Tulane makes first deposit in win column with Banks

Taking care of business. That is what Tulane did Saturday night against Grambling State at Yulman Stadium.

A year ago, first-year head coach Willie Fritz tried to implement his success running offense without the proper operator. It was akin to being out in the middle of the ocean in a canoe without an oar. The run-oriented offense requires a quarterback who can run it by design and by improvisation.

The Green Wave offense was often ineffective, inept and inadequate, despite a respected running game.

When you have no balance, you have no chance against good teams.

Fast forward to 2017.

Fritz recruited junior college transfer Jonathan Banks. The difference was obvious right away as Banks scampered 21 yards on his first rushing attempt. Then, Banks completed his first pass, a 30-yard touchdown pass to Terren Encalade, who also ran 58 yards for a score. Talk about impressive first impressions!

Banks went on to pass for three scores and ran for a fourth touchdown in a convincing, solid 43-14 victory to open the regular season. He rushed 16 times for 64 yards and a score and completed 10-of-15 passes for 185 and the three scores.

Another encouraging note was the fact that Tulane played error-free football with no turnovers while forcing one.

It was Willie Fritz football at its best. Tulane snapped it 66 times and ran the ball 51 times, with eight different players getting carries. Senior Dontrell Hilliard picked up where he left off a year ago, rushing 11 times for 36 yards and catching two passes for 77 yards, including a 62-yard touchdown pass. The Green Wave possessed the ball for 36:14 to just 23:46 for the Tigers, another goal and staple of Fritz-run offenses.

Tulane led 24-0 at halftime and coasted to the win.

The Green Wave defense was solid. Senior Parry Nickerson had 5.5 tackles and Tulane recorded three sacks, one each by Ade Aruna, Luke Jackson and Larry Bryant. Donnie Lewis came up with the turnover on an interception. Grambling totaled just 225 yards of offense.

Putting things in perspective, while Grambling is a good FCS team, the Tigers are not equipped to compete with FBS teams and Tulane showed why. The Green Wave, whom no one would mistake for a quality, winning FCS program, is now 16-0 against FCS teams and 5-0 against the SWAC. Tulane clubbed Southern 66-21 a year ago in Fritz’ debut with the Green Wave.

The question always surrounds whether is it worth it or not to play lower level programs.

When it comes to Tulane, facing in-state opponents is a good thing for interest and attendance. It is also a good thing to get wins and gain confidence in the midst of building a program from scratch.

That is what Fritz is doing. While Curtis Johnson left Fritz with some solid defensive players, the offense and kicking game are a total demolition and rebuilding effort. The foundation has been laid.

Now comes perhaps the most crucial game of the season, The American Athletic Conference opener at Navy next Saturday at 2:30 p.m., a good team that Tulane has competed well with in recent years.

The Midshipmen debuted with a good 42-19 road win at Florida Atlantic. Navy won 21-14 over Tulane at Yulman Stadium a year ago in a game the Green Wave led into the fourth quarter. The last time Tulane traveled to Annapolis, Navy prevailed 31-14. Tulane leads the all-time series 11-9-1. The Green Wave last beat Navy 42-10 in 2004 under Chris Scelfo.

The Navy game carries such significance for multiple reasons.

First, it is a conference game. Second, Tulane faces a nearly impossible task at powerful Oklahoma in week three before hosting Army in week four. If the Green Wave could win at Navy, the prospect of a 3-1 start looms large. While a 2-2 start would give Tulane a shot at a winning season and bowl game, a 3-1 start would go a long way toward catapulting Tulane to the two goals. The Green Wave last had a winning season and went to a bowl game in 2013 under Johnson, going 7-6.

If Tulane can start 3-1, playing .500 ball (4-4) the rest of the way is feasible, realistic. Even a 3-5 mark would result in a .500 season, marked improvement.

Fritz is a proven winner wherever he has been, winning in often difficult situations. Tulane is a difficult situation, perhaps his biggest challenge yet. Thanks to an investment in Banks at the most important position, Fritz has a shot at collecting building interest, with his signal caller paying dividends in the long run.