Coming off a resounding 66-14 win over Mercer, the Memphis Tiger football team now turns their attention to the Navy Midshipmen— their first conference game of the season. Austin Hall, who is entering his third season as a starter on defense, is hoping to help set the tone against the potent Navy offense.
Hall had his best career game with ten total tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery last season when Navy played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. While it is important to get off to a good start in conference play, the Tigers’ linebacker is focusing on the bigger task at hand.
“It’s just as important as any other conference game,” Hall said. “They are one of the top teams in our conference every year, and it has always been a dogfight against them. In order to win our conference, we have to beat Navy, so going into the game, we have to be mentally tough for what they bring to the table with their effectiveness running the triple-option.”
As one of the head defensive players, Hall prefers to lead by example.
“I think anyone can be a leader, and people may not see it outside of our team, and I think the biggest thing for me showing up every day is to set an example for what is to be expected on our team,” Hall said. “I don’t go above and beyond being vocal because that’s just not who I am, but I do push people and want to make others better around me.”
As the Tigers prepare to open conference play, Hall is determined to continue showing not only what the Tigers, but the entire American Athletic Conference, are capable of.
With teams like Central Florida, who finished last season undefeated, South Florida, Houston and Navy, the competition figures to be stiff this season, and that isn’t lost on Hall, the team’s second-leading tackler from last season, either.
“I think we are a conference that can compete with any other conference, and it has shown in recent years,” Hall said. “We have talent for sure, and our conference is on the rise, and it will continue to be known nationally that we can compete with other conferences.”
Despite being in the midst of the best five-year run in program history, Hall is still motivated to prove those who doubt Memphis football wrong.
“I think Memphis football has established a culture that was missing years back,” Hall said. “Not only has it been established, but it is set, and people are buying into it. If proving to people that we are a team that can compete for championships is what we have to do, then that’s what we’ll do.”
The Tigers open conference play at Navy this weekend before returning home to face Georgia State on Sept. 14. Their next conference game will see the Tigers take a trip to Tulane on Sept. 28.
Austin Hall catching the ball while practicing. Hall spoke exclusively with The Daily Helmsman about this week's battle against the Navy.
