Football Drops Homecoming Game to Cincinnati, 17-16

Saturday, November 4

Yulman Stadium

3 p.m.

Tulane University

3-6 , 1-4

Cincinnati

3-6 , 1-4

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Cincinnati

Tulane

Photo by: Parker Waters

Football Drops Homecoming Game to Cincinnati, 17-16

Nov 4, 2017 | Football

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NEW ORLEANS – Sophomore wide receiver Darnell Mooney had a career-high 115 receiving yards, but Tulane football fell to Cincinnati, 17-16, Saturday afternoon in front of a Yulman Stadium Homecoming crowd of 20,798.

The Green Wave (3-6, 1-4 American Athletic Conference | West) finished with 328 total yards, including 196 through the air, while the Bearcats (3-6, 1-4 American Athletic Conference | East) totaled 456 yards of offense, including 248 passing and 208 rushing.

Junior quarterback Jonathan Banks passed for 196 yards on 17 completions, eight of which went to Mooney, who averaged 18.1 yards per catch. Banks also led the Wave on the ground with 75 yards on 10 carries. Junior safety Roderic Teamer Jr. led Tulane with a career-high 10 tackles, and added a tackle for loss.

"It was a disappointing loss," head coach Willie Fritz said. "They converted a bunch of third downs, particularly early in the ballgame. We had opportunities to get some touchdowns instead of field goals, and we didn't do that. At the end of the game, we were trying to cold call it and see what they were in up front, and unfortunately, we jumped. That put us at 4th-and-6, and we had to kick the field goal. I thought that was our only chance. He was 3-for-3, and I was proud of that, but unfortunately, he didn't make it."

Trailing 17-16 with 5:15 to play, Tulane took over after a Cincinnati punt with a chance to take the lead. The Green Wave drove 67 yards with a field goal attempt to take the lead, but the 36-yard try was missed wide left with 1:21 left, and the Bearcats ran out the clock.

Banks completed six consecutive passes to start the game – a Tulane career-best – totaling 65 yards. It was his legs, however, that scored the first touchdown of the game and gave the Green Wave the early lead. On 2nd-and-2, he evaded pressure in the pocket and dashed 53 yards through the defense to the end zone to put the Wave on top, 7-3, with 3:12 left in the first quarter.

Cincinnati had scored on its opening possession, driving to the Tulane seven-yard line, but the Green Wave defense held, forcing a 25-yard field goal by Ryan Jones. The Bearcats took a 10-7 lead on the first play of the second quarter when Hayden Moore hit Devin Gray for a 39-yard touchdown completion down the sideline.

Sophomore Merek Glover pulled the Green Wave into a 10-10 tie with 7:38 to play in the half when he knocked a career-long, 37-yard field goal through the uprights. Glover connected on his first three field goal attempts in the game, eclipsing the team's season total – two – entering Saturday.

Glover put the Wave on top going into the locker room with a 19-yard field goal that made the score 13-10. Tulane drove 42 yards in 14 plays, using up the final 5:33 of the half to take the lead.

The Bearcats took the lead back in the third quarter on a five-yard touchdown run by Mike Boone. Cincinnati took over on its 28 after a Tulane punt to start the half, and drove 72 yards in 10 plays and 5:55 to move ahead, 17-13 at the 7:12 mark of the third quarter.

Following a missed 41-yard field goal attempt by Cincinnati, sophomore running back Darius Bradwell gave Tulane its initial first down of the second half on a five-yard run early in the fourth quarter. That run, on the second play of the possession, sparked a 67-yard drive that ended with a 26-yard field goal by Glover to cut the deficit to 17-16 with 7:59 remaining in the game.

The Green Wave are on the road next week at ECU for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff Saturday in Greenville, N.C. The game will be carried live on CBS Sports Network.

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