With halftime adjustments by coach Mike Norvell and the Memphis Tigers staff, quarterback Brady White sat in the shotgun facing a four-man rush as the third quarter opened. 

The new offensive strategy led to six runs and one pass putting the Tigers facing a second-and 13 at the South Alabama 18-yard line. The pocket collapsed around White pretty quickly. He stepped up with a defender on his back and a linebacker jumping into his line of sight. 

Instead of falling to the pressure, White delivered a pass towards the right pylon into the arms of a leaping Damonte Coxie for a score -- just like they practiced it. 

“It was a route that we run a lot in practice,” Coxie said. “Me and Brady [White] work on that after practice a lot too. It’s a timing thing. It looked just like practice. He got out and made a play with his feet. He found me in the back of the endzone and I made a play.” 

Coxie developed into one of White’s most popular targets through the first four games of the season. The redshirt sophomore receiver’s 23 receptions, 352 yards and four touchdowns outpace his season totals from the 2017 season. 

Norvell believes the ‘dog mentality’ Coxie brings to practice every day started carrying to games. The physical tools that made him highly ranked high school recruit who drew interest from Alabama and LSU are there. The production started to come once he started putting things together off the field. 

“He’s done well,” Norvell said. “Damonte has all of the physical tools. Great catch radius, really good speed, a good route-runner. The thing I’ve been most pleased with is the mental progression he’s had – the details and putting himself in the right position a high percentage of the time. I think that’s showing up. Last week he carried the hammer because when steps on that field he plays with a dog mentality.” 

White and Coxie continue to work towards developing a chemistry like that of recent graduates Riley Ferguson and Anthony Miller. They work during and after practice to continue developing their relationship so they can have moments like the touchdown from Saturday night.

White is one of the most efficient quarterbacks in college football and that extends to when he passes to Coxie, who has caught 23 of 31 targets this season. John “Pop” Williams is the only other receiver with over 10 receptions on the team. 

“Brady is a good quarterback,” Coxie said. “His arm is getting very strong. Our connection is getting there. He’s trusting me more. I’m trusting him and that he’s going to make the throws. He’s trusting me and that I’m going to make the catch. It’s coming every day of practice and us doing it in practice so when we get to the game we can translate it.” 

According to ProFootballFocus, White was the one most efficient quarterback against the blitz in the NCAA in the win over South Alabama on Saturday. He was 9-for-11 for 131 yards and a touchdown with a quarterback rating of 146.6 against the Jaguar blitz. When under pressure White finished with a passer rating of 158.3 – the highest in the NCAA. 

White in ninth in the NCAA in completion percentage through four games at 72.2 percent. He’s only thrown one interception compared to ranking seventh nationally with 12 touchdowns, tied with Florida’s Feleipe Franks and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. 

Offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham said White’s efficiency is essential for the Tigers dynamic players to go. The redshirt junior doesn’t turn the ball over and puts the ball in the hands of the right receiver. 

“It’s just him going out and continuing to be who he is which is an ultra-efficient, ultra-effective football player,” Dillingham said. “We’re through four games now and one of our number one principles of our program is owning the football. And other than the Hail Mary at the end of the half (against Navy) he hasn’t put the football in jeopardy once. We’re giving those dynamic playmakers one more play. And we always say give those guys one more play and they could go for 80.”