AP PHOTO BY: MARK WEBER/THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL Memphis head coach Justin Fuente yells at his players during the first half of their game against Middle Tennessee State Saturday.
With the upcoming football game against Memphis , sports writer for The Daily Mississippian Browning Stubbs caught up
with The Daily Helmsman sports editor Hunter Field and asked him some questions regarding the matchup this weekend.
1.What’s different about this Memphis team, who has been so bad in the past?
Ever since Justin Fuente got here three years ago, this team has had a huge cultural change. Former coach Larry Porter closed off the media and the fans. There was no accessibility, and the vibe around the program was terrible. Therefore, the product on the field was even worse. When Fuente got here, he opened up to the media and the fans, and he’s got people coming to the games. The whole vibe around the program changed. He’s got his system in there. Everything is clicking, and everyone looks like they’re having fun practicing and playing games, and fans have been enjoying it too which has been the biggest difference.
2. Does Memphis still consider Ole Miss a rival?
I don’t know if the players and the coaches consider it a rivalry. I think the fans definitely do. Memphis and Ole Miss haven’t been playing every single season, and it’s just kind of distanced. And Memphis has been so bad when they have played Ole Miss that I don’t think there’s much of a rivalry between the fans and the coaches. Memphis has actually sold out the 2,500 tickets allotted to them, so there will be at least 2,500 fans down at Vaught-Hemingway. I imagine that they’ll sell more and have around 3,000 fans there.
3. What are the strong suits and weaknesses of this team?
This is one of the first Memphis teams in awhile that’s really balanced, and that’s what Fuente has stressed a ton is that they have to have balance for his offense to work. They want to start running the ball and ground pound. They do really well when they open up the ball and throw the ball. They throw a lot of screens and move it around. Defensively, they’re really good against the run. They’re also vulnerable in the secondary.
4. How’s the attitude of this team coming into Oxford?
The attitude of this team is at an all-time high. They almost beat UCLA on the road in a night game. Even though they lost, they realized that they can play with anyone in the country, and that’s not something Memphis has been able to do in the past. Coming into this game, they’re confident and believe they can win, and they’re going to do their best.
5. What’s your prediction?
I definitely think Ole Miss is the better team, but at the same time, I can’t get those first three quarters against Boise State out of my head. They really looked bad and haven’t been tested since, so I’m not 100 percent sure what to make of Ole Miss. I don’t think Ole Miss is going to blow them out since Memphis has a good defense to keep it close. I’ve got Ole Miss winning 31-21.
