Can the Tulane Green Wave Take Down Georgia Tech?

Last week was a tough loss for the Tulane Green Wave, not just to a conference foe (old and new), but one they led for much of the game.

Now they’ve got a tougher opponent to face— the ACC’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and their funky running attack. Tech struggled at times last week against Wofford, winning 38-19, but allowing the Terriers to stay in the game for longer than an FCS team really should. With some answers found on offense last week, and some questions raised on defense, do Tulane stand a chance in week two?

Offense

Nick Montana had his moments last season, but never really sold himself as the unquestioned starter. Redshirt freshman Tanner Lee won the starting job in camp, and looked good at times versus Tulsa, but struggled at others. His overtime interception effectively sealed the game in the Golden Hurricane’s favor, as he completed 22-of-44 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns.

Not asking your redshirt freshman to throw 44 times should help next week, and Sherman Badie will play a role there. Another redshirt freshman, Badie showed he was capable of replacing Orleans Darkwa by tearing off 215 yards and scoring a 90-yard TD last week, on a mere 15 carries. Badie needs to see more of the ball, or at least some of his reserves do, to try and add a little more balance, or else the Yellow Jackets will tee off on Lee.

Another question that needed answering was who would replace Ryan Grant. Justin Shackleford was a name regularly mentioned, and he caught eight passes for 113 yards. Someone else needs to step up though, as the next leading receiver was Xavier Rush with three receptions for 68 yards and a TD. The offensive line was solid, opening up some big holes Badie, and allowing zero sacks.

Defense

The defense was pretty good early against Tulsa, rattling quarterback Dane Evans and stuffing the run. But Evans made a couple of big plays at the end of the second quarter, and the light went on for him then. Running back Tavarreon Dickerson found some nice running room against the Tulane front seven en route to 84 yards on 15 carries, while Keevan Lucas gained some big yards on end-arounds.

This could be a concern against Georgia Tech, which uses misdirection like other teams snap the ball. Still, the Yellow Jackets had a quiet day at the office on the ground last week, gaining just 226 yards on 43 carries. This wasn’t necessarily because Wofford was stuffing them up front, but rather due to coach Paul Johnson trying out some trick plays—passing the ball.

New(ish) quarterback Justin Thomas lit up the Terriers, completing 11-of-15 passes for 282 yards and a pair of scores, and will look to have similar success against the Green Wave. Despite last week’s horror story, Tulane (in theory) has an excellent secondary, and will be playing against receivers who tend to be blockers first and pass-catchers second. Lorenzo Doss and Co. picked off a couple of passes last week, and had another that was cancelled out by a penalty, and they’re an aggressive group. However, the corners may be left to their own devices, especially if the safeties are required in run support. Consider this a key to the game.

Special Teams

New kicker Andrew DiRocco missed a 21-yard field goal at the end of the fourth quarter that would likely have won the game, but made a 30-yarder in overtime. Punter Peter Picerelli was wildly inconsistent, grossing just 33 yards on punts. Kick coverage was good, but the punt coverage was less so. The return games were not a factor. Georgia Tech kicker made a 51-yard field goal, but missed a 38-yard attempt. He was a solid punter too. Jamal Golden had some success returning kicks and punts. Needless to say, the Green Wave need to improve greatly on special teams to help them out in this game.

Prediction

Tulane has an aggressive defense that makes a lot of plays, but its been 32 years since it has played the Yellow Jackets, so it’s are unfamiliar with their tricky offense. Tulane will play hard, and make some plays early, but Georgia Tech will resort to their ground game in the second half, battering the Green Wave into submission in a 42-17 win.