Three Huge Keys to Success as Tulane Green Wave Host USF Bulls
Tulane has a great track record of success against USF, but the Green Wave will put that track record to the test on Saturday when they square off at Yulman Stadium in the American Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
It has the potential to be another hot day game for both teams, as kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on ESPNU.
Both the Green Wave (2-2) and the Bulls (2-2) have the same record and have gotten there in similar fashion. Both have beaten an FCS team, a non-power conference team and absorbed two losses each to power conference teams.
On paper they look similar. It's one of those games where home-field advantage can be a real asset for Tulane as it has played its best at home.
As least the conference realignment discussion won’t play out in the background. Tulane, along with three other AAC schools, turned down the Pac-12 and will remain in the conference.
Here are Tulane’s three keys to success against USF.
Feed Makhi
It goes without saying that Tulane should give their top running back, Makhi Hughes, the football as much as possible. He enters conference play among the top rushers in yardage this season.
He ranks No. 15 in FBS with 424 yards and three touchdowns. That puts him in company with players like Washington State’s John Mateer and Ole Miss’s Henry Parrish Jr. With a young quarterback like Darian Mensah, the former all-conference selection has been an godsend.
He's coming off a terrific game against Louisiana in which Tulane really had to lean on him to move the football. He doesn't seem to mind the heavy workload.
It might be time to start mentioning him in the same breath with other top Tulane backs like Matt Forte. He’s got something, and Tulane needs to make sure Hughes gets the ball at least 20 times a game.
Big Plays on Defense
I'm not certain if the NCAA keeps track of big defensive plays, but if they do Tulane would be up there. It seems as if every week the Green Wave is returning an interception for a touchdown or returning its kickoff for a touchdown.
It's really hard to quantify what big plays represent in games like last weekend's against Louisiana. But the Green Wave returned an interception for a touchdown near the end of the second quarter and then return a kickoff for a touchdown to start the third quarter, and those are the kinds of plays that can swing a game.
If you’re looking for a player to pull of that big play, watch Rayshawn Pleasant, who already had an interception return and a kickoff return for a touchdown this season.
Stop Brown
For USF, their offense is tied to their quarterback, Byrum Brown. Through four games he has thrown for 702 yards and has rushed for another 281 yards.
What he hasn't done is throw it a lot of touchdown passes, as he only has two. He’s also completed fewer than 60% of his passes. He's also been sacked 11 times.
His explosiveness and his ability to move the move his football team down the field is undeniable. Much of USF's success is tied to how successful he is when the ball is in his hands.
If you want to slow USF down, you have to slow him down. And you do that with a pass rush that gets to him constantly and forces him into making bad decisions with the ball.
