For the Broncos last non-conference game, they will travel to Memphis, Tennessee to face the University of Memphis on Sept. 30.
This will be the first ever matchup between the two teams and it will be a big determiner for the Broncos to establish dominance and gain a win that could give them the potential to propel them in the coming weeks of must-win conference matchups.
The Tigers are coming off their first loss of the season suffered at the hands of no. 23 Missouri last week, falling to a 3-1 record overall.
The Broncos are going into treacherous territory in Memphis, a wildly supportive fanbase and an even louder “Blue Crew”.
However, the Broncos do have one of the biggest weapons in their arsenal, Ashton Jeanty.
Jeanty is undoubtedly the biggest key player of the game in this matchup. He was the most affluent player in the game against San Diego State University (SDSU), notching 205 rushing yards. Not only that, but he is on schedule to be one of the best running backs in college football as he currently has the most all-purpose yards in college football with 692 yards.
The star-studded sophomore has 407 yards rushing, eight touchdowns and 285 receiving yards. Jeanty is a dominant back that has the power to catch and has a dominant presence in the open field.
One of the biggest issues that the Broncos will face is the overuse of Jeanty. Memphis is not a weak defensive team and it will take a toll on Jeanty if another running back in the likes of Jambres Dubar, Tyler Crowe or Kaden Dudley.
With the continued absence of running back George Holani, getting other players in the game to lighten the load for Jeanty will make or break this game.
Another player to watch out for is Eric McAlister. This talented wide receiver has established himself as the number one wide receiver for the Broncos early in the season after an exceptional game against University of North Dakota, however, we haven’t seen McAllister and Jeanty simultaneously have a show-stopping performance.
If this elite receiver and elite running back could both unlock their full potential at the same time, it would be quite the force against Memphis on the road.
For the Tigers, their quarterback, Seth Henigan, will be a threat for the Broncos secondary. Henigan has 1,107 yards on the season and 11 total touchdowns.
Though he had an underwhelming performance last week against Missouri when he threw two interceptions, 66% completion rate and 316 yards on the matchup, there is potential for Henigan to turn around and want that revenge.
One of the biggest threats to the Broncos is Tiger’s top wide receiver Roc Taylor. He has the ability to easily expose the weak Bronco secondary, which, let’s be honest, needs some help.
Taylor, a true junior, has already climbed the ranks in the top Memphis wide receivers ever.
Despite a slow start to the season, Taylor has 297 yards receiving and a touchdown on the season and will look to utilize a weak Bronco secondary to have a breakout game of his own.
Blake Watson, running back for Memphis, is undoubtedly a counterpart to Broncos beloved Jeanty. Watson is incredible on his feet and can easily make five to seven yards after contact.
In order to win, the Broncos will have to fix their coverage and tackle with much more aggression.
After the SDSU game last week and the 71 yard punt return, it is clear to see why the Broncos are ranked 114th nationally in kick return coverage.
“We just got to be better at tackling,” Bronco head coach Andy Avalos said, after beating SDSU. “We have to be clear about our tackling.”
The Broncos coverage unit is quite frankly one of the worst the Broncos program has ever seen. In order to stop a force like Memphis, who takes advantage of good field advantage, this unit will have to take a major step up.
There is no sidestepping that Memphis is a scary team, the Broncos need to level up exponentially to even have a chance against the Tigers at their home stadium in Memphis.
The Tigers are 3.5 point favorites against the Broncos and the matchup has an over/under for the outing of about 59.5 points.
