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Chips on Shoulders Abound for Tulane Ahead of Southern Miss
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- Chips on Shoulders Abound for Tulane Ahead of Southern Miss
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Tulane Green Wave have their final game of nonconference play against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, and it's one that will certainly mean a lot to the Green Wave's head coach, Will Hall .
There certainly doesn't need to be any manufactured drama or motivation with Hall getting a shot at facing off against his former team.
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Hopefully it doesn't go the way of 2022 where Southern Miss came into Yulman Stadium under Hall and beat the Green Wave on the road after getting back from Kansas State.
This team isn't coming off a high-flying win this time though.
They sit at 1-2 looking to even out the score ahead of a bye week that will precede their start of conference play.
It is the same start to the year that Tulane had under head coach Jon Sumrall back in 2024, except that first win was over an FCS team rather than a much more credible opponent in the South Alabama Jaguars. Both losses were to Power Four teams.
Yet there was a little more goodwill from the fanbase entering Sumrall's tenure, whereas the expectations now have fans looking for near-immediate results.
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This game might have a little bit more motivation for the players in addition to Hall, as they're the ones that will go out there and win or lose it for the team.
Quarterback Kadin Semonza spoke with reporters on Tuesday and acknowledged that there's a fire under the team to go out there and get this win for Hall, who has done nothing but downplay it and keep the focus on his guys all week of preparation.
"Coach is never going to be one to make it about himself and I'm sure he's already said that," Semonza said. "But yeah, as a team for him, we for sure want to win that."
But for these guys, the chip on their shoulder isn't so much there on behalf of Hall; it's about the status quo and where this team sits ahead of conference play.
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The fact that they're 1-2 is what is breeding the chip on their shoulder, not that this is coach Hall's former program.
The season still remains in front of them, and it really only comes down to what they do in conference play. They could completely lay an egg on Saturday and still go on to win the American.
For postseason aspirations, though, the win is essential, and it's important for morale ahead of conference play – and not festering on bad feelings all week during their first and only bye of the season.
Balancing all of those emotions and motivations and funneling it into their execution will be essential for this Tulane team.
