On a busy week, I finally finished watching the Navy game I taped. I won't get that opportunity with Oklahoma, but that should be the last game not on regular television.
Here are some thoughts on the Navy game:
1) Of Tulane's 60 snaps, 17 out of the first 27 and 31 overall were inside running plays. That seems awfully high, but there were five consecutive inside zone handoffs on the long touchdown drive in the second half. Those were successful. Many others were not. The offensive line play has to get better.
2) I underrated Dontrell Hilliard's performance watching the game live. I still would like to see him break some big runs because it's hard for Tulane to sustain drives consistently, but he repeatedly turned tiny creases into positive plays. That's his strength-vision and nice wiggles. He got the fourth down when Tulane gambled deep in its own territory on individual effort, and that play probably kept the Wave from losing by double digits. Sherman Badie had two excellent runs in a row in the first half, but he's more hit or miss than Hilliard.
3) The holding call on McLeod that sabotaged Tulane's last drive was the right call, clearly. He got beat right away and tackled the guy to keep him from sacking Brantley. But the earlier holding call on McLeon on a running play was a complete joke. He physically manhandled his guy with textbook execution. If they are going to call holding on that, they need to throw a flag on every single play.
4) John Leglue got beaten badly the time Brantley was sacked. When I asked Fritz this week about why Leglue had switched to right tackle and McLeod switched to left tackle late in the game and in practice this week, saying it was a matter of creating better depth. I'm no offensive line expert, but it may be a performance-based decision. It will be interesting to see what happens against Oklahoma.
5) Badie is Tulane's best kickoff returner, but he has to stop going sideways at the beginning of the return. He got away with it early, outracing everyone to the sideline before getting past the 30, but he got tackled inside the 10 on Navy's kickoff that led to the safety on the bad snap. I've watched a ton of football in my life, and just about every good kickoff starts with the returner running straight ahead and then making his cut.
6) That was one awesome play by Darnell Mooney on his 24-yard reception. He showed terrific strength, as CBS Sports analyst Randy Cross pointed out, to break a tackle on the sideline, and his spin move to avoid another tackle was sweet. I really like his potential to be an excellent complement to Terren Encalade.
7) When he ran the option, Brantley made the right decision every time except for once, when he pitched to Badie despite having poor spacing with one defender there. If he had faked the pitch, I bet he would have made the guy miss and gotten some positive yardage. The pitch had no chance, stringing Badie out toward the sideline with nowhere to go.
8) The blocking on the failed fourth-down run by Darius Bradwell in the fourth quarter was a disaster, reminiscent of the CJ era. McLeod went inside and downfield and really touched no one until it was too late. Corey Dublin, who otherwise has been Tulane's best offensive lineman for the first two games, got stood up. And tight end Charles Jones, who was supposed to have the kick-out block, missed his guy entirely. Bradwell had no chance.
9) Although it was a crucial play in the game, the snap that turned into a safety does not concern me. Clearly there was miscommunication between Junior Diaz and Brantley, but Diaz is a good snapper who likely will not repeat that mistake all year. I see that as a total outlier. It's just unfortunate for Tulane it happened when and where it did.
10) My opinion on the defense's performance has not changed. With the exception of Donnie Lewis' missed tackle and the early touchdown run right up the gut, the defense was outstanding. These guys were disciplined, prepared incredibly well and made plays all over the field. I don't know how good Navy will be this year, but I'm doubling down on my prediction that no AAC opponent will hold the Midshipmen under 200 yards rushing with the possible exception of Houston. A lot of different guys made plays on defense, which bodes well for the rest of the year.
11) I know it's not his primary responsibility, but Braynon Edwards failed to make a tackle again. He did not have any when he played against Navy last year, either. He gives Tulane depth and can hold his position, but at some point you've got to be able to finish a play. Sean Wilson, who plays nose, had four tackles. Cameron Sample had two.
I am very optimistic about the defense the rest of the way. The offense remains a work in progress, with major questions about the line's ability to open holes and the passing game in general. I'm not expecting much from the offense against Oklahoma--let's see if they can prove me wrong--but the Army game in two weeks will be very telling. Whether it is Banks or Brantley, Tulane needs to pile up a lot of yards on an FBS opponent sooner rather than later.
Here are some thoughts on the Navy game:
1) Of Tulane's 60 snaps, 17 out of the first 27 and 31 overall were inside running plays. That seems awfully high, but there were five consecutive inside zone handoffs on the long touchdown drive in the second half. Those were successful. Many others were not. The offensive line play has to get better.
2) I underrated Dontrell Hilliard's performance watching the game live. I still would like to see him break some big runs because it's hard for Tulane to sustain drives consistently, but he repeatedly turned tiny creases into positive plays. That's his strength-vision and nice wiggles. He got the fourth down when Tulane gambled deep in its own territory on individual effort, and that play probably kept the Wave from losing by double digits. Sherman Badie had two excellent runs in a row in the first half, but he's more hit or miss than Hilliard.
3) The holding call on McLeod that sabotaged Tulane's last drive was the right call, clearly. He got beat right away and tackled the guy to keep him from sacking Brantley. But the earlier holding call on McLeon on a running play was a complete joke. He physically manhandled his guy with textbook execution. If they are going to call holding on that, they need to throw a flag on every single play.
4) John Leglue got beaten badly the time Brantley was sacked. When I asked Fritz this week about why Leglue had switched to right tackle and McLeod switched to left tackle late in the game and in practice this week, saying it was a matter of creating better depth. I'm no offensive line expert, but it may be a performance-based decision. It will be interesting to see what happens against Oklahoma.
5) Badie is Tulane's best kickoff returner, but he has to stop going sideways at the beginning of the return. He got away with it early, outracing everyone to the sideline before getting past the 30, but he got tackled inside the 10 on Navy's kickoff that led to the safety on the bad snap. I've watched a ton of football in my life, and just about every good kickoff starts with the returner running straight ahead and then making his cut.
6) That was one awesome play by Darnell Mooney on his 24-yard reception. He showed terrific strength, as CBS Sports analyst Randy Cross pointed out, to break a tackle on the sideline, and his spin move to avoid another tackle was sweet. I really like his potential to be an excellent complement to Terren Encalade.
7) When he ran the option, Brantley made the right decision every time except for once, when he pitched to Badie despite having poor spacing with one defender there. If he had faked the pitch, I bet he would have made the guy miss and gotten some positive yardage. The pitch had no chance, stringing Badie out toward the sideline with nowhere to go.
8) The blocking on the failed fourth-down run by Darius Bradwell in the fourth quarter was a disaster, reminiscent of the CJ era. McLeod went inside and downfield and really touched no one until it was too late. Corey Dublin, who otherwise has been Tulane's best offensive lineman for the first two games, got stood up. And tight end Charles Jones, who was supposed to have the kick-out block, missed his guy entirely. Bradwell had no chance.
9) Although it was a crucial play in the game, the snap that turned into a safety does not concern me. Clearly there was miscommunication between Junior Diaz and Brantley, but Diaz is a good snapper who likely will not repeat that mistake all year. I see that as a total outlier. It's just unfortunate for Tulane it happened when and where it did.
10) My opinion on the defense's performance has not changed. With the exception of Donnie Lewis' missed tackle and the early touchdown run right up the gut, the defense was outstanding. These guys were disciplined, prepared incredibly well and made plays all over the field. I don't know how good Navy will be this year, but I'm doubling down on my prediction that no AAC opponent will hold the Midshipmen under 200 yards rushing with the possible exception of Houston. A lot of different guys made plays on defense, which bodes well for the rest of the year.
11) I know it's not his primary responsibility, but Braynon Edwards failed to make a tackle again. He did not have any when he played against Navy last year, either. He gives Tulane depth and can hold his position, but at some point you've got to be able to finish a play. Sean Wilson, who plays nose, had four tackles. Cameron Sample had two.
I am very optimistic about the defense the rest of the way. The offense remains a work in progress, with major questions about the line's ability to open holes and the passing game in general. I'm not expecting much from the offense against Oklahoma--let's see if they can prove me wrong--but the Army game in two weeks will be very telling. Whether it is Banks or Brantley, Tulane needs to pile up a lot of yards on an FBS opponent sooner rather than later.
