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Tulane plays its American Conference home-opener tonight, welcoming league-leading Memphis to Yulman Stadium. Gametime set for 6:30 p.m. CT. Weather will be a factor this evening and not just for the game itself.
High Wind Advisory
The National Weather Service has issued a high wind advisory for tonight’s game as a dry cold front moves through New Orleans just before kickoff. No rain is associated with the front as it moves through south Louisiana. However, winds will pick up significantly as the night wears on.
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The high wind advisory starts at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon and continues through 3:00 p.m. Saturday. And they’re not joking about high winds. Here is the forecast from Accuweather for 6:00 p.m., thirty minutes before the game begins. Note the wind speeds at this time.
Just one hour later, things pick up pretty drastically.
As the night continues, gusts of up to 40-miles per hour out of the North-Northwest are expected to be roaring through Yulman Stadium.
Kicking/Passing Game Impacted
The most obvious affect will be on the kicking game for tonight. Having a strong legs like William Hudlow and Cooper Helmke will be an advantage. However, each of them must be able to use the wind to their advantage. For punts, let things fly when going North to South, but go low when you’re heading into the wind. For a Helmke, do the same on kickoffs and field goals with the wind is at your back. However, going low on a field goal can radically improve the chances of getting one blocked, so decisions on whether or not to kick a field goal into the wind will be put into play if a team is kicking into the wind.
See our Keys to the Game here.
When passing, you are now dealing with Mother Nature and the opponent’s defense. Though things will be dry, winds like this will make a quarterback’s adjustments ultra important. Thus a strong running game will be essential to making things right for an offense.
The North side of Yulman is the Visitor’s end zone, where any Memphis fans and their band will be seated.
In addition, consideration for the high winds will be a deciding factor tonight when a coin toss is held. Coaches will be determining is they would rather have the ball first, defer to the second half, or choose the direction in which they go to begin each half.
Drone Show On or Not?
The Tulane athletic department has had Yulman Stadium’s first ever drone show in the works for months. It is scheduled for performances between the quarters, at halftime, and after the game.
Assistant athletic director in charge of game presentation and fan experience Tyler Thomas told us earlier today things are up in the air for tonight’s drone performance.
“We are unsure,” Thomas informed On SI Tulane today when asked if the drone show as a go or not. “We are still going as planned. It will be a gametime decision.”
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