Dec. 2, 2007

MEMPHIS, TENN. - As is tradition for the Tiger football team, the players and staff gathered with their fans and celebrated the end of the regular season with the Senior Banquet sponsored by the Highland Hundred Tiger booster organization.

The event was hosted at the Holiday Inn-University of Memphis with around 400 people in attendance. Greg Gaston served as the master of ceremonies and Highland Hundred president Ted Showalter directed the festivities.

The fifteen Tiger seniors were each presented a framed action shot by the Highland Hundred and the Tiger coaching staff. In addition, several awards were presented by the coaching staff. This was also the first official introduction of the five permanent captains Martin Hankins, Joseph Doss, Andy Smith, Jake Kasser and Clinton McDonald who were selected by their teammates as leaders just prior to the SMU game.

The 2007 Offensive Player of the Year honor was presented to quarterback Martin Hankins who was instrumental in leading the Tigers to a 7-5 overall record and a 6-2 showing in Conference USA. Hankins passed for 2,939 yards and 22 touchdowns while completing 61 percent of his attempts this season. He ranks second all-time in single season completions (236), touchdowns and yardage and is on pace to become only the second Tiger in school history to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a single season. Danny Wimprine threw for 3,174 yards in 13 games in 2003. Hankins sat out the Marshall and Middle Tennessee games with an injury and returned to the field for his most productive games ever. He passed for over 300 yards in five of the last six games of the season, including a school-record 416 yards against East Carolina. In that six-game span, Hankins averaged 351.17 yards, completed 60 percent of his pass attempts and tossed 17 touchdown passes. Against ECU, Southern Miss and SMU he tallied four TD passes and he was also named C-USA co-Offensive Player of the Week following the Tigers' 29-26 win over Southern Miss in his hometown of Hattiesburg.

Junior defensive lineman Clinton McDonald and senior cornerback LaKeitharun Ford shared Defensive Player of the Year honors. McDonald has started all 12 games on the defensive front and is second on the team in TFL with 7.5 for minus 22 yards. He leads the Tigers in sacks with three and ranks fifth with 47 tackles. He forced fumbles against UAB and Middle Tennessee and logged a career-high 10 tackles against East Carolina.

Ford was one of the most consistent members of the Tiger defense this season. He has started all 12 games at cornerback and helped seal the win over Southern Miss with his first interception of the season. He registered his second pick in the season finale versus SMU and also led the team with a career-high 10 tackles. He had a key pass breakup in the win over Rice and has tallied five or more tackles in four games this season. He finished the regular season with 38 tackles, two interceptions and a pass breakup.

Junior Michael Grandberry was selected as the Special Teams Player of the Year after fielding 51 of Memphis' 61 kickoff returns and averaging 22.2 yards per return. He finished the regular season with 1133 yards after registering five 100-yard return games, including a record-setting 168-yard effort versus Southern Miss. In his 33-game career, Grandberry has returned kicks in 21 games and holds the school record with 1,673 yards on 73 returns. In 2007, he totaled 22 returns for more than 20 yards. Grandberry is the first return specialist to be selected Special Teams Player of the Year since 2001.

Senior Andy Smith received the Offensive Lineman of the Year award just days after being selected to the All-Conference USA Media second team. Smith has started all 12 games this season at right guard and played all 108 snaps in the season finale against SMU, which was a career high. He has helped pave the way for a Tiger offense that ranks 13th nationally in passing offense and 23rd in total offense. The Tigers also rank 9th nationally and lead Conference USA for the fourth straight year in sacks allowed with just 13 in 12 total games. For the season, Smith has participated in 849 of Memphis' 939 total offensive plays.

This season's Role Player Award was presented to backup quarterback Will Hudgens who clearly was a utility player for the Tigers this season. Hudgens started his first game at quarterback since 2005 and led Memphis to a 24-21 win over C-USA foe Marshall. In that meeting, he had career highs in pass attempts (45), completions (30) and yardage (346). He also started the Middle Tennessee game and was one of three Tiger quarterbacks to throw a touchdown pass in the UCF game. Hudgens came in as a fullback against UAB and registered his first rushing touchdown while finishing the game with six carries for 21 yards. Against SMU, Hudgens rotated in several times under center and was key in first down yardage and putting the first points on the board for Memphis with a one-yard TD run. For the year, he totals 587 yards passing and has thrown five touchdown passes in addition to rushing for 39 yards and two scores on 21 carries. Hudgens has also contributed to the special teams unit serving as a deep snapper on 40-plus punts this season.

One of the most prestigious awards, the Top Tiger, was presented to seniors Jake Kasser and Rod Smith. The award is meant for the player who has overcome adversity and difficult circumstances. Kasser is a prime example of a walk-on who, through hard work and dedication, became a starter on defense and earned the respect of the coaches and his teammates. Kasser earned a scholarship during fall camp in 2006 and has been a defensive force for the Tigers in the last two seasons. Earlier this week, Kasser was named to the All-C-USA second team, becoming the first Tiger linebacker to earn league honors since Coot Terry in 2003. He has started all 12 games at linebacker - a position that has been hit substantially by injuries this season. Heading into the bowl game, Kasser leads the Tigers with 95 tackles, 53 of which were solo stops. He was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week following the UAB victory in which he had a career-high 13 tackles, including nine solo stops. In that game, he was also responsible for a quarterback hurry that led to the interception by Corey Mills in the third quarter. Kasser has been a key defensive force and in his last 14 career games totals 114 tackles, three sacks and four fumble recoveries.

Rod Smith earned the Top Tiger Award for his positive attitude and his infectious spirit. When coach West announced Smith as the winner of the award, he was recognized with a standing ovation. Smith suffered a career-ending injury last season when he fractured two vertebrae in his neck against Arkansas State. Just days after surgery, Smith was back on the sidelines encouraging his squad. While it would have been easy for him to find other things to do with his time in 2007, Smith attended every practice and workout and earned the respect of all who came into contact with him. He is on pace to graduate in May with a degree in sport and leisure management.

The coaching staff also selected three players for scout team awards. Junior transfer running back Curtis Steele was honored as the Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year while redshirt freshmen John Hill and Charlie Bryant shared Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year honors. Steele transferred to Memphis from Northwest Mississippi Junior College and redshirted in 2007 to help add depth to the running game next year. Hill earned his second straight scout team honor as a linebacker. Bryant, a defensive lineman, played in four games this season.

The Tigers will be back in action on Dec. 21 for the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. They will face Sun Belt Champion Florida Atlantic, which is making their bowl debut. Memphis is 4-1 in bowl games and most recently defeated Akron in the 2005 Motor City Bowl.