Three Tulane Green Wave Offensive Stars to Watch vs. Rice Owls
The Tulane Green Wave offense has been absolutely dominant as of late, and they hope to carry that into their next contest against the Rice Owls on Saturday as the team continues American Athletic Conference action.
Kickoff at Yulman Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. central for the Green Wave's third conference matchup.
The Green Wave (4-2, 2-0 in AAC) are coming out of a bye week, but before that the vibes were, as the kids like to say, immaculate on offense.
Dating back to their victory over Louisiana, the Green Wave is averaging 52.3 points in their last three games. That includes their massive 71-20 blowout of UAB. That was a great way to go into the bye week.
Rice (2-4, 1-2) is entering this game on a bit of a wave too, as they beat UTSA on Saturday. The Owls were also coming out of their bye week, but they had to scratch for some momentum to beat the Roadrunners.
Before that bye week Rice had lost its previous three games In fact, the 29 points the Owls scored against the Roadrunners was the most they had scored in any game this season.
Here are the offensive players to watch for both teams entering Saturday’s game.
Tulane
QB Darian Mensah
The bye week gave the redshirt freshman an opportunity to recalibrate after being named the starter for the season opener. It's been a six-game stretch without a break and he's handled it well, completing 66.1% of his passes for 1,256 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions. The protection has been solid and he's more willing to throw on the run than tuck the ball and take off. Coach Jon Sumrall clearly made the right decision naming Mensah the starter.
RB Makhi Hughes
There are many capable backs in this conference, so let's make the case for a first-team conference nod for Hughes, who claimed that honor a year ago. After six games he's rushed for 604 yards, averaged 5.5 yards a carry and has scored seven times. You don't have to be a math whiz to double that for his final six games — 1,208 yards and 14 touchdowns. That would be an incredibly productive year for a Green Wave running game that has more than 1,200 rushing yards this season. Yeah, the Green Wave has options. But Hughes is the top of the heap.
WR Mario Williams
It's not often a school like Tulane can get a transfer like Williams, who played his first two seasons with USC. But he's been a great fit for the Green Wave and the passing game, as he comes out of the bye week as Tulane’s leading receiver with 23 receptions and 414 yards. Two other receivers have more touchdowns than the two he's caught, and the top five receivers on the team all average more than 13 yards per catch. Williams and his teammates know how to stretch the field for their quarterback.
Rice
QB E.J. Warner
If you follow the NFL you know the last name. This Warner is the son of Pro Football Hall-of-Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, and he's putting together a solid season for the Owls. He's thrown for 1,302 yards, completed 61.8% of his passes, has nine touchdowns and six interceptions. He's not a significant threat to run, but he has enough pocket presence and mobility to evade pass rushers, and that's worth keeping an eye on Saturday.
WR Matt Sykes
The Owls have two pass catchers with at least 30 receptions this season. Sykes is the wide receiver Warner is likely to throw to most often. The senior from Hawaii has 31 catches for 378 yards and three touchdowns while averaging 12.2 yards per reception. It's a huge year for Sykes, who has never caught more than six passes in a single season. In his fifth year of college football he's finally having an explosive year.
RB Dean Connors
Remember that other pass catcher with at least 30 receptions? That would be Connors, who also doubles as the team's leading rusher. Warner may dish out the football but Connors makes the offense go. He's rushed for 396 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 6.3 yards per carry and he's caught 34 passes for 248 yards and a touchdown. If you're thinking that it's just an anomaly, he rushed for 711 yards and posted another 403 receiving yards last year. The Owls are used to this. And that makes him a huge threat.
