Three Keys to Success as Tulane Green Wave Face Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Tulane hasn’t been to Lafayette to face Louisiana in 12 years. The Green Wave enter that game on Saturday on a two-game losing streak.
The Green Wave (1-2) faces the Ragin’ Cajuns (2-0) at 11 a.m. central, which will be Tulane’s last non-conference game.
The lessons have been painful the past two weeks, with losses to both Kansas State and Oklahoma. But those lessons could pay off in American Athletic Conference action, which starts next week at home against USF.
While the two teams don’t always play one another, the two coaches know each other well.
Tulane’s Jon Sumrall was a Troy for two seasons. His tenure overlapped with Louisiana coach Michael Desormeaux, a former Ragin’ Cajuns quarterback who took over for Billy Napier.
Sumrall guided Troy to a pair of one-score victories over Louisiana in 2022 (23-17) and 2023 (31-24).
Here are Tulane’s three keys to success against Louisiana.
Thirty Below
It's a small sample size in 2024 but Louisiana is 2-0 when it scores 30 or more points in a game.
But, when you take a wider view of the Desormeaux era with the Ragin’ Cajuns, you find a team that is 13-3 when they score 30 or more points.
Based on that, Tulane’s defense needs to hold the line right there. Why?
Because, under Desormeaux, the Ragin’ Cajuns are 2-4 in games in which they score 20 to 29 points, and 0-7 in games in which they score fewer than 20 points.
The more points Louisiana scores, the more risk you take against an in-state rival that wants to make the Green Wave’s first visit to Lafayette in 12 years an inhospitable one.
Back to Basics
It's time for Tulane to get back to doing the things that helped it beat Southeastern Louisiana in the opener.
After two weeks of playing power conference opponents and playing both of them well, the reality is the Green Wave has a conference slate to begin preparing for.
So what does getting back to basics mean? Well, it means reducing turnovers. The Green Wave made two against Oklahoma and they were costly.
It means getting the football to running back Makhi Hughes and putting him in positions where he can be more effective.
It means trimming down the game plan for quarterback Darian Mensah just a bit, just enough to allow him to get some confidence back after two games of being relentlessly pursued by Kansas State and Oklahoma.
And it means getting the defense to be a shade more opportunistic, especially on long downs and distances.
Winning this game is important make no mistake. But getting the Green Wave ready for American Athletic Conference action is just as vital.
Track K.C. Ossai
For Tulane’s offense, tracking where Louisiana’s top defender, K.C. Ossai, is at all times will be an important part of this game.
He always seems to have big games. Last year he had a career-high 18 stops against Jacksonville State in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. For the season he had a team-high 95 tackles to go along with a pair of forced fumbles, a blocked kick and a sack.
In the Ragin’ Cajuns’ last game he had seven tackles. He’s already off to a big start. And he’s had a week off to rest.
MATTHEW POSTINS