The Really Big Preview: South Alabama at Tulane

A year ago in Mobile, South Alabama was a two-point conversion away from forcing overtime against a Tulane team that went on to make the College Football Playoff. Saturday night, the Jaguars take a three-headed rushing attack that controlled the clock for 40-plus minutes in Week 1 into Yulman Stadium — where a Tulane team that scored three points at Duke, committed 15 penalties and just changed quarterbacks is trying to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2015. Two cities that claim Mardi Gras. One team that knows exactly who it is, and another trying to figure it out.

GAME DETAILS

Matchup: South Alabama (1-0) at Tulane (0-1)

Date: Saturday, Sept. 12

Kickoff: 6 p.m. CT

Location: Yulman Stadium (30,000), New Orleans, La.

TV: ESPN+

Spread: Tulane -9.5

Over/Under: 49.5

Series: Tulane leads 3-1

THE STAKES

Tulane has won all three meetings with South Alabama this decade — and the margins tell the story. In 2025, the Jaguars were a two-point conversion away from forcing overtime against an eventual College Football Playoff team, falling 33-31 in Mobile. In 2023, Tulane won 37-17 in New Orleans. In 2020, Tulane escaped Mobile 27-24.

The 2026 edition adds layers. Tulane lost its opener 17-3 at Duke and is staring at its first 0-2 start since 2015. Will Hall, the first-year head coach, already made a quarterback change, naming Kadin Semonza the starter over Zeon Chriss-Gremillion. South Alabama won its opener 39-14 over Southeastern Louisiana and heads to New Orleans for its first road test.

Both programs claim Mardi Gras. Mobile, where South Alabama resides, is considered the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the United States, with celebrations dating to 1703. New Orleans attracts the most tourists. In 2023, South Alabama wore Mardi Gras themed helmets at Tulane. This week, Tulane is wearing "King of the Mardi Gras" alternate uniforms.

THE NUMBERS

15 — Penalties committed by Tulane in its 17-3 loss at Duke — the most in FBS in Week 1. The flags cost the Green Wave more than 100 yards. South Alabama committed five penalties for 47 yards against Southeastern Louisiana.

40+ — Minutes of possession for South Alabama against SLU, a program record. The Jaguars ran 86 plays, rushed 59 times for 241 yards. SLU went 0-for-7 on third down.

227 — Rushing yards for Duke's Nate Sheppard against Tulane, the best individual performance in FBS in Week 1. Tulane's run defense allowed 250 total rushing yards on 49 attempts.

3 — Points scored by Tulane against Duke — the Green Wave's lowest offensive output since a shutout at Temple during the 2016 campaign. Tulane managed 258 total yards and went 3-of-14 on third down.

ABOUT SOUTH ALABAMA (Visitor)

South Alabama went 4-8 in 2025 and missed the postseason for the first time since 2021. The record masked competitive margins — the Jaguars lost to eventual CFP participant Tulane by two, fell in overtime to Troy and dropped one-score games throughout the schedule. Major Applewhite responded by overhauling his staff, bringing in Todd Orlando to run the defense and taking back the offensive playcalling.

The opener against Southeastern Louisiana was the first look at the rebuilt product. South Alabama scored 19 first-quarter points. When SLU cut the lead to 22-14, the Jaguars answered with 17 points on their final three possessions — special teams creating field position, the defense getting a takeaway and the offense converting.

ABOUT TULANE (Home)

The Green Wave went 43-13 since the start of the 2022 season — one of only six programs nationally with 43 or more wins in that span, alongside Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and Notre Dame. More than 60 athletes from the 2025 CFP team returned.

Will Hall was promoted after Jon Sumrall led Tulane to the CFP and left for Florida. Sumrall had replaced Willie Fritz, who is now at Houston. Hall inherited a roster with returning talent on defense — the unit held Duke to 131 passing yards and forced a turnover. The offense generated 54 rushing yards, two quarterbacks combined for 204 passing yards with no touchdowns and the offensive line lost four starters from 2025, including two all-conference selections. Lead tailback Jamauri McClure is out with a foot injury from fall camp.

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

Bishop Davenport, QB, South Alabama (#4, 5th Yr.) — Completed 18-of-27 for 154 yards and a touchdown against SLU with zero turnovers. Will Hall called him "really scary" as a dual-threat quarterback and said Tulane has to "really account for" him. Completed 68% of his passes in 2025 but topped 200 passing yards only three times in 12 starts.

Kadin Semonza, QB, Tulane (R-So.) — Takes over as starter after replacing Chriss-Gremillion at halftime of the Duke loss. Completed 11-of-21 for 140 yards. Hall said Semonza was "operating, moving ... running, distributing the ball." Former MAC Freshman of the Year at Ball State. First start since 2024.

Destyn Hill, WR, Tulane — Former Florida State and LSU receiver who led Tulane with 5 receptions for 67 yards at Duke, including a 39-yard catch-and-run that ended with a fumble.

PJ Martin, RB, South Alabama (#0, Sr.) — Led the Jaguars with 69 rushing yards in the opener. Keenan Phillips (66) and Trae'von Dunbar (60) also topped 60 yards. Three backs, three different looks.

INJURY REPORT / AVAILABILITY

Tulane:

• Jamauri McClure (RB) — Foot injury from fall camp. Progressing. Status TBD for this week.
• CJ Lewis — Lower body. Hall says "back sooner rather than later." May miss this game.

South Alabama:

• No significant injuries reported from the Week 1 win.

WHEN SOUTH ALABAMA HAS THE BALL

South Alabama rushed 59 times in Week 1. The ground game averaged 4.1 yards per carry behind an offensive line anchored by Kenton Jerido and Ethan Hubbard. Applewhite said the team needs to play "that type of game in New Orleans" — a long, high-snap-count contest.

Tulane's run defense allowed 250 yards on 49 attempts against Duke. The Green Wave's defensive line lost three or four players to SEC and ACC schools, per Applewhite. Applewhite said the linebackers are "tremendous" and the secondary has "three guys who've played a lot in the back end."

Davenport's passing numbers — 154 yards against SLU, 200+ yards only three times in 12 starts in 2025 — suggest the offense will lean on the ground game. Tulane's secondary held Duke to 131 passing yards.

WHEN TULANE HAS THE BALL

Hall said the offense gained 20 yards on a play, got flagged for holding and faced first-and-20. That sequence repeated throughout the Duke game. The Green Wave went 3-of-14 on third down.

Hall named Semonza the starter and said if he plays well, he stays in. Hall described Semonza's second-half performance: "He was operating, moving, he was running the ball. He was running, distributing the ball. We were making plays all over the field." The production was negated by penalties.

Without McClure, the running back rotation is Johnnie Daniels (8 carries, 31 yards vs. Duke), Maurice Turner (4 carries, 15 yards) and Jaylin Lucas (3 carries, 3 yards). Duke recorded seven tackles for loss against Tulane's rebuilt offensive line.

South Alabama's defense under Orlando held SLU to 45 rushing yards on 20 attempts and zero third-down conversions on seven attempts. Orlando said the defense is "not there yet" and the aggression level is "not as violent as we want it to be." He ran a pursuit drill on Sunday after the game to address tackling and pursuit issues from Week 1.

SOUTH ALABAMA WINS IF

• The running game controls the clock and exploits the matchup against a Tulane run defense that allowed 250 yards to Duke
• Davenport protects the ball and manages the game. Zero turnovers
• Orlando's defense pressures Semonza behind a Tulane offensive line that allowed seven tackles for loss to Duke
• The Jaguars handle the road environment at Yulman. Orlando called the stadium "right on top of you" with loud fans. This is the first road game of the season

TULANE WINS IF

• Semonza operates the way Hall described and the offense commits significantly fewer penalties. Hall said the positive is "we can fix that. It's not like we're not fast enough, we're not big enough, we're not good enough"
• The run game improves from 54 yards and 2.1 yards per carry against Duke
• The defense — led by Jack Tchienchou and Kevin Adams III, who combined for 20 tackles against Duke — contains Davenport and the South Alabama ground game
• The penalty gap closes. South Alabama committed 5 penalties for 47 yards in Week 1. Tulane committed 15 for 104

X FACTOR

Tulane's offensive line. The unit lost four starters, including two all-conference selections. Duke recorded seven tackles for loss. Hall said the line got tired late, couldn't sub due to depth issues and started holding because their feet got lazy. Hall noted the team was thin with "two guys that were out" up front. South Alabama's defense will test that depth for 60 minutes.

COACH SPEAK

Will Hall, Tulane: "We just played like we were storming the beaches of Normandy and but we forgot our gun. Like we literally just lost our mind and was running around trying to knock the crap out of people and we've got to play more under control but still play with the same passion."

Major Applewhite, South Alabama: "I see a very similar style of play as when coach Sumrall was there. I don't see a drop off in that at all from an offensive or defensive standpoint. ... Their linebackers are tremendous."

THE PREDICTIONS

FanDuel/numberFire | Tulane (89% win probability) | Tulane 28, South Alabama 20

On SI Tulane (Cummings) | Tulane | 27-10

On SI Tulane (Joubert) | Tulane | —

Underdog Dynasty | Tulane | 27-14

Action Network | Tulane team total Under 30.5 | —

PickDawgz | South Alabama +9.5 | —

Consensus: Tulane wins, but the spread is a lean. Multiple outlets project a final margin inside the 9.5-point line. The under has trended in both teams' recent games — six straight Tulane games and seven of eight South Alabama road underdog games have gone under.

DIEHARD BOTTOM LINE

First, let's not pretend that all openers are equal. South Alabama did what it was supposed to do against an FCS opponent. Tulane lost to the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champs. The Green Wave are a team in transition after a coaching change and a roster turnover, but they have good players. We don't really know how good anybody is yet. Is Duke a good team? Is Duke a good defense? Is Tulane a terrible offense, or was that a matter of timing? We won't know that for a few weeks. What we do know is that in this era of roster turnover, the difference between 8-4 and 4-8 is pretty thin. South Alabama learned that the hard way last year with so many close losses. One of them was a two-point loss to a Green Wave team that made the College Football Playoff and won the American. These teams have met four times. Three times the margin was three points or less. That tells me we should expect another close one. The other question I have about Tulane is on the sideline. The Green Wave made an interesting choice to promote Will Hall, given he had a disastrous tenure at Southern Miss (14-30 from 2021-24). It might work out. That opener sure didn't inspire confidence. Tulane is going to have to prove it to me before I'm a big believer that this transition will go without a hitch. This game seems ripe for South Alabama to cover, and I think they can and will win outright.

Diehard pick (SU): South Alabama

Diehard pick (ATS): South Alabama +9.5

Diehard score: South Alabama 23, Tulane 20

Season record — South Alabama: 1-0 SU, 1-0 ATS