Everything Memphis Head Coach Ryan Silverfield Said About West Virginia

Memphis Tigers head coach previews the Frisco Bowl versus the Mountaineers.

Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In just a few hours, the Memphis Tigers will battle the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl. Monday afternoon, Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield met with the media to discuss the matchup.

Here is everything he said about WVU.

Initial thoughts on West Virginia

“They’re a Power Four team. You can see that. And I think they always pride themselves in starting in the trenches. Their defensive line is probably the best we’ve seen all season. They’re fast, they get off, they’re big, they’re tough. And then they pride themselves on their offensive line. It starts with their left tackle (Wyatt Milum), who will be a first-round draft pick. They’ve got guys that have played a lot of football who are four-year starters on their offensive line. They’re tremendous in the trenches. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve got skilled athletes everywhere. But their offense, they want to line up and run the ball. They’ve got a quarterback with over 600 rushing yards. They have two running backs with over 600 yards. It’s going to present a lot of challenges. They do have an interim head coach, and in bowl games, you always expect the unexpected. There are always going to be some unique things that occur during the game.”

Challenges of facing DL T.J. Jackson

“He has a great combination of speed-to-power. He’s one of those guys that you try to run right at him, and he’s going to slip and make the tackle for a loss. In pass protection, you’re trying to do it, and he’ll hit you up with a counter. He’s very, very explosive. I think anytime you can have 6.5 sacks in college football this day and age, that’s very difficult to do. He’s got a multitude of tools. We’ve got to be great, and we’ve got to be smart in the way we handle protections. He’s a force to be reckoned with. He’s one of the best pass rushers we’ve seen in a long time.”

Defending QB Garrett Greene

“It’s an added element to the game. We’ve faced some mobile quarterbacks but not ones that on 3rd & 8 it’ll be a designed quarterback run. They’ve got to be great, and the communication has to be on point, and they’ve got to trust their eyes.”

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