Tulane Green Wave Seize Opportunity to Learn Important Quality Under Pressure

The Tulane Green Wave were tested by adversity in their losses, but they showed an important ability to learn from their mistakes to contend with North Texas.

Credit: Parker Waters - Tulane Athletics

The Tulane Green Wave could have let adversity get the best of them against the Rice Owls, but their second-half response showed crucial growth from their early season losses.

Led by a championship-contending defense and the gritty run game of Makhi Hughes, Tulane returned to their roots of what Sumrall wants as a blue-collar mentality—one center Vincent Murphy finds essential to their team values. 

Murphy spoke with Tulane on Sports Illustrated in July at AAC Media Day in Arlington, Texas, and it was clear how strongly he identified with that mindset. On Tuesday, after practice, he echoed those sentiments more strongly, reflecting on how they were tested and responded to the Owls.

"You talk about the blue collar mindset—that is definitely coming out. Guys are up here every day in the morning and the afternoon doing extra time, doing extra things to prepare, and I think it's coming at the right time right now, to be honest."

People often overemphasize and misinterpret the term "halftime adjustments" to refer to a team's ability to modify their gameplan mid-contest. If there was a place where one could palpably feel those changes if properly executed, it would be the offensive line.

Imposing your will on a team the way Tulane eventually mauled the Owls on both sides of the trenches is nothing short of exhausting.

Murphy admits they were surprised initially at how their opponent played. It allowed Tulane a critical opportunity to test their response to adversity as they gear up for an important stretch of conference play.

"You learn who wants to be in those battles," Murphy explained. "I've always been taught that adversity equals motivation. Going into the fourth quarter when things were getting tight, guys were motivated, guys were ready to step up and play, executing at a high level on offense and defense. You get to see who is in the heat of the battle at that moment, who is rising, and who is not. 

The Green Wave effectively managed USF's offensive tempo and capitalized on a team's slow start due to a hurricane affecting preparation, drawing further insights from their own challenges against Oklahoma. They were ridiculously dominant over the UAB Blazers.

But that ultimately didn't translate into a breezy outing last Saturday, showing how little each week matters to the next. Instead, Tulane had to engage in a fierce struggle and discover their true resilience. The team's gritty response will prevail over any adversity if they keep fighting to meet their standard and should translate into a stronger start against the North Texas Mean Green.