By Patrick Harkness

Spread: KSU -9.5 

Total: 49.5

The Tulane Green Wave faces off against Kansas State in a high-stakes matchup, with both teams eager to assert dominance early in the season. Tulane is coming off a 52-0 shutout win against Southeastern Louisiana, while Kansas State also defeated their FCS opponent, UT-Martin, 41-6. The last time these two teams squared off, it was Tulane who got the win with a gutsy 4th-down call by former coach Willie Fritz at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. This time, Tulane has the home-field advantage and is ready for a rocking Yulman Stadium on September 7 at 11 AM.

Offense

Quarterback – Mensah Must Rise

The Cali Cool Kid is coming off his first collegiate start and did not disappoint. He showcased his mobility in and out of the pocket and demonstrated his arm talent with some nice deep passes, showing real poise for a young freshman. However, Mensah may have his hands full against this Kansas State defensive front, which is young and plays fast. Kansas State’s defense is known for its discipline and ability to pressure the quarterback, a tradition dating back to the Bill Snyder era. Mensah must be quick with his reads and get the ball out fast. Kansas State's front seven will bring pressure and try to force the young freshman into making mistakes. It all comes down to mistake-free football for Mensah and the offense against this Kansas State defense. The key will be for Mensah to know when to hit his target or tuck and run.

Ty Thompson – It’s Ty’s Time to Shine

Ty Thompson might be the unsung hero of this game. Mensah is QB1 but look for the coaching staff to utilize Ty more in this game. He showed what he can do with his feet by running in two scores on a couple read option plays, and now let’s see how creative this staff can get with him. Expect more Tim Tebowish run plays, but I’d love to see Tulane install some play-action rollouts, giving Ty the option to use his athleticism to run downfield if no one is open. RPOs (Run-Pass Options) would also be a fun addition to the offense with Ty in specific situations. Giving him the opportunity to read the defense and decide to hand the ball off to the running back, keep himself and run or throw the ball to an open receiver. I’m excited to see how they use him going forward in these sub-packages as the season progresses.

Running Back – Running Back by Committee?

Makhi Hughes is the guy, and we all know that. He should receive a high dosage of handoffs early in this game until Mensah gets into a rhythm in the passing game. Kansas State has a very good defense, the strength of their team. Their front seven is deep, and we could see multiple formations like the 3-3-5, 4-3(4 defensive lineman and 3 linebackers), and 3-4(3 defensive lineman and 4 linebackers) . They mostly lined up in the 3-3-5 with 3 linemen, 3 linebackers, and 5 in the secondary against their FCS opponent last week. With our style of play, I could see Kansas State loading the box more to try and slow down Tulane's running game. This is where Shadie Clayton could excel. He’s a different style back than Hughes—more of a change-of-pace, speedy, shifty guy. We could see Tulane utilize him with some swing passes out of the backfield to get him into open space or some screen passes. He’s not just about speed; you can tell he’s put in work in the weight room by breaking some tackles last game, whereas last year, he usually went down on first contact. Arnold Barnes will do his thing, subbing in for Makhi when he needs a breather. Barnes got a touchdown on an old-school fullback dive last game. Keep an eye on Trey Cornist and true freshman Jamauri McClure to possibly get some late touches, McClure looked really good running the ball in limited touches. It’s early, and he only had a few carries, but from what I saw in the previous game, I’m buying stock in this kid. Head coach Jon Sumrall has even mentioned him late in camp about his abilities.

Wide Receivers

It’s the Super Mario Williams show in uptown New Orleans. He’s coming off a great game with four catches for 124 yards, including a long of 68. Look for Tulane to capitalize on his impressive debut at Yulman last week. Mario has great breakaway speed and can make people miss. Tulane may use him more in the running game with some jet sweeps to keep the defense honest. Dante Fleming is looking for a rebound game after recording zero catches and dropping a touchdown pass last week. Tulane needs more from their outside receiver if they want to have a chance in this game. Fleming has great speed and impressed the coaching staff all spring, even winning the Trident Award from strength and conditioning coach Rusty Whitt. Yulkeith Brown, a former transfer from Texas A&M, is a versatile piece in the offense who could make big plays if Kansas State’s defense focuses on Mario and Dante. And let’s not forget Bryce Bohanon, the shifty speedster who’s only one move away from taking it to the house. He’s great to have on third downs. Shazz Preston has been dealing with an injury, so let’s see if he dresses for this game. If he does, watch out, Yulman Stadium—Tulane will have five guys who can all take it to the house. Four- or five-wide receiver sets could spread out this young Kansas State defense, adding another wrinkle to Tulane’s offense that Kansas State may not be ready for.

Tight Ends

We could see a lot of 12 personnel (two tight ends and one running back) early in this game while Tulane tries to get the running game going. Alex Bauman and Reggie Brown should lead the way with the majority of snaps and helping with the run blocking. Kansas State could be focused on shutting down the speedy receivers and stopping our run game, which could allow Bauman to get open in the receiving game, especially in play-action scenarios or even a tight end screen. Third-down situations are where Alex could thrive in this game.

Offensive Line – Pass Pros

This experienced offensive line could have its hands full with this Kansas State defensive front, which accumulated four sacks and 11 tackles for loss last week. Tobi Osunsanmi, a sophomore defensive end looks to be their pass-rushing specialist, and junior linebacker Desmond Purnell could very well be their best player, racking up seven tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. However, based on last week’s performance, pass protection could be the strength of this Tulane offense, as they didn’t allow a single sack and kept a clean pocket all game. The key here is how well Tulane can establish the run game. If they can control the line of scrimmage, it will allow them to use play-action and open up passing lanes when Kansas State's defense starts to cheat forward.

Offensive Review – Creativity and an Efficient Run Game

Mistake-free and smart football is what it comes down to for this Tulane offense. Mensah must know when to throw the football and when to tuck and run. He has great mobility and a good arm, but turnovers will kill Tulane's chances against this young and fast Kansas State defense. Creativity with Ty Thompson and establishing the run game with Makhi Hughes will go a long way toward driving down the field and scoring points. But the offensive line must show up in the run game for all this to work and for Tulane to open up the playbook. If Tulane struggles to establish the run, expect Mensah to have a busy day throwing downfield. Pass protection was phenomenal last game, and the offensive line looks to build on that, though they’ll be facing a tougher opponent. Tulane's receiving corps is more than capable of handling a heavy workload if the coaching staff needs to adjust mid-game.

X Factor: Running Game-Quarterbacks and Running Backs

Defense

Defensive Line – SACK city?

Pass rush and run defense will be key if Tulane wants to walk away victorious. Adin Huntington and Patrick Jenkins must lead the way for this Green Wave defense. These two great players need to create havoc in the backfield and pressure Kansas State's young quarterback. Look for either one to get double-teamed, freeing up Kam Hamilton or Terrel Allen to pressure the Quarterback. Erick Hicks and Adonis Friloux, the big nose tackles, need to clog the running lanes. Kansas State with a power running back in DJ Giddens and a shifty back in former Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards, Hicks or Friloux must control the line of scrimmage. Kansas State has three new starters on the offensive line, with their new left tackle Easton Kilty transferring from North Dakota as the fifth-best tackle transfer. The center Hadley Panzer is their best returning player on the offensive line. Kansas State is a very strong running team, and look for their sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson, who some consider a Heisman hopeful, to use his legs a lot this game. Getting him out of rhythm and applying pressure to force turnovers will be crucial.

Linebackers

Sam Howard and Tyler Grubbs look to build momentum from their first game. Howard recorded a fumble recovery, and both he and Grubbs should have busy days for this Tulane defense, with Kansas State boasting two capable running backs and a dual-threat quarterback. Howard, more of a run-stopping linebacker, should be in on early running downs and short-yardage situations, while Chris Rodgers could come in on key third-down passing situations, lining up on the tight end, spying the quarterback, or dropping back into coverage. Dickson Agu and Maki Williams can step up if needed; both have impressed the coaching staff over the spring.

Secondary – Deep Rotation

Kansas State's Wide Receiver room has some unproven guys. Dante Cephas, the former Penn State transfer, should be their go-to guy, but he didn't even show up against an FCS secondary, recording zero catches. Keagan Johnson should be a guy to watch, but had an injury-riddled season last year and Jayce Brown rounds out their receiver core. Their tight end could have a big game, drawing comparisons to former K State tight end and NFL draft pick Ben Sinnot. Look for a heavy rotation in our Cornerback room with Micah Robinson, Jonathan Edwards, Rayshawn Pleasant and Jahiem Johnson, who are all very capable of lining up and shutting down this passing attack. It'll be interesting to see if Rayshawn Pleasant gets the start after his 100 yard interception for a Touchdown. Caleb Ransaw (spear/nickel) was banged up from the previous match so let's see if he is back in time. If not true freshman Jayden Lewis will be the next man up. He played well in his last game but let's see how he matches up against a stronger opponent. Strong Safety Bailey Despaine had a big game last week recording 8 tackles. Look for more of the same this week with Kansas State's one two punch at running back and the elusive Quarterback Avery Johnson. Jalen Geiger will keep everything in check on the backend of the defense. The Free Safety has great vocal leadership and is a good player to have at the deep part of the field. Josh Moore also got a lot of playing time in the safety room last week recording 4 tackles. Let's see how he is utilized going forward.

Defensive Review- Bend don't Break

Kansas State's offense was very basic in their first match up against FCS UT-Martin. They struggled in the first half and finally got the ball rolling after the half. Containing the QB will be crucial for this Tulane defense, not allowing the dual threat QB Avery Johnson to get in a rhythm. Stopping the run will be just as important with KState featuring two very good running backs in DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards. Our secondary should be able to stop this passing attack but keep an eye on their Tight End to rack up some yards.

X Factor- Defensive Line/ QB contain and stopping run

Special Teams- Correcting the Kickoff Coverage

Special Teams could be a huge part in this game with our Kickoff coverage looking a little shaky last game. This coaching staff made a point that it will be corrected for this week's matchup. Kansas State Special teams' unit has always been one of the best and already looks to be in midseason form by blocking a punt for a touchdown. They also have three very good returners in running back Dylan Edwards, Kegan Johnson their starting Wideout and Jayce Brown.

Kicker/Punter

Jacob Barnes Tulane's transfer kicker from LA Tech looks to be a very reliable kicker. He could be in store for a big game if Tulane can drive down the field and not punch it into the endzone. He's a very accurate kicker from 40 yards and closer going 42 for 46 but struggles as you go further out. He's 12 for 20 kicking from the 40 to 49 range and 1 for 2 in the 50 plus with a career long of 51. 

Punter Will Karrol's first and only punt to open up the 2024 season was not a good one. Look for him to have a bounce back game. Flipping the field and giving Kansas State some bad field position could determine a win or a loss.

Stay Tuned for Kansas State vs Tulane review after the game

For more Tulane Football news, check out Wave Watch on YouTube at The Kneaux!

Roll Wave!!

This is Patrick Harkness and you can follow me on X @RollDatWave, Facebook, Instagram, and @BeInTheKneaux everywhere.