The Memphis Tiger football team is gearing up for the first game of the season against the Mercer Bears after a long and grueling summer of training camp. Mercer went 5-6 on the season last year and is an FCS opponent.
Regardless of the conference and the Bears’ below-.500 record, Tigers head coach Mike Norvell said Mercer is a serious opponent, and Memphis is not taking them lightly.
“To be honest, I don’t really get too carried away about what division or conference teams are in,” Norvell said at his luncheon with the media Monday. “I look at every opponent the same. I turn on film and try to elevate the players, evaluate the schemes and then try to put ourselves in the best position to be successful.”
Norvell is going into his third season as head coach and has kept up with the expectation set by former coach Justin Fuente. Last year, the Tigers went 10-3 on the season and 7-1 in their conference. They were also ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll.
This season, the Tigers are facing the challenge of replacing players who left their mark on the U of M. Wide receiver Anthony Miller is now in the NFL playing for the Chicago Bears, and quarterback Riley Ferguson went undrafted but played a stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
With those shoes to fill on the offense, Norvell knows the challenges he is facing with his new starting quarterback, Brady White, who started in only one game in his college career. Despite the adversity, Norvell is confident in White and his offense.
“I feel good about where we are,” Norvell said. “I think Brady has done a great job here this last week. He’s been highly productive in what he’s been able to do throughout practice. I think guys are starting to get a pretty good sense of the game plan of what we want to accomplish.”
Norvell said the team would continue to prepare for Mercer. He admitted the first game of the season is always hard to plan for because there is not much film to watch of the opponent. He added that one of the challenges for him as a coach is the uncertainty of the different schemes being plotted against his team.
“Starting the season, there is so much excitement, there is so much build-up to the first kick-off, but I really don’t like first games,” Norvell said. “There’s so many unknowns. You hope you don’t put too much in or too much on your players.”
Fans have high expectations of the Tigers this season, and the excitement surrounding the team is soaring. Norvell said he is appreciative of the support from the fans across the city.
“I think the excitement around the University of Memphis, and Tiger football specifically, is at an all-time high,” Novell said. “It’s very humbling for us to be able to go out at Fan-Fest and see between 800 to 1,000 people enduring the weather, sitting on a practice field. That was incredible.”
Memphis football is scheduled to kick off against Mercer this Saturday at 6 p.m. at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
Tiger head football coach Mike Norvell speaks with the press Monday afternoon about the match up against the Mercer Bears. Mercer went 5-6 in their last season, but Norvell said he is not underestimating the team.
