Tigers hear noise as #25 UCF awaits

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Whenever the Memphis Tigers and UCF Knights get together on the football field, there’s always a lot at stake in what’s been one of the top rivalries in the American Athletic Conference.

But even though UCF comes in ranked 25th with a 7-1 record, a conference championship won’t be on the line because the Tigers are struggling.

Three straight league losses have dropped the U of M to 4-4 on the season, 2-3 in AAC play.

The defeats have been cruel, from blowing big leads, to 4 overtime soul takers, to big comebacks coming up short.

It’s set off a wave of malaise among Tiger faithful, and given voice to the noise that comes along with losing streaks, from fire the head coach, to forget the season, let’s play basketball. 

Tigers Quarterback Seth Henigan says the players can’t help but hear it.

“There’s definitely a lot of noise, a lot of chatter,” Hanigan said. “t’s kind of disappointing to me just because we’re two plays away from being 6-2 and you know two other special teams plays away from being in that game way more against Tulane. So I mean, at the end of the day things didn’t really bounce our way but as long as we finish the rest of the season the right way then I feel like the noise will quiet down a little bit and people will look back at the season and be like, ‘you know that was a good team.’”

Henigan’s top target this season, tight end Caden Prieskorn, is nominated for the Burlesworth Trophy, which goes to the best player in the nation who started his career as a walk-on.  

Prieskorn walked on at Memphis as tall skinny quarterback out of Lake Orion, Michigan. He’s grown into a 6′6″, 255 pound mauler with 31 catches for 378 yards and 6 touchdowns as a senior this season. 

Prieskorn and the Tigers host #25 UCF on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at the Liberty Bowl.

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