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What Charles Huff said after Memphis’ win over UNLV
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- What Charles Huff said after Memphis’ win over UNLV
What Charles Huff said after Memphis’ win over UNLV
(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Memphis beat UNLV in its first game of the season in Las Vegas 27-21. The Tigers trailed at the half, but the defense made stop after stop in the second half, and the offense started to find its rhythm.
The game became one of the best games of the week zero slate and put Memphis in the conversation to be one of the better Group of Five teams in the country. After the game, Charles Huff, who became the first Tigers' coach to win their first game on the road, spoke to the media about the victory.
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Thoughts on the game:
Huff started the press conference by talking about the victory, especially the fight and toughness that he saw from his team.
"Really, really, really proud of how the kids fought today," Huff said. "We had a long way to go. UNLV is a heck of a team, and they stressed us in a lot of ways. But, suffer well and tough all day is not just something we say, it's who we're becoming. We've got a long way to go. A lot of things to correct."
The head coach continued and called the victory a national statement for the team and for the Memphis program. The game was a nationally televised game on FOX, and it will be interesting to see what the ratings were.
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"This was a national statement," Huff said. "Not just about the game, but that the Memphis Tiger community is serious about this program and the direction that this program is going."
Stokes winning the battle and his first game:
Prior to Saturday's game, Huff named West Florida transfer Marcus Stokes as the starting quarterback, and the head coach said that the staff decided to go with the more experienced option with some of the unknowns about UNLV's defense.
"Since we didn't have a lot of film on what they were going to do, we kind of went with Marcus' experience," Huff said. "Marcus has played more college football than Air. So, when you have that, and you don't know as a coach exactly what they're going to do, you give the kids the chance that have more experience."
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Stokes looked like he was getting the feel for the game in the first quarter, but he looked more comfortable as the game progressed. Huff said Stokes looked like a guy playing in his first game in a knew system, but he seemed impressed with the way he managed the game.
"I thought he played like a first year quarterback in a new system the first half that has a lot of potential," Huff said about Stokes' performance.
Stokes finished the game 15-for-26 for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 45 yards on seven carries.
"I thought he played well," Huff said. "He gave us a chance to win. He did not turn the ball over, which was a big piece of what we talked about. I thought he made good throws when we needed them."
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Defensive line:
The success on the defensive line was one of the biggest takeaways from the win, and the Tigers proved that the front four are the real deal. Five players were involved in sacks, and 10 players recorded a tackle for loss.
"We rolled a bunch of guys," Huff said. "We've got a good d-line. We've got to get a little better fits on runs to allow us to get in better position."
Huff talked about the depth being a strength and how the group can be scary if they remain healthy.
"We've got enough guys where if we can stay healthy, we've got a chance to be really dominant up front," Huff said. "That's where it starts. O-line and d-line."
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Being a fourth-quarter program:
Memphis, especially its defense, played its best in the fourth quarter, and Huff said that's by design. The staff has been training them since January to capitalize in the final quarter of the game.
"Fourth quarter program, man, it starts in January," Huff said. "When everybody else is just touching a cone and feeling really good about themselves, we're taking them into the deep water. That's our process. We plan to win the game in the fourth quarter because we work harder than a lot of other teams."
The Tigers' defense recorded all six sacks and allowed only 40 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter. Huff said his players are ready to respond in those late-game situations because of the way his staff works them in practice.
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"We practice a lot," Huff said. "I know you guys don't get to go out there, but we're borderline child services need to be called, like, we're right on the edge. We're right on the edge. We really work our guys hard. Why? Because life's hard. Life is really hard. Life isn't easy."
