Tulane Green Wave Hope to Get Straight With Trip to Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns
Two straight games against power conference teams. Two straight losses for the Tulane Green Wave.
So, it’s a little dose of reality for a Green Wave program (1-2) that still has every opportunity to win its conference and gets one more tune-up when it travels across the state to take on Louisiana at 11 a.m. central on Saturday.
A loss is a loss, of course. Tulane won’t take the style points. But, there’s something to be said with playing teams like Kansas State and Oklahoma on their level for four quarters as a calibration tool for conference play. The Green Wave is unlikely to play a team tougher than either the Wildcats or the Sooners — unless they reach the College Football Playoff, of course.
To do that, Tulane has to win the AAC and be the top-ranked team from a non-power conference. Those possibilities still exist. And an 11-2 record with those two losses might be impressive enough.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (2-0) have had two weeks to prepare for this, and that can be a little dangerous for an in-state game. They’ll have more tape to dissect for the Green Wave and against higher-quality opponents.
This has never been a big-time rivalry game, as the two schools went a long stretch without playing. But, in-state games can always be fun when bragging rights, and not conference standings, are on the line.
Here is a preview of the Green Wave and the Wildcats.
Tulane (1-2) at Louisiana (2-0)
Cajun Field, Lafayette, La.
Time: 11 a.m. CT
TV: ESPNU
Radio: KVDU 104.1 The Spot (flagship)
Coaches: Tulane — Jon Sumrall (1-2 at Tulane, 24-6 career as head coach); Louisiana — Michael Desormeaux (15-14 at Louisiana and overall).
Fun fact: Both Sumrall and Desormeaux are former college football players. Sumrall played his college football at Kentucky and was an assistant coach there. Desormeaux was a quarterback at Louisiana and when he left school he was No. 20 on the NCAA’s all-time rushing list for quarterbacks.
All-Times Series: Tulane leads series, 23-6.
Last meeting: Tulane def. Louisiana, 41-24 (Dec. 15, 2018).
Series notes: The two programs played fairly regularly until a long gap from 1930-74. That was right around the time Tulane joined the SEC. Louisiana was not considered a Division I program until 1974 and didn’t join the Sun Belt Conference until 2001. Louisiana’s first win over Tulane came in 1988.
Last Week: Tulane lost to Oklahoma, 31-19; Louisiana, idle.
About Tulane: The Green Wave has lost each of its last two games. That’s the bad news. The good news is Tulane lost those two games to Kansas State and Oklahoma by a combined 22 points. It had every chance to beat Kansas State. It also cut Oklahoma’s lead to five points in the fourth quarter.
The schedule now features Louisiana and eight American Athletic Conference teams. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, as they say.
Clearly, the development of quarterback Darian Mensah isn’t linear. He will have fits and starts. He threw a touchdown pass but also an interception. Running back Makhi Hughes rushed for 71 yards against one of the stoutest defensive lines he’ll face all season. For the second time this season the Green Wave returned an interception for a touchdown.
If one is looking for a takeaway from two straight losses, it’s that the ingredients are there to contend in the AAC once again. And, there’s no better time, considering the Pac-12 Conference is probably paying close attention as it continues to expand.
About Louisiana: You know what’s crazy? Two years ago Billy Napier left this job after he went 12-1 and won the Sun Belt Conference and, well, we all know what’s happening to him now at Florida. It’s all to say that life comes at you fast.
The Ragin’ Cajuns have definitely taken a step back without him, though Desormeaux has led them to bowl games each of his first two full seasons. The Ragin’ Cajuns are off to a solid start and are coming off a bye week. Louisiana dominated Grambling State, 40-10, in the opener before handling Kennesaw State on the road, 34-10. The KSU win is notable as the Owls are building up from FCS.
So, yes, the Ragin’ Cajuns look 2-0 on paper. But, Louisiana hasn’t played the schedule Tulane has, so it will a bit more difficulty to measure where they are in their progress this season, especially as they come out of a bye week and have had two weeks to plan for the Green Wave.
Next Up: Tulane opens AAC action as it hosts USF on Sept. 28. Louisiana is at Wake Forest on Sept. 28
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