Tulane Green Wave Need to Account for Hidden Edge of Florida Gators Coach
While Tulane Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall sees a slight advantage in the unknown with quarterback Ty Thompson facing the Florida Gators in his first career start, he knows that the caliber and familiarity of an opposing coach rival any edge.
Florida defensive line coach Gerald Chatman coached that unit for the Green Wave in the 2023 season. Chatman has cultivated a pass rush that ranks seventh in college football and third in the SEC with 38 sacks in just one season.
Thompson provides the Green Wave with a dual-threat ability, bolstering a run game that has lost some impetus in the last two losses. But they face a defense clicking at the end of the season, particularly against the run. The Gators have allowed 165.2 yards per game in rushing yards—they've averaged 122.7 in their last three games.
Through their three-game winning streak against the LSU Tigers, Ole Miss Rebels, and Florida State Seminoles, the Gators have conceded one rushing touchdown. Their pass rush recorded 18 sacks in those contests, and the defense recovered seven of 12 forced fumbles.
While Tulane has players who spent time under coach Chatman who might know a bit about the way he runs things, Sumrall explained to reporters Saturday that the matchup is still disadvantageous.
"He knows more about us than we do them," Sumrall admitted. "He's got different players; maybe it's different. It's a different scheme than what he ran here that they're running there (on defense). We're similar defensively to what they were under him, but we're a lot different offensively. I like Gerald a lot. He came back last year after leaving and left again. He's a really good football coach. He'll do a great job. He's done a great job with that defensive line. Those guys are playing really well. I have a lot of respect for him. He probably knows more about us, which helps him a little more to know, okay, this is this offensive lineman's strength or weakness."
Importantly, Tulane has all starters playing on the offensive line, who enter the final game tied 29th in the nation with 17 sacks allowed. This time last year, the unit was 60th with 28 sacks conceded—and that was with the mobility of Michael Pratt.
Earlier this week, Sumrall pointed to the importance of left tackle Derrick Graham and left guard Shadre Hurst returning for the program, calling them big-time, starting-level, all-conference type players.
"They're our anchors on the left side of the line. You need some stability. We have to fill back the center to right tackle roles. We'll have good options. Guys want to play here. Before we practiced today I was on my phone (looking for transfer portal guys). We'll be in good shape. Those guys deciding to return is huge for our team to have any opportunity for success going forward."
Graham, who also spoke to reporters Saturday, emphasized the harsh sting of the loss to Army and finishing things the right way for both this year and next in his reasoning to return.
"We didn't get the job done," Graham said. "I wanted to come back with the guys and finish this things the right way next year and get back to the conference championship."
He furthered to promote Sumrall's coaching and toughness that's shown in his blue-collar philosophy. That mentality and grit on the offensive line will be a key for the Green Wave's ability to compete with the Gators.
Thompson is fairly not as accurate as a starting quarterback who played the last 13 games of the season, but for the first time in his Tulane career, he's had a week of consistency with the first-string receivers. It's a marked change from the quarterback competition that rotated under center by the series.
When he has taken the field, he's been electric as a red zone threat boasting six rushing touchdowns and two passing. That's about all the meaningful film on him for Chatman and his unit to game plan against.
There's no time to install an entirely new offense, but the tempo and ability to play off the run game will tailor to Thompson's strengths. The passing game may open up more explosively with Thompson's arm strength, which Sumrall referred to as a cannon launcher.
Sumrall joked that offensive coordinator Joe Craddock might need to get loose in what's now a withered quarterback room. But there's a lot of potential with the mobility, speed, and arm strength of Thompson, all of which are unseen by opponents and will remain so as a key advantage for the Green Wave until the Gasparilla Bowl next Friday.
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