Heard on the move to shore up Tigers

MEMPHIS - Kellen Heard is growing accustomed to learning how to adapt.

First, the Memphis lineman had to get used to a new environment upon transferring to Memphis from Texas A&M in late summer.

Shortly upon his arrival, he had to acclimate himself to a new position. He was asked to move from the defensive line - where he had played each of his first three seasons with the Aggies - to offensive tackle.

And this week, as the Tigers prepare for Saturday's game at Tennessee, Heard is on the move again. With several defensive linemen injured, Heard (6-foot-6, 355 pounds) is working at nose tackle.

''He's learning what to do,'' Memphis coach Tommy West said. ''He'll give us a big guy, he'll give us a big presence inside. Hopefully by game time he'll know what to do and we'll be able to play him some.''

At Texas A&M, Heard played 36 games on the defensive line. Among his three career starts was one against Penn State in the Alamo Bowl as a sophomore. Last fall he played in 11 games with starts at nose guard against New Mexico and Miami.

''He knows how to play nose,'' West said. ''He just has to learn what we do.''

Heard has appeared in five of the Tigers' eight games, missing games against Central Florida, UTEP and Southern Miss because of a groin injury. He returned last week to play 14 snaps at right tackle against East Carolina.

Ranked For A Reason: West said Tennessee's defense, ranked 13th nationally, is impressive and for more reasons than All-America safety Eric Berry.

''He's certainly an outstanding player,'' West said. ''But he isn't all they have. They're good on defense. I thought they were really good on defense last year. They finished second in the country a year ago on defense (and) a lot of the same players are back.''

West said he is as impressed with free safety Janzen Jackson, weakside linebacker Rico McCoy and strongside linebacker LaMarcus Thompson.

''And the other guy that makes a difference is (defensive tackle) Dan Williams,'' West said of the former Memphis East High standout. ''He is playing unbelievable up front. Nobody in that league is really blocking him. He was in the backfield all night against South Carolina. They're a handful on defense right now. They have good players at every position.''

Dynamic Duo: Receivers Duke Calhoun and Carlos Singleton remain the nation's third most-prolific receiving duo.

The 6-4 Calhoun and the 6-9 Singleton have combined for 41 touchdowns, two fewer than Central Michigan's Bryan Anderson and Antonio Brown and Kansas' Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier.

''Duke is playing with a lot of energy and a lot of confidence,'' West said. ''I think Duke is playing faster than he's played since he's been here.''

Calhoun leads Conference USA with an average of 95.5 receiving yards per game. He and Singleton have combined for eight TDs this season.

Reagan A Finalist: Senior punter/kicker Matt Reagan, a former standout at Bearden High, was name among 10 finalists for the 2009 Awards and Recognition Association Sportsmanship Award.

The award is given to an NCAA Division I player who best personifies the spirit of sportsmanship.