Tulane rallies at South Alabama for 27-24 win

MOBILE, Ala. – The Tulane football team scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to complete a 27-24 comeback road win over South Alabama in its 2020 season opener.

Redshirt sophomore running back Cameron Carroll scored two rushing touchdowns and redshirt freshman Tyjae Spears ran for 105 yards on 11 carries, as the Green Wave ran for 203 yards as a team.

Making his first career start, redshirt senior quarterback Keon Howard threw for 191 yards and ran for 31 more with one score.

Tulane forced South Alabama to punt on each of its last five possessions in the game and held the Jaguars to just 96 yards of total offense in the second half.

Both teams got off to slow starts offensively, committing turnovers on their first possessions of the evening respectively, as the first quarter elapsed without any scoring plays.

South Alabama (1-1) got on the scoreboard first with a 34-yard touchdown strike just over four minutes into the second quarter, but the Green Wave countered less than 90 seconds later on a six-yard rushing score by Carroll. The Wave were unable to convert their extra point attempt and trailed, 7-6, with 9:27 left in the first half.

The Jaguars scored another touchdown to take a 14-6 advantage into halftime, and that began a streak of 17 unanswered points as they extended their lead to 24-6 on a 49-yard field goal halfway through the third quarter.

Tulane (1-0) flipped the momentum back in its favor the next time the offense took the field, using just two-and-a-half minutes to construct a six-play, 60-yard scoring drive, capped by Carroll’s second rushing score of the evening from 12 yards out, with 5:07 remaining in the third.

The Green Wave got a stop on defense before piecing together another quick scoring drive that used less than two minutes of game clock. Three quality running plays and a costly pass interference penalty by South Alabama set up Howard for an easy one-yard touchdown run, and despite failing on the two-point conversion, Tulane pulled within one score and trailed 24-19 with 14:42 to go in the game.

After the fourth of five consecutive forced Jaguar punts, Tulane grabbed its first lead of the game after completing a six-play, 67-yard scoring drive that ended with a 16-yard rushing score by Amare Jones with 3:18 remaining.

After a penalty against South Alabama gave the Wave a second chance at a two-point conversion, Howard completed a quick pass across the middle to Tyrick James to put what was ultimately a stamp on the three-point triumph.

Defensively, senior defensive end Cameron Sample tallied seven tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks, while classmate Patrick Johnson also registered a pair of sacks.

Next up, Tulane hosts Navy for an American Athletic Conference matchup in its home opener on Saturday, September 19. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m., at Yulman Stadium and the game will be televised nationally on ABC.

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TULANE 27, SOUTH ALABAMA 24 – POSTGAME NOTES

TEAM NOTES
• The Tulane-South Alabama matchup was the first game ever at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
• With the win, the Green Wave captured their fourth season-opening win in the last five years.
• Tulane improved to 67-58-2 all-time record in season openers.
• The Green Wave’s trip to South Alabama marked the first time since 2014 that Tulane has opened a season on the road (Aug. 28 – at Tulsa).
• Tulane took on South Alabama for just the second time in program history. The all-time series is tied a 1-1 and both games have been decided by three points or less. The Green Wave dropped a 41-39 decision at the Superdome on Sept. 7, 2013.
• Tulane fell behind 24-6 in the third quarter, but roared back to score 21 unanswered points to take a 27-24 lead that it would not relinquish.
• The Green Wave’s 18-point comeback was their largest come-from-behind-win since their 21-point comeback against Houston on Sept. 19, 2019.
• Tulane outscored South Alabama 14-0 in the fourth quarter.
• Team captains for today’s game were QB Keon Howard, OL Corey Dublin, DL Cameron Sample and LB Marvin Moody.
• Redshirt junior DB Willie Langham carried the No. 18 flag in honor of Devon Walker.
• With the win, head coach Willie Fritz improved to 217-101-1 all-time.
• Five Green Wave student-athletes made their way to Tulane from the state of Alabama. Darius Hodges (Montgomery), Shi’Keem Laister (Clanton), Willie Langham (Bessemer), Alfred Thomas (Montgomery) and KJ Vault (Hoover) all returned to their home state on Saturday. Tulane defensive coordinator Jack Curtis (Birmingham) and offensive line coach Cody Kennedy (Florence) also hail from Alabama.

OFFENSIVE NOTES
• The Green Wave offensive starters were QB Keon Howard, RB Tyjae Spears, RB Amare Jones, TE Tyrick James, WR Jacob Robertson Jr., WR Duece Watts, OL Sincere Haynesworth, OL Josh Remetich, OL Corey Dublin, OL Trey Tuggle and OL Joey Claybrook.
• Dublin made his 39th straight start.
• Tulane freshmen Josh Remetich and Trey Tuggle became the first true freshmen to start on the offensive line since Corey Dublin did so back in 2017.
• The Green Wave have now surpassed 100 yards rushing in 54 straight games. The Green Wave finished with 203 yards on the ground.
• Spears finished with a game and career-high 105 yards on 11 carries.
• Both Tyjae Spears (135) and Amare Jones (124) finished with over 100 yards of all-purpose yards.
• Tulane quarterback Keon Howard finished the game with 191 yards passing. He also rushed for 31 yards, as he made his first start since 2017.
• Howard completed passes to nine different players.
• Wide receiver Jha’Quan Jackson finished with a team-high three receptions for 44 yards.
• Redshirt sophomore Cameron Carroll tied a career high with two rushing touchdowns.

DEFENSIVE NOTES
• The Green Wave defensive starters were DL Patrick Johnson, DL De’Andre Williams, DL Cameron Sample, DL Jeffery Johnson, S Larry Brooks, LB Kevin Henry, LB Marvin Moody, CB Jaylon Monroe, DB Ajani Kerr, S Chase Kuerschen and CB Willie Langham.
• Junior linebacker Nick Anderson posted a team and career-high eight tackles. He also tallied a sack.
• Senior defensive linemen Cameron Sample and Patrick Johnson both tallied a pair of sacks. With his two sacks, Johnson is now tied for fifth all-time in program history with 15.5 career sacks.
• Sample also tallied 3.5 tackles for loss and forced a fumble.
• Senior De’Andre Williams recovered his first fumble since 2017.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
• Junior Amare Jones finished with 65 kickoff return yards and 23 punt return yards.
• Redshirt senior Merek Glover missed his first extra point since Nov. 15, 2018. Prior to that miss, Glover had made 56 extra points in a row.
• Redshirt sophomore punter Casey Glover had five punts for 249 yards (49.8 yards per punt).