Memphis-Houston rivalry hot as ever ahead of AAC West title showdown

Evan Barnes | Memphis Commercial Appeal

Show Caption Hide Caption Memphis coach Mike Norvell looks ahead to Houston Friday Mike Norvell assesses whats at stake when Memphis faces Houston for the AAC West title Friday

If there were any doubts that Memphis and Houston have a rivalry, Tigers center Drew Kyser made it obvious Monday.

“I hate them. Ain’t nothing real coming out of H-Town,” Kyser said.

He said it within earshot of teammate and fellow senior offensive lineman Trevon Tate, a Houston native. Tate raised a brief objection before chuckling.

He added, however, that while he loves the city, the team is another story.

“I don’t think they’re anything special. I think it’s a bunch of front running guys who think that they’re the best to ever play football,” Tate said. “That’s what everybody thinks until they play Memphis.”

It’s just more fuel to a game that will be fiery when the Tigers (7-4, 4-3 AAC) and Cougars (8-3, 5-2) kick off at 11 a.m. Friday (ABC) at the Liberty Bowl. The winner will claim the AAC West title and travel to face Central Florida (10-0, 7-0) in Orlando for the conference championship on Dec. 1.

Memphis' Joey Magnifico on facing Houston Friday with AAC West title at stake Memphis tight end Joey Magnifico on facing Houston in a game that will determine the AAC West title.

In the past three meetings between the schools, the winning touchdown was scored in the final 90 seconds. Last year, Memphis came back from a 17-point third-quarter deficit to win 42-38 on a late touchdown catch by tight end Sean Dykes.

Playing for a division title, however, raises the stakes in one of the conference’s best rivalries.

“I told our guys and our coaches this morning (that) if you get to the last week of the season and you’re using the term championship, you’ve done something,” Tigers coach Mike Norvell said. “No matter what it looks like, no matter anything that’s happened on that journey, we’re here.”

It’s an unlikely place for Memphis to be considering the Tigers gave up 65 points in a loss to Missouri on Oct. 20. The Tigers were 4-4 and mired in fifth place in the West at 1-3.

After a three-game winning streak and Houston losing to Temple two weeks ago, Memphis is one win away from repeating as division champ.

Houston also will be a different team since it led the division on Oct. 20. Quarterback D’Eriq King, who is responsible for 50 touchdowns this year, had a season-ending knee injury against Tulane last week, and All-American defensive tackle Ed Oliver has missed the past four weeks with a knee injury.

The Cougars probably will turn to freshman quarterback Clayton Tune, who filled in for King and threw for 108 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against Tulane.

“I’ve seen him in high school and he’s a very talented quarterback,” Norvell said of Tune. “The only thing he’s lacking is experience that King had, but he’s definitely talented.”

Oliver isn’t the only injury for Houston’s defense. The Cougars have lost two defensive linemen and a safety to season-ending injuries. They are ranked No. 118 in total defense.

It won’t matter to Memphis. During this three-game win streak, both Norvell and his players said they focused even more within and less on outside factors, including the potential AAC West scenarios.

Now with a second consecutive division title at stake against a hated rival and a chance to send 13 seniors off on Senior Day, they have more motivation to finish the job they started a month ago.

“People doubted us all year after we lost the first two (AAC) games and now we’re fighting for the last game of the Western Conference Finals at the Liberty Bowl,” tight end Joey Magnifico said. “I couldn’t ask for a better situation."

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