(Sports Network) - An intrastate battle will ensue this weekend as the
hometown Memphis Tigers play host to the 15th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers
in a non-conference clash. Tennessee is coming off a tremendous performance
in its Homecoming game, as it thrashed Marshall in a 33-7 final. That
victory may have eased some of the disappointment stemming from a 21-20
loss to rival Florida the previous week. The Vols are now 3-1, and with
a number of difficult SEC games coming up, the club needs to win this
weekend's non-league tilt. Memphis enters this contest with a 1-2 record
after dropping a 35-20 decision to Conference USA foe East Carolina last time
out. The only victory thus far for the Tigers came over Chattanooga, a Division
I-AA foe. With three of the next four tilts at home, including this weekend,
Memphis has a chance to turn things around. Tennessee has won 19 of the 20
previous meetings with Memphis, including a 20-16 triumph over the Tigers last
season.
Against Marshall last week, Tennessee racked up 434 total yards en route to
its 33 points. Erik Ainge played well under center, completing 18-of-27 passes
for 258 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He relied on the team's
talented pass-catching duo of Robert Meachem and Jayson Swain. Meachem
finished with six catches for 76 yards, while Swain contributed five catches
for 98 yards and a touchdown. Still, the best player on the field for the Vols
offensively was tailback LaMarcus Coker, who seemingly came out of nowhere to
post 146 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. The fact that he raced 89
yards on one play speaks to Coker's explosiveness. Through four games,
Tennessee is averaging 29.8 ppg and 395 ypg of total offense. Ainge has
completed 66 percent of his passes for 1,065 yards with eight touchdowns and
five interceptions, and Meachem has posted 23 catches for 420 yards and four
scores. Swain has three touchdowns to his credit, and Coker seems to be the
club's most capable back considering that Montario Hardesty and Arian Foster
have been ineffective when in the lineup.
The fact that Tennessee only surrendered seven points to Marshall last week
speaks to the strong play of the defense. The Vols allowed 236 total yards in
the clash, including just 110 through the air. Marshall made an obvious effort
to establish the run, but Tennessee allowed only 126 yards on 48 rushing
attempts. The defense was on the field for almost 35 minutes but still
permitted the Herd to penetrate the red zone just once. Leading the way for
the UT defense in the victory was Jerod Mayo, Jonathan Hefney and Marvin
Mitchell, all three of whom finished with 12 tackles. Opponents are scoring
19.0 ppg against the Vols, who are yielding 325 total ypg. The run defense has
been strong, and the pass defense has been solid despite surrendering some big
plays. Mitchell has made 46 total tackles to lead the team, and Mayo is tops
with seven TFLs, including four sacks.
Memphis is scoring 26.0 ppg and posting 397.3 ypg of total offense, but those
numbers aren't a true indication of the team's overall ability. After all, the
club did most of its damage against Chattanooga and put forth mediocre
offensive numbers in the two losses. The Tigers have already turned the ball
over nine times, a major reason for the disappointing start. Martin Hankins
has taken almost every snap for the club, and he has completed 62.7 percent of
his passes for 770 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions. No player
has more than nine grabs despite the fact that Hankins has 64 completions to
his credit. Six different players have a receiving touchdown, so expect
Memphis to spread the ball around again this weekend. As for the running
attack, Joseph Doss leads the way with 227 yards. Hankins threw for 265 yards
and three touchdowns in the game against East Carolina, but his staggering
total of five interceptions led to the defeat. Doss ran for 99 yards versus
the Pirates, but it simply wasn't enough to overcome the numerous costly
mistakes.
Memphis has had a terrible time stopping the run, and as a result opponents
are averaging 25.7 ppg against the club. The Tigers are yielding 185.0 ypg on
the ground and 5.0 ypc, numbers that simply must be improved. With only four
takeaways and a pair of sacks, Memphis has failed to make the type of impact
plays on defense that can change games. Wesley Smith has been a steady force
for the Tigers, and he has a team-high 25 tackles to show for his effort.
Surprisingly, not a single player on the roster has more than one TFL. Memphis
did not play well defensively against East Carolina, as the Pirates were able
to rack more than 400 yards of total offense. Still, it's important to keep in
mind that Hankins' five picks put the defense in some bad situations. In fact,
two of the five touchdowns scored by ECU came on interception returns.
After losing to East Carolina last time out, there is no reason to believe
that Memphis will be able to knock off the Vols. Don't expect this game to be
close, as Tennessee is far superior to its non-conference foe.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Tennessee 31, Memphis 6
© 2006 The Sports Network
USA
Your Talkback on this Story