Tulane Football Will Get Intriguing Test Hosting Northwestern in Opener

Tulane begins its 2025 football season at home on August 30 against a Big Ten foe, the Northwestern Wildcats.

The Wildcats finished a disappointing 4-8 a season ago, but Northwestern will have a completely new look on the offensive side of the ball that potentially could pose a big challenge for the Green Wave.

The Wildcats brought in quarterback Preston Stone, an SMU transfer who threw 28 touchdowns and only six interceptions in the 2023 season, to provide a spark that Northwestern's offense was missing a year ago.

The Wildcats are pairing Stone with South Dakota State transfer wide receiver Griffin Wilde, who had 71 receptions for 1,154 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns last year for the FCS power.

While Northwestern's passing attack looks stronger than a year ago, their running game remains a concern for the Wildcats that the Green Wave can potentially exploit.

The Wildcats failed to have a rusher break 80 yards in a game last season, and Northwestern devoted its offensive recruitment primarily to the passing attack.

If the Tulane front seven can stifle the Wildcats' run game, the Green Wave could make Northwestern's offense one dimensional.

This Green Wave defensive line, led by senior Kameron Hamilton, will certainly be up for the challenge. Tulane's linebacker corps, featuring the impressive veteran talent of Sam Howard and Dickson Agu, will need to make an impact as well.

The greatest strength of the Wildcats will likely be there defense. Northwestern bring back its leader in sacks from last season, defensive lineman Aidan Hubbard, who had six sacks. Last year's leading tackler, linebacker Mac Uihlein, is also expected back.

The question mark for Northwestern is its secondary. The Wildcats lost star safety Devin Turner to the transfer portal. Turner is heading to Baylor. Whether Brendan Sullivan, Kadin Semonza, or Donovan Leary is at quarterback for Tulane, they will have to put pressure on Northwestern's secondary while avoiding Hubbard.

The season opener against Northwestern will be a great test for the Green Wave and hopefully answer the quarterback question, which is still open going into fall workouts. Northwestern should be positioned to surpass its performance from a season ago, but Tulane can deny the Wildcats the start to the season they want.