Tulane football is in good hands, even if the football slipped out of those hands midway through the fourth quarter on a momentum-swinging, party-pooping play Saturday.
In Darian Mensah, Tulane has a quarterback who has picked up right where Green Wave great Michael Pratt left off.
Because of that, football in Uptown New Orleans should sustain the success of the past few years.
No, Tulane didn’t get the victory Saturday. Instead, it had to settle for one of those all-too-familiar coulda, woulda, shoulda losses to a ranked opponent.
Final score: No. 17 Kansas State 34, Tulane 27.
On a day when Tulane celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Yulman Stadium by showing some of the greatest games in the venue’s history on the video board, this ended up being a game that almost stamped its place in Tulane history.
Almost.
The Green Wave couldn’t quite get it done, which is why the second game of Mensah's college career hurt so much.
“I’m a bit tore up right now,” he said.
That's understandable, especially considering his costly fumble in the fourth quarter that Kansas State returned for a 60-yard touchdown to break a 27-27 tie. But there were way more positives.
Tulane football has moved beyond moral victories, but Green Wave fans have to be thrilled about the guy wearing the same No. 10 that Tulane legend Shaun King once wore.?
Mensah completed? 19 of 29 passes for 342 yards and a pair of touchdowns on a day that looked like his official coming-out party. Yeah, he played his first collegiate game last week, but that was against FCS opponent Southeastern Louisiana. This was against Big 12 contender Kansas State.
And this one was before a national televised ESPN audience, a chance for a lightly recruited quarterback to show the entire country why he should have had more scholarship offers than just Tulane, Idaho State and tiny Lindenwood University.
This would have been the highest-ranked opponent Tulane ever beat in its decade-old stadium. For a half, the Green Wave looked to be on its way as Mensah dissected the Wildcats defense with one pinpoint pass after another. Through the first two quarters, he completed 11 of 14 passes for 281 yards and put the Wildcats on upset alert as Tulane built a 20-10 halftime lead.
“He’s a baller, no other way to put it,” said Tulane tight end Alex Bauman, who caught both of Mensah’s touchdowns Saturday.
Unfortunately, the Wave needed one more touchdown.
Tulane thought it had one with just 17 ticks remaining when Mensah connected with Yulkeith Brown for a 2-yard score. But an offensive pass interference call on Dontae Fleming nullified the score and backed the Green Wave up 15 yards. An incompletion and then an interception sealed the loss.
“The (interception) at the end, I don’t really put a whole lot of stock in,” first-year Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said. “You’re trying to win the game and make a throw. I’m proud of the kid. In that environment, I thought he played really admirably.”
It's early in the redshirt freshman’s career, but it’s not far-fetched to think Mensah could write a page or two in the Tulane record books. Afterall, it took him just two games to get his first 300-yard game. Pratt had five 300-yard games in his career and just one game where he threw for more than the 342 yards Mensah threw for Saturday.?
“That’s pretty cool, but it just hurts losing,” Mensah said. “I hate losing.”
As well as he played Saturday, there’s the one play he wants back. He fumbled while trying to elude a sack, and Kansas State’s Jack Fabris scooped it up and galloped 60 yards for a touchdown that broke a 27-27 tie and put the Wildcats ahead for good with 8:13 left.
“You just gotta flush it when you’re playing quarterback,” Mensah said.
So he did, shaking off the miscue and marching the Wave down the field for a chance to tie it or win it.
His coach wasn’t surprised.
“He's got some grit and got some toughness,” said Sumrall, whose team was outscored 24-7 in the second half. “He’s a courageous young man. He’s got a bright future.”
And so does the Tulane football team, thanks to a quarterback with the talent, confidence and poise to deliver the Wave more conference championships.
Sumrall sees it. Everyone watching Saturday at Yulman Stadium and on ESPN could see it.
More importantly, Mensah saw it, too.
When asked what he learned about himself in his second college game, Mensah had a succinct answer.
“I belong here.”