Six up; six down. SMU, ranked 21st in the country, is halfway toward its goal of an undefeated regular season.
After an open week, the Mustangs are back at home to face Tulane.
We caught up with Guerry Smith from TheWaveReport to go 5-wide behind enemy lines and get a better understanding of the Green Wave.
Judging by Tulane's results this year, it seems they are prone to giving up a lot of points. What is the focus for them heading into this week to try and stop SMU?
Yes, the Tulane defense has been surprisingly poor against the run and the pass after a solid performance in the opener against Oklahoma. The return of playmaking linebacker and spiritual leader Nick Anderson will help. He entered the Ole Miss game with a bum ankle, aggravated it into a high-ankle sprain and did not play in the losses to UAB, East Carolina and Houston. He is a sure tackler, and missed tackles were epidemic against Ole Miss, UAB and East Carolina. Priority No. 1 is getting back to the fundamentals of proper tackling. The other priority is starting better after the Green Wave fell behind 14-0 quickly in each of the last four games.
Coach Willie Fritz had his coordinators install their entire plan before the first practice after the open week in an attempt to get his guys ready for the first few possessions. He admitted he was not sure why the defense was starting so slowly, but he knew he needed to change something. The defense actually played pretty well in the second and third quarters against Houston and will be looking for a similar effort on Thursday, albeit against a stronger offense. Tulane is capable of playing much better against the run that it has to this point. The question is whether the defensive backs can limit big plays, a bugaboo the past few years against SMU.
Last year this game went into overtime against a ranked SMU squad, what, do you think Tulane needs to do to be able to replicate that type of effort?
The offense needs to get in gear faster than it has during the losing streak. It has been just as bad as the defense in the first quarters of games. If the Wave plays like it did against Oklahoma, when it scored touchdowns on its first two possessions, it can hang with the Mustangs into the fourth quarter. Michael Pratt is a good quarterback when he is given time to throw, and new offensive coordinator Chip Long is a clever play-caller who loves to throw to his tight ends. Even if the defense plays better, Tulane is going to give up points to the Mustangs' prolific offense, so Pratt and company need to be efficient. Good balance is pivotal. The run blocking, another surprising weakness in the first half of the season, showed signs of life against Houston. The concern there is dynamic running back Tyjae Spears, who was having his best game after coming back from ACL surgery in 2020, appeared to hurt his shoulder in the second half. He is supposed to play Thursday, but will he be 100 percent?
After a strong first two weeks, what has been the biggest issue plaguing Tulane the last four games?
Problems have cropped up across the board, so it is hard to narrow it down to one central issue. A veteran offensive line has underachieved. The wide receivers struggle to get past press coverage and have dropped too many passes. The running backs have been tentative. The tackling has been the worst in the Fritz era. The pass rush has been disappointing, with no one stepping up to replace the production of standout ends Cam Sample and Patrick Johnson, both of whom are playing in the NFL. Too many defensive players have not been gap sound. The secondary has continued to give up big plays, the major problem last season. That's how a team that was supposed to be the best in Fritz's six years has gone 1-5 and could well be looking at 1-7 with SMU and Cincinnati on the docket.
How much does the open week help heading into this matchup with SMU?
It is huge. It has been a rough couple of months, starting with the three-week evacuation to Birmingham, Alabama, from late August to mid-September that cost Tulane its first two home games because of Hurricane Ida's effects. Even when the team returned to New Orleans after the Ole Miss loss, the first week was hectic because campus remained closed. Plus. some players' families had their homes damaged severely, adding to the mental strain. The schedule did the Wave no favors with a pair of top-10 caliber teams in Oklahoma and Ole Miss. In other words, the open week was desperately needed. The Wave is hoping that after recharging its batteries it will be ready to play its best game of the year. After losing to SMU five times in a row under Fritz despite leading in the fourth quarter of four of them and in the last three minutes of three of them, there is no team Tulane wants to beat more than the Mustangs Doing it as a two-touchdown underdog when no one expects it would make it even more special.
How do you see this one playing out?
If the offense cuts down on its mistakes, Tulane can play with SMU, which needed a Hail Mary to beat Louisiana Tech and trailed Navy 21-7 before a kickoff return for a touchdown changed the momentum. The Wave had rallied from a 14-0 deficit to go ahead of Houston 22-17 in the quarter when a sack-fumble caused another tailspin. I see a big game from Pratt as Tulane matches the Mustangs score for score most of the way, proving it is better than its performance in the first half of the season. But actually winning? Not likely. SMU has the confidence, based on consistent results, to execute well in the clutch. Tulane does not. The last time the Wave beat a ranked team on the road was in 1984 against Vanderbilt. I'm not ready to predict it will scratch that 37-year itch on Thursday night.
