Wycoff big factor in Titans defense

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Wycoff big factor in Titans defense

By Cody Pastorella

The Port Arthur News

In Friday night’s 50-18 win over Atascocita, Memorial’s defense scored 23 points, all of which came in the third quarter, and in about six minutes of play.

Linebacker Earl Hines scored on a fumble recovery, linebacker Cody Hebert scored on a fumble recovery, cornerback Desmond Gardiner scored on an interception return and the defense scored a safety when Atascocita was flagged for intentional grounding while in the endzone.

On a night when Memorial put up 50 points on the scoreboard, there were just a handful of people on the Titans’ sidelines who didn’t find the endzone.

Strong safety Richard Wycoff never scores, but the senior was very much a part of the five turnovers

Memorial forced against Atascocita.

Wycoff stands just shy of 6-3 and weighs right at 200 pounds. He has long arms, deceptive speed and runs a

4.5 (second) 40-yard dash.

“We use him all over the field,†defensive coordinator Curtis Viola said. “He is one of the main ingredients

to this defense. He gives us a lot of favorable matchups with his size, strength and speed. He played outside linebacker for us last year and then we moved him to safety this year.

“A lot of times, we still use him like a linebacker. He’s big enough to play up on the line, big enough to use against the run, big enough that he can cover tight ends and he has the speed to run with just about anyone. The kid is just a great player. He can be five yards behind a receiver and just stick his long arms up in the air and knock a pass down.â€

In Friday night’s contest, Wycoff tackled everything that moved, even a towel boy from his own sideline. He

forced a fumble and recorded three sacks, three quarterback hurries and three quarterback knockdowns.

Wycoff graded out at a 95, the third time in five games he’s been above 90.

For the season, he has 47 tackles, including 13 assists, 11 tackles for loss and four sacks. He has seven quarterback hurries, five quarterback knockdowns, one pass deflection, one interception and two forced fumbles.

As a junior, Wycoff started the final three games of the season for the Titans at linebacker before moving to safety in the spring. Wycoff missed some spring workouts because he was taking advanced courses to prepare for college.