September was a rough month for the Memphis football team, which stumbled out of the gate to a 1-3 record.
However, October could be doubly tumultuous as the Tigers prepare for life without a teammate after a fatal shooting Sunday night on the Memphis campus.
Tigers junior offensive lineman Taylor Bradford, 21, was shot about 9:45 p.m. Sunday, near a university housing complex, officials said. He later crashed a car into a tree near campus and was discovered by police investigating a report of a car accident.
It was then that paramedics discovered a bullet wound in Bradford’s body. He was rushed to Regional Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn., where he was pronounced dead, hospital spokeswoman Sandy Snell said.
Police had made no arrests in connection with the shooting as of Monday night. Police initially suspected that Bradford, who was found with nearly $7,000 in casino winnings, was the victim of a targeted attack.
As a precautionary measure, the university cancelled classes on Monday. But tonight’s game between Memphis and Conference USA rival Marshall will go on as scheduled.
The players were allowed to make the final call, and they voted unanimously to play against Marshall in honor of Bradford, who was popular with teammates.
"I think we’ve got to do a good job with them," Tigers head coach Tommy West told the Associated Press on Monday. "They know that they made that decision. Can we do that? We’ll see. I don’t know."
The university plans to observe a moment of silence prior to the start of the game at 7 p.m. tonight.
The rest of the night will be determined by the Tigers, who are confident they can deal with the pressure of playing despite the grief.
"You just play," junior defensive tackle Clinton McDonald told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "You just play for (Bradford). You play with all your heart and all your might."
Where’s the defense?
Another weekend, another bumbling performance from the Southern Methodist defense.
The Mustangs surrendered 558 yards and 32 first downs in Saturday’s 48-45 overtime loss to Texas-El Paso. With that outing, SMU moved a few steps closer to officially having the worst defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A).
The Mustangs (1-4, 0-1 C-USA) began this week giving up an average of 498 total yards per game, which ranks 114th out of 119 FBS teams. SMU also ranks 116th in pass defense (339.6 yards per game) and 112th in scoring defense (38.8 points per game).
Opponents are also having their way on third downs, converting 51.5 percent of their third-down attempts against the Mustangs. That third-down conversion percentage is the 112th-highest in the FBS.
With each poor defensive outing, SMU head coach Phil Bennett takes more hits from his critics. Bennett, who has an 18-45 record in five-plus seasons at SMU, will likely be fired if the Mustangs don’t earn a postseason bowl berth this season.Luckily for Bennett, the Mustangs will have some time to regroup before their next game. SMU has a bye this weekend before playing at Southern Miss on Oct. 13.
"These guys need to be away a little bit," Bennett told the Dallas Morning News. "They’re going to have everybody in their ear.
"This is my program. I’m the guy, the buck stops with me. They played hard, they played with effort. … They’ve got to keep their composure and come back and show some character."
Kass makes return in style
As East Carolina redshirt sophomore quarterback Rob Kass learned in the Pirates’ 37-35 win over Houston on Saturday, second chances can have great endings.
Kass, who lost the starting job after he was arrested for driving while impaired on Aug. 27 in Greenville, N.C., came off the bench to start the second half of Saturday’s game to lead East Carolina to victory. In relief of struggling starter Patrick Pinkney, he completed 6-of-12 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Saturday’s game was the most action Kass has seen this season.
The Pirates winning the game made the return more memorable for Kass.
"It’s such an amazing feeling to get back out there with those guys," Kass told the Greenville Daily Reflector. "It’s a team win, and we’re extremely excited."
East Carolina head coach Lou Holtz, who suspended Kass for the Pirates’ season-opener against Virginia Tech on Sept. 1, made the switch because the offense was erratic in the first half under Pinkney’s direction.
"We just felt like we weren’t moving the ball, and we had to give someone else a chance," Holtz told the Greenville Daily Reflector. "Rob’s been through a lot of adversity. Rob was sitting behind (last year’s starter) James Pinkney for a year waiting for his opportunity and he was a week away from getting it and he made a mistake. He’s learned a lot from it."
Smith makes push for Heisman
It is somewhat unlikely that Central Florida junior running back Kevin Smith will gain any serious consideration for the Heisman Trophy at season’s end, but he at least will give voters something to think about.
Smith continued his hot start to the season by rushing for 223 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries in the Golden Knights’ 37-19 win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday. Performances such as that have made Smith a sleeper candidate for the Heisman Trophy, awarded annually to the nation’s top collegiate football player.
Through four games, Smith has rushed for 713 yards and 10 touchdowns on 117 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. If he continues at that pace, he’ll finish the regular season with 2,139 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns.
Smith currently leads all Football Bowl Subdivision rushers in yards per game (178.25). He is second in scoring (15 points per game) and ninth in all-purpose yards (192.5 per game).
Unless Central Florida (3-1, 1-0 C-USA) does something truly remarkable, such as run the table in its eight remaining games, Smith probably won’t be named a finalist for the Heisman.
The Golden Knights, however, won’t mind as long as they continue to reap the benefits of having Smith.
Beats nothing at all
Houston senior wide receiver/kick returner Donnie Avery caught two touchdown receptions and returned a kickoff for a touchdown in Saturday’s game against East Carolina, but it was a hollow performance because the Cougars fell 37-35.
Avery, however, didn’t come away completely empty-handed. He was named C-USA’s Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday.
Avery finished Saturday’s game with nine catches for 189 yards and returned four kickoffs for 161 yards. His kickoff return for a touchdown went 100 yards and tied a school record held by two other players.
