ARLINGTON – TulTulane href=”https://www.velelove.com” tarTulane get=”_blank”>Tulane ane Tulane could not sTulane top the USC offense inside the 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl. It turns out the Green Wave didn’t need to.
A special teams mistake via USC unlocked the Tulane door, and the Green Wave burst through it, scoring nine factors in the very last 3:06 for a interesting forty six-forty five win.
“I’m nonetheless trying to soak all of it in,” Tulane train Willie Fritz said. “The Cotton Bowl people Tulane are just excellent. What a recreation. They treated us like kings all week, and we’re proud to represent Tulane University.”
The first 3 ½ quarters of the sport saw a dominant USC offense led Tulane by using Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. The Oklahoma switch finished 37 of fifty two passes for 462 yards and five touchdowns. The Trojans’ offense scored a touchdown on seven of its first 9 drives to hold a reputedly cushty 45-30 lead with 4:30 left in law.
“He’s a quite excellent participant,” Fritz stated. “He’s tough to get down (at the floor), and he has a very good group of receivers. We had been looking to preserve Tulane him in the pocket as first-rate we should, and it’s hard while you haven’t played for a month.”
Tulane’s offense became led via running lower back Tyjae Spears, who received 205 yards and four touchdowns on 17 tries en path to earning the Offensive Most Valuable Player award. Each time the Ponchatoula, La., local rushed the ball, he averaged 12.1 yards. However, the offense Tulane wanted a Tulane spark Tulane from its passing recreation trailing with the aid of Tulane 15 points.
“I can’t do it all by myself,” Spears stated. “I actually have an superb o-line that comes to work each day. They’re the toughest-running group at the group. They push me every day, and we compete towards every other. I’m from a place in which I’m looking to get out, and I don’t need to go returned, so that drives me every day.”
The spark was given by means of Tulane Duece Watts. The senior extensive receiver caught a pass from quarterback Michael Pratt and raced to the USC four-backyard Tulane line. Spears would rating on the Tulane following play from the wildcat formation to carry Tulane inside 45-37 with four:07 remaining at the clock.
What occurred next greatly surprised the fifty five,329 lovers in attendance and could stay inside the lore of both football packages for infinity. Tulane kicker Casey Glover aimed the kickoff to the four-backyard line along the left sideline, wherein Mario Williams stood in coaching to capture and return the ball. Only Williams didn’t secure the catch, and the ball went out of bounds at the 1.
The Green Wave crammed USC’s first rush attempt to get breathing room away from its endzone. The Trojans’ 2nd strive appeared to be a study choice to strolling returned Austin Jones, who become met in the end quarter by using Patrick Jenkins and tackled for a protection that brought the Green Wave crowd to existence.
Tulane had the ball at its 34-yard line following a 21-backyard return with 3:13 displaying on the scoreboard. The Green Wave furnished maximum suspense and had to convert fourth-down attempts to maintain the drive alive.
“We do some drill referred to as ‘fastball’ during the season on Wednesdays, where we pass as speedy as possible. We have tune on and lots of chaos and the whole thing,” Fritz said. “The guys carried out each play the way they needed to.”
Pratt converted the first fourth-down strive with an 8-yard run and scrambled before locating Alex Bauman open for twenty-four yards to the USC 6-backyard line with 22 seconds closing. Thirteen seconds later, Pratt determined Bauman again for the touchdown. Valentino Ambrosio delivered the more point to give Tulane its first lead of the sport.
“(That’s) as hard a loss as I can recall in my entire career,” USC train Lincoln Riley stated. “Losses like this are usually hard to digest. Our men laid it on the line, organized tough, and wanted to win this sport. We positioned ourselves in an outstanding function to get it carried out. All 3 facets (fee) us there at the stop with the Tulane dropped kickoff and the protection. Then now not getting the stops we wanted down the stretch.”