The Memphis Tigers defense has struggled the past two seasons and new coordinator Tim Walton is tasked with bringing the swagger back to the defensive side of the ball in 2008.
Walton hopes he can turn around a unit that was torched with regularity last season. Walton spent the last four years at Miami and he is hoping to improve a squad whose numbers were toward the bottom of every defensive category in 2007. The defense returns 26 lettermen and nine starters from last year’s squad.
Memphis allowed 441.8 yards per game last season, ranking them 100th nationally. The rush defense allowed 202.4 yards per game, the pass defense gave up 239.4 yards per game and the Tigers gave up an average of 32.2 points per game.
The defensive line returns a group of veterans in 2008 and is led by senior Clinton McDonald, a 6-3 285-pound senior. McDonald was selected by his teammates as one of the Tigers captains last season as a junior and he was a first-team pick on Phil Steele’s Preseason All-C-USA Team.
McDonald started all 13 games on the defensive front last season and led the Tigers in tackles for loss with 9.5 for minus 31 yards. He closed out the season ranked fifth on the squad in total tackles with 55.
McDonald is joined in the middle of the line by senior Freddie Barnett, a 6-2 300-pound senior. Barnett totaled 33 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss for minus 29 yards. He was a third team pick on Phil Steele’s Preseason All C-USA Team. His most heralded play in 2007 was the 88-yard fumble return he made for a touchdown against Arkansas State, the longest fumble recovery in school history.
Anchoring the outsides of the line are senior Corey Mills and junior Greg Terrell. Mills, a 6-4 270-pound senior is a transfer from Mississippi and is aggressive on the left end. He missed one game last year due to injury and made one start against Marshall.
Terrell, a 6-4 255-pound junior started all 13 games and was listed as a third team pick on Phil Steele’s Preseason All-C-USA Team.
The line has plenty of depth this season, with junior Steven Turner (6-3 270), sophomore Tommy Walker (6-3 270), senior Brandon Douglas (6-3 291) and junior Jada Brown (6-2 265) all saw considerable action in 2007.
The Tigers also announced that defensive lineman Jarrett Crittenton will join the squad for the 2008 season. Crittenton (6-6, 288) is a transfer from North Dakota State College of Science where he led the Wildcats in tackles. He logged 15 solo stops in 2007, 14 of which were for losses.
As a sophomore, he was named first-team All-Region by the Midwest Football Conference. He was rated the 29th best junior college player in the nation by Rivals.com and was touted as the 27th best JUCO player by SuperPrep.
For the defense to be good it is important to keep the linebackers healthy. The Tigers should receive a big boost from the return of junior Greg Jackson and sophomore Winston Bowens. Both players suffered knee injures that cost them much of last season and their return to the lineup should pay immediate dividends.
Jackson was injured in the Tigers second game last season, an injury that prevented from returning in 2007. Jackson, (6-2 212), was listed on Steele’s Preseason All-C-USA Third Team.
Winston Bowens opened the ’07 season as starter at middle linebacker for the first four games. The 6-0 250-pound sophomore worked out with the team this spring and is challenging for a return to the starting lineup.
Adding depth at the linebacker positions will be junior Josh Weaver (6-3 220), junior Jeremy Rockette (6-3 225), junior Tommy Phelps 6-3 245), senior Tyler Griffin (5-11 205) and sophomore Corderick Govan (6-2 225). All saw game action last season and should be a strength for the Tigers defense in 2008.
The secondary has been torched the last couple of seasons, but the return of senior safeties Brandon Patterson and Tony Bell give the Tigers hope for improvement in this area.
The 6-1, 195-pound senior had 77 tackles and a team-best three interceptions last season, while the 6-2, 215-pound Bell made 40 stops and had two picks. Bell was selected to the Phil Steele’s Preseason All-C-USA Second Team. Both players could post breakthrough campaigns in their final season.
Throughout spring practice, junior Deante’ Lamar (5-9 180) and sophomore Darius Davis (6-0 190) were working at the right corner, while senior Michael Grandberry and Curtis Echols worked the left side. None of the four have started a game in the secondary, but all bring speed and agility to the position.
Grandberry, a 5-10 172-pound senior and Echols, a 6-3 190-pound sophomore share something in common as both started out as receivers and have made the transition to the other side of the ball. Echols made the switch this past spring, while Grandberry moved during the middle of the 2006 season.
Junior college transfer D.A. Griffin was signed in the spring and is expected to add experience to the position this fall.
“We’re better defensively,” Memphis coach Tommy West said. “We’re much more aggressive. We’re still learning. We’re still giving up a few too many big plays right now, but as far as the everyday play, it’s been good.”
The Final Analysis
The Memphis defense has a lot of holes to fill in a unit that ranked near the bottom in all statistical categories in 2007. The keys to a good season will be getting pressure on the opposing quarterback. The Tigers need to record more than 15 sacks this season.
The linebackers must remain healthy; the starters are good, but depth can be a problem. In the secondary it is important for Patterson and Bell to have a good year. The secondary simply can’t give up large passing numbers to be effective.
You think Tiger High has a shot against the Mascotless?
Well sir, that is a good question. As hard as it is to say, there is a huge difference in talent between these two schools.
The last three games between these two schools were all close due to the fact that Coach O, really couldn’t get his team to play as a cohesive unit.
Enter Coach Nutt, a proven winner in the SEC. I don’t think it will be close this year. I’m not predicting a blowout, but it should be more than a touchdown.