SMU at MEMPHIS
Saturday, Nov. 17 • Noon • ESPNews
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (58,318/AstroTurf)
Memphis, Tennessee
Television
ESPNews
Mike Corey and Rene Ingoglia
Radio
KTCK-FM 96.7 (SMU)
WREC-AM 600 (Memphis)
SiriusXM 98, 206, 964 (Memphis feed)
THE GAME
Saturday’s game will be the 10th meeting between Memphis and SMU … The series began in 1976 and resumed in 2007 … Memphis has won the last three meetings, including a 51-7 decision in Dallas last year as QB Riley Ferguson threw for 287 yards and four touchdowns … SMU’s last win against the Tigers was in 2013.
SMU
6-4, 3-3 American
Head Coach
Chad Morris (Texas A&M ’92)
13-21, third season
Notes
SMU, which is bowl eligible for the first time since 2012, looks to snap a two-game slide after the Mustangs fell 43-40 at Navy … SMU trailed 34-11 at halftime and rallied to tie the score at 40-40 in the fourth quarter before the Midshipmen got the game-winning field goal at the final gun … The Mustangs are 1-3 on the road in 2017 … QB Ben Hicks has thrown for 2,849 yards and 24 touchdowns with seven interceptions … RB Xavier Jones has rushed for 806 yards and seven touchdowns … WR Trey Quinn is the national leader in receptions at 9.6 per game and … Quinn has 96 catches for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns, while WR Courtland Sutton has 55 catches for 875 yards and 11 TDs … DE Justin Lawler leads The American with 7.5 sacks, while Lawler and LB Kyran Mitchell lead the team with 13.0 tackles for loss.
18/17 MEMPHIS
8-1, 5-1 American
Head Coach
Mike Norvell (Central Arkansas ’95)
16-6, second season
Notes
Memphis takes a five-game winning streak into Saturday’s game after a 41-14 win at Tulsa Nov. 3 … The Tigers would clinch a spot in the American Athletic Conference Championship with a win against SMU … Memphis has averaged 502.9 yards of offense through nine games … QB Riley Ferguson has completed 218 of 359 passes for 2,881 yards and a league-leading 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions … RB Darrell Henderson has rushed for a team-high 776 yards and four touchdowns and is averaging 8.2 yards per carry … RB Patrick Taylor has a team-high eight rushing TDs … WR Anthony Miller has 67 catches for 905 yards and 11 touchdowns … WR Tony Pollard is a difference-maker on special teams with three kickoff returns for touchdowns this season (five in his career) … Pollard leads the nation with 41.1 yards per return.