By: Patrick Harkness 

Spread: Tulane -6 

Total: 64.5 

Tulane showcased what this team can do. They finally played all 4 quarters and dominated all aspects of the game. Mensah and this passing attack is down right SCARY. The offensive line is firing on all cylinders. The defense finally stopped the run and the pass rush arrived but from some unsung heroes. 

Let's get into the Review 

Offense 

Quarterback – Mensah Madness 

Mensah showed everyone in Nola why Jon Sumrall chose him to be QB1. The redshirt freshman was 18/22 with 326 yards and 3 touchdowns. This was his breakout game and great to see cause his confidence will sky rocket now. He was great in the pocket all game and what I loved to see was when the pressure got to him he was able to evade and roll out especially on a 15 yard touchdown pass to Dante Fleming. Great touch! His improvising will be amazing to see for this Tulane team rolling forward. Some of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL now have some sort of improvising skill. It was great to see this young man play all 4 quarters. 

Ty Thompson – Ty the Typhoon 

Ty Thompson continues to be one of my favorite players on this team. His package is averaging around 5 yards a play and 4 touchdowns, 1 by air and 3 on the ground. Teams are struggling to contain this athlete because the Ty-phoon package is very similar to the wildcat by allowing Ty Thompson to be that extra man to attack the defense. He added to his stats today with 7 carries for 39 yards 

Running Back – Team effort

Makhi Hughes had a decent day on the ground with 17 carries for 61 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was nice to see this offense not have to rely on Makhi for a game. The passing attack and pass blocking were so dominant Makhi didn't have to put Tulane on his back. Instead it was more of a team effort as the game went on and Tulane kept pulling away. Arnold Barnes looked like he was getting back to his old self with 7 carries for 36 yards (5.6 avg). Shadie Clayton came back from a concussion last week with 5 carries for 31 yards (6.2). And rounding out the running back room, Trey Cornist finished the game with 7 carries for 26 yards and a score. 

Receiving Game – Dontae's Peak Performance 

Dontae Fleming, have yourself a game! 7 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown. It's finally great to see the offseason award winner of the Trident award put on a show for us fans at Yulman stadium. You can see all the effort he has put in the offseason by Dontae having his breakout game. Mario Williams almost got to 100 yards as well but fell short with 94 with 4 catches and 2 touchdowns. His speed was on full display this game by burning the coverage for two easy touchdowns. Yulkeith Brown continues to be a very reliable receiver catching the ball and running out of the back field. 3 catches for 55 yards Let's hope this coaching staff keeps playing with his role because he has so much untapped potential to dominate a game. Alex Bauman only had 2 catches for 34 yards today but he set the tone early on with the very first pass of the game for a long 34 yards. 

Offensive Line – Well Oiled Machine 

330 yards passing with ZERO sacks, 198 yards rushing (4.0 avg) and six total touchdowns, Also if I recall only one penalty. This offensive line has learned from their previous mistakes and is starting to show the College football world what they're all about. It's great to see this line starting to jell and keeping an open pocket for a young QB and opening up holes for Makhi. Remember this is one of the most experienced Olines in college football and theyre only going to get better. 

Players of the Game- Darian Mensah and the OLINE 

Defense- 3 Forced Fumbles

Defensive Line – Have they Arrived? 

        The defensive line is starting to click but it's from players you wouldn't expect it from. Mathew Fobbs White is still learning the bandit role but he was creating a lot of pressure early on in this game. Got a nice pass deflection and a tackle for loss. Look for him to build off this game with Tulane still needing something from that position. Gerrod Henderson may need to get some snaps after a 2 sack game with Parker Peterson having a sack as well. Patrick Jenkins got his 2nd sack of the season, Elijah Champaigne and Kam Hamilton also got into the action with a half a sack for both. That's a total of 5 sacks, 6 tackles for loss and only 26 yards rushing by this defensive line on the day. They're still not fully there YET but you're starting to see what they got: Pass rush and run stopping. 

Linebackers 

Tyler Grubbs draft stock just keeps climbing after each game. He led the team again in tackles with 6 and added a sack. He now has 22 tackles, 2 sacks, and an interception for a touchdown on the year. 

Secondary – Shutdown City 

Caleb Ransaw showed the college world why he is one of the best nickel corners in the game. Sean Atkins, slot wide receiver for USF is a very very good player and Caleb Ransaw stepped up and shut him down. Only allowing 3 catches for 20 yards and Sean Atkins fumbled the ball. It's hard for Caleb to show up on the stat line because teams are afraid to throw to him and he showcased that today. He finished the day with 4 tackles. The secondary as a unit was going to get challenged when Tulane started to pull away early in the game and they did not disappoint by only allowing 16 catches for 175 yards. Micah Robinson continues to get better each week but did get burnt early on, Brown was not able to connect. He finished the day with 2 tackles and a pass deflection. Youngster Jayden Lewis, Tulanes highest rated commit ever got in on some action today with 2 tackles. 

Player of the Game: Caleb Ransaw 

Special Teams 

Kicker/Punter 

Ethen Head had a decent day by going 1/1 on a 35 yard field goal and knocking down all his extra points. With each game his confidence will build

Will Karrol had to punts for 77 yards with a long of 45. He started the season a little shaky but seems to be settling in as a reliable punter 

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.