The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly: Tulane's Loss to Duke

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The Tulane football team opened its 2026 season with an effort that could be called unimpressive, as the Green Wave were beaten 17-3 by Duke on Saturday in Durham, North Carolina in a game that really was not as close as the score indicated.

One game doth not a season make. True, but...

When Tulane traveled to Durham, North Carolina, hopes were high as the Will Hall era began. Continuity was the watch word for the Green Wave as 2026 began. In some ways, that continuity continued in good ways, but not in others.

The Good

The Tulane defense, despite giving up almost 400-yards in total offense to Duke, showed a bend but rarely break attitude toward the Blue Devils. After the opening kickoff, where the defending ACC champs marched down the field on the legs of the Northshore's own Nate Sheppard to a first drive touchdown, the Wave D settled in and gave up only a field goal in the next 2-and-a-half quarters before Duke put it away with a 4th quarter TD.

Did Duke pile up some offense? Yes. Did the Green Wave shut them down more often than not? Most definitely.

That looks very much like continuity to us.

The Bad

In 2025, the Wave averaged 7-penalties and 64-yards of flags a game, and that drew howls from people saying that was way too much.

If having more is better, then this year's squad is already way ahead of the curve.

Against Duke, Tulane had 15-flags accepted for 104-yards.

Time and time again, the Green Wave shot itself in the foot as it tried to get on track on offense.
- Big play by Mo Turner, called back because of an illegal chop block.
- Gain 25-yards on a run up the middle, holding is called.
- Try to drive down the field in the last minute for some "quality points," another penalty.

This was the theme for the night. A lurching offense that just could not get out of its own way.

The Ugly

We are not here to take anything away from Duke. Though the Blue Devils won the game, they are not that good of a team. Except for Nate Sheppard, who could literally play for anybody in the country, and he's only a sophomore, this Duke team is in its early stages.

Tulane was beaten by a Blue Devil Squad that is not that impressive. And the Green Wave was beaten by itself.
- by piling up penalty after penalty,
- by showing very little imagination in its offense,
- by not being prepared for the premier runner in the ACC,
- by not being solid on the offensive line,
- by missing a very makable field goal in the first half by a kicker who is known for being pretty darn reliable.

This was not a prepared team. After the game, Will Hall placed the blame solely on his shoulders, as well he should, because his team was not ready for this game.

However, we'll refer back to our opening statement: it's the first game of the season. When the Green Wave host South Alabama this Saturday evening in Yulman, we'll get to see if the performance against Duke was an aberration or a constant.

The Wave needs to prove the game in Durham was the exception to the rule.