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Keys to Victory for Tulane at Duke Saturday
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- Keys to Victory for Tulane at Duke Saturday
Tulane coach Will Hall | AP / Rogelio V. Solis
Tulane Football Schedule 2026
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Week 1 - at Duke
, September 5
Week 2 - South Alabama
, September 12
Week 3 - at Kansas State
, September 19
Week 4 - Southern Miss
, September 26
Week 5 - OPEN DATE, October 3
Week 6 - at Army
, October 10
Week 7 - Memphis
, October 16
Week 8 - UTSA
, October 24
Week 9 - at Charlotte
, October 30
Week 10 - Tulsa
, November 7
Week 11 - at Rice
, November 14
Week 12 - North Texas, November 21
Week 13 - at South Florida, November 27
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Saturday afternoon, two programs meet who have a statement to make to open the year, as the defending ACC champion Duke Blue Devils host the defending American Conference champs Tulane Green Wave in Durham, North Carolina. Kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at Bermuda grass-covered Wallace Wade Stadium.
See the On SI Tulanepicks for the Tulane-Duke game here .
Duke opened a 9.5-point favorite, and it stayed that way for weeks, until Monday evening, when the spread starting to move in Tulane's favor. As of this writing, a pair of points have been shaved off the favorite's side, with the point spread sitting at 7.5 in Duke's favor midweek.
Key to Victory #1a: Stop Nate Sheppard
Dec 6, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Nate Sheppard (20) makes a catch in the first quarter against the Virginia Cavaliers during the 2025 ACC Championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Duke running back is for real. The Northshore product ran for 75-yards against Tulane last season, leading him to a truly productive year for a freshman running back, rushing for 1,100-yards and piling up almost 300-more through the air.
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The young Tulane frontline must be disruptive, keeping gaps from being formed and allowing for the Wave's dynamic linebackers to do their stuff.
Keep Nate Sheppardunder 100-yards, and Tulane will win the contest.
Key to Victory #1b: Make Duke Throw the Ball
The Blue Devils have their own senior transfer at quarterback: Walker Eget. He left San Jose State to come to Duke to pursue an ACC title. He doesn't quite know the system there, missing time because of injury this Summer. Plus none of the receivers ex-Tulane, now ex-Duke quarterback Darian Mensahare still around, two transferring out, one graduating. Stopping Sheppard (the 1a key) forces the new guy to throw the ball (the 1b key). That will lead to a Tulane victory.
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Key to Victory 2: Let Zeon be Zeon
In order to succeed, the Tulane brain trust needs to allow quarterback Zeon Chriss-Gremilliondo what he does best: run. Yes, a pass to receiver Fat Hill will be tremendous, as will the Tulane run game, which boasts its deepest stable of running backs we can remember. But if you let Zeon do his thing, there just aren't a lot of defenses that can stop him.
Key to Victory 3: Make the Duke Defense Make Mistakes
The Blue Devils were one of the worst defenses in the country last year, and ranked 14th in the ACC out of 17 teams. They just were not that good. Can Duke make the big jump they need to in order to get back to the ACC championship game?
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The jump begins Saturday. Don't give them the chance to make that jump. Pressure them from the start and push them around, like you did in 2025.
Speaking of pressure...
Key to Victory 4: Use your Wild Card Often - Jaylin Lucas
The former All-American needs to have the ball in his hands as often as possible. He can change a game with just one move. The Wave just need to use Lucas as often as they can, then let Zeon and running back Mo Turner be the gravy on Lucas' mashed potatoes (or whatever analogy we can come up with).
Duke has never seen anyone like Jaylin Lucas.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/tulane as Keys to Victory for Tulane at Duke Saturday .
