Sept. 5, 2008

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MEMPHIS, TENN. - The University of Memphis will open its Conference USA season at home for the first time since 1996, when they host the Rice Owls on Saturday at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m., and the game will be carried live by CBS College Sports Network. Carter Blackburn will provide the play-by-play while Aaron Taylor will supply the commentary.

CBS College Sports Network is available on channel 222 on Comcast cable in the Memphis area, as well as channel 610 on DirecTV and channel 152 on Dish Network/Echostar.

Current annual subscribers to Memphis All-Access will receive the online streaming video of the Memphis-Rice broadcast for free as part of their annual package. Those subscribers can just log in with their Memphis All-Access account and begin watching the game. All others can access the live video stream for a one-time payment of $14.95. Please note that monthly subscribers will have to purchase the pay-per-view.

Memphis comes into the meeting with an 0-1 record after dropping a non-conference decision to Ole Miss on the road last weekend. Rice is 1-0 after defeating SMU, 56-27, in league play last week. Saturday's game is only the second meeting between the Tigers and Owls on the gridiron. Last year, Memphis posted a thrilling 38-35 victory over Rice in Houston.

Saturday's game is the earliest Conference USA opener for the Tigers. The previous earliest opener was in 2003. The Tigers played at Southern Miss on Sept. 13, 2003.

Two former Tiger football players are among eight former U of M letterwinners who will be inducted into the M Club Hall of Fame this weekend. The two football inductees are Don Coffey (1958-61) and Tim Harris (1982-85). The induction ceremony will be held at the Holiday Inn-U of M Friday evening, and the honorees will be presented at halftime of the game.

Coffey, a native of Morristown, Tenn., led the Tigers as a senior with 18 catches for 312 yards and a team-high five touchdowns, finishing fourth on the squad in points scored with 30 on a team that posted an 8-2 mark. He was drafted by both the San Francisco 49ers in the 12th round of the NFL draft and by the San Diego Chargers of then then-AFL in the 25th round. He played one year for Denver in 1963 before returning to Memphis to get his MBA.

Harris was a four-year letterwinner, earning All-Metro Conference honors for three straight seasons. On completing his eligibility, Harris held records for tackles for loss in a game, season and a career and continues to rank among the top 10 in the Tiger record book in solo and assisted tackles, and quarterback sacks. His 49 career tackles for loss remains atop the record book heading in to the 2008 season. In his final year in the Blue and Gray, Harris recorded 83 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss and five pass break-ups. He earned All-Metro Conference honors, a second Highland Hundred MVP award and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round.

MEMPHIS IN C-USA HOME OPENERS
Saturday's contest is the Tigers' 2008 Conference USA home opener, and they have had quite a bit of success in those games. Memphis is 9-3 in C-USA home openers (.750 winning percentage). Under head coach Tommy West, Memphis is 5-2 in conference home openers (.714 winning percentage). Last year, the Tigers won their C-USA home opener with an emotional 24-21 victory over Marshall at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The game was played nearly 48 hours after the death of fellow teammate Taylor Bradford. The Tigers' C-USA home opener versus Marshall was televised by ESPN.

MEMPHIS IN HOME OPENERS
In its history, Memphis has a 43-43-5 record in home openers. The Tigers are 7-7 in their last 14 home openers, and have won five out of seven home openers under head coach Tommy West (5-2 record). The two home-opening setbacks in the West era were both narrow losses to Ole Miss (10-6 in 2005; 23-21 in 2007). The Tigers' last victory in a home opener was in 2006. Memphis defeated Chattanooga 33-14 on Sept. 9, 2006, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

TIGERS VERSUS TEXAS TEAMS
Memphis has had some pretty good success against teams from the Lone Star State. In their history, the Tigers have a 40-19-1 record against Texas collegiate foes. In the Tommy West era, the Tigers have a 9-3 record against teams from the state of Texas. Memphis has a current three-game win streak against teams from Texas with victories over SMU (2007), Rice (2007) and UTEP (2006). The three setbacks to Texas teams under West were by seven or fewer points (23-20 OT loss to Houston in 2006; 27-20 loss to TCU in 2002; 26-21 to Houston in 2002). The most memorable recent Memphis victory over a team from Texas came in the 2003 New Orleans Bowl. The Tigers ended the program's 32-year bowl drought and defeated North Texas 27-17 in the Louisiana Superdome.

WEST VERSUS CONFERENCE USA
Tommy West's Conference USA record got a big boost after the Tigers turned in a 6-2 record in the league in 2007. Since taking over the squad in 2001, West is 27-28 in C-USA action. In four out of the last five years, Memphis has won at least five of the eight league contests (5-3 record in `03, `04, `05).

HALL PASSES FOR 159 YARDS IN DEBUT
Junior quarterback Arkelon Hall completed 15 of 27 passes for 159 yards in his D-I collegiate debut against Ole Miss on Aug. 30. Hall, who transferred to Memphis this past January from College of the Sequoias, also rushed for 38 yards on seven carries. He had a long pass of 42 yards to Carlos Singleton in the game. Hall suffered from cramping during the third quarter and was replaced by senior Will Hudgens, who had come into the game several times on fourth down for punting and to gain crucial yardage. Hall re-entered the game late in the fourth quarter.

HUDGENS' PLAY LEADS TO THREE TOUCHDOWNS
Senior quarterback Will Hudgens is a utility player in the Tiger lineup. While he did not start in the season opener versus Ole Miss, he did see significant playing time. He first entered the game on Memphis' first series in a 4th-and-7 situation for a pooch punt that was downed at the 3. He came back in on the next Memphis series with the Tigers in the redzone on 1st-and-10 from the Rebel 11. He rushed for 6 and 2 yards on his first two offensive plays and then completed a three-yard pass for a TD to Earnest Williams.

Hudgens saw significant time in the third quarter when Hall was hobbled by cramping, and on the first play of the fourth quarter, he tossed a 43-yard strike for a score to Maurice Jones. Hall came back into the game with nine minutes left in the game, and Hudgens was called upon on 4th-and-goal from the 1. He delivered the 1-yard scoring run with 3:28 left in the game. Hudgens finished the game with 102 yards and two TDs on 8 of 15 passing. He also rushed for 27 yards on nine carries. The three TDs responsible for was a career high for Hudgens.

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