Kadin Semonza starts at QB for Tulane vs. Army

Hall kept this one quiet all week. The answer showed up in warm-ups, minutes before an 11 a.m. CT kickoff at Michie Stadium.

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

Source: Tulane is set to start Kadin Semonza against Army today. He's gone through warm-ups with the first team and is set to start. Coach Will Hall had declined to announce a starter heading into the game.

So Semonza gets his 4th straight start. That was never a given. Tulane beat Southern Miss 24-21 in the Battle for the Bell 2 weeks ago, but Semonza was on the bench for the 4th quarter. Hall turned to true freshman Trace Johnson, who saw his first action of the season and went 2-of-5 for 35 yards as the Green Wave closed out the comeback.

Then came a bye week, and Hall used it to say nothing. At his Tuesday media availability he wouldn't name a starter for Army. He also offered a reminder in Semonza's favor, saying Kadin was the highest-rated quarterback in the conference by PFF heading into the Southern Miss game. Throw in the line about playing whoever gives Tulane the best chance to win at that time, and the freshman's camp had every reason to think it was a real competition.

Semonza's numbers explain why it got this far. The Ball State transfer has 646 passing yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception, but he's completing just 53.8% of his throws, well under what he did at Ball State. This is also Tulane's second quarterback reset of the season. Houston transfer Zeon Chriss-Gremillion started the opener vs. Duke and got pulled in the second half, and Semonza has held the job since.

The stakes are real. Tulane is 2-2 and this is the American Conference opener. Army is also 2-2 coming off a 31-29 loss to Louisiana Tech, and the Black Knights are putting up 33.3 points and 432.8 yards a game behind QB Cale Hellums. That's an offense that controls the clock, and if Tulane goes 3-and-out a bunch it can bury you.

What to watch: how short Hall's leash is. He already pulled Semonza in the 4th quarter of a 1-score game, and Johnson has now played meaningful snaps. If the offense stalls early at West Point, Hall has shown he'll make the switch, and nobody should be shocked if the freshman is warming up on the sideline by the second half.