It should’ve been a bigger storyline that the Tulane Green Wave were down their starting left tackle as they went to take on the Ole Miss Rebels. Instead, the offensive line held up in the trenches against a Power Four team better than expected with the number of moving parts.
Derrick Graham, who stands at 6-foot-4 and 314 pounds, is expected to be back for conference play against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. In his place, 6-foot-2, 293-pound left guard Shadre Hurst fended off an SEC front at left tackle alongside Elijah Baker, who slotted into Hurst’s vacant role at guard.
That’s not the usual size of a left tackle, but the versatility Hurst offers may be a key factor in Tulane’s season goals this year, as was the surprising depth of the offensive line that blocked for 178 rush yards against the Rebels.
That positive out of the tough 45-10 loss wasn’t lost on head coach Jon Sumrall as he spoke with reporters following Tuesday’s practice.
“I thought up front we held our own a little more respectably than I thought we might,” Sumrall said. “You go into those kind of matchups sometimes, and really the biggest discrepancy is at the line of scrimmage.”
Things might have gone differently Saturday if the Green Wave were successful on either fourth down attempt in the third quarter; the run game out of halftime was a real sign of life from an offense that was completely out of sync in the first two quarters.
Of all reasons for the offense not to have succeeded, the offensive line would’ve been the best pregame guess as to why – especially with an undersized left tackle.
It makes a versatile and tough player like Hurst invaluable. Baker was as impressive in his first collegiate start against a No. 13 opponent. It gives Tulane some breathing room on both sides of the offensive line, as they’ve been able to find a successful rotation between Jordan Hall, Reese Baker, and Darion Reed at right guard and tackle.
And it really speaks to how important the addition was of Jack Hollifield at center, who through four weeks of play, has started with four different players at the guard spots alongside him.
It’s also a major credit to the coaching staff who had big shoes to fill with the departure of offensive line coach Dan Roushar to the Chicago Bears, but new line coach Evan McKissack and assistant Kanan Ray have done so.
As the Green Wave head to American conference play, their offense has the foundation at the line of scrimmage to make a run.