Charles Huff met with the media on Tuesday for his weekly press conference, and he discussed several topics, including the loss against Boise State and this weekend’s game against UT Martin.
The Tigers lost to the Broncos on Saturday in a game of two halves. Huff’s team led 17-3 in the second quarter before Boise State rallied to tie the game late in the second quarter. The Broncos went on to dominate the second half.
Memphis returns to Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium on Saturday to play UT Martin from the FCS ranks.
Loss against Boise State:
Huff took a lot of the blame for the loss against Boise State and said he and the rest of the coaching staff must do a better job preparing the team for opponents like the Broncos.
“Obviously, not the performance we wanted last week coaching or executing,” Huff said. “Not a good enough job by myself and the adults of getting our guys ready to play and execute against a good team. Again, hats off to Boise State. I thought they played a really good game and took advantage of some opportunities.”
The head coach praised the Broncos for the way they played and credited them taking advantage of opportunities.
He was asked about the muffed punt, but he shot the question down and said the biggest momentums swing was in the first half when Boise State went for it on fourth down.
Fan expectations:
Huff was asked about the expectations of the fans after the loss to Boise State, and he said that their expectations shouldn’t change because of the loss. He said the team and coaching staff never preached perfection, but the fan base shouldn’t lower their expectations.
“They should expect perfection,” Huff said. “We should expect perfection. They should expect us to play a spotless game this weekend, and next weekend, they should expect us to play a spotless game. It’s on me as the head coach to get our guys to play and live up to the expectations of this program.”
Huff went on to explain that Tiger fans have those expectations because of the success they’ve had, and he would want nothing less. He added that he isn’t happy just making a bowl game and neither should the fans.
“The fans better not change their expectations,” Huff said. “I would want nothing less because that’s who we are. We’re not one of these programs that’s happy with a bowl game, and that’s no disrespect to those programs. Different scenarios, different level or resources, different level of support, but that ain’t us. That will never be us as long as I’m here.”
UT Martin:
Huff spoke briefly about the upcoming opponent and said he’s known and has a lot of respect for Jason Simpson.
“Coach Simpson and his staff,” Huff said. “I’ve known coach Simpson for a very long time. He’s been there for 20 years, which is unbelievable in today’s college football world. I had the pleasure of recruiting his oldest son who is now in the NFL.”
Huff recruited former Alabama and current Rams quarterback Ty Simpson while he was on staff in Tuscaloosa.
He went on to talk highly about the OVC as a conference and even said he reminded the team that defensive lineman Taylor Burton used to play for the Skyhawks.
“Got a lot of respect for what he does,” Huff said. “They’re picked to win the OVC. I was in the OVC at one point in time. A lot of really good players in that league. I told the team, actually on Sunday, Taylor Burton was once a UT Martin football player, so the respect level should be high.”
