The Tulane football linebacker corps took a hit with an injury to starter Chris Rodgers, but that unit is poised better than any to handle it.
New Orleans, La. – If there was any group on the Tulane Green Wave football team prepared for the loss of a starter, it’s the linebacker corps.
With the injury to linebacker Chris Rodgers looking severe enough to remove him from the two-deep chart in this week’s game notes, they’ll have to take on the Kansas State Wildcats without one of their best players and leaders on the team.
The one positive takeaway is that group being poised to handle unexpected personnel losses after doing it multiple times last season.
Dickson Agu, one of the starters and returnees, injured his patellar tendon in Game 5 last season and was done for the year. Then Sam Howard broke his leg and was out for a critical stretch.
In their absence, Rodgers and Makai Williams specifically stepped up.
That extended playing time when Howard went down led to a lot more snaps for Williams than ever before and he’s now building on that this season.
In the team’s win over the South Alabama Jaguars, they recorded their first two tackles for loss of the season – both by Williams in a tone-setting performance.
Williams was humble in speaking about that during media availability on Tuesday with reporters.
“It was less about knowing to set the tone and more just doing my job,” Williams said. “Coach always talks about doing your job. And unfortunately, we had Chris go down and it's the next man up. Something we always preach, something that's always been the case here. That's all I can just attribute to that, just doing my job.”
And despite a major loss in Rodgers for this matchup, Williams’ confidence in his unit remains thanks to that being instilled at the top by defensive coordinator Tayler Polk.
“Coach Polk is just a dog,” Williams said. “He’s been with us for three years. There’s nothing that we can’t do. It’s the next play mentality and just taking it as things come, and as we watch film on the sideline and fix it as things come in.”
Looking back at the Green Wave’s win over the Wildcats in the 2022 season, it was a premier tackling performance, with an extremely strong reinforcement wall at the second level with linebacking duo Nick Anderson and Dorian Williams.
That game really set the tone for a physically imposing Tulane squad that could compete with the best.
The tackling thus far this season has not been close to that standard. It’s something the defense is undeniably aware of and have worked on with respect to footwork and angles this week.
While quarterback Avery Johnson will be another mobile, physical threat, he won’t be the first they faced this season after having to deal with Bishop Davenport last weekend.
Hopefully some of those things learned translate into a strong performance on Saturday.
But it’s one that will require a bit of a next man up mentality on defense at that linebacker spot, where it can be expected that Dalton Hughes and Jean-Claude Joseph will also see increased snaps.
With a tone setter who came off the bench like Williams, that attitude should trickle down.
