GoTigers247's Behind Enemy Lines Ep 6: Rob Sellers with CougarsDigest.com

Tigers in 20: A Memphis Tigers Athletics podcast

Welcome to Behind Enemy Lines Episode 6.

GoTigers247 is joined by Rob Sellers from CougarsDigest.com as the Tigers face off against Houston Cougars at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Friday, October 7th.

Houston was ranked in the Top 25 during the preseason and was picked to win the AAC Championship this year, but things have not gone well for them so far. The Cougars sit at 2-3 on the season, and 0-1 in the AAC after a frustrating OT loss to Tulane in Week 5. There has been plenty of frustration for everyone involved in the program, but head coach Dana Holgorsen has received a majority of the blowback. Houston brings back quarterback Clayton Tune and wide receiver Nathaniel Dell Jr to an offense that has normally been extremely potent. The Cougars lost star running back Alton McCaskill in the preseason to a knee injury, and Tune has struggled to find open receivers down the field. Houston fans have described the offense as "bland" and are frustrated with the offensive line play as the Cougars have had to replace multiple offensive linemen over the past few years.

Rob speaks about the unfortunate penalty issues that the Cougars have experienced during their five games. He says most of the penalties come from a lack of awareness or just plain bad luck. He believes that if the Cougars can limit their penalty issues against the Tigers, they will have a better chance of winning the game.

The defense boasts a strong and aggressive front seven, but opponents' offenses have targeted that aggressiveness with short dump off passes. He believes the matchup between the Tigers' offensive line and the Cougars' defensive line will be the matchup that will determine the outcome of the game. If the Tigers can exert their will at the line of scrimmage, he believes Seth Henigan can pick apart a secondary that has routinely had issues covering receivers down the field. Obviously, the offensive line has been a point of concern for the Tigers, alongside the route running ability of receivers. Can the Tigers' receivers gain separation from Houston in the secondary and exploit their deficiencies?

Rob believes the Tigers should absolutely be expected to win the game. He shares that he believes the Cougars are talented enough to "wake up" at some point during this season, but the concern for him is that the Cougars are not as talented as believed in the preseason.

About Behind Enemy Lines

Behind Enemy Lines is a GoTigers247 audio podcast where we interview beat writers that cover Tiger opponents. The podcast is recorded the week prior to the game so listeners will get the most up to date information for the specific matchup.

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