The last time Tulane played at Oklahoma, wide receiver Mario Williams caught a touchdown pass — for the Sooners.
Green Wave defensive end Adin Huntington easily could have been wearing crimson and cream for Saturday’s rematch.
Yet both of them will suit up for Tulane when it plays No. 15 Oklahoma on Saturday at Memorial Stadium (2:30 p.m., ESPN).
Williams, a former five-star prospect, has done his part already, becoming the first player with back-to-back 100-yard receiving outings for the Wave since current Atlanta Falcons receiver?Darnell Mooney in 2018. After following coach Lincoln Riley when Riley left Oklahoma for USC in 2022, he transferred to Tulane in January and has 252 yards on 10 catches through two games.
“I’m definitely excited,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to play some of my former teammates in a real game. I’m not worried about the environment or going back there and trying to do more or do less. I’m just trying to be me and go out there and have fun.”
Huntington, a summer transfer, is looking for his first breakout game at Tulane, and Saturday would be the perfect time. He picked Tulane instead of Oklahoma, his other finalist, from the portal after enjoying a huge year at UL-Monroe (62 tackles, 8? sacks) in 2023.
Group of Five conference schools such as Tulane are not expected to win recruiting battles with blueblood programs such as Oklahoma, but Huntington loved what he saw when coach Jon Sumrall’s Troy team beat UL-Monroe 45-14 last season.
“My recruitment was funny,” he said. “Wherever I went, I was going to have to play either of the schools. If I went to Oklahoma, I was going to have to play coach Sumrall again, and coming to Tulane, I get an opportunity to play Oklahoma.
"Every game is personal for me, but I don’t try to put any more added pressure on this one.”
Although he leads Tulane’s ends with five tackles, Huntington?is looking for his first sack. No Wave outsider rusher has recorded one through two games, and the entire team went sackless last Saturday against Kansas State’s Avery Johnson, who slithered out of several close calls.
Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, a sophomore and first-year starter, has been sacked six times in two games.
“We have to work together on the defensive line as a whole,” said Huntington, whom Southeastern Louisiana coach Frank Scelfo labeled his No. 1 concern before the season opener. “Even though we are out there rushing one-on-one, you’ve got to be on the same page.
"Avery Johnson was very athletic, but most of the stuff we gave him was on ourselves and we just have to finish. When we get rolling, the sacks are going to come in bunches.”
Williams already has made plays in bunches. His 37-, 17- and 47-yard receptions against Kansas State led to points. His 68-yard catch and run set up a touchdown against Southeastern.
The only thing he has not done is score, something he did four times at Memorial Stadium as a true freshman for Oklahoma. His second-quarter touchdown in his college debut against Tulane, which gave the Sooners a 34-14 lead, proved critical when they held on to win 40-35.
“He’s been extremely impactful,” Sumrall said. “The biggest thing for him is don’t worry about the going-back-to-Oklahoma piece and the logo of who we’re playing. That doesn’t have any impact on you playing well. What helps is focusing on the details, executing and being the best you can be individually and supporting your teammates.”
Williams said close friends remained from his year at Oklahoma, specifically mentioning leading tackler Danny Stutsman (21 stops) and ball-hawking strong safety Billy Bowman, who had six interceptions last season. He is not making the meeting personal, though.
“We have a game to play, and however it goes, I’m going to still love them and they still are probably going to love me,” he said. “That’s it.”