Tigers face rocky road to win at Rocky Top
By: Joseph Brewer
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Sports
After losing six of their first eight games, The University of Memphis now heads to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers, a game which will likely prove to be the Tigers' most arduous confrontation this season.
The Tigers (2-6, 1-4 Conference USA) are coming off a 38-19 loss at home to East Carolina on national television. The U of M played poorly in most facets of the game as they turned the ball over four times and gave up 497 yards of total offense to the Pirates.
However, critics say the main reason for the Tigers poor play was their inability to stop the run. The Tigers gave up 275 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to the Pirates, who entered the game averaging a relatively meager 131 yards on the ground.
Following their performance, coach Tommy West says he is upset with how the Tigers have been playing on the defensive side of the ball thus far.
"I'm disappointed in our rush defense. It was bad in the East Carolina game," he said. "We have to get that corrected. We are getting better running the ball, but we have to get better at stopping the run."
The failure to stop the run has reared itself throughout the season. The Tigers have permitted four teams - Marshall, UTEP, UCF and most recently East Carolina - to attain 200 or more rushing yards against them. Currently, the Tigers rank No. 105 out of 120 teams nationally against the run.
This weekend, the Tigers face a Tennessee offense that averages 172.1 yards rushing, with most of those yards coming against SEC defenses. Senior Volunteer running back Montario Hardesty is coming off a 121 yard and two touchdown performance against a South Carolina defense that ranks No. 16 nationally in total defense.
In addition, Hardesty ranks No. 19 in the nation, averaging 105.1 yards rushing per contest, an average that places him third in the SEC behind Alabama's Mark Ingram and Mississippi State's Anthony Dixon.
While the Tigers may face a steep challenge in containing Tennessee's offense, the task of producing yards and points on their own offense may be just as laborious. Tennessee ranks No. 13 in the country in total defense, allowing only 281.6 yards per meeting to opponents in their first year under new coach Lane Kiffin.
The Tigers (2-6, 1-4 Conference USA) are coming off a 38-19 loss at home to East Carolina on national television. The U of M played poorly in most facets of the game as they turned the ball over four times and gave up 497 yards of total offense to the Pirates.
However, critics say the main reason for the Tigers poor play was their inability to stop the run. The Tigers gave up 275 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to the Pirates, who entered the game averaging a relatively meager 131 yards on the ground.
Following their performance, coach Tommy West says he is upset with how the Tigers have been playing on the defensive side of the ball thus far.
"I'm disappointed in our rush defense. It was bad in the East Carolina game," he said. "We have to get that corrected. We are getting better running the ball, but we have to get better at stopping the run."
The failure to stop the run has reared itself throughout the season. The Tigers have permitted four teams - Marshall, UTEP, UCF and most recently East Carolina - to attain 200 or more rushing yards against them. Currently, the Tigers rank No. 105 out of 120 teams nationally against the run.
This weekend, the Tigers face a Tennessee offense that averages 172.1 yards rushing, with most of those yards coming against SEC defenses. Senior Volunteer running back Montario Hardesty is coming off a 121 yard and two touchdown performance against a South Carolina defense that ranks No. 16 nationally in total defense.
In addition, Hardesty ranks No. 19 in the nation, averaging 105.1 yards rushing per contest, an average that places him third in the SEC behind Alabama's Mark Ingram and Mississippi State's Anthony Dixon.
While the Tigers may face a steep challenge in containing Tennessee's offense, the task of producing yards and points on their own offense may be just as laborious. Tennessee ranks No. 13 in the country in total defense, allowing only 281.6 yards per meeting to opponents in their first year under new coach Lane Kiffin.