Tulane Green Wave 2018 Football Preview
Opening Statement: It all came down to 3 points last season in New Orleans. With only a 4th bowl trip in 30 years on the line, Tulane fell to SMU in Dallas 41-38, a 3 point loss. That was their 7th loss, and took the Green Wave out of bowl contention in the season finale. That is amazing in and of itself, as when Willie Fritz got to Tulane, the cupboard was completely empty. Now, in his 3rd season with the Green Wave, one of the best coaches in the game that people never hear about, may be on the cusp of pushing the Green Wave over the top and into a bowl.
Breakdown Offense: Jonathon Banks gives the Green Wave a QB that they think they can rely on to move the needle up this season. He passed for 1797 yards and 12 TDs, and tossed just 5 INTs last fall while improving in a big way in the second half of the season. He still has to work on accuracy, as he completed just 56.6% of his passes. Banks brings the added dimension of being able to run, and he rushed for 592 yards last fall with an additional 7 scores, and averaged 4 yards per carry. The overall health of the position, however, is up in the air, as 3 QBs have transferred since the end of last season, including top backup Johnathon Brantley and 3rd stringer Khalil McClain. Former starter Glen Cuiellette also transferred out.
Dontrell Hilliard is gone at RB, and that is a large hole to fill. Darius Bradwell should get first crack at replacing him after carrying the ball 66 times as the 3rd back last fall. Corey Dauphine, a transfer from Texas Tech, will be in the mix as well. Stephon Huderson, who carried 19 times as a freshman, should round out the group.
Tulane gets the entire starting receiving unit back intact, which is great news for the Green Wave's bowl aspirations. Terren Encalade, Darnell Mooney, and Jabril Clewis are all back to start. Encalade led the team with a line of 39-730-4, and averaged 18.72 yards per catch. Mooney posted 34-599-4, and averaged 17.62 yards per catch. Clewis posted 16-174-0, and averaged 10.88 yards per catch. Jacob Robinson, Devin Glenn, and Jaetavian Toles are the backups.
Charles Jones II is also back at TE after catching 13 passes. He scored 2 times last fall. Kendall Ardoin is the top backup here.
The line is all set from C to the right in Corey Dublin (C), Dominique Briggs (RG), and John Leglue (RT). Keyshawn McCloud projcts as the new starter at LT, while Cameron Jackel, a freshman, could start at LG. Tyler Johnson could be in the mix for the LT job, and Joey Claybrook, a sophomore, will provide depth at the Tackle spots. Finding depth in the middle will be a task taken on in fall camp.
Breakdown Defense: There are some issues on the defensive side, as the Green Wave has to find all new starters in the line in camp. As of now, Robert Kennedy and Patrick Johnson are penciled in at DE. Kennedy is a senior, while Johnson is a sophomore. They combined for 4 TFLs off the bench last fall. Jeffrey Johnson is the NT and Cameron Sample will be the DT, as the depth chart states now. Sample played in 11 games as a freshman last fall. Depth will be an issue.
Zachery Harris is back to start at LB. He totaled 69 tackles with just 3 TFLs last fall. He will be paired with a new starter in the 4-2-5 set. Junior Lawrence Graham projects to start in the open spot, but he totaled just 12 tackles last fall. Again, depth is a major issue here.
Just 2 starters return in the secondary in CB Donnie Lewis and S Roderic Teamer. Lewis led the team last fall with 11 PBUs, and totaled 3 INTs on the season. Teamer was good for 48 tackles. Jaylon Monroe (CB), Tirise Barge (NB) and PJ Hall (S) are the projected new starters. Barge is, by far, the most experienced of the group, as he played in all 12 games as a freshman last season. Replacing Parry Nickerson will be a massive task. Thakarius Keyes will give a push for the open CB spot, while Chase Kuerschen will make a push for the open Safety spot.
Breakdown Special Teams: Merek Glover is back at PK, and is almost automatic, as he hit 8/9 FG attempts last fall as a sophomore. He was 32/34 on PATs.
Zach Block is back as well, and will once again handle the Punter position. He needs to find more consistency, as he averaged 39.56 yards per punt last fall.
The return jobs appear open in camp.
Final Analysis: Willie Fritz is a rock solid head coach, and the fact that he has taken Tulane to where they are in 2 short seasons is evidence of that. Tulane football is headed in the right direction, and is in the right hands, and if the defensive issues can be ironed out early enough, Tulane could finally make the push to get back to a bowl for the first time since 2013. What was more painful than the 3 points keeping them from that goal last fall, was that Banks was one inch short of the end zone when time expired in that SMU loss. Offensively, the Green Wave should get that last push this season.
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