Five Things Memphis Needs to Fix During the Bye Week

A 3-3 is record is nothing to be too overly enthused about; however, the Memphis Tigers have won just 20 percent of their games since 2009, so a .500 record has many fans in the Bluff City excited about the remainder of the 2014 season.

With losses three, though, there are many areas and aspects of the game Memphis can improve upon. Here are five things the Tigers need to fix during the bye week:

1. Health

Defensive end Martin Ifedi and tailback Brandon Hayes, two of the key contributors from the 2013 season, have both missed time this season. Ifedi, who finished tied for 12th in the nation last season with 10.5 sacks, injured his knee during the 63-0 dismantling of Austin Peay, and the star defensive end has missed the last four games.

Ifedi made his return in grand fashion against Houston totaling seven tackles and two tackles for loss, but was still clearly not yet in full-game shape. Brandon Hayes, who had 979 yards from scrimmage and seven totals touchdowns last season, also made his return to the Memphis backfield against Houston after missing the Cincinnati game. Hayes totaled 34 yards on seven carries, and he was able to alleviate some of the workload that has been placed on sophomore Sam Craft after the season-ending injury to fellow sophomore tailback Doroland Dorceus.

This time of year, midway through the season, every team is dealing with injuries. It’s not just Ifedi and Hayes; it’s several players on this Memphis football squad. The Tigers need to take advantage of the bye week in the middle of the season to nurse some of those injuries like Ifedi and Hayes, and the team needs come back ready to play at close full strength for the second half of the season.

2. Kicking Game

Tigers kicker Jake Elliott could not have asked for any better of a season than the then true freshman enjoyed during 2013. Elliott, a member of the preseason Lou Groza Award watch-list, converted on 16-of-18 (88.9 percent) and was a perfect 26-of-26 on extra points last season. This season, however, the Illinois native seems to have suffered form he proverbial sophomore slump, converting on just six out of 11 field goal attempts.

Special teams, specifically the kicking game, is an area in which the Tigers dominated last season. Memphis’ special teams coordinator, James Shibest, will undoubtedly spend much of the bye week trying to help Elliott return to his 2013 form.

3. Get Sam Craft Going

Craft is the most dynamic weapon the Tiger have on offense, but the sophomore sensation has struggled so far this season. Craft has averaged the fewest yards per carry (3.86) of any tailback with a minimum of 100 yards rushing and the fewest yards per reception (5.53) of any receiver with a minimum of 10 receptions.

In all, Craft has touched the ball 93 times for 384 yards (4.13 yards per touch). It is difficult to compare Craft’s numbers to other Tiger skill players due to his unique situation in which he lines up at both wide receiver and tailback, but as a team, Memphis is averaging 11.2 yards per reception, 4.1 yards per carry, and 6.3 yards per touch. It is clear the Craft has played well below the mean thus far.

The coaching staff must get Craft going  in order to reach their full offensive potential; however, if Craft continues to struggle, do not be surprised to see some of his touches be disbursed to other more efficient players.

4. Get Rid of the Dropsies

Quarterback Paxton Lynch sports a solid 63.8 completion percentage to this point on the season, but that number could be much higher if the Tigers would have been able to cut down on so many dropped passes.

Memphis receivers have had an incredibly tough time hanging on to the ball consistently this season. Let’s conservatively say that Memphis receivers drop four passes per game. If the receivers could cut that number in half to just two dropped passes per game, then Lynch’s completion percentage would raise to 69.9 percent. Additionally, since the Tigers average roughly 11 yards per reception, Lynch would be throwing for well over 250 yards per game (233.5 passing yards per game to date).

A young QB like Lynch needs all the help he can get from his veteran receivers like Keiwone Malone, Tevin Jones, Alan Cross, and Mose Frazier. Expect head coach Justin Fuente and wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins to stress during the bye week the importance of cutting down on dropped passes.

5. Interceptions/Confidence

If this had been written last week, interceptions would not even have been in consideration, but this is being written following a three-interception performance by Lynch, who had three interceptions in the five games headed leading up to the conference match-up with Houston.

In all, the Tigers turned the ball over five times against the Cougars on their way to a 28-24 home loss. Now, almost every quarterback has had a three-interception game in their career—it comes with the territory of being a gunslinger in spread offenses these days. However, it is fair to say that Lynch’s interceptions were poorly thrown balls that lacked confidence and an understanding of what Houston was doing defensively.

It is easy throw around accusations that Lynch, based upon Saturday night, has somehow regressed from his great start, but the truth is, that would be a gross overreaction. Tiger fans, though, still cannot feel great about seeing their quarterback doubling his season interception total in just one game.

It is important for Fuente to use the next couple of weeks boosting the confidence of his quarterback who seemed to be void of it Saturday night at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Confidence is key for any quarterback, and knowing Fuente, he still has plenty of it left in Lynch. He just needs to make sure Lynch has confidence in his throws and himself moving forward.