Giannotto
spread offenses. He returns eight of his 11 starters from a year ago, and how we define their success could ultimately determine the success of this entire Memphis season.
Because if you judge Ball by yards allowed, his track record is discouraging.
He’s been a defensive coordinator for nine of the past 10 seasons in the Pac-12 and the American Athletic Conference, two of the highest-scoring leagues in the country.
His units have finished among the top 70 in the nation in total defense and passing defense just once.
His two defenses at Memphis thus far were ranked 106th and 117th in total defense. Last year, only eight Football Bowl Subdivision teams gave up more passing yards than the Tigers.
But if you judge him situationally, the results are more encouraging.
Only one school has more takeaways (65) than Memphis during Ball’s two seasons as defensive coordinator. His defenses were among the top five in the country in turnovers three of the past five years.
The Tigers also ranked among the top 50 in the country in red zone defense last year. In 2016, they were among the top 50 in third-down defense in 2016.
Those are three of the four categories — along with scoring defense — that coach Mike Norvell said he focuses on when evaluating Ball and the defense.
Norvell knows that his explosive offense, which had just seven scoring drives last more than four minutes last season, gives opposing teams more possessions and, in turn, the opportunity for more yards.
So at every practice, after each turnover the defense comes up with, Ball has the entire unit shout out how many it created that day.
It’s why before linebacker Jackson Dillon unveiled the team’s new turnover robe during a meeting ahead of last week’s opener against Mercer, Ball showed his players a highlight package of every turnover they forced the past two seasons.
“If you can create more opportunities for your offense to get the ball,” Norvell said, “you got a chance to win more games.”
How Mike Norvell came to trust Chris Ball
Norvell and Ball first met at Arizona State in 2012, and the two quickly formed a bond. Ball understood he had become friends with one of college football’s rising offensive minds. Norvell appreciated Ball’s experience, passion and level-headedness.
Their families sometimes vacation together now, and Ball joked that he finally got Norvell hooked on fly fishing during a recent trip to Norvell’s house on Beaver Lake in Arkansas.
When Memphis hired Norvell, he immediately targeted Ball to be his defensive coordinator. Ball said it was “a no brainer I was going to go with him,” even though he held the title of co-defensive coordinator at Arizona State.
“He’s got a head coach mentality and approach to everything that he does,” Norvell said.
This is an important quality for an offensive-minded coach like Norvell, particularly this week with Navy on deck. But is it enough?
That’s the question Ball must answer, particularly given the amount of talent at his disposal now, if Memphis is to win an AAC title this year with a new starting quarterback.
We know Ball is a steady influence on Norvell and his players — "He looks at us like we're his sons," Dillon said this week.
We also know, at this point, that Norvell’s offensive scheme is one of the best in the country.
We don't yet know, though, if Ball’s defense can consistently slow down the other high-scoring offenses of the AAC.
Last October, when the Tigers beat the Midshipmen for the first time, Ball’s defense held Navy 100 yards below its season average in total yards and forced five turnovers.
It proved to be a galvanizing moment for a unit devastated by injuries early in the season, even if the statistics weren’t always pretty.
But for Ball, some numbers don't tell the whole story.