Strong Defense Leads No. 21 Football To 13-10 Road Win Over ECU

Saturday, November 4

Greenville, NC

Tulane University

8-1 , 5-0

East Carolina

1-8 , 0-5

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Tulane

East Carolina

Strong Defense Leads No. 21 Football To 13-10 Road Win Over ECU

Nov 4, 2023 | Football

Box Score

FINAL STATS | POSTGAME FRITZ PRESS CONFERENCE | RADIO HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY (BY PARKER WATERS)

GREENVILLE, NC – The No. 21 Tulane football team (8-1, 5-0 AAC) earned a hard-fought road victory over an ECU Pirates squad (1-8, 0-5 AAC) on Saturday by a 13-10 score at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

The Tulane offense was limited to a touchdown in this one, but the second of Valentino Ambrosio's two field goals early in the fourth quarter led the Green Wave to the thrilling victory.

Running back Makhi Hughes led the offensive effort for Tulane as he ran for 105 yards. Quarterback Michael Pratt went 16-for-25 for 213 yards and a touchdown through the air. He also ran 10 times for 33 yards. Wide receiver Lawrence Keys III totaled three catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Alex Bauman recorded three catches for 42 yards. Wideout Jha'Quan Jackson totaled a pair of catches for 48 yards.

Linebacker Jesus Machado led the Tulane defense with his eight tackles, while Tyler Grubbs had seven. Jared Small, another linebacker, totaled four tackles and a stop for loss. Cornerback Jarius Monroe recorded three tackles, a stop for loss and a pass breakup.

ECU scored first as the Pirates took the opening kick down the field and put up a field goal after a 13 play, 71-yard drive that chewed up over six minutes.

After a defensive stop, ECU marched down the field and scored the first touchdown of the game as Gerald Green rushed it in from a yard out to put Tulane in a 10-0 early deficit.

The Green Wave offense got to within a score a 14 play, 92-yard drive that finished in the end zone with Pratt connecting with Keys on a nine-yard touchdown to make the score 10-7 ECU with 4:08 remaining in the first half.

In a fast moving first half, after a stop by the Green Wave defense, the Tulane offense knotted things up at 10-all with a second remaining in the half on a 21-yard field goal from Ambrosio.

After a scoreless third quarter, Ambrosio gave Tulane a 13-10 lead at the 14:14 mark of the fourth quarter with his 26-yard field goal in what would prove to the game-winner.

Next, the Tulane football team returns home to take on Tulsa on Saturday, November 11 at 11 a.m. in a game that will be shown on ESPN2.

NOTES:

Michael Pratt now has thrown a touchdown pass in 41 of 42 career games…Tulane is 8-1 on the season for the second straight year under Coach Fritz (2023 and 2022)…Overall the program is 8-1 or better for the 12th time since 1893 (2023- 7-1, 2022 – 7-1, 1998 – 8-0, 1973 – 8-1, 1948 – 8-1, 1939 – 8-0-1, 1934 – 8-1, 1931 – 9-0, 1930 – 8-1, 1929 – 9-0, 1925 – 8-0-1, 1924 – 8-1)…The Green Wave is 5-0 in conference play for the second straight year under Willie Fritz and the sixth time overall (2023, 2022, 1998, 1949, 1939, 1934)…The win made Tulane 20-3 in its last 23 games over the last two seasons…No Tulane has ever won 20 games over a two-year period of time…The five wins in the conference this season is tied for the fourth most in school history behind the eight by the 1934 team, the seven from the 2022 team, the six from the 1998 team, the five from the 1939, 1948, 1949, 1997, 2013 and 2018 teams)…The 20 victories since the start of the 2022 season ranks tied for third nationally with Ohio State and only behind 24 from Georgia and 22 from Michigan …The 20 wins in 23 games is the fourth time the program has won at least 20 of 23 games dating back to the start of the program in 1893 (20-3 between 2022 and 2023, 20-2-1 between 1930- 1931- 1932, 22-1 between 1929-1930-1931, 21-1-1 between 1928-1929-1930)…Tulane has run for 100 yards as a team in 95 of the last 99 games…Tulane has won a school-record nine consecutive road games, second nationally to Georgia's 13…Makhi Hughes' 105-yard rushing was his fifth-straight game topping 100-yards on the ground…It was the 206th time that a Tulane player has run for 100-yards or more in a game…The Tulane defense has now gone 30 straight games without allowing 100-yard to an individual running back (10/2/21 against ECU's Keaton Mitchell – 222 yards rushing).

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