Bowl Wave! Latest Tulane Renaissance Led By Evolution Of Michael Pratt

By Simon Carroll

Last week’s 45-31 victory over USF saw Tulane move to 6-1 on the season, and become bowl-eligible at the earliest date in school history. Modern day fans of The Green Wave may be unaccustomed to such seasons, but history shows that this football program is no stranger to defying the odds. Can quarterback Michael Pratt deliver a ‘Third Wave’ of success to New Orleans?

Tulane University is one of the most esteemed seats of learning in America. Founded in 1834 by seven medical doctors, it is regularly ranked in the top fifty universities in the country, and in 2022 was 30th out of all private colleges. With a campus dotted around the banks of the Mississippi river in the heart of New Orleans, it is unsurprising to learn they have been ranked third this year for best college city, and first for having the happiest students.

Sporting a rather unusual nickname in the ‘Green Wave’, Tulane athletics were originally known to fans as the ‘Greenies’ or ‘Greenbacks’, based on their uniforms. Indeed, the retro mascot is called Greenie to this day.  But in 1920 the school newspaper – ‘The Hullabaloo’ wrote a song called ‘The Rolling Green Wave’, and referred to all the sports teams as such forever more. Hence the birth of the rally cry ‘Roll Wave!’, as well as the addition of the rather angry water swell logo that adorns their regular helmets today.

The Birth Of Tulane Football

Football came to Tulane in 1893. Inconsistency was the only thing consistent about this football team for the first thirty years. But in that period they were able to develop a big rivalry with in-state neighbors LSU. In fact, the first time the two Louisiana teams met, Tulane shut out the Tigers en route to a 34-0 victory. This rivalry game endures, with the ‘Battle For the Rag’ being played 98 times. Sadly the contest hasn’t been scheduled since 2009, and Tulane hasn’t won the matchup for forty years.

From 1893 to 1926, eighteen head coaches came and went. During this period, the program began life as an independent before joining the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association and then the Southern Conference. No clearer example of the school’s polarizing fortunes came between 1908 and 1910; going 7-1 under Joe Curtis and 0-7 under Appleton Mason in the space of three seasons. But the hiring of Bernie Bierman in 1926 saw The Green Wave become a prominent football program for the first time in its history.

The First Wave: Bierman, Cox & Dawson

Bernie Bierman

Bernie Bierman will be fondly remembered by Minnesota fans for the five national championships he delivered for his alma mater between 1934 and 1941. But prior to becoming the Golden Gophers’ head coach, Bierman was lauded for his achievements with Tulane. After finding his feet in his first year, Bierman led The Green Wave to 34 wins in four seasons. This included three Southern Conference titles, an undefeated season in 1929, and a trip to the Rose Bowl in 1931, where they were narrowly defeated by USC. Bierman had put Tulane on the football map, and the program left the Southern Conference and joined the SEC.

Two consecutive head coaches helped continue the momentum that Bierman had built. Ted Cox had four winning seasons before moving on, including a ten win season in 1934 that saw The Green Wave win the first ever Sugar Bowl. And Red Dawson spent the next six years at the helm, guiding his team to the Sugar Bowl again in 1939. The team ultimately lost to Texas A&M, but finished the season ranked 5th in the nation in the recently established AP Poll – the highest ranking in school history, even to this day.

In the next 57 years, Tulane suffered significant regression as a football team. The program went to just five bowl games in that period, winning just one of them. In 1965, the team was so uncompetitive in the SEC it decided the best course of action would be to return to independence. It didn’t help. And in 1996, The Green Wave joined the recently founded Conference-USA. But after winning just one conference game the first season, they needed a fresh start. The Tulane board of trustees turned to the son of a college football legend to turn the tide – a move that turned out to be a masterstroke…

The Second Wave: Tommy Bowden

Tommy Bowden

The introduction of Tommy Bowden as head coach in 1997 was hardly considered to be a slam dunk hire. The son of the late Bobby Bowden, who created a three-decade dynasty at Florida State, Tommy had never been a head coach anywhere before. He brought considerable SEC experience on offense, having been QB coach at Alabama before OC stints with both Kentucky and Auburn. But as had been witnessed with previous hires, promise rarely failed to turn into production.

Bowden reversed that trend immediately. Finishing second in C-USA with a 5-1 record in his debut season, Bowden delivered spectacular, high-octane football to Tulane. 1997 saw The Green Wave eclipse 40 points four times, a stark change to previous regimes. And a season later, that benchmark was broken NINE times out of twelve games as Tulane went undefeated. The twelve wins Bowden delivered remains the most in a single season in the school’s history. The schedule was sadly deemed too weak to deserve a big bowl game, but The Green Wave finished the season in style, demolishing BYU 41-27 in the Liberty Bowl.

Unsurprisingly, Bowden used his rapid success in New Orleans to find himself a bigger and better opportunity. Just days after Tulane were ranked 7th in the nation, their highest finish for 59 years, the son joined his father in the ACC, accepting a job offer from Clemson. Bowden Junior enjoyed modest success at Death Valley, spending ten years there, but never reached the heights Bowden Senior achieved in Tallahassee. As for Tulane, they embarked on another downturn in fortune as the football program registered just three winning seasons in the next 17 years. Today, head coach Willie Fritz and quarterback Michael Pratt are on a mission to change that trajectory.

A Perfect Marriage

Tulane Athletics

Michael Pratt first rose to national prominence in Week 1 of the 2021 season. Tulane traveled to Norman to face the Oklahoma Sooners, undoubtedly deemed as cannon fodder for the Big 12 program with playoff ambitions. The Green Wave weren’t interested in that narrative; instead Pratt put in a gutsy performance, throwing for 300 yards and 3 scores (and adding another one on the ground) as Lincoln Riley & co narrowly escaped with a 40-35 victory.

For those who had been paying attention to the American Athletic Conference, this would not have been a surprise. As a true freshman the year before, Pratt had earned the stripes that adorn the sleeves of the Tulane uniform. Nearly 2,000 all purpose yards and 28 total touchdowns showed this kid could ball. In fact, many were wondering how Fritz and his staff had been able to land the promising quarterback.

The answer? He was overlooked by every big program. Extremely intelligent, Pratt predominantly received scholarship offers from schools such as Harvard, Yale and Brown, as well as a host of less-esteemed programs from the Group of Five. Luckily for Tulane, the school offered the best blend of education and sporting prestige. It also helped that New Orleans kept him in the South East and as close to his home town of Deerfield Beach, FL, as possible.

Not many knew it back in 2019, but The Green Wave lucked out with Pratt’s commitment. What is it about his game that has Tulane on the verge of another historic season?

Toughness, Mobility, Accuracy

The first thing you notice when watching Michael Pratt is how tough he is. The junior QB has little issue sitting in the pocket and delivering the football under duress. He’s also not shy in putting his body on the line when on the run too. This has its drawbacks; Pratt missed the game against Houston earlier this year after being ragdolled to the ground the week before. Last season, he missed a massive game against AAC heavyweights Cincinnati with a concussion. But his commitment to the cause galvanizes his teammates. In both clips below, Pratt moved the chains to his own detriment:

Defenses sending the house after the Tulane quarterback do so because they fear Pratt’s accuracy and ball security. Unafraid to fit the ball into tight windows, Pratt has repeatedly shown the ability to hit areas of the field that give his receivers the best chance to succeed. This throw against Memphis last season emphasizes the field vision and touch he shows, even on deep balls:

An undervalued aspect to Pratt’s game is his mobility, albeit the above clips may suggest he learns how to slide a little better. The QB has 579 yards and 17 TD’s on the ground in his Tulane career. With the dangerous Tyjae Spears in the backfield, there are too many dimensions to this offense to keep it bottled up for sixty minutes. And when they come up against elite opposition? Pratt elevates his game, and by default, those of his teammates. Valiant efforts against Oklahoma, Ole Miss and SMU last year, as well as the season-defining win in Manhattan against Kansas State five weeks ago, allude to this.

As a freshman, Willie Fritz described Pratt as a ‘Gamer’. He simply does not shrink away from competition.

The Third Wave?

Charlie Riedel/AP

Head Coach Willie Fritz has been at the helm of this Tulane football program for more than six seasons. Discounting a two win 2021 season that is best described as an anomaly, he has seen modest growth throughout his tenure. But the stars have never been more aligned to make a serious leap like they have in 2022. Already bowl-eligible for the fourth time in five years, Fritz has at least delivered consistency that has eluded this program for so long.

The QB-RB pairing of Pratt and Spears gives Tulane a dynamic offense that has too often been lacking in  New Orleans. A slip-up against Southern Miss in the Battle for the Bell was disappointing, but Fritz and his team have not allowed it to define their season. Bouncing back nicely, The Green Wave are in a prime position to make a run for a Conference Championship in the AAC – a conference that sent a team to the College Football Playoffs last year. Already ranked by the AP, Tulane are on people’s radar – a testament to the season they are enjoying so far.

Things get tougher. The last three games of the season see them welcome a 5-1 UCF and a feisty SMU, before finishing out on the road at Cincinnati. Their final opponents are the standard bearer for what can be achieved by a Group of Five team. The Bearcats may have taken a modest step back after losing a host of talent to the NFL, but last year’s heroics are still remembered fondly. If The Green Wave can emulate their fellow conference member, it begins here and now.

That may be beyond 2022, and if Michael Pratt remains on the same trajectory, it might also be after their star quarterback has left for the NFL. But make no mistake; the ‘Third Wave’ of Tulane success feels tantalizingly close.

Mock Draft

SIMON CARROLL

HEAD OF CFB/NFL DRAFT CONTENT

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST.

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