Tulane Green Wave Star Honored by Conference for Monumental Role in Victory

Tulane Green Wave star running back receives American Athletic conference honors for setting the tone with a powerful performance in their win against Rice.

Credit: Parker Waters - Tulane Athletics

The Tulane Green Wave went from dormant to dominant out of halftime in their win over the Rice Owls thanks to a gritty performance from their star running back.

The American Athletic Conference honored Makhi Hughes on their Weekly Honor Roll for setting the tone and exemplifying the team's blue-collar mentality.

Hughes was the only Tulane player to score other than linebacker Sam Howard, rushing for 140 yards and a touchdown in addition to a 29-yard touchdown reception in the 24-10 victory.

Tulane's run game ignites the entire offense. 100 of Hughes' yards came in the second half. Hughes stole the momentum and never conceded it. It was nothing short of crucial—the team lacked a pulse.

Head coach Jon Sumrall was candid about his disappointment when I asked him about his thoughts on the first half on the Tulane Sports Network from LEARFIELD.

"We're playing awful. We're beating ourselves; we're giving them cheap, easy stuff; we're dropping passes. We're doing things that are very uncharacteristic of who we are. We need to play a hell of a lot better in the second half."

Hughes answered the call. After averaging 4.0 yards per carry on 10 attempts before halftime, Hughes put the team on his back with his next 17. His second-half average per carry improved to 5.9 yards. In the fourth quarter, he recorded 48 yards on three consecutive carries. 

He now has four games this season with 100+ rushing yards, accomplishing the feat for the 11th time in his career that began last year.

In the first win for the Green Wave where they struggled to retain and regain control of the flow, Hughes was the difference-maker. That was evident in Sumrall's powerful words on his postgame interview on the Tulane Sports Network.

"When Makhi Hughes has the ball in his hands, we're all better coaches, and we're a football better team. He's just a really solid player. Things go well when he has the ball. He's physical, and he is tough. He protects the ball great. He's such a steady player. We're idiots if we don't give him the ball."

Hughes entered the game against the Owls with seven rushing touchdowns—his total output last season. Not initially a fluid pass catcher like Tyjae Spears, Hughes had 11 receptions for 67 yards in 2023. After Saturday, Hughes now has caught 10 passes for 102 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

He unquestionably emulates Spears in his ability to put the team on his back. Hughes quietly entered the scene last year after suffering an ACL tear in his first training camp. When Spears would rest on Wednesdays in the 2022 season as part of his recovery workload, he spent every single one rehabbing Hughes back from an injury he almost retired from the sport from. 

I asked Hughes prior to their game against the UAB Blazers about his relationship with Spears and what his mentorship did for him.

"It meant a lot to have him on my side motivating me," he said. "I didn't have the confidence. But he told me about his injury and told me not to think about it, to just boost my confidence. I focused on only thinking about rehabbing and getting my knee stronger."

After Hughes ran in his final score of the day on Saturday, I saw him crack a smile and celebrate. He danced around with a bit of swagger as teammates from all around embraced him. He was the juice they needed in spades.

A run where flags flew like confetti perfectly illustrated his performance. An Owls defender made a desperate grab at Hughes' face mask. Hughes spun around 360 degrees before the player relented, and he continued to pound forward, leading the Green Wave to a gritty 13th consecutive conference victory.