If it were up to UL coach Michael Desormeaux, the Ragin' Cajuns and the Tulane Green Wave would play against each other practically every season.

For now, both sides can expect an interesting showdown on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Cajun Field.

“I don't know if it's a rivalry,” Desormeaux said at his weekly press conference Monday. “We don't play that much. I think it should be. I think we should play as much as possible. To me, there's no reason why we can't figure out where we play pretty much every year.”

Tulane leads the overall standings 23-6, but the Green Wave has only a 7-6 lead since 1988.

“Our kids know their kids,” Desormeaux said. “Their kids know ours. We recruit the same kids most of the time. They probably have some guys who maybe wanted to be here, and we have some who maybe wanted to be there.”

“It's a unique thing because the proximity means we cross paths so often. I think it's exciting for the fans. And I know it's exciting for us too. We've played them twice since I've been coach here and they beat us both times. So for us it's an opportunity to play them again.”

Also announced Monday that UL's away game at Wake Forest will take place on September 28 at 2:30 p.m. Central Time.

The two teams come into Saturday's game under very different circumstances. Tulane is 1-2 after two near-wins against two higher-ranked teams, Kansas State and Oklahoma, while the Cajuns are 2-0 after two clear wins against inferior opponents.

“They've been in the national spotlight in the Group of Five for the last few years and that's where we want to be,” Desormeaux said. “If you want to be there, you have to beat those teams.”

“Every week has become more difficult for us and that's a good thing. That's what you want.”

During the off week, Desormeaux said UL has gotten a little healthier… sort of.

Right guard Jax Harrington is still out, as is tackle Quinton Williams. The good news is that left tackle Bryant Williams is expected to return to team with senior tackle King McGowen.

“It's just part of the game,” Desormeaux said of the injuries. “The good news is that King (McGowen) played really well for us against Kennesaw State. He's coaching at a really high level. Getting Bryant and King back kind of brings you back down to earth.”

Another piece of good news for the Cajuns offense is the return of running back Dre'lyn Washington.

“Dre'lyn should be OK,” he said. “He practiced yesterday (Sunday) and looked really good, really fast, with the injured foot.”

Desormeaux said the Cajuns got better during the off week.

“We went full throttle last week,” he said. “They probably wish they had played instead of having a week off. We went full throttle. Now is not the time to let up.”

“We've broken our season down into different phases throughout the season, but that's not the case now. Now we have an extra week to practice things that we need to work on and fix if we want to win the next game and continue to play better.”