Former Cajun Recruit to Center for Tulane....
ritz said he still isn't ruling out center Junior Diaz (ankle) for Saturday's game, but the redshirt sophomore hasn't practiced so far this week and it seems unlikely that he will be playing against UL.
Offensive line shuffling: If Diaz were to miss Saturday's game it could have a negative impact on the Tulane line in several areas.
When Diaz got hurt last week against Navy, Fritz shifted right tackle John Leglue over to center and put redshirt junior Kenneth Santa Marina in at right tackle. That would be the plan once again on Saturday if Diaz were not to play.
Leglue said he played some center in high school, so the transition isn't that difficult in his eyes.
Tulane coach Willie Fritz: 'We're disappointed in the passing game'
Tulane coach Willie Fritz: 'We're disappointed in the passing game'
After three games, Tulane is No. 11 in the country in rushing with 823 yards on the ground. Conversely, the Green Wave is ranked last in the country with only 167 passing yards and is the only team in the nation that hasn't completed a passing touchdown yet this year.
"It's not too bad, I played a lot in high school, and the way (offensive line) Coach (Alex) Atkins teaches it, the whole offensive line can switch from tackle, guard, to center," Leglue said. "Just the way Coach Atkins teaches it, everybody knows what to do, how to do it and what's expected from them."
Fritz acknowledged that Diaz's potential absence could have a negative effect on the offensive line in several places, but his job is to make sure the group is ready to adapt when injuries do occur.
"As a head coach, I've got to make sure all my assistants are doing a good job of 'what if,'" he said. "What are you going to do if this guy is going down? The answer can't be that we didn't work on it. We go over a lot of the what-ifs on Sunday and Monday, trying to build depth within your team."
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Originally Posted by STLMOCAJUN
Re: Former Cajun Recruit to Center for Tulane....
