Earning a 3-3 record thus far this season, the Memphis Tigers have truly been on an interesting ride; a win one week only to be followed by a loss the next.
Not to mention the monumental loss in having to sideline sophomore running back Doroland Dorceus during their 24-3 loss against Ole Miss in late September. While head coach Justin Fuente has cited no particular injury that is currently limiting Dorceus (though we assume it’s knee-related), the next step for the Tigers still remains: fighting through the remainder of the 2014 season in a preferably-victorious fashion.
Due to the solidified performance of quarterback Paxton Lynch and the passing offense of these Tigers, I am putting the spotlight on the Memphis running game to step up in its remaining six conference competitions this season.
We’re looking at you, Sam Craft.
Following the Dorceus injury during the Ole Miss game, Fuente decided to hold off on putting in sixth-year senior Brandon Hayes as his replacement against Cincinnati, opting instead to give the sophomore a shot at the spotlight.
This faith in Craft has paid off in big ways.
Against Cincinnati alone, Craft rushed for 170 yards on 38 attempts, recording one touchdown to top off his monster performance while simultaneously cementing his position as the starting running back for the Tigers in the foreseeable future. Following their win at Cincinnati, Craft had this to say about his performance:
“I knew with Doroland down, I had to come out and step up,” Craft said, according to 247Sports.com. “I just needed to have a focused mindset [during the week] and play well.”
With 78 total rushes for 301 yards and three touchdowns under his belt this season, Craft is far from bring home results as groundbreaking as, say, Georgia’s Todd Gurley. However, he is what I believe to be the most influential Memphis Tiger as this season marches on. He must step up and take charge of this offense if Memphis is to have any more success against AAC opponents.
One effect of this Craft-crafted running offense that is sure to spell victory for these determined Tigers is that with such a solid force at tailback, the offense will be able to more assuredly lean on the running game in order to control the tempo of each game. As exemplified by Memphis’ time of possession during its wavering wins and losses, it is, as should be expected, much more capable of coming out victorious when having more control over the time of possession, and thus control over the game tempo and its destiny.
Suffice it to say that with the increasing performance of Craft comes increased tempo control.
With this increased tempo control comes a greater chance of Memphis winning its remaining AAC conference games. And of course, these victories come hand in hand with a small-yet-slightly-tangible chance at earning the fresh, coveted conference title.
“I just like to win,” said Craft, the former high school quarterback. “If me being a running back is what I have to do to help us win, I’ll do it. It doesn’t matter.”
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