The Tulane University Green Wave football team showed fans a preview of what this season could be this past Saturday, Aug. 30. Tulane’s defense came out rolling against the Northwestern University Wildcats from the start when Harvey Dyson forced a fumble on the opening play of the game that was recovered by the Wildcats. The Green Wave defensive line displayed an ability to compete against a large Big Ten Conference offensive line.
The Tulane defense, featuring only three returning starters from last year’s team, demonstrated surprising cohesion as a unit, as they hauled in four interceptions and one fumble recovery on the day. Greg Gasparato, the newly hired defensive coordinator from Troy University, outplayed Northwestern quarterback Preston Stone and schemed a terrific game to counter the Wildcat passing attack.
Stone had a disappointing performance, finishing with a 9.2 total quarterback rating – the score calculated by ESPN based on the player’s impact on the field – while going 19 for 36 throwing the ball. Tulane held Northwestern to 237 total yards.
With the Green Wave defense firing on all cylinders, this provided the Tulane offense with opportunities to impose its will on the offensive side of the ball. The Green Wave offense, headed by Jake Retzlaff, the highly-touted Brigham Young University transfer, delivered an electrifying performance against a well-rounded Wildcat defense.
Retzlaff threw for 152 yards and accounted for 113 rushing yards on the ground, the biggest play of the day being his 69-yard touchdown run to put the Green Wave ahead by 16 points late in the second quarter. Retzlaff’s versatility as a runner and passer properly equips the Green Wave to attack defenses in a variety of aspects.
Although the wide receivers and Retzlaff struggled to connect early on with multiple dropped balls, Florida Atlantic University transfer Omari Hayes impressed, finishing the game with nine receptions for 74 yards and stood out as a reliable target for Retzlaff.
This dominant 23-3 win over Northwestern highlights the Green Wave’s potential to win big games and the expectations the Tulane faithful can have this year.
Due to Tulane’s unique position as a top Group of Five team, the Green Wave now aims to make it to the biggest stage in college sports: the 12-team playoff. With the combination of Tulane’s challenging non-conference schedule and favorability as a potential American Athletic Conference champion, Tulane would have a very appealing case for the playoff committee. This week one win demonstrated Tulane’s capability to compete and execute at a high level against a Power Four team.
The question remaining about Green Wave is whether or not Tulane can stay consistent with their product. Towards the later part of the 2024 season, the Green Wave sputtered and tallied three straight losses. Granted, the bowl loss to University of Florida could be attributed to Green Wave players entering the transfer portal.
This begs the question: Will head coach Jon Sumrall be able to elevate his team’s play during pivotal games in the 2025 season?
If the Green Wave continues to perform well and win games, each contest will boost expectations and put enormous pressure on this team. How will Sumrall change his preparation as Tulane faces big time opponents such as Duke University, the University of Mississippi and various other tough conference opponents?
Tulane football fans have a lot to look forward to and should be excited to see how this team measures up as they head on the road to face the University of South Alabama on Sept. 6.