The University of Memphis has started the football season 3-0 for the third consecutive year after avoiding an upset against Southern Illinois University. In the three wins, Memphis’ defense struggled to limit opponents, and that will have to change for a chance at the American Athletic Conference title.
The Tigers’ offense has been dominant so far, ranking 14 of 130 college teams in points per game with 43. Their defense, on the other hand, has been rough. They are ranked 108 in points allowed, allowing 35 points per contest, and they have played only one good offense.
Memphis started the season with the University of Louisiana-Monroe with a 37-29 win. The game was played as Tropical Storm Harvey passed through, and the weather made things tougher on offenses to execute, especially in the passing game.
Even with the rain and wind affecting the game, ULM passed for 279 yards and two scores. Riley Ferguson and the No. 14 scoring Tigers only threw for 97 yards. The Warhawks took advantage of a young secondary with little experience.
During the game, Memphis also had season-ending injuries to Jared Gentry and Jackson Dillon. Those were big losses for the defense with Dillon being arguably the best linebacker on the team and Gentry being backed up by a true freshman.
After the game with the University of Central Florida was postponed, the Tigers’ second game of the season came against a top offense in the nation. Memphis beat UCLA 48-45 in an offensive shootout, and the defense made a few key stops in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
Giving up 45 points to Josh Rosen and the Bruins is not too big of a deal. They are ranked 10th in points per game and have scored at least 45 points in three of their four games.
The problems with the defense in the UCLA game were the lack of pass rush and allowing big plays. The secondary allowed at least six passes of 20-plus yards, and two of those went for 50 yards or more.
Rosen attempted 56 passes but was only sacked one time. He was able to sit in the pocket, allow routes to develop and fire down field for most of the game. But Memphis pressured him with a corner blitz on one play that resulted in an interception in the fourth quarter.
Coming into the game with SIU, Memphis was considered a 29.5-point favorite against their FCS opponent. Not only did the Salukis cover, but they also actually led for much of the game, including at halftime.
SIU dominated the first half and seemed to march the ball down the field with ease. Their long drives kept the Memphis offense from getting into a rhythm and tired the defense.
Sam Straub had his best game of the season with 290 yards and four touchdowns. His previous best was 206 yards against Southeast Missouri. Big plays were not as much of a factor, but Straub always seemed to have a wide open receiver for about 10 yards.
The corners played soft coverage and could not make the one-on-one tackles in the first half. But the defense settled in the second half and held SIU to 10 points
Memphis has been able to get away with poor defense this season with two games against weaker opponents and scoring 48 points against UCLA. Now that conference play is about to start, they will face better all-around teams than what they have faced so far.
Relying on the Tiger offense to outscore the opposing offense is not the best way to win games in conference play. In order to win their division in the AAC and make a run to the conference championship game, Memphis will have to improve their defense.
Tito Windham lines up in front of the UCLA receiver before the snap. Windham broke up two passes and made three tackles in the game.
