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Halftime Studs and Duds: Tulane vs Kansas State, Wave Behind 17-10 at Half

There was some good and some not so good in the first two periods of play.
Doug Joubert|
Tulane running back Johnnie Daniels
Tulane running back Johnnie Daniels | Corey Hughes

Injury Update

Tulane bandit Jah'rie Garner
Tulane bandit Jah'rie Garner | Corey Hughes

Two key defensive absences for the game:
- LB Chris Rodgers with a foot injury that might force the senior linebacker to miss much more than a few games.
- Bandit Jah'rie Garner, no word as to why he was not on the field. He was not listed on the pre-game injury list

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Tulane trails Kansas State in Manhattan 17- 10. It's halftime and here's who we think were the Studs and Duds in the first 30-minutes.

Studs

Leg

Cooper Helmke's nickname is "Leg." He showed why when he hit a 58-yard field goal near the end of the first half to help the Wave climb within seven, setting a Tulane record.

We have seen the St. Martin's product hit 70-yarders in practice, so the distance wasn't a worry for us, but Helmke's field goal would have been good from close to that with pressure on him. It was a think of beauty.

Tulane Offensive Front

While the K-State defense was concentrating on stopping Jaylin Lucas, the Wave O-line was opening gashes in the Wildcat line, giving Mo Turner and Johnnie Daniels to burst through holes. Turner already has a 17-yard run, Daniels a 21-yard dash. And then there was Semonza's touchdown run.

Duds

Semonza's Slow Start

Almost all of quarterback Kadin Semonza's early passes were too tall, usually a sign of adrenaline flowing. He did complete a big pass to Oliver Mitchell Jr, but was a pedestrian 5-for-15 for 86-yards in the first half. And taking a sack near the end of the half was almost unforgivable. Thank goodness for Helmke.

The junior must rise to the occasion if the Green Wave expects to have a chance.

Green Wave Defense

The Tulane D started in a "bend but don't break" mode. Then, Avery Johnson came awake. The Kansas State quarterback piled up over 100-yards in the first half, including a 66-yard jaunt up the sideline that was not contained by the Wave defense and his untouched sweep into the end zone.

The Green Wave D started well, but looked tired as the 2nd quarter advanced.

TV Analyst?

Who the hell is this guy doing color on the TV?

He likes the overthrow by K-State quarterback into the end zone that is incomplete, but says Kadin Semonza's deep toss toward double-coverage was not a good throw, even though it was thrown to the outside shoulder and was complete.

Missed Tackles

On the touchdown drive by Kansas State, we counted seven missed tackles by the Tulane defense during various runs and pass completions. That didn't happen in the first three drives where the Wildcats could only accomplish a field goal.

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Doug Joubert
DOUG JOUBERT

Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.

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