Tulane Green Wave: By the Numbers

Riding a strong performance against Kansas State, Tulane is hoping to put Oklahoma on upset alert this Saturday.

Oct 13, 2023; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Tulane Green Wave running back Makhi Hughes (21) runs the ball as Memphis Tigers defensive linemen Zy Brockington (0) attempts to make the tackle during the second half at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

For the third time since 2017, Oklahoma and Tulane will meet in Norman. 

In 2021, the game was moved to Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium due to Hurricane Ida, but the contest ended up being memorable for what happened on the field. 

Willie Fritz’s Tulane team staged a furious second half rally, and OU narrowly survived the upset bid, ultimately winning 40-35.

Saturday’s battle between Oklahoma (2-0) and Tulane (1-1), this time Brent Venables’ No. 15-ranked Sooners are up against Jon Sumrall’s Green Wave, could also be a tight battle. 

Seth Littrell’s OU offense is decimated by injury, and the group has struggled to find any kind of consistency through two weeks. 

The Green Wave pose the biggest threat of the season for the Sooners, and Saturday’s meeting between the two teams is a crucial final tune-up for Oklahoma before SEC play begins. 

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Through two weeks, OU is one of the worst third down offenses in college football. 

The Sooners have converted just 5-of-26 attempts on third down, which ranks 131st among 133 FBS programs. 

Things won’t be any easier this week. 

Tulane is tied with Oklahoma at 35th in third down defense, holding opponents to just a 28.6 percent success rate. 

The Green Wave backed both Kansas State and Southeastern Louisiana State back up consistently in their first two games on early downs. The Wildcats averaged 7.6 yards to go on third down, and Tulane held Kansas State to 0-for-4 on third downs with nine or more yards to gain. 

Oklahoma has consistently had to battle out of third-and-long situations, which has heaped loads of pressure on quarterback Jackson Arnold in his first two home starts. 

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Kansas State’s best possessions came when they avoided third down altogether. 

The Wildcat rushing attack came alive in the second half, and Kansas State rushed for 120 of its 215 yards on the ground on first down. 

In total, Kansas State hit Tulane for seven rushes of more than 10 yards, adding an explosive element to the offense without forcing sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson to do everything himself.

Oklahoma ranks 80th in rushing, averaging just 147.5 yards per game, and the Sooners will need to get the ground attack rolling against Tulane to help Arnold come Saturday. 

OU posted just two carries of more than 10 yards against Houston — a 13-yard carry by Jovantae Barnes and a 13-yard rush by Arnold — an area the Sooners obviously must take great strides in this weekend. 

Running backs could play another factor on Saturday, too. 

Johnson found running back DJ Giddens out of the backfield for a 45-yard touchdown reception against the Green Wave, which could be an area Gavin Sawchuk and Taylor Tatum could exploit to deliver the Oklahoma offense some explosive plays. 

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Neither Temple nor Houston had much success testing Oklahoma’s defense downfield. 

That will change in Week 3. 

Redshirt freshman quarterback Darian Mensah has been a sensation for the Green Wave, allowing the offense to attack vertically.

Mensah is 11-for-16 on passes of 15 yards or more, pushing the ball downfield for 365 yards. Former Sooner wide receiver Mario Williams leads the team with 10 receptions for 252 yards, and he’ll draw plenty of attention from OU’s secondary.

That doesn’t mean Tulane’s attack is boom-or-bust, however. 

The Green Wave rank 27th in third down percentage, converting on 52.4 percent of third downs including 5-of-7 attempts on third-and-4 or less. 

If Tulane wants to notch an 11th-straight true road victory, its young quarterback will have to be excellent again to extend drives and keep OU’s defense on the field.