Saturday, October 20
Columbia, Mo.
3:00 p.m. (CT)
University of Memphis
at
Missouri
Darrell Henderson (8) is the nation's leading rusher with 1,134 yards through seven games.
Photo by: Matthew Smith
Memphis to battle Missouri and another of nation's top quarterbacks
Oct 19, 2018 | Football
Lock led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 44 TD passes last season.
TV: SEC Network | WatchESPN.com
Radio: 600 WREC AM and Rock 103 FM | Stream
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis finds itself in the midst of an unenviable run.
When the Tigers travel to Missouri Saturday to play a 3 p.m. non-conference game at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo., they'll encounter yet another of the nation's top quarterbacks.
In last weekend's 31-30 home loss to UCF, it was McKenzie Milton, a Heisman Trophy hopeful who has led the Knights to 19 straight wins. Saturday, it will be Drew Lock, who led the nation with 44 touchdown passes last season and is among the most prolific passers in Southeastern Conference history.
Lock has passed for 1,629 yards and 12 touchdowns in six games. His 10,324 career yards make him only the ninth quarterback in SEC history to throw for 10,000 or more yards. His 83 touchdown passes rank sixth all-time.
"He's pretty special," Memphis coach Mike Norvell said. "He's a first-round talent. You can see it in the way the ball comes out of his hand.
"He's got a lot of confidence in what he does. There's not a throw on the field he can't make, and he does it with really good personnel around him."
Missouri (3-3) enters the game having lost three straight, but has fallen to some formidable competition: then-No. 2 Georgia, South Carolina and No. 1 Alabama. During the difficult stretch, Mizzou scored 29 points against Georgia and lost by only two to South Carolina.
"We're going into a hostile environment against a team that has played a lot of good football this year against some of the nation's best talent," Norvell said. "It's going to take an unbelievable effort from our staff and our players."
Memphis (4-3) will be playing its fourth and final non-conference game after posting lopsided wins at home against Mercer, Georgia State and South Alabama. Memphis is 1-2 all-time against Missouri and will be playing Mizzou for the first time since the late 1990s.
The game also will offer a unique twist. Former Memphis defensive coordinator Barry Odom is Missouri's head coach. Odom served as defensive coordinator at Memphis under former head coach Justin Fuente from 2012 to '14.
"There are so many people that are still there when I was there for those three and half years," Odom said. "You look back over the past three, four, five years and (determine) they've won about as many football games as anybody in the country.
"There are so many people that I'm close with that still have ties to that university and that city. It was a really good place to me and my family and the American Athletic Conference is one I hold in very high regard."
While Missouri boasts of having one of the nation's top quarterbacks, Memphis counters with one of the best running backs in the country. Darrell Henderson leads the nation in the following four categories: rushing (1,134 yards), total touchdowns (15), yards per carry (10.3) and rushes of 40 or more yards (9).
He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the second-straight season during last weekend's game against UCF and became just the third player in school history with multiple 1,000-yard seasons.
"They've got as an explosive of a running back and running attack as anybody in the country," Odom said of Henderson and the Memphis running attack. "There are a number of reasons why and it's because he's a really good player and they've got a really good scheme. His yards after contact are maybe the most impressive with the way that he plays."
Like Henderson, Memphis quarterback Brady White has posted some impressive numbers, too. He has thrown for 1,758 yards and 15 touchdowns with only one interception. Behind White, Memphis is averaging 43.9 points and 539 yards per game.
Norvell would like for his team to build some momentum after last weekend's loss and before resuming American Athletic Conference play Nov. 3 at East Carolina.
"At the end of the day, we have to continue to learn from the experiences we have," Norvell said. "I believe in this football team and I believe in how we will respond."
QUICK HITS
Radio: 600 WREC AM and Rock 103 FM | Stream
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis finds itself in the midst of an unenviable run.
When the Tigers travel to Missouri Saturday to play a 3 p.m. non-conference game at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Mo., they'll encounter yet another of the nation's top quarterbacks.
In last weekend's 31-30 home loss to UCF, it was McKenzie Milton, a Heisman Trophy hopeful who has led the Knights to 19 straight wins. Saturday, it will be Drew Lock, who led the nation with 44 touchdown passes last season and is among the most prolific passers in Southeastern Conference history.
Lock has passed for 1,629 yards and 12 touchdowns in six games. His 10,324 career yards make him only the ninth quarterback in SEC history to throw for 10,000 or more yards. His 83 touchdown passes rank sixth all-time.
"He's pretty special," Memphis coach Mike Norvell said. "He's a first-round talent. You can see it in the way the ball comes out of his hand.
"He's got a lot of confidence in what he does. There's not a throw on the field he can't make, and he does it with really good personnel around him."
Missouri (3-3) enters the game having lost three straight, but has fallen to some formidable competition: then-No. 2 Georgia, South Carolina and No. 1 Alabama. During the difficult stretch, Mizzou scored 29 points against Georgia and lost by only two to South Carolina.
"We're going into a hostile environment against a team that has played a lot of good football this year against some of the nation's best talent," Norvell said. "It's going to take an unbelievable effort from our staff and our players."
Memphis (4-3) will be playing its fourth and final non-conference game after posting lopsided wins at home against Mercer, Georgia State and South Alabama. Memphis is 1-2 all-time against Missouri and will be playing Mizzou for the first time since the late 1990s.
The game also will offer a unique twist. Former Memphis defensive coordinator Barry Odom is Missouri's head coach. Odom served as defensive coordinator at Memphis under former head coach Justin Fuente from 2012 to '14.
"There are so many people that are still there when I was there for those three and half years," Odom said. "You look back over the past three, four, five years and (determine) they've won about as many football games as anybody in the country.
"There are so many people that I'm close with that still have ties to that university and that city. It was a really good place to me and my family and the American Athletic Conference is one I hold in very high regard."
While Missouri boasts of having one of the nation's top quarterbacks, Memphis counters with one of the best running backs in the country. Darrell Henderson leads the nation in the following four categories: rushing (1,134 yards), total touchdowns (15), yards per carry (10.3) and rushes of 40 or more yards (9).
He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the second-straight season during last weekend's game against UCF and became just the third player in school history with multiple 1,000-yard seasons.
"They've got as an explosive of a running back and running attack as anybody in the country," Odom said of Henderson and the Memphis running attack. "There are a number of reasons why and it's because he's a really good player and they've got a really good scheme. His yards after contact are maybe the most impressive with the way that he plays."
Like Henderson, Memphis quarterback Brady White has posted some impressive numbers, too. He has thrown for 1,758 yards and 15 touchdowns with only one interception. Behind White, Memphis is averaging 43.9 points and 539 yards per game.
Norvell would like for his team to build some momentum after last weekend's loss and before resuming American Athletic Conference play Nov. 3 at East Carolina.
"At the end of the day, we have to continue to learn from the experiences we have," Norvell said. "I believe in this football team and I believe in how we will respond."
QUICK HITS
- Memphis and Missouri haven't played since 1999 when Mizzou won, 27-17, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. In the previous two games (1999 and a Memphis win in 1996), Memphis was coached by Rip Scherer.
- When Mizzou coach Barry Odom served as Memphis defensive coordinator in 2014, the unit ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense (17.1 points per game) and 22nd in total defense (343.3 yards per game).
- Memphis has posted at least one win over Power 5 program in each of the past three seasons. Mizzou is the only Power 5 opponent on the schedule.
- Missouri quarterback Drew Lock needs only 22 passing yards to move into seventh place on the SEC's career passing-yards list. He would pass Kentucky's Jared Lorenzen, who threw for 10,345.
- Memphis defensive coordinator Chris Ball is a Missouri native. He had an All-American career at Missouri Western State from 1982-85.