Takeaways from Tulane's 35-24 Victory over FAU
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Tulane was supposed to win against Florida Atlantic, and they did by a 35-24 count. That victory along with various upsets in the American vaulted the Green Wave to #24 in the AP-Top 25 poll this week and entered the USA Today coaches poll at #25. Here are the key points we took away from the Wave victory.
No Let Down
After a road win at then 22nd ranked Memphis, a let down for some teams would not be a surprise. It didn't happen here. Homecoming, or a sold out stadium, or being a 16+ point favorite didn't matter. The Wave took care of business almost from the start. After a couple of three-and-out drives to start the game, Tulane found its rhythm offensively and scored on three consecutive drives. Meanwhile, the defense, without its heart and soul, linebacker Sam Howard who sat this one out to continue to recover from an undetermined injury, pulled down three interceptions, forced two fumbles recovering one, and forced one of the most prolific offenses in the American Conference to give it up on downs twice.
The Wave Running Game was Game
The Green Wave needed to rush the ball well to keep it out of the hands of the high-powered Owls offense. 162-rushing yards later, Tulane did. As a team, the Wave rushed the ball 37 times, over half the plays the Greenies ran offensively, scoring three touchdowns. Redshirt freshman back Jamauri McClure had his first breakout game since over a year ago during his redshirt year in a game against UAB. Versus FAU, McClure rushed 10-times for 94-yards, including a 26-yard slash up the middle. Success in the running game flip-flopped the time of possession tide almost completely. In the first half, FAU had a seven-and-a-half minute advantage in TOP. By game's end, Tulane was only second behind the Owls cumulatively in that category.
Gettin' Pretty
Tulane football coach Jon Sumrall has described this team as "tough" and "gritty" and warned how good they could be once they were "pretty." Maybe this wasn't beauty pageant worthy, but it was prettier end-to-end than anything we've seen since the opening win against Northwestern. As seen above, both sides of the ball competed and played strong games. Tulane scored five times and none of them were field goals. The TU defense took away the ball four times. The kicking game was good at times, but so-so at others. Patrick Dunkin did hit every extra point, but punter Alec Clark was hot and cold, nailing a 53-yard boomer, but he had one end-over-ender that wasn't his best. Still, this wasn't just a win, it was a prettier one.
American Championship and Playoffs (possibly)
We know Sumrall doesn't want to talk about it, so we will.
With Tulane's win, plus Navy's victory over South Florida and East Carolina outscoring Memphis in the dreaded Alamodome, Tulane has been put in a place where they have a good chance to get into the American Conference championship game. Will the Wave host? Probably not.
It all comes down to Navy and North Texas. The Midshipmen have one more AAC game, traveling to Memphis on Thanksgiving Day to take on a flailing Tiger team. North Texas is on the road at Rice next Saturday, then at home versus Temple. If Tulane wins out and either Navy or North Texas falter, Tulane is in. Otherwise, it will be left up to some computers that are not always explainable in their calculations.
No Sam Howard on the Field, but Someone Is Stepping Up
Tulane linebacker Sam Howard has been described as the heart and soul of this Tulane team. There is no disagreement from here. He brings a different feel to field, whether he's playing or not. He truly is an extraordinary leader. However, a unique and telling interchange happened at yesterday's postgame media conference that points to someone who has taken on a roll that mirrors Howard's feel.
As Green Wave spear, Javion White was wrapping up his portion of interviews after the game, quarterback Jake Retzlaff came into the room and sat in the very front row of where the media sits, right next to the podium. You can't see him, but he's to the bottom right, outside the frame of this picture.
Retzlaff jumps in off-mic and asks White, "How would you rate your quarterback's drip today? Is he the swaggiest guy you've ever seen or what?" White answers quickly, "Negative," getting laughs from the media. Without missing a beat, Retzlaff asks where he can get a crop-top turtleneck, and White laughs as he exits the podium.
This is just a sample of what we've seen of Retzlaff's comradery and love towards his teammates. He spoke about having to wait for so long as Army marched down the field on their opening drive a month ago. Retzlaff related having sideline conversations with a pair of linebackers, Sam Howard and Dickson Agu. Retzlaff has taken on the mantle of the on-field leader of this team while Howard recovers. It is an important step to be made for both Retzlaff and this team if they expect to go on to bigger and better things.
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.