Tulane is walking into Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday without its lead back. Jamauri McClure, the Green Wave's preseason All-AAC pick after rushing for 540 yards and 2 touchdowns last season, will miss the trip to Duke with a foot injury, according to Pete Thamel.
Sources: Tulane projected starting running back Jamauri McClure (foot) is out for the game at Duke this weekend. McClure was a pre-season All-AAC pick who ran for 540 yards and two touchdowns last year.
On3's Pete Nakos confirmed the same news minutes later, adding that McClure picked up the injury during fall camp. That tracks with earlier reporting out of Tulane camp that had McClure getting around practice on a scooter with his left foot wrapped back in August, well before it was clear how long he'd actually be out.
Tulane running back Jamauri McClure will miss Week 1 against Duke, sources tell @On3. Rushed for 540 yards and 2 TDs last season. Dealing with a foot injury sustained in fall camp. Injury Report: t.co/soYFY1E2S6
This is a rematch of last year's game, when Tulane beat Duke 34-27 in New Orleans. The stakes are bigger this time around — Duke enters as the defending ACC champion and Tulane as the defending American champion, and the Green Wave were coming off a College Football Playoff appearance. Losing your best running back for a season opener against a team that good is a real gut punch, even if it's only supposed to be temporary.
There's a silver lining buried in the bad news. Nakos followed up with word that the expectation is McClure could be back as soon as next week, which would put him on track for Tulane's South Alabama game before the Green Wave head to Kansas State.
The current hope is that McClure could be back as early as next week, sources tell @On3. The Green Wave play South Alabama before Week 3, at Kansas State. t.co/soYFY1E2S6
So the plan, at least for now, isn't a lost season for McClure — it's a missed opener against a ranked-caliber, defending-champ opponent at the worst possible time. Tulane's offense will have to lean on its backup options against Duke, and how that group performs Saturday will say a lot about whether head coach Will Hall's team can survive the wait until its star back is cleared.