Tulane Green Wave's Three Keys to Winning vs. North Texas Mean Green
When the Tulane Green Wave roll into Denton to face the North Texas Mean Green on Saturday, there will be plenty on the line for both teams when it comes to the American Athletic Conference race.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
For Tulane (5-2, 3-0 in American) it's the start of a brutal five-day stretch in which it will play two games. After the Green Wave is done with the Mean Green, it will head back to New Orleans for a couple of days of practice and then head to Charlotte to face the 49ers on Thursday.
Right now Tulane has a piece of the lead in the conference, along with Army West Point and Navy. The Green Wave control their own destiny. As long as Tulane keeps winning, it should play in the conference title game in December.
North Texas (5-2, 2-1) lost a little bit of that control when it fell to Memphis on Saturday, 52-44. But the Mean Green’s high-flying offense means Tulane’s defense will have a tough day at the office. North Texas isn't out of the race, but a loss on Saturday might just do it.
Here are Tulane’s three keys to success against North Texas.
Defend the Pass
One doesn't want to call North Texas one-dimensional, but when one looks at the total stats for the season it's hard to argue that the Mean Green love to pass the football. Quarterback Chandler Morris has thrown for 2,424 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. This is your classic Air Raid offense, one in which running the football isn't obsolete but isn't going to be a huge part of the game plan.
Tulane has shown a penchant for making big plays against the passing game all year. But what the Green Wave really needs on Saturday is sustained quality play from its secondary. North Texas will spread Tulane out and defensive backs like Rayshawn Pleasant are going to have to be up to the task of handling the volume that Morris and the Mean Green will throw their way.
Run The Ball … A Lot
One of the easiest ways to neutralize a high-flying passing game is to use your offense as a second line of defense. So if North Texas is going to throw the football twice as much as it will run it, then Tulane should try to run the football twice as much as it passes it. If Tulane can run the football effectively and move the chains, it can reduce the number of times the Mean Green touch the football.
That's where Makhi Hughes comes in handy. He's rushed for 744 yards and has at least one touchdown in each of his last four games. While the Green Wave haven't leaned on him too much, last week was an example of what can happen when it does. Hughes rushed 27 times for 140 yards and a touchdown against Rice. That's the kind of game Tulane needs on Saturday.
Rush the Passer
Tulane probably can't win if it leans just on its secondary in defending the pass. The Green Wave is going to need its pass rush to step up too. This could be the front four's biggest challenge since facing Kansas State back in September.
Not only is Morris a capable passer, but he's only been sacked eight times. So the Mean Green have done a great job protecting him and giving him a comfortable pocket. He's a solid running threat, with 140 yards on 36 carries. But he's more of a functional runner than a runner by design.
The Tulane pass rush has to keep him in the pocket and make them uncomfortable all afternoon.
