Memphis Football Game 3 Memphis State day sept 14 6 PM CT Liberty Bowl memorial stadium // // . // // GEORGIA STATE GEORGIA 1-1 OVERALL | 0-1 AMERICAN 1-1 OVERALL | 0-0 SUN BELT PANTHERS Streak: L1 | Ranking: RV THE Streak: L1 | Ranking: NA Last Result: Navy 22, Memphis 21 MATCHUP Last Result: NC State 41, GSU 7 HEAD COACH MIKE NORVELL HEAD COACH SHAWN ELLIOTT TIGERS Alma Mater: Central Arkansas, 2005 Alma Mater: Appalachian State, 1996 MEMPHIS Record at UofM: 19-9 | Third Season Record at GSU: 8-6 | 2nd Season Career Record: Same Career Record: 9-11 | 3rd Season A LITTLE OFF THE TOP... Memphis is 14-0 when playing a regular-season, non-Saturday game since 2014. This is the first of four Friday FOLLOW THE GAME games this season. The Tigers went 5-0 in non-Saturday games last season with three Friday night wins and two Thursday night wins. TELEVISION // ESPN // WATCHESPN.COM Memphis plays its second opponent from the Peach State in 2018, after defeating Mercer in the season-open- Play-by-Play ........................................Jason Benetti er. The 2018 season marks the first time playing against a team from Georgia since a game against the Georgia Analyst ...............................................Kelly Stouffer Bulldogs at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in 1984. Sideline............................................... Olivia Dekker Memphis has an all-time 44-30-5 record (.589 winning percentage) against current football-playing Sun Belt Conference members and will play back-to-back games against teams from the Sun Belt this season. The Tigers host South Alabama Sept. 22 at the Liberty Bowl. RADIO // MEMPHIS TIGERS NETWORK Friday’s game against Georgia State is “Memphis State Day” at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Prior to the Play-by-Play ..................................... Dave Woloshin school’s name being changed to the University of Memphis in 1994, the school was called Memphis State Uni- Analyst ................................................. Jarvis Greer versity from 1957-93. For the game, The Tigers will wear special helmet decals depicting the Memphis State logo. Sideline..............................................Jeff Brightwell Memphis has posted 38 victories over the last five seasons, giving the Tigers the 16th-most wins in the FBS Pregame/Postgame Host ............ Forrest Goodman since 2014. The 38 wins rank second among American Athletic Conference schools during that stretch, behind Pregame/Postgame Analyst ................. Matt Dillon Houston’s 39 wins. RB Darrell Henderson leads the FBS with 13.09 yards per carry after the first two games. This comes a year after Flagship: 600 WREC AM, Memphis Henderson finished second in the nation with an 8.88 average per rush, compiling 1,154 yards on 130 carries. Rock 103 FM, Memphis Henderson already has accounted for three plays over 50 yards this season. Affiliates: WJAK-AM 1460 Jackson, Tenn. QB Brady White put together the greatest debut by a Tigers QB in program history, completing 22-of-28 pass- WJAK-FM 96.1 Jackson, Tenn. es for 358 yards and five TD against Mercer. The five TD are tied for the fifth-most by a Tigers QB in a single WNQM-AM 1300 Nashville, Tenn. game and the 358 yards are the 17th-highest single game total in program history. Online: GoTigersGo.com/Listen Memphis entered the season as the pick to repeat as champions of the American Athletic Conference West Division. The Tigers were selected as favorites for the second-consecutive season and the third time in four TWITTER // #GOTIGERSGO years. Official Account ............................ @TigersAthletics Over the last three seasons, the Memphis defense is one of just six FBS programs to have 60-plus combined takeaways. The Tigers have the third-most forced turnovers from 2016-18 with 63. Updated News & In-Game Posts ......@MemphisFB Nobody in the FBS has been better than Tony Pollard at returning kickoffs since 2016. The Tigers junior has returned 61 career kickoffs for an average of 31.9 yards per return (1,947 yards). He has a Memphis record of OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT six career kickoff return TD, which is one shy of the NCAA career record. Facebook ....................................... /MemphisTigers Top Tiger Performers Instagram ................................@MemphisAthletics QB RB DB WHAT’S INSIDE? Page 2 ............................ Head Coach Mike Norvell Page 3 .............................................Media Policies Pages 4-6 .............................................Team Notes Page 7 ...........................................Offensive Notes Page 8 .......................................... Defensive Notes Page 9 ....................................Special Teams Notes Page 10..................Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Page 11............................................... Depth Chart Page 12........................................Numerical Roster Page 13.................................... Alphabetical Roster Pages 14-28 .............................................Player Bios brady white DARRELL HENDERSON TJ Carter Pages 29-39 ........................................ The Last Time 503 YDS | 5 TD 22 CAR | 290 YDS | 4 TD 8 TACKLES | 1 INT | 2 PBU Pages 40-44 .......................................... Season Stats 2018 SCHEDULE/RESULTS GEORGIA SOUTH AMERICAN MERCER at Navy STATE ALABAMA at Tulane UCONN UCF at Missouri 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 6 PM CT 7 PM CT 7 PM CT TBA TBA TBA TBA TBA 8 PM CT TBA TBA PAGE 2 MEMPHIS VS. GEORGIA STATE GAME 3 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 kickoff return yards per game (40.0) and kickoff return 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 touchdowns (four). Pollard also grabbed his second consec- third-most for a season in school history. 2011 Co-Offensive Coord./WRs/Recruiting, Pitt. utive American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of Under Norvell’s direction, Riley Ferguson and Anthony the 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). First rookie head coach to start 3-0 in program history • shadowed. After turning opponents over 29 times in 2016, Off the field, Norvell’s • Tied for third-most wins (8) by an FBS first-year head the Tigers forced 31 turnovers in 2017, ranking third in the Tigers are excelling in coach in 2016 (Toledo’s Jason Candle, BYU’s Kalani Sitake nation.