NEW ORLEANS – Northwestern only needed one play from scrimmage to show what kind of fight it would put up against Tulane.
On the first snap of the game, Tulane linebacker Harvey Dyson easily beat graduate student left tackle Caleb Tiernan and forced a fumble off a blind-side sack of graduate student quarterback Preston Stone.
Two plays later, Stone threw an interception.
Five turnovers and an inability to stop the run led the Wildcats (0-1, 0-0 Big Ten) to a 23-3 loss to the Green Wave (1-0, 0-0 AAC) and marked NU’s third 0-1 start in five years.
“(I’m) really, really disappointed with our performance today,” coach David Braun said. “Certainly disappointed with the result. Difficult to win a game when you turn the ball over five times.”
Struggles on offense were easy to point out, and they started with Stone. When NU acquired the former SMU signal caller from the transfer portal, it was in an effort to provide stability to the quarterback room that was lost in 2024.
Stone’s debut, though, was characterized by four interceptions and one lost fumble. The first interception might have been influenced by incoming pressure or a miscommunication with his receiver. The other three, however, look to be a product of poor decision-making and accuracy.
Braun called his quarterback’s performance uncharacteristic, but said he still has faith in his guy.
“Preston Stone didn’t play his best football game today,” Braun said. “But I said it boldly in that locker room, ‘Believe in that guy. That’s our quarterback.’ The second I said it, the locker room echoed that.”
One highlight from the offense was the production in the ground game. Carries were pretty evenly split among the expected running back room. Graduate student Cam Porter, redshirt junior Joseph Himon II and redshirt sophomore Caleb Komolafe combined for 118 yards on the ground. NU only averaged 98.5 rushing yards a game in 2024.
Porter said the running back committee situation was expected heading into today’s game.
“We really trust in our backfield,” Porter said. “We trust in our guys, and we trust that anybody that goes out there is going to end up making plays.”
Unfortunately for the ’Cats, the Green Wave found similar success. Largely propelled by Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff’s mobility, the hosts ran for 269 yards.
The longest run of the day came by way of a 69-yard touchdown rush by Retzlaff. With the pocket closing in on him, Retzlaff took the space in front of him and put the Green Wave up by 17 points entering halftime.
Tulane running back Maurice Turner also made his mark, rushing 86 yards on 14 carries.
“The amount of rushing yards we gave up today is totally unacceptable by our standard,” Braun said.”
Despite an overall lackluster showing for NU, redshirt junior defensive back Robert Fitzgerald’s performance was one bright spot. Fitzgerald led the team with 13 tackles Saturday after accumulating 46 tackles in 2024.
Fitzgerald, however, was more concerned with the result on the scoreboard than with his own success.
“We lost, so am I really worried about my individual performance (or) just wins and losses?” Fitzgerald said.
Concerns also arose off the field after the game. During his postgame press conference, Tulane coach Jon Sumrall expressed his dismay with the visiting team for denying the Green Wave’s request to wear white jerseys.
Tulane wore white jerseys in its first game after Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall 20 years ago.
“We might have used that for a little bit of motivation to represent the city,” Sumrall told reporters. “So don’t disrespect New Orleans ever.”
Ultimately, the ’Cats understand that there is still a lot to be done this season.
NU will have a chance to get back on track when it hosts Western Illinois on Friday.
“Unwavering resolve in the fact that one game does not define us as a football team,” Braun said. “This one just happens to be the first one.”
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