No one in a white jersey saw Kobee Minor.

Not the left tackle, who Minor whizzed by at the line of scrimmage. Not the running back, who had motioned out to the flat and left his quarterback woefully unprepared for what was about to happen. And, most importantly, not Nicholas Vattiato, the Middle Tennessee State quarterback who was looking to his right when in less than a second, he ended up face down on the ground.

The ball rolled away from Vattiato on impact. It found its way into the hands of Chandler Martin, who scooped it up at the 12-yard line. Minor didn't even see that part — he was already celebrating near the goal line.

Brandon Thomas rushed for a touchdown three plays later, giving Memphis football a lead it never relinquished in a 24-7 win over the Blue Raiders. Minor's play was the undisputed catalyst, the moment that literally jolted the game awake after a sleepy first quarter that involved zero points and lots of missed opportunities on both sides.

"When I'm out there on the field, I feel like I can't be stopped," Minor said. "No matter how big you are, how fast you are, I've got a job to do. And I play with a chip on my shoulder."

It was another moment for the Memphis defense, which had garnered so much praise this season and then garnered so much criticism after last week's 56-44 loss at Navy. For better or for worse, Minor and the rest of coordinator Jordon Hankins' unit are the story after a Tigers game — just like they've been each and every time this season.

How Kobee Minor turned Memphis-MTSU game around

Coach Ryan Silverfield promises this happened. In the hotel earlier Saturday, he had a specific message for his defense.

"Guys, I'm putting this out in the universe," he told them. "We're going to get a sack-forced fumble tonight, and it's going to get things going."

Elijah Herring, who returned from a two-game injury absence to lead the Tigers with 10 tackles and 1.5 sacks, said that discussion started even earlier.

"We had been talking about getting a strip-sack," he said. "Just kept saying it throughout the week."

If there were odds on who most likely would make that happen, though, Minor wouldn't have been at the top of the list. He'd never gotten a strip-sack in his career, for one. And he's a cornerback, so how many times is he going to get to run at the quarterback?

It was a perfect play call for a perfect situation. Minor got an early jump, and there was no avoiding him from the second the ball was snapped.

"Coach Hankins called a good play, a corner blitz," he said.

What the bounce-back performance means for Memphis' defense

This was more like the unit that held North Alabama scoreless, held Troy to 17 points and held Florida State to 12 points. It was starkly different from the one that was completely overrun by Navy's offense a week ago, and it'll give the Tigers confidence heading into their open week.

Minor's play might've woken things up, but it wasn't the only impressive moment. Jordan Grier had already come up with a critical play, knocking the ball away from MTSU receiver Omari Kelly near the goal line in a wild play that resulted in a touchback. Herring had a key two-play stretch that included a tackle for loss and then a half-sack on the next play, one that effectively ended any comeback hopes for the Blue Raiders.

And that's what Silverfield liked, especially with South Florida's high-octane offense next up after the break.

"I didn't want one game to define who they were," he said. "That's why I kept saying that game was not going to define us as long as we came back and put in the work. More than anything, the win gets that bad taste out of your mouth. Let's be real: We're all human. I can't sit here and say I'm totally not affected by losses and wins."

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

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How Kobee Minor and Memphis football defense sparked win over MTSU