Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
CORNERBACK
Ryan Pulley’s attitude impresses.
FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas cornerback Ryan Pulley had made 20 consecutive starts while healthy before coming off the bench due to an in-house suspension in Saturday’s 23-0 victory over Tulsa.
Pulley, who entered after Montaric Brown took the first seven defensive snaps at cornerback, made the most of his playing time with an interception — his team-high third of the year — a pass breakup and two tackles. He was named as a first-team selection on the Pro Football Focus (PFF) national team of the week.
Pulley pulled down a grade of 90.3 from the analytics site to rank the highest among all cornerbacks in the country. Virginia’s Bryce Hall (86.9) joined him on the first team.
Arkansas Coach Chad Morris imposed the loss of playing time after Pulley was ejected with 29 seconds left in the 37-33 loss to Ole Miss for jawing at the Rebels’ players after he was told to stop by officials.
Morris announced Wednesday that Pulley would miss playing time. He said Pulley handled the affair well.
“For him to continue to improve says a lot about his talent, his ability,” Morris said. “He’s got a great future in this game.”
Pulley’s interception came late in the first half, when Tulsa quarterback Seth Boomer left a deep ball hanging for too long.
“I think him losing playing time speaks volumes because Coach Morris says we’re going to do things a certain way, and I think [Pulley] understands that,” defensive coordinator John Chavis said. “In terms of his response, when he came out, he didn’t pout. He served his penalty — and you hope you don’t have those — and he got ready to help his football team win.”
Pulley was one of three SEC players on the PFF, joining Kentucky end Josh Allen (90.5) and Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (91.3), who tied Purdue linebacker Markus Bailey for the highest rating in the country last week.