season. Henderson is second in the nation with 1,148 Sideline..............................................Jeff Brightwell rushing yards and 143.5 yards per game. Pregame/Postgame Host ............ Forrest Goodman Henderson has rushed for over 100 yards in 10 of his last 13 games dating back to last season. He has 12 career Pregame/Postgame Analyst ................. Matt Dillon 100-yard rushing games. His 2,784 career rushing yards rank second all-time in program history. Henderson’s 27 career rushing TD are tied for third all-time. Flagship: 600 WREC AM, Memphis Memphis has posted 41 victories over the last five seasons, giving the Tigers the 19th-most wins in the FBS Rock 103 FM, Memphis since 2014. The 41 wins are second among American Athletic Conference schools behind Houston’s 43 wins Affiliates: WJAK-AM 1460 Jackson, Tenn. during that stretch. WJAK-FM 96.1 Jackson, Tenn. Nobody in the FBS has been better than Tony Pollard at returning kickoffs since 2016. The Tigers junior has WNQM-AM 1300 Nashville, Tenn. returned 67 career kickoffs for an average of 31.3 yards per return (2,095 yards). Pollard has a Memphis record Online: GoTigersGo.com/Listen with six career kickoff return TD, which is one shy of the NCAA career record. SiriusXMRadio channel 382/online 986 Head coach Mike Norvell recorded his 22nd win on Oct. 6 vs. UConn, surpassing Ralph Hatley for the most wins in the first three seasons as head coach of the Tigers. Ralph Hatley won 21 games through his first three TWITTER // #GOTIGERSGO seasons as head coach at Memphis from 1947-49 (30 games). The most wins over a three-year stretch by a Official Account ............................ @TigersAthletics Tiger head coach is 25 by Billy J. Murphy from 1961-63 (29 games). Updated News & In-Game Posts ......@MemphisFB Under DC Chris Ball, the Memphis defense is one of just eight FBS programs to have 70-plus combined take- aways over the last three seasons. The Tigers have the fifth-most forced turnovers from 2016-18 with 71. This OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT season, the Tigers have 11 total takeaways (5 fumble, 6 INT). Facebook ....................................... /MemphisTigers Top Tiger Performers Instagram ................................@MemphisAthletics WHAT’S INSIDE? Page 2 ...............................Head Coach Mike Norvell QB rB WR Page 3 .....................................RB Darrell Henderson Page 4 ................................................ Media Policies Pages 5-7 ............................................... Team Notes Page 8 ..............................................Offensive Notes Page 9 ............................................. Defensive Notes Page 10 .....................................Special Teams Notes Page 11 ...................Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Page 12 ..................................................Depth Chart Page 13 ..........................................Numerical Roster Page 14 ...................................... Alphabetical Roster Page 15-18 ...........................................Game Recaps Pages 19-35 .............................................Player Bios brady white DARRELL HENDERSON Damonte Coxie Pages 36-46 ........................................ The Last Time Pages 47-53 .......................................... Season Stats 1,966 YDS | 17 TD 114 CAR | 1,148 YDS | 13 TD 42 REC | 663 YDS | 5 TD 2018 SCHEDULE/RESULTS GEORGIA SOUTH AMERICAN MERCER at Navy STATE ALABAMA at Tulane UCONN #9/10 UCF at Missouri at ECU TULSA at SMU HOUSTON CHAMPIONSHIP Sat. 9/1 Sat. 9/8 Fri. 9/14 Sat. 9/22 Fri. 9/28 Sat. 10/6 Sat. 10/13 Sat. 10/20 Sat. 11/3 Sat. 11/10 Fri. 11/16 Fri. 11/23 Sat. 12/1 W, 66-14 L, 22-21 W, 59-22 W, 52-35 L, 40-24 W, 55-14 L, 31-30 L, 65-33 11 AM CT 11 AM CT 8 PM CT TBA TBA PAGE 2 MEMPHIS AT ECU GAME 9 NOTING MIKE NORVELL MEMPHIS HEAD COACH MIKE NORVELL Mike Norvell came to Memphis with an ability to develop to stop there, Norvell’s special teams ran back two more Norvell at a Glance dynamic offenses, and his first two seasons with the Tigers kickoffs for scores and set the program’s season record for Born: Oct. 11, 1981 in Dallas, Texas did not disappoint. • kick returns for touchdowns with three. Pollard had a second • Alma Mater: Central Arkansas, 2005 Year One of the Norvell-era offense was the second kick-return score (100 yards vs. Navy), and Darrell Henderson • Playing Experience: most-prolific in program history behind only 2015, rolling up the second-most total yards (6,028) and scoring the sec- added another (99 yards vs. SMU). The three kick returns for Four-year letterman at WR at Central Ark. (2001-05) ond-most points (505) for a season in school history. Year touchdowns were tied for the FBS lead in 2016. • Wife: Maria Two shattered those marks with 6,917 total yards, and 592 Pollard continued his special teams prowess in 2017, re- • Daughter: Mila points scored. The Memphis offense also scored the most turning four kickoffs for touchdowns and earning first team touchdowns (74) for a campaign in program history, includ- Walter Camp All-American honors after leading the country Coaching Experience ing a single-season school record 39 touchdown passes. The in yards per kickoff return (40.0) and kickoff return touch- 2016- Head Coach, Memphis Tigers’ 4,355 passing yards were the first 4,000-plus passing 2012-15 Offensive Coord./QBs, Arizona State season in school history and the 307 completions was the downs (four). Pollard also grabbed his second consecutive third-most for a season in school history. 2011 Co-Offensive Coord./WRs/Recruiting, Pitt. American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Under Norvell’s direction, Riley Ferguson and Anthony Year honor in 2017. 2010 Passing Game Coord./WRs/Recruiting, Tulsa Miller blossomed at quarterback and receiver, respectively. In 2016, Memphis had the second-best kick return 2009 Passing Game Coord./WRs, Tulsa Ferguson finished his career at Memphis with 7,955 passing 2007-08 Graduate Assistant/WRs, Tulsa yards, ranking third in program history despite only being defense in the country, allowing opponents a mere 16.04 2006 Graduate Assistant, Central Arkansas on the roster for two seasons. Ferguson’s 70 passing touch- yards per return and none returned for touchdowns. A downs ranks second only to four-year starter Danny Wim- major reason for the Tigers’ success on kick return defense Noteworthy prine in the Memphis record book. was Lou Groza semifinalist Jake Elliott’s 64 touchbacks out Miller became just the third Tiger and the first skill position • Most wins in first two seasons as head coach in pro- of 92 kickoffs (69.6 percent). Elliott’s 64 touchbacks led The player in school history to earn NCAA consensus All-America gram history (18) honors after finishing his career with 3,590 receiving yards American and was third nationally. After Elliott graduated • Most wins by a first-year head coach in program history (8) and 238 catches. The 238 catches set a new Memphis career and moved on to the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles • First head coach to lead the Tigers to bowl eligibility in mark and his 3,590 yards in three seasons made Miller the roster in his rookie year, Norvell and his rookie season first Tiger in school history to have over 3,000 career receiv- his staff tapped freshman Riley ing yards. Miller’s 37 receiving touchdowns are 15 more than • First rookie head coach since 1984 to win his Tigers’ Patterson to handle kicking duties the previous career mark at Memphis and helped him earn debut (35-17 over Southeast Missouri) the Touchdown Club of Columbus’ Paul Warfield honor. and the Tigers still ranked among First rookie head coach to have a win over a ranked op- • While the offense flourished in Norvell’s first two seasons, the country’s best, finishing 14th in ponent since 1975 (48-44 win over No. 18/21 Houston) the Tigers defense and special teams were not to be over- kickoff return defense (17.75 ypr).