The Tulane Green Wave gave everything they had in Week 2 when they hosted Kansas State at Yulman Stadium. The No. 17 ranked Wildcats received a tough battle from the Green Wave, who held a double-digit lead at halftime. Unfortunately, they were unable to hold onto that lead as a few plays didn’t go their way. A broken play on fourth down late in the third quarter when Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson found running back DJ Giddens for a 45-yard touchdown was deflating. Minutes later, Darian Mensah was hit and fumbled, leading to a scoop and score by Jack Fabris to give the Wildcats a 34-27 lead. That would be the final score of the game, as Mensah threw an interception two plays after his touchdown pass to Yulkeith Brown was wiped off the board by offensive pass interference called on Dontae Fleming. Moral victories don’t mean too much for teams, but this was an encouraging performance by Tulane. It showed they can hang with power conference schools and their performance grabbed the attention of people in college football.
One of the people who came away impressed by their play was Stewart Mandel of The Athletic. In his weekly mailbag, Mandel was asked how he would rank the G5 teams two weeks into the season. Would a team that has a close loss to a power conference be viewed more highly than a program that played a cupcake schedule? Mandel leans toward the former, which is why he has the Green Wave No. 3 in his G5 rankings. The only teams ahead of them in Mandel's rankings are the Memphis Tigers and South Florida Bulls. “I could not have been more impressed with redshirt freshman quarterback Darian Mensah in Tulane’s heartbreaker against Kansas State. The Green Wave could win the AAC,” he wrote. Mensah came out of nowhere to win the starting quarterback job this offseason. He was behind former five-star Oregon recruit Ty Thompson, who transferred in earlier this year, and veteran Kai Horton. His high level of play from the spring and summer has carried right over into the regular season as Mensah has looked good running the offense. He and Tulane have another huge opportunity to cement their status as a top G5 team this weekend. They will be traveling to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma is coming off a game against former Green Wave head coach Willie Fritz and the Houston Cougars, which they escaped with a 16-12 win.
Tulane's Performances Against Kansas State
Despite the loss, there are some things to feel good about from this game. Moral victories aren't what this team expects from themselves, but sometimes it can be uplifting to look at the positive. Pro Football Focus released their weekly grades for the games that just took place and the Green Wave had some encouraging names at the top of their list.
Defensive Tackle Kameron Hamilton
Defensive tackle Kameron Hamilton backed up his performance from first game with another good one against the Wildcats offensive line. Hamilton finished with the highest grade of anyone on Tulane, coming in at an above average 78.0 flat rating. He still didn't get a ton of snaps on the night, but made the most out of his opportunities. He picked up two pressures while coming up with one tackle that was counted as a stop. The junior has a tough path to more playing time given that he sits behind Patrick Jenkins on the depth chart, but he's been so good that the coaching staff should start figuring out more ways to get him on the field.
Wide Receiver Mario Williams
Mario Williams got the majority of the snaps on the outside, but also picked up a role in the slot. He's a dynamic playmaker that will only see an increase in attention if these performances keep up. Williams was the second-highest rated player on the team with a 75.1 overall grade. The speedster picked up 128 yards in this one over six catches. It was his second straight game over 120 yards, when he had only done it once previously over his first three seasons. It's looking like he's finally found a spot to show off his talents.
Linebacker Dickson Agu
The player that received the third-highest grade was linebacker Dickson Agu. He's another player riding the wave of a solid game last weekend as well. Agu picked up two tackles, one was a stop, and wasn't targeted once in coverage. The redshirt freshman is another player looking to earn more snaps and seems to be a perfect fit for the Jon Sumrall defense. Players like these guys will need to be leaders heading into the next big game so that the Green Wave can be in the best position to grab the win against the Oklahoma Sooners following a disappointing loss to Kansas State.
What's Next for Tulane?
Tulane will look to rebound from their loss to Kansas State when they take on the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners are coming off a tough win against Houston, a team led by former Tulane head coach Willie Fritz. The Green Wave will be hoping to use their experience against the Sooners, who have a young quarterback in Jackson Arnold. While the Sooners have a lot of talent, they are still finding their way early in the season. This could be a big opportunity for Tulane to make a statement and prove that they are a legitimate contender in the G5. The game is set for Saturday, September 9th at 3:30 PM ET.
The Future is Bright for Tulane
While the Green Wave may have suffered a heartbreaking loss in Week 2, there are still plenty of reasons for optimism in New Orleans. The team has shown that they can compete with the best, and with a strong roster and a proven head coach, Tulane is poised for a successful season. The next few weeks will be crucial for Tulane, but the Green Wave have the talent and the potential to make a deep run in the AAC.
