Tulane Green Wave Can Extend Impressive Program Record with Gasparilla Bowl Win
The Tulane Green Wave burst onto the scene during the 2022 season when they won the American Athletic Conference and earned a berth in the Cotton Bowl.
They made the most of it, defeating the USC Trojans and tying a program record with 12 victories.
It was more of the same in 2023, as the Green Wave won 11 games but fell in the AAC championship game to the SMU Mustangs.
Their head coach, Willie Fritz, then departed before the team lost to the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Military Bowl, accepting the head coaching job with the Houston Cougars.
In need of a new leader on the sidelines, Tulane turned to Troy Trojans head coach Jon Sumrall, who had led his team to 11 victories in his two campaigns as the head coach.
The success that Fritz generated the last two years was carried over into Sumrall’s inaugural season, as the Green Wave earned a spot in the AAC championship game once again.
Unfortunately, they came up short, this time on the road against the Army West Point Black Knights, who won, 35-14.
That followed a disappointing loss to the Memphis Tigers on Thanksgiving night that dashed their College Football Playoff hopes and led to them having to go on the road and instead of hosting the title game.
Despite that disappointing finish, the Green Wave still have a lot to play for.
For the first time in program history, they have won at least nine games in three straight seasons, so it would be an even more impressive feat to reach double-digit wins in three straight campaigns when taking into consideration they have recorded 10-plus victories only five times previously.
Two of them came in the 1930s; 1931 and 1934. The others were 1998, 2022 and 2023.
Tulane will have their work cut out for them as they are going up against an SEC foe, the Florida Gators, in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Riding a three-game winning streak, they are heading into the matchup with a ton of positive momentum while the Green Wave is reeling.
On top of the losing streak, they are going to have a first-time starter at the quarterback position.
Ty Thompson, a former five-star recruit with the Oregon Ducks who transferred into the program ahead of the 2024 season, will be making his first career start. Since he has already announced his intention to enter the transfer portal, this will be a showcase for him.
He will have that opportunity to play because Darian Mensah, the team’s starter all season, entered the transfer portal on the first day he was allowed and committed to the Duke Blue Devils days later, citing academics as part of the reason.
That is a huge loss for the team to overcome, as they have several players who are testing the transfer portal who won’t be suiting up for the contest.
Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.