Takeaways from Tulane's 37-13 Win over Temple
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In a contest that had all the markings of a trap game, the Tulane football team asserted itself in Philadelphia at "Yulman in Philly," as coach Jon Sumrall called it, shooting down the Temple Owls, 37-13. Here are the key takeaways from that victory.
All Goals Are on the Table
This victory cemented Tulane in the driver's seat, not only for being in the American Conference championship game, but hosting it. We explain it in this article. If the Green Wave beat Charlotte, Yulman Stadium will be hosting the American trophy game on Friday, December 5th at 7:00 p.m., but that's not all.
The Wave is in control of whether or not they are in the College Football Playoffs. We fully expect Tulane to bump up in the College Football Playoff standings when they are released Tuesday night.
Charlotte is Not a Group of Happy Campers
We know, this has nothing to do with the Temple game, but, in many ways, it does. Before Tulane starts thinking about a Conference trophy, they must first put together a win against the 1-10 Charlotte 49ers. Hold on, this is a very ticked off team. Just read what was said by their head coach, Tim Albin, said after 4th ranked Georgia kicked the 49ers butt.
This is Not Last Year's Tulane Team
Last year, Tulane and its coaching staff got distracted by everything going on: rankings, CFP, coaching carousels, etc. Not this time. Sumrall has this team believing, not just in the system but itself. Leaders like Sam Howard and Jake Retzlaff are not letting this team look anywhere but ahead one week. It's working, and those who didn't believe before now have some crow to eat.
Finally: A Tulane Running Game
It took ten games, but the Green Wave have found their feature running back in Jamauri McClure, who rushed 17-times for 122-yards, his longest a slashing, bulldozer of a 25-yard run. This kid has strength and speed. Before you ask where he's been hiding, Sumrall is quick to point out the redshirt freshman has a grand total of four years of football under his belt, including his time at Tulane. The Wave coach thinks McClure is only scratching the surface in what he can do as a runner. If you're the team Tulane is playing that week, that's scary.
Still Not Pretty Enough
Maybe they're just saying the right things at the right time, but coaches and players alike keep saying this team hasn't put together a "pretty" game. Holding Temple to twenty rushing yards and a total of 167 looks good on paper. Gaining 175-yards on the ground also looks good in the stat chart, but not to these people. Coaches and players alike believe they can play much better, both on offense and defense.
Tulane entertains Charlotte Saturday evening at 6:30 in Yulman Stadium. It's Senior Day.
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.