Tulane Football Surging as Worthy Road Opponent for Kansas State Coach
Tulane football stole a victory on the road the last time they faced No. 17 Kansas State, and the Wildcats head coach knows that those wins are critical for a team to have a successful season.
The Green Wave lost the week following their upset in Bill Snyder Stadium, but the confidence and swagger from that 17-10 victory carried throughout the run to the Cotton Bowl. They did so with one of the best single-game displays of tackling in college football. It put Tulane on a national stage, which makes this year’s contest have a different feel.
In his press conference Monday previewing the game, head coach Chris Klieman spoke highly of both the team under Fritz and what he’s seen from Jon Sumrall over at Troy.
“John was here last year when he was at Troy. He's a terrific coach. They've got a really good scheme. We watched all the Troy film from last year when we played him and now we, it seems like we're watching him again. We just have the one game (of Tulane), but it's a really well coached team. It's a lot of similarities offensively and defensively from scheme. I'm sure there's going to be some differences because you’ve got to have your personnel match your scheme, but it's a really well coached team. They've got really good players. We know we're going to play in a really tough environment.”
The marquee matchup this Saturday at 11 a.m. CT has a marked difference from that 2022 game—it will be on ESPN versus ESPN+. That alone demonstrates how much Tulane has grown since the road win. It mirrored the perception of the program, which didn't receive any national recognition until their stretch of games began in Cincinnati.
Klieman was likely expecting to have to account for Tyjae Spears much more than they saw in that contest. He views Makhi Hughes as the talent the offense starts with and credits the experience on the offensive line. It speaks to Hughes’ ability that Klieman said that their primary focus is to control the running game because they’re not going to be able to shut it down.
They’ll face a new running back and quarterback this time. From Darian Mensah’s limited film from the season opener, Klieman was impressed by the redshirt freshman.
“I think that was his first start, and I thought he threw the ball really well. I thought he had control and command of what he saw pre-snap, and I think that's the biggest thing for a young quarterback. It's something that we work on with Avery and Jacob is what they see pre-snap. Is it true in what you see post-snap? He looked to have really good command of what they were doing.”
The last time the Wildcats faced the Green Wave, the game came down to defense. Klieman has a lot of respect for the team’s defense and credited how well they tackled. But finding the susceptible area on this year’s squad is a challenge both head coaches must deal with. Neither showed many cards in their Week 1 wins.
“I think that's part of the chess match of early season football of what are you going to show in the first week based on your opponent, based on the score, what can you hold back? I think they're probably in the same reign as we are as far as we didn't show everything, they didn't. It still comes down to do you get off blocks and do you tackle well, and those they did last week, and they always did at Troy.”
In year’s past, Tulane would be—and was two seasons ago—seen as the tune-up opponent to get ready for Big 12 conference play. It’s the reality of Group of 5 programs in today’s college football landscape.
However, Tulane has begun to establish itself as a credible, noteworthy, and quality opponent on the road. That path could lead to the college football playoffs with a win against the Wildcats.
MADDY HUDAK