{
  "id": 6029572,
  "title": "Tulane doomed by offense, penalties in 17-3 opener at Duke",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/tulane-doomed-by-offense-penalties-in-17-3-opener-at-duke",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-06T20:20:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/tulane-doomed-offense-penalties-17-202056579.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On September 5, 2026, Tulane Green Wave suffered a 17-3 defeat to Duke Blue Devils in their Week 1 opener at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The match was the lowest-scoring FBS game of the season so far. Tulane debuted head coach Will Hall, who previously served as the offensive coordinator and passing game coordinator, who could not replicate the excellence of his predecessors. The Green Wave struggled completely offensively, failing to score a single touchdown, their first game without one since a loss in 2019. They committed 15 penalties for 104 yards, which is more than any other FBS team in Week 1. Tulane registered only 258 yards of offense and punted seven times on their first ten possessions, failing to reach the Duke 19-yard line even once. The furthest they got was to the Duke 17 on a 39-yard connection from Kadin Semonza to Destyn Hill, but Hill was stripped by Duke linebacker Luke Mergott, who also had six tackles and pressure on the Green Wave. Tulane's backup quarterback Zeon Chriss-Gremillion and established passer Nate Sheppard both performed, but it was Sheppard who shone, setting the 2026 FBS season-high with 227 yards and scoring both touchdowns. The Green Wave's defense held Duke's 3,000-yard passer Walker Eget to 131 yards. Despite Tulane's early fourth-quarter field goal, Duke mounted a 12-play, 75-yard offensive drive to seal the victory. The result is less significant for Tulane considering the ACC has changed its selection format and will no longer automatically grant an ACC champion an automatic bid.",
  "summary": "Nate Sheppard posts 227 yards, while the Green Wave fail to reach the end zone for the first time since 2019.",
  "key_points": [
    "Tulane loses 17-3 to Duke in Week 1 opener",
    "Head coach Will Hall makes debut, no touchdowns",
    "Team commits 15 penalties for 104 yards"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}