Jake Retzlaff is triumphant in his Tulane debut as the Green Wave tops Northwestern 23-3
NEW ORLEANS -- — Jake Retzlaff passed for a touchdown on the first series of his Tulane debut and scored on a 69-yard run as the Green Wave rolled to a 23-3 victory over Northwestern on Saturday.Retzlaff — who won 11 games at BYU last season, but transferred after learning he faced a suspension for violating his former school's honor code — accounted for 265 yards of offense. He passed for 152 yards and rushed for 113.
“It’s been a long offseason," Retzlaff said. "So, I’m just so excited to be able to get on this field and play with these guys. I’ve got a great group of guys around me. I’m so fortunate.”
His numbers could have been better if not for six drops by Tulane receivers, including two in the end zone during one early drive that ended with a short field goal.
“Big-time performance for a guy who’s been here a whopping 38 days,” Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said of Retzlaff.
New Northwestern quarterback Preston Stone, a transfer from SMU, threw a career-high four interceptions in his Wildcats debut, including on his first pass. He also lost a late fumble.
“One game does not define us as a football team; this one just happens to be the first one and stings a lot,” Northwestern coach David Braun said.
“Preston Stone didn't play his best football game today, but I said it boldly in that locker room, ‘Believe in that guy. That's our quarterback,'" Braun added. “He's mentally tough, physically tough. He'll respond well."
Tulane converted the first three interceptions into 17 points — starting with Retzlaff's scoring pass to Justyn Reid in the back of the end zone — while building a 20-3 halftime lead.
“The defense set the tone and then we followed suit by scoring on that first possession,” Retzlaff said. “It's awesome to have a defense like that, man. You can always rely on them to get a stop and they played an unbelievable game today.”
The game was Tulane's first at home against a team from the Big Ten Conference since 1955, when the Green Wave also defeated Northwestern.
The mid-day, late-August kickoff forced the visitors from just north of Chicago to endure the type of uncomfortably hot, humid air for which south Louisiana is known during summer. Temperatures were in the mid-80s, but with the sun shining much of the game and humidity around 70%, the heat index was in the mid- to high-90s.
“We knew that it was going to be a nice, warm, humid day, but it's nothing new for us,” said Retzlaff, whose team finished with 268 yards rushing. “It wore on them. ... We were gashing them in the run game more and more.”
Tulane defensive back Javion White had two interceptions. The first, a leaping snag on a long pass along the sideline, set up Ratzlaff’s long TD run down the middle of the field, which was remarkably similar to one he had in junior college in 2022.
“It was deja vu for me, actually,” Retzlaff said.
Tulane's Kevin Adams and Jahiem Johnson also intercepted Stone in the first half.
Instead, Tulane wore green jerseys and took the decal off of its green helmets to honor the ‘05 team. Northwestern, which as the visiting team had first choice on uniforms, wore all white, as would be expected in hot weather.
“We talked this week about playing for the city,” Sumrall said, noting that he showed players video footage of the deadly storm and its aftermath. “I wanted them to have an appreciation of what this city’s been through.”
Northwestern “got to wear all white; they took the loss,” Sumrall said. “I’m not trying to be a jerk, but I got a lot of love for this place. ... Don't disrespect the city."
Tulane: Retzlaff had 216 total yards by halftime — 212 passing and 104 rushing. That, and a strong defensive performance throughout, propelled the Wave to its first victory over a Big Ten team since 1970 at Illinois.
Tulane visits South Alabama on Sept. 6.
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