Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, August 30 at 12:00 p.m. ET
- Network: ESPNU
- Location: Yulman Stadium — New Orleans, LA
- Spread: Tulane (-6.5)
- Over/under: 46.5
- All-time series: Tulane leads, 3-1
- Last meeting: Tulane 20, Northwestern 13 — October 6, 1956
- Current streak: Tulane, 2 (1955-56)
Setting the scene
It’s been nearly 70 years since these two private institutions settled things on a football field.
This 2025 season opener features Big Ten in the Big Easy. Northwestern faces an opponent from the American Conference for the first time since the league’s 2013 inception. Meanwhile, Tulane takes on its first Big Ten foe in seven years, aiming for its first win over the conference since 1970.
The Wildcats are aiming for a rebound from a disappointing 4-8 campaign, while the Green Wave eye a reload after
qualifying for their third-straight American Championship Game. This has potential to be one of the more intriguing matchups in Saturday’s early slate.
Northwestern Wildcats outlook
Northwestern operated without expectations in 2023, and the Wildcats thrived in obscurity. The team strung together an 8-5 record under interim David Braun, allowing Braun to shed the interim tag and become the team’s first new head coaching hire since 2006. However, Braun’s follow-up act did not hold as strong. The Wildcats finished 4-8 in a year plagued by a bottom 10 scoring offense, burdened by inefficiencies through the air and on the ground alike.
To rebuild the offense, Northwestern brought in one of this offseason’s most coveted quarterback transfers. Once SMU’s highest-rated recruit ever, Preston Stone clinched the 2023 American title game for the Mustangs and was set to start against Tulane when disaster struck. He tore his ACL in the regular season finale vs. Navy, and the all-conference quarterback lost the job to Kevin Jennings in September 2024, before SMU’s playoff run. Now Stone is back after a healthier offseason, and he looks to replicate his impressive numbers from 2023 when he fired for 3,197 yards, delivering 28 touchdowns to six interceptions.
Stone adds a dimension of verticality that Northwestern’s offense has lacked for a while. The Wildcats have seen just one 300-yard passing performance since October 2022, while Stone pieced together four in 12 starts two seasons ago. Rather than just screens and mesh routes, the Wildcats can stretch the field further under the new quarterback.
But there is a massive question — what do Stone’s weapons look like? Northwestern loses all three players that amassed 200+ receiving yards in 2024, including the duo of Bryce Kirtz and A.J. Henning who did so much heavy lifting for the offense. Among non-running backs, Frank Covey IV is the program’s returning leader in receiving with 98 yards on 10 catches a year ago. The room should feature young talent all over, composed primarily of freshman and sophomore status. One breakout candidate is former 4-star recruit Chase Farrell arrives from Stanford after sitting out the entirety of 2024. But the primary star should be FCS transfer Griffin Wilde, who produced 1,154 yards and 12 touchdowns as a deep threat at South Dakota State.
The running back depth remains untouched, but Northwestern must see vast improvement after finishing as one of 12 programs below 100 rushing yards per game. Cam Porter is a longtime staple with nearly 1,800 career rushing yards dating back to 2020, while Joseph Himon II should spot him for a bulk of carries in the opener.
Northwestern has varying returning depth in the trenches. Two primary starters on the offensive line are back — All-Big Ten honorable mention left tackle Caleb Tiernan and center Jackson Carsello. The defensive line returns a bulk of talent with defensive ends Aidan Hubbard and Anto Saka and tackles Najee Story and Carmine Bastone back in the mix. The Wildcats retain 89.1% of sack production from last season with Hubbard’s 6.0 leading the way.
Elsewhere on the defense, Northwestern returns middle linebacker Mac Uihlein who had 28 more tackles than the next closest Wildcat in 2024. Suiting up alongside Uihlein is Purdue transfer outside linebacker Yannis Karlaftis — the brother of Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis. Yannis adds 117 career tackles of experience to the linebacking corps, and he’ll look to increase his sack totals alongside Hubbard and the veteran pass rush.
Another experienced Big Ten transfer joining Northwestern’s defense is Dillon Tatum. Expected to be a key cog on Michigan State in 2024, Tatum suffered a season-ending injury just 21 snaps into the season. The strong safety returns Saturday, hoping to advance a unit which finished 89th in passing yards allowed per game a year ago.
Tulane Green Wave outlook
Tulane turned into a power in the early 2020s under Willie Fritz, and Jon Sumrall only sustained the Green Wave’s success. Sumrall led the program to nine wins and an American Conference Championship appearance in year one, fueled by an 8-game win streak. However, Tulane dropped each of its final three contests of 2024 in double-digit fashion, struggling offensively against Memphis, Army, and Florida. The Green Wave aim to snap that win streak Saturday with a group that flaunts a healthy mix of incumbent talent and established transfers.
The biggest question in Uptown asks, who will start at quarterback for Tulane? After losing talented redshirt freshman Darian Mensah to Duke, Sumrall reloaded his QB room with four additions from the transfer portal — Kadin Semonza (Ball State) and Donovan Leary (Illinois) in December, Brendan Sullivan (Iowa) in April, and Jake Retzlaff (BYU) in July. Despite arriving latest, Retzlaff — a former Sumrall recruiting target — is the favorite to win the job, especially in wake of Sullivan’s fall camp injury.
Retzlaff delivered 2,947 passing yards and 20 touchdowns to 12 interceptions as the starter for an 11-2 BYU team, thriving in the mobility department with 417 yards and nine additional scores. He provides another ground option for a team renowned for its rushing ability. Tulane has produced an FBS top 10 rusher in three consecutive seasons via Tyjae Spears and Makhi Hughes, but the Green Wave must appoint a new starter for 2025. There are three candidates up for the job, including transfers Maurice Turner (734 career rushing yards at Louisville) and Zuberi Mobley (1,116 career rushing yards Florida Atlantic), as well as Arnold Barnes III who finished second on Tulane with 402 yards and six touchdowns last season.
Mobley isn’t the only FAU transfer that could play a significant role in this offense. In need of a new WR1, Tulane brings in Omari Hayes who posted a team-high 590 receiving yards for the Owls. The Green Wave’s top five receiving yards leaders from Sumrall’s inaugural season are gone, thrusting reserves like Bryce Bohanon and Shazz Preston into expanded roles this fall. Tight end usage also runs rampant at Tulane, which could make Anthony Miller and Justyn Reid some of the team’s preferred targets in the red zone.
No returning starters are back at quarterback, running back, receiver, or tight end, but Tulane showcases experience where it counts up front. Reigning First Team All-AAC selections Derrick Graham and Shadre Hurst should pave the way for a stellar run game, while providing resistance against a feisty Northwestern front.
Tulane ranked 16th in points per game a year ago, and while the offense was sharp, the defense and special teams also contributed greatly to this number. The Green Wave tied for the most defensive touchdowns in the country with six, and if you add the team’s two special teams touchdowns they ranked first in the FBS in non-offensive scores.
The defense needed to do plenty of reshuffling, losing NFL Draft selection Caleb Ransaw, leading tackler Tyler Grubbs, and first team all-conference defensive tackle Patrick Jenkins. However, the Green Wave utilized the portal to their advantage this offseason, luring in two first team all-conference defensive ends in Santana Hopper (Appalachian State) and Mo Westmoreland (UTEP). Nobody on the roster eclipsed 4.5 sacks last year, and Hopper and Westmoreland could take that pass rush to another level.
Other notable names on the defense include middle linebacker Sam Howard, who racked up 63 tackles and recovered five fumbles, as well as safeties Bailey Despanie and Jack Tchienchou. Keeping safety talent in-house will be vital considering Tulane fielded the 15th-best passing defense in the FBS a year ago, allowing 178 yards per game on a 58.2 completion rate.
Prediction
Most Week 0 and Week 1 games have been on the lower-scoring side so far, and there is typically a lack of points when Northwestern is involved. The Wildcats typically trot out stellar defenses but compromised offenses, and defense remains the strength of this team in 2025. However, Preston Stone should provide a boost to an offense that’s been in desperate need of a vertical passer.
Tulane counters with excellent pressure from a defensive front and a commanding offensive line. There are a litany of moving parts at the skill positions which could limit the Green Wave’s offensive output. But the veteran linemen such as Shadre Hurst and Derrick Graham, coupled with a turnover-inducing defense, will provide Tulane with a one-score win in New Orleans.
Prediction: Tulane 24, Northwestern 17
