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Opinion: At What Point Does Tulane Make Another Quarterback Switch?
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- Opinion: At What Point Does Tulane Make Another Quarterback Switch?
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Tulane Green Wave kicks off American Conference play on Saturday against the Army Black Knights, and it's a big one for many reasons.
The first league matchup of the Will Hall era. The anticipated return of standout running back Jamauri McClure. The game where things should finally come together, especially after a bye week.
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Even with all of this, there is still a bit of uncertainty at quarterback. Earlier in the week , Hall didn't explicitly name a starter, though this could've simply been to throw Army off a bit. He did dance some around the idea of rolling out Kadin Semonza for a fourth-straight game.
"We're going to play the quarterback we think gives us the best chance to win at that time," Hall said in Tuesday's press conference. "I think Kadin was the highest-rated quarterback in our conference by PFF (Pro Football Focus) going into that game against Southern Miss."
However, there's a reason why his lack of definite commitment to Semonza could come across as uncertainty on his part. Hall made the decision to bench the redshirt junior for true freshman Trace Johnson in the fourth quarter of the team's come-from-behind win over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles in Week Four, even though that meant bringing the rookie off the bench cold. Johnson didn't do too much, going 2-for-5 for 35 yards, but the team technically claimed the victory while he was on the field.
This is the second time that the Green Wave has made a mid-game quarterback change this year, as Semonza replaced Zeon Chriss-Gremillion in a Week One loss against the Duke Blue Devils. At this point, Chriss-Gremillion seems to have been left in the dust, even though he's still listed second on the depth chart .
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Semonza hasn't been quite as strong as many expected him to be to start the year, with 646 yards, three touchdowns and one interception to go along with a low completion rate of just 53.7 percent. Some of the struggles can be blamed on offensive line woes and drops by receivers, but he still has made quite a few costly mistakes.
If things start trending south against the Black Knights, then it really might be time to give Johnson a shot. He's young, but he's poised to be the future of the program... and if current players aren't getting it done, then what's the harm in letting him sling the pigskin a bit?
That's not to say that the team should throw in the towel and run a freshman out there for the rest of the year. Semonza could find his groove, and the Green Wave could finally show some improvements in the second half of the season. If things begin to spiral, however, there's simply no point in letting someone who has plenty of years left to offer to the program sit on the bench.
When the present is a wash, it's time to focus on the future. If Johnson is just as competitive as any other signal-caller on the team, then let him play.
