UConn Football vs. Memphis Tigers: How to Watch, By The Numbers, Keys To Game

KICKOFF: 7:00 PM ET

TV: CBS Sports Network, CBS Sports app

ANNOUNCERS: Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Danny Kanell (color analyst)

RADIO: UConn IMG Radio Network; TuneIn; Sirius 136, XM 386

ANNOUNCERS: Mike Crispino (play-by-play), Wayne Norman (color analyst), Adam Giardino (sideline)

RECORDS: Memphis (3-2, 0-2 AAC); UConn (1-4, 0-2 AAC)

POINT SPREAD: Memphis -35.5

OVER/UNDER: 78

SERIES HISTORY: The UConn Huskies and Memphis Tigers have met just three times on the gridiron. The Tigers hold a 2-1 advantage over the Huskies.

LAST MEETING: After being tied 21-21 in the second quarter in last year’s matchup, Memphis took over the game and walloped the Huskies 70-31 at PAWSARF. Riley Ferguson had seven passing touchdowns in the game for the Tigers.

UConn’s Depth Chart for Memphis

Randy Edsall preview of Memphis ⤵️

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Fun with Numbers:

44.2 - UConn punter Luke Magliozzi’s average yards per punt, good for 17th in FBS

2 - Number of fifth-year seniors (Ryan Crozier, James Atkins) that UConn has on the roster, lowest in FBS

34- Tackles by UConn linebacker Kevon Jones, the most among freshmen in FBS

760 - Rushing yards on the season for Memphis running back Darrell Henderson, the most in the country

11.69 - Yards per carry for Henderson

7.5 - Yards per carry allowed by the UConn defense, dead last in FBS by 0.6 ypc

530 - Total offensive yards per game for Memphis, the sixth-highest total in FBS

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What to Watch For

Fresher But Older Faces

Edsall redshirted a fair share of younger players this week to preserve another year of eligibility for them. While none of these players were starters, they did see a good chunk of action at times. In particular, how will this shifting of the depth chart affect the defense against a talented Tigers offense? It can’t be any worse, right?

Can The Tigers Offense Be Tamed?

As bad as UConn’s defense has been, the Tigers pose yet another tough test with one of the best offenses in the country. Running back Darrell Henderson leads the country with 760 rushing yards on the season and the Tigers are sixth overall in total offense, averaging 530 yards of offense and 44.4 points per game. For a defense that is already immune to giving up chunk plays, Memphis could make things even worse. Quarterback Brady White is no slouch either. He’s thrown 14 touchdowns and just one interception this season, averaging 9.49 yards per passing attempt.

Kicker Controversy

Edsall listed three kickers as starters this week — Michael Tarbutt, Noah Iden and Clayton Harris. Tarbutt has been the starter for most of this season, but Iden has seen action on kickoffs. It will be interesting to see who comes out for the Huskies for any field goal or extra point situations, especially if the Huskies’ offense can keep up with Tigers and turn this game into a shootout.

Will The Offense Bounce Back?

The offense showed signs of life against Syracuse and started out alright against Cincinnati before fizzling out. This unit certainly isn’t a juggernaut, but its certainly better than the performance it put on against the Bearcats. If David Pindell is 100 percent healthy, the offense should be able to lean on him, Kevin Mensah and the Huskies’ receivers to put up a point total more fitting of UConn’s offensive talent. It’s their only hope for keeping this game respectable.