I expect Jonathan Banks to start against Army Saturday, but that's not coming from coach Willie Fritz, who remained mum on the subject after Wednesday's practice. I certainly don't have any proof because the quarterbacks weren't throwing downfield much in the portion of practice I watched and of course they weren't taking hits. Banks, Johnathan Brantley and Khalil McClain all got reps again.
"Yeah, it is," was Fritz' three-word response when asked if the quarterback situation was still wait and see.
I also expect Rod Teamer to play despite his own hesitation when asked about his status yesterday. He practiced with the first team today ahead of Chase Kuerschen.
If I'm right, and I'm not guaranteeing anything, the only significant player who will be unavailable is tight end Kendall Ardoin. He has not been at practice this week and did not travel to Oklahoma because he was sick. The last time I saw him, he was walking with a trainer to the locker room in the second half of the Navy game. Without Ardoin, Tulane has used only one tight end--starter Charles Jones. Freshman Will Wallace has dressed for all three games but has yet to play, and the Wave opened without a tight end against Oklahoma, replacing Jones with a second running back.
Fritz said he liked Wednesday's practice and thought it was better than Tuesday's. I definitely like the defense's plan for Army, which won't vary much from the plan against Navy. Defensive coordinator Jack Curtis said he was very pleased with how Tulane played Navy's option with the exception of three or four plays, including the missed tackle by cornerback Donnie Lewis that turned a routine gain into a 79-yard touchdown pass. That mistake had nothing to do with the scheme.
This report is brief, but I will have a lot of Q&A material up either later today or tomorrow. Fritz is very high on his freshman class, which was not rated high by any of the recruiting sites.
Today is Cameron Sample's 18th birthday. I'm telling you, he did not look like a 17-year old in his performance in the first three games. Fritz loves his attitude and potential. Sample is playing that hybrid end-tackle position that three-man fronts use and has made six tackles in the first three games, providing valuable downs for the defense.
I talked to Sample, Jack Curtis, Chase Kuerschen and Corey Dublin today as well as Fritz. Everything they said will be posted here by tomorrow.
"Yeah, it is," was Fritz' three-word response when asked if the quarterback situation was still wait and see.
I also expect Rod Teamer to play despite his own hesitation when asked about his status yesterday. He practiced with the first team today ahead of Chase Kuerschen.
If I'm right, and I'm not guaranteeing anything, the only significant player who will be unavailable is tight end Kendall Ardoin. He has not been at practice this week and did not travel to Oklahoma because he was sick. The last time I saw him, he was walking with a trainer to the locker room in the second half of the Navy game. Without Ardoin, Tulane has used only one tight end--starter Charles Jones. Freshman Will Wallace has dressed for all three games but has yet to play, and the Wave opened without a tight end against Oklahoma, replacing Jones with a second running back.
Fritz said he liked Wednesday's practice and thought it was better than Tuesday's. I definitely like the defense's plan for Army, which won't vary much from the plan against Navy. Defensive coordinator Jack Curtis said he was very pleased with how Tulane played Navy's option with the exception of three or four plays, including the missed tackle by cornerback Donnie Lewis that turned a routine gain into a 79-yard touchdown pass. That mistake had nothing to do with the scheme.
This report is brief, but I will have a lot of Q&A material up either later today or tomorrow. Fritz is very high on his freshman class, which was not rated high by any of the recruiting sites.
Today is Cameron Sample's 18th birthday. I'm telling you, he did not look like a 17-year old in his performance in the first three games. Fritz loves his attitude and potential. Sample is playing that hybrid end-tackle position that three-man fronts use and has made six tackles in the first three games, providing valuable downs for the defense.
I talked to Sample, Jack Curtis, Chase Kuerschen and Corey Dublin today as well as Fritz. Everything they said will be posted here by tomorrow.
