Memphis ‘D’ steady in victory over Tulsa
Memphis senior linebacker Jackson Dillon cleared his throat as he took a seat at the microphone after the Tigers' 47-21 win over Tulsa Saturday.
"Sorry, I'm still a little hoarse. I was watching 'Seinfeld' last night," Jackson said grinning. "Things got out of hand."
It was telling sign that the mood was much more light for the Memphis defense after it finally got back on track by stuffing the Tulsa rushing attack.
This season has been filled with turbulence for defensive coordinator Chris Ball's unit, which is why Saturday's steadying performance undoubtedly felt good.
Memphis entered the matchup ranked 87th in the country in total defense and was torched for more than 350 yards and three scores through the air in each of their last two contests.
That wasn't the case Saturday, as Tulsa's run-heavy offense and the Tigers' pass rush seemed to be the perfect prescription for their previous struggles.
Before the matchup with Memphis, the Golden Hurricane gained over 56 percent of their total yards on the ground and averaged 221 rushing yards.
Tulsa didn't even come close to those averages, as the Tigers held them to a season-lows in rushing yards (112) and total yards (252).
"You had 11 guys on that defense who were all playing as one," Norvell said. "They really came in with the mentality that they wanted to stop the run, and I was so proud of the physicality and the effort."
Memphis sacked Tulsa freshman quarterback Seth Boomer five times and finished with a season-high 11 tackles for loss. Dillon was part of that pressure, and the sixth-year senior recorded his first sack since 2014 early in the fourth quarter.
"It's about time," Dillon said. "I've had a bummed-up ankle all year, but it felt good to finally get one."
Dillon credited a new defensive package the team added during the team's bye week for some of his success. The new look features both he and junior Bryce Huff on the edges of the pass rush and allows both players to rush without any other responsibilities besides holding contain.
"(Pass rush is) something that is big for our continued growth," Norvell said. "Last week we got a lot of pressure on the quarterback but didn't finish. This week that was a continued emphasis to make sure when you get there that you get them down."
Saturday was also the first time since the Tigers' opener against Mercer that they held their opponent scoreless in the first half.
"This gives us big-time confidence," Dillon said. "We really wanted the shutout, but didn't get it."