Hall Prepares for Kansas State, Speaks to Injury Concern

Tulane Football Schedule 2026

If you are on a mobile device, turn it sideways so you can see all five columns.

Opponent	Date	Result	Score	Record
at Duke	9/5	L	17-3	0-1
Sou Alabama	9/12	W	28-24	1-1
@ K-State	9/19
Sou Miss	9/26
OPEN	10/3	--	--	--
@ Army	10/10
Memphis	10/16
UTSA	10/24
@ Charlotte	10/30
Tulsa	11/7
@ Rice	11/14
Nor Texas	11/21
@ Sou Fla	11/27

The Tulane-Southern Miss game has been set for a 6:00 p.m. kickoff in Yulman Stadium on Saturday, September 26th. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.

After Saturday's hard-fought win against South Alabama, Tulane must now look forward to their toughest challenge yet, Kansas State.

The K-State defense has yet to allow a touchdown this year (Nicholls and Washington State), and their offense has scored105 points while compiling 607 rushing-yards across both contests.

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Tulane head coach Will Hall met with the media following practice Tuesday, and he indicated that the team had improved, but he was clear that there was still more work to be done.

Hall's Opener

"Tremendous challenge in front of us this week..." he began. "They're playing really well in all three phases, (and) they're one of the least penalized teams in the country..."

He moved on to his own team, and discussed the need to be better, "We've got to play better, and (we've) got to play really well, we know that..."

Tulane will need to play its best this Saturday, and Hall has optimism about this week as a whole, "I thought we had the best Tuesday practice (since the season began), which was great to see. I think our young men are starting to realize who we are... and what we have to do to improve."

One key for TU's victory this Saturday is third-down situations on both sides of the ball. (TU: 6/12 3/14 OPP: 10/16 8/18) So far this year, Tulane is 9/26 (34.6%)on third-down while their opponents sit at 18/36 (50.0%).

Hall emphasized this issue, "We know we have to get better at getting off the field on third-down."

Coach Hall continued to list points of improvement, including Tulane's struggle to stay on the field. Leading to its offensive inconsistency and flashiness.

"We know we've got to be more consistent offensively. We were extremely explosive last week, but we've got to be more consistent," Hall said.

What You Do it For

Opening up to questions, Hall answered one regarding a 'proud teacher' moment that my colleague Doug Joubert asked about.

Mister Joubert asked how Hall felt as a coach, using his own experiences as a teacher in comparison, Hall replied, "When you see your young men sacrifice themselves and their stats for the good of other people... that's what you do it for."

He continued, "(But) you also do it for young men that (are injured and) put everything in it... You want to see them get their goals, and reach everything they've worked so hard to get to."

The Best Practice

Hall was then asked to elaborate on that 'best Tuesday practice' we mentioned earlier.

"Leadership, intentionality, (and) the ability to understand how much practice matters," he said.

He also pointed to RB Jaylin Lucas' 200-yard performance and Fat Hill's effective contributions, and how they related to their best week of practice.

"Fat Hill had his best week of practice (last week)... Jaylin Lucas has had two consecutive great weeks of practice (and) look how (they) played."

No Rodgers or Thompson Injury Update

When coach Hall was asked about LB Chris Rodgers and his injury, he didn't have much to say.

"We're working through it to get the final diagnosis (and) we're getting a second opinion," is what Hall's message was, and although it isn't promising, we'll have to wait and see Rodgers' status.

When speaking to TE Ty Thompson's injury, Hall had more of the same, "We're still gathering information on (Thompson, and) what the rest of the year will look like."

Cleaning it Up... On the Road

"We missed 20% less tackles this week than last week, (but) it's still too much," Hall inquired about Tulane's tackling issues. "We know we've got to improve in that area if we're ultimately going to be the defense we want to be," Hall finished.

"We know we've got to improve in that area if we're ultimately going to be the defense we want to be," Hall finished.

When talking about Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson and how they'll prepare for him, Hall had plenty to say, "Very experienced, dynamic, explosive," Hall used to describe the senior.

"He's unbelievable outside the pocket (and in the run game). (But,) we've got to have our eyes right, we've got to be assignment sound, and we've got to wrap and squeeze."

What'll be even tougher is getting the offense going in hostile territory against this stout Wildcat defense.

Like we said earlier, that Wildcat defense hasn't allowed a touchdown yet, and when coach Hall was asked about what impressed him the most, he replied, "Extremely sound, they know what they're doing all the time... They've got dynamic pass rushers, (Wendell Gregory) and (Darion Whitaker Jr.)"

Getting Better

Although coach Hall had plenty of points of improvement and things to improve for Saturday's match, what definitely played better was the offensive line.

When coach Hall was asked what he thought attributed to that improved play, he said, "The game was played in a way that fits our o-line... Getting (John) Bock (II back) helps, Gavin Marks is a good player too, but the ability to rotate (and play more people)... that helps to keep them fresh."

"I think (the o-line) and the d-line, you're going to see them grow throughout the year."

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