A month or so ago I wasn’t sure that we’d make it to game week due to the pandemic that has ravished the country. It is now upon us, as Memphis is set to take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves in their nationally televised opener Saturday night at the Liberty Bowl.

Here are five things I’ll be watching closely as Memphis takes the field for the first time in 2020.

Ryan Silverfield took over as head coach of the Tiger program and guided the team into their Cotton Bowl battle against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Despite the loss, coach Silverfield had the team extremely prepared to face stiff competition out of the P5.

Saturday night will be his home head coaching debut. In addition to Silverfield, Memphis has five new coaches that were hired from outside the program.

Not only will I be watching the sideline, I’ll be watching the team closely on both sides of the ball. How does the new coaching staff put their stamp on the team. There will obviously be some similarities and carry over from former head coach Mike Norvell, but you’d expect to see some new wrinkles here and there that have been implemented. I especially think we could see some different looks on the defensive side with Mike MacIntyre taking over at defensive coordinator.

The second thing I’ll be watching is 6 year senior Brady White. This will be his third year under center for the Tigers. After passing for 4,014yds and 33 TDs last season (both career highs) what can he do to expand on those numbers?

One knock on Brady has been his arm strength and ability to stretch the field. We saw him do it at times last year but consistency is the key. With the wealth of talent at the skill positions he doesn’t need to go to the deep ball all the time. Confidence and the aforementioned consistency when doing so, will maximize their offensive capabilities. In my opinion Brady will be square in the conversation for AAC offensive player of the year all season.

Big news broke this week when Kenneth Gainwell decided to opt out due to concerns pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic. It won’t be easy to replace his production from last season rushing for 1,459 yards and 2,069 all purpose yards. It will be a committee effort, but the cupboard is certainly not bare.

According to this weeks depth chart it appears sophmore Dreke Clark will get the first crack at bell cow responsibilities in Kevin John’s offense. The coaching staff has raved about him throughout camp and I think he’ll answer the call. At 6’0” 200lbs. he certainly has the size to take on the rigors of a heavy workload in the backfield.

Coach Silverfield stated in his latest media conference that you could see all the guys get touches on Saturday to see where they are. Outside of Clark the other names to watch will be redshirt junior Kylan Watkins (325yds and three touchdowns) last season and redshirt sophomore Asa Martin. Martin sat out last season after transferring from Auburn. The staff is expecting big things from him as well. How they decide to deploy their backs is definitely something I’ll be keeping a close eye on.

The fourth thing I’ll be watching is the offensive line. Three of five starters return, as there will be new starters at both guard positions. Redshirt sophomore Isaac Ellis will start on the left with redshirt sophomore Evan Fields on the right.

Ellis saw action in all 14 games as a backup offensive linemen and special teamer. Fields saw action in 10 games last season also as a backup offensive lineman and special teamer.

The offensive line did a fantastic job of keeping Brady White clean last season. The Tigers racked up 6,791yds of offense, which was the third most in team history. If they are to continue the offensive fireworks we’ve come to expect from this team, the tremendous blocking of the offense line will be an integral key. I’ll be keeping my eye on both new starters at the guard positions against the Red Wolves.

The last thing I’ll be keeping an eye on is two players. One is on the offensive side of the football with the other on the defensive side. We seemingly always go into the season asking who is going to be that second receiver outside of the the top guy. Wether it was Coxie or former standout Anthony Miller, this always seems to be a question.

We all know what Damonte can do, netting second team all conference honors last season. I also expect a big year from Calvin Austin III, wether it’s at wideout or in the return game with his tremendous speed. The name that stood out to me upon the release of this week’s depth chart is redshirt freshman Tahj Washington.

The coaching staff has raved about how he didn’t take days off and showed up ready to work each practice throughout camp. This led to him earning a starting nod for week one. I’ll be keeping a close eye on his production to see if he can become a reliable target for Brady White.

On the defensive side of the football I think the Tigers have a breakout star in sophmore “WILL” linebacker Jalil Clemons. He showed flashes last season seeing action in thirteen games. He ended up netting fifteen tackles and two sacks. I fully expect him to build on those numbers this season with an expanded role. He’ll play a big part in how much success this Tiger defense has this season.