MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Tigers are 6-1 and hope to keep their winning ways going when they face Charlotte on Saturday in Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Six wins means six opportunities to break the rock, Memphis' winning tradition.
It's a job the players take seriously and everyone is gunning for.
"It's a sense of pride to be able to break the rock," said William Whitlow Jr, a defensive lineman who broke the rock after the Week One win over North Alabama. "I feel like I contributed the most to this game."
Whitlow is a Montgomery, Alabama native and naturally felt like he should be the one to handle the hammer after his two tackles for loss, sack and forced fumble performance. Coach Ryan Silverfield gave him the honor.
Mario Anderson is a two-time wielder of the hammer. He had two touchdowns in the win over Troy and four scores in the 52-44 shootout win over North Texas. It may be one person who swings the hammer, but it feels like a team award.
"When we break the rock, it's like all of us are breaking the rock," Anderson said. "I don't take credit, but I do feel appreciated and valued when things do come up like that."
Where do these symbols of toughness and will come from? Naturally, the strength and conditioning staff.
"It took us probably like two weeks. We started at the beginning of fall camp and it pretty much took us the entire time, " said Jimmy Quemado, one of the strength and conditioning assistants.
Quemado and the rest of the strength team bought the stones, stenciled them, spray painted a black base layer and another layer with the opponent's logo white. There's a stone for each opponent on the Tigers schedule.
"The easiest ones are the one that have straight lines. Straight lines and not a lot of letters. Florida State was probably the hardest one," Quemado said.
The rockbreaking tradition started in 2015 under the regime of former Memphis and now Seminoles head coach, Mike Norvell. Coach Silverfield will gift the hammer to a student athlete who prepares well during the week. That player gets to hold the hammer during the Tiger Walk pregame. Postgame honors go to the MVP of the game.
But if the Tigers lose, well, the rock just gets thrown away. The players, naturally, don't like that.
"It feels like we conquered an opponent," Whitlow said. "It's a lot of motivation because you don't want your strength and conditioning coaches' time and effort to go to waste and you prepared all week to conquer this opponent. You prepare all week to break this rock."
It seems simple enough - swing the hammer, break the rock. But players say there is technique.
"The sledgehammer (is) heavy, I ain't gonna lie. You got to hold it at the top a little bit and make sure you don't mess up your shoulder or nothing," Whitlow said.
"Jonah (Gambill) was like pointing out another spot to break. It's just try to smash the rock in one or two swings. That's the only technique, just break as much as you can," Anderson said.
The moment is, of course, going viral as well. The video team is front and center to capture the swing so the pressure to not miss or take too many swings is pretty high.
"I feel like it's pressure. Just so you don't embarrass yourself and miss the rock," Anderson said.
"Somebody has missed before," Whitlow said. "I forgot who it was but they had to swing it three times. You usually swing it about twice."
As beautiful as the rocks are, Quemado and the strength team don't lose too much sleep when they break.
They know the whole purpose is creation for destruction.
"I like when they get smashed," Quemado said. "They don't do me many good if they're not smashed."
Saturday's game kicks off at 11a.m. in Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.