Tulane University
Auburn
Turnovers Costly As Football Falls At Auburn, 38-13
Oct 21, 2006 | Football
Oct. 21, 2006
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AUBURN, Ala.-Junior running back Matt Forté galloped for 117 yards and the receiving duo of senior wideouts Preston Brown and Damarcus Davis combined for 265 yards through the air, but it was not enough as the Tulane University football team fell to Auburn, 38-13, Saturday afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
The Tigers, who entered the game ranked fifth in the nation in scoring defense, forced three turnovers while posting four tackles for loss and two pass break-ups. Offensively, quarterback Brandon Cox completed 16-of-passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns to spearhead the Auburn (7-1) victory. With the loss, Tulane falls to 2-5.
"Auburn is an outstanding football team," Tulane head coach Chris Scelfo said. "They came out and really established the tone early. When we gave them the ball...they jumped on us right away. They caused a lot of havoc for us today, but I was proud of the way our kids fought and hung in there."
The Green Wave accumulated 389 yards on the day - the most allowed by Auburn all season - but turnovers killed drives and potential scoring opportunities and set up a short-field situation for the Tigers' offense. Tulane trailed 14-7 early in the second quarter, and took over at its own 20. Tulane fumbled on a third-and-two opportunity, and two plays later, Cox completed a six-yard pass to Tre Smith to make it a two-touchdown ballgame. The Green Wave also had a 13-play, 92-yard drive halted at the Auburn five yard line when Jonathan Wilhite forced fumble, and saw an 11-play, 64-yard drive stopped by an interception at the Tigers' six.
"This week, it was just one turnover (the interception)," Scelfo said. "The others, they just out-executed us and whipped us. I thought we moved the ball well from 20-to-20, but we have to get points there."
The Tigers scored on their opening possession, going 74 yards on nine plays capped by a two-yard run by Brad Lester, but Tulane came right back with an 80-yard drive that culminated with a 23-yard scoring strike from junior quarterback Lester Ricard to Davis to tie the game at 7-all with 6:05 left to play in the first quarter.
Auburn responded with a five-play, 68-yard touchdown drive to reclaim the lead on the ensuing drive and made it a 14-point contest on Smith's two-yard plunge after the Green Wave's first turnover. Freshman kicker Ross Thevenot cut the lead to 11 on a 21-yard field goal with 16 seconds left in the first half, but following a squib kick attempt, Cox hit Lee Guess for a 22-yard pickup and John Vaughn drilled a 45-yard field goal as time expired in the period.
Following Tulane second fumble of the afternoon, Auburn drove 87 yards the other way and capped a 10-play drive with a 23-yard Cox-to-Courtney Taylor pass to make the turnover hurt. Thevenot kicked his second field goal of the day on the ensuing drive, and Ben Tate closed out the scoring with a one-yard scoring plunge with 9:52 left to play.
Brown led all players with nine receptions for 139 yards, while Davis followed closely behind with eight grabs for 126 yards and a touchdown. Ricard, meanwhile, completed 20-of-39 passes for 283 yards, one touchdown and an interception.
Sophomore middle linebacker Evan Lee and junior free safety Louis Thomas tied for game-high tackle honors with eight each, while Chinonso Echebelem, Jordan Ellis, Jeremy Foreman and David Skehan posted six stops apiece. Skehan also added a tackle for loss and a forced fumble to help lead the Green Wave's defensive effort.
Auburn's Tate led all players with 156 yards on 26 carries, and Smith followed with 44 yards on five attempts. Taylor led the Tigers' receiving corps with five receptions for 63 yards and a score.
The Green Wave return to action on Saturday, Oct. 28, when they return to the Louisiana Superdome for Homecoming 2006 vs. Army at 1 p.m. Tickets for the game, and future Green Wave contests, remain for sale through the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office.
The Ticket Office is located on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center, and tickets can be purchased in person, via the telephone at (504) 861-WAVE or via the internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com. In addition, single-game tickets are also available via Ticket Master at www.TicketMaster.com and at all Ticket Master outlets.
