Tulane Green Wave Defensive Standouts to Watch Against Temple Owls
The Tulane Green Wave defense is seeking another great performance 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) is coming off another tremendous defensive performance against Charlotte, one in which they only allowed three points to the 49ers. If you throw out Tulane’s shootout with North Texas, a game in which it gave up 37 points, it has given up 10.75 points in those other four league games. It shows how potent the Mean Green offense is, but it also shows how Tulane’s defense can dominate most league opponents.
The Owls (2-6, 1-3) have won just one league game and in those four contests, they've allowed 36.5 points per game. In that victory against Tulsa the Owls gave up just 10 points. But Temple was only able to score 20 points. As challenged as Temple’s offense has been, their defense has been equally challenged.
Here are the defensive players to watch for both teams entering Saturday’s game.
Tulane
DE Kameron Hamilton
The defensive end doesn’t get much attention. But as Tulane enters the final three games of the regular season, it’s Hamilton who leads the Green Wave with 3.5 sacks. He only has 14 tackles, but he’s also forced a fumble. He’s had one sack in two of his last three games, so he’s picking up steam at the right time.
LB Tyler Grubbs
Grubbs is putting together another all-conference season in his second year with Tulane. He’s one of several defenders who have returned an interception for a touchdown, a category the Green Wave leads in FBS. Grubbs has 39 tackles, three sacks, one pass defended and two interceptions. He has also forced a fumble.
S Bailey Despaine
Despaine continues to be a solo tackle machine for Tulane. He has 35 tackles, second-most on the game. Thirty-one of those tackles are solo, and no one on the team comes close to that total. He’s only defended one pass so the Green Wave would love to see him get an interception, perhaps this weekend.
Temple
LB Tyquan King
King is having a great season for the Owls, as he leads them with 70 tackles going into this contest. He also has two sacks and a forced fumble. When you consider the myriad of offensive weapons Tulane brings into the game, King will play a huge factor in whether or not the Owls can slow the Green Wave down.
CB Jaylen Lewis
In the passing game, Lewis is the player to watch. He enters the contest with just one interception, but he has a team-leading five passes defended. He also has 37 tackles, 27 of which are solo, so he's a good open-field tackler. He's also forced one fumble, so he's a player the Green Wave are going to have to keep track of.
DE Diwun Black
Temple doesn't have a dominant pass rusher, as several players are tied for the team lead with two sacks. But Black is an interesting player to keep an eye on. The end has two sacks, but he's also defended two passes and he enters the game with 17 total tackles (13 solo). He's someone that could give Tulane’s offensive line problems all afternoon.
