Tulane Green Wave Must Find 'Good' in Adversity to Reclaim Title Against Army

The Tulane Green Wave lost control of destiny ahead of the conference title game against the Army Black Knights, but can lean on their philosophy on adversity.

Credit: Parker Waters - Tulane Athletics

The Tulane Green Wave saw several dreams fall short, including a shot at the college football playoffs, with their disappointing loss to the Memphis Tigers.

The team’s response to adversity will be of paramount importance as they fight for their first American conference championship title on the road against the Army Black Knights on Friday, Dec. 6 in West Point, Ny.

For head coach Jon Sumrall, these are uncharted waters—his teams, starting 1-2 in two seasons at Troy and one at Tulane, never lost a third game until now.

Stats rarely tell a fair story of a matchup, but the Tigers simply beat the Green Wave at their own game.

Memphis recorded 30 more rushing attempts and 179 more yards on the ground. They were the first team since Oklahoma to possess the ball longer than Tulane for nearly 40 minutes.

Importantly, the Tigers won the turnover battle, scoring 14 points off two fumbles and an interception, while conceding none.

Throughout the team's final regular season loss, neither the offense nor the defense demonstrated consistent strength. Both strayed from tendencies that got the Green Wave to a third straight conference championship game.

---

Memphis, under the leadership of Seth Henigan, unleashed the most formidable offense the defense has encountered in months. Henigan's experience, coupled with a wrinkle the team struggled to adjust to in Greg Desrosiers Jr., dictated the control for most of the game.

There were critical moments when Tulane’s offense and defense held and subsequently faltered in worse ones.

Defensively, the team struggled to find an answer or a stopgap through three quarters, entering the fourth in a 27-10 deficit.

At that point, they had been on the field for over 29 minutes. Uncharacteristically poor tackling, technique and execution draws context from that, but not an excuse.

The Green Wave emerged from the tunnel at halftime behind a manageable 17-10 and started with the ball. Then the first fumble happened, off of which the Tigers scored a touchdown.

The offense squandered their next series, and the defense conceded a field goal. In response, aided by multiple penalties on a run by Darian Mensah and subsequent defensive pass interference, Tulane found the end zone.

Momentum, or perhaps just luck, was creeping back into the Green Wave. As the team would learn a few series later, luck is as useless and fickle as anything to rely on.

The defense held Memphis to their second three-and-out of the night. With plenty of time on the clock in a two-score game, Tulane’s offense picked up the pace—perhaps needlessly.

After a deep incompletion intended for Bryce Bohanon, Mensah connected with Mario Williams for a 55-yard reception, and the Tigers narrowly recovered his fumble.

Much like their late stand against Oklahoma when the offense began to cut the deficit, the defense showed off a short memory and forced another punt.

Memphis intercepted another long shot downfield two plays later. Each team would score once more, but that moment was where the game effectively ended, not by fault of Mensah.

Each poor decision made in the game existed in a vacuum; each small detail was slight until they piled up. That was the final crescendo of a team-wide loss.

---

It was a bizarre evening. It's challenging to compare playcalling from a deficit versus a commanding lead. Two weeks ago, the offense found a formula that the Navy Midshipmen had no answer for. 

Teams have tendencies on first, second, and third down by distance, field position, and situation. Teams divide first down plays into those that initiate a possession and those earned during drives.

The Green Wave recorded 15 first downs against Navy. 13 of the next plays were runs.

While none went for consecutive downs, they totaled 61 yards. Mensah threw two passing first downs, one for a touchdown. 

Of the 13 first downs earned last Thursday, only four runs followed. One was a rushing touchdown. On the nine pass attempts, Mensah completed three, was sacked once, and threw the interception.

Another category is third down plays that require seven or more yards. Tulane was more balanced against the Midshipmen, evenly splitting six attempts. 

Mensah ran in his first rushing touchdown and connected with Shazz Preston for a 27-yard pass for a first down.

All eight plays against Memphis in the same down and distance metric were pass attempts. They included an impressive four receptions for 104 yards. The final catch turned into the second lost fumble. 

Rather than trying to establish the run through physical will under Hughes, the offense seemed to deviate from this foundation.

Unfortunately, all three turnovers occurred in the passing game. Two of them led to 14 points in a 34-24 loss.

Predictability matters, but so does the flow of what works. At times, the offense appeared to operate from a psychological deficit that did not align with reality.

Football is about calculated risks. Perhaps the chosen risks led to an uncharacteristic, hollow loss. It could be as simple as the turnover margin.

Whether outside distractions were real or imagined, the team made enough mistakes to entertain the notion.

Above all, the game is all about how humans react and come back. That applies to coaches and players, mentally and strategically.

Now is the time to rely on the team's core values: attitude, toughness, discipline, and love. 

Champions must adopt a mindset that accepts responsibility and moves forward, possessing the resilience to overcome obstacles. That's attitude and toughness. Discipline can be regained as easily as it was lost on the field Thursday. Love has permeated the building since Sumrall took the job last December. 

Tulane dropped the one game they couldn’t afford to. That’s the reality of football and life.

Rarely does a team have an opportunity to bounce back and win a conference championship title. Seniors still have a legacy to see out and accomplish on the road.

When adversity hits this team, Jon Sumrall has instilled a mentality that summons a universal response: Good.

Tulane's buy-in to that mindset is the key to unlocking the championship trophy on the Black Knights' turf.