Preview: Tulane looks to end long drought at Memphis

American Athletic Conference play is underway for the Tulane Green Wave. Their second league game may be the most important one of the season.

After the team most recently recorded a 35-23 win over the visiting UAB Blazers, Willie Fritz’s squad hits the road to take on the Memphis Tigers in SImmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Both the Green Wave and Tigers come off bye weeks.

The stadium known as the Liberty Bowl has been something of a House Of Horrors for the Green Wave. The program has not gotten a win over the Tigers in their house since 1998, when Tulane sealed a 41-31 victory over Memphis.

With Tulane holding a six-game road win streak overall (the fourth-longest active streak in the nation), the streak will be tested against what looks to be the toughest matchup away from Yulman Stadium remaining on their regular season schedule.

It’s not about the place hosting the game as much as it is the team awaiting the Wave.

“Defensively, they’ve got a really good front,” Fritz said. “They play a tough schedule. They had Missouri up until the end of the ball game. Offensively, I think they’ve got a great quarterback who is a dual-threat kind of guy. Good run game, they’ve got a good transfer running back from OU who is a really good player. Really nice stable of receivers. Good return game, as far as special teams are concerned. Very good overall team.”

Tulane Green Wave:

Tulane has been solid in their 4-1 start but it should be noted that the Wave were banged up and playing without some of their most important players including standout defender Corey Platt Jr. and quarterback Michael Pratt.

Memphis has proven susceptible to some passing attacks so Pratt, sidetracked again this season due to concerns, has a chance to shine in the ESPN spotlight Friday night. Injuries are the reason he has missed perhaps the two most important games of his career when it comes to boosting his draft stock (Houston in 2022 and Ole Miss in 2023).

When the senior has been at full capacity, he’s been deadly accurate. Pratt would lead the nation in passing efficiency (207.4 rating) if he had played in at least 75 percent of his team’s snaps this season.

While still needing to work on giving up explosive plays at some unfortunate times, Tulane’s defense has played well all around. The Green Wave are allowing an average of less than 90 rushing yards per game to rank ninth in the nation. The pass defense has also kept foes mostly in check. The unit ranks 52nd in the nation in passing yards allowed though a significant part of that comes from opponents who have been in comeback mode during Tulane wins.

One of the most crucial things for the Green Wave in this game will be winning the turnover battle, something that has been a bit problematic for the team. Tulane’s turnover margin is even (10 turnovers each way) while Memphis is tied for 19th in the country that category.

Memphis Tigers:

If Tulane surprisingly does not win the conference, the Tigers may be most likely to take the crown.

The team is led by standout signal-caller Seth Henigan, who has NFL talent.

Other players to watch include running back Blake Watson, who leads the team in rushing with 455 yards on 77 carries for an average of 91 rushing yards per game with six touchdowns. He’s also had some success out of the backfield, catching 26 passes for 233 yards with another score.

Roc Taylor and DeMeer Blankumsee have been favorite targets for Henigan. Taylor averages just under 80 receiving yards per contest and Blankumsee has managed shy of 50 yards per game.

The Memphis defense doesn’t thrive in creating havoc behind the line of scrimmage or stopping the run as compared to Tulane. However, the Tigers have found success on stopping teams on third down, limiting opponents to the 9th fewest third down conversions per game in the FBS this season.

Final Prediction:

These are two talented teams who could face each other again in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. It is hard to see a scenario in which either side completely runs away with a comfortable win in Memphis.

In the end, Tulane as the more complete overall team gets their way (and the first road win over Memphis in a quarter of a century), 35-27.

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Crissy Froyd

CCS Columnist

Crissy Froyd is a sports reporter of roughly nine years who graduated from LSU and has spent time at USA TODAY SMG, NBC Sports and the Fan Nation network on Sports Illustrated. She specializes in quarterback analysis and covers the SEC and college football across the state of Louisiana in addition to working with several college quarterbacks across the nation.