Tulane Green Wave Defense Must Overcome This Trend to Secure Victory against USF

The Tulane Green Wave faces a challenging offense against the USF Bulls, and their defense must eliminate the types of plays that can beat them.

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The Tulane Green Wave want to make a statement in conference play against the USF Bulls, and they face an explosive offense that can beat them in multiple ways.

Explosive plays are one devastating way to do it. That's something Tulane's defense has struggled with through the last three games. If they want to set the tone for future opponents, they need to stop that from becoming a tendency this Saturday.

USF recorded 13 explosive plays in their victory at Southern Miss in Week 3, and 11 of those were on the ground. Quarterback Byrum Brown had a 28-yard run, Nayquan'Quan Wright ran for 33 yards, and Kelley Joiner had a long of 50 yards. 

Not only do the Bulls have a strong rush attack in the backfield, but Brown can also devastate with his arm and mobility. It's a multi-headed monster for the Green Wave. Limiting what USF can do best has been a challenge for the defense.

Tulane has allowed 22 explosive plays, defined as 15 yards or more, against Kansas State, Oklahoma, and the Ragin' Cajuns, to whom they surrendered 10 of them.

Opposing quarterbacks produced six of the nine explosive runs. Brown poses that same threat as USF's leading rusher. The Green Wave's defensive front must make a stand in this contest. But the coverage must shore up—the remaining 13 plays were passes, and seven of those came last week. 

Tulane's secondary has seen a lot of rotation, and the communication pains that follow are unavoidable. Rayshawn Pleasant, Johnathan Edwards, and Micah Robinson have rotated at cornerback. With Caleb Ransaw, there's been consistency at Spear. Communicating is ultimately up to the safeties. 

For the explosive plays allowed, two players at safety had interceptions last week—one returned for a touchdown by Jack Tchienchou. The other ended the game with Jalen Geiger's subsequent kneel. The veteran transfer from Kentucky locked eyes with Coach Jon Sumrall and stifled his desire to run it back to add to the team's three interceptions returned for touchdowns. 

In big moments like that, Geiger's presence has mattered, but there's been a lot of playmaking from the young safeties in Tchienchou and Kevin Adams. The rotation typically sees Geiger out there alongside Adams in for Bailey Despanie at strong safety. That puts a veteran in with a younger counterpart. I asked Geiger on Tuesday how he alters his communication style to account for their inexperience and ultimately his message to them. 

"Anytime I'm out there with Jack (Tchienchou) or Kevin (Adams), it's making sure we're both on the same page. I know those guys are young. Bullets might be flying, it might be going fast, so just make sure they calm down, breathe. They already know what to do, but just to play fast with good eyes and communicate out there."

To eliminate these types of plays, communication is critical. However, these types of plays will inevitably occur in football. Their level-headed response to these moments is even more important. 

"We all just kind of feed off of each other," Geiger told me. "From me to Slim (Despanie), even a young guy like Jack (Tchienchou) is a real leader. All of us have a connection with each other and hang out outside of football, so we all just know in these tough moments we've got each other's back."