When the Memphis football team has taken the field the past few seasons, your eyes almost automatically lock in on No. 89, Carlos Singleton. That's only natural - most athletes listed at 6-foot-9 in that city play power forward.
When the Memphis football team has taken the field the past few seasons, your eyes almost automatically lock in on No. 89, Carlos Singleton. That's only natural - most athletes listed at 6-foot-9 in that city play power forward.
But as much of a weapon that Singleton has become, particularly when the Tigers approach the end zone, a defense must account for several other receivers, including No. 22, Duke Calhoun. Not exactly short at 6-4, Calhoun is the school's all-time leading receiver, both in catches (162) and yardage (2,312).
That's not shabby at a school that churned out Earnest Gray and Isaac Bruce, the latter a Pro Football Hall of Fame candidate.
"It's a great feeling being the lead guy," Calhoun said Wednesday. "That makes me extremely happy that it's going to be awhile before anybody breaks it."
Calhoun and Singleton will both play their fourth games against Marshall when the Thundering Herd visits Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Saturday. Kickoff is at 1 p.m., with the game airing on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast.
When the Tigers bid adieu to superstar rusher DeAngelo Williams after the 2005 season, their offense tilted more toward the passing game, with strong-armed quarterbacks throwing to a fleet of mostly tall receivers. Marshall can attest to that as well as anybody, as the Tigers have thrown for more than 1,000 yards in the last three get-togethers.
Calhoun and Singleton aren't the only receivers that have given the Thundering Herd fits, but they are the constants. They have combined for 502 yards on 38 catches.
Singleton stressed the Herd secondary like no other receiver last year, with 11 receptions for 158 yards. Those numbers still stand as career highs for Singleton, a native of nearby Brownsville, Tenn.
Most of Singleton's damage came on sideline routes of varying length, including a 44-yard shot when Memphis faced third-and-10 from its own 1-yard line late in the game. Herd defensive backs are braced for more of the same Saturday.
"Carlos is a guy we put into the boundary, and if you want to play man coverage, then we try to get the ball to him," said Memphis coach Tommy West. "Marshall likes to play some man coverage, so he's the guy we go to. We think he's got a definite advantage over some people, being 6-8.
"So if we put the ball where we're supposed to, he's a guy that's hard to defend."
Here's something else you can expect from Singleton: The Tigers will look for him in the end zone. Singleton has seized the program's all-time lead in receiving touchdowns with 21.
One reason Marshall escaped with a 17-16 victory in last year's game in Huntington is because the Tigers didn't throw to Singleton in the end zone, whether by play call or by good coverage. Memphis had three trips to the "red zone" which failed to produce touchdowns.
When the Memphis football team has taken the field the past few seasons, your eyes almost automatically lock in on No. 89, Carlos Singleton. That's only natural - most athletes listed at 6-foot-9 in that city play power forward.
But as much of a weapon that Singleton has become, particularly when the Tigers approach the end zone, a defense must account for several other receivers, including No. 22, Duke Calhoun. Not exactly short at 6-4, Calhoun is the school's all-time leading receiver, both in catches (162) and yardage (2,312).
That's not shabby at a school that churned out Earnest Gray and Isaac Bruce, the latter a Pro Football Hall of Fame candidate.
"It's a great feeling being the lead guy," Calhoun said Wednesday. "That makes me extremely happy that it's going to be awhile before anybody breaks it."
Calhoun and Singleton will both play their fourth games against Marshall when the Thundering Herd visits Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Saturday. Kickoff is at 1 p.m., with the game airing on Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast.
When the Tigers bid adieu to superstar rusher DeAngelo Williams after the 2005 season, their offense tilted more toward the passing game, with strong-armed quarterbacks throwing to a fleet of mostly tall receivers. Marshall can attest to that as well as anybody, as the Tigers have thrown for more than 1,000 yards in the last three get-togethers.
Calhoun and Singleton aren't the only receivers that have given the Thundering Herd fits, but they are the constants. They have combined for 502 yards on 38 catches.
Singleton stressed the Herd secondary like no other receiver last year, with 11 receptions for 158 yards. Those numbers still stand as career highs for Singleton, a native of nearby Brownsville, Tenn.
Most of Singleton's damage came on sideline routes of varying length, including a 44-yard shot when Memphis faced third-and-10 from its own 1-yard line late in the game. Herd defensive backs are braced for more of the same Saturday.
"Carlos is a guy we put into the boundary, and if you want to play man coverage, then we try to get the ball to him," said Memphis coach Tommy West. "Marshall likes to play some man coverage, so he's the guy we go to. We think he's got a definite advantage over some people, being 6-8.
"So if we put the ball where we're supposed to, he's a guy that's hard to defend."
Here's something else you can expect from Singleton: The Tigers will look for him in the end zone. Singleton has seized the program's all-time lead in receiving touchdowns with 21.
One reason Marshall escaped with a 17-16 victory in last year's game in Huntington is because the Tigers didn't throw to Singleton in the end zone, whether by play call or by good coverage. Memphis had three trips to the "red zone" which failed to produce touchdowns.
The Tigers will want to rectify that shortcoming, without a doubt.
"He's a great guy, and he's unstoppable in the red zone, I believe," Calhoun said. "You need Shaquille O'Neal guarding him to stop him on the fade. Nobody can stop him on that fade."
And if you do, you still have to deal with Calhoun on a slant, screen, post, fade or any other route. He has caught a pass in all 40 games in his career, and set career highs with 174 yards and an 85-yard touchdown catch last week against Tennessee-Martin.
"He's pretty fast; he's pretty athletic, too," said Marshall safety Ashton Hall, who missed last year's game with an ankle injury. "Just watching them the past couple of years, he's a guy they want to get the ball, a go-to guy."
"Carlos is our guy that can score down in the red zone and Duke's our guy who can make long runs to get it to the red zone," West said. "Our problem has been is we haven't been able to get him the ball in the first two games. Now in this game [against UT-Martin], we were able to get him the ball, and if you do that, Duke is really fast. Duke is probably the fastest receiver that we've had."
Calhoun enters the Marshall game with 18 catches for 254 yards and that long touchdown. Singleton is next with 112 yards on eight catches with two TDs and Steven Joachim, another 6-4 senior, has six catches for 74 yards and a score.
An unsung aspect to the receivers' game is their blocking ability, though that won't be a surprise to the Herd. That especially comes into play in the Tigers' screen game, in which you will often see one receiver help spring another for good yardage.
"Duke, Carlos, Steven, those guys really play great without the ball," said Memphis safety Alton Starr, a senior himself.
Herd defenders feel they got a good dress rehearsal last week in their 17-10 win over Bowling Green. They allowed 382 passing yards, but they yielded just one big play, a 50-yard bomb for a touchdown. Conversely, they sacked the quarterback six times, forced a critical fumble and took the running game out of the equation.
"It's like [defensive coordinator Rick] Minter said, it's basketball on grass," said MU defensive end Vinny Curry. "We prepared perfectly, perfectly for the basketball on grass, with the drills Coach Minter had designed last Sunday. It was perfect, perfect, one of the best drills I've ever seen in my life."
But if Memphis goes on the fast break like its basketball team likes to do, Marshall's defense will have to elevate its game - figuratively and literally.
"They have done a great job with their wide receivers," said Herd coach Mark Snyder. "That has been their forte. They will be some of the best that we play and very challenging for us."
Reach Doug Smock at 304-348-5130 or dougsm...@wvgazette.com.
Post a comment
Also, there's no excuse for losing to Memphis as far as I can tell. Marshall has to start winning these road games and really needs a blowout against a team that Sagarin ranks as the 144th best team in the country. Snyder really should be in the dog house if he chokes on this one.