1) Tulane's offense and play calling has been ripped to shreds after the bad loss to SMU, but I actually liked the play-calling and variety on the first few possessions before the offense went kaput for the rest of the half.
Bradwell ripped off a 23-yard run with the help of a good block by Keyshawn McLeod on the opening snap, and Banks showed a combination of elusiveness and power on the second play to turn a nothing play into an 8-yard run. Amare Jones went in for a wildcat play and handed off Then Banks ran an option pitch to Jones for a first down and completed a swing pass to Huderson for another first down. Two elements Tulane used on that possession it has not done much this year were the option and throwing to running backs. In fact, this was a bizarre time to criticize Tulane for not throwing to its backs because it happened more often in this game than any other in the Fritz era. I'm not counting two catches that were really pitches that went slightly forward, but in addition to the swing pass to Huderson, there was the wheel route Jones ran for a big gain right before the lightning delay later in the quarter. Tulane also targeted other receivers, with completions to Jabril Clewis and Jacob Robertson that were erased by penalties (one on SMU, one on Tulane).
All that said, the opening drive stalled when Banks was sacked on a third down, knocking Tulane out of field goal range. McLeod got beaten, forcing Banks into an end who started inside on Dominique Briggs, then circled around on the outside to get Banks. Banks needed to get rid of the ball there, but the play broke down quickly.
2) Tulane's defense was very prepared for SMU's offense, sniffing out several plays as they developed. Will Harper stuffed a wide receivers screen on SMU's first series, and Donnie Lewis made a big hit on a reverse he was ready for. The Mustangs got nothing on screens all day, with Lewis stuffing another one for a 2-yard loss. SMU really got nothing going all day other than than the huge touchdown gains that Tulane has been allowing. The Wave has allowed 10 touchdowns of 44 more yards or longer, which is astounding.
3) Color commentator Andre Ware was all over SMU QB Ben Hicks in the first half, and he deserved the criticism. On the reverse, he chose to block no one when he had two guys in front of him and needed to get in the way of somebody. On the high snap that resulted in the safety, he refused to dive for the ball, making a lame attempt to kick it as Cam Sample dove for it. That's weak. I would not have wanted to be Hicks in the film session reviewing that play.
Sample is a really good, but he did not look very coordinated falling on the ball. He had a clear shot at it and should have gotten it for a touchdown instead of inadvertently knocking it out of the end zone for a safety. Hicks basically asked him to recover it.
4) Of the maddening mistakes by the offensive line, none was worse than Tyler Johnson did when Darius Bradwell was stuffed on a third-and-1 play in the first quarter. Johnson started to double team an end, then ran downfield and went right in between the two guys who tackled Bradwell without touching either of them. What is that? I'm lost.
5) John Leglue had a good series on Tulane's TD drive after the safety. He had the primary block on Bradwell's big run to start the drive and he finished with another solid block on Bradwell's TD run. A pulling Johnson also was pivotal on the score, getting over to stone a defender as Bradwell slipped through a hole.
6) Marvin Moody was awful on the most important play of the game, which was SMU's 55-yard TD pass to Xavier Jones on fourth-and-1 from its own 45 while trailing 9-0. Now in fairness to Moody, the alignment Tulane had would have given him no chance to stop the first down, but he never looked at Jones, running to his left for a second at the snap but then deciding to rush the passer while Jones ran free. Jones was his man. Everyone else had a different responsibility on the play, and you can't freelance in that situation. What could have been a 15-yard gain for a first down turned into a ridiculously easy touchdown, changing the tenor of the game.
That was a gusty call by SMU coach Sonny Dykes. Most coaches would have punted in that situation.
7) Tulane's first play on the next series was the best example of why Jonathan Banks will not start tomorrow. The defensive end crashed at the snap, which means the QB has to keep the ball and run to the side the crashing end vacated. Instead, Banks handed to Corey Dauphine, who was clobbered immediately. There have been too many of those misreads from Banks. It did not help that Corey Dublin basically whiffed on his block. too.
On the sack that ended that series, Noah Fisher was in at left tackle and handled his man easily. He did not play well earlier this year. but his pass protection ability is better than the other tackles when he is healthy. The problem on that play came on the other side.
8) Another bust on the offensive line happened on Tulane's next series. McLeod went inside and did not block an outside guy who tackled Bradwell for a 1-yard loss. Even stranger, Ware's first comment before the series started was "Bradwell's running wild along with Dauphine." At that point, Dauphine had one carry for zero yards.
Then, on third down, Banks did not set his feet and threw a bad pass to an open Encalade, but I'm not going to get on Banks as much as Encalade there. He entered the year as Tulane's bell cow receiver, but he showed alligator arms on that play, sticking one hand out to catch it instead of selling out. An average receiver is not expected to make that catch. Encalade should have, and it would have been at least a 20-yard gain instead of a punt.
9) The less said about most of the second quarter, the better, and that goes for both teams, who were inept offensively. An option pitch to Encalade--Tulane's third option pitch of the half--was moderately successful, but that's about it until the last two plays when Banks hit Encalade for a nice gain and then got lucky when the ball was stripped from his hands and bounced right back to him, allowing him to make a nifty sideline completion to Darnell Mooney that put Tulane in field goal range. Of course, Merek Glover's kick was awful. It looked like he tried to kick it too hard, hooking it left.
