The Tulane Green Wave have faced a tough nonconference slate, and that needs to pay off with a big win Saturday.
The Tulane Green Wave are waiting for their “breakout” game, and while it might not mean much against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, it’ll be an important statement for the team to make ahead of conference play.
It does feel like a team chomping at the bit for a complete game and one that avenges the past of their head coach in Will Hall.
Looking at this slate, it’s about where things were to be expected. The teams the Green Wave have faced early have ended up being better than advertised.
Duke Blue Devils’ running back Nate Sheppard leads the nation in rushing yards and rushing yards per game, with 528 total. The Blue Devils are also 3-0 now with wins over the Illinois Fighting Illini and Stanford Cardinals.
Kansas State Wildcats’ Avery Johnson is 37th in the nation in rush yards per game, and he’s a quarterback.
Competition matters, but importantly, Tulane has actually held each team they’ve faced in relative check.
Johnson did run for a career-high 152 yards against the Wave, but in a win that didn’t cover the spread and one that held the Wildcats to their lowest point total.
In fact, Tulane has held every opponent thus far to their lowest point total on the year.
And while the Wave struggled to contain their last two mobile quarterbacks, they were much more adept in shutting down the rest of the Kansas State rush attack.
The level of competition Tulane has faced this season has been high, and difficult to win in the matchups they’ve had on the road, both against Power Four opponents.
If Duke and the Wildcats end up winning 10 games this year, that might contextualize the start of the season in a much different way.
But that will only land if this weekend is a credible win for the Green Wave.
They are going to be a little banged up after Kansas State; that’s unavoidable.
The size and stature of the Wildcats was genuinely shocking.
The Golden Eagles will not present that same mismatch.
And frankly, Tulane held Kansas State in check before that exhaustion really kicked in in the second half.
So they should have a level of confidence that translates. They also have a win under their belts where they came from behind.
They should not have to do that this time. There’s a bit of an expectation to win handily.
But Tulane is one of the few teams in the nation, both in the P4 and G6, to not face an FCS opponent in their non-conference schedule.
They haven’t played cupcakes. That should show in what needs to be a confident victory on Saturday.
