Former Petal standout Stephon Huderson is set to make his first start at running back for Tulane in their season-opener Thursday night against Wake Forest. On Monday, the Green Wave released their two-deep depth chart, and Huderson’s name was listed first at running back alongside fellow sophomore Darius Bradwell.
Gone is Dontrell Hilliard, one of the top rushers in Tulane history, so Huderson and Bradwell are hoping to pick up the slack.
“Stephon Huderson does everything well, kind of like Dontrell,” Tulane coach Willie Fritz told the New Orleans Advocate. “Dontrell didn’t miss any assignments, he could block, catch, run inside and outside, and Hud can do all that, too. In one of our scrimmages he did a really good job of picking up linebackers on the blitz. Some of our guys do a poor job of that.”
Huderson saw limited action last season as a freshman, rushing for 70 yards on 19 attempts.
“I learned a lot sitting on the sideline last year,” Huderson told the Advocate. “They just taught me how to set some goals and what the expectations were. They set the bar.”
Huderson scored his first collegiate touchdown last year in Tulane’s 62-28 win over Tulsa on Oct. 7.
Before last season, Huderson starred at Petal High School. He burst onto the scene as a junior in 2015 and finished his Panther career with 4431 rushing yards and 55 total touchdowns.
As previously mentioned, he and the Green Wave will kick off the 2018 season on Thursday night at home against Wake Forest. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm, and the game will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.
