Tulane Football Blitzes FIU in Season Opener, 42-14

Thursday, August 29

New Orleans, La.

7 p.m.

Tulane University

1-0

FIU

0-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

FIU

Tulane

Photo by: Parker Waters

Tulane Football Blitzes FIU in Season Opener, 42-14

Aug 29, 2019 | Football

Box Score Tulane-FIU Box Score

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane football team built an early advantage behind four first-half touchdowns and racked up 545 yards of offense en route to a 42-14 season-opening victory over FIU at Yulman Stadium.

Tulane (1-0) quarterback Justin McMillan accounted for three touchdowns – two through the air and one on the ground – while completing 14 of 18 passes for 199 yards and rushing for 51 more. Running back Corey Dauphine touched the ball three times and ran for 76 yards and two scores.

The Green Wave outgained FIU (0-1) on the ground by a 350-59 margin, as the defense surrendered just 267 total yards to the Panthers.

Running back Darius Bradwell led the Wave with 90 rushing yards on 13 carries, while wide receiver Darnell Mooney racked up 84 yards on four receptions with one touchdown.

After Tulane's offense stalled on its first possession of the game, the Green Wave scored 21 unanswered points on three consecutive scoring drives.

Following a Thakarius Keyes interception on the Panthers' first possession of the game, the Green Wave used the next three and-a-half minutes to construct a seven play, 70-yard drive that was capped by an 18-yard touchdown strike from McMillan to Tyrick James for the first score of the night.

Tulane's two subsequent drives each took approximately three minutes, ending in a seven-yard touchdown run by Amare Jones and a 14-yard rushing score by Dauphine to build a 21-0 lead with 10:05 remaining in the first half.

FIU got on the scoreboard with a one-yard touchdown run to complete a 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive with just under four minutes remaining in the half.

The Green Wave and Panthers exchanged turnovers inside the final 2:35, before McMillan zig-zagged a 17-yard rush into the endzone with just 28 seconds left before halftime.

Tulane's four first-half touchdowns were the most since accomplishing the same feat in the 62-28 home win over Tulsa on Oct. 7, 2017.

Tulane outgained FIU, 310-113, in total yardage in the first half, including a 178-39 advantage on the ground.

The Green Wave erupted with big plays to begin the second half when McMillan went over the top for a 42-yard touchdown toss to Darnell Mooney on the first possession, before Dauphine exploded for a 50-yard rushing score down the sideline to extend the lead to 42-7.

Tulane hits the road for the first time on a trip to Auburn next Saturday, September 7. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

For season ticket information, please call 504-861-WAVE (9283), log on to TulaneTix.com or visit the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.

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