Keys to Victory for Tulane versus Charlotte
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Tulane takes on Charlotte Saturday evening in Yulman Stadium for the season finale. Kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. Here's what we think needs to happen for the Green Wave to claim victory.
Distractions...Again
The coaching carousel is once again swirling. Friday afternoon, ESPN's Pete Thamel announced Tulane football coach Jon Sumrall has a decision to make as to whether or not to stay in Uptown.
Sources: Tulane coach Jon Sumrall is expected to make a decision on his coaching future on Sunday morning. He's expected to choose between staying at Tulane, and his outside opportunities have included significant interest from Florida and Auburn. pic.twitter.com/mEiLUKgcvn
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 28, 2025
We don't pretend to know what will happen with Sumrall. As a coach and a man, we truly like the guy and wish him the best. Our buddy, Fast Eddie, sees Tulane looking for a new coach this Winter. However, Tulane doesn't need another Willie Fritz debacle, nor what North Texas is facing with their coach already announcing he's heading to Stillwater to head up the Okie State program. If Sumrall announces on Sunday he's heading out of town, and not for a vacation, there will probably be two teams in the American Conference championship game on December 5th in Yulman Stadium with lame duck coaches.
What we do know is this is just one more distraction: something this team does not need if it expects to be in its first ever College Football Playoff (CFP) game in two weeks.
Don't Drink the Kool-Aid...or Eat the Rat Poison...or whatever
The 1-and-0 mantra Sumrall has preached all year has worked. Now, a 1-and-10 team comes to Yulman with absolutely nothing to lose, except another game. Tulane cannot think they've got this one in the bag. They haven't fallen for that type of thinking yet this year, but the Wave haven't been in this specific situation: the coaching distractions, American championship in a week, and the CFP entry on the near horizon. It is a dangerous combination.
Win-and-In
That really COULD be the mantra, if 1-and-0 wasn't already it. If Tulane wins Saturday against Charlotte, they are not only in the American Conference championship game (their fourth in a row, an AAC record), they'll host the thing in Yulman, where the Wave hasn't lost since 2024. Win the league trophy game, and Tulane sets another record: the Green Wave will be in the College Football Playoffs. This is not a pressure situation. It's more of a pride predicament.
Hit the 49ers First, and Don't Let Up
Charlotte is a team that is in a delicate situation: they are teetering on disaster, winning one game in eleven. Tulane must score early and often to get this 49er team down so they can be counted out early.
Tulane and Charlotte tangle in Yulman Saturday night at 6:30 p.m.
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.