The age old saying tells us that defense wins championships. While a championship may be a bit of a longshot for a football team coming off a 3-9 season, the defense that currently resides in Tulane will most likely serve as the primary deciding factor on whether or not the 2016 will be a painful one to watch for New Orleans fans.
A deeper examination of Tulane’s defense will (maybe) paint a semi-clear picture of what to expect this fall. From the secondary to the D-line, the answers to the 2016 question marks may lie with these 11 young men.
2015 by the Numbers
To gain any sort of idea on what to anticipate moving forward, let’s take a look at last season and see where the defensive unit finished and how much they helped their team.
Last year, the Wave defense gave up a whopping 36 points a game (No. 111 of 128 in the FBS) with over 400 yards per contest. It was the passing attack that significantly hurt the Tulane defense, though, as it surrendered nearly 240 yards per game.
Furthermore, the Green Wave recorded no defensive scores. Winning games is hard to come by when you’re putting up numbers like those.
Individually, though, certain players stood out. Defensive back Darion Monroe picked off a team-high three passes in 2015. Monroe also recovered two fumbles. Cornerback Parry Nickerson defended eight passes (led the team) and racked up 41 tackles.
Linebacker Royce Lafrance also sacked opposing quarterbacks 6.5 times, another team-high.
The stats put up by certain players are hopeful, but there’s a few problems. Monroe, for instance, is no longer with the Wave leaving the secondary (that was already in trouble to some degree) with a hole.
Newcomers like defensive backs Will Harper and John Helow will need to step in and step up for head coach Willie Fritz’s growing Tulane secondary. Simply put, if they don’t want to give up the numbers they did last season, the Wave defense will have to improve on their pass defense.
The linebacker corps should see some continuity this fall. Upperclassmen such as Nico Marley and Eric Thomas will play their senior year in 2016 out. The two will look to put some pressure on the secondary in the hopes of stuffing opponents’ ground game and forcing the pass.
Finally, the defensive line, will look to a crop of juniors to keep the opposition at bay. A season ago, Tulane tallied 25 sacks. This season, the defensive line can set a real tone if they up that number substantially. Doing so will most likely make those other astronomically high defensive numbers go down.
It can’t be stressed enough that defense should be a key focus for Fritz and his staff as summer looms. Last year’s statistics were bad, yes, but there’s no reason they need to remain that way.
Exactly what Fritz plans to do with his defense is and, until fall, will be anyone’s guess. The formula for success, though, is hidden there somewhere. All Green Wave fans can do is hope that their new coach can find it before September.
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