The Tulane Green Wave football team started off with a bang in their 2025 opener for the college football season with a 23-3 win over the Northwestern Wildcats.
A reverberating sack by bandit Harvey Dyson on Wildcats’ quarterback Preston Stone set the tone on the first play of the game.
Dyson went into the matchup with a mentality to do just that, as he explained to reporters on Tuesday.
“Coach Sumrall's mission was to set the tone,” Dyson said. “That was one of our biggest emphases coming into the game. We went to set the tone early and reset the tone coming out of half. I feel like it was a good play, and it was the opportunity that I made. It was good making that play.”
The attention then shifted to the offensive side of the ball after forcing a Northwestern three-and-out. The Green Wave responded with a touchdown on their opening drive.
Led by quarterback Jake Retzlaff, Tulane completed three consecutive first downs in the 51-yard drive and were eventually aided by an illegal substitution penalty by the Wildcats.
In contrast, the Green Wave notably avoided procedural penalties and played clean, situational football.
Leading receiver Omari Hayes told reporters Tuesday that was a priority coaching point instilled all week leading up to the opening victory.
“Our coaches emphasized that all week during the team meetings,” Hayes said. “Coach Sumrall, he yelled that all week. So that was one of our biggest keys this game was to play clean, and I think we did that. Nothing to set us back on offense.”
Last season, Tulane committed multiple penalties in their season opener. By Week 2, they racked up five false starts and three illegal formation penalties.
While they soundly won the 2024 opener 52-0, it revealed a potential pain point that stifled drives in the following two losses to the Kansas State Wildcats and Oklahoma Sooners.
It was a frustrating series of stalls on offense that made it difficult to generate momentum under a new quarterback.
Knowing that challenge would remain this season with a starter in Retzlaff who arrived on campus 38 days prior to the first game, it was encouraging to see that history didn’t repeat itself in Saturday’s win.
In Week 1, games are lost more than they’re won. The speed of the game in contrast to practice can catch teams off guard.
The Green Wave didn’t just have a new quarterback. From starting center to right tackle, that entire side of the line was new offensive linemen.
The group of wide receivers only featured three returnees who saw considerable snaps in Shazz Preston, Bryce Bohanon, and Zycarl Lewis.
Every tight end who took the field outside of Anthony Miller did so for the first time in a Tulane uniform.
That level of roster turnover would explain any procedural issues in their first start together. The Green Wave didn’t let that turn into an excuse.
If there was anything to nitpick, it would be the dropped passes by wide receivers; some passes by Retzlaff that lacked touch were still catchable.
It’s a lot easier to overcome an incomplete pass than it is to wipe a reception off the board and send the team back five yards.
Should Tulane continue to play clean football, they will retain a critical edge heading into their first away matchup against the South Alabama Jaguars.