Keys to Victory for Tulane vs #22 Memphis
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For the second time in two weeks, the Tulane Green Wave will be on the road for an American Conference game. This Friday night prime time matchup has the Wave visiting the 22nd ranked Tigers of Memphis at 8:00 p.m. The last time Tulane defeated a ranked opponent was January, 2023 in the Cotton Bowl against USC. If the Greenies expect to pull this one off, here are our keys to victory.
Defense: Keep the Ball in Front of You
As you may have read in our interview with defensive backs coach J.J. McCleskey, this young Tulane defensive backfield has had a tendency to give up the big play this season. If the Green Wave has any chance to defeat what we think is the best team in the conference, that secondary has to grow up fast. As McCleskey told us, they've got to take care of the little details, like keeping that ball in front of them. If they can't, it's going to be a very long night.
A Synchronized Offense
Last week, when nothing seemed to go right, the Tulane offense was a prime example of that: the running game could not get going (two fumbles, one lost), the passing game had more than a few hiccups (four interceptions), receivers could not get separation, and quarterback Jake Retzlaff had his worst game as a Greenie. Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said Retzlaff is still his starter, and truth be told he is the Wave's best chance of winning. However, the harmony between him and his wideouts needs to be found and found quickly. In addition, the Tulane rushing game seems to be stuck in neutral. They could use a breakout game against a very large and athletic Memphis front.
Don't Spoil Sam Howard's Return
The heart and soul of this Tulane team is linebacker Sam Howard. Sumrall called him "a thermostat, not a thermometer. He just changes the temperature in the entire room."
In the fourth quarter of the East Carolina game, Howard fractured his fibula. He had surgery that week and started rehab. He missed the Army and UTSA games, but, somehow Howard is already back and ready to play for the TU defense. We didn't just see him at practice this week, but we watched him leading that defensive unit.
Howard originally walked on at Austin Peay university, then transferred to Tulane playing his final two years of eligibility last year and this season. He has done so well, he is one of 79 players nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performances on the field. This from a guy who has missed one-sixth of the season. That's how much he is respected, not just by Tulane, but by the rest of the FBS.
To turn in the same kind of performance against Memphis as they did last week in the Alamodome would be a shame, not just for this team, but for what Howard has done to get back on the field.
A Defining Moment in the Sumrall Era
We've all heard of must-win games. Sure, this is one of them, if Tulane wants to make it to another American Conference championship contest. However, this game truly can be called a defining moment for head coach Jon Sumrall, his coaches, his team, his recruits, his program. How will Tulane respond to last week's clubbing at the hands of Texas-San Antonio? They aren't taking on some middle school from Bunkie, Louisiana. They are facing the best the American has to offer in the Memphis Tigers. They aren't just ranked 22nd, they are solid on both sides of the ball and can complete with the best teams anywhere. Yes, we said anywhere. That's where Tulane wants to be: in the position to compete with the best teams.
This is their chance. This is the Sumrall era's defining moment.
Change for NOLA Radio Listeners
The Green Wave kickoff at 8:00 p.m. Friday against the #22 Memphis Tigers on ESPN. There is a change in which radio station in New Orleans will be broadcasting that game. Instead of the usual home for Tulane football, Cumulus Broadcasting is moving this game, and this game only, to one of their other stations, Alt 92.3 FM.
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.