Oct. 9, 2008

MEMPHIS, TENN. - The University of Memphis and the University of Louisville are renewing a football rivalry this week as the two squads face off Friday night on ESPN at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and the announcers for ESPN will be Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman and Rob Stone.

Tiger fans are encouraged to wear Tiger Blue Friday for the nationally-televised contest. There will be giveways at the entrances, including car flags sponsored by State Farm Insurance, and a fireworks demonstration will take place at halftime. Friday's game is also FedEx Employee Appreciation Night.

Tickets are still available for purchase. The Athletic Ticket Office on the U of M campus will close at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, and will open at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium at Gate 1 at 3:30 p.m.

Friday's game will be the 41st overall meeting between the two longtime rivals, but the first encounter between the two schools since 2004. Louisville holds a narrow 21-19 advantage in the series. Prior to not playing the last three seasons, the Tigers and Cardinals had met 17 of the previous 18 years. The two schools played 14-straight years from 1986-99. Memphis and Louisville also met 16-consecutive years from 1968-83.

The Cardinals won the last meeting in 2004 with a thrilling 56-49 victory at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2004. Memphis' last win in the series was a dominating 37-7 victory over the Cardinals in Louisville in the 2003 campaign. In games played in the Bluff City, Memphis holds an 11-10 series advantage.

The Tigers are playing back-to-back non-Saturday games after having defeating UAB last Thursday night in Birmingham on CBS College Sports Network. The last time that Memphis played on Friday was last season in the New Orleans Bowl, dropping a 44-27 decision to Florida Atlantic. And, the last time Memphis hosted a Friday evening game was broadcast on ESPN2 as the Tigers became bowl eligible when they defeated Southern Miss, 30-26 on Nov. 12, 2004.

Memphis Versus the Big East
The Tigers have an all-time record of 39-35 against members of the Big East Conference, but Memphis played all three foes -- Cincinnati, Louisville and USF -- when they were members of the Metro Conference and Conference USA. Friday's game is Memphis' first against a Big East Conference foe after that league's realignment in 2005. The Tigers lead the Cincinnati series 18-12, while Louisville holds a narrow 21-19 series advantage. Memphis and USF split their four meetings (2-2).

Fan Favorite
The 2004 meeting between Memphis and Louisville wasn't just memorable because it was a high-scoring affair, but also because -- despite the game being televised nationally by ESPN -- 52,384 fans came out to watch the matchup. That crowd still ranks as the 13th-largest crowd to watch a Tiger meeting at the Liberty Bowl. It is also the largest crowd that Memphis has had at the Liberty Bowl when facing a non-SEC opponent. The other 12 highest attended games were against either Ole Miss or Tennessee.

Distant Memories
Only a handful of current Tigers remember the rivalry that was Memphis versus Louisville. The last time the two teams played was in 2004 just before the Cardinals left C-USA for the Big East. None of the current U of M players played in that high-scoring contest that saw Louisville come away with the 56-49 victory, but several were on the sidelines for their redshirt season, including Philip Beliles, Brandon Douglas, Will Hudgens, Antonio McCoy, Brandon Patterson, Brandon Pearce, Carlton Robinzine, Brett Russell and Earnest Williams.

The only current Tiger to face Louisville during his career is running back Charlie Jones, who was on the Miami Hurricanes' roster for the 2004 and 2006 seasons that they faced Louisville. Jones did not see action in the 2004 contest, but played in 2006 and logged eight carries for 35 yards versus the Cardinals. He had a long run of 16 yards in that matchup, and also caught two passes for a total of eight yards receiving.

Cardinals For a Short Time
Two current Tigers had originally signed with Louisville before heading to junior college and later signing with Memphis. Senior receiver Steven Black originally signed with Louisville out of Vestavia Hills HS in Birmingham and made a detour to East Mississippi CC, where he spent the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Junior transfer Demetrius Culpepper signed with the Cardinals in February 2006 before he too made his way to EMCC for the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

Streaking Tigers
Two Tigers kept their receiving streaks alive with receptions in the win over UAB last Thursday night in Birmingham. Junior receiver Duke Calhoun extended his streak to 30 games after totaling two receptions for 27 yards against the Blazers. He has caught a pass in each of his 30 career games played. He missed the UCF game last season with a knee injury.

The 30-game streak is a school record, as Calhoun surpassed Russell Copeland, who lettered for the Tigers from 1989-92 and tallied 27 straight games with a catch. Calhoun ranks 11th nationally in active receiving streaks. The current leader is Rice's Jarrett Dillard with 42 consecutive games with a reception.

Carlos Singleton enters the Louisville game with a 27-game active receiving streak after logging five catches for 123 yards versus UAB. Singleton now ranks in a tie for second all-time with Russell Copeland, who held the record until Duke Calhoun passed him up.

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