Brady White – Page 2 – Memphis Flyer

“Man up.”

Memphis running back Kenneth Gainwell had a quick initial response when asked about filling the void left by the injured Patrick Taylor — the third-leading rusher in Tiger history — on Saturday at the Liberty Bowl. The redshirt freshman did his share of that manning up by scoring three touchdowns in what proved to be a blowout win over Southern, a victory that improves the Tigers to 2-0 on the season. With 85 yards on the ground (including a 46-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter) and 38 receiving (including a 21-yard touchdown reception late in the third quarter), Gainwell personified the depth Memphis coach Mike Norvell is selling as the new strength of his program.
Matthew Smith

Kenneth Gainwell

“I’d like to see some more energy,” said Norvell. “We had a couple of guys out, forcing guys into roles where they had to play more. This has to be something we build off of. We ask [Gainwell] to do a lot. He’s in that Tony Pollard-type hybrid role, in the slot, in the backfield. Today he did an exceptional job. He’s developing into a heck of a player for us.”

Southern struck first, with a 75-yard drive culminating in a seven-yard touchdown run by Jamar Washington less than two minutes into the game. Antonio Gibson hauled in a 55-yard touchdown pass from Tiger quarterback Brady White that gave Memphis a 10-7 lead with 9:38 left in the first quarter. Linebacker Keith Brown picked up the ball after freshman Dreke Clark blocked a Southern punt and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown and a 17-10 Tiger lead with less than a minute to play in the first quarter. The block was one of two the Tigers had in the game, the other courtesy of junior Colton Cochran in the third quarter.

The Jaguars (0-2) enjoyed their own “scoop and score” late in the third quarter when Jordan Lewis broke through the Tiger line, sacked White from behind, and picked up the ensuing fumble before racing 74 yards untouched into the end zone. The touchdown reduced the Memphis lead again to 10 points (34-24), but Southern would not score again. (The Jaguars punted on all four of their second-half possessions.)

Gainwell scored on a one-yard run on the Tigers’ first possession after the turnover and then put the game away with his touchdown catch two minutes later. Clark finished the scoring with a 10-yard run midway through the fourth quarter.

“We showed up in every phase,” stressed Norvell in saluting new special teams coordinator Pete Lembo. “Our punt-pressure team was incredible. Coach Lembo and our guys put us in a great position.”

In addition to Taylor’s absence, nose tackle O’Bryan Goodson sat out with an injury. Nonetheless, the Tigers held Southern to 258 total yards and only 15 of them came after halftime. “We have to build that depth,” emphasized Norvell. “We have to build that defensive line as a group. When that happens, good things will follow.”

White completed 17 of 21 passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Damonte Coxie caught six of his passes for 112 yards.

On the defensive side, Memphis tallied seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage with Tim Hart and J.J. Russell each picking up a sack.

“No matter who we play, we come with our best,” said senior linebacker Austin Hall, who delivered three solo tackles. “You always have to make in-game adjustments. Offenses change. We started slow, but once we got going, we had a handle on what they were doing. A lot of guys have stepped up this year and it shows, guys making plays.”

The Tigers play their first road game of the season next Saturday when they visit South Alabama. They won’t return to the Liberty Bowl until Thursday, September 26th, when Navy comes to town for the American Athletic Conference opener. (The Tigers have a bye week following the South Alabama game.)

A punt and a safety. Few football games are decided by either. In their 2019 season-opener Saturday at the Liberty Bowl, the Memphis Tigers beat Ole Miss with both plays proving critical.
Larry Kuzniewski

Patrick Taylor

Clinging to a 13-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Tiger offense stalled near midfield. Sophomore punter Adam Williams proceeded to drop the ball inside the Ole Miss 20, with a wobbly roll to the Rebel two-yard line. On the next play from scrimmage, senior defensive end Bryce Huff stormed around the right edge of the Rebel offensive line for a sack of quarterback Matt Corral. The end-zone tackle and two points it delivered proved enough for Memphis to win its sixth straight season-opening game, a program record.

“Thank you, Tiger Nation, for the energy you brought into that stadium,” said Memphis coach Mike Norvell in opening his postgame press conference. “We knew there was going to be a lot of emotion. Thank you for showing up this morning for the Tiger walk. That was an exciting atmosphere. We said all week, whatever it takes to be one point better. Hats off to our defensive staff, Coach [Adam] Fuller. Kept them off balance all game long. Whoever could establish the running game would be successful. We ran for 192 yards; they ran for 80. And to end the game with a six-minute drive . . . that’s something I’ll remember a long, long time.”

The Tigers opened the game’s scoring on their second drive, junior quarterback Brady White carrying the ball in for the final yard with 5:23 to play in the first quarter. The teams traded blows without scoring again until Tiger senior running back Patrick Taylor completed a 37-yard drive with his 35th career touchdown in the final minute before halftime. Pop Williams set up the short drive with a 21-yard punt return.(Kicker Riley Patterson hit the right upright on the point-after attempt.)

The Rebels got on the scoreboard via field goal late in the third quarter, kicker Luke Logan converting from 35 yards. A pass-interference call against Tiger cornerback T.J. Carter helped Ole Miss score its lone touchdown, a one-yard carry by Scottie Phillips with 11:49 left to play that reduced the Memphis lead to 13-10. The ensuing Tiger possession concluded with the Williams punt that set up Huff’s safety.

“There were some mistakes we need to clean up,” acknowledged Norvell. “Ten penalties, some mistakes on third down [offensively]. All in all, it was a great team win. This was a showcase game.”

The Tiger defense allowed its fewest points in more than two years, dating back to November 2016. Ole Miss converted only one third down in ten attempts. (The Rebels were one for two on fourth down.) Joseph Dorceus and La’Andre Thomas each picked up sacks in addition to Huff’s. And when Thomas was ejected for a targeting penalty late in the first quarter, freshman Quindell Johnson stepped in and grabbed the first interception of his college career.
Larry Kuzniewski

Brady White

On the offensive side, Memphis played its first game since Darrell Henderson and Tony Pollard were drafted by NFL teams, but a new playmaker seems to have emerged in the form of freshman tailback Kenneth Gainwell. A native of Yazoo City, Mississippi, Gainwell lived up to his name with 77 yards rushing and 41 receiving (on six catches). He earned three critical first downs on that game-ending drive including a shovel pass taken on fourth-and-two from White near midfield with just under three minutes left on the clock.

“Those [fourth-down] decisions, you gotta be willing to make,” said Norvell. “I believe in our players. We wanted to have an aggressive mindset. I felt good about going out to win the game, and not just hold on. I had confidence that if something bad happened, we would do what was necessary [to win].”

“I was confident,” said White when asked about the fourth-down shovel pass to Gainwell. “There are certain situations when we’d typically run it, so I was out there, waiting for it. I went through my pre-snap read, saw we had a good look. It’s a unit effort.” White completed 23 of 31 passes for 172 yards and tossed an interception early in the second half.

“We’re 1-0,” emphasized White. “It makes us super-confident, to win a game like that. Kudos to the defense, the offensive line. It took multiple guys to step in, a grinding effort. I’m blessed to be here.”

Taylor finished the contest with 128 yards rushing, enough to vault him past Tiger legend Dave Casinelli and into third place on the Memphis career chart. But for a team that allowed more than 30 points per game a year ago, Saturday’s win — over a team from the mighty SEC — will be remembered for what could be a corner turned by the Tiger defense.

“Coach Fuller brought some energy to the sideline today,” said Huff. “He was on the sideline, smiling. We were only up three. It was great energy. We have so much to correct. Even though we played well, there’s a lot we can improve on. I know our coaches are going to push us to get better.”

The Tigers return to the Liberty Bowl next Saturday to host Southern. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.