An Early Breakdown of Tulane Green Wave's Rematch with Army Black Knights

Last season the Green Wave earned a spot in the American Athletic Conference championship game only to fall, 35-14, to the Army West Point Black Knights.

On Oct. 18, Army will come to Yulman Stadium and Tulane will have a chance at revenge.

In that AAC championship game, Army's star quarterback, Bryson Daily, ran for 126 yards and four touchdowns. But now Daily is gone, and so is another star from that Army offense, Kanye Udoh.

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Udoh ran for 158 yards and a touchdown against the Green Wave, including an explosive 72-yard carry. Udoh transferred to Arizona State in the offseason, joining a program that won the Big 12 and played in the College Football Playoff.

Quarterback Dewayne Coleman is supposed to fill Daily's massive shoes, while running back Hayden Reed is projected to take on Udoh's mantle, though Army's triple option will employ several backs, which makes them so hard to defend.

Tulane is in a similar situation on offense as it must fill the void left from the departures of their two key offensive players. Running back Makhi Hughes (transferred to Oregon) and quarterback Darian Mensah (transferred to Duke) are massive losses.

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While Mensah's replacement remains undetermined, Arnold Barnes is expected to be a catalyst for the Green Wave offense.

The strength of Army's offense could be Noah Short, an explosive all-around playmaker. Short had 318 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns while also recording 569 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns last season.

The key to containing Army's offense could be stopping Short, and that is a difficult task, especially given how the Black Knights can disguise and misdirect handoffs and pitches.

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Yet the most formidable part of this Army team is its defense. The Black Knights allowed more than 20 points in just four of their 13 games last season, and they return multiple impact players in the secondary and in the front seven.

Linebackers Andon Thomas and Kaleb Fortner return for their senior seasons after recording 93 and 76 tackles, respectively, in their junior years. Defensive lineman Kody Harris-Miller will lead this defensive line, fresh off of a two-sack sophomore season.

In the secondary, Casey Larkin and Justin Weaver return for their senior seasons, both of which recorded more than two interceptions last season.

For the Green Wave to avenge their loss, they will have to slow down Short with their own defensive stars, such as Sam Howard and Kameron Hamilton, as well as establishing a presence on offense against a stellar Army defense.

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