Navy Football: 3 takeaways from tough loss to Memphis in Week 5

By Dante Pryor | Sep 27, 2019

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 14: Wide receiver CJ Williams #20 of the Navy Midshipmen scores a touchdown against the East Carolina Pirates during the second half at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on September 14, 2019 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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ORLANDO, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 01: Brady White #3 hands the ball off to Darrell Henderson #8 of the Memphis Tigers during the first half of the American Athletic Championship against the UCF Knights at Spectrum Stadium on December 01, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

1. Memphis is a serious contender

There are two things that travel in football: A running game and a defense. Memphis has them both. Kenneth Gainwell had over 100 yards rushing in this game, and the Memphis defense held the Midshipmen to almost 100 yards less than their season average on the ground.

One of the issues the Tigers had last season was holding leads. They lost two leads against Central Florida and their lead against Wake Forest in their bowl game. This team has a veteran defense that can hold leads unlike last years’ team.

Offensively, they’ve slowed down some of the temp philosophies. They went fast at times tonight, but showed an ability to slow the game down when they needed to. That keeps the defense fresh, and helps you shorten the game.

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In the grand scheme of the AAC, they have a defense that can slow any offensive team in the conference, and they can run and burn clock on offense. AAC teams beware.

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