Basic Attack – Shotgun Spread

Basic Staff – 11 (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR)

Offensive line

Forgive me if I don’t go over the offensive line positions for you. If you’re reading a team-specific preview, I’m going to assume you know the basics

Offensive linemen to watch

Right Tackle – #69 – Rashad Green (Sr., 6’4″, 300)

Right tackle Rashad Green is the only returning starter from last season. They filled most of the spots inside, with the exception of center, where Western Kentucky transfer Vincent Murphy will get his butt worked on first.

Their opener against FCS Southeast Louisiana didn’t reveal much due to the talent gap, but this new line will be tested against the K-State defensive front. They’ll have a tougher time against the ‘Cats and their endless supply of fresh bodies on the defensive end.

Wide receiver

Blue circle – border receiver

Green circle – Lock receiver

Purdue Circle – Field Receiver

The names of the wide receiver positions vary by team, but here is how they are distinguished from each other.

The receiving group is very talented but not very productive, with a few promising recruits looking to revive their careers after failing at a club.

Mario Williams was considered the nation’s second-best receiver and 16th-best player overall in 2021 when he signed with Oklahoma and Lincoln Riley, then followed Riley to LA when he took the job at USC.

Shazz Preston was considered the nation’s #6 receiver and the 45th best player overall in 2022 when he signed with Alabama, but he failed to put up a single stat line in his two years in Tuscaloosa.

Yulkeith Brown was a 4* recruit out of Miami when he signed with Texas A&M in the 2021 class. He transferred to Tulane in 2023 after making 6 catches in two years for the Aggies. He had 33 receptions for 391 yards and 2 TDs last season for Tulane.

Wide Receiver to keep an eye on

Slot Receiver – #4 – Mario Williams (Jr., 5’9″, 178)

I remember Williams being a top national recruit in 2021. I really wanted Clemson to take him, but he went to Oklahoma instead. I think he would consider his career to be a disappointment so far, production-wise. He decided to try a different coach after having mediocre success under Lincoln Riley at both Oklahoma and USC. He’s still blazing fast and is a problem when he finds open space. I don’t know if you’ve ever had to chase a small dog that doesn’t want to be caught, but I imagine trying to tackle Mario Williams is a similar experience.

He opened his account with a bang at Tulane last week, throwing for 124 yards on four receptions, but somehow failed to reach the end zone despite averaging 31 yards per reception. The Wildcat secondary struggled to deal with its opponent’s primary receiver last season, and this could be a tough matchup for Sigle, who tends to pick up the slot receiver in coverage. Williams could be tough coverage for Joe Klanderman’s defense on Saturday.

Tight ends

Red circle (maybe it’s orange?)

Tulane uses a tight end in their base offense, but will occasionally drop the position when they get into their 4 wide look. They use their tight ends quite a bit in the passing game, or at least they did last season.

Tight End to watch

#87 – Alex Bauman (Junior, 1.96 m, 113 kg)

Bauman was Tulane’s 3rd leading receiver last season, with 35 receptions for 286 yards and 5 touchdowns. We’re dealing with a different coaching staff this season, so take this for what it’s worth, but last season he was generally used as a short option in the regular passing game and an endzone option in the red zone. He was 2nd in touchdown receptions for the Green Wave.

Backrunners

Jon Sumrall likes to run the ball, control the clock, and make his defense win games. In 2023, his Troy offense was led by Kimani Vidal, who ultimately fell 3 carries short of 300 on the season. Expect Sumrall to do the same at Tulane. Look for the run game early and often on Saturdays.

Run back to look

#21 – Makhi Hughes (R-South, 5’11”, 210)

Hughes burst onto the college scene last season as a redshirt freshman, rushing for 1,378 yards and seven touchdowns on 258 carries. He led the American Conference in attempts, yards and plays from scrimmage and was second in the conference in yards from scrimmage.

Hughes and the Tulane Offensive Line vs. Kansas State’s Front 7 is the matchup I’ll be watching tomorrow. Tulane’s best chance to win this game is to establish the run with Hughes and then keep feeding him the ball. The only area I’m concerned about with the Wildcat defense is the ability of the front 7 to withstand a consistent running game. They’re going to have to find a way to win early downs because the worst case scenario for the defense is Hughes getting first downs while Avery and company sit on the sidelines and muddle through as the pressure mounts.

Quarterback

Tulane had a 3-way tie for starting quarterback after fall camp with 3 players receiving the “or” distinction on the depth chart. All 3 quarterbacks on the depth chart saw snaps in the opener, but it appears redshirt freshman Darian Mensah will get the bulk of the work if that game is any indication of Tulane’s future plans at the position. This comes as a bit of a surprise considering 2021 5* Oregon recruit Ty Thompson is on the roster. I assumed Thompson would be the guy based on pure talent, but it appears I was wrong.

Quarterback to watch

#10 – Darian Mensah (RV, 1.90 m, 90 kg)

Mensah, the 3* recruit, beat Thompson, the 5* recruit, when I think the coaching staff really wanted Thompson to win the job. I’m guessing the Green Wave dropped some money to bring in a former 5* without much mileage on his arm, and the fact that Mensah beat him out makes me a little nervous.

In the opener, he was an efficient 10/12 for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns. Like any freshman quarterback taking the field for the first time against a P4 team, I imagine the ‘Cats will heat him up until he proves he can make good decisions against the blitz. Expect Klanderman to make some poor coverages to trick the young quarterback into throwing the ball to the wrong team.

At 6’1″ and 215 pounds, he’s a big guy and while Southeast Louisiana hasn’t touched him much, he looks like someone who’s tough to bring down. He stopped the ball twice in the opener and picked up 14 total yards, so it looks like he can run a little bit, too. He’ll have his hands full tomorrow, but he’s got some talent.

General

It’s a simple formula for Tulane tomorrow. Run, keep running, then run some more, throw in some deep play action passes to Mario Williams and capitalize.

Kansas State is working on the opposite of that game plan. They need to win early downs against the run game, get Mensah on 3rd and long, and then unleash the beasts and pressure him.

Tulane is going to try to dominate the time of possession in this game. Kansas State’s run game can’t hurt you when they’re drinking water on the sideline. That’s where Coach Sumrall wants to keep them. This is a great early test for the defense against a solid Tulane run game. If they hold up tomorrow, the hype might be real. If they don’t, it could be a long season of yelling at the TV.

I think the defense will hold up and the ‘Cats will hold Tulane under 3 scores.