TIGERS
got a little more edge to it because it was probably one of my worst games last year,” Maulet said after practice this week. “So I’m going to put a little extra oomph into what I do.”
In the first two games this season, Maulet has broken up four passes and intercepted a fifth. He said he feels much more comfortable this year than he did in 2015, and he has appeared more confident.
“As he should. He’s one of the best players on our football team,” coach Mike Norvell said. “He’s a guy that has an opportunity to play this game for a long time, in my opinion.”
That comfort, and confidence, has come with time. Maulet arrived at Memphis as a junior-college transfer shortly before last season and was immediately inserted into the starting lineup. Or, as he put it earlier this fall: “I was just thrown in there to the sharks.”
Leaning on his athleticism and instincts, Maulet made a few memorable plays, including a pick-six in the first quarter of a nationally televised win over Cincinnati, but he struggled with consistency.
This year has been different. Defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson said he has seen continued growth from Maulet dating back to spring ball.
“He’s a prime example that hard work pays off, not only from last year to this year but from spring to now,” Woodson said. “He’s made a big jump, a big leap. He’s a kid that’s focused, and understands that his preparation is going to benefit him on game day.”
Woodson has been most impressed by Maulet’s ability to study film of opposing offenses, then recall what he’s seen immediately before the snap during a game. “He’s able to recognize and anticipate to put himself in a better position to make a play,” Woodson said.
Asked about how he’s grown over the past year, Maulet pointed to changes off the field. He said he’s put more focus into doing “the little things” away from football, whether that means showing up early for meetings or putting extra effort into his schoolwork.
“This coaching staff is just getting me better as a man off the field,” Maulet said. “Once you’re a better man off the field, it shows on the field. It just works hand in hand.”
Maulet’s teammates have noticed a change in him, too.
“You see a whole different man, because it’s a whole different system,” defensive lineman Ernest Suttles said, referring to defensive coordinator Chris Ball’s scheme. “I feel like (Maulet) has learned from his mistakes, and he’s proving it out here, as you’ve seen these last two games as well as practice.”
Maulet said he doesn’t think much about the specifics of last year’s Bowling Green game. He doesn’t dwell on the touchdown passes he allowed, nor the game-clinching play he made in the fourth quarter. He’s simply maintained his focus.
“I’ve never been around a kid that works as hard as Arthur,” Woodson said. “He’s a gym rat, a film junkie, and every day he’s coming to me about something he can improve on. That’s what you want as a coach from one of your better players.”