Tulane Green Wave Receive Helping Hand From New Orleans Saints

In preparation for their game against Kansas State, the Tulane Green Wave received a helping hand from the New Orleans Saints.

Feb 14, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the Caesars Superdome and Smoothie King Center from outside before the game between the Toronto Raptors at New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Tulane Green Wave football team has a huge matchup against Kansas State in Week 2 of the 2024 college football season. It will be Tulane’s chance to cement its status as one of the best G5 teams in the nation this year against a No. 17 ranked team.

However, their preparations for the games were going to be negatively influenced by the weather. Heavy thunderstorms were forecast through Thursday, with lightning warnings being issued on Wednesday.

With their on-campus practice bubble near Yulman Stadium not yet complete, the weather conditions would have ruined their practice plans. Fortunately for the Green Wave, the New Orleans Saints were willing to lend a helping hand.

While the lightning warning was being issued at Tulane’s campus, the football team was already at the Saints indoor facility going through practice. It was something that head coach Jon Sumrall was very thankful for.

“I cannot thank them (the Saints) enough,” Sumrall said via Guerry Smith of NOLA.com. “I actually just texted Dennis Allen and Jay Romig and said thanks for allowing us to be there. We would have lost more than half of our practice today.”

Losing that much practice time would be a detriment any week of the season. But, with their biggest matchup of the 2024 campaign on the horizon, coming off a game that featured some areas that needed to be cleaned up, it would have been especially brutal.

Luckily, the NFL squad was willing to help them out. On Thursday, Tulane was going to host their walk-through at the Caesars Superdome.

“We don’t want to wear out our welcome at either place,” Sumrall said. “But it’s nice to be able to have that resource and slide over there, for sure.”

Being able to work indoors also gave the Green Wave a chance to avoid the sweltering New Orleans heat. On the field, Sumrall revealed that the heat index reached 135, causing severe cramping among players on the team.

Inside the Saints practice facility, it is a climate-controlled 77 degrees, making for a comfortable atmosphere during a full-scale practice. Sumrall admitted at times, it even felt cold inside after all the time spent outdoors in the elements.

For the game on Saturday, some cooler weather is expected. Temperatures could reach just above 80 degrees for the 11 a.m. kickoff at Yulman Stadium when Tulane hosts Kansas State.