Tulane wins nail biter to open 2024 season

[kgreene829]

The 2024 season is officially underway and Tulane kicked off their season with a nail biter against Pac-2 team Oregon State. Tulane was able to get the win by a score of 23-21 in a game where they didn’t play their best. Before we get into the results let’s take a look at how these teams matched up. Oregon State’s star players are better than Tulane but Tulane has the deeper team between the two and when we get into the game we will see the pros and cons of that. Oregon State is led on offense by FB Ray-Ray Last Name an A rushing FB who can absolutely dominate on the ground. On defense Oregon State has DT Maikel Milligan and DE Byron Jansen, a pair of D-linemen that just make O-lines look silly. The drop-off from the top guys to the rest of the roster is the biggest weakness for Oregon State but the top guys are dominant enough that they will still be a solid team. Oregon State runs the Wing-T offense which is a strength of the 2-Gap defense that Tulane runs which in my opinion was needed as Tulane has a better pass defense than run defense.

 

Now let’s get to the game. Tulane made a statement on defense by limiting Ray-Ray Last Name to 90 yards and 1 TD on 30 carries. Limiting Ray-Ray was a big reason Tulane was able to get the win as Oregon State’s offense took a big hit without their top player. On top of that Tulane was able to hold QB Travis Street to 18 for 31 276 yards 2 TDs and 2 interceptions. Also the Oregon State defense was able to sack QB Paul McCullers-Sanders 6 times. The story for the Tulane defense was really the halftime adjustments as after letting up 21 points in the first half they shutout Oregon State in the 2nd half and had an interception late. Tulane was able to keep the game close through the first 3 quarters but never held a lead until a 42 yard FG by Justin McDonald about halfway into the 4th quarter.

 

Now let’s look at how the Tulane players performed. QB Paul McCullers-Sanders had a great game going 33 for 60 with 580 yards 2 TDs and no interceptions. The 580 yards by PMS was the 2nd most yards in a game in Tulane history and the 2 TDs he passed for gives him sole possession of 3rd for most points scored in Tulane career history passing the great Fernando Thomas. Haloti Thomas had a pretty pedestrian game by his standards catching 7 of his 9 targets for 99 yards and 1 TD and picking up 31 rushing yards on 7 carries. With that said he made some big plays in the 4th both through the air and on the ground picking up 1st downs to help secure the game. Jeffrey Bouthillier 10 catches on 20 targets for 192 yards and 1 TD, Dashaun Knight 6 targets on 9 catches for 139 yards, and William Henry 7 catches on 11 targets for 129 yards all had great games to help Tulane in the win. Justin McDonald missed 2 FGs that could have really come back to bite Tulane but the 42 yarder he hit that ended up being the game winner was the 9th longest FG made in Tulane history and the 3 he made was enough to get Tulane the win.

 

Now let’s talk about the defense and we have to start off with the DBs. CB Josh Blanco had a relatively quiet game but was able to get an interception to start his senior season off strong. Not to be outdone SS Kevin Milano who the fans have given the nickname cookie after the famous Milano cookie got a huge interception with 6 minutes left in the game. As a whole the defense had a strong game but the LBs really impressed. ILB Montrezl Holcomb had the worst game with 5 tackles but OLB Carroll Hill had 7.5 tackles and 1.5 TFLs, ILB Kevin Robles had 8 tackles and 1 TFL, and OLB Jose Hernandez had 8.5 tackles and 2.5 TFLs combining for 29 of the teams 41 tackles and all 5 of the teams TFLs.

 

Let’s get to the interviews of course we will start off with coach Kgreene829

“Sarah Johnson Tulane Times, Coach, congratulations on the win! The game was quite intense, particularly in the fourth quarter. What were your thoughts as the game was coming down to the wire?”

Kgreene829: “Well entering the 4th quarter the game hadn’t gone exactly as planned to that point but we spent all offseason training and I knew the the guys I had on the field were capable of coming away with a win. Obviously I was nervous, as the coach I do everything I can to put these players in a position to win. I was a little nervous that I could end up costing these boys this game but I knew that if I did my job we would come away with the win. We were able to get a couple plays to go our way and that changed everything and sometimes that’s what you need to get a win.”

“David Martinez Sports Illustrated, Your quarterback, Paul McCullers-Sanders, had a solid performance, especially with that game-winning field goal drive. What do you think were the key factors contributing to his success in that crucial moment?”

Kgreene829: ”We started that drive backed up to our own 16 and we were on the verge of going 3 and out as it was 3rd and 13. In situations like that you need your best players to step up and make plays and we got that as PMS found JB for 33 yards. Two plays later PMS found Dash for 23 yards which set us up for that FG. PMS had a great game but who cares about him having 580 yards if we lose the game. PMS really stepped up on that FG drive and showed why I have so much trust in him. As for the key factors you have to ask him for the real answers but in my opinion it comes down to trusting yourself. We had a whole offseason to prepare for this game and worked on so much, so in that moment you just have to know that we worked so hard so that we can come through in those moments and the days of work was what you guys saw on that drive.”

“Emily Davis ESPN, Your defense held strong in the final minutes, preventing Oregon State from getting into field goal range. What adjustments did you make defensively that helped secure the victory? “

Kgreene829: ”The adjustments came at halftime after we allowed 21 points in the first half. I stressed the importance of not letting up the big plays at the break. In the first half after we would score on offense we would get burned for big gains leading to Oregon State scoring and just rebuilding their lead. We were doing a good job at shutting down Ray-Ray so I told them to stop pressing. Since we were able to contain Ray-Ray they were having trouble sustaining drives and were getting bailed out by big gains so I told them to sit back and let them work the short game but no matter what don’t get burned on a big play. That ended up being the difference and led to us shutting the door in the 2nd half. In the final minutes it was just me telling them they have shut them down so far and they can make the stands we need them to.”

“Michael Thompson The Athletic, The special teams also played a significant role in the game, particularly with Justin McDonald's field goals. How do you assess the performance of the special teams unit overall?”

Kgreene829: “Well Justin had a bit of an up and down game he missed a FG earlier and my bad relationship with kickers has been noted many times. McDonald had a good game and while he did miss 2 he made 3 and that was all we needed. I wasn’t 100% sure he had the power to hit the 42 yarder but he came through and that’s something that I respect.” 

“Jessica Lee Fox Sports, Looking ahead, what aspects of the team's performance from this game will you be focusing on improving in practice?”

Kgreene829: “We have a couple things we want to focus on for next week. The main thing is developing the run game some more since we got away from it in this game. If we can get a more balanced offense I think that will open things up so much more for us. The other big thing is the pass protection. PMS was sacked 6 times and only two of them were a loss of less than 10 yards with only 1 being a loss of less than 6. Those are drive killers so we need to make sure that we can cut back on those.”

“Ryan Smith New Orleans Times-Picayune, Paul you had an outstanding game, especially leading the team on that final drive. Can you walk us through your thought process during that drive, knowing that time was running out for you guys to take the lead?”

QB Paul McCullers-Sanders: “This coaching staff has worked really hard to give all of us the confidence to show up in moments like that. Even on 3rd and 13 at our own 13 we all knew that we had what it took to drive down the field and take the lead. When you have a madman in your ear like Kgreene829 talking about how he is going to make sure the team is good enough for me to repeat as a Heisman in 2025 it’s hard not to be fired up and have confidence. When someone breaks into your dorm and keeps telling you you're the best QB in the world while you sleep it starts to get through. Even if I am not, the belief comes through on the field and allows me to play at a higher level.”

“Amanda White Bleacher Report, Dashaun you had some explosive plays in the passing game, including that long reception. What was working well for you today, and how did you find openings in Oregon State's defense?”

WR Dashaun Knight: “Well obviously the big one was the 74 yarder but I also had a 23 yard reception and a 28 yard reception. PMS was able to find me in space which is what let me get those big gains so that’s part of it. I think past that they call me Dash for a reason, once I see daylight I am off. I think on top of that JB is such a big threat that he draws attention and while I am not as big of a threat when you focus on him I can find some holes. JB is my boy, he is slow so it took him a bit but he got to me on that 74 yard catch and run as soon as he could and started celebrating with me. It sucks that I won’t be with him next year but he is such a great kid and I think he will be at the very least on the same level as Fernando Thomas once he graduates. He knows that he draws so much attention so when another WR is able to find space or get a big gain he celebrates it like it was his play. He knows that the offense is best when we can spread the ball around and he knows his gravity is such a big part of that.”

“Brian Johnson USA Today, Kyle the defense made some crucial stops. What was the mindset of the defense during those critical moments, and how did you maintain composure under pressure?”

FS Kyle Are: “The first half was a little rough for us but we never had any doubt that when it came to crunch time we would shut them down. The LBs and D-line did a great job on Ray-Ray and we knew that we had the ability to shut down the passing game. It was a great team performance on defense everyone played their part and that gave us the confidence and is how we were able to stay cool under the pressure. When we are all doing our jobs we aren’t under pressure because we will continue to play at the level we need to but we know that the rest of the defense can make up for a mistake or two. When you have that mentality the pressure goes away and you can just make the plays you need to.”

“Rachel Miller CBS Sports, Haloti you came in as a quarterback but are making the transition to RB. You contribute to the offense's success as a runner and as a receiver and how do you balance your roles on the field”

QB Haloti Thomas: “Well this is my fourth year at Tulane and I have been behind some good QBs but this coaching staff wants to do whatever they can to put their players in positions to succeed. Kgreene829 saw my speed and ability as a runner and because of that I have had a good career as a RB here. I have the most rushing TDs in a career at Tulane and am 27 yards away from having the most rushing yards in a career at Tulane. I also rank 8th in receiving yards and 5th in receiving TDs in a career at Tulane. I think that to take a backup QB who doesn’t have a great arm and to turn him into the ultimate utility man is an amazing thing and I am so happy that they found a way for me to contribute. This is my senior season and I could get drafted which is something that would not have happened if I had been played as a backup QB. This coaching staff has done so much for me and my career and because of that I do everything they ask me to. I think the fact that I can come in and be an effective runner really opens up the offense because it makes it so teams can’t just sit back and defend the pass. As for how I balance my roles I just see it as doing whatever I can and giving 110%. On a pass play I stay back and block if I need to or I run a route and get open and on a run play I fight for every yard. Whatever I can do to help the team I do it so I don’t see it as balancing roles because in my eyes I just have one role and that is to help the team.”

“Alex Rodriguez NBC Sports, Justin kicking those field goals must have been nerve-wracking, especially the game-winning one. How do you stay focused in high-pressure situations like that, and what goes through your mind before attempting a crucial kick?”

K Justin McDonald: “I was told after the game that was the 8th time in my 2 years I had made a kick over 40 yards. That 42 yarder that ended up being the game winner was the 4th longest FG of my career so while not known for my power I knew I had enough power in my leg to make it from 42. When you are kicking it is stressful because while things can go wrong for the most part it’s just you and you either make it or you miss it and if you miss it that’s on you and nobody else. You have to really calm down and take it slow, you know. Block out the sound, it's just you in practice kicking a ball like you have done millions of times. I am at my best when I just shut my eyes, tune out the noise, and clear my head. I have practiced so much that if I can just let instincts take over then I can make the FG and on that play I was able to block out everything and send the kick through the uprights. The team was able to get down the field and this time I was able to send the kick through. It feels great to come through like that and get the win for the team especially after missing one earlier.”

 

Now let’s look forward to next week when Tulane plays Colorado State. Tulane will be up against another run heavy team as not only is Mark Nelson a great RB but scrambler QB Andrew Michael is a big rushing threat. On top of that, blocking FB Jon Strickland and blocking TE Zack Labourt will be big in helping that run game. Even though the CSU O-line isn’t an amazing run blocking group the rushing attack will be tough to stop. DE Justin Murton is the only A- or higher on the defense and his elite run defense should cause problems and ball hawk SS James Williams could be a problem as well. CSU has a great run defense but the pass defense isn’t as good which gives the Tulane offense a bit of an advantage. This should be a great game that will give Tulane a fun challenge when gameplanning to balance the advantage of passing offense but also incorporating the run enough to punish CSU if they sell out to stop the pass too much. We look forward to that game but until then that’s all from AAC conference leader Tulane.
 

Edited April 20 by kgreene829