Tulane football's run game took center stage in their win over South Alabama, including a viral block.
New Orleans, La. – It was certainly the block heard around the college football world when Tulane Green Wave running back Johnnie Daniels absolutely obliterated South Alabama Jaguars linebacker Kaydon Degraffenreid to make room for his counterpart in Jaylin Lucas.
Lucas had an absolute tear of an evening in the win over the Jaguars, rushing 11 times for 214 yards and one touchdown with an 80-yard long rush and an average of 19.5 yards per play.
He had all four of the Green Wave’s explosive rushing plays. But one of those doesn’t go through without that major hole opened up by Daniels with a shocking amount of power and strength – and pure desire.
“It felt extremely good,” Daniels admitted on Tuesday. “But I was just doing my job, one of 11, blocking for my guy. We’re in the same room, so if he's doing what he does, I'm happy for him. So I just saw him [Degraffenreid] and, you’ve seen the video.”
Most of college football saw that video.
Daniels didn’t have the most electric game as a rusher himself, but that type of effort and willingness to block like that will get Daniels out there on the field frequently.
“How I look at it is if you're not going to block, you're not going to get on the field,” Daniels said. “Blocking to me, it just shows that my teammates that I care and that I'll lay my body on the line for their success.”
Last season, it was clear that the Power Four discrepancy exists at skill player when they matched up against the Ole Miss Rebels. The Wildcats aren’t from the SEC. But they have a multi-year starter in Avery Johnson who can do real damage in the air and on the ground.
If Tulane can’t win separation on their routes against their coverage, their run game no longer has the real threat of a mobile quarterback like the thought was with Chriss-Gremillion.
Quarterback Kadin Semonza has shown an ability to scramble when needed, but this running back group will really need to perform and try to help limit the possessions for the Kansas State Wildcats.
It will be a group that isn’t looking to include Jamauri McClure for a third straight week unless he suddenly shows up at practice Wednesday at full go.
And it’s one that no longer has that same threat of a running quarterback. We’ve seen the Wave bring out multiback sets to include Lucas at superback, which is what led to that major block by Daniels and explosive run by Lucas.
Lucas showed an element of long speed that the team hasn’t seen since Tyjae Spears, who also happens to be the team’s last 200-yard rusher in the Cotton Bowl.
Spears was also known to throw a major block in pass protection for quarterback Michael Pratt quite often. It has to be rather reassuring to Semonza to have a guy out there like Daniels who can throw his body on the line like that.
The physicality of the team will be put to the test against their Big 12 opponent, and if the offensive line can continue to grow and produce some more holes this weekend, they have the rush attack to back it up.
