Tag: Tulane Green Wave

Nov 16, 2024; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; Tulane Green Wave quarterback Darian Mensah (10) scores a touchdown during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

No. 25 Tulane dominates Navy 35-0, wins eighth straight

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Makhi Hughes rushed for two touchdowns and No. 25 Tulane’s defense smothered Navy 35-0 in Annapolis, Md., in their American Athletic Conference showdown on Saturday.

Darian Mensah threw for 138 yards and two scores and also ran for a TD for Tulane (9-2, 7-0 AAC), which clinched a berth in next month’s conference title game against No. 24 Army.

The Midshipmen (7-3, 5-2) played most of the game without star quarterback Blake Horvath, who left with a rib injury after a 9-yard rush during Navy’s third possession.

Horvath, a threat running and throwing, returned briefly before halftime but absorbed a bruising 9-yard sack on the first play. That possession ended in a three-and-out, and Horvath was done for the day. His only pass was an incompletion, and he had 25 yards on five rushes.

Hughes, who began the day fourth in the FBS with 1,209 yards rushing, finished with 82 yards on 22 carries. He capped a 65-yard drive to open the third quarter with a 1-yard scoring run to extend Tulane’s lead to 21-0.

Mensah’s 1-yard touchdown throw to Alex Bauman made it 28-0 with 9:19 left in the game.

Braxton Woodson, who came on for Horvath, turned the ball over twice in a rough outing. He completed 3 of 10 passes for 13 yards with an interception and rushed 13 times for 24 yards while fumbling the ball away deep in Navy territory.

Mensah turned that giveaway into another 1-yard scoring pass, this one to Arnold Barnes III, with 7:38 left in the game.

After finishing with 90 yards in the first half, the Midshipmen had a mere 113 for the game. Tulane amassed 358 yards in winning its eighth straight game.

After going three-and-out on its first two possessions, Tulane capitalized on the only turnover of the first half.

Woodson was picked off by Sam Howard, giving the Green Wave the ball at their own 37. On the second play, Mensah hit Dontae Fleming for a 44-yard pass. Three plays later, Mensah scrambled up the middle for a 14-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Navy tried to answer, converting a fourth-and-1 at the Tulane 44 on its next possession. But on a fourth-and-3 at the 35, the Green Wave’s Caleb Ransaw broke up a 5-yard pass play that would have yielded a first down.

Tulane then marched 65 yards on 11 plays, chewing up more than six minutes, and capped by Hughes’ 14-yard touchdown run.

–Field Level Media

Nov 4, 2023; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; Tulane Green Wave quarterback Michael Pratt (7) looks on before the game against the East Carolina Pirates at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

No. 23 Tulane chasing eight in a row, clashes with Tulsa

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Tulane is the highest-rated Group of Five team in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The No. 23 Green Wave (8-1, 5-0 American Athletic Conference) can claim a New Year’s Six bowl berth for a second consecutive season if they keep winning. They face Tulsa (3-6, 1-4) on Saturday in New Orleans.

Tulane has won seven straight games since a 37-20 loss to Ole Miss on Sept. 9, but the last few games have been a struggle.

“If we’re going to accomplish the goals we want to accomplish,” coach Willie Fritz said, “we’ve got to play better in all three phases. We’ve got to play all four quarters and that’s what we’re chasing right now.”

Fritz said “not winning by enough points” is “a good problem to have,” but also acknowledged that his team has yet to play to its potential.

Three weeks ago, Tulane saw a three-touchdown lead against North Texas go by the boards before needing a late touchdown and defensive stop to prevail 35-28. The Green Wave wrote a similar script a week later at Rice when they took a 27-7 halftime lead and held on for a 30-28 victory.

Last week, Tulane fell behind East Carolina, 10-0, before pulling out a 13-10 win.

“Our guys never wavered on the sideline or in the locker room,” Fritz said.

The Green Wave allowed 143 yards in the first quarter, but just 47 yards in the final three quarters. The offense managed 10 second-quarter points, a tie-breaking field goal early in the fourth quarter and held the ball for the final 7:17.

Michael Pratt sneaked for a first down on fourth-and-1 at the Pirates’ 5 and kneeled out the clock.

“It’s always good when your offense finishes with the ball and you’re ahead,” Fritz said.

The Hurricane has lost their last four games. After getting embarrassed at SMU 69-10 on Oct. 28, it had a 17-0 lead against visiting Charlotte before losing 33-26 in overtime last Saturday.

“We let that one get away,” coach Kevin Wilson said.

Wilson added that he has been pleased with the players’ attitude and effort amid the losing streak.

“They want to win,” Wilson said. “They want to finish the season strong. I want these guys to have success. We have a great opportunity. We’re playing a Top 25 team on the road. It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be challenging. But it’s a great opportunity and we’re going to try and max it out to see if we can perform better and get the result we want.”

Wilson said, “we’ve got throw the football better,” but that might be difficult with uncertainty at quarterback. Braylon Braxton was the starter before being injured. Cardell Williams replaced him, but Braxton returned to start the last three games.

Braxton, Williams and true freshman Kirk Francis all played against Charlotte, but Williams injured his throwing shoulder and his status for Tulane is uncertain.

Despite the losing streak, the Hurricane can still get bowl eligible. But it will take a quick and dramatic turnaround.

“We’ve got to play better,” Wilson said. “Our season has an ending point and we want to prolong that.”

–Field Level Media

Oct 28, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Tulane Green Wave quarterback Michael Pratt (7) rushes for a first down against the Tulane Green Wave in the first half at Rice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

No. 24 Tulane, seeking 7th straight win, meets East Carolina

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A year after reaching a coveted bowl spot, Tulane is poised to do it again.

The Green Wave last season earned a Cotton Bowl berth and an eventual win against Southern California as the highest-ranked Group of Five team in the nation. They began this year’s College Football Playoff rankings as the top-ranked G5 team again, settling in at No. 24 in the initial ratings revealed Tuesday night.

Tulane will put that ranking on the line Saturday afternoon in a game against East Carolina at Greenville, N.C.

The teams enter the contest at opposite ends of the American Athletic Conference standings. Tulane (7-1, 4-0) have won six in a row and sit in a tie for first place in the AAC, while the Pirates (1-7, 0-4) are tied for last after dropping four in a row.

“The only game you can focus on is the game this week,” East Carolina coach Mike Houston said. “They’re very dialed in on that, and I’m very encouraged by their attitudes, so (we’re) excited about the game this weekend.”

The Pirates are coming in off a 41-27 loss to UTSA in which they were outgained 515-366 in total yardage. The East Carolina pass defense was particularly egregious, surrendering 395 yards and four touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Tulane coach Willie Fritz knows his team, fresh off a 30-28 win at Rice, also needs to maintain its short-term focus because it has more on the line in the big picture.

“We’ve just got to work on us,” Fritz said Tuesday. “Improve on offense, defense, kicking game. … There’s been some times where I’ve said, ‘Wow, we’ve got a chance to be pretty darn good.’ But there’ve been some other times where we’ve had to fight, scratch and claw to get the outcome we want.”

Last weekend, the Green Wave had trouble shaking the pesky Owls, despite outgaining them by nearly 200 yards. Tulane star quarterback Michael Pratt tossed two touchdown passes and added another score on the ground.

East Carolina knows it likely will have to slow down Pratt (1,384 passing yards, 14 touchdowns) to stand a chance at emerging with the victory.

Given the Pirates’ struggles on defense, that will be a tall task.

“He’s one of the top quarterbacks in the country, and I told him this summer that I was disappointed to see him returning,” Houston said. “We have a challenge against him.”

On the other side of the ball, East Carolina’s shaky offense, ranked 12th out of 14 teams in the AAC in scoring, figures to have trouble contending with Tulane’s second-ranked defense, which allows just 332.8 yards a game.

For context, last year’s Cotton Bowl champs allowed 360.4 yards per game.

The statistical improvement has come by committee, as this year’s unit has yet to produce a conference player of the week honoree.

Still, there is no shortage of talent on that side of the ball, as leading tackler Jesus Machado (63) and ballhawk Lance Robinson (four interceptions) loom large.

–Field Level Media

Oct 13, 2023; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Tulane Green Wave quarterback Michael Pratt (7) signals prior to the snap against the Memphis Tigers during the first half at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Rice seeking statement win against No. 22 Tulane

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Tulane is off to a good start in trying to win its second consecutive American Athletic Conference championship.

Rice is trying to stay in contention for the title in its first season in the AAC as it hosts the No. 22 Green Wave (6-1, 3-0) on Saturday in Houston.

Tulane is in a three-way tie for first while the Owls (4-3, 2-1) are coming off their most lopsided conference victory in 10 years — a 42-10 win at Tulsa on Oct. 19.

The Green Wave appeared headed to a lopsided victory of their own last Saturday when they took a 21-0 halftime lead against visiting North Texas but saw the Mean Green pull even before Michael Pratt ran for a tie-breaking touchdown with 2:34 left to produce a 35-28 victory.

“I do like the fact that we finished and that we were put in a bad situation and we came out of it with a win,” Tulane coach Willie Fritz said. “That’s good, but you never know how these games are going to play out.”

Pratt, who also threw three touchdown passes, was named the AAC’s Offensive Player of the Week for a second time this season.

The Green Wave needed every one of his scores to hold off North Texas’ second-half surge.

In the first half, the Tulane defense ended three UNT possessions with fourth-down stops, forced two punts and recovered a fumble. In the second half, it allowed four consecutive touchdowns before getting another fourth-down stop as time expired.

“We need to play better on defense throughout the whole game,” Fritz said. “We played really well in the first half. We’ve just to continue for the whole ballgame.”

Rice had what coach Mike Bloomgren called “as complete a win as we’ve had against any FBS opponent” against Tulsa.

It was the Owls’ largest margin of victory in a conference game since a 52-14 victory against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 14, 2013.

The defense forced three turnovers and benefited from an offense that produced three touchdown drives of less than a minute each in the first half and two others that each ate more than eight minutes of clock in the second half.

“When you can do that,” Bloomgren said, “it makes the defense’s job easier.”

JT Daniels passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing touchdown. Dean Connors had 120 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just nine carries.

Rice, which left Conference USA to join the AAC, knows this game will demonstrate how it matches up against one of the top teams in its new league.

“This is not the kind of football team we played in our conference last year,” Bloomgren said of the Green Wave. “This is a team that looks a lot more like Texas or Houston.”

The Owls, who didn’t turn the ball over last week, hope to repeat the type of execution that enabled them to outgain Tulsa 512-294 and possess the ball for nearly 34 minutes.

“In order to beat Tulane, who’s a really solid team,” Connors said, “we’re going to have to do that all over again and do it better.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 16, 2023; Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA; Tulane Green Wave coach Willie Fritz yells to his players before their game against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at M.M. Roberts Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

No. 23 Tulane looks to keep rolling vs. North Texas

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Willie Fritz will become Tulane’s all-time leader in games coached when the 23rd-ranked Green Wave play North Texas on Saturday afternoon in New Orleans.

It will be the 95th game on the sidelines for Fritz, breaking a tie with Chris Scelfo (1998-2006).

It also will be an opportunity for Tulane (5-1, 2-0 American Athletic Conference) — which has won 17 of its last 20 games — to continue to show it is one of the premier Group of 5 programs in the country.

But Fritz said his team still can perform much better than it has this season.

“We don’t believe we’ve played our best game yet,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ve been even close to playing our best game yet. We’ve played really well in spurts. We haven’t put a complete game together yet, and we’d love to do that. Perfection is our goal. Excellence will be tolerated.”

Nonetheless, the Green Wave are coming off a significant victory. They won at Memphis for the first time in 25 years when they beat the Tigers 31-21 in an AAC showdown on Oct. 13.

The victory led to Tulane ending a five-week absence from the AP poll. It was ranked No. 24 to start the season and stayed there until after losing to then-No. 20 Ole Miss 37-20 on Sept. 9.

The Green Wave started fast against Memphis, taking a 10-0 lead after one quarter before falling behind 21-10 in the third quarter and scoring the final 21 points.

“From the middle of the third quarter on we played well,” Fritz said.

Tulane’s defense is No. 6 nationally in fewest rushing yards allowed (77.7 per game) and is eighth in sacks (3.33 per game).

The Green Wave will be tested by a versatile Mean Green offense that has gained more than 500 yards in four games this season.

Former Washington State offensive coordinator Eric Morris is in his first season as head coach at North Texas (3-3, 1-1).

“I think this will probably be the best football team we have played to this point,” Morris said of the Green Wave.

Morris is in the first stage of trying to build the Mean Green into the type of program that Fritz has built. Tulane won the AAC last season, defeated Southern California in the Cotton Bowl and was picked in the preseason to repeat as conference champion.

North Texas is coming off its first conference victory as a new member of the American, defeating visiting Temple 45-14 last week.

The Mean Green made three interceptions and didn’t allow a point in the second half. Chandler Rogers tied a career high with four touchdown passes and extended his streak of passes without an interception to 165 while Ja’Mori Maclin caught two touchdown passes to increase his season total to eight.

But Morris said the key for his team could be its ability to run against the stingy Green Wave defense.

“Nobody’s really been able to establish a run game against them,” Morris said. “I think it would be important for us to continue to build on what we’ve been able to do in the run game.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 9, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; During pregame of the game between the Tulane Green Wave and the Mississippi Rebels at Yulman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

No. 20 Ole Miss pulls away from No. 24 Tulane, 37-20

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Jaxson Dart threw two touchdown passes, Quinshon Judkins rushed for a touchdown and No. 20 Ole Miss held off No. 24 Tulane, 37-20, in a nonconference game Saturday in New Orleans.

Dart completed 17 of 27 passes for 267 yards and helped Ole Miss (2-0) come back from a 17-7 second-quarter deficit.

Tulane (1-1) played without starting quarterback Michael Pratt, who suffered a knee injury in a season-opening win against South Alabama a week earlier.

Third-year sophomore Kai Horton made his second career start in Pratt’s place and completed 15 of 37 passes for 231 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.

Judkins’ 9-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter pulled Ole Miss even at 17 at the end of the period.

Deantre Prince’s interception of Horton gave the Rebels the ball at the Green Wave 20, setting up Caden Davis’ tiebreaking 27-yard field with 12:50 left in the game.

Tulane turned the ball over at the Ole Miss 30 when Horton’s apparent 2-yard gain on fourth-and-2 was changed to a 1-yard gain on review.

The Rebels faced a fourth-and-4 on the next possession when Dart threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Michael Trigg for a 27-17 lead with 4:28 left.

Valentino Ambrosio’s 26-yard field goal pulled the Green Wave within seven points, but Davis kicked a 56-yard FG and Jared Ivey picked up Horton’s fumble and ran 26 yards for a touchdown with 1:25 remaining.

Dart completed passes on the first three plays of the game, the last of which was a 31-yard touchdown to Tre Harris.

Tulane answered on the ensuing possession as Makhi Hughes completed a 75-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run that left the score tied at seven at the end of the first quarter.

The Green Wave took advantage of Jha’Quan Jackson’s 36-yard punt return when Ambrosio kicked a 44-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.

Jackson caught a 41-yard touchdown pass from Horton to extend the lead to 17-7 later in the quarter.

Davis’ 37-yard field goal trimmed the lead to 17-10 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

Jan 2, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Tulane Green Wave quarterback Michael Pratt (7) and USC Trojans defensive lineman Nick Figueroa (99) in action during the game between the USC Trojans and the Tulane Green Wave in the 2023 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Reloaded and ready, No. 24 Tulane hosts S. Alabama

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Tulane had one of the best seasons in its more than 100 seasons of football in 2022.

At the same time, South Alabama had its first winning record in its 11 seasons as an FBS program.

Both programs have high hopes again as they meet in their season opener Saturday night in New Orleans.

The Green Wave finished 12-2 last season, winning the American Athletic Conference championship and defeating USC 46-45 in the Cotton Bowl.

“The standard is definitely set,” defensive back Jarius Monroe said. “We want to be better than the standard.”

Surpassing that standard will be difficult, but Tulane is ranked No. 24 and has been picked to repeat as AAC champion.

The Green Wave are trying to build on last season’s accomplishments while recognizing that they are starting over Saturday night.

“I think we’ve done a really good job of putting (2022) behind us,” quarterback Michael Pratt said. “I think the positive we can take from it is knowing what we can accomplish, what we’re capable of as a team.

“(But) we’re into a new year. We’ve got a totally different team. We’re excited to see what we can do and push forward.”

Tulane has to replace running back Tyjae Spears, the Cotton Bowl MVP who rushed for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns last season and was a third-round draft choice of the Tennessee Titans.

The Green Wave have a handful of candidates – Shaadie Clayton-Johnson, Shedro Louis, Arnold Barnes, Iverson Celestine and Makhi Hughes — to succeed Spears as the primary ball carrier, but head coach Willie Fritz said it will take a few games to figure out the pecking order.

Jaguars coach Kane Wommack won’t need any time to figure out his No. 1 ball carrier because 1,000-yard rusher La’Damian Webb returns.

He is one of 20 returning starters and USA also returns what Wommack called “the vast nucleus of our coaching staff.”

The coach said that “continuity” provides even higher expectations for a program that had never won more than six games in a season before finishing 10-3 and tying for the Sun Belt West title with a 7-1 mark.

“We’ve really challenged our team to crank the dial up in their respective areas,” Wommack said. “Great programs need great opportunities and for us to take steps forward we need opportunities like a game against Tulane.

Wommack called the opener, which comes in the same city where USA lost to Western Kentucky 44-23 in the New Orleans Bowl in its last game, “one of the best Group of Five matchups in all of college football this year.”

“I think both programs are moving in the right direction,” Wommack said. “You prepare and prepare and prepare and there comes a point where you get a chance to see where you’re at and what you can accomplish.”

– Field Level Media

Nov 25, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Tulane Green Wave running back Tyjae Spears (22) runs for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the first half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

No. 19 Tulane tops No. 24 Cincinnati to reach AAC title game

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Tyjae Spears rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns and No. 19 Tulane defeated host and No. 24 Cincinnati 27-24 to win the American Athletic Conference regular-season title Friday afternoon.

Spears had his sixth consecutive 100-yard rushing game and eclipsed 1,000 yards for the season as the Green Wave (10-2, 7-1) earned the host spot in the AAC championship game Dec. 3.

Michael Pratt added a 30-yard touchdown pass to Duece Watts that provided the winning points with 5:10 left.

Evan Prater made his first start at quarterback for Cincinnati (9-3, 6-2) in place of injured Ben Bryant. Prater completed 10 of 26 for 102 yards and an interception as the two-time defending conference champion Bearcats saw their 32-game home winning streak end.

Tulane notched the first turnover of the game in the third quarter when Dorian Williams snared a tipped pass from Prater at the Cincinnati 40.

The Green Wave converted a fourth and 3 from the 6 when the Bearcats were called for pass interference. On the next play Spears ran 2 yards for a touchdown and a 20-10 lead.

On the ensuing possession Cincinnati converted a fourth and 1 on its way to Ryan Montgomery’s 8-yard touchdown run that trimmed the lead to 20-17 at the end of the third.

The Bearcats converted two fourth downs on its way to Montgomery’s 15-yard touchdown run that briefly gave them their first lead at 24-20 with 6:27 left.

The Green Wave needed just three plays to set up Pratt’s game-winner to Watts.

Valentino Ambrosio kicked a 34-yard field goal for a 3-0 Tulane lead that held up through the end of the first quarter.

On the first play of the second quarter, Ryan Coe kicked a 28-yard field goal that tied the score.

Spears ran 11 yards for the game’s first touchdown, giving the Green Wave a 10-3 lead.

On the ensuing possession, the Bearcats’ Charles McClelland ran 35 yards for a tying touchdown.

Ambrosio kicked a career-long 47-yard field goal with 16 seconds left to give Tulane a 13-10 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media

Nov 12, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; UCF Knights defensive tackle Ricky Barber (5) sacks Tulane Green Wave quarterback Michael Pratt (7) during the first quarter at Yulman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rebecca Warren-USA TODAY Sports

John Rhys Plumlee leads No. 22 UCF past No. 17 Tulane

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John Rhys Plumlee ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead No. 22 Central Florida to a 38-31 victory over host No. 17 Tulane in American Athletic Conference play on Saturday in New Orleans.

Plumlee rushed for 176 yards, including touchdowns runs of 67 and 9 yards, on 18 carries and went 17-for-30 passing for 132 yards. Javon Baker had five receptions, including an 8-yard touchdown, for 54 yards for the Knights, who have won eight of their past nine games.

Michael Pratt went 23-for-39 passing for 236 yards and three scores for Tulane. Tyjae Spears ran for 130 yards on eight carries and Jha’Quan Jackson had five receptions for 95 yards for the Green Wave, who ended their five-game winning streak.

Central Florida (8-2, 5-1), Tulane (8-2, 5-1) and two-time defending league champion Cincinnati (8-2, 5-1) are tied atop the American Athletic Conference standings. The top two teams will meet in the title game on Dec. 3. Tulane closes the regular season on Nov 25 at Cincinnati, which lost to Central Florida on Oct. 29.

Leading 24-14 at halftime, Central Florida extended its lead to 31-14 on Plumlee’s 9-yard run that capped an eight-play, 83-yard drive with 8:58 left in the third quarter.

Valentino Abrosio’s 23-yard field goal pulled the Green Wave to within 31-17 with 3:41 left in the quarter before Pratt’s 2-yard scoring toss to Reggie Brown made cut the margin to seven with 11:39 left in the game.

Isaiah Bowser’s 1-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, made it 38-24 with 3:32 to go before Tulane capped the scoring on Pratt’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Shae Wyatt with 1:46 remaining.

After Plumlee’s 47-yard run set up Colton Boomer’s 25-yard field goal on the Knights’ first possession, Plumlee’s 67-yard touchdown run on Central Florida’s next possession extended the lead to 10-0 less than five minutes into the game.

Tulane trimmed the lead to 10-7 on Pratt’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Duece Watts on its ensuing possession. But Central Florida countered when Bowser scored on a 2-yard run to make it 17-7 with 2:24 left in the opening period.

–Field Level Media