As the calendar slowly fades away from the dog days of summer, football season is suddenly upon us. The Memphis Tigers football team, coming off a 10-win season, is looking to return to its championship ways.
In one of the most anticipated seasons in the program’s history, the team is projected to be in the mix for the newly formatted 12-team playoff. With the return of Seth Henigan and Roc Taylor, the Tigers had one of the most prolific offenses in the country last season. Henigan needs only 365 yards to have the most passing yards in the history of the program.
This year’s team may be even better. The offensive line is much improved, depth has been added to the skill positions, and the defense is expected to be stronger. Memphis has been projected to be in the 12-team playoffs as the best team from the Group of 5 conferences.
Henigan, who has changed his number every season, will wear number 9 for his final season. He is poised to smash most passing records this season. He is on everyone’s watch list, including First Team Preseason All-AAC, Maxwell Award, Manning Award, and many others. He has 10,366 career passing yards and 77 passing touchdowns.
He has rushed for 705 yards and 8 touchdowns and has thrown for over 3,000 yards each season. Roc Taylor had his best season last year and returns for his senior year. He had 69 receptions, 1,083 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns.
Newcomer Mario Anderson, a transfer from the University of South Carolina, will look to fill the void left by Blake Watson. Anderson rushed for 707 yards and had 22 receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown last season with the Gamecocks. He will lead a deep group with hard-rushing Brandon Thomas and the explosive Sutton Smith returning.
Greg Rubin, Cormontae Hamilton, and Cameron Miller are the Memphians who hope to lead the Tigers’ defense to one of their best seasons. All three played football at Memphis area high schools and look to show out for their city.
Rubin, who converted to safety last season after playing his first two seasons at cornerback, is a senior from White Station. He has played in 35 games, has 146 tackles, and 21 pass deflections.
Hamilton, who transferred from Ohio State after playing at Whitehaven, is the anchor on the defensive line. The 6-foot-3, 265-pound lineman has been a force over the last two seasons with the Tigers. He has 77 tackles during his time at Memphis.
Miller was a standout star at Memphis Academy of Health Sciences. He originally signed with the Tennessee Volunteers before transferring to Memphis. He appeared in 11 games last season and looks to make a deeper impact this season.
The year with the most expectations kicks off on Saturday, August 30, at 6 p.m. at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium against North Alabama.
