Behind Enemy Lines: South Florida at Memphis
TAMPA, Fla., (Nov. 2, 2023) – South Florida (4-4; 2-2 American) returns from its open week with a road trip to Memphis (6-2; 3-1 American) to take on the Tigers Saturday, Nov. 4 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST on ESPN+.
Memphis leads the overall series, 7-4, which includes a mark of 3-2 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
Entering Saturday’s game, the Bulls are ranked fifth in the nation in team tackles for loss (8.1) and 23rd in rushing offense (190.9). Running back Nay’Quan Wright (590) and quarterback Byrum Brown (573) both rank in the top-60 in the country in rushing yards.
Memphis QB Seth Henigan has completed 185 of 274 passes for 2,186 yards and 16 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Running back Blake Watson, a transfer from Old Dominion, is second in The American in rushing at 95.3 yards per game. Watson has rushed for 762 yards and seven touchdowns on 120 carries.
Memphis has scored at least 20-points in 22 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak nationally.
With that in mind, BullsInsider.com went behind enemy lines and asked Bryan Moss, publisher of TigerSportsReport.com about the matchup from the Memphis perspective.
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The Memphis offense seems to have really hit its stride of late, scoring 45-points in each of its last two games, to what do you attribute that?
The Tigers have yet to play a complete game. When you watch the film, there will be times where they can't get out of their own way. You'll see dropped touchdown passes, missed blocks, just a lot of mental mistakes. This offense can be scary good if they can put a full game in.
Who is the more valuable player for the Tigers offense and why -- Seth Henigan or Blake Watson?
That's a tough one because the Tigers need both but I'll give the edge to Seth Henigan. I feel if Henigan went down it would be a bigger blow to the offense than Watson going down. Memphis has legit 4-5 running backs that could start for AAC teams. We haven't seen much of backup quarterback Tevin Carter. I feel Tevin would do fine but that fact is we really haven't seen it.
Memphis is ranked 15th in third down conversion percentage defense. Are you at all surprised with how the defense has performed this season and what do you expect out of this unit Saturday against a team that plays as fast as USF?
Not surprised at all. The defense was bolstered with key players they got in the transfer portal. Chandler Martin has been one of the Tigers best players at linebacker and Safety Simeon Blair has been outstanding for Memphis. Having Matt Barnes back at defensive coordinator was great for the stability on the defense. Just like the offense, though, they haven't really played great for all 4 quarters. Mizzou was a fast team and was 0-8 on 3rd downs but Tulane was nearly 50 percent on third down against Memphis. We'll have to wait and see which Memphis teams shows up on Saturday.
If you were on the Memphis coaching staff, how would you attack USF’s offense? Is there a way to take Byrum Brown out of the game so he doesn’t hurt you with his arm and legs?
You've got to get pressure on him. If he has time...he'll kill you. Brown has a 66.5% completion percentage when he's kept clean. It drops to 43.3% when he's under pressure. Memphis' front 4 will have to provide the pressure. If they don't, it could be a long day for the Tigers defense.
What is your prediction for this game?
I expect Memphis to show flashes of great plays one possession and then the inability to do anything the next possession. Memphis has trouble keeping their foot on the gas and they let teams stick around too much. On paper, this shouldn't be a close game but because Memphis hasn't produced a full game yet I feel it's more of the same. I feel Memphis will win but it won't be easy and it'll be closer than what most will think.