The most-anticipated season in South Alabama football history began with a thud on Saturday night in New Orleans.

Michael Pratt and Tulane riddled the Jaguars’ defense with deep passes in a 37-17 victory at Yulman Stadium. The Jaguars got within a touchdown in the third quarter, but could not get a big defensive stop when it needed one.

RELATED: Tulane passing game buries South Alabama in season-opener, 37-17

South Alabama is 0-1 for the first time since 2019, having won three straight season-openers before Saturday night. Here are five takeaways from the Jaguars’ blowout loss to the Green Wave:

1. South Alabama has some major defensive issues to address

Just as Western Kentucky did in the 2022 New Orleans Bowl, Tulane exploited holes in South Alabama’s secondary. The Jaguars got no pressure on Pratt thanks to Tulane’s solid offensive line, and USA’s DBs were caught looking in the backfield while Green Wave receivers ran wide-open down the field. South Alabama spent the entire offseason trying to address the problems it had against Western Kentucky, only to see them pop up again against Tulane. Head coach Kane Wommack insists it’s an execution problem, so we’ll see if the Jaguars can figure it out before they face another veteran quarterback.

2. New Orleans has become inhospitable for the Jaguars

South Alabama athletics director Joel Erdmann might want to think long and hard before accepting another invitation to play in New Orleans, as the Jaguars have lost by a combined 80-39 in two trips to the Crescent City in the last nine months. That’s obviously just a coincidence, as the two games were played against different opponents in different stadiums (the New Orleans Bowl was played across town at the Caesars Superdome). That said, South Alabama fans likely won’t be all that enthused next time they get an opportunity to make the short drive west on I-10.

3. Pratt played like the veteran quarterback he is

Pratt showed why he’s considered one of the top Group of 5 quarterbacks in the country on Saturday, enjoying a near perfect night at the expense of the South Alabama secondary. The fourth-year starter went 14-for-15 for 294 yards and four touchdowns, connecting on TD passes of 48, 47 and 47 yards. His lone incompletion hit his receiver in the hands in the end zone before South Alabama’s Jaden Voisin reached in to bat it away. South Alabama didn’t do much to make Pratt’s life difficult, but to his credit he didn’t miss on many of the opportunities he was given.

4. Penalties still an issue, turnovers suddenly are

Seven penalties for 60 yards isn’t an overwhelming number for South Alabama, but four were false starts that turned short-yardage situations into longer conversion attempts. South Alabama gave up a sack on the next play after two of those infractions, when they might have been able to run the ball for a first down otherwise. The Jaguars lost just four fumbles in all of 2022, but gave the ball away on the ground three times on Saturday (though one was on a defensive play on which South Alabama recovered a fumble and then fumbled it right back). In short, the Jaguars played with a lack of poise across the board.

5. One game should not define a team or a season

Though the “Battle of Mardi Gras” has been definitively settled, South Alabama obviously has plenty to play for this season. The loss to Tulane, humbling as it was, was not a Sun Belt game and thus won’t affect the Jaguars’ pursuit of their first conference championship. And there’s also still plenty of time to rebound and make a strong New Year’s Six bowl bid (though they’d need to win out and have Tulane probably lose twice to get there). Week 1 is an unexpected time to have to do some soul-searching, but the good news is that it’s easier to turn things around early in the season than it is late.

Next up: South Alabama (0-1) hosts Southeastern Louisiana (0-1) for its home opener at 4 p.m. Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium.