Saturday, September 12
Mobile, AL
6:30 PM
Tulane University
1-0
27
at
24
South Alabama
1-1
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Tulane
0
6
7
14
27
South Alabama
0
14
10
0
24
Football Opens 2020 Season with 27-24 Road Win at South Alabama
Sep 12, 2020 | Football
MOBILE, Ala. - The Tulane football team scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to complete a 27-24 comeback road win over South Alabama in its 2020 season opener.
Redshirt sophomore running back Cameron Carroll scored two rushing touchdowns and redshirt freshman Tyjae Spears ran for 105 yards on 11 carries, as the Green Wave ran for 203 yards as a team.
Making his first career start, redshirt senior quarterback Keon Howard threw for 191 yards and ran for 31 more with one score.
Tulane forced South Alabama to punt on each of its last five possessions in the game and held the Jaguars to just 96 yards of total offense in the second half.
Both teams got off to slow starts offensively, committing turnovers on their first possessions of the evening respectively, as the first quarter elapsed without any scoring plays.
South Alabama (1-1) got on the scoreboard first with a 34-yard touchdown strike just over four minutes into the second quarter, but the Green Wave countered less than 90 seconds later on a six-yard rushing score by Carroll. The Wave were unable to convert their extra point attempt and trailed, 7-6, with 9:27 left in the first half.
The Jaguars scored another touchdown to take a 14-6 advantage into halftime, and that began a streak of 17 unanswered points as they extended their lead to 24-6 on a 49-yard field goal halfway through the third quarter.
Tulane (1-0) flipped the momentum back in its favor the next time the offense took the field, using just two-and-a-half minutes to construct a six-play, 60-yard scoring drive, capped by Carroll's second rushing score of the evening from 12 yards out, with 5:07 remaining in the third.
The Green Wave got a stop on defense before piecing together another quick scoring drive that used less than two minutes of game clock. Three quality running plays and a costly pass interference penalty by South Alabama set up Howard for an easy one-yard touchdown run, and despite failing on the two-point conversion, Tulane pulled within one score and trailed 24-19 with 14:42 to go in the game.
After the fourth of five consecutive forced Jaguar punts, Tulane grabbed its first lead of the game after completing a six-play, 67-yard scoring drive that ended with a 16-yard rushing score by Amare Jones with 3:18 remaining.
After a penalty against South Alabama gave the Wave a second chance at a two-point conversion, Howard completed a quick pass across the middle to Tyrick James to put what was ultimately a stamp on the three-point triumph.
Defensively, senior defensive end Cameron Sample tallied seven tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks, while classmate Patrick Johnson also registered a pair of sacks.
Next up, Tulane hosts Navy for an American Athletic Conference matchup in its home opener on Saturday, September 19. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m., at Yulman Stadium and the game will be televised nationally on ABC.
Redshirt sophomore running back Cameron Carroll scored two rushing touchdowns and redshirt freshman Tyjae Spears ran for 105 yards on 11 carries, as the Green Wave ran for 203 yards as a team.
Making his first career start, redshirt senior quarterback Keon Howard threw for 191 yards and ran for 31 more with one score.
Tulane forced South Alabama to punt on each of its last five possessions in the game and held the Jaguars to just 96 yards of total offense in the second half.
Both teams got off to slow starts offensively, committing turnovers on their first possessions of the evening respectively, as the first quarter elapsed without any scoring plays.
South Alabama (1-1) got on the scoreboard first with a 34-yard touchdown strike just over four minutes into the second quarter, but the Green Wave countered less than 90 seconds later on a six-yard rushing score by Carroll. The Wave were unable to convert their extra point attempt and trailed, 7-6, with 9:27 left in the first half.
The Jaguars scored another touchdown to take a 14-6 advantage into halftime, and that began a streak of 17 unanswered points as they extended their lead to 24-6 on a 49-yard field goal halfway through the third quarter.
Tulane (1-0) flipped the momentum back in its favor the next time the offense took the field, using just two-and-a-half minutes to construct a six-play, 60-yard scoring drive, capped by Carroll's second rushing score of the evening from 12 yards out, with 5:07 remaining in the third.
The Green Wave got a stop on defense before piecing together another quick scoring drive that used less than two minutes of game clock. Three quality running plays and a costly pass interference penalty by South Alabama set up Howard for an easy one-yard touchdown run, and despite failing on the two-point conversion, Tulane pulled within one score and trailed 24-19 with 14:42 to go in the game.
After the fourth of five consecutive forced Jaguar punts, Tulane grabbed its first lead of the game after completing a six-play, 67-yard scoring drive that ended with a 16-yard rushing score by Amare Jones with 3:18 remaining.
After a penalty against South Alabama gave the Wave a second chance at a two-point conversion, Howard completed a quick pass across the middle to Tyrick James to put what was ultimately a stamp on the three-point triumph.
Defensively, senior defensive end Cameron Sample tallied seven tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks, while classmate Patrick Johnson also registered a pair of sacks.
Next up, Tulane hosts Navy for an American Athletic Conference matchup in its home opener on Saturday, September 19. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m., at Yulman Stadium and the game will be televised nationally on ABC.
Team Stats
TULANE
USA
Total Yards
394
386
Pass Yards
191
321
Rushing Yards
203
65
Penalty Yards
60
65
1st Downs
22
21
3rd Downs
1
8
4th Downs
1
0
TOP
26:02
33:58
2nd Quarter
TULANE 0, USA 7
USA - Baker, Kawaan 34 yd pass from Lovertich,Chnce (Guajardo, Diego kick) 9 plays, 80 yards, TOP 2:46
TULANE 6, USA 7
TULANE - Carroll,C. 6 yd run (Glover,M. kickfailed), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:24
TULANE 6, USA 14
USA - Wayne, Jalen 13 yd pass from Lovertich,Chnce (Guajardo, Diego kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:41
3rd Quarter
TULANE 6, USA 21
USA - Davis, Carlos 2 yd run (Guajardo, Diego kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:45
TULANE 6, USA 24
USA - Guajardo, Diego 49 yd field goal 7 plays, 24 yards, TOP 2:54
TULANE 13, USA 24
TULANE - Carroll,C. 12 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 6 plays, 60 yards, TOP 2:31
4th Quarter
TULANE 19, USA 24
TULANE - Howard,K. 1 yd run (Howard,K. rushfailed), 5 plays, 42 yards, TOP 1:48
TULANE 27, USA 24
TULANE - Jones,Am. 16 yd run (James,T. pass), 6 plays, 67 yards, TOP 1:48
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
14
TD
0
YDS
191
INT
0
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
DE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
DE
/ Football
RB
/ FootballTulane Tuesday: S Jack Tchienchou - 9/9/25
Tuesday, September 09
Tulane Tuesday: QB Jake Retzlaff - 9/9/25
Tuesday, September 09
Tulane Tuesday: HC Jon Sumrall - 9/9/25
Tuesday, September 09
South Alabama Postgame: HC Jon Sumrall, SPEAR Javion White, RB Zuberi Mobley
Sunday, September 07
