Keys to Victory Tulane vs Army
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Keys to the Game - Tulane vs Army
Today, Tulane faces Army in an American Conference tilt. Kickoff is early, set for 11:00 a.m. in Yulman Stadium on the Tulane University campus. The Green Wave are 5-1 on the season, 2-0 in conference play. Tulane's American victories have come against Tulsa and East Carolina. The Black Knights are 3-3 on the year, 2-2 in league games. They've beaten UAB and Charlotte, falling to North Texas in overtime and to East Carolina.
Discipline and Patience
To re-quote coach Bam Hardmon, "It's going to take discipline and patience (to beat Army)." He's not kidding. The Black Knights do not beat themselves. They do not make mistakes, Army is the least penalized team in the American Conference, averaging around three flags a game. Tulane's flags-per-game are almost triple that, the most in the league this year. Playing with discipline is not something the Green Wave have shown when it comes to getting flagged. As the schedule gets tougher, Tulane has got to find a way not to beat themselves.
Stop the Army Ground Game
This is not a passing team. They are dead last in the American, averaging a paltry 79-yards a game. What they do, and do well, is run the ball. Army averages over 280-yards a game on the ground, second only to unbeaten Navy in that league category. Stop the run, you stop Army.
Put the Ball in the End Zone
The Green Wave has to finish drives. It sure is nice to have Patrick Durkin on your side if you need a field goal. The operative word there is need. Tulane must figure out how to finish off their drives and not peter out once they're inside the 20.
Tulane Rushing Game Must Succeed
Last week, the Green Wave were uncharacteristically held to under 100-yards on the ground by East Carolina, and not a rushing touchdown to be seen. Under Jon Sumrall, Tulane is at its best when it can run the ball and run it well. It not only sets up the pass, it will help win that time of possession battle that Army usually wins so well.
Tulane and Army play Saturday, October 18th at 11:00 a.m. in Yulman Stadium in a game that can be watched on ESPNU and listened to on the Tulane Radio Network.
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.