Tulane's defense dominated the goal line period as the Green Wave are starting to find some urgency deep into spring camp.
New Orleans, La. – Ten practices into spring, the Tulane Green Wave football team is starting to hit its stride, with head coach Will Hall liking what he sees. With two-thirds of camp in the books, it felt like the sense of urgency was heightened at the right time. Hall sees a team starting to find its identity on both sides of the ball as they begin to build depth and funnel their energy in the right direction. It was a chippy practice, for one.
A hallmark of Hall’s practices as a head coach so far at Tulane has been physicality. The pads were certainly popping on Tuesday as a few scuffles broke out. As Hall pointed out post-practice, that type of taunting is happening across every playground in America. The goal is balancing that energy and juice with some control. But you want to see a bit of fight at this point in spring as competition really grows and it becomes clear who wants it and who doesn’t.
The defense certainly wanted it on Tuesday, dominating the goal line period after the last practice in which the offense won the day on short yardage plays. The defense answered the challenge and hit hard. They’ll need to in order to keep stopping an offense that is really taking form, one that is shaping up to be the most exciting one that the Green Wave have put out in seasons with Hall and offensive coordinator Russ Callaway’s creative schemes. It’s clear that the goal is getting playmakers in space and getting them the ball. But beyond that, it’s also about getting them the ball in a way that the quarterback can process, in a way that the offensive line can execute.
“What can they do, and then, who does the ball need to go to after that?” Hall explained.
That’s the challenge Tulane is working through – knowing who they are. The success off the offense, and its identity, will depend on their ability to identify the best players, based on what the eventual starting quarterback does well, and building that around what the offensive line can protect. Hall feels like they’ve reached a critical point with that and took a major step forward on Tuesday toward that goal after 10 days of installation and evaluation. Now, the next step is to refine that vision and improve on it.
There was some worry about continuity and culture with this coaching staff, whether that was a buzz word used to cover up some concerns. There’s a real benefit to a well-oiled machine. Hall is coaching with intent and confidence, and the players and position coaches are responding to that.