South Alabama- 24 @ Tulane Green Wave- 28 First win of the Will Hall era, a home-opener grind, and a reminder that this team can make a play when it has to. South Alabama jumped out 10-0. Tulane answered with two Johnnie Daniels short-yardage TDs to lead 14-10 at the half, then spent the second half trading haymakers. The lead changed on the last five touchdowns. Kadin Semonza’s 14-yard back-shoulder fade to Destyn Hill with 1:17 left won it. The defense then forced a three-and-out. Victory formation. 1-1. What they did well: Jaylin Lucas was the difference. Eleven carries, 214 yards, 19.5 yards per carry, an American Conference record for a qualifying load and the first 200-yard rushing game in Yulman Stadium history. He had 117 yards on five first-half touches, including a 55-yard burst that set up Daniels. His first touch of the second half was an 80-yard untouched sprint around the right side after two blocks opened a lane. That is not complementary football. That is a one-man field-flipper keeping a sloppy night from becoming a second straight loss. The big-play passing game showed up when the Wave needed it. Hill’s 61-yard catch-and-run to the 3 sparked the first scoring drive. On the winner, Semonza hit Garrett Mmahat for 13 on third-and-1, then found his brother Cash “Money” Semonza for 36 down the sideline to the 20, then dropped the fade to Hill in the corner. First career start for Semonza with Tulane (14-of-22, 212 yards, 1 TD). No pick’s. Composed on the two-minute drill. That is the version of this offense that can hang with better teams. Daniels did the dirty work: Two TDs on six carries and 8 yards. Red-zone finishing was not the problem (Perfect). Neither was ball security, zero turnovers. William Hudlow’s punting (46-yard average, including a 55-yarder that flipped field position) was a quiet plus. And Hall’s postgame was fair: the players never wavered. They made the plays late. That matters more in Week 2 of a new staff than a clean box score. Local flavor helped: Lucas (Terrebonne/Karr) and Hill (Karr) produced the two biggest moments of the night in front of a Mardi Gras-uniform crowd. What still needs work: The same issues that showed up at Duke did not get fixed. South Alabama ran 72 plays to Tulane’s 51, held the ball 37:40 to 22:20 , and piled up 25 first downs to 13. The Jaguars went 10-of-16 on third down. Bishop Davenport threw for 296 yards and two scores, added 50 rushing yards, and repeatedly escaped pressure. Brendan Jenkins had 9 catches for 119. Anthony Eager’s 43-yard TD on the first drive of the second half was another coverage/tackle breakdown. Tackling remains a problem. PJ Martin’s 16-yard TD to make it 10-0 came after missed tackles, the same theme as Nate Sheppard’s night in Durham. Davenport converted third downs with his legs after broken contain. Injury: Chris Rodgers left with a left-leg injury on the opening series and did not return. Next Man Up: Makai Williams made a couple of important plays in his place (including a fourth-and-2 stop). Defense: The unit as a whole is not playing to the standard this program needs against Kansas State next week or in the American. The start was again slow: Punt, missed 45-yarder, then a six-play USA scoring drive. Early miscommunication put Semonza in third-and-long on the first series. Tulane lived on explosives instead of consistent chains. Thirteen first downs is not a sustainable formula when the other side is converting third downs and chewing clock. A would-be go-ahead fumble return by Josh Moore after Dickson Agu’s strip of Davenport was correctly overturned (QB slide rule which I think is BS). Agu led the team with 14 tackles and was around the ball all night; the defense did stiffen when it had to on the final USA possession. That is the encouraging part. The rest of the 478 yards allowed is the concern. Bottom line: This was a win they needed more than a statement. Lucas and the late Semonza-to-Hill connection papered over a defense that still cannot get off the field and an offense that still cannot stay on it. Hall has his first win, monkey off back now let’s get rolling! The roster showed fight! Next Saturday at Kansas State will tell you whether the explosives and the fourth-quarter composure are the real identity or whether the 10-0 holes and third-down leaks are. Fix the tackling and the early-down consistency, and this group has enough playmakers to stay in the AAC conversation. Leave those holes open and the next road trip gets ugly. Stay Tuned Roll Dat Wave Pod coming with a Kansas State Preview! #RollWave Make sure to follow Patrick Harkness on X