The Tulane Green Wave got off to a nightmare start in the AAC Championship against the Army West Point Black Knights and couldn’t come back as they lost 35-14.

After weeks of dominant football, the Green Wave fell apart down the stretch and enters their bowl game with a record of 9-4.

It was easily the coldest game of the season for Tulane and colder than most players had ever played before. This environment, mixed with a strong and relentless Black Knight team, was too much to overcome.

The most obvious and unfortunate mistakes came from Tulane’s special teams.

Her kick surgery went about as poorly as could be. The first field goal of the game was dead on arrival and wasn’t even attempted. The second field goal went in the air but missed.

The problems in the return team continued when the usually reliable Rayshawn Pleasant botched a kick-off.

When the Green Wave put together a normal drive and scored points, they were already down 21-7. That’s not a death sentence against most teams with a half of the game left, but Army controlled the clock to a point that kept Tulane on the sideline and ended the comeback attempt.

The Green Wave only had two possessions in the second half and the Black Knights continued to score.

Tulane’s run defense was a big question mark heading into this game. They were able to deal with the Navy Midshipmen’s initial offensive, but the Army overran them.

Superstar Black Knights quarterback Bryson Daily had 25 rushes for 126 yards and four touchdowns. He didn’t break off many big plays, just kept consistent yardage.

Running back Kanye Udoh had 20 carries for 158 yards and a score.

Even when the Green Wave had the ball, their offense couldn’t get much going.

The running game was uncharacteristically ineffective, similar to last week’s loss to the Memphis Tigers.

Star running back Makhi Hughes had just 12 carries for 53 yards. Nobody else had much of an impact either.

Freshman quarterback Darian Mensah was obviously affected by the cold early on, but actually calmed down in the second half. He finished 17 of 25 for 210 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Now Tulane will have to deal with another season of questions as Jon Sumrall’s name becomes more popular in conversations with head coaches elsewhere and the transfer portal looms.

The end of the season in New Orleans could lead some guys to look for opportunities elsewhere.

However, if they manage to retain their staff and squad, this should still be considered a win for the season.