The Tulane Green Wave are hoping to get the season going in the right direction when they host the Southeastern Lions on Thursday night at Yulman Stadium.
It is the first meeting between the two teams since 2014 when the Green Wave beat the Lions, 35-20. In fact, Tulane has won all six games in the series.
The game is also a reunion as Southeastern Louisiana head coach Frank Scelfo was once a Tulane offensive coordinator. Tulane coach Jon Sumrall is making his debut as the Green Wave’s new coach. He was Tulane’s defensive coordinator under former coach Curtis Johnson.
Here are Tulane’s three keys to success against Southeastern Louisiana.
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It’s a season opener so naturally there will be things to work out, most notably for Tulane the potential for three quarterbacks during the game, as Sumrall hasn’t named a starter.
But the last thing Tulane should do against an opponent that went 3-8 a year ago is let them stay in the game. The longer that goes on, the more hope it gives the Lions.
Guidance can be found in last year’s victory over Nicholls. Tulane won that game, 36-7. This Green Wave team may not be quite as good as last year’s team, but it’s talented enough to take care of a team like the Lions.
If this is a one score game at halftime, expect it to stay that way. If it’s not, Tulane should win by double digits.
That’s logical given what the Green Wave has in the backfield with Makhi Hughes. The redshirt sophomore was the AAC Rookie of the Year and an All-AAC First-Team selection after he rushed for 1,378 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games. He also caught 11 passes for 67 yards. He’s draft eligible and another big season might allow him to leave early for the NFL Draft.
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Tulane may use three quarterbacks in this game, as Sumrall would not name a starter, but said all three could play. Unlike the past few years when the job belonged to Michael Pratt, the gig is up for grabs. Sumrall needs to figure out who the starter will be. For now, leaning on Hughes and his backups, especially early, gives the quarterbacks a chance to get comfortable.
Yes, that’s something coaches want in every game. But in an FBS-FCS matchup the easiest way to take control of the game is to get the opponent to make mistakes. Tulane can influence the game early by forcing Southeastern Louisiana into early mistakes, and making those mistakes pay off.
Last year this was an area were Tulane was among the Top 25 teams in the country. The Green Wave was plus-7 with an average of .50 per game, which was tied for 21st in the country with Liberty.
Oil and natural gas companies are lining up behind Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy as he fights an uphill primary battle.
Cassidy, a senior member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and outspoken ally of oil, has gotten about $120,000 in campaign contributions from donors and political action committees in oil and adjacent industries since the beginning of last year, a review of his campaign disclosures by POLITICO’s E&E News shows.
Rep. Julia Letlow got about $43,500 from industry sources since entering the race in January, disclosures show. Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming got $12,750 from oil and gas.
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Cassidy took in $14,500 from oil and gas in the same period, though many of his donors had already given the maximum allowable amount by then. Fleming got $3,500 of his total in that time period.
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Louisiana will receive $18.9 million in federal grants for hurricane recovery, Sen. John Kennedy announced Thursday (May 14).
Funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will support disaster recovery efforts and repairs in communities impacted by Hurricanes Ida and Francine.
Kennedy said the funding will support Lafourche, Jefferson and Terrebonne parishes, as well as the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
The grants include $8.8 million to the Greater Lafourche Port Commission for permanent repairs from Hurricane Ida.
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Jefferson Parish will receive $5.3 million for management costs from Hurricane Ida.
Terrebonne Parish will receive $2.6 million for debris removal operations from Hurricane Francine.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development will receive $2.2 million for debris removal operations from Hurricane Francine.
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GOP-led states sending hundreds of additional National Guard troops to DC
Three GOP governors have pledged to send hundreds more National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to aid Trump’s federalization of the city.
Straight Arrow News
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Louisiana National Guard soldiers have been deployed to Washington, D.C., for a second time.
The deployment is part of a crime emergency declared by President Trump nine months ago.
About 125 soldiers will assist local police and the D.C. National Guard in a support role.
The soldiers will patrol high-traffic areas but will not have the authority to make arrests.
Louisiana National Guard soldiers have returned to Washington, D.C., on a second deployment as part of President Trump’s continued crackdown on crime in the nation’s capital.
Trump declared a crime emergency in Washington nine months ago to trigger deployments of states’ National Guard troops to the capital.
Republican Gov. Jeff Landry first sent a contingent of Louisiana soldiers to Washington in August 2025. Lt. Col. Noel Collins told USA Today Network on May 13 that all of those soldiers returned to Louisiana by the end of December.
Landry’s latest deployment of Louisiana soldiers includes about 125 who began assisting other soldiers and local police May 12.
Louisiana’s soldiers won’t make arrests, but they will patrol high-traffic areas while playing a supporting role for the D.C. National Guard and local police.
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The White House has said its capital crime task force has made more than 12,000 arrests since August and seized thousands of illegal guns.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
National Guard in New Orleans: President Trump extends National Guard deployment in New Orleans
