With Memphis having bounced back from a loss at Boise State with its 45-21 win over UT Martin on Saturday night, coach Charles Huff’s 3-1 Tigers can rest for a bit.

 

But before they enjoy a bye week and start to prepare for their Oct. 3 American Conference opener at Charlotte, there was plenty to report on at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

 

Frank Bonner II had the game recap, Tim Buckley wrote about quarterback Marcus Stokes’ four-touchdown night and Geoff Calkins experienced life as a fan as the Tigers athletic department tried to bounce back itself from a few shortcomings two weeks earlier in the first game since most of a $226.5 million renovation of Liberty Stadium was complete.

 

On Monday, as they’ve been doing all season, Bonner and John Martin broke down the win.

 

Huff said Tigers coaches would spend part of their off week checking out local high school programs and their top prospects, and there should be plenty to keep them busy.

 

John Varlas and Ian Sparks can attest.

 

Those two have been busy themselves with high school football all season, with Varlas reporting late last week on Houston’s big Region 7-6A win over Bartlett, and Sparks doing the same as Central High improved to 5-0 with a victory over Brighton.

 

Sparks also spent time last week writing from the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony, where — as Buckley wrote — retired Hamilton High football coach Roosevelt Hancock upstaged former Tigers basketball coach John Calipari and a host of other inductees.

 

Additionally last week, sticking with football, Drew Hill dove into potential implications for the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis as the College Football Playoff ponders potential expansion to 24 teams. Bonner’s piece on former Memphis football offensive lineman Ron Sells’ cheerleading team member-daughter Emersyn is well worth the read too, as is Varlas’ piece on KIPP coach Robert Smith’s battle back from a serious heart attack.

 

Varlas and Calkins were back at it Monday, with both reporting on and writing about groundbreaking as renovation work begins at the Memphis women’s soccer and track program’s Liza Wellford Fletcher Stadium.

 

Here’s a look at some of the staff’s top work from the week: — Deputy sports editor Tim Buckley