Most teams coming off a 4-8 season would not be approaching the coming year with confidence. But after surpassing expectations and winning its last three games of 2012, head coach Justin Fuente's Memphis squad is doing just that.
The Tigers will play their season-opener Saturday when Duke travels to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, with the memory of a 38-14 drubbing at the hands of the Blue Devils from last season still fresh in Memphis' mind.
"We’ve made really large strides as a program in the last year and a half. We’re looking forward to seeing how we measure up," Fuente said in his weekly press conference. "Statistically, Duke dominated us last year. They outgained us in every aspect of the game. We’re looking forward to seeing how far we’ve come."
The biggest change for the Tigers in 2013 will be the installment of first-year starting quarterback Paxton Lynch. The redshirt freshman beat out redshirt senior Jacob Karam, who started all 12 games for Memphis last year, for the first-string position during training camp.
Standing at 6-foot-6, Lynch's superior size and strong arm makes him an immediate threat to spread the field.
After opening the season with a bye week, Lynch's first collegiate snaps will come against a Duke defense that recorded a shutout against N.C. Central in its season-opener. Fuente said that despite his new quarterback's inexperience, he doesn't expect there to be any first-game jitters.
"We just want the kid to go out and relax and play ball and run the things that he has run 8,000 times since he has been here," Fuente said. "He is a pretty laid back kind of guy, so I don’t anticipate him being a wreck out there."
The Blue Devils have a new starting quarterback of their own this season, but Memphis has the benefit of seeing redshirt junior Anthony Boone play two full games as a starter—a contest against Virginia last season and last week's 45-0 rout of N.C. Central. Because the Tigers are set to open their season a week later than most teams across the FBS, Duke has no film on Lynch.
"It does make it a little bit difficult, because you can't really gameplan for them," Duke cornerback Ross Cockrell said. "You don't know what you're going to run, you don't know what kind of sets they're going to come out in."
Whether Memphis is at an advantage or disadvantage for this reason remains to be seen—starting the season a week later also means that the Tigers could have to knock some rust off early in the contest against the Blue Devils.
"It's an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on the way you look at it," Duke defensive end Kenny Anunike said. "They've definitely had a lot of rest. This is going to their first game, against us, in their house."
Memphis will look to dominate the line of scrimmage Saturday, with five returning starters from its front seven a year ago, including both of its defensive ends, Terry Redden and Martin Ifedi. The Tigers' defense ranked third against the rush in Conference USA last season, allowing just 3.9 yards per carry.
Duke managed 177 yards on the ground against Memphis when the teams met in 2012.
"Their main strength is their defensive front," Blue Devil running back Josh Snead said. "From an offensive standpoint, you have to go out on the offensive line and win in the trenches."
Special teams was one of the areas where the Tigers most excelled last season. Memphis led Conference USA in kickoff coverage and the team's punter, Tom Hornsey, averaged 43.4 yards per kick last year.
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