This Saturday, the Tulane Green Wave will face the 5-1 Memphis Tigers for lone control of second place in the American Athletic Conference West Division, trailing only the 6-0 SMU Mustangs. 

This will be the 36th matchup between the two AAC teams, with Memphis currently leading the all-time series 22-12-1. Tulane, however, won the most recent contest last September, coming out with a 40-24 victory. 

Tulane is led offensively by graduate transfer and former LSU quarterback Justin McMillan. McMillan is a dynamic dual-threat playmaker, with the ability to make plays not only through the air but also on the ground. He currently has a 8:2 TD:INT ratio with 1042 passing yards as well as 301 rushing yards and 6 rushing TDs. 

Green Wave football leans heavily on its potent rushing attack, currently boasting the fourth-highest yards per game on the ground in all of the NCAA, split between a litany of running backs with Corey Dauphine, Darius Bradwell, Amare Jones, Cameron Carroll and McMillan all contributing. 

Arizona State transfer quarterback Brady White is the current signal caller for the Tigers, but running back Kenneth Gainwell is the more integral part of the Memphis offense. Currently sixth in the nation in rushing yards with seven touchdowns on the ground and another touchdown through the air, Gainwell is a credible threat who must be contained for the Green Wave to win its fifth-straight game. 

Tulane and Memphis have performed similarly in terms of defensive yards allowed per game. Tulane ranks 32nd with 326.3 yards per game while Memphis ranks 46th with 347.2 yards per game allowed. 

Tulane and Memphis received the 26th and 32nd most votes, respectively, in the Week 8 rankings, though neither is officially ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. A Green Wave victory in this game would be instrumental in securing a spot in next week’s top 25 rankings.