Traditionally, I write a drive by drive recap after each game, but this game was special so just this one time my recap will be special. I started this blog as an opportunity to connect with Tulane football fans that wanted to read in depth coverage and musings about the Green Wave however few there were.
I returned to my second home of New Orleans Saturday to find significantly more diehard fans than I ever thought possible. I’m sure you’ve already all watched the highlights of Saturday night so I just want to tell you a story. This is the story of special night uptown.
My day started as it almost always does when I return to town, at Domilise’s. The line was out the door as always, but instead of the traditional purple and yellow that abounds on Saturdays in the big easy, I saw nothing but olive and blue. The talk about the game ahead was loud and present at nearly every single table in the 100 year old restaurant. It was the first sign that this game day was going to be different. It was the start of something special.
I made my way north from there to Campus Connection where nearly 50 students and adults bustled through the store looking for merchandise. The beat duke buttons couldn’t be pressed fast enough to meet the demand required. I waited patiently, collected mine and then headed for my first beer at the Wave Craze tailgate. The city was alive.
I reached the LBC Quad at 4 PM, early by anyone’s standards for a 7 PM kick and yet, the place teemed with energy. Anyone who has watched a Duke game on television knows they can’t fill 25% of their own stadium, there was no expectation of them to travel.
My phone buzzed with the news that Yulman was sold out on a night in which LSU played at the same time in a marquee SEC match up just 45 minutes up the road. Only the 7th sellout in the stadiums history, and most certainly the first non championship / non travel fan base one ever recorded. An incredible testament to the growth of Tulane’s fan base. We even had t shirts made up for the occasion. L’Chaim!
Unlike the most recent sellout, Ole Miss in 2023, entrance was incredibly easy. The stadium packed quickly. The question was could the crowd and more importantly the team live up to all the hype that had led to the first ESPN2 televised Saturday prime time kickoff in school history.
The stage was set. A sell out crowd, the perfect antagonist. The student section got after Duke and their new QB1 from warmups to the final bell. Loud, standing, false start forcing, unwavering and never departing. The only time the student section was at anything less than max capacity was when the clock struck zero as the kids poured onto the field.
Take a minute and go watch the highlights again and then come back. The wave rolled the team that tampered with its quarterback and ruined its 2024 season.
Maybe one more time.
Cherish how much fun it was to watch Tulane lead from wire to wire as its new quarterback outdueled their old in a game that played out like a movie script too good to be true. Did I mention he’s also Jewish? The star protagonist had everything and more Saturday night.
Take a bow, Jake. You brought a smile to every green wave fan’s face tonight.
The celebration at the Boot post game can be described as nothing short of biblical. A bacchanal fitting of the party town that Tulane calls home. Never did I think I’d see it during my days on campus, but college football culture had taken hold in uptown New Orleans. A beautiful sight and an amazing cap to a perfect night uptown.
As always, we win, we sing.
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