The Tulane Green Wave pulled out a testy 33-31 victory against the South Alabama Jaguars in Week 2. It was a game that was more difficult than it needed to be.
To be blunt, the Jaguars punched the Green Wave in the mouth to start the contest, quickly building a 14-0 deficit for them to climb out of.
And that they did. There’s a saying on this team when adversity hits: good. That mentality was palpable as they grinded out an ugly win on Saturday night.
There was perhaps a bit of an air of confidence coming off a 23-3 dominant Week 1 victory. Week 2 for Tulane ultimately settled things a bit.
After a cleanly executed opening contest, the Green Wave incurred 11 penalties that put them in damaging spots all night.
They also allowed a 100-yard plus rusher in Kentrell Bullock.
What they didn’t allow was for things to spiral out of control. There’s considerable value to be found in a contest like Saturday night.
It’s easy to feel team camaraderie and a sense of closeness when things are going well. It’s when things start to go haywire that true culture and brotherhood either make or break a football program.
Tulane found a way to find the "good". The offense scored three unanswered touchdowns that set up kicker Patrick Durkin for his moment before halftime.
Durkin connected on a career-long 50-yard field goal, the longest for the program since Cairo Santos in 2013, and a rejuvenating boost of energy switched the momentum to the Green Wave sidelines.
Then, much like the start of the game, it was bookended by an unsound fourth quarter that allowed South Alabama to creep back into the contest.
The consecutive roughing the passer penalties were a bit iffy, but they helped drive the Jaguars down the field to be a two-point conversion away from potentially forcing overtime.
Tulane's stout red zone defense that was a strong trait all game shut down any hopes of a comeback.
Javion White’s interception on that failed attempt wasn’t recorded on the final stat sheet, but it was a critical moment that illustrates how this team sits undefeated.
It’s easy to win games when things are going right. It’s immensely more difficult to climb out of some self-inflicted holes and win on the road in a hostile environment.
There’s little to learn about a team when no adversity hits. We didn’t frankly learn that much from the season opener that was arguably decided by halftime.
In the Green Wave's first road game of the season, the contest wasn’t over until the clock ran out.
Tulane met their match in speed, athleticism, and grit this week in the Jaguars, but their toughness never waned.
That brought them to their first 2-0 start since the 2022 season that culminated in the Cotton Bowl.
The game Saturday night was somewhat reminiscent of that season's loss to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles – except for the final score.
Good teams falter on a bad night. Great teams find a way to win.
It wasn’t the flashiest, but this win for Tulane might prove to be a critical moment in their season should they learn from it.