The Memphis Tigers are set to square off with the SMU Mustangs to kick off the second half to their season. Here are three predictions for the final six regular season games of Memphis’ 2014 season.
1. Jarvis Cooper Will Lead the Tigers in Rushing
According to various recruiting services, coming out of high school, Jarvis Cooper was either a defensive end or middle linebacker. At 6’2″, more than 250 pounds, and running a 4.60 40-yard dash, Cooper has the physical makeup of a quarterback nightmare; however, the true freshman out of West Memphis, Arkansas has not recorded a single tackle this season.
Cooper, instead, has carried the ball 28 times for 178 yards and a team-high 6.11 yards per carry (minimum 10 carries). With the season-ending injury to sophomore Doroland Dorceus and fellow sophomore Sam Craft struggling with full-time tailback duties, expect Cooper to see more carries along with senior tailback Brandon Hayes.
The Tigers have used Craft as the featured tailback, but his skill-set suggests that he would be better suited being lined up in the slot and used on screens, sweeps, and quick passes. Using Craft in this role will open up the necessary carries for Cooper to have the opportunity to lead Memphis in rushing over their final six games.
2. Paxton Lynch Will Throw for More Than 3,000 Yards and Finish With a 2:1 Touchdown-to-Interception Ratio
Paxton Lynch has continued to progress as a quarterback this season. Outside of his three interception forgettable performance against Houston, Lynch has played at an all-conference level.
The sophomore quarterback currently has 1,401 yards, nine touchdowns, and six interceptions through six games, but the schedule is much easier in the second half of the season. Memphis does not play a Power Five opponent during the second half of the season, and that means Lynch will face some easier defenses after playing No. 3 Ole Miss earlier in the season.
Final stats projection for Lynch: 3,051 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG_pY9yTM30]3. Memphis Will Finish in the Top 25 for Total Defense
Memphis currently sits at 42nd in the country in total defense, giving up an average of 357.2 yards of total offense per game. If the Tigers had played at that 357.2 yards per game pace last season, they would have finished 26th in the country in total defense.
Memphis will far exceed this pace in the second half of the season. In their first six games, the Tigers played UCLA (20th in total offense), MTSU (32nd in total offense), Cincinnati (44th in total offense), and Ole Miss (51st in total offense). All of these teams bring prolific offenses to the table.
In the final six games, the schedules eases up with opponents like SMU (127th in total offense), Connecticut (126th in total offense), South Florida (120th in total offense), Tulane (108th in total offense), and Temple (96th in total offense).
This Memphis defense has been really good, and it has done it all, for the most part, without the services of arguably its best defensive player, Martin Ifedi. Ifedi, who recorded 10.5 sacks in 2013, has been limited by injury, but he was able to return for their most recent game against the Houston.
With the addition of Ifedi, continued consistent play from the other defensive leaders like Tank Jakes, Jackson Dillon, and Bobby McCain, and a much softer schedule, the Tigers have a chance to have a special season on the defensive side of the football and finish in the top 25 in total defense.
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