Last September, Tulane vs. Duke later proved to be one of the most consequential non-conference results of the season. It ultimately determined a College Football Playoff spot. Had Duke upended the Green Wave in New Orleans, the Blue Devils would have secured a bid in the 12-team field. But Tulane defended home turf in 34-27 fashion, sending the ACC champions to the Sun Bowl instead.
It was the only Week 1 matchup between two reigning conference champions. Both rosters lost a wealth of their 2025
production, but Duke maintained its head coach and both coordinators. That continuity prevailed in Durham, as the Blue Devils exacted revenge on the Green Wave, 17-3, in the lowest-scoring FBS matchup of the young season.
Tulane debuted head coach Will Hall, who previously served as the program’s offensive coordinator (2019-20) and passing game coordinator (2025), earning valuable experience on the staffs of Willie Fritz and Jon Sumrall. Hall was tasked with sustaining the excellence from his predecessors, who guided Tulane to four consecutive conference championship appearances.
While the conference record still has a blank 0-0 slate, Tulane’s 2026 opener proved there’s plenty of work to be done to clinch a fifth-straight American Championship berth. The Green Wave were held entirely out of the end zone as the offense consistently struggled in the 60-minute affair. It marked their first game without a touchdown since a 24-6 loss at Auburn on Sept. 7, 2019. Additionally, Tulane committed 15 penalties for 104 yards — three more flags than any other FBS team drew in Week 1.
Tulane accounted for 258 yards of offense and punted seven times (four three-and-outs) on its first 10 possessions. The Green Wave never took a snap inside the 19-yard line. The furthest they traveled was to the Duke 17 on a 39-yard connection from Kadin Semonza to Destyn Hill. However, Hill was stripped by Duke linebacker Luke Mergott upon entering the red zone. Mergott, who secured the game-winning interception for the Blue Devils in the ACC Championship Game last December, secured six tackles and applied backfield pressure on the Green Wave all afternoon.
Tulane named former Louisiana and Houston starter Zeon Chriss-Gremillion as QB1 in the days leading up to kickoff but ultimately rotated between quarterbacks in opener, hoping to find a long-term solution. Chriss-Gremillion offered more from a mobility standpoint, going 6-of-9 with 64 passing yards and adding 15 yards as a runner. Meanwhile, Semonza accounted for more production through the air in an 11-of-21 showing with 140 passing yards, albeit taking more sacks.
The Green Wave, which typically controlled teams in the trenches during the Fritz and Sumrall eras, struggled to push Duke’s defensive front. Tulane only returned one starter on the offensive line and lost starting running back Jamauri McClure for the opener due to a foot injury. The result: Tulane managed just 54 rushing yards on a 2.1 average.
Conversely, Duke ran wild on Tulane. Nate Sheppard set the 2026 FBS season-high with a 227-yard explosion. The reigning Second Team All-ACC selection accounted for both touchdowns in the low-scoring bout, striking once in the first quarter and again in the fourth.
Even though Tulane didn’t manage a single point until 13:37 remained in the contest, the Green Wave were still within one possession in the final frame. But Duke responded to Tulane’s early fourth quarter field goal with a 12-play, 75-yard clock-eating drive that relied heavily on Sheppard to move the sticks.
If there was one positive for Tulane, it was the passing defense. The Green Wave ranked 126th in passing yards allowed per game in 2025 but held an established 3,000-yard passer in Walker Eget to 131 yards on a 13-of-26 performance.
The result of this matchup is unlikely to carry the same stakes in 2026, especially considering the CFP revised its selection format and will not grant an automatic bid to the ACC champion.
Duke carries its 1-0 record into a challenging road matchup against an Illinois team that has won 20 of 27. Tulane returns to New Orleans for its home opener where it debuts its Mardi Gras uniforms against South Alabama.
