Tulane Green Wave Coach Urgent in Warning to Team With Tough Love

After the bye week, the Tulane Green Wave had a lackluster practice on Tuesday, and their head coach was blunt with his team about their lack of urgency.

Credit: Parker Waters - Tulane Athletics

The Tulane Green Wave will face the mental challenge of regaining tenacity after their bye week when they host the Rice Owls.

Head coach Jon Sumrall has instilled the importance of playing to the standard of Tulane football as his team seeks the conference championship.

They've set a dominating precedent in back-to-back wins, but the real challenge is attacking practice and preparation with the same urgency. Tuesday's practice seemed to flow as usual, but Sumrall was sharp in his critical assessment of their efforts. 

"The biggest killer in our sport is complacency," he told reporters after practice. "If you think you are ever going to have an average practice and an average week of preparation, you know what's going to happen—you are going to play a really average game."

Four seasons ago, it was difficult to envision a situation where Tulane football faced the challenge of apathy amid success. Any given Saturday, a ball can bounce the wrong way. A team can catch a hot streak and ride momentum to a comeback.

The Green Wave faced that precise fate against Rice last year and narrowly escaped with the victory. They led at halftime 27-7. The Owls responded with 14 unanswered points, sandwiching an interception by Michael Pratt. 

Tulane only scored a field goal in the second half, but they ended the contest with some conviction. Holding onto a 30-28 lead, Pratt and Makhi Hughes led a 16-play drive that took 8:06 off the clock, leaving Rice with four seconds of regulation. 

Of the 43 total tackles by Tulane in that game, the four leading tacklers responsible for 24 of them aren't on the roster, save for injured Jesus Machado, who had a team-high of 12. Devean Deal had their one sack, and two of four tackles for loss. 

I asked Sumrall on Tuesday about the message for this week, given the lack of proven players against this team. He had them look at the pitfalls they faced this time last year in the mirror.

"I showed our guys in Monday's team meeting the game (last year). The final score last year was 30-28. It was a fight until the end. Our guys have to understand the opponent. I always talk about knowing yourself better than anything, but you also have to know the opponent."

He credited the running and receiving prowess of Dean Connors, calling him as good as any skill player Tulane's fared against this season. He mentioned the physicality in the trenches and ultimately described a well-coached team that may be on the verge of clicking. That can't happen against the Green Wave.

"I see all the positives. I see a team that I respect to a really high level. Our guys have to understand the task at hand is going to be a challenge. This is a really good team. It's about us being our best. If we're our best, we can live with whatever results come. But our guys do have to understand that task at hand. It's a real challenge, and I've got to get their attention because today wasn't what it needed to be."

His assessment is likely much harsher than the outside observer, but the love Sumrall wants to instill in his team has to be just as tough. It illustrates how high his hopes are for this talented Green Wave team.