Losing to Tulsa Would Be a Halloween Nightmare for Memphis

Coming off of a blowout victory at SMU, the Memphis Tigers (4-3) are hoping to string together back-to-back wins for the first time this season as they get set to take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-6) on Halloween night.

Last week, the Tigers were lead in the running game by senior Brandon Hayes and true freshman Jarvis Cooper who had a combined 29 carries for 197 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Paxton Lynch threw for 307 yards on 17-of-23 passing and one touchdown. Lynch was able to take advantage of SMU’s pass defense which ranks 124th in the country and got back on track after his less-than-stellar performance in an upset loss to Houston two weeks ago.

Memphis enters the game Friday as a 21-point favorite (line via VegasInsiders.com). The game is being played in Memphis at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, and Bret Michaels is performing during pregame at Tiger Lane. The Tigers have a clear advantage on paper, but there are some underlying factors that could play in to the result of Friday’s game.

First, Sam Craft, who had been the primary tailback since the injury to Doroland Dorceus, did not play against SMU, and his status for Friday’s game remains uncertain. Memphis head coach Justin Fuente has a strict policy in which he will not discuss injuries with anyone. Rumors have begun to circulate that it is possible Craft has a broken collar bone which could keep him out for the remainder of the season; however, do not be overly surprised to see Craft suit up again for the Tigers at some point this season due to the fact that any reports on Craft’s health is just pure speculation at this point.

This Friday against Tulsa, it seems likely that Memphis will again have to rely on Hayes and Cooper to be the primary ball carriers, a role in which both are comfortable filling. Tulsa comes in struggling on the defensive side of the football ranking 105th in run defense, 116th in pass defense, and 119th in total defense. The Tigers will have an opportunity to, once again, put up gaudy numbers offensively, despite the expect absence of Craft.

Expect Lynch to continue to spread the ball around to multiple receivers on Friday as there are now eight different receivers who have gone over 100 yard receiving on the season.

This time last week, Memphis ranked 42nd in total defense in the country.  After a euphoric performance at SMU, the Tigers have managed to jump 16 spots up to number 26 in the total defense rankings. This week, Tulsa brings the nation’s 52nd ranked total offense, which stands to be the fourth-best offense in terms of total yards per game Memphis has played to date. Even though Tulsa moves the ball relatively efficiently, it struggles to put points on the board ranking just 97th in scoring offense while putting up 24.4 points per game. (Memphis ranks 16th in scoring defense averaging giving up just 19.3 points per game.)

One variable that could play to Tulsa’s advantage is the fact that Memphis will have to play the entire first half without its defensive leader, Tank Jakes. The senior middle linebacker was named to Phil Steele’s mid-season All-American team, and he boasts a pretty impressive stat line with 52 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, four forced fumbles, three pass break-ups, and one interception. Jakes was ejected this past Saturday at SMU for a targeting penelty called against him. Since the ejection came during the second half, by rule, the player has to sit out the first half of the next game.

Even though the Tigers will, presumably, be without Craft and without Jakes for a half, this is a game they should win comfortably. On paper, all of the stats point to Memphis, but as the old adage goes, the game is played on the field and not on paper.

Just three short weeks ago the Tigers were comfortable favorites over Houston coming off of by far their most impressive win of the season over Cincinnati, and they were ready to take a 4-2 record into the bye week. Things did not go as planned, and the Tigers fell at home.

This week, Memphis finds itself in almost the exact same situation. A loss to Tulsa on Friday would not completely derail the season, but it would be a tremendous blow to a program that needs all of the confidence it can get right now. This game will be an opportunity for Memphis to show how well it can handle success while dealing with some adversity. It would be a big step in the right direction to put together back to back wins and move two games over .500.