Heavy rains forced the University of Memphis football team to practice inside at the turf room of the Murphy Athletic Complex.

And what a shame.

The turf room is a nice size for middle drills and work on the short passing game, but it’s hardly adequate for a Division 1-A team trying to reverse a difficult start and make the postseason.

While the city mulls whether a new stadium or a renovated Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is best, and the U of M explores the feasibility of an on-campus facility, the university should move quickly to secure funding for a 100-yard indoor practice field. Covering one of the existing Murphy Athletic Complex fields would be ideal.

Albeit a relatively small block, it’s the next building block for the football program as it attempts to ready itself for the next 1-A shakeup. U of M officials who toured the Central Florida campus in September had to be impressed with not only the school’s on-campus stadium, but it’s 100-yard, state-of-the-art indoor practice facility.

A rainy, late-October Memphis week — before a must-win game at Tulane — should have U of M officials pondering such a course of action for the Tigers. If Martin Hankins wants to be sharp Saturday, slingin’ in the rain, or zippin’ short passes in the turf room, doesn’t cut it.