Green Wave Speed Past Nicholls, 42-17

Saturday, September 8

New Orleans, La.

7 p.m.

Tulane University

1-1

Nicholls

1-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Nicholls

Tulane

Photo by: Parker Waters

Sep 8, 2018 | Football

Box Score Tulane-Nicholls Box Score Tulane Football 2018 Season Stats Tulane Postgame Quotes Nicholls Postgame Quotes Tulane vs. Nicholls - Postgame Notes

NEW ORLEANS – In front of the program's 1998 undefeated team, the 2018 version of Tulane football put on a show at Yulman Stadium on Saturday night.

The Green Wave (1-1) got two blazing touchdown runs from Corey Dauphine to set the tone in the first half then got another in the fourth quarter as it pulled away from Nicholls (1-1) for a 42-17 victory in front of 21,092 fans.

Dauphine's first-half touchdown runs came on plays of 38 and 69 yards on his first two carries of the night, echoing the Green Wave's big-play touchdowns by Terren Encalade in Week 1 against Wake Forest.

Quarterback Jonathan Banks added a 5-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and found Darnell Mooney for a 12-yard touchdown catch in the third, and Dauphine capped the night with a 35-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.

Dauphine was the top rusher on the roster with 152 yards on just six carries. Mooney had his third career 100-yard game, finishing with 111 yards on six catches to lead the Green Wave receiving corps. Saturday was the first time Tulane had a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver in the same game since September 2015 against Maine. Darius Bradwell also set a career high with 93 yards rushing.

Defensively, Tulane kept Nicholls at bay, holding the Colonels to just 3 of 10 on third-down conversion. Roderic Teamer Jr. had his third career interceptions, and Chase Kuerschen added an interception as well late in the fourth quarter. Zachery Harris was Tulane's top tackler with eight while Lawrence Graham added seven and Will Harper had six and a sack.

Saturday night marked the Green Wave's first meeting all-time against the Colonels, and Tulane now leads the lifetime series 1-0. The Green Wave are 11-0 in their last 11 games against Football Championship Subdivision opposition dating back to 2005.

Following a missed Nicholls field goal midway through the first quarter, Tulane got on the board for the first time of the night. Darnell Mooney made two huge catches on the drive of 23 and 19 yards on back-to-back plays with the 23-yarder coming on a third-and-long. From 38 yards out, Dauphine got his first touch of the night and ran past the Colonels defense for his first career touchdown.

Nicholls scored its first points on the next drive, but the Green Wave defense kept the Colonels out of the end zone. Nicholls had eight goal-to-go plays on the drive thanks to two Green Wave face masks but had to settle for a 21-yard field goal by Lorran Fonseca to make it a 7-3 Tulane lead after 15 minutes.

Dauphine ignited the Yulman Stadium crowd for his second touchdown of the night on the first play of the second quarter. From the Green Wave 31-yard line, Dauphine took a handoff through the left side made of the line, made one cut to the right and turned on the afterburners for a 69-yard touchdown on a career-long run. Through two carries, Dauphine had 107 yards and two touchdowns.