Head Coach Jon Sumrall Reveals What Tulane Green Wave Needs To Fix
The Tulane Green Wave was able to pick up a huge win in Week 4 against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. They end their non-conference schedule with a 2-2 record, defeating Southeastern Louisiana and Louisiana but losing to Kansas State and Oklahoma.
That is how many people predicted things would go for the Green Wave coming into the season. They proved they could hang with power conference teams, but were unable to close the deal in either situation.
Heading into American Athletic Conference play, head coach Jon Sumrall knows there is still plenty of work to do. Where he wants to see the team improve is on the defensive side of the ball.
He did not mince words following the 41-33 victory over the Ragin’ Cajuns.
“We’ve got like 500 things to fix on defense,” he said via Guerry Smith of NOLA.com. “And we only played 62 plays.”
There is a little bit of hyperbole in the coach’s comments, but he isn’t wrong. If the Green Wave are going to make noise in their conference and push for a spot in the College Football Playoff, they have work to do defensively.
What has caught Sumrall’s attention? He noted the communication needs to improve in the backend, as receivers were running open in the secondary too often.
Improving communication will also help get people lined up correctly. The coach believes a big 73-yard run by running back Bill Davis occurred because players were not where they should have been in the scheme.
Louisiana quarterback Ben Woolridge was elusive, highlighting another issue for the Green Wave; poor tackling. Even when they got pressure on Woolridge, which wasn’t often, he was able to escape as he was sacked only once.
Untimely flags were also thrown against Tulane. While Sumrall didn’t agree with all of the calls made, his team was making mistakes that needed to be avoided.
“One or two (of the flags), I don’t know, but some of them were too handsy, and we’ve got to clean that up, and it’s gotta happen real fast,” Sumrall said. “That’s atrocious.”
The AAC is there for the taking. One of the favorites coming into 2024, the Memphis Tigers, lost their opener against Navy 56-44. UTSA is struggling after being upset by Texas State and getting destroyed by the Texas Longhorns.
The Green Wave will get their conference scheduled started next week in a big matchup against South Florida. If they want to get things started on the right foot, the defensive performance needs to improve.
KENNETH TEAPE
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.