Wild One in the Bayou!!! - kswgrad2012's Dynasty

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Wild One in the Bayou!!!

Posted on August 26, 2013 at 12:10 AM.

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Wild One in the Bayou!!!

No, we're not talking about Les Miles's Bayou Bengals. But Kaelyn Willingham's Tulane Green Wave.

The Green Wave got their season off to a great start in the dome this week with a 48-27 victory over new FBS member UMass. The Green Wave (1-0, 0-0 C-USA) had many questions going into the game, but by the end of the game much of them had been answered. Coach Willingham unveiled his new "Killer Option offense" in the game. He creatively calls it that due to its multiple ways of executing the Option game: a combination of the Power Option sets commonly used by Army, Navy, and Air Force; the Spread Option sets made famous by Urban Meyer & Tim Tebow at Florida; and the Pistol Option invented by Nevada's Chris Ault. The diverse offense worked to great success.

"You know, it was great execution today by the offense. Devin [Powell], [Orleans] Darkwa, [Shaun] Berry, they all played great today." said Coach Willingham after the game.

Redshirt Freshman QB Devin Powell may have answered the quarterback questions as he put up a great performance.

"I just did what Coach asked me to do. While I ran more of a pro-style offense in high school, the Triple Option wasn't that bad to run. I'm athletic, you know? I think I'm gonna do good in it."

Tulane QB Devin Powell celebrating with TE Matt Marfisi during a big lead. The Green Wave won, 48-27.

Powell had pedestrian passing numbers, going 11 for 13 for 142 yards, but he did add two touchdowns in the air. As well as adding a long touchdown on the ground, gaining 74 yards on 12 carries. The backs also contributed in their own ways. Senior RB Orleans Darkwa carried the rock most of the way, while Freshman FB Shaun Berry provided an important punch up the middle. Both had 10 or more carries. The receivers & tight ends didn't have the ball come their ways much, but they did have an impact with effective blocking, important in running the Option.

"I didn't get to catch a pass today, but I got to run some people over. That was fun." said Senior WR Justyn Shackleford after the game.

The defense put up a stout performance in the first half, but struggled in the second as UMass QB Kellen Pagel got into a rhythm with his receivers. He finished the game with 335 yards on 24 for 42 passing and 2 TDs. While UMass did spread the ball around and stretch the defense apart, the Green Wave did get a big play from Sophomore CB Ricardo Thomas. Thomas intercepted a Pagel pass and returned it 48 yards to give the Green Wave a big lead early.

As a whole, the Green Wave jumped out early with two quick touchdowns. After Thomas returned the interception, the lead was 31-3. But the UMass Minutemen roared back into the game to make it 31-20. A Devin Powell 49-yd TD run out of Read Option made it 38-20, and from there the Wave had the game in the bag.

"I'm proud of our players today, for getting this big win. Though it's only Week 1, any win is a big win, as we try to set the tone for the season. We still have some things to work out, but overall I'm excited. Excited for this team and this season." said Coach Kaelyn Willingham.

The Green Wave will have a few days off before battling in the Bayou again. This time we ARE talking about Les Miles. The Wave travel to Baton Rouge to play the arch-rival LSU Tigers in hostile Death Valley. While the Wave haven't won there in years, Willingham is excited for the opportunity.

"Time to show our stuff. Show what we're made of. This team's gonna learn a lot about itself in that game. What a better way to do it than against LSU."

The Tulane-LSU game will be broadcast on ESPN at 12:30 EST (11:30 CST). Preview to come later this week.

Courtesy of NOLA.com.