Memphis finished 2016 ranked 14 in the nation in passing yards per game with 304.4. With the return of senior quarterback Riley Ferguson and record-setting, former walk-on Anthony Miller, the Tigers just might lead the FBS in passing this year.
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The American Athletic squad is coming off an 8-5 mark in which it scored over 30 points 8 times — including a 77-point outburst against Bowling Green. This year's schedule features seven home games to just five road contests, and its most difficult non-conference game against UCLA will be played inside the Liberty Bowl.
A returning senior QB and favorable schedule are nice, but it's the receiving core led by offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey that really sets the Tigers apart from the rest of the conference.
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Anthony Miller
2016 stats: 95 receptions, 1,434 yards, 15.1 average, 14 touchdowns
The former walk-on followed up on an impressive 2015 in which he hauled in 47 catches for nearly 700 yards and 7 overall touchdowns with school-record numbers. He had an astounding 5 games in which he tallied double-digit catches, including 15 in a 48-44 upset over Houston.
Miller's most impressive outing might have been against Tulsa when he went off for 12 catches, 250 yards and 2 touchdowns.
With a trio of soft non-conference matchups before the calendar hits October, expect to see Miller come out of the gates fast as he looks to eclipse 100 catches this season.
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Phil Mayhue
2016 stats: 42 receptions, 677 yards, 16.1 average, 4 touchdowns
The senior out of New Jersey nearly replicated his 2015 season total for receiving yards when he amassed 670. He knows how to shine when the lights are brightest, catching 6 balls for 142 yards in the aformentioned upset of Houston.
Will so much potential double coverage on Miller, don't be surprised to see Mayhue go over the century mark for receiving yards.
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John Williams
2016 stats: 7 receptions, 79 yards, 11.3 average
Williams got his feet wet as a freshman and even caught two passes in the team's Boca Raton Bowl appearance.
At 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, expect to see him get loose in the secondary when the Tigers go to 3-plus wideouts.
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Damonte Coxie
2016 stats: Redshirt
Just how in-demand was Coxie last year? He received offers from Alabama and LSU, originally committing to the latter before changing his mind and enrolling at Memphis.
After redshirting in 2016, the 6-foot-3 receiver gives Ferguson yet another towering wideout to throw to.
