Memphis DB shared defensive coverages, signals with UTSA before 2024 game, per report
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A former Memphis football player recently told On3’s Memphis-based outlet, Tiger Sports Report, that during a 2024 game against UTSA, it felt like the Roadrunners’ offense had “a check for every single one of our defense’s checks.”
As it turns out, UTSA did. Because another former Memphis player shared every detail of his team’s defensive gameplan with UTSA quarterback Owen McCown before the game.
On Thursday, Tiger Sports Report published a screenshot of an alleged private conversation between former Memphis safety Tahj Ra-El and McCown, in which Ra-El shared signals, coverages, and intimate details of the Memphis defense. Ra-El left the team in October. According to Tiger Sports Report, he was dismissed from the football program.
Memphis lost to UTSA 44-36 on Nov. 2. The Tigers were 7-1 entering the game and finished the regular season 10-2.
They missed out on the AAC Championship Game despite beating Tulane head-to-head. Had the Tigers finished with only 1 conference loss, they would have made the conference title game and faced Army.
The alleged conversation between Ra-El and McCown is below. The injured safety Ra-El allegedly refers to is Kourtlan Marsh. According to Tiger Sports Report, Marsh started over Ra-El when he was healthy.
Ra-El declined to offer a comment to Tiger Sports Report.
Ra-El committed to transfer to Purdue in December.
The 44 points UTSA scored on Memphis were tied for the second-most allowed by the Tiger defense all year. UTSA, which finished 7-6, averaged 33.2 points per game and scored at least 40 in 6 of its 13 games.
McCown went 20-for-37 passing for 280 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions in the game against Memphis.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
