Top Tulane Green Wave Offensive Stars to Watch Against Temple Owls
The Tulane Green Wave seek their seventh straight victory when they host the Temple Owls on Saturday afternoon at Yulman Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. on ESPNU.
The Green Wave (7-2, 5-0 in American) continues to put up huge offensive numbers since they ended their two-game losing streak in September. In Tulane’s last six games, it has averaged 43.3 points per contest. Just once in that streak, the Green Wave has failed to score at least 30 points. That was Tulane’s 24-10 win over Rice, which just happened to be its last home game.
The Owls (2-6, 1-3) have struggled all season offensively. They've lost three of their last four games, and in the one game, Temple won it beat Tulsa, 20-10. But, even though they lost to East Carolina two weekends ago, the Owls put up 34 points in that defeat. So Temple is capable of putting points on the board in bunches.
Here are the offensive players to watch for both teams entering Saturday’s game.
Tulane
RB Makhi Hughes
One could not only make a case that Hughes should be an all-conference first-team running back, one could argue he's deserving of the conference’s offensive player of the year award. Hughes enters the final three games with 1,056 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He’s rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his last four games. If Tulane reaches the conference title game, it will be largely on his back.
WR Mario Williams
Each week the transfer continues to put up quality numbers for the Green Wave. Williams leads the team with 34 receptions and 561 yards receiving. Plus he’s caught three touchdown passes, one behind both Yulkeith Brown and Alex Bauman. He's a big reason why Tulane’s redshirt freshman quarterback has had such a productive year.
QB Darian Mensah
Mensah hasn't thrown for more than 300 yards in the game in more than a month, but it hardly matters as long as the Green Wave keep winning. And one of the reasons Tulane continues to win is that Mensah, in his first full year as a starter, avoids mistakes. He's one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the conference and he's thrown just three interceptions this season.
Temple
QB Evan Simon
Simon was the starter in the Owls’ last two games, including their loss to East Carolina. He's been highly productive in his last two starts, throwing for nearly 300 yards in each game. But he's thrown as many touchdowns (four) as interceptions (four). He shared some time with another quarterback earlier this year, but he’s the starter now.
RB Terrez Worthy
Temple has been one of the most unproductive teams on the ground this season, but Worthy has given them a bit of a jolt, even though he’s only gained 280 yards and scored twice this season. He's coming off an 88-yard, one-touchdown performance against East Carolina. He’s also rushed for 224 yards and two scores in his last three games.
WR Dante Wright
Wright is one of the most productive receivers in the conference. Even though the Owls have struggled offensively, his 42 receptions are nearly three times as many as the second-most productive receiver on the team. He's also caught a team-leading four touchdown passes and has 517 yards receiving. He will be Temple's primary target in the past game on Saturday.
