Tulane Football and Kansas State Seek Competitive Edge with Technology
Tulane football hosts No. 17 Kansas State this Saturday, and while the teams differ in scheme, they mirror one another with relatively inexperienced quarterbacks.
Having played in eight games in 2023 and starting for the Wildcats in their Pop-Tart Bowl victory, where he won MVP, Avery Johnson undoubtedly has the advantage. He completed 37 passes for 479 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions last season. Johnson is equally a threat on the ground. His seven rushing touchdowns were the second most by a freshman in school history.
Darian Mensah has 8 completions in his career for 205 yards and two touchdowns. That’s a larger hurdle of inexperience to surmount. It was noticeable in Tulane’s season opener that Mensah’s poise carried off the field into sideline huddles. Joe Craddock is the first offensive coordinator on the field for Tulane since 2021, and his presence for a redshirt freshman quarterback in his first start made a difference.
On the sidelines, what caught my attention most was the introduction of new technology in college football, specifically helmet communication and tablet use. While the headset airwaves aren't exactly public, it's difficult to ignore how much they could help a young quarterback under center.
That will be a competitive edge; both sidelines will seek and learn about each other in multiple ways. Neither Tulane nor Kansas State showed their cards in their season openers. Coach Chris Klieman spoke on how much Troy film his staff watched in order to gain an idea about this Green Wave team.
The tablets will offer critical information in real time. It was apparent how Tulane’s secondary came together, and the coverage sharpened as they played the opener. There were multiple times players took the tablets out on their own and sat in huddles going over film. It’s markedly different seeing yourself on film, in the game that’s unfolding, revealing tendencies, and keying on breaks and route trees versus drawing on a whiteboard.
On Thursday, Craddock's ability to review plays by his starting quarterback for the first time in a live game setting on the sidelines with his young quarterback made a difference. It’s all but crucial this Saturday as Mensah faces perhaps the most difficult coverage he’ll see this season in his second start. If Mensah can take advantage of the in-game learning and surmount a secondary that Michael Pratt threw two interceptions against, it becomes a force multiplier.
It's not an exclusive advantage for Tulane. With his credible snaps last season, Johnson has a lead to build off of. Klieman was impressed by Mensah's poise in his first college start, and he pointed to his command and control of what he saw pre-snap. The tablets provide an opportunity to assess whether the picture matches post-snap. That only helps as far as it translates to matching up with what the young quarterback saw on the field.
The technology takes a mental load off the quarterbacks, but it ultimately comes down to the pre-snap traits. The sharper evaluator of the picture in real time will have the edge on the field this Saturday at Yulman Stadium.
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