Heavy rains this month have played havoc with the University of Memphis football team’s spring practice schedule, but what has been evident during the workouts conducted between raindrops has been an uptick in intensity.

It has been particularly apparent on defense, as new coordinator Tim Walton’s aggressive approach has rubbed off on a unit that needed a boost.

“I do think there is a better intensity level,” Tiger coach Tommy West said after Thursday’s practice at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. “Everybody that comes to watch us says the same thing. There’s a lot of striking going on on both sides.”

West still would like to see better execution inside the red zone from the Tiger offense. To do that, the Tiger running game will have to improve.

West moved redshirt freshman defensive lineman Lionel Henderson to offense this week, but, unfortunately for the offensive staff, Henderson, from Mobile, Ala., injured his right ankle and may not return this spring.

“For the 20 minutes I had him on offense, he looked good,” West said.

West said even with the rainy spring weather, the Tigers find themselves shy only one of their schedule 15 spring workouts heading into Saturday’s scrimmage at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

Spring practices at the University of Memphis routinely end with a brief scrimmage period of roughly 25 plays.

Wednesday at the Murphy Athletic Complex was no different, except for the revelation the Tigers may have yet another tall receiver adept at running the fade route and winning `jump balls’ in the end zone.

Junior college transfer Steven Joachim (6-4, 205) had two touchdown receptions in Wednesday’s scrimmage, doing a credible impersonation of 6-9 Tiger wideout Carlos Singleton. Like Singleton, Joachim simply used his height and strong hands to outleap defenders for touchdown receptions of 14 yards (from QB Dallas Walker) and 11 yards (from QB Arkelon Hall).

It’s a deep position for the Tigers, who are going through the spring without their top receiver, 6-4 Duke Calhoun. Calhoun is recovering from offseason knee surgery.

Tigers win, 75-56. Up next: the winner of the Southern Mississippi-Central Florida game, starting shortly here at the Forum. Come back tomorrow and we’ll do this  blog thing again.

With 1:22 left, Coach John Calipari clears his bench: Pierre Niles and Chance McGrady are coming in. The Tigers have had a long history of a much-beloved walk-on who rarely plays, but ignites the crowd when he does walk onto the court.

My favorite was John Williams, who played with Elliott Perry on those ’80s teams. When Williams scored that last basket against South Carolina in the old Mid-South Coliseum, everyone screamed and jumped. Including Perry and John McLaughlin. One of my best Tiger memories ever.

Not full. That’s probably not unexpected, since this Tiger opener is the blowout it was expected to be (63-45 right now). But the upper deck is mostly empty, and the Tiger students aren’t here in force like they are for the games they can see for free. Still, it’s not a bad showing for the first game, especially one that started just after most folks got home from work.

THE BIG STORY

Tommy Tuberville accepted a bid to the Chick-fil-A Bowl Sunday, and then tap-danced around questions that sought to reveal whether he would be around to coach in it.

Auburn (8-4) will play Clemson (9-3) Dec. 31 at 6:30 p.m. in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, the bowl announced Sunday.

But fans who hoped that Tuberville would use the Sunday night teleconference to clear up rumors and address his uncertain status were sorely disappointed.

Reporters tried, but no definitive statement was forthcoming.

Athletic Director Jay Jacobs, who offered a two-year contract extension to Tuberville on Friday, handled the situation as nimbly as he could.

“It’s nice to have a coach that is wanted,” Jacobs said. “We have 15 head coaches. I wish they were all wanted as much as Tommy.

“There’s never been any doubt in my mind that Tommy is going to be our head coach for a long time.”

After it became clear Tuberville was not going to chime in, a reporter pressed.

“Tommy, do you concur?”

“I concur,” Tuberville said. Then he joked, “How do you spell that?”

That was it.

When the subject was brought up again, Tuberville said, “Let’s talk about the Chick-fil-A Bowl.”

Jacobs hastily added, “Yeah, I’m for that, too.”

Auburn’s tentative schedule calls for the Tigers to begin bowl practice Dec. 13. They’ll work for about a week, break for Christmas and then arrive on Atlanta on either Dec. 25 or Dec. 26.

Tuberville used humor to deflect questions about whether he would be there

“(I’ll be there), unless you want to coach ‘em,” he told one reporter.

Both Jacobs and Tuberville said they had not been contacted by Arkansas, repeating denials issued Thursday, when several Arkansas media outlets reported that Tuberville was on the verge of becoming the Razorbacks new coach.

Contract negotiations failed to produce a resolution last week. Tuberville is now in New York in advance of Tuesday’s National Football Foundation awards dinner. Jacobs is expected to join him there. Auburn President Jay Gogue is also in New York on unrelated business.

Around the rest of the league:
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THE BIG STORY

Incoming Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long broke his silence Wednesday regarding his search to find Houston Nutt’s replacement. Long spoke in mostly general terms during an impromptu news conference held during halftime of Wednesday night’s basketball game between Arkansas and Missouri in Bud Walton Arena.

“I would say coaches in the SEC have expressed an interest in our job, yes,” Long said during the 12-minute news conference in front of a room full of reporters.

While Long didn’t mention any candidates by name, Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin and Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville appear to be at the top of his list to be Arkansas’ next football coach. Tuberville reportedly agreed in principle to a contract extension with Auburn earlier this week, but there are some contractual issues that need to be resolved before a deal can be finalized.

Speculation about Tuberville’s future intensified Wednesday when he didn’t meet with Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs as expected. A source close to Tuberville told The Morning News on Wednesday afternoon that the Auburn coach remains a candidate to replace Nutt at Arkansas. Long avoided directly answering a question about whether any SEC West coaches, presumably Tuberville, have expressed an interest in Arkansas’ coaching vacancy.

“I won’t narrow it that far, but I will say that many of the reports about an SEC West coach are extremely premature and actually aren’t even premature,” Long said. “They’re fantasy.”

Tuberville, a Camden native, is expected to spend the next few days duck hunting in Stuttgart. He was a finalist to coach the Razorbacks in 1997, but Nutt got the job instead. Tuberville will make an average of $3.1 million over the remaining four years of the contract he signed following the 2004 season, according to The Mobile Press-Register. His contract also includes a $6 million buyout.

Long said he’d be willing to work on a buyout if one existed with a potential candidate.

“We haven’t gotten to that point in any conversations,” Long said. “And we’ll deal with that when we get there, if there is an issue there to be dealt with.”

Long said he’s already interviewed “lots” of candidates on the phone, and had several face-to-face meetings since Nutt turned in his resignation Monday morning.

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