Will Hall replaced Zeon Chriss-Gremillion with Kadin Semonza at halftime, and neither quarterback produced a touchdown. Chriss-Gremillion completed 6 of 9 passes for 64 yards; Semonza went 11 of 21 for 140 and took all three Duke sacks. Tulane lost 17-3 at Duke.
That sequence made the central issue for Saturday plain. Tulane does not merely need better quarterback statistics against South Alabama; it needs one of those quarterbacks to run an offense that reaches the end zone and gives Hall a reason to establish roles.
Hall knows the program, having served as Tulane’s passing-game coordinator and receivers coach in 2025 after an earlier stint as offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020. But an internal succession still requires answers on the field, especially for a team coming off an American championship and its first College Football Playoff appearance.
South Alabama at Tulane
Saturday’s home opener kicks off at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+. Tulane has a 77% chance to win. A win corresponds to a 16.9% chance of reaching the conference title game, compared with 12.1% after a loss, so dropping this favorable home game would already narrow Tulane’s margin for error.
Tulane needs one quarterback to produce touchdowns and stay on the field for the full game. Either Chriss-Gremillion or Semonza doing that would begin to settle the competition and give Hall a chance to establish the rest of his offense.
At Duke, Maurice Turner supplied a 44-yard reception, but Tulane’s participating tight ends did not catch a pass. Jamauri McClure did not appear in the starter or participation records, while Turner, Johnnie Daniels and Jaylin Lucas combined for 49 rushing yards and no touchdown on 15 carries. McClure’s Week 2 availability remains unclear, but Tulane needs more from the backfield either way. Turner, Daniels and Lucas must give whichever quarterback plays a credible running game instead of leaving the offense dependent on isolated gains.
Then there is the matchup Tulane cannot dismiss. The Wave allowed 250 rushing yards at Duke, including Nate Sheppard’s 227, and did not record a sack. The returning defensive leaders were busy. Kevin Adams III, Jack Tchienchou and Chris Rodgers made 11, nine and eight tackles, and the unit recovered a Sheppard fumble, but it never became the stabilizer an unsettled offense needed.
South Alabama arrives after rushing for 241 yards in a 39-14 opening win over Southeastern Louisiana. The Jaguars held the ball for a program-record 40:09, scored on their first three offensive possessions and committed no turnover. Tulane is strongly favored, but the visitors’ opening formula goes directly at the failure that controlled the Duke game.
So watch early downs more than the final margin. Can Tulane keep South Alabama out of comfortable rushing situations, get its offense back on the field and make the Jaguars chase points? If the Wave cannot, the favorite could spend another evening playing on someone else’s terms.
Tulane also has to stop donating good plays. Hall cited penalties, poor execution and drops after the opener and accepted responsibility; a holding foul reduced Daniels’ apparent 24-yard gain to seven yards, a chop block wiped out a completed Semonza pass, and pass interference extended Duke’s fourth-quarter touchdown drive. Cleaner football would give both quarterbacks a fairer test and keep the defense from carrying extra possessions.
Last season offers an additional warning against assuming the favorite will cruise. South Alabama led 14-0, Tulane answered with 27 straight points, and the Jaguars later pulled within 33-31 before their potential tying two-point pass failed in the final minute. This matchup has already shown how quickly control can swing.
A convincing response would leave Tulane with defined offensive roles and evidence that the run defense can recover. That matters because the Wave visit Kansas State next week and then host Southern Miss before their first open week. Saturday is the most favorable setting in that stretch to learn who should have the ball when the offense needs a touchdown.
Navy at Florida Atlantic: root for Florida Atlantic
Kickoff is Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Florida Atlantic has only an 18% chance to win, so treat this as a fun upset to monitor rather than something Tulane needs.
Because Navy is an American rival, a conference loss would improve Tulane’s position in the title-game race. Tulane’s modeled chance to reach that game is 17.6% after a Florida Atlantic win, compared with 15.4% after a Navy win, a 2.1-percentage-point difference between the two possible outcomes.
The full slate and changing numbers are in the interactive Tulane guide, with the simulation approach explained on the methodology page.