<P> Memphis State went 6--5 in 1992 . They began the season on September 5, losing the Black and Blue Bowl to Southern Miss by a score of 23--21 . Another close loss came the following week in the form of a 16--15 loss to Louisville . In the season's third game, the Tigers dropped another nail biter, falling to #24 Mississippi State by a margin of 20--16 . After the season's third game, 80 Tigers football players boycotted team practice, claiming they had lost respect for Coach Stobart for the way he handled the team . However, after Stobart acknowledged the players' frustrations and promised to change his approach, the players returned after sitting out only one day . On September 26, Memphis State won their first game of the season, defeating Arkansas by a margin of 22--6 . The Tigers defeated Cincinnati by a score of 34--14 and followed that with a 37--7 victory over rival Arkansas State . On October 24, Memphis State defeated Tulsa by a margin of 30--25 . The team's winning streak was extended to five with a 62--20 shellacking of Tulane on Halloween . Ole Miss snapped Memphis State's winning streak on November 7 with a 17--12 victory over the Tigers . That was followed by a 26--21 loss to #23 Tennessee on November 14 . They finished the season with a 42--7 drubbing of East Carolina on November 21 . </P> <P> The Tigers finished with another 6--5 record in 1993 . They opened the season with a 45--35 victory over #23 Mississippi State on September 4 . In the season's second game, Stobart's team got crushed by Louisville to the tune of 54--28 . The Tigers lost a closer 17--15 contest to Louisiana - Lafayette in their third game of the season . The Tigers then notched their first win of the season, shutting out Arkansas by a margin of 6--0 . That was followed by a 34--7 thrashing of East Carolina and a 45--3 drubbing of rival Arkansas State . Stobart's squad lost to Tulsa by a score of 23--19 and Cincinnati by a count of 23--20 over the next two weeks . The Tigers then defeated Ole Miss by a score of 19--3 and Southern Miss by a margin of 20--9 . In the season's last game, the Tigers lost to #9 Miami by a margin of 41--17 . Star wide receiver Isaac Bruce, a senior in 1993, finished his Memphis State career with 113 receptions for 1,586 yards (14.0 yards per rec . avg .) and 15 touchdowns . He was selected in the second round with the 33rd overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams . </P> <P> Memphis State University changed its name to the University of Memphis in 1994 . That year, the Tigers finished 6--5 for the third consecutive year . On September 3, Stobart's squad lost to Mississippi State by a margin of 17--6 . Memphis won its first game of the season the following week with a 42--18 thrashing of Tulsa . After a 20--3 loss to Southern Miss, Memphis won their next four games; topping Arkansas in a 16--15 nail biter, Tulane in a 13--0 shutout, Arkansas State by a margin of 15--6 and Cincinnati in a 26--3 blowout . On October 29, Memphis lost to Louisville by a score of 10--6 . That was followed by a 17--16 win over Ole Miss . In the season's final two games, the Tigers lost to Tennessee by a margin of 24--13 and East Carolina by a count of 30--6 . On January 13, 1995, Stobart was fired as head coach of the Tigers . His Tigers compiled a 29--36--1 record in his five seasons . </P> <P> James Madison head coach Rip Scherer took over as the Tigers' 20th head football coach after Stobart's termination . Scherer arrived in the Mid-South with some impressive credentials, serving as offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech from 1980 to 1986 under Bill Curry and then following Curry to Alabama, serving as the Crimson Tide's offensive coordinator in 1987 . He then joined Dick Tomey's Arizona staff, serving as offensive coordinator from 1988 to 1990 before taking over as James Madison's head coach . Scherer signed a five - year contract worth a base salary of $110,000 annually . </P>

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