“I’ve never been more proud of holding a team to 314 yards rushing.” Memphis coach Mike Norvell looked at the postgame stat sheet and smiled, the look of a coach whose game plan — particularly that of his defensive coordinator, Chris Ball — had worked just enough to win. Facing a Navy program that entered Saturday’s game at the Liberty Bowl leading the nation in rushing (414.2 yards per game), the Tiger defense played its finest game in two years under Norvell, forcing five turnovers and limiting the damage of Navy quarterback Zach Abey, a peripheral midseason Heisman Trophy contender.
Larry Kuzniewski
Riley Ferguson
Behind three Riley Ferguson touchdown passes and three Riley Patterson field goals, the Tigers earned their second win of the season over a top-25 team, improved to 5-1 overall, and moved into position to win the American Athletic Conference’s West Division if it comes down to a tie-breaker with the Midshipmen. (Memphis, Navy, and Houston each have one league loss after Houston was upset by Tulsa Saturday afternoon.)
Sophomore Austin Hall accounted for two of the Navy turnovers with interceptions from his new position — at least for one game — of safety. His second-quarter pick, returned from the Navy 38-yard line to the 12, led to a Ferguson-to-Darrell Henderson touchdown connection that gave the Tigers a 17-10 lead. His second interception sealed the win, coming at the Navy 35-yard line will less than two minutes to play.
“Takeaways are big for us, so whatever I can do to help us win,” said Hall, a graduate of Collierville High School. “Our coaches came up with a phenomenal game plan. The players came out played. They have a disciplined team . . . they’re gonna fight for our country. But we came out and got the W.”
Hall emphasized a simplified defensive scheme from the one the Tigers utilized in blowout losses to Navy in 2015 and ’16. “The coaches let us play a lot faster. We only had a few calls that we changed here and there. I only had one key all night. That kept it simple for me; I could fly around and play football.”
The Tiger defense had four tackles behind the line of scrimmage in addition to the two interceptions, and recovered three Navy fumbles. (The Midshipmen had lost but four fumbles in their first five games, all victories.) The U of M capitalized on the miscues to the tune of 13 points, just enough as it turned out.
“This was a game we had circled,” said Norvell. “This was a program-defining game. That football team we just played is pure class, the defending division champions. This game gave us a wonderful understanding of where we are and where we can go. We have a lot of things to clean up, and we have to go back on the road this Thursday [at Houston], but I’m so proud of this football team, and the coaches I have to work with.”
Navy recovered the game’s opening kickoff at the Tiger 10-yard line when Darrell Henderson failed to cover the ball, but had to settle for a field goal. Memphis responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in a five-yard scoring toss from Ferguson to Anthony Miller. (The touchdown made Miller only the third Tiger in history to score 30 for his career, after Dave Casinelli and DeAngelo Williams.) There would be four more lead changes before Hall’s game-sealing interception, the last one coming on a 42-yard Patterson field goal with 5:15 to play in the third quarter that gave Memphis a 20-19 lead.
Larry Kuzniewski
Mike Norvell
“They came in undefeated,” noted Norvell. “They’ve shown that every year, they’re going to have success. They continue to reload. This was a benchmark game for us. It was a game we had to win to go where we want to go. It’s just one game, but it’s a key matchup, because it’s one we have not had success with in the past. Our kids stayed focus on the job at hand.”
Ferguson struggled at times and had to shake off a slight injury to his left knee when he was tackled in the end zone in the third quarter on a play that resulted in a safety for Navy. (Ferguson was called for intentional grounding.) He completed 24 of 40 passes for 279 yards and the three touchdowns. Miller finished with 10 catches (his eighth career game with as many grabs), two touchdowns, and 90 yards. Darrell Henderson led the ground attack with 94 yards on just 12 carries.
Abey rushed for 167 yards and three touchdowns, but completed only one pass in seven attempts (with the two Hall picks).
Junior linebacker Curtis Akins led Memphis with 11 total tackles, while Hall and Genard Avery added 10 each. It was only the second time in six games the Tigers have held their opponent under 400 total yards (334).
The Tigers next travel to Houston to face the Cougars in a Thursday-night tilt. Houston will enter the game with a record of 4-2 and tied with Memphis in the AAC at 2-1.
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Senior defensive lineman Ernest Suttles was dismissed from the team early Saturday after he was arrested and charged with rape. The incident follows the arrest last month of defensive back Shaun Rupert on armed robbery charges. “I believe in how we do things,” said Norvell during his postgame press conference. “We’re trying to build the young men we have. We have guys who have made mistakes. At the end of the day, we stand for the right things. Those guys sitting in that locker room right now are phenomenal young men, and I’m proud to coach them. I’m proud to represent this city. That’s why we open our doors. I have nothing to hide. We’re doing it for the right reasons.”
