Army will face the Tulane Green Wave for the third time in as many years at Michie Stadium this Saturday afternoon. After a mixed-bag road trip, the Black Knights look to get back above .500 in what has become a seesaw season. The Green Wave are having a similar season. They got smoked by Duke and Kansas State but scored close wins over South Alabama and Southern Miss. Like Army, they now stand 2-2 on the year.
Friends, this isn’t necessarily the Green Wave team we’re used to seeing. However, they still have an outstanding running game, and with that, Army fans should expect them to match up well with this year’s Black Knights.
Your Need To Know as the Black Knights return to West Point to take on Tulane on Saturday! #GoArmy https://t.co/7qyHbCNj7F
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) October 7, 2026
Tulane Green Wave
Will Hall is Tulane’s first-year head coach. He’s joined by Offensive Coordinator Russ Callaway and co-Defensive Coordinators Taylor Polk and Nate Fuqua. Fuqua previously served as Georgia State’s defensive coordinator, where he faced Army three separate times.
2026 finds the Green Wave in what looks like a rebuilding year after they lost their coaching staff to Florida and 24 players to the transfer portal. They picked up 20 new players in the portal to fill out their roster, but it’s still not quite the same team.
Mike K. Heit’s Photobook from the 2024 American Conference Championship. We’ve got his full gallery up on Patreon today.
Offense
Junior QB Kadin Semonza, a transfer from Ball State, leads Tulane’s offense. He’s put up 646 yards passing but only boasts a 54% completion percentage. With that in mind, Coach Hall has stated that he hasn’t named a starter for the game this weekend.
We should also expect to see the return of sophomore RB Jamauri McClure, who hasn’t played since he got injured in fall camp. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry as a redshirt freshman last year, but did not see action against Army. Not that the Green Wave necessarily need him. RBs Maurice Turner and Jaylin Lucas already average 10.7 and 8.8 yards per carry, respectively. Indeed, Tulane notched 281 yards rushing in their game against Southern Miss. Turner led the way in that one with 12 carries for *200* yards! Against South Alabama, Lucas put up a whopping 214 yards on just 11 carries.
Beyond those eye-popping rushing numbers, the biggest standout statistic from this offense is that they’ve allowed 13 sacks in just four games. If Army’s D-Line can finally get some pressure this week, it would go a long way towards alleviating Army fans’ concerns about the team overall. More than that, though, this defense will need to tackle, or as we’ve seen, Tulane will run all over them.
Josh Lewis called game! 🔒⬇️ #UptownFootball https://t.co/pWSuJV6A1d
— Tulane Football (@GreenWaveFB) September 28, 2026
Defense
The front seven is led by LBs Dickson Agu and Makai Williams. The defense has recovered three fumbles, although they’ve only forced one. Despite playing mostly run-heavy teams, the Green Wave’s defensive charts are loaded with secondary players leading the team in tackles.
The Green Wave’s rushing defense marks perhaps the biggest difference between this year’s Tulane team and teams from recent years. This year’s defense ranks in the bottom fifteen in the FBS, allowing an average of 191 rushing yards per game on every bit of 4.8 yards per carry. Army’s offense will need to make that work, or we could be in for yet another long day.
With that said, Tulane ranks 17th in red zone defense. By comparison, Army’s defense ranks dead last.
Special Teams
PK Cooper Helmke has been the starter of late. He kicked a 58-yarder against Kansas State. Meanwhile, P William Hudlow averages 47 yards per punt with eleven punts over 50 yards. With that, we should expect solid play in the kicking game.
Key Takeaways
The first key here is discipline. Army has had too many drives end on penalties and missed blocking assignments this year. Even last week, when they got so many explosive plays against La. Tech, the team saw multiple drives stall because of penalties and negative plays. Similarly, Army has extended more than a few opponent drives this season in the same way.
Army needs to play disciplined football if they want to win this week.
Similarly, the defense has simply got to tackle better. They’ve played decent red zone defense at times when they’ve managed to force opponents to methodically drive the length of the field, but they’ve also given up so many explosive plays, especially in the run game, that it’s a miracle they’re not 1-3.
This Army defense has got to wrap and tackle this week, or the Black Knights will lose again. If they let Tulane’s talented running backs run through them, there’s just no way they’ll win this game. The defense doesn’t need to be perfect, but they will need to generate at least a couple of high-leverage stops.
Our Call of the Game presented by @USAA is Samari Howard’s long TD run at La Tech. #GoArmy https://t.co/YmQQQXGQrU
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) October 7, 2026
Final Thoughts
We’re expecting a wildly entertaining shootout this week. This game has the potential to produce as much as 600 yards rushing between these two teams. Both these teams run the ball really well. Neither one can stop the run in any way whatsoever. That odd combination could make for some truly insane, mind-blowing football this Saturday.
As with most Army games this season, Saturday’s game kicks at noon on CBS Sports. Check the Varsity App for radio coverage and AFF’s Firstie Club for the best gameday chat around.
Buckle up your chin straps, friends. We could be in for a wild ride.
Go Army! Beat Tulane!!!
