UCF Opponent Preview: Tulane Green Wave
Tulane looks to bounce back after a tough 2021 season. The Green Wave finished 2-10 after finally showing some promise under the leadership of Willie Fritz in the few seasons prior.
To begin the season, it looked like Tulane may have been primed to make a run at the AAC title game for the first time. In Week 1, Tulane headed to play against the No. 2 ranked Oklahoma Sooners and very nearly came away with a win.
Tulane held Oklahoma to just three points in the second half, sporting a furious 21-3 run to cut the lead to 40-35. The game seemed all but over before Tulane recovered an onside kick and gave themselves a chance to win on their final drive, but the Green Wave were unable to capitalize. Tulane lost the game, and subsequently lost nine of their next eleven.
To this day, you have to wonder whether or not Tulane’s season would have been completely different if they had found a way to win that game.
UCF is 5-1 against Tulane since the American Athletic Conference (AAC) was formed, with the only loss taking place during the 2015 debacle of a season in which UCF went winless. The Knights are 9-2 all time versus the Green Wave.
Tulane enters the 2022 season with its third new offensive coordinator in the last three seasons, this year being Jim Svoboda. Svoboda comes from Division II Central Missouri where he ran a spread and a very RPO-heavy offense. It is something he will bring to the table for the Green Wave. This is a good fit for quarterback Michael Pratt who is able to use his legs to do damage on the ground.
Pratt had a solid second season, throwing for 2,381 yards, 57.6% completion percentage, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The season he had was good enough to earn an honorable mention for the All-AAC team.
Quarterback Michael Pratt is an athletic and experienced signal caller.
Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Still, Tulane hopes to see Pratt improve with him coming into his third season as a starter. He’s now an experienced veteran that’s bigger and stronger, so expectations are higher. At the Bounce House in 2021, UCF was able to hold Pratt to just 147 yards and zero touchdowns during the 14-10 win.
As a side note, Pratt finished his prep career for Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High School, so playing against UCF probably holds more meaning considering he’s from Florida.
Pratt has talented players to throw to, with five of his top six pass catchers returning to the rotation this upcoming season. Any one of tight end Tyrick James, or wide receivers Shae Wyatt, Duece Watts, Jha’Quan Jackson, and Phat Watts can be the go-to target during a game.
It’s a well balanced passing attack. Each of the aforementioned players caught at least 17 passes last season, with James leading the team with four touchdown receptions. As for the ground game, Tulane has two prime returnees in the backfield for 2022.
The headliner would be Tyjae Spears. While Spears’ statistics were not as high overall due to splitting carries, he was often dynamic when had the football placed in his hands.
He had 129 carries, 863 yards, 6.7 average, and nine touchdowns. When considering top yards per carry averages for running backs with at least 100 rushing attempts, Spears’ 2021 performance comes in at No. 9 nationally.
Tyjae Spears is one of college football's most talented returning running backs.
Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
Further, in each of the last seven Tulane games, Spears averaged over five yards per carry and carried the football at least 13 times in all of those games. That includes his 15 carries for 77 yards and a score at UCF, averaging out to 5.1 yards per tote.
His best game, however, came against Memphis in the season finale. Spears went off with 30 carries, 264 yards, 8.8 average and two touchdowns.
Also returning in Tulane’s backfield is Cameron Carroll, who split carries with Spears, totaling 516 yards, 4.6 yards per carry, and three touchdowns. He also performed well against UCF last season, with 11 carries for 60 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
The Green Wave will bring in transfer running back Ashaad Clayton, who rushed 20 times for 87 yards and a touchdown last season for the Buffaloes. Clayton returns to his hometown of New Orleans for his third collegiate season.
Tulane's offensive line paved the way for the rushing attack last season that averaged 164.8 yards per game. Four of the five starters along the line return, including Rimington Award Watch List member Sincere Haynesworth. The Rimington Award is given annually to the nation's top center.
Defensively Tulane ranked near the bottom of the country in points allowed as well as total yards. The Green Wave surrendered 34 points per game (114 in FBS), 430 total yards per game (102 in FBS), and 271 passing yards per game (120 in FBS). They also forced just 15 turnovers, or 1.25 per game.
Interestingly, UCF mustered just 14 points, and scored their second touchdown with just six minutes remaining, which ended up being the difference in last year’s game. With a lot of players returning on the defensive side of the ball for Tulane, there should be marked improvement for the Green Wave.
Two of the best defenders return in the front seven, with linebackers Dorian Williams and Nick Anderson. They combined for 129 total tackles last season. Anderson was especially disruptive, with 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks, while Williams proved to be good in coverage with three passes defended.
The top pass rusher overall, Darius Hodges, also returns after recording five sacks last year. He plays the Joker position for the Green Wave, a hybrid outside linebacker-defensive end position.
Another key player for Tulane’s defense will be cornerback Jadon Canady, a player from Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood. He is a returning starter for Tulane after a solid freshman campaign that included 55 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He recorded three tackles versus UCF this past season. Like Pratt, being from Florida, the UCF game probably holds more meaning to him.
Game Notes
- This will be just the second time UCF faces Tulane on the road since 2015.
- UCF has won its last four matchups vs Tulane.
- Knights QB Mikey Keene’s career high in passing yards came against Tulane last year, with 229 yards through the air.
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