Tulane University
Memphis
Tulane Downed By Memphis
Oct 25, 2003 | Football
By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - DeAngelo Williams accounted for 237 yards and scored two touchdowns as Memphis defeated Tulane 41-9 to send the Green Wave to its fourth straight loss.
Danny Wimprine completed 16 of 30 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns, while Maurice Avery scored a pair of short TDs as Memphis (5-3, 2-2 Conference USA) won for the second straight week.
Mewelde Moore was the lone bright spot for Tulane (3-5, 1-4), rushing for 159 yards. The usually prolific J.P. Losman was only 12-for-32 for 105 yards and a touchdown while being intercepted twice, once for a touchdown. Losman also took a hard hit in the third quarter that appeared to cause him pain in his throwing shoulder, although he did not come out of the game until Tulane's last possession.
Tulane converted only one third down in its first scoreless first half of the season and continued to sputter most of the game.
Memphis, by contrast, converted eight of its first 12 third downs, including a 38-yard touchdown pass on a third-and-17 play from Wimprine to Tavarious Davis. That score, capping Memphis' first possession of the second half, gave the Tigers a 28-0 lead. Williams' second touchdown, a 49-yard run early in the fourth quarter, came on a third-and-9. Williams finished with 195 yards rushing to hit 1,003 yards for the season.
Tulane appeared primed to score the game's first points after marching from its own 21-yard line to the Memphis 22 in 12 plays. But on third-and-2, Moore was held to one yard, then Losman was stuffed at the line on fourth-and-1.
Tulane never threatened to score again in the half, while Memphis took control behind Williams, who had a 17-yard run and a 35-yard gain on a third-down screen pass to set up the Tigers' first touchdown, a 2-yard run by Avery.
On Memphis' next possession, Avery hauled in passes of 8 and 28 yards before catching a 4-yard pass for the drive-capping touchdown that gave the Tigers a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Memphis helped Tulane in the first half with two turnovers on fumbles, one inside the Tulane 10. But in the final minute of the first half, Scott Vogel stepped in front of Losman's sideline pass and ran it back 38 yards for a score to give Memphis a 21-0 lead.
Memphis scored on its first two drives of the second half, taking a 35-0 lead on Williams' first score, a 3-yard run around the right end.
Tulane's only other score came on a blocked extra-point kick that Jeremy Foreman ran the other way for two points.
