Tulane Drops Disappointing Game to Duke to Open Season

The Tulane Green Wave would like to forget its 2026 season opener.

The Green Wave dropped a largely uncompetitive matchup to the Duke Blue Devils, losing by a score of 17-3. That lone score came early in the fourth quarter on a 37-yard field goal by Jackson Courville.

The overall performance was uninspiring. The defense was the better side of the ball, but that unit was far from great. Kevin Adams III and Dickson Agu led all players with 10 tackles apiece, while Jack Tchienchou and Chris Rodgers were not far behind with nine tackles each. No players had a sack.

Perhaps most concerning was the fact that Duke was able to run the ball down Tulane's throat all night. The Blue Devils put up 250 rushing yards, led by Nate Sheppard's 227 yards and two touchdowns. The Green Wave struggled with the fundamentals: holding firm on the line and taking rushers down on contact.

Offensively, both Zeon Chriss-Gremillion and Kadin Semonza saw time at quarterback. Chriss-Gremillion drew the start, but his play was very stagnant. He went 6-for-9 passing for 64 total yards -- with 44 of those passing yards coming on one long throw -- and rushed five times for 15 yards. While Semonza aired the ball out more for a total of 140 yards, he struggled with accuracy and completed just 11 of his 21 pass attempts. Neither lived up to any preseason hopes.

Standout sophomore running back Jamauri McClure was sorely missed, as he was out for the contest due to a lingering injury from fall camp. Though the running back rooms is pretty stacked, it struggled against Duke's defensive line. Johnnie Daniels saw the most action, rushing eight times for 31 yards. Maurice Turner added 15 yards on four carries and a 44-yard reception. The offensive line was unable to provide much help.

The lone bright spot on offense was wideout Destyn Hill, who caught five passes for 67 yards. Otherwise, the Olive Green and Sky Blue converted just three of its 14 third-down attempts and allowed three sacks.

As bad as both sides of the ball were, arguably the worst statistic from the night came in the form of penalties. Tulane drew 15 penalties for a total loss of 104 yards. Anytime the Green Wave had the slightest bit of momentum going, the program squandered it away. The team was sloppy and undisciplined, and that's something that needs to be stopped as soon as possible.

Tulane will look to redeem itself in its home opener, as it welcomes the South Alabama Jaguars to Yulman Stadium on September 12th. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT.