Video: Tulane’s next chance for 1-0 comes with side order of revenge

NEW ORLEANS – The calendar has turned to November, and the biggest games of the season are still on deck for the Tulane Green Wave, but the mindset hasn’t changed.

Go 1-0 this week.

“This week” is an 11 a.m. kickoff at Tulsa, a team that has beaten the Green Wave in overtime each of the last two years.

The last time Tulane went to Tulsa in 2020, the Golden Hurricane won 30-24 in double overtime. Tulsa scored on a Hail Mary on the final play of regulation to force OT, then walked off on Zaven Collins’ 96-yard interception return of a Michael Pratt pass in the second extra period.

Last year at Yulman Stadium, the Green Wave rallied from a two-score deficit in the late stages to force OT before Tulsa won 20-13.

When you’ve taken two gut punches in a row from this week’s opponent, there is no looking ahead to next Saturday’s potential top 25 showdown with UCF in Yulman.

The 2020 Tulsa game in particular was a point of discussion when the media met Tuesday with head coach Willie Fritz, Pratt, linebacker Nick Anderson and safety Macon Clark:

Coincidentally, Tulsa was ranked 25th going into that Thursday night game. Now, it’s Tulane that has been ranked in both the Associated Press and coaches’ polls each of the last three weeks.

Those polls take a back seat later Tuesday to the first College Football Playoff rankings. The Green Wave will likely be the highest-ranked team in the Group of 5 in the CFP rankings, and if it can both hold that position and win the American Athletic Conference championship, it would be headed to the Cotton Bowl – the school’s first major bowl game in 83 seasons.

But the calendar has just turned to November, and there are at least four and possibly five more chances to go 1-0 before bowl berths are announced.