NEW ORLEANS — No. 21 Tulane and East Carolina don’t have much in common going into Saturday’s game.
Green Wave coach Willie Fritz said the best is still to come for his team. The Pirates are just hoping for any type of breakthrough.
“We haven’t played a great game this season,” Fritz said. “In bits and pieces, we’ve played really well. … There have been some times when I’ve looked out there and said, ‘Wow, we’ve got a chance to be pretty darn good.’ There have been some other times when we’ve had to fight, scratch and claw to get the outcome we want.”
Tulane (7-1, 4-0 AAC, No. 24 CFP) has more riding on the outcome than the Pirates (1-7, 0-4) in Greenville, North Carolina.
“The only game you can focus on is the game this week,” ECU coach Mike Houston said. “(Our players are) very dialed in on that and I’m very encouraged by their attitudes.”
Tulane is one of three AAC teams at 4-0 in the league and is bidding to make a major bowl.
“A lot is on the line,” defensive back Lance Robinson said. "We know what is at stake.”
Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt said the Green Wave can’t be concerned with ECU's struggles.
“We’ve got to play our football,” he said. “We’ve got to play four quarters and the rest will take care of itself.”
Tulane’s lofty status serves as incentive for the Pirates, whose only win came against a Championship Subdivision team.
“You’re facing one of the best teams in the country,” Houston said. “So our players are really excited about that challenge. I think that probably gives them a little extra motivation.”
LIVING DANGEROUSLY
Tulane’s past two victories have been by one-score margins needing clutch late-game execution — both times after building large leads over opponents as a double-digit favorite.
Two weeks ago, Tulane was favored by almost three TDs over North Texas and led 28-7 in the second half, but wound up needing a late touchdown to break a 28-all tie and then a defensive stand.
Last week, Tulane was favored by 10½ over Rice and led 27-7 at halftime, but won 30-28.
Now, Fritz said, he’s planning on “doing things differently” after halftime.
“We’ll do more of a real warmup like we do before the game,” he said, adding that he was adopting a tactic employed by legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden.
“He was the only coach that did that for decades,” Fritz continued. “They would always jump on everybody at the beginning of the second half.”
QUESTIONABLE TARGET
The Green Wave are hopeful that receiver Jha’Quan Jackson, who has 22 catches for 373 yards and four TDs, will be cleared to play after being knocked out of last week’s win at Rice because of a concussion.
“He seems great right now,” Fritz said earlier this week. ”We anticipate he’s going to be able to play Saturday. But we have to wait for the whole protocol.”
BE READY
Tulane beat the Pirates 24-9 last year, with Pratt throwing for two touchdowns and 326 yards. The Green Wave are aware of the potential atmosphere in Greenville, which has been known for rowdy crowds.
“We got to create our own hype,” Pratt said, adding: "Every time that I’ve played there it has been a good crowd.”
OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES
ECU is averaging just 15 points against Bowl Subdivision foes, ranking 129th in total offense nationally — making the Pirates one of just eight teams averaging fewer than 300 yards.
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
ECU won 15 total games and received bowl bids in the previous two seasons. Tulane, which was 2-10 in 2021, offers proof that drastic improvement is possible with a strong foundation.
“The thing is they had a challenging year two years ago, but they have a solid program,” Houston said. “We’re having a challenging year this year, but we have a solid program. We’re very close and that’s how I look at it. That’s why we stay motivated.”
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