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Tulane Early Favorite vs South Alabama

Despite Saturday's poor showing, the Wave open as double-digit favorite over the Jaguars
Sep 5, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA;  Tulane Green Wave quarter back Zeon Chriss-Gremillion (9) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium.  Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images
Sep 5, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Tulane Green Wave quarter back Zeon Chriss-Gremillion (9) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Saturday evening, Tulane opens its home portion of the season against South Alabama in Yulman Stadium. Kickoff set for 6:00 p.m. CT.

After Saturday's loss, the Green Wave are still a 10.5-point favorite over the Jaguars by DraftKings.

Tulane vs USA Odds
Tulane vs USA Odds | DraftKings.com - By clicking on the image you are taken to the DraftKings webpage.

Trying to Bounce Back

The Wave opened the 2026 season with a lack-luster performance at defending ACC champion Duke, falling to the Blue Devils on Saturday 17-3.

Read what we saw in Durham in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The game this past weekend was filled with mistakes and poor play:
- Tulane was penalized 15-times in the game, most of which came against the offensive line,
- Big plays were negated by those penalties often, including long runs by Mo Turner and Johnnie Daniels,
- In the opening Duke drive missed and arm tackles were the norm for the Green Wave, as the Blue Devils ran it right down the collective throats of the Tulane D.

Missed opportunities marred the contest:
- A long pass completion into the red zone to Fat Hill resulted in Hill coughing up the ball inside the Duke 20.
- The usually reliable Jackson Courville missed what is a chip shot a field goal for him in the 1st half, which would have given the Wave some momentum at a time they needed it.
- A rare Nate Sheppard fumble (Duke's running back) at the Tulane 42 resulted in a drive of four-yards and a Tulane punt, one of seven the offense was forced into in Durham.

After the game, head coach Will Hall put the blame on himself and vowed to correct the mistakes his team made on Monday.

South Alabama Brief Scouting

South Alabama returns some faces you'll recognize and others you won't. Head coach Major Applewhite will be calling the plays this year, as he takes over as his own offensive coordinator. You may remember him as a record-setting quarterback for the University of Texas in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He didn't play in the NFL after going undrafted. He got his college degree and decided to go directly into coaching. He'll have his returning starter at quarterback, Bishop Davenport, who can run and throw the ball equally as well.

The Jaguars defense has a new leader, as Todd Orlando takes over as defensive coordinator. A massive overhaul because of graduation and the transfer portal was made during the offseason on the defensive side.

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Published
Doug Joubert
DOUG JOUBERT

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.