Pratt Throws No. 24/23 Football to 37-17 Victory Over South Alabama

Saturday, September 2

NEW ORLEANS

7 p.m.

Tulane University

1-0 , 0-0

South Alabama

0-1 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

South Alabama

Tulane

Photo by: Parker Waters

Pratt Throws No. 24/23 Football to 37-17 Victory Over South Alabama

Sep 2, 2023 | Football

Box Score

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

NEW ORLEANS – Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt missed on just one pass and tossed four touchdown passes as the 24th-ranked Green Wave won 37-17 Saturday evening at Yulman Stadium to kickoff the 2023 season.

Pratt had a near perfect passing day in going 14-for-15 for 294 yards and four touchdowns. His fourth touchdown pass tied the school record for career touchdowns of 72 set by Patrick Ramsey. He also ran for 39 yards. Jha'Quan Jackson totaled three catches for 106 yards and two touchdown receptions. Lawrence Keys III recorded four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Chris Brazzell II caught all four pass attempts in his direction for 53 yards and a touchdown. Makai Hughes had eight carries for 41 yards.

Corey Platt Jr. led the defense with a career-high 15 tackles. He also had a sack. Jesus Machado picked up eight tackles and a stop for loss. Patrick Jenkins recorded five tackles including a pair of sacks and a forced fumble. Kameron Hamilton also had a pair of sacks and a forced fumble. Lance Robinson had a pair of tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. D.J. Douglas also had an interception on the evening.

Valentino Ambrosio scored 13 points on the day with three made field goals and four extra points.

South Alabama was led by Carter Bradley's 190 yards passing. He had both a passing and rushing touchdown.

Tulane recorded 436 yards of offense on the evening with 294 passing and 142 rushing. The Green Wave defense limited South Alabama to 265 total yards. The team also had seven tackles for loss and five sacks plus a pair of interceptions and three forced fumbles.

In game action, Tulane capitalize on an early fumble recovery by Robinson as the offense scored on the ensuing drive with Pratt hooking up with Brazzell on the four-yard pitch and catch to put the score at 7-0 at the 13:09 mark of the opening quarter.

Tulane made it 10-0 later in the opening quarter on an Ambrosio 29-yard attempt at the 2:40 mark.

After a rushing score by South Alabama cut the Tulane lead to three, the Green Wave marched down the field and scored on a 47-yard pass from Pratt to Jackson to put Tulane up 17-7 with 10:34 remaining in the second quarter after Ambrosio was true on the try.

The Tulane offense kept the foot on the gas as Pratt connected on another 47-yard touchdown pass, this one to Keys III, to put the Green Wave up 24-7 with 7:39 remaining in the second quarter after another Ambrosio try.

South Alabama added a field goal to put the score at 24-10 at the break.

A forced turnover from South Alabama led to a touchdown pass by Bradley to Devin Voisin to draw the Jaguars to within a touchdown.

The Green Wave answered on the next drive with Pratt connecting again with Jackson for 48-yard touchdown pass. It was Pratt's 72nd touchdown pass of his career to tie the school record. The extra point from Ambrosio was good to put Tulane up 31-17 with 4:27 remaining in the third quarter.

Ambrosio knocked in his second field goal of the game, this one from 30-yards, to put Tulane up 34-17 with 12:43 remaining in the game.

Tulane added another Ambrosio field goal to put the Green Wave 37-17 with 4:48 remaining in the game.

Next the Tulane football team welcomes in Ole Miss for a 2:30 p.m. game on Sept. 9 at Yulman Stadium

NOTES
The win extended Tulane's winning streak to four games from the end of last season…. Tulane improved to 6-2 all-time in season openers under Willie Fritz…This game was the second straight year that Tulane has started the season at home…The team started at home for four straight years from 2015-19… With the win, Tulane improved to 2-1 all-time against South Alabama…Tulane, which entered into the game ranked at No. 24 in the Associated Press Preseason Poll, was ranked for their first game for the first time since being ranked in the Week 1 poll four times from 1936-49…Michael Pratt, with four passing touchdowns on the evening, tied Patrick Ramsey (1998-01) with 72 career passing touchdowns…Pratt in home games is 312-for-490 with 41 TD passes, 7 interceptions and has thrown for 4,248 yards…He has four 300 yard passing games, 11 200+ yard passing games, 14 multi-TD passing games….Jha'Quan Jackson now has 51 catches for 709 yards and five touchdowns in home games…Since the start of 2016 season, Tulane is now 37-9 when leading at halftime.

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