Memphis posted a somewhat lackluster 40-0 win over the overmatched North Alabama Lions last Saturday. This week they return to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium to take on the Troy Trojans the two-time defending Sun Belt conference champions. This Troy team looks quite a bit different than the last two. They are replacing their head coach (Jon Summral), their leading passer, rusher and top 3 receivers from last year- in fact, they return less than 40% of their roster from a year ago. That being said, Memphis can not afford to turn in another effort like against North Alabama, or they could find themselves behind the 8-ball early.

Here are the 3 things I will be watching for.

Memphis was limited to just 64 yards rushing against a FCS team in North Alabama that gave up 176 yards rushing to Southeast Missouri in their opener. After losing Sutton Smith just 2:22 into the game for what appeared to be a significant knee injury, Memphis turned to Mario Anderson Jr. who gained 46 yards on just 10 carries. Memphis needs to feed Anderson and Greg Desrosiers early and often to help the running game gain confidence. Memphis can't afford to fall into the trap of being one-dimensional as the level of competition surges forward the rest of the way.

When asked earlier this week at his media availability, Defensive Coordinator Jordon Hankins said the big thing he was preaching for this week was to improve his unit's physicality. That same sentiment is probably true on the offensive side of the ball as well. Memphis really got pushed around in the run game and were stopped for a loss or no gain 35% of the carries. Troy is rugged on the defensive side of the ball and will test the Memphis offensive and defensive lines with more size and strength than they saw last week.

Whether anyone in the building wants to admit it or not, some thoughts have certainly turned to the showdown against a wounded Seminole team in Tallahassee that looms next week. That being said, Troy is just the type of team that can make Saturday a very bad day. While Troy will almost certainly provide more of a test than North Alabama did, it's still a game that a focused and prepared Memphis game should be able to go in and establish dominance and win handily. The atmosphere this week at practice was focused and intense. Some of that is undoubtedly being manufactured by a group of coaches and leaders that understands the importance of the "1-0 this week" mindset.

If the Tigers want next week to mean something, then it is paramount that they take care of their business on Saturday.

A lot of things would have to go wrong for Memphis to lose on Saturday. It would take a comedy of errors and a nearly perfect effort from Troy for the Trojans to pull the upset. This is a game that will likely be close headed into halftime, but one that Memphis probably won't ever be in danger of losing.