Tulane Has a Potent Two-Man Rushing Attack
The Tulane Green Wave have had a prolific rushing game for three seasons straight, and the team has doubled the attack this year. As much attention as quarterback competitions get, the spotlight should stay on Makhi Hughes and Arnold Barnes.
Hughes, named to the Maxwell Award watch list, hadn’t seen the field until the season opener against South Alabama last season. He had a promising training camp as a freshman until he tore his ACL in 2022. Tyjae Spears had one day of rest a week that season for workload management; he spent each day off with Hughes helping him rehab from an injury he’d suffered twice.
It’s hard to ignore how much Hughes emulates the vision, patience, and awareness as Spears. Except Hughes hits like a Mack Truck. Everyone who saw the first game last season in Yulman Stadium immediately knew Hughes was a star.
I will never forget a play in that game where Michael Pratt took off and was stuffed after about a yard. Hughes looked back, and without hesitating, wrapped Pratt in his arms and dragged him 2-3 yards upfield for a gain.
"He's just steady,” Sumrall said about Hughes. “You don't even have to think about what's Makhi going to show up like in practice today. He's a model of consistency. He's not a real attention-seeking guy. He's just a worker."
Hughes ended his 2023 campaign joining Matt Forte as the only players in school history with seven 100-yard regular season games in conference play. He was the first freshman to rush for over 1,000 yards; his 1,065 yard-total was fourth all-time in a single season. He showed the ability to singlehandedly win games for the Green Wave.
Some players just blow you away when you see them in person for the first time. No one sums that up better than Arnold Barnes. He’s built like Michael Turner, with incredible burst and quickness. His 65-yard-long rush last season looked unstoppable. But like most freshman newcomers, he needed some time in the weight room.
When we saw Barnes back in spring, he looked like a more lethal and cut version of himself. Sumrall credited Barnes for paying closer attention to his nutrition and time in the weight room to perform at a high level. It shows.
“I’ve learned to take accountability in what you do,” Barnes told reporters back in April. “when Sumrall came here, he emphasized that who stayed from last year take advantage of the moment. This year, it’s a new team, new everything. You have to have a different mindset. Everybody who was here last year has high expectations for this year, so you have to implement that.”
He spoke with a level of maturity, and it’s clear how seriously he took the offseason. Barnes came to training camp with more burst and a new gear of speed. Both Hughes and Barnes are physical bruisers and are going to pack a two-man punch against opponents all season.
Maddy Hudak is the deputy editor for Tulane on Sports Illustrated and the radio sideline reporter for their football team. Maddy is an alumnus of Tulane University, and graduated in 2016 with a degree in psychology. She went on to obtain a Master of Legal Studies while working as a research coordinator at the VA Hospital, and in jury consulting. During this time, Maddy began covering the New Orleans Saints with SB Nation, and USA Today. She moved to New Orleans in 2021 to pursue a career in sports and became Tulane's sideline reporter that season. She enters her fourth year with the team now covering the program on Sports Illustrated, and will use insights from features and interviews in the live radio broadcast. You can follow her on X at @MaddyHudak_94, or if you have any questions or comments, she can be reached via email at maddy.hudak1@gmail.com