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"It has just begun for us," said Fuente after practice. "We have several months in front of us for preparing and getting better and that is just what I finished telling them (the team). The next several months will be very important for this team and how they do and how committed they are to getting bigger, faster and stronger and getting in the kind of shape it is going to take for this squad to play."
Check out the interview with Coach Fuente below as he talks more about his expectations for his Tigers.
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Receiver Keiwone Malone was back out at practice after having been suspended internally by Fuente. Fuente addressed the questions regarding Malone's return by saying that "It is up to him (Keiwone). He has to do right every time. He is back but he needs to prove to everybody that this is important to him."
Fuente will work his squad through their final practice on Wednesday and indicated that they will go over more of what they should expect out of Thursday and Friday practices in the fall. The Tigers will be in just helmets for their final workout. ]]>
McCain played in 11 games and made nine starts at corner in 2011 as a true freshman. He logged 29 tackles, four pass breakups and a forced fumble in addition to a 79-yard interception return for a touchdown against Tulane. Ball, the brother of former Tiger safety Marcus Ball, redshirted last season partly because of an early injury he suffered in fall camp. Ball has been commended by several teammates this spring for his ability to grasp the system and for flying around on defense and making plays.
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Although it was a controlled scrimmage, first-year head coach Justin Fuente's Tigers showed some offensive fireworks in the University of Memphis' Blue-Gray Game Saturday, before an estimated crowd of 4,000 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Memphis ran 82 plays in the spring game, but afterwards, Fuente saw room for improvement.
"There was some good and some bad, and something to be learned from all of it," said Fuente following the scrimmage. "I still don't think we understand offensively quite the tempo that we want to get in and out and move around with. I think the kids are trying, but it is hard for them to do it consistently."
The Tigers offense had 16 offensive series with quarterbacks Jacob Karam and Taylor Reed leading the squad eight times apiece. Karam, a junior transfer from Texas Tech, was 7-of-16 passing for 159 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, while Reed, a returning sophomore, went 8-of-16 for 58 yards through the air.
After each quarterback had two series, Karam led the Memphis offense on the fifth drive to a touchdown. Karam was 4-of-5 passing for 68 yards on the 11-play drive, which was capped off with a three-yard scoring toss to Alan Cross. Earlier on the possession, a Karam-to-Cross 17-yard connection on fourth down kept the drive going.
Four possessions later, Karam led the Tigers offense to its second score, but in a quicker fashion. On the first play of the drive, Karam lofted a pass down the right sideline that Kevin Wright hauled in over the defender around the 40 yard line and then raced to the end zone for the touchdown. The play covered 70 total yards.
The Tigers' final score came on the last series of the game. Starting from 35 yards out, Karam hit Tyriq Patrick on an out pattern for a 24-yard gain to the 11 yard line. From there, redshirt freshman Clarence Marshall picked up the last 11 yards on a scoring scamper into the end zone.
"I think Jacob (Karam) moved around and made some plays today," said Fuente. "I think he forced one ball. He has to learn not to hold it so long, and that it is not a bad thing to throw it away sometimes. He did make some plays today, and so did Taylor (Reed).
"I am pleased with their work ethic and progress and dedication to the craft. Obviously, I still have to look at the film to see how they played, but I am happy with both of them."
Marshall led the Tigers rushing attack with 43 yards on five carries and a score, while redshirt junior Jaquise Cook had 40 yards on seven carries. Junior Jerrell Rhodes added 28 yards on 11 rushes.
Wright had 81 yards on three catches to pace the receiving corps. Marcus Rucker had two catches for 39 yards, and Reggie Travis grabbed one pass for 29 yards.
Senior defensive lineman Zach Gholson led the Memphis defense with four tackles and two sacks, while Reggis Ball added two sacks and Anthony Brown had two TFL.
"Defensively, I thought we gave up too many big plays," added Fuente. "We have to do whatever we can to get the guy on the ground in order to let us play another snap. I am certainly glad we have another practice on Monday. We have a lot of work to get accomplished."
The Tigers close spring drills with two practices Monday and Wednesday at the Murphy Athletic Complex.
"I think by and large, as a team, we have come a long way throughout the spring," said Fuente. "We have a long way to go, obviously, but I think from a level of expectations, from a level of work ethic and an accountability standpoint, I think we have made strides."
Post-scrimmage video interviews with Coach Justin Fuente, quarterbacks Jacob Karam and Taylor Reed, receiver Kevin Wright and linebacker Charles Harris posted below.
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Fuente also spoke about Saturday's scrimmage and feels this weekend is a great time for fans to come out and support this program.
"I would encourage fans to come out on Saturday and take a look at what our kids have been doing. I think fans should be excited. This is a new time for Tiger Football. This is a new time for Tiger Athletics and a new time for the city of Memphis. There are a lot of great things on the horizon in all sports with the new league and this is the first chance for them to come out and see our guys."
"This is a work in progress, but I think you will see guys go out there and play hard; and hopefully be fundamentally sound, physically fit and mentally tough, which is the Tiger code." ]]>
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Fuente also spoke a bit about what fans can expect to see at the Liberty Bowl on Saturday.
In addition, Fuente was asked about the status of receiver Keiwone Malone. In response, Fuente explained that he has suspended Malone for a violation of team rules. Malone played in eight games in 2011 after transferring from the University of Alabama. He caught 12 passes for 155 yards and one touchdown.
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After last Saturday's scrimmage, Fuente again praised the defense and spoke highly of the defensive line. Today, we sat down with several defenders including lineman Zach Gholson, nickel back Akeem Davis and safety Mitch Huelsing to get their assessment of spring practice and what adjustments the defensive unit as a whole has made.
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The Tigers spent the better part of today's practice on a scripted situation scrimmage that again saw the defense dominate the offense.
"The defense did a great job today," said Coach Justin Fuente following today's practice. "The defense beat up on the offense in every drill. The real discouraging part about the offense is that we cannot rebound. We don't have the confidence or toughness to rebound when things don't go very well."
Watch more of Fuente's comments about today's practice in the video below.
The Tigers have five more practices remaining in the spring session, including the Blue-Gray Game at the Liberty Bowl on March 31 at noon.
Fuente spoke more in depth about the offense and what he is seeing right now this spring.
"We had several instances where we should have had some good, easy plays, but we were unable to execute them," explained Fuente. "That is one of my biggest disappointments. That, coupled with our inability to bounce back. When we've got it, we have to make it. Offensively, we need to find a little bit of swagger."
Offensive linemen Jordan Devey and A.J. Antonescu, and corner Taurean Nixon talked earlier about the progress the team is making throughout the spring with the new coaching staff.
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Special teams is a phase that the Tigers return quite a few key standouts. Henriques will be looking for a stellar senior season after going 8-of-15 on field goals in 2011. He missed his first two attempts of the season (both 50 yarders) before hitting seven of his next eight attempts, including a career-best 50-yard shot against Rice. Henriques also handles kickoffs for the Tigers and booted 45 kicks for an average of 64 yards. He had eight touchbacks on the year.
Hornsey continues to blaze through the Tiger record book, setting records for punts (95) and yards (3,993) in a single season. In just 24 career games, Hornsey ranks fifth in punts (175) and fourth in yards (7,409). In 2011, he averaged 42 yards per punt and had 19 for 50-plus yards. He dropped 23 kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line. He is expected to be a Ray Guy Award candidate again in 2012. Hornsey and Henriques also have the benefit of having long snapper Jeremy Singler and holder Austin Weaver back again in '12.
The Tigers have six more practices remaining, including the Blue-Gray Game on March 31. Festivities on Tiger Lane will begin at 10 a.m., and the Tigers will begin their workout in the stadium at about 12 p.m. There will also be a free kids clinic for all children eighth grade and under following the scrimmage. All events, and the parking around the stadium, are free and open to the public. For more information about the spring game, please check out this link: http://www.gotigersgo.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/032012aab.html
Please check out the video below as Coach Fuente spoke with the media following today's practice. He talks about the squad continuing to get better and also spoke a good bit about the receivers.
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Fuente has continued to stress that this team needs to be more physical, and he seems to be seeing more physicality from the defensive side of the ball. He did say that he felt the defensive line at this point is the most physical unit on the field.
When asked what steps need to be taken to make his team more physical, Fuente had a few key points to stress.
"I think part of developing physicality is getting more reps, but also physical toughness and mental toughness and part of it is strength in the weight room," explained Fuente. "All of those things develop confidence and help establish a physical presence."
While the Tigers are about halfway through their spring, Fuente hopes to continue to fine tune things and to continue to work more situational aspects in the next two weeks.
Just as Fuente spoke about after practice, there were a couple of long offensive plays today during the scrimmage, including two receptions of about 60 yards by Marcus Rucker from Jacob Karam. Tyriq Patrick also scored on a reception of about 60 yards from Taylor Reed. Kevin Wright continued his steady play, making several grabs, including one for nearly 50 yards for a score.
The offense also got a few good runs by Artaves Gibson, and tight end Jesse Milleson also had a couple of nice catches today.
Defensively, a couple of the plays that stood out were an interception and long return by corner Bobby McCain and a fumble recovery and forced fumble on separate plays by linebacker Kenyata Johnson. Redshirt freshman linebacker Reggis Ball, the brother of former Tiger safety Marcus Ball, was swarming around today and had a couple of nice hits for lost yardage. There were several sacks during the workout today and Akeem Davis forced a turnover when he stripped a ball away following a reception early in the scrimmage.
The Tigers will return to the field on Wednesday.
Other Tigers battling for a spot in the lineup include Kevin Green, Reggis Ball and Tank Jakes. Green and Ball redshirted as true freshmen in 2011, while Jakes is a mid-year signee out of Holmes CC.
Check out the video interviews below of returnees Charles Harris and Khiry Battle, and Coach Galen Scott.
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Production and ball security will be key for this group in the fall. Over the last two seasons, the Tigers have used a running back-by-committee approach and have averaged under three yards a carry in both of those seasons. In 2010 Memphis logged just five rushing TDs, and doubled that total in 2011.
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