Tulane Football Felt the Heat From Defense in Critical Spring Scrimmage

The Tulane Green Wave football team's defense won the day in the second scrimmage of fall camp as the team looks for its new strengths.

Credit: Tulane Athletics - Football

The Tulane Green Wave football team completed their second scrimmage of spring camp on Saturday, and the heat was felt in the humid air and the defense that’s finding its form. 

Quarterbacks Kadin Semonza and Donovan Leary competed in an unexpected two-man race as Tulane football looks to find answers at several positions on the field. 

Neither competitor had a day that pushed them ahead in the race or that would quell any concerns for head coach Jon Sumrall about that position being finalized on the roster.

However, a chemistry disparity on the offensive side of the ball played a role as much as the validating ferociousness of the defensive line that Sumrall highlighted early in camp.

Not only is the Green Wave rotating several players at center—Jack Hollifield and John Bock took noticeable snaps—but Sumrall also held out the left side of the offensive line.

“It's hard sometimes mixing the rotations,” Sumrall said. “Derrick Graham and Shadre [Hurst] got to play a whopping eight snaps today. When you're playing quarterback or running back or any position on offense, when you're missing the left side of your line, it gets a lot harder. I really want to watch them play in September. Not so much in March or April because I've seen them, and I’m not worried.” 

Sumrall’s assessment lined up with the consensus that the quarterback play was a mixed bag on Saturday. There were a few drops, a few missed throws, and a few missed opportunities by both.

That said, both Semonza and Leary were able to move the ball down the field. Mistakes are going to happen in spring, and that’s why you practice.

Some of the plays today were the first time they’d practiced them. One was a fumble by Semonza on a center-quarterback exchange issue where he hadn’t fully secured it, as Sumrall explained.

It’s sometimes hard to tell whether an outing like Saturday is due to issues on offense or simply strong play on defense.

The scrimmage leaned towards the latter. Sumrall has said the defensive line is stronger as a group than it was last season. Saturday was the first time that you really felt their presence.

That also helps the quarterbacks grow. Darian Mensah had never been a live quarterback in a practice setting with a simulated pass rush before August of last season.

The secondary has a decent number of returners who played a role in the strong coverage today. 

It’s the first time the Tulane quarterbacks that are competing have really faced any adversity since joining the team, albeit not much.

However, Tuesday becomes more intriguing with their opportunity to respond and show their strengths against a defense that validated the strong remarks on their potential.