The Tulane Green Wave dismantled Navy Saturday evening 35-0, cementing their bid in the conference championship game against Army. Led by first year coach Jon Sumrall, Tulane has begun to enter the conversation for future teams to be contenders. Currently the Green Wave rank 20th in the nation and should a few things go right for them, they could be looking at a CFP playoff berth.
Saturday’s game was yet another showcase of what has made this Green Wave squad one of the hottest teams in the country. Their ability to play complimentary football was quite impressive and overall, the team was able to execute and capitalize on both sides of the ball.
Entering this game both Tulane and Navy ranked at the top of the American Athletic Conference second and third respectively, meaning the winner of this game gave themselves a shot to meet Army at West Point. Navy boasted one of the most potent rushing attacks in all of college football, ranking top 10 in rush yards per game, yards per rush and, total rushing carries per game. Tulane who possesses their own high-octane running game would look to prove that they could stop the Navy attack while stile establishing their own.
From the kickoff, the Green Wave were able to assert their dominance on both sides of the ball, Defensively, Tulane was outstanding against the Navy offense, allowing less than 60 yards of offense in the first half. Coach Sumrall’s team was able to use Navy’s tactic against them by shutting down the run early and forcing Navy to play behind the chains.
Things would further complicate for Navy as starting QB Blake Horvath went down in the 1st forcing sophomore Braxton Woodson to step up. Immediately the Navy offense took a major hit to their passing game and Tulane was able to capitalize. Darian Mensah would lead the Green Wave into the redzone twice, hitting receivers Dontae Fleming and Mario Williams on key conversions to keep the chains moving while also finishing the first touchdown drive with an impressive 14-yard TD run. Mensah completed 10 of his 14 passes for 138 yards and 3 TDs (1 Rush).
Tulane ended the 1st half leading 14-0 while also receiving the ball at the beginning of the 2nd half. They would pick up right where they left off, combining both the ground and air attack to keep the Navy defense off balance. Makhi Hughes would go on to acquire his 2nd TD pf the day on a 1-yard goal-line plunge effectively capping off a 6-minute opening half drive. Hughes would finish the game with 82 yards on 22 carries.
From here, Tulane would continue their tenacious play on defense regardless of who was at QB. A second half of Braxton Woodson would see little improvement, as he would go on to finish the game with just 13 yards and an interception on 3 of 13 passing. The highly touted Navy rushing attack was completely stymied finishing with 100 yards on 35 attempts. In addition, Navy was able to convert only one third down out of eleven tries.
Tulane’s assertiveness on defense allowed for them to play time-management and effectively end the game. The game’s final two scores came courtesy of two short yard passes from Mensah, one to TE Alex Brauman, the other to Louisiana native RB Arnold “Dooda” Branes III.
Coach Sumrall was openly positive about his team’s performance, congratulating their effort, consistency, and teamwork. Particularly Sumrall commented on his staff and their preparation, his players being invested, and the improvement of his leaders such as Makhi Hughes and Darian Mensah. Tulane will face off against Memphis on Thanksgiving before facing the 18th ranked Army Black Knights in West Point, NY on Dec 6th.
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