Jon Sumrall could not have been more proud after Tulane’s 34-21 win over North Texas in the American Conference Championship.
From there, he shifted quickly to what he believes separates champions from good teams.
“Good teams can be coach-led. Great teams have to be player-led,” he said. “At the start of the year, I thought we had some good leaders. I think the depth of our leadership is much improved.”
Tulane’s defensive identity carried the night. The Green Wave forced five turnovers, controlled the trenches, and turned the nation’s top scoring offense one-dimensional.
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“Five takeaways and I thought the run game were really the big critical things that won us the game,” Sumrall said.
The championship also came with a unique backdrop. Sumrall has already accepted the Florida job, yet Tulane granted him the chance to finish this run with the players who carried it.
“I am forever indebted to Tulane,” he said. “It has been a complete privilege and honor for me to be the head football coach here.”
And he reminded everyone he had been clear about the program’s direction from day one.
“In my introductory press conference two years ago, I said we are going to win the conference championship. We are going to go to the college football playoff,” he said. “I also said we are going to win it. So we got work to do. The job is not done.”
As he wrapped up, Sumrall reflected on a week he called one of the most enjoyable of his coaching career.
“This whole week has felt awesome around our team,” he said. “I tried to appreciate every interaction and every play. Tonight was fun. Today at the hotel was fun. I could tell all week we were going to play the way we played tonight.”
The Green Wave now turn toward the College Football Playoff. Sumrall left little doubt how he feels about the group heading into the next chapter.
“These guys are special…they deserve this.”
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