Sept. 28, 2000

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- The football rivalry between Memphis and Southern Mississippi took on a nickname many years ago...The Black & Blue Bowl. The name may come from the school colors of both institutions but most coaches, players and fans will tell you that the slogan represents the bruises left on both teams after the contest is over. This year's meeting will be the 51st between the two schools making it the longest running rivalry in Memphis history. USM holds a decided 33-16-1 advantage in the series and has won the last six meetings. Memphis last victory over the Golden Eagles came during the 1993 season in Memphis when the Tigers stopped USM 20-9. The Tigers have not won in Hattiesburg since the 1960 season.

TIGER DEFENSE EXCELS
The University of Memphis defense, which climbed from a 106 ranking in 1998 to the 23rd spot in the nation in 1999, jumped to the number two position in defensive ratings after two weeks of the college football season and are now ranked seventh according to the NCAA. In the season opener against SEC foe Mississippi State University, the Tiger defense limited the Bulldogs to just 127 yards in total offense. Mississippi State managed a mere 45 yards rushing and 82 yards passing. In the Louisiana-Monroe contest, the defensive unit gave up 176 yards in total offense and just 44 yards on the ground. The stop troops registered three pass interceptions, one fumble recovery, four quarterback sacks and eight tackles for lost yardage in the Army win.

KENDALL TOP TIGHT END
University of Memphis senior tight end Billy Kendall has spent most of his career utilized as a blocker for running backs and quarterbacks. However, in between the blocks, the 6'5 Kendall has managed to grab more pass receptions for more yards than any other tight end in Memphis football history. Entering his final season at the U of M, Kendall had caught 53 passes for 601 yards and four touchdowns. He opened the 2000 season with one reception for nine yards against Mississippi State and added two catches for 15 yards in the win over LA-Monroe. Kendall had a team leading 40 yards on four receptions in the Tigers' win over Arkansas State. His 62 receptions places the Maryland native in a tie for 17th on the Tigers all-time reception list. He is the only tight end to be listed among the school's top 25 pass receivers. His 690 yards ranks him first among all Memphis tight ends in yards receiving and his five touchdown catches gives him the record for most TD catches by a tight end. Rich Coady and Chris Powers had four touchdown receptions as Tigers.

WHITE RECEIVES HONOR
Junior kicker Ryan White, who set several Memphis field goal records in 1999, was named to the 2000 Playboy All-America Team. The Georgia native became just the third Tiger player in school history to be named to the prestigious team. Former Tiger offensive tackle Harry Schuh was selected to the 1964 squad and All-American kicker Joe Allison received the honor in 1993. White's selection to the Playboy All-America team marked the third AA team that the soccer-styled kicker has been selected on in the past two seasons.

WHITE SETS MEMPHIS & C- USA MARK
With four field goals made in the first half of the 1999 UAB game and a school record fifth made in the third period, Ryan White set the Memphis record for the most field goals made in a half, in a game, the most field goals attempted in a game and also set the record for the most points by a Tiger kicker in a game. He set a new Memphis record becoming the first Tiger in school history to kick four field goals in a half. White, who had booted four field goals in the '98 Cincinnati game, shared the old Memphis single game record of four field goals with Joe Allison (1992 vs Ole Miss) and Rusty Bennett (1977 vs NTSU). His 16 points vs UAB broke the old record for points (15) by a kicker set by White in last year's Cincinnati game. His five field goals made also tied the Conference USA record for FGs in a game.

KENDALL CONTINUES STREAK
Memphis senior tight end Billy Kendall has proven himself to be the best receiving tight end in Memphis history. His 62 career pass receptions ties him for 17th on the Tigers all-time receiving list. As impressive is the fact that the Bowie, Maryland, native has now caught passes in the Tigers last 20 consecutive games. The last game that Kendall failed to catch a pass was the 1998 Cincinnati contest.

TIGERS CREATING TURNOVERS
The Tiger defense was able to force four turnovers, one fumble recovery and three interceptions, against Army. The Tigers have forced at least one turnover in 65 of their last 73 games. Memphis has also intercepted a pass in 43 of its last 64 contests but has not returned an interception for a touchdown since Scott Singler ran back a pick 55 yards against Arkansas State in 1994.

BLOCK PARTY
Since 1990, Memphis' special teams have found a way to change the look of a game in a hurry. Over the last 123 games, Memphis has blocked 43 kicks (27 punts, 12 field goals, 4 PAT) and has blocked 23 punts in the last 82 contests. Under Scherer, the Tigers have blocked 21 kicks (11 punts, 6 field goal, 4 PATs). Memphis last blocked punt was by Quincy Stephenson and it came against LA-Monroe this season. Stephenson also recorded the Tigers' final block of the '99 campaign against Southern Mississippi. Memphis had three blocked kicks in last season's Louisville game when Tramont Lawless and Michael Stone each knocked down field goal attempts and the team was credited with a block. Memphis again registered three blocks in the last contest of the year. Lawless, Stone and nose tackle Marcus Bell had blocked kicks against Cincinnati in the season finale.

TIGER TIDBITS
Tiger punter Ben Graves set several personal bests in the season opener against Mississippi State. He hit career highs for number of punts (10), game average (44.2) and yards (442). His 442 yards were the second highest single game total in Memphis football history. The 442 yards surpassed Hugh Owens' 433 yards against Texas A&M in 1978. The all-time Tiger record is 492 yards, also by Owens against Texas A&M in 1979. Graves punted six times and averaged 43.5 yards per punt against LA-Monroe.

Ben Graves' 61 yard punt against LA-Monroe was a career long for the Mississippi native.

Neil Suber's 930 yards passing in 1998 marked the most yards passing by a Tiger freshman in the history of the school.

Over the past seven years, Memphis has a record of 38-9 when leading at the half.

The Memphis Tigers had seven players named to Lindy's Football Magazine Preseason All-Conference USA Team. Tabbed on the first unit were offensive tackle Artis Hicks, nose tackle Marcus Bell, linebacker Kamal Shakir, safety Idrees Bashir and All-American kicker Ryan White. Offensive tackle DeCorye Hampton and strong safety Fred Powell were named to the second team.

Tiger tailback Dernice Wherry started his first game as a Tiger when Memphis opened the season against Mississippi State. The former all-state (TN) running back responded with 35 yards rushing on on 13 attempts against the number one defense in the nation in 1999. The speedster led the U of M in rushing against ULM with 75 yards on 17 carries. Wherry lettered as a linebacker in 1999 but was moved to tailback in the spring of 2000.

Tiger linebacker Kamal Shakir was named to The Sporting News Freshman All-America Team in 1997. His first team selection by TSN was the first by a rookie Tiger in the school's history. He is a preseason All-Conference USA selection at linebacker this year and is listed as a Dick Butkus candidate.

The U of M may have the most talented defensive secondary the squad has fielded since the 1970s. Four starters return for the 2000 season including preseason All-Conference USA selection Idrees Bashir at free safety. Joining Bashir are corners Marcus Smith and Michael Stone and strong safety Glenn Sumter. Stone is the only senior starting in the secondary.

Ryan White's 52-yard field goal against Cincinnati in 1998 tied for the longest field goal made in Memphis history. The record was shared by Luis Tejada (vs Ole Miss, 1994) and Don Glosson (vs Florida State, 1985). The kick was White's first 50 plus yard attempt of his career.

Placekicker Ryan White set several Memphis kicking records during his freshman season in 1998. He booted 16 consecutive field goals setting a new Memphis benchmark. The old Tiger record for consecutive field goals was 15 by former kicker Don Glosson (1983-85). Glosson booted his 15 consecutive FGs in 1994.

The University of Memphis will have six graduates playing for the squad this season. That number tied the University for third in the nation for number of students in graduate school.

Tiger All-American placekicker Ryan White booted four field goals in the Tigers' 19-17 win over Arkansas State. The four FGs made marked the seventh multiple FG game in White's career. His last field goal of the ASU contest came with 0:49 remaining in the game and gave the Tigers their second win of the season. It was White's first career last second winning kick.

Freshman quarterback Matt Adams, the grandson of former Tiger head coach Fred Pancoast, entered fall camp not fully recovered from shoulder surgery in May of 2000. He participated in fall camp but due to a lack of rehabilitation time, has decided to return to his home in Pensacola, FL. Adams will return to Memphis in January to begin his college career.

Linebacker Kamal Shakir's 11 tackle effort against ASU marked the first time this year that the Georgia native logged double-digit tackles. Shakir totaled eight double-digit games in 1999 and has 15 career games with ten or more total hits. His all-time single game high is a 20 tackle (12 solos & eight assist) effort against Army in 1999.

Memphis quarterback Neil Suber completed 20-of-31 pass attempts in Memphis' 26-16 victory over Army. His 20 completions were a career high for the Georgia native breaking his old mark of 17 against Tulane in 1998. Suber's 31 pass attempts were the second highest total of his career falling one shy of his 32 attempts against Ole Miss in 1999.

Sophomore quarterback Travis Anglin threw his first career touchdown pass against Arkansas State in 1999. During fourth quarter action, Anglin connected with former wide receiver Damien Dodson for a 32-yard touchdown. Ironically, Anglin tossed his first touchdown pass of the 2000 season against Arkansas State in Jonesboro.

Junior tight end Billy Kendall has a personal best six pass receptions (for 66 yards) in a single game. He accomplished the feat in the Tigers win over Arkansas State in 1999. Kendall's 66 yards versus ASU ranks as the third highest of his career. His top career yardage performance came in the '99 finale when he had 78 yards receiving against Cincinnati.

Tiger tailback Sugar Sanders has had five starts in his brief career and all have resulted in wins for the Tigers. In his first collegiate start ('99) Sanders rushed for 94 yards against Arkansas State. It was just his second collegiate game and his first extended playing time. Sanders was called on to start the UAB game in Birmingham and responded by scoring his first career touchdown. The Miami native was slated to start the 2000 season opener against Mississippi State but was slowed in camp by an ankle injury. He started the ULM contest and rushed for 43 yards and led the Tigers to victory against ASU with 31 carries for 96 yards. Sanders had a career long 62 yard touchdown run in the UM win over Army.

Tiger defensive back Glenn Sumter recorded his first career pass interception of the 2000 season against Louisiana Monroe in the Tigers second game of the season. He came back the following week and had a pick against Arkansas State and registered his third interception of the season in the Tigers' win over Army. The redshirt sophomore now has three on the season and is tied for 7th in the nation. His three consecutive games with an interception mark the first time since the 1996 season that a Tiger defensive back has had interceptions in three consecutive games. Keith Spann had picks in the final three games of 1996.

Tiger quarterback Neil Suber threw for 187 yards in the Army victory raising his career total for passing yards to 2,069. In doing so, the junior became the 10th Tiger player in the history of the school to throw for more than 2,000 yards in a career. Suber needs 22 completions to tie for sixth place in career pass attempts. He needs 14 completions to tie for fifth place in career completions.

Neil Suber's 222 yards passing against Tennessee in 1999 ranks as the third best performance of his career. Suber threw for a career high 279 yards against Tulane in 1998 and also had 226 yards passing against East Carolina in 1998.

Wide receiver Tripp Higgins was inserted into the depth chart in 1999 as the Tigers punter returner after an ankle injury to Damien Dodson. He responded at UAB by having the best game of the season by a Tiger returner. Higgins had a season high eight punt returns for 46 yards, including a long return of 26 yards. He also returned one kickoff for 28 yards.

Memphis' win over UAB in Birmingham last season broke a streak of 16 consecutive road losses. Prior to the UAB victory, Memphis had not won a road game since September 14, 1996, when the U of M defeated Missouri 19-16 in Columbia. Since the UAB win, the Tigers have now won four consecutive road contests for the first time since the 1983 season when Memphis stopped Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Cincinnati and Louisville in consecutive road games.

Memphis quarterback Travis Anglin returned for fall camp 2000 after having spent the summer rehabilitating his right shoulder. Anglin missed most of spring practice after having shoulder surgery to repair a torn capsular in his throwing shoulder. The Georgia native remained in Memphis all summer working with Tiger trainer Ed Cantler to rehab and strengthen his shoulder. He completed eight passes in the season opener and improved with 11 completions in the win over ULM. Anglin was 6-of-10 against Arkansas State before being injured.

Sophomore tailback Sugar Sanders' 62-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of the Army game was the longest of his career and marked the longest run by a Tiger back since Larry Porter ran 66-yards for a score against Arkansas State in 1993.

On September 16th, Ryan White was named the C-USA Special Teams Player of the Week for his four FGs against Arkansas State. In October of 1999, White was named the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week for his work against UAB. White booted a school record five field goals against the Blazers. He received the honor three times last season and has earned the Player of the Week Award five times in his two plus-year career.

Junior cornerback Marcus Smith registered his first career pass interception against UAB in 1999. Smith came into the game to replace injured defensive back Reginald Howard, who suffered a broken neck. He finished the contest with five tackles and one interception. Howard recovered and was signed by the Carolina Panthers (NFL) and Smith, who was pressed into service, is considered one of the best cover corners in Tiger history. Smith had three tackles and a pass breakup against Mississippi State.

Tiger kicker Ryan White finished the 1999 season as the 33rd ranked kicker in the country according to NCAA statistics. White averaged 1.18 field goals made per game. He made his long attempt of 36 yards against Mississippi State to provide Memphis with its only points. White connected on four-of-four field goal attempts in the win over ASU.

Idrees Bashir's 44-yard fumble return against Tennessee last season stands as the third longest fumble return in Memphis school history.

Cornerback Michael Stone had their first career blocked kick in last year's Louisville game. Stone blocked a field goal attempt in the third period of the contest.

Sophomore fullback/tailback Darche' Epting registered his career high for rushes and yards in the Memphis win over Army. The redshirt from Dallas, Texas, had 19 carries for 66 yards against the Black Knights. The 19 attempts broke his old mark of 10 vs Mississippi State this year. His 66 yards were also a career high surpassing his old total of 22 yards against the Bulldogs. Epting also tallied his third rushing touchdown of the season against Army.

Sophomore quarterback Scott Scherer, son of head coach Rip Scherer, entered the 1999 Tulane game for the final drive of the night and responded by leading his team to a score. Scherer rushed two times for nine yards and completed his first collegiate pass, an eight yard attempt to Aaron Meadows during the drive.

Flanker Bunkie Perkins came to Memphis with great junior college credentials. After a slow start, Perkins set career highs for receptions and yards against Army. The Mississippi native caught four passes for 37 yards in the Memphis win.

Senior tight end Billy Kendall was named to Lindy's Preseason All C-USA Team.

The Tigers have several nationally ranked players on this year's squad. According to Lindy's Football Magazine nose tackle Marcus Bell is the 15th ranked defensive lineman in the nation. Inside linebacker Kamal Shakir is the 15th ranked linebacker and safety Idrees Bashir is ranked 18th defensive back in the country. Memphis' highest ranked player is kicker Ryan White who is tabbed as the 4th best kicker in the country.

Tiger quarterback and special teams member Scott Scherer, the son of head coach Rip Scherer, gained the team's first turnover of the 2000 season. When the Tigers were forced to punt on the first series of the game, Scherer and freshman snapper Jared Pigue raced downfield and jumped on a fumbled ball by Mississippi State's Dicenzo Miller. Scherer came out of the pile with the ball.

ANGLIN HAD GOOD START
Memphis quarterback Travis Anglin made his first collegiate start against Tulane University in 1999 and the Columbus, Georgia, native made the most of his opportunity. Showing the poise of a veteran, Anglin set career highs as he completed 16-of-23 pass attempts for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Anglin started the final four games of the season and helped the Tigers win three of the four contests. The redshirt sophomore started his fifth consecutive contest when he opened the season against Mississippi State and gained his fourth victory in six starts when he led the Tigers to a 24-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Anglin led the Tigers to a win over ASU in his seventh start but was injured in the second half and may be forced to miss several games.

WHITE TWO TIME GROZA CANDIDATE
Junior kicker Ryan White was again named as one of twenty semifinalists for last year's Lou Groza Award. It marked the second consecutive year that the Tiger kicker received the honor.

ANGLIN CLIMBS CAREER LIST AT EARLY AGE
University of Memphis sophomore quarterback Travis Anglin has started just seven games in his young career. However, he has already notched his name on the Memphis career passing list and is set to start passing some legendary Tiger signal-callers. In the Louisiana-Monroe victory, Anglin threw for just 80 yards and added 55 yards in the ASU win, but those yards, coupled with his 922 yards entering the game, give the Georgia native 1,057 career passing yards. He is now in 20th place on the Memphis career passing list moving ahead of Andy Whitwell. He needs just 11 yards to surpass Ricky Thurow (1,067/1967-69).

WHITE CLOSES IN ON C-USA RECORD BOOK
Junior kicker Ryan White is currently ranked eighth on Conference USA's career scoring list. The junior kicker has 154 career points. Former Tulane kicker Brad Palazzo is the Conference's all-time leading scorer with 255 points. White is ranked fourth in field goals attempted on C-USA's career list and second in career field goals made. He currently holds the conference career record for field goal percentage (82.9%).

SHAKIR COULD SET CONFERENCE TACKLE MARK
Senior middle linebacker Kamal Shakir could become Conference USA's all-time leading tackler by the end of his final season. The Georgia native has registered 297 tackles during his first three seasons. His 143 tackle effort last year moved him into fourth place on the C-USA career list. Former Southern Mississippi linebacker T.J. Slaughter is the current record holder with 383 hits. Shakir will need 87 tackles this season to overtake Slaughter. He now has 10 on the season.

TIGERS WERE 2nd IN NATION
The University of Memphis special teams attained a lofty mark in the category of blocked kicks during the 1999 season. The block units registered nine blocks on the season and finished the season ranked in a tie for second in the nation. Conference USA foe Southern Mississippi had one blocked kick in the annual AXA Liberty Bowl against Colorado State to tie Memphis for second. The Nebraska Cornhuskers led the nation in blocked kicks with 10 during 1999.

SANDERS HAS BIG NIGHT
Sophomore tailback Sugar Sanders set career highs for rushes and yards in the Tigers' win over Arkansas State. The Miami, FL, native rushed the ball 31 times for 96 yards, both career benchmarks. Sanders' 31 rushes tied for the ninth-highest single game total in school history.

SANDERS HAS LONG RUN
Sophomore tailback Sugar Sanders 62-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of the Army game was the longest run by a Tiger back since Larry Porter raced 66-yards against Arkansas State in 1993.

ARNOLD LEADS SACK ATTACK
Memphis junior defensive end Andre Arnold is trying to fill the shoes of former UM defensive ends Tramont Lawless and Marquis Bowling. Both Lawless and Bowling raised the bar for career sacks. Bowling set a new record during his senior year when he registered his 20th sack. Lawless surpassed Bowling during his senior year when he got his 21st career sack. Now Arnold is hot on their trail as he has recorded eight QB sacks in four games and has 10 career sacks.