Sept. 1, 2000
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Next Game: Mississippi State, September 2, 2000
Site: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (62,380), Memphis, TN, 2:30 PM CDT
Radio: WMC AM 79 (Dave Woloshin, Bob Rush, Carrie Anderson)
2000 Season Record: 0-0
2000 Conference Record: 0-0
Last Meeting: Mississippi State 13, Memphis 10 (Starkville, MS, 1999)
Notes: The Tigers' 3-2 road record in 1999 marked the first winning road record since
the 1983 season when Rex Dockery's team finished with a road record of 4-2 ...
Memphis' five takeaways against Ole Miss in 1999 were the most by a Tiger team since
1998 ... Memphis' nine blocked kicks in 1999 tied Southern Miss for the second most in
NCAA play ... Memphis tied for the 4th most improved team in the nation in 1999.
'00 Captains: selected on game-by-game basis
2000 SEASON OPENS
Hopes are running high in the Memphis football camp as the Tigers prepare to open the 2000 college season against Mississippi State on September 2nd. The Tigers and the Bulldogs have opened the college season 10 times since the series began in 1951. The Bulldogs hold a 8-2 lead in season openers and a 27-11 lead in the overall series. Memphis gained its first ever SEC win against Mississippi State and that victory came in the 1962 season. The Tigers won three consecutive contests against MSU in the early 1960s but have not managed a victory since the 1993.
SCHERER GETS NEW CONTRACT
Tiger head coach Rip Scherer received a contract extension on Tuesday,
November 2, 1999, following the Memphis
win over Tulane. Athletics director R.C.
Johnson stated that the University administration had seen a great deal of improvement in the team and that Scherer had met
or exceeded all but one of the criteria set
down upon his hiring. His two year extension gives the 48-year old coach a full four
year package, through 2003, in which to
continue to rebuild the Tiger program.
TIGERS WERE 2nd IN NATION
The University of Memphis special teams attained a lofty mark in the category of blocked kicks during the 1999 season.
The block units registered nine blocks on
the season and finished the season ranked
in a tie for second in the nation. Conference
USA foe Southern Mississippi had one
blocked kick in the annual AXA Liberty Bowl
against Colorado State to tie Memphis for
second. The Nebraska Cornhuskers led the
nation in blocked kicks with 10 during 1999.
TIGER DEFENSE EXCELS
The University of Memphis defense, which was ranked last in Conference USA in 1998, finished the '99 season as the league's second ranked defense. The unit, which faced three SEC & a Big 12 bowl
teams, including the defending national
champion from last season, allowed just
314.1 yards per game as compared to 1998's
figure of 455.3 per outing. The Tigers held
Tennessee to just 44 yards rushing on the afternoon and 172 yards passing this past
season. The defense has forced 22 turn-
overs through 11 games, including three
each against Tennessee and UAB.
KENDALL TOP TIGHT END
University of Memphis senior tight
end Billy Kendall has spent most of his
career utilized as a blocker for running
backs and quarterbacks. However, in be-
tween the blocks, the 6'5 Kendall has man-
aged to grab more pass receptions for more
yards than any other tight end in Memphis
football history. Entering his final season at
the U of M, Kendall has caught 53 passes for
601 yards and four touchdowns. With 53
receptions the Maryland native is currently
ranked 20th on the Tigers all-time reception
list and is the only tight end to be listed
among the school's top 25 pass receivers.
His 601 yards ranks him first among all
Memphis tight ends in yards receiving and
his four touchdown catches ties him for first
in career TD catches by a tight end. Rich
Coady and Chris Powers also had four
touchdown receptions as Tigers.
WHITE RECEIVES HONOR
n Junior kicker Ryan White, who set
several Memphis field goal records in 1999,
was named to the 2000 Playboy All-America
Team. The Georgia native became just the
third Tiger player in school history to be named to the prestigious team. Former Ti-
ger offensive tackle Harry Schuh was se-
lected to the 1964 squad and All-American
kicker Joe Allison received the honor in
1993. White's selection to the Playboy All-
America team marked the third AA team that
the soccer-styled kicker has been selected
on in the past two seasons.
WHITE SETS MEMPHIS & C- USA MARK
With four field goals made in the
first half of the UAB game and a school
record five made in the third period, Ryan
White set the Memphis record for the most
field goals made in a half, in a game, the
most field goals attempted in a game and
also set the record for the most points by a
Tiger kicker in a game. He set a new Mem-
phis record becoming the first Tiger in school
history to kick four field goals in a half.
White, who had booted four field goals in
last year's Cincinnati game, shared the old
Memphis single game record of four field
goals with Joe Allison (1992 vs Ole Miss)
and Rusty Bennett (1977 vs NTSU). His 16
points vs UAB broke the old record for
points (15) by a kicker set by White in last
year's Cincinnati game. His five field goals
made also tied the Conference USA record
for FGs in a game.
SUBER MAKES FAST ASCENT
Memphis junior quarterback Neil
Suber made a fast start in his climb up the
chart of all-time Tiger passers. Starting the
final four games of 1998, the Georgia na-
tive threw for 930 yards and entered the
1999 season ranked 23rd in school history.
Through the first three games of '99, Suber
moved into 16th place and against Tennes-
see he took a huge leap, surpassing four
former Tigers. With his 222 yards passing
last year against the Vols, Suber surpassed
Joe Borich (1369), Rusty Trail (1370), Al
Harvey (1405), and Russ Vollmer (1454).
His 57 yards passing against Missouri
moved Suber ahead of former Tiger Kevin
Betts for 11th place.
TIGERS CREATING TURNOVERS
The Tiger defense was able to
force five turnovers, four fumble recoveries
and an interception, against Mississippi in
last year's season opener. The Tigers have
forced at least one turnover in 61 of their
last 69 games. Memphis has also intercepted pass in 39 of its last 60 contests but
has not returned an interceptions for a
touchdown since Scott Singler ran back a
pick 55 yards against Arkansas State in
1994.
BLOCK PARTY
Since 1990, Memphis' special
teams have found a way to change the look
of a game in a hurry. Over the last 119
punts, 12 field goals, 4 PAT) and has
games, Memphis has blocked 42 kicks (26
blocked 22 punts in the last 78 contests.
Under Scherer, the Tigers have blocked 20
kicks (10 punts, 6 field goal, 4 PATs). Mem-
phis last blocked punt was by Quincy Stephenson against Southern Mississippi 1999. Memphis had three blocked kicks last season's Louisville game when Tramont
Lawless and Michael Stone each knocked
down field goal attempts and the team was
credited with a block. Memphis again regis-
tered three blocks in the last contest of the
year. Lawless, Stone and nose tackle
Marcus Bell had blocked kicks against Cin-
cinnati in the season finale.
TIGER TIDBITS
Neil Suber started his 11th con-
secutive game as a Tiger when he opened
the 1999 Louisville game. The Georgia na-
tive became Memphis' starter in the 1998
Arkansas State game and worked 11 con-
secutive contest. However, he gave way quarterback Travis Anglin on the third se-
ries of last year's Louisville contest. Anglin
made his first collegiate in the Louisiana
Superdome against Tulane last season.
Neil Suber's 930 yards passing 1998 marked the most yards passing by Tiger freshman in the history of the school.
Over the past seven years, Memphis has a record of 35-9 when leading the half.
The Memphis Tigers had seven
players named to Lindy's Football Magazine
Preseason All-Conference USA Team.
Tabbed on the first unit were offensive tackle
Artis Hicks, nose tackle Marcus Bell, line-
backer Kamal Shakir, safety Idrees Bashir
and All-American kicker Ryan White. Offen-
sive tackle DeCorye Hampton and strong
safety Fred Powell were named to the second team.
Tiger fullback Darche' Epting had
his first career blocked kick in last year's
Mississippi State game. The block, which
came in the third quarter, was recovered
by receiver Derrick Harmon and led to Memphis score.
Tiger linebacker Kamal Shakir was
named to The Sporting News Freshman All-
America Team in 1997. His first team selec-
tion by TSN was the first by a rookie Tiger
in the school's history. He is a preseason
All-Conference USA selection at linebacker
this year.
The U of M may have the most
talented defensive secondary the squad has
fielded since the 1970s. Four starters re-
turn for the 2000 season including pre-
season All-Conference USA selection Idrees
Bashir at free safety. Joining Bashir are
corners Marcus Smith and Michael Stone
and strong safety Glenn Sumter. Stone is
the only senior starting in the secondary.
Ryan White's 52-yard field goal
against Cincinnati in 1998 tied for the long-
est field goal made in Memphis history. The
record was shared by Luis Tejada (vs Ole
Miss, 1994) and Don Glosson (vs Florida
State, 1985). The kick was White's first 50
plus yard attempt of his career.
Placekicker Ryan White set sev-
eral Memphis kicking records during his
freshman season in 1998. He booted 16
consecutive field goals setting a new Memphis benchmark. The old Tiger record for
consecutive field goals was 15 by former
kicker Don Glosson (1983-85). Glosson
booted his 15 consecutive FGs in 1994.
The Memphis defense finished the
1999 season ranked 23rd in the nation in
total defense and 11th in scoring defense.
The University of Memphis will
have six graduates playing for the squad
this season. That number tied the Univer-
sity for third in the nation for number of stu-
dents in graduate school.
Dernice Wherry, who came to
Memphis as an all-state tailback, was moved
to outside linebacker in the fall of 1999. He
was credited with three tackles in the Ole
Miss game and finished the season with 11
total tackles including a season high four
stops in the Tulane win. Now the speedy Wherry has been moved back to his old spot
in the Memphis offensive backfield. The
Munford, TN, native was impressive in fall
camp and rushed for two touchdowns in the
first fall scrimmage.
Freshman quarterback Matt
Adams, the grandson of former Tiger head
coach Fred Pancoast, entered fall camp not
fully recovered from shoulder surgery in
May of 2000. He participated in fall camp
but due to a lack of rehabilitation time, has
decided to return to his home in Pensacola,
FL. Adams will return to Memphis in Janu-
ary to begin his college career.
Linebacker Kamal Shakir's 16
tackle effort against Ole Miss marked the
seventh time in his career that the Georgia
native logged double-digit tackles. Shakir
totaled eight double-digit games in 1999
and has 14 career games with ten or more
total hits. His all-time single game high is a
20 tackle (12 solos & eight assist) effort
against Army in 1999.
Memphis quarterback Travis Anglin
completed his first career pass attempt when
he hit true freshman Casey Rooney for a
first down to move the team from the shad-
ows of its own goal post against Mississippi
State in 1999.
Freshman quarterback Travis
Anglin threw his first career touchdown pass
against Arkansas State in 1999. During
fourth quarter action, Anglin connected with
former wide receiver Damien Dodson for a
32-yard touchdown.
Junior tight end Billy Kendall has
a personal best six pass receptions (for 66
yards) in a single game. He accomplished
the feat in the Tigers win over Arkansas State
in 1999. Kendall's 66 yards versus ASU
ranks as the third highest of his career. His
top career yardage performance came in
the '99 finale when he had 78 yards receiv-
ing against Cincinnati.
Tiger tailback Sugar Sanders has
had two starts in his brief career and both
resulted in wins for the Tigers. In his first
collegiate start Sanders rushed for 94 yards
against Arkansas State. It was just his sec-
ond collegiate game and his first extended
playing time. Sanders was called on to start
the UAB game in Birmingham and re-
sponded by scoring his first career touch-
down.
Two Tiger defensive backs re-
corded their first career pass interceptions
in the Tigers win over Arkansas State in
1999. Cornerback Michael Stone, now a
senior starter, had his first interception in
the opening quarter. The former walk-on
grabbed a Cleo Lemon pass at the Tiger
six yard line to stop a possible ASU scoring
drive. In the fourth stanza, senior safety
Fred Powell picked off a Lemon pass and
returned it 23 yards. Both are back for the
2000 season.
Tiger quarterback Travis Anglin
scored his first career touchdown on a one
yard run against Mississippi State in 1999.
The scoring drive was setup by a blocked
punt by the Tiger special teams player
Darche Epting.
