The Tulane Green Wave visit the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in a Thursday night showdown at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The contest will get underway September 1st, at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN3. Wake Forest hopes to make some waves of their own when they take the field against Tulane. The Green Waves hope a new head coach and new quarterback is just what the doctor ordered.
Tulane:
Willie Fritz, the former head coach at Georgia Southern hopes to bring a steady and safe running attack to Tulane. That philosophy might be just what they need as the Green Wave return a solid stable of running backs back to the fold in 2016. The larger question for the university is what will they bring to the table at the quarterback position. Turnovers plagued the Green Waves last year and that fix will be a priority for Willie Fritz.
Last year’s version of the Tulane offense was mired at the bottom of Division I football. The unit managed only 19.7 points per game because they only gained 317 yards a contest. This year there should be a little more out-put.
Tulane has some experienced running backs placed in a system that ranked number one in rushing in college football over the last two seasons. Furthermore, they will be led by juniors Dontrell Hillard and Sherman Badie. Hillard galloped for a team-high 646 yards on only 115 carries (5.6).
Glen Cuiellette and freshman Darius Butler are listed as co-number ones at quarterback. They worked with a very green set of receivers while learning the new offense. As a result, neither of them separated themselves as the clear cut starter heading into the 2016 season.
On defense the Green Wave gave up an average of 36.3 point per game. That horrifying figure landed them in the 110th spot in the country in points allowed. Unfortunately, a lot the points piled up were because of offensive mistakes that gave their opponents a short field.
That being said, they still ranked 80th in the country in yards allowed. The Green Wave has eight starters returning that might not find themselves on the field so much in 2016. I expect the lowly defensive numbers to improve as the offense gives the defense a fighting chance.
Wake Forest:
The Demon Deacons will need to shore up their offense in 2016 if they have any hopes of competing in the ACC. Wake Forest’s offensive line was atrocious last season. Furthermore, the running backs didn’t have the speed to make big plays when the line decided to do their job. The quarterback play was inconsistent at best, so it’s fair to say there is plenty of room for improvement in 2016.
The Demon Deacons averaged a measly 17.4 points per contest which ranked 120th overall. The only offensive category to rank in the top 90 in Division I football was passing yards per game. Somehow they collected 228 a game which was 30th in the nation. Junior signal-caller John Wolford hopes to capitalize on his receiving corps talent. Unfortunately, turn-arounds don’t happen over night and I wouldn’t expect to many points from this struggling offense.
The Wake Forest defense was the heart and sole of the football club last season. They remained stingy throughout he campaign, finishing 28th in Division I football in first downs allowed. As a result, they finished 43rd in the country in points allowed.
However, the weakness lied in the team’s secondary. The unit consistently gave up big play after big play. The Deamon Decaons finished 89th in the country in yards per passing attempt in 2015. Numerous big plays were gave up by the 89th ranking secondary in yards per passing attempt.
Prediction:
Willie Fritz went 17-7 and 14-2 in two seasons in the Sun Belt Conference after moving up from Division II football. He makes a habit getting off to good starts with teams by running the ball complimented with an attacking defense.
Wake Forest is trying to improve with new head coach Dave Clawson. He was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee last year. Considering their talent on the offensive side of the ball, it’s a wonder that they’re a 17 point favorite to anybody. Wake Forest might make enough plays through the air to give their defense a chance to win, but it’ll be closer than two touchdowns and a field goal.
Frankly, I couldn’t believe this line hasn’t dipped to at least 14.5, though it might by game time. Furthermore, Tulane has a winning record over the last four years against the spread (26-23). I’ll be riding the Green Wave on Thursday night.
The Hun’s Prediction:
Tulane +17
