Analysis: Tulane Green Wave Triumph Through Rare Road Challenge Like Champions

The Tulane Green Wave survived a unique road stretch in conference play, and the tested team solidified why they are favorites to contend for a championship.

Credit: Joe Vogan - Tulane Athletics

The Tulane Green Wave showed no challenge is insurmountable as they capped off a harsh stretch on the road with a commanding win against the Charlotte 49ers.

Back-to-back road games on a short week test the mental and physical toughness of a team. As one of two teams in the nation to face this feat, Tulane solidified their identity—they're a team that handles business.

It’s the second win in which the Green Wave possessed the ball for more than 42 minutes. They had 242 more yards of total offense than Charlotte, who couldn’t sustain drives that lasted more than three minutes on Thursday night.

A special teams penalty awarded 15 yards of field position to the 49ers on their lone scoring drive for a field goal before halftime, followed by the same yardage off an unnecessary roughness penalty.

It was an undisciplined moment for an exhausted team. They managed to hold on with a red zone sack on third down.

Important trends on both sides of the ball told a tale that unveils Tulane's path to a third conference championship. Overarchingly, the team learned a key third lesson about their toughness. 

Road warriors don't need excuses

A normal week of practice for Tulane begins on Monday in shells, followed by 90 minutes in pads on Tuesday; shells again on Wednesday; and a Thursday walk-through. Travel is on Friday.

The Green Wave landed back in New Orleans around 6:30 p.m. last Saturday after a win at North Texas. They were at Yulman Stadium on Sunday, where they conducted all of Monday's practice and half of Tuesday's.

Midway through Monday's practice, Jon Sumrall yelled for everyone to remove their pads—Wednesday had begun. By Tuesday, the team was conducting their final walk-through before getting on the plane the next afternoon. 

There wasn't enough time for a night practice, and there weren't enough days to wear the black uniforms for the game simulation. Recovery? Forget it. 

As someone who covers and travels with the team, the wear and tear of that hastened period showed in their lackluster first half. The league is lucky the result wasn't a calamity of season-ending injuries.

Makhi Hughes amassed 57 carries in a span of five days and hit 1,000 yards on the year before halftime. The defense barely had time to catch their breath from a track meet at North Texas.

The excuse of travel only applies to the conquerors on the road. Tulane scoffed in rejection of a single one in their ultimately commanding defeat.

California Cool converts key downs

Tulane’s first series began at their own 4-yard line, mimicking their poor field position in their opening possession against the Rice Owls. That drive lost 11 yards. Against Charlotte, the offense conducted a slow, methodical draining of the entire first quarter.

They were unsuccessful in the red zone, but the 20-play drive highlighted why Darian Mensah won the quarterback competition.

Much like his first completion under center to Mario Williams on third down against Southeastern, Mensah was patient in the pocket, slid without scrambling, and stepped up for a big completion to Williams.

His next pass to Yulkeith Brown was another connection on third down. Four plays later, Mensah converted a fourth down with a 20-yard pass to Williams.

Mensah threw 13 first downs, tying his season high. Five of those were on third down, and he was successful on their lone fourth down attempt. Mensah amassed 87 of his total yards in critical moments.

After attempting only 13 passes against the Mean Green, he completed 21 for a new career high. He impressed under duress. Mario Williams and Yulkeith Brown had a pair of big boy outings with their crucial conversions.

The passing game which lacked a pulse against Rice is barely discernible through the rear window of this 7-2 team undefeated in conference play.

Turnovers are no fluke

In my first season as the sideline reporter, when Tulane went 2-10, Willie Fritz commented following a loss that the players looked like they weren’t sure if they were on offense or defense.

A season later, that same defense made four fourth-down stops to beat Kansas State. Last season, they met that standard. Under Jon Sumrall, that unit has morphed into a monster.

Tulane leads the nation with six defensive touchdowns and five pick-sixes. They’ve scored 91 points off turnovers.

At all three levels of the field, it's easy to understand why. Tulane put so much pressure on Deshawn Purdie that he got benched midgame.

The Green Wave sacked Purdie three times and recorded six quarterback hits that effectively disrupted the pocket. They’ve continued shuffling personnel on the defensive line, and it continues to pay off.

The best defense against a passing game is a pass rush, rivaled only by the ability to take possessions away. They forced three turnovers on downs and made the sole turnover of the game count.

Micah Robinson had a breakthrough against Rice and ascends by the week. It was as if he practiced with Purdie on his pick-six with how quickly he broke on the ball.

If Charlotte had any hopes of a comeback after halftime, Robinson destroyed them in their first possession. Now in a 20-3 deficit, backup Max Brown was thrown in and completed two total passes under duress.

A cursory glance at the upsets in the American conference illustrates how little any given game is guaranteed.

Tulane entered Thursday as the better team with the chips stacked against them. They emerged with a victory not to be taken for granted and solidified themselves as top contenders for the conference championship.