The Tulane-Army series has some of the richest history of any the Black Knights have with other American Conference schools. These teams first met in 1957 and have had 24 total meetings. Many fans remember the iconic “Michie Miracle” of 2007. And who can forget winning America’s Conference in year one against the Green Wave just this past December? Those are marvelous memories, but the context surrounding this week’s game calls to mind previous monumental upsets in this series as well. 

Army enters the Tulane game as decided underdogs. ESPN favors the Green Wave by 9.5 points, and why wouldn’t they? Army has a 3-3 record with losses to an FCS school and an East Carolina team that Tulane beat just this past week. Tulane has become one of the Group of Five’s elite football programs. This year, the Green Wave have two Power Four wins and have positioned themselves at the forefront of the College Football Playoff race once again. Surprisingly enough, however, history indicates that the Army Team might not want it any other way. 

Time is a flat circle in college football. In the thick of the worst stretch in program history, the dreaded Todd Berry years, Army beat the odds to upset good Tulane teams twice. It’s honestly a shame that Berry had to coach against teams that were not Tulane. He went 3-1 against the Green Wave and *2-34* against everyone else in college football.

In 2000, Army got its only win of the year against a Tulane team that finished 6-5. RB Michael Wallace ran for 183 yards, and QB Joe Gerena threw a touchdown pass to TE Clint Dodson with just 40 seconds remaining to give Army a 21-17 win. Despite losses to 3-8 New Mexico State and 1-10 Navy, the Black Knights somehow found enough magic to beat this pretty good Tulane team. Tulane rostering two future first round quarterbacks in Patrick Ramsey and J.P. Losman makes the loss even more shocking.

After beating a bad Tulane team in 2001, the Black Knights again pulled an improbable upset in 2002. The then 0-9 Black Knights entered that year’s Tulane game with an abysmal record. They’d lost to a Holy Cross squad that went just 4-7 in the Patriot League and to a Rutgers squad that went on to finish just 1-11. Oh by the way, that Rutgers squad beat the Black Knights 44-0. By comparison, the Green Wave entered with a 6-4 record and would win the Hawai’i Bowl in the program’s third bowl bid since 1979. This was therefore one of the very best Tulane programs in recent memory. 

Yet, Army somehow played its best football of that season against the Green Wave. After giving up an average of 43 points through its first nine games, the Black Knights gave up just ten to Tulane and intercepted future Bills’ first round draft pick J.P. Losman twice in a 14-10 victory. Army regressed to its mean in their final two games against 3-9 Memphis and 2-10 Navy, losing both by an average score of 48-11. No one knows how it happened, but in 2000 and 2002, Army turned in season-defining performances against the Green Wave.

That should be a good sign for this weekend. If those dreadful Todd Berry teams could beat actively good Tulane squads, this Army team can too. The Black Knights took down supposed franchise quarterbacks from Tulane in the 2000s. What does current Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff have on either Patrick Ramsey and J.P. Losman?

Along with continuing historical trends, Coach Monken has some road demons to exorcise this week as well. Monken earned his first win in the state of Louisiana in last year’s Independence Bowl. He’d previously gone 0-4 in four trips to the Pelican State, losing to Tulane twice and to LSU and Louisiana-Monroe once each. In fact, it Army hasn’t beaten Tulane on the road in fifteen years. The Green Wave’s current home, Yulman Stadium, had not even broken ground the last time Army won in at Tulane.

In 2010, Army went to the Superdome and beat Tulane handily, 41-23, thanks to the late, great Jared Hassin’s 144 rushing yards. The Black Knights needed that win to finish 6-6 and reach the Armed Forces Bowl. Similarly, an Army win over Tulane this weekend could be the one that pushes Army to a sixth win and a bowl game before the Army-Navy Game. This would repeat history threefold. 

The win over Tulane in the American Conference Championship Game showed that the Black Knights were more than beneficiaries of a weak conference schedule last year. However, doubts remain as to whether or not the Black Knights will fade into mediocrity within their new league. A win at one of the toughest places to play in the Group of Five, however, will ease those concerns. 

Storylines and history abound in this week’s Tulane game. The history and stakes make this a real rivalry in a league where Army lacks commonalities with many league members. But history is on the Black Knights’ side, and Coach Monken has a track record to disprove. Will that be enough to push Army to victory in the Big Easy?

I guess we’ll see.

Go Army! Beat Tulane!!!