Tulane's Hall Opens Up On Preparing for Memphis; Provides DL Injury Updates
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Tulane 2026 Football Schedule
Opponent | Time/Date | Result | Score | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
@ Duke | 2:30PM, 9/5 | L | 17-3 | 0-1 |
S. Alabama | 6PM, 9/12 | W | 28-24 | 1-1 |
@ K-State | 11AM, 9/19 | L | 31-20 | 1-2 |
Sou. Miss. | 6PM, 9/26 | W | 24-21 | 2-2 |
BYE | 10/3 | - | - | - |
@ Army | 11AM, 10/10 | L | 20-17 | 2-3 |
Memphis | 6:30PM, 10/16 | |||
UTSA | 7PM, 10/24 | |||
@ Charlotte | 6PM, 10/30 | |||
Tulsa | TBD, 11/7 | |||
@ Rice | TBD, 11/14 | |||
N. Texas | TBD, 11/21 | |||
@ S. Florida | TBD, 11/28 |
"(I'm) excited to be back home this week," is what Head Coach Will Hall began his opening statement with during this Tuesday's press conference.
The travel back home this week will be met with Tulane's toughest conference opponent on the schedule, Memphis.
This obstacle is one of many that Tulane has already faced, and TU won't want to trip over this mighty mountain after a 20-17 loss to Army last week.
Tulane is 2-3, so it's been a rough start for the Hall Ball era of Green Wave football. If they want to keep their conference championship hopes alive, a victory over Memphis isn't desired, it's needed.
Gametime this Friday is 6:30pm at Yulman Stadium.
Getting On Track
"We haven't played our best, (and) everyone knows that," Hall continued in his opening statement.
Despite the known failures through the season, Coach Hall and TU football are eager to get back on the field, "Our football team is anxious to play again because we know we can be better, and we're looking forward to (Friday's game)."
Although it wasn't the first question, Hall was asked about the glaring QB issues that have plagued the team since Zeon Chriss-Gremillion was inititally announced as the starter, before Kadin Semonza took the mantle during week three, but then was benched for true freshman, Trace Johnson in the middle of a game against Southern Miss.
His response: "I think (the QB position) is always open, we're always trying to improve, (and) we've got to play better at quarterback."
The first question Hall was asked was about Memphis' top offense (7th in yards in the nation and 23rd in scoring), and what they could do to stop it. "Keeping (Memphis) out of the endzone... they spread you all the way to the sidelines and vertically..."
The New Tigers at Memphis
One of the biggest talking points in the American Conference this pre-season were all of the coaching hires that took place (Will Hall included).
A hot topic, however, was Memphis' signing of Charles Huff, who was heavily sought after by multiple programs due to his proven P4 pedigree (Alabama, Penn State, Mississippi State).
When asked about how that leadership makes a difference, Hall said, "(Huff is) a good coach (and) he does a good job. They play hard and credit to him."
Building on that, Hall laid out his thoughts on Memphis quarterback, Marcus Stokes, who will pose a serious threat to this Green Wave defense. With over 1,500 yards, 16 TDs, and only 3 interceptions, the Wave will need to throw Stokes off his game if they want a fighting chance.
"I've got a lot of respect for Marcus (Stokes)... and (he's) doing good. I'm proud of him and it's been fun to see his growth, I know Jake (Lang) thinks a lot of him."
Jake Lang was Stokes' QB coach at his previous school, West Florida, who Hall praised as well.
Hall was asked for some elaboration on Stokes, "He distributes it well, and he can also beat you with his feet and just doing a good job."
It's also worth mentioning that Hall pointed to Stokes benefiting from the Memphis system compared to his DII counterpart in West Florida.
Tulane will face a sort of scheme-whiplash this week as they go from defending the option, run heavy Army offense to the air-raid Memphis offense, but that doesn't seem to worry Coach Hall much.
"It is a drastic change, but, you know, we don't go against the Army style (of offense) all year long. We go against more of a spread look (against most opponents)."
A Struggling Offense
It has been no secret that the offense has really struggled this year in pretty much all aspects. Whether it be consistency or discipline, the offense can't seem to find a rhythm no matter the opponent.
Memphis holds the best redzone defense in the country (57.14% success rate [that's both TD's and FG's), and Hall's keys include, "Run the ball. You know, we've got to hit people when they're open (and) we've got to catch the ball when we're open. That's been the thing that's plagued us all year."
Tulane hasn't quite nailed their identity when it comes to the quarterback position, and since Hall said it was an open competition, he was asked what he looks for in his potential starting candidate.
"There's three things to me with quarterbacks. Number one: do what we tell you to do (and) read the plays properly... number two: don't turn the ball over (and) we've been good at that this year... and number three: we've got to make some off-schedule plays...."
Hall spoke to how important the run game is, and how having a great run game can open up the offense.
"We have to complete passes when (our opponents) load the box... (We have to do things) to alleviate the extra numbers in the box to help the run game," Hall said.
Although the offense has struggled, the offensive line has continued to see improved play as the year progresses.
When replying to Nola.com's Guerry Smith, Hall replied, "I think the last two games they've played very well... That's been a battle tested position just from a health standpoint. Coach (Cody) Kennedy and Coach (Kanan Ray) are doing a great job; those guys are playing hard and they've played well the past two weeks."
Injury Updates
Coach Hall rounded off the press conference with an injury update on returning defensive lineman, Kam Hamilton, who was injured in the fourth quarter last week against Army. Hall also gave a brief update on another DL in South Alabama transfer, Ed Smith IV, who did not play last week.
"(Hamilton) is day-to-day right now, we don't know if he's going to be able to play or not. Ed Smith, he didn't play last week, he's day-to-day right now (too)..."
Friday's game against Memphis is set for a 6:30pm start at Yulman Stadium, available to watch on ESPN
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Colin has been following football for over a decade. Growing up supporting LSU naturally led him to be a massive Saints fan. He is a regular guest on the Ball Don’t Lie podcast on WBOK-AM in New Orleans as well as Apple Podcasts, where they discuss the NFL, College Football, and the NBA.