Buckley: With Sutton Smith down, all Tigers eyes are on Mario Anderson
Memphis running back Mario Anderson (2) takes a hard hit during Saturday’s win North Alabama. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Tim Buckley
Tim is a veteran sportswriter who graduated from CBHS in Memphis and the University of Missouri. He previously covered LSU sports in Baton Rouge, and the University of Louisiana football and basketball for The Daily Advertiser/USA TODAY Network in Lafayette, the NBA’s Utah Jazz for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning for the St. Petersburg Times in Florida, and West Texas State basketball for the Amarillo Globe News in Texas.
So much went so right for Memphis in its 2024 season opener, Saturday night’s shutout win over North Alabama. But one thing went horribly wrong for the Tigers.
You could hear it in their voices.
So let’s get the worst part out of the way: running back Sutton Smith exited early and later was spotted on crutches, a fog lingering over the early victory.
Sutton Smith, of whom so much was expected. Sutton Smith, who waited his turn so he could produce as anticipated. Sutton Smith, who obviously was on the minds of so many Tigers after their 40-0 win.
That was apparent with most of those on the Memphis sideline simply down after junior from Georgia limped off early in the opening quarter, after just his third rush of the night.
“We kind of had a next-man up mentality,” quarterback Seth Henigan said, “but … one of your guys, one of your buddies, one of your friends that you want to go to war with on Saturday is injured, it obviously kind of hurts.”
Topics
Memphis Football University of Memphis football Subscriber Only Mario Anderson Sutton SmithThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Related stories
Four Downs with Finebaum: ESPN’s own answers local college football questions
SEC football commentator Paul Finebaum digs into the Tigers’ College Football Playoff chances, Ole Miss and Tennessee expectations and fond Memphis memories.
Tigers’ first depth chart of season reveals backup QB
The Memphis Tigers football depth chart is out and speculation about who will fill the offensive line or which quarterback will be the backup to starter Seth Henigan is finally over.
Group of Five debate: Should there be a separate playoff for certain G5 teams?
The Memphis Tigers’ new athletic director isn’t keen on the new AAC commissioner’s interest in discussing the idea of a different playoff for Group of Five teams that don’t crack the College Football Playoff.Related content:
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.