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Tulane's TJ Smith Receives Weekly American Conference Honor
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- Tulane's TJ Smith Receives Weekly American Conference Honor
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Tulane Green Wave standout TJ Smith has had a big couple of games for the program, and much of that culminated on Monday as he was named the American Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
Smith ultimately defined the game in his team's 38-31 overtime victory over the Charlotte 49ers on Friday. The senior had the biggest play of the night in the middle of the second quarter, taking a kickoff return 95 yards to the house for the massive score to put the Green Wave up 14-10.
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The play marked the first kickoff return for Smith this year, the 12th-longest return in Tulane's history and the longest return since Rayshawn Pleasant went end zone to end zone for a 100-yard score back in 2024.
Smith has made a massive special teams impact this season, as he's averaging a team-best 33.3 yards per return through nine attempts. It's hard to ask for much more from the veteran player, as he's routinely put his team in position to find success offensively.
On top of this, Smith has had a solid season on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive back has appeared in all eight games for the Olive Green and Sky Blue, totaling 15 tackles. Most notably, he recorded a 76-yard pick six in the program's win over the Memphis Tigers last month. Though he hasn't played a snap on offense, it is incredibly impressive that Smith has still managed to record two touchdowns from two different positions -- and both of those scores have come in the last three games.
Smith marked the fifth weekly accolade for Tulane this year. Redshirt junior linebacker Dikcson Agu was recognized on the league's Weekly Honor Roll this week; it's the first time two Green Wave standouts have received conference accolades in the same week this year. Running back Jaylin Lucas was named to the Weekly Honor Roll on September 14th, fellow rusher Maurice Turner garnered Offensive Player of the Week honors on September 28th and Kevin Adams III was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Week on October 19th.
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The Green Wave will look to build some momentum from the victory over Charlotte through the final stretch of the season. Up next, Tulane will welcome the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to Uptown for the team's annual Homecoming matchup. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, November 7th, from Yulman Stadium.
