Washed Away: Tulsa Drops Close Contest Against Green Wave

Tulane scored 14 unanswered points to capture a 14-7 victory on Saturday afternoon in front of 22,414 fans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Tulane stayed unbeaten in Conference USA play improving to 4-0 in league action and 6-2 overall, while Tulsa fell to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in C-USA play. The loss snapped an eight-game Tulsa winning streak in the series.

With starting quarterback Cody Green sidelined with an injury, the Tulsa offense managed 344 yards on offense as red-shirt freshman Dane Evans received his first career start.

The Hurricane gave up four turnovers on the day. Tulsa marched inside the Tulane 30-yard line four times, scoring only once, while throwing two interceptions and missing a 29-yard field goal on the other three opportunities.

Tulane took a 14-7 lead at the 7:29 mark of the third quarter as Ryan Grant caught a 33-yard pass from Devin Powell in the end zone, capping a nine-play, 70-yard drive, taking 4:09 off the clock. A Tulane fourth-down play that fell short of the first down marker by the ruling on the field was over-ruled for a first down at the Tulsa 37-yard line. Two plays later, the Green Wave scored the go-ahead touchdown.

The game was scoreless through the first 15 minutes before the Golden Hurricane got on the scoreboard three seconds into the second period. Tulsa scored the games' first points after a 64-yard Will Barrow interception return to the Tulane five-yard line. The Hurricane scored on 4th-and-1 Trey Watts run from one-yard line at the 14:57 mark of the second quarter.

Tulane converted 3-of-3 third downs en route to scoring a game-tying touchdown with 0:42 left on the first half clock. The Green Wave marched 80 yards in 13 plays t take 4:41 off the clock as Powell threw the final 19 yards to Justyn Shackelford for the TD.

As the first half scoreboard read 7-7, the statistics were fairly even as well. Tulsa totaled 178 first-half yards on 37 plays, while Tulane had 166 yards on the same amount of plays. The Green Wave had more than a one-minute edge in possession time, 15:42 to 14:18.

In his first collegiate start, Evans passed for 139 yards on 13 completions. Ja'Terian Douglas rushed for a season-high 79 yards on 17 carries and Trey Watts totaled 106 all-purpose yards, including 63 yards rushing and 27 receiving.

Junior linebacker Donnell Hawkins, in his first start of the season, led the Golden Hurricane with 10 tackles. Will Barrow, Michael Mudoh and Mitchell Osborne each tallied nine tackles.

Tulsa is returns to H.A. Chapman Stadium on Homecoming next Saturday to face the UTSA Roadrunners.