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Keys to Success: Tulane vs. Kansas State
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- Keys to Success: Tulane vs. Kansas State
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
In a little more than 12 hours from now, the Tulane Green Wave will face its second Power Four test of the season against the Kansas State Wildcats.
Tulane enters the road game off of a nail-biter 28-24 win over the South Alabama Jaguars, and the team will be looking to keep the momentum rolling. While the Will Hall era has not gotten off to the best start, there's still time to try to turn things around ahead of American Conference play.
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Meanwhile, Kansas State has looked sharp in its first two games, totaling 105 points through those matchups while giving up just a combined 10 points to the Nicholls Colonels and the Washington State Cougars.
Does the Green Wave have what it takes to pull off the massive upset? Here are three keys to success for the visiting squad as it enters a hostile environment in Manhattan.
1. Emphasize the offensive rushing attack.
While Tulane seems to have found its starting quarterback in Kadin Semonza, the team should still look to focus on its ground game heading into the weekend.
Jaylin Lucas rushed for well over 200 yards and a touchdown, while Johnnie Daniels added two short scores of his own against USA. Even with standout running back Jamauri McClure seemingly still sidelined, the program has plenty of depth at the position. There's no reason why fresh legs shouldn't constantly be rotating in and out of the game, providing a nearly consistent spark on offense.
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Kansas State's rushing defense has been noticeably weaker than its passing defense. It's time for the Green Wave to exploit this a bit and look for some explosive opportunities on the ground.
2. Hold steady on the ground defensively.
If Tulane gets a strong running game going, then it can't give the Wildcats any ideas... because the Olive Green and Sky Blue defense desperately needs to find a way to stop the run.
After getting torched by Nate Sheppard and the Duke Blue Devils in Week One, the unit gave up 182 rushing yards to the Jaguars last weekend. It wasn't a pretty sight, with players struggling at times to wrap opponents up and take them down.
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Kansas State rushed for 312 yards in its first matchup and 295 yards in its second, with Rodney Fields Jr. seeing the brunt of the action. It's going to be a tough task for Tulane, but if it wants any shot at winning, it's going to have to figure out a way to keep that yardage down.
3. Get the defense off the field as quickly as possible.
This goes hand in hand with the prior key to success.
Tulane has struggled with leaving its defense out for long drives, simply because the group hasn't been able to pick up stops. For example, in last week's win over South Alabama, the defense allowed 72 offensive snaps and played for nearly 40 of the game's 60 minutes.
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The Green Wave is going to get tired extremely quickly if it can't find a way to be efficient early, and that's only going to make the game more challenging as the minutes tick by. There's no option but to find a way to force some short, inefficient drives.
