Tulane Green Wave quarterback Jake Retzlaff is making waves after his dominating performance in the team’s 34-27 win over the Duke Blue Devils.
Retzlaff earned honors as the American Offensive Player of the Week – the first Green Wave player to earn that weekly title since Michael Pratt in 2023 – for his record night under center.
He was also named to the Davey O’Brien Award’s Great 8 List on Monday, which is a weekly honor given to eight quarterbacks selected by the Davey O'Brien Foundation.
All quarterbacks who land on the Great 8 List are also added to the official Davey O’Brien Award Midseason Watch List, which will award the best collegiate quarterback based on skill, sportsmanship, teamwork, and leadership.
Last season, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, Cam Ward, took home the Davey O'Brien Award.
It was well-deserved for Retzlaff after recording 356 total yards of offense. He threw for 245 yards on just 15-of-23 attempts. That stood out on a night where his opposing quarterback, Darian Mensah, threw for 86 more yards, but on 30-of-51 attempts.
That massive number pass attempts points to Mensah’s strength in the air, but also his limitations as a runner. Retzlaff brings a completely different dimension to Tulane’s offense with his mobility.
He was the leading rusher on the night with 111 yards on 17 carries with four rushing touchdowns that tied a program record for a quarterback.
He did lose one costly fumble that head coach Jon Sumrall harped on a bit postgame.
Instead of potentially expanding the 24-9 lead out of halftime, that turnover allowed the Blue Devils to creep back in and cut the lead to 24-16.
It was Retzlaff’s response in the following drive that was as memorable as the fumble itself.
The drive started with back-to-back incompletions. Retzlaff was poised on third down and completed a pass to running back Arnold Barnes who fought his way to an impressive 12-yard completion.
Facing a consecutive 3rd and 10 three plays later, Retzlaff maybe overcorrected a bit from the lost fumble and slid early on an 8-yard scramble.
Reminiscent of Pratt, he rushed to convert the fourth down with an extra yard.
Retzlaff then completed three consecutive first downs by pass – 19 yards to Omari Hayes, 11 yards to Johnny Pascuzzi, and 11 yards back to Hayes.
Then Retzlaff ran in his fourth touchdown on an 11-yard carry.
As the team heads to take on the Ole Miss Rebels, that type of poise after a mistake is a critical trait to have in Retzlaff.