Takeaways from Tulane's 38-32 Win over 22nd Ranked Memphis
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The Tulane Green Wave roared out to a 35-17 advantage going into the halftime locker room before having to hold on for dear life, edging out the 22nd ranked Memphis Tigers 38-32 at Liberty Bowl stadium in a nationally televised game. Here is what we saw.
When the Offense Clicks, Watch Out
The Green Wave offense was lights out in the 1st half of their game at Memphis. Their 18-point advantage at the break was no joke. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff was in a zone, hitting the 284-yard mark through the air, finding six different receivers, three times for touchdowns, and rushing for another. And the red zone bug-a-boo looked like it was fixed in the first thirty minutes, as Tulane was 2-for-2 inside the Tigers' 20, getting touchdowns for each trip.
And When the Offense DOESN'T Click, Watch Out
In a tale of two halves, the Green Wave didn't see the Memphis end zone for the rest of the game, managing only a 30-yard Patrick Durkin in the final thirty minutes. As solid as Retzlaff was in the first two quarters, he was a polar opposite in the last two. After going 16 of his first 17 passes, the senior signal caller missed connecting with anyone in his last six throws, including one into triple coverage late in the game.
The Tulane Defense Still Giving Up the Big Plays, but...
Yes, the Green Wave D gave up some big plays again: a 55-yard touchdown pass from Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis, along with a 32-yard completion and a pair of 21-yard rushes, one of those for a TD. However, the Tulane defense made a statement early, holding the Tigers to a three-and-out in their first possession, they piled up six sacks by game's end, got the only turnover of the game (Jack Tchienchou's deep interception), totaled ten tackles for losses (three times what the Tigers got on the Wave offense) and generally created havoc in the Memphis offensive backfield.
Tulane Wins Ugly...Again...but Who's Counting, right?
In his post-game media conference, head coach Jon Sumrall again pointed to a win that wasn't the prettiest, but it was a win. Earlier this season, Sumrall said there's no such thing as a bad win. He's right on both accounts. As good as the Green Wave looked in half number one, they flipped the script in the final two quarters to showcase how things can look when his team is not at its best. Is he happy with the ugly second half. No. Is he happy Tulane won? Emphatically, yes. Ugly wins are becoming in-style because of this Tulane team.
A Defining Victory for the Sumrall Era
Do us a favor: set aside for a moment any rumors of Sumrall being courted by Power 4 schools. This Tulane football team was gobsmacked last week by Texas-Arlington. The Green Wave was knocked to the canvas and getting up before the ten-count, hoping for the bell to ring to end the round. It did, thankfully for the Wave. After the break between rounds, it was facing THE heavyweight in the conference: the 22nd ranked Memphis Tigers. Tulane swung haymaker after haymaker at their rivals, knocking Memphis to the canvas time and again in the first half. Like all good fighters, the Tigers got back up swinging and took this one to the final bell. But at the end of it all, it was Tulane who won by TKO, not that ranked team from up in Tennessee.
That moment when Tulane emerged victorious has become for us the defining moment of Sumrall's two-and-a-half years here. This moment, if used correctly, can be the impetus for his promise when he was hired: to take Tulane to the playoffs. We know that the second part of that vow was to win a national championship. Baby steps, people, baby steps.
Is It Time to Talk Extension with Sumrall?
Now that you did us that favor of setting aside any rumors of Sumrall going anywhere else, you can put it back on the table. Is Jon Sumrall the man Tulane wants to keep within the walls of the Wilson Center for a long time to come? Only David Harris, the Green Wave athletic director, and the financial supporters of Tulane sports are the only ones who can answer that. Fans and media alike can only speculate on what goes on behind closed doors. However, if you agree with us that Friday night's victory was a defining moment for the Sumrall era a Tulane, then the only logical step in this process is for Harris to talk extension with Sumrall's agent now, not at the end of the season.
Does the Sumrall family like Tulane and New Orleans? The coach said as much before the season started, telling the preseason media gathering that there has to be something wrong with you not to like New Orleans, and saying multiple times he loves where he is. Sources tell us his wife and kids love the city and their schools. In fact, their son's middle school football team was brought onto the Yulman Stadium field earlier this year, and you could tell, his boy was loving where he is.
Sumrall said it best when we asked him about other job opportunities. To paraphrase, money is not everything. He's right. Would doubling a three-million dollar salary (according to reports) make him or his family any happier? From what Sumrall himself has said, no.
Make this defining moment for the Sumrall era a defining moment for Tulane football as well: sign the man to an extension and let's see how soon Sumrall can deliver on that national championship promise.
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.