Tulane takes next step in growth process with hard-fought win over Houston

The concept of crawling morphs into baby steps. The progression continues as the baby steps become a slow walk. The walk becomes a sturdy one. Ultimately, there is a jog before the end of the process finds one running full speed.

The journey continues for Tulane and second-year head coach Willie Fritz.

Prior to the start of the season, I stated that progress in 2017 would be measured by more than four wins, the sum of the total of victories in 2016.

Following Saturday’s thrilling 20-17 victory over a good Houston team on Senior Day at Yulman Stadium, Tulane has taken the next step. The walk is a sturdy one now.

That walk can turn into a jog with a win at SMU next week, which would make the Green Wave bowl eligible. While there is no guarantee of a bowl game, the very fact that Tulane would have avoided another dreaded losing season and increased its win total by two would be a huge step forward.

Tulane took a huge step forward Saturday afternoon.

The Green Wave defense was reluctant to give up points. It was the classic bend but don’t break performance.

The Cougars moved the football to the tune of 445 yards, equally distributed between running (220) and passing (225). West Jefferson product Parry Nickerson came up with a huge interception and did a superb job on top receiver Steven Dunbar, playing him much of the afternoon and holding the Archbishop Rummel product to just two catches for 36 yards. It was Nickerson’s fifth interception of the season and the 15th of his outstanding career at Tulane.

It was a textbook script for Fritz.

Long known for his ball control running offenses in his previous coaching stops, all of which he produced winners at, Fritz saw his Green Wave offense possess the football for 36:24, limiting the at-bats of a potent Houston offense.

Just when it seemed like an outstanding effort would be in vain as Houston finally overcame its deficit with a 12 play, 91-yard drive to go ahead 17-13 with 6:53 to play, Tulane answered in huge fashion just two plays later.

It was not the long, time consuming, ball control drive like we saw against Army but the big play that got the job done.

The junior connection of Jonathan Banks and Terren Encalade of Belle Chasse connected on a 64-yard touchdown pass to give the Green Wave its margin of victory with 6:13 to play. The defense made it stand up with a huge stop.

Houston drove smartly to the Green Wave 32-yard line and basically had two downs to make one yard. On third down, quarterback D’Eriq King, who ran for 144 yards and passed for 225 yards, was stopped for no gain. Cougars head coach Major Applewhite of Catholic High in Baton Rouge then passed on a potential game-tying 49-yard field goal attempt, electing to go for it on fourth-and-one.

Strangely, he called a pass play which senior Luke Jackson of St. Charles Catholic batted down, preserving the huge win for the Green Wave. Encalade then caught an 11-yard pass from Banks for a first down to put the game away.

What was impressive about Banks is that he overcame a crippling interception. While Dontrell Hilliard is very good and should have an NFL future and Encalade is a good receiver, Banks is the Tulane offense, making plays with his legs and his arm. That was certainly the case again Saturday.

Banks rushed 16 times for 81 yards, often improvising as he is apt to do. Houston tried to spy him but the Cougars simply did not have an athlete as good as Banks to contain him as he frequently moved the chains with his scrambling ability.

More impressively, Banks completed 17-of-25 passes (68%) for 251 yards and a touchdown. Given the caliber of the opponent and the nature of the fourth quarter rally, it was perhaps his best performance in the olive and blue. He accounted for 332 of Tulane’s 439 total yards (76%).

Encalade was superb, catching eight passes for 186 yards and a touchdown. Merek Glover made both of his field goal attempts. Donnie Lewis had a key fumble recovery for the Green Wave.

Hilliard went over 1,000 yards rushing, becoming the first Tulane player to eclipse the magical mark since Andre Anderson in 2009.

What we have learned this season is that Tulane is more competitive and that Fritz has a team with some character.

Of the five victories, it took a long fourth quarter drive with numerous third and fourth down conversions to overcome Army, it took overtime and a stop at the one-yard line to win at East Carolina. Then, there was the come from behind win over Houston. Of course, there was the crippling loss to Cincinnati and a close road loss at Navy. The growing pains are still evident.

Now, it is on to Ford Stadium in Dallas for a Saturday morning battle with SMU next weekend.

While the Mustangs are 6-5 overall, they have lost three straight games after a 66-45 loss to Memphis Saturday.

Tulane is 13-10 all-time against SMU. Last year, the Mustangs won 35-31 at Yulman Stadium in a shootout as the Mustangs scored with 1:16 to play to win it. In 2015, SMU won 49-21 over the Green Wave at Ford Field.

Regardless of the outcome next Saturday, Tulane has taken the next step toward becoming a solvent, solid, and dare I say, winning program. A victory would advance the process and the program’s progress substantially. The train that has run over so many previous Tulane head coaches is on track with Fritz. We always knew it would take some time.