Tulane rallies past Memphis for 31-21 victory

MEMPHIS, TN – The Tulane Green Wave ended a 25-year losing streak in Memphis after overcoming a sluggish second-half. The streak dated back to the 1998 undefeated Tulane team.

Makhi Hughes and Chris Brazzell II both recorded 100-yard games to lead the Wave offense. Hughes 130 yards on the ground was a career high and his second consecutive week with over 100 rushing yards.

On defense, DJ Douglas led the Wave with five solo tackles to combine for six total. Lance Robinson and Kam Pedescleaux both had clutch takeaways that each ended in a Tulane touchdown.

Tulane (5-1, 2-0 AAC) struck first with an interception by Lance Robinson followed by a 32-yard reception by Chris Brazzell II to bring up the first down.

The nine play, 72-yard drive was capped by a two-yard rushing touchdown by Makhi Hughes to put Tulane on the board first.

Two drives later, a 26-yard field goal by Valentino Ambrosio would put the Wave up by 10 to end the first quarter.

Memphis (4-2, 1-1 AAC) fought with fire in the second half, scoring 14 unanswered points to set the Wave back 14-10 going into the half.

The Tigers received the ball to start the second half and continued their momentum from the first half to cap the nine play, 75-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown reception to take the score to 21-10.

Tulane turned on the heat and went on to match the 21 unanswered points with a set of their own, leaving Memphis scoreless for the last 25 minutes of the game.

After a penalty set the Wave back fifteen yards from the Memphis four-yard line, Michael Pratt completed an 18-yard pass to Chris Carter to put them on the one-yard line. Pratt took it in on a QB sneak to get the first seven of the half for the Wave.

The defense came up with a big three-and-out on Memphis’ drive and the Olive and Blue kept the momentum rolling with a five play, 69-yard drive capped by a Yulkeith Brown rushing touchdown to open the fourth quarter with Tulane leading.

The final score of the game would come on the next Green Wave drive, with an 11-yard reception by Lawrence Keys III to cap a drive that began with an interception by Kam Pedescleaux.

Tulane will return to Yulman next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. to take on North Texas in the Homecoming game.

TICKETS
Tickets for the 2023 season for football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane football on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

[contentcards url=”https://crescentcitysports.com/three-takeaways-tulane-proves-mettle-with-second-half-rally-in-memphis/”]