Memphis football is back on track for the most part.

The Tigers (4-1) beat MTSU (1-4) on Saturday at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, overcoming a sluggish start to earn a 24-7 win over the Blue Raiders in the nonconference finale for both teams.

Memphis was again led by its defense, which allowed some big plays but also forced turnovers and helped control the game in the second half. Here are our overreactions from the game.

The Tigers will go as far as their defense can take them

Memphis has long been known for its offense, like last season, when it was No. 6 in the country in scoring offense but below average in scoring defense. Heading into this season, all the talk was about Memphis putting together a passable defense to support an elite offense.

After five games, it's looking like that idea was just wrong. The Tigers have won and lost every game this season because of their defense. It led them to a win over Florida State, and it also led them to a loss against Navy.

The defense was again the story on Saturday, with timely turnovers helping set up Memphis' scoring drives. And it'll likely be the story when the Tigers face South Florida in two weeks.

Memphis' passing attack still needs work

The passing attack was supposed to be the one thing that didn't need work heading into the season, with Seth Henigan returning alongside his three top receivers in Roc Taylor, Demeer Blankumsee and Koby Drake. And while the Tigers didn't need anything special from the passing game in the first few games, it's clear that it hasn't been operating at the level it did last season.

There have been plays in every game that looked like they were just an inch or two off. In Saturday's game, both Taylor and Drake had their hands on passes in the end zone, but neither resulted in a score. While Memphis' tight ends have been involved, the receivers have caught just one touchdown pass this season.

Elijah Herring is Memphis' most important defensive player

The Tigers went to Tallahassee and beat Florida State without Herring, so this isn't to say they can't win without him.

Still, he was sorely missed in the loss to Navy, and there's no question his tackling ability would've been a potential game-changer against the Midshipmen. He returned on Saturday after missing two games and again was dominant, including a stretch in the third quarter where he almost single-handedly ended an MTSU drive with a tackle for loss and a sack on consecutive plays.

Chandler Martin is still the leader of this defense, and Kobee Minor was outstanding again. But Herring, who finished with 10 tackles and two sacks, could be the unit's most important player.

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis' defensive bounce-back, other overreactions from win over MTSU