Tulane Football's Starting Quarterback Previews Matchup Against Kansas State
Tulane football hosts No. 17 Kansas State at Yulman Stadium in Week 2 of the college football season. The last time they faced the Wildcats in 2022, the team was led by Michael Pratt. Tulane has a new leader to look to at starting quarterback this Saturday.
I recently had the opportunity to interview Tulane starting quarterback Darian Mensah ahead of the Green Wave’s week two matchup against Kansas State. During our time, Mensah reflected on his first career victory against Southeastern Louisiana and previewed Tulane’s matchup against Kansas State this weekend. Here’s what he had to say about his week one performance.
“I was just confident in my preparation. I prepared basically all my life for this. Me and the guys have been working extremely hard since spring workouts. You know what I’m saying? Just to get that first game under my belt, it felt really good. Especially my family being there, too. It felt really good to get out there.”
Mensah also talked about his first career touchdown, a pass that came on a deep out to wide receiver Yulkieth Brown. When breaking down that play, Mensah said, “There’s two sides to that play. You got man side and zone side. They brought SAW, SAM and WIL blitz, so I knew I was working Yulkieth (Brown) the whole way. I kind of under threw it to be honest, but you know, I don’t have to do much with my receivers. They make me look great every play, so amazing catch by Yul(kieth Brown). Super excited, first touchdown.”
This Saturday, Tulane takes on the Kansas State Wildcats in what many have circled as the biggest game of the season for the Green Wave. The game kicks off in Yulman Stadium at 11:00 am on ESPN, but Mensah does not seem to have any nerves surrounding the matchup.
“It’s the same thing that I’ve been doing. Prepare, prepare, prepare, and continue to lead the guys. Really this week, it’s about the details, playing against a bigger opponent in Kansas State, but nothing different than what I’ve been doing all fall camp.”
Hopefully, Tulane will come out on top in their first real test of the season. While Mensah needs to avoid mistakes, the keys to success will be running the ball effectively and stopping the run of Kansas State. If Tulane can take advantage of both of those matchups, the Wave will win by a score of 34-31.
JOHN BURROWS