Football Runs Over UAB 71-20

Saturday, October 5

Birmingham, AL

12 p.m.

Tulane University

4-2 , 2-0

UAB

1-4 , 0-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Tulane

UAB

Photo by: Parker Waters

Oct 5, 2024 | Football

Box Score

FINAL STATS | ESPN HIGHLIGHTS | POSTGAME SUMRALL PRESS CONFERENCE | POSTGAME PLEASANT PRESS CONFERENCE | POSTGAME HUGHES PRESS CONFERENCE | POSTGAME HOWARD PRESS CONFERENCE | PHOTO GALLERY (BY PARKER WATERS)

BIRMINGHAM, AL – The Tulane football team (4-2, 2-0 AAC) went on the road and defeated UAB (1-4, 0-2 AAC) by a 71-20 score on Saturday at Protective Stadium. The point total set a new school record for an AAC game and it was the largest margin of victory for Tulane in a conference game since 1939.

Makhi Hughes led the team with 119 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. He also had a catch for 15 yards. Arnold Barnes III totaled 11 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Jamauri McClure totaled 10 carries for 84 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Darian Mensah went 12-for-15 through the air for 134 yards and a touchdown. Ty Thompson was 2-for-3 for 46 yards and both a rushing and passing touchdown. Yulkeith Brown led the team with four catches for 60 yards and two touchdowns. Bryce Bohanon totaled a pair of catches for 35 yards.

Defensive back Micah Robinson led the defense with eight tackles. Lu Tillery picked up four tackles. Linebacker Chris Rodgers had three tackles and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. Defensive linemen Patrick Jenkins, Kameron Hamilton and Matthew Fobbs-White all registered sacks in the game.

Rayshawn Pleasant led the special teams' unit with his kickoff return touchdown.

Tulane was able to outgain UAB 497 to 305, including a 317-85 margin in rushing yards. The team also scored 20 points off turnovers. The defense recorded three sacks and 11 stops for loss.

Tulane scored first as Ty Thompson rushed it from the three to finish off the six play, 42-yard drive with 7:33 remaining in the opening quarter and put the Green Wave up 7-0.

The Blazers drew to within four, 7-3, on the 33-yard field goal from Johan Delange with 4:34 left in the first quarter.

Rayshawn Pleasant promptly made it a two-score game as he returned the ensuing kick 100-yard for a touchdown with 4:21 remaining in the first quarter. The extra point was missed to keep the score at 13-3.

The Tulane defense picked up an interception by Elijah Champaigne on the next UAB drive to set up the offense with a short field that it promptly took advantage of with a one-yard Hughes scamper to put the score at 20-3 with 3:02 left in the first quarter.

Delange made his second field goal of the game to put the score at 20-6 with less than a minute remaining in an action-packed opening quarter.

Tulane wasted no time with the first score in the second quarter as Hughes ran it all the way from his own 49 for a 51-yard score to put the Green Wave up 27-6 with 14:46 remaining in the second quarter.

The Green Wave offense kept rolling as Ethan Head knocked in his 25-yard attempt to finish off a 13 play, 53-yard drive and put Tulane up 30-6 with 6:24 remaining in the opening half.

Tulane made it one more touchdown before the break as Barnes rushed it from the one to put the score at 37-6 with 1:11 remaining. The scoring drive covered 11 plays and 61 yards.

The Green Wave kept the foot on the gas pedal to start the second half as Yulkeith Brown hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Mensah to finish off the seven play, 75-yard drive and increase the Tulane lead to 44-6 with 11:13 remaining in the third quarter.

The Tulane offense reached 50 points after an interception from Javion White gave the offense a short field. Ty Thompson quickly connected with Yulkeith Brown on a 22-yard score to make the score 50-6 after the missed extra point with 5:32 left in the third quarter.

The Tulane defense got into the scoring next as Chris Rodgers returned an errant pass for a 29-yard touchdown to make the score 57-6 with 5:18 remaining in the third quarter. It was Tulane's fourth interception return for touchdown this season.

UAB scored a touchdown to start the fourth at Jalen Kitna connected with Amare Thomas on a 73-yard catch off the short completion to make the score 57-13 with 13:28 remaining in the game.

Barnes scored his second touchdown of the game from 14 yards out on a rush to put Tulane up 64-13 with 8:21 left.

Jamari McClure ran it from 29 yards out as the team reached 70+ points and led 71-13 with 7:04 left in the contest.

UAB scored a late touchdown to make the final score 71-20.

Next, the football team has a bye before returning home to take on Rice on October 19 at a yet to be announced time at Yulman Field.

NOTES:

- The 71 points scored was a new school-record for Tulane in an AAC game as the previous high had been 62 against Tulsa in 2017 (62-28 – 10/7/17).

- The 51-point margin of victory was the largest for the program in a conference games since 1939 when the team defeated Sewanee 52-0.

- Makhi Hughes' 119 yards rushing was his third game this season and the 10th game in his career that he has topped 100 yards on the ground.

- Yulkeith Brown's two touchdown receptions was the first multiple touchdown game of his career.

- Arnold Barnes III's two rushing touchdowns mark his first-ever multiple touchdown performance.

- Since the start of the 2022 season, Tulane is now 27-7.

- With multiple turnovers forced against UAB, Tulane has now won 23 of the last 27 games when forcing an opponent turnover.

- Tulane has now outrushed the opposition in 24 of the last 32 games (including 18 of the last 22)…In such contests, Tulane holds a 22-2 record (losses in 2022 vs. Southern Miss and 2023 vs. Ole Miss).

- Since the beginning of the 2016 season, Tulane is 46-7 (.867) when leading at the half and 48-9 (.842) when leading at the end of the third quarter.

- The 37 first-half points scored by Tulane was the most points for the program in the opening half since scoring 52 against Morgan State during the 2021 season (9/11)…That game was also hosted in Birmingham as Tulane was forced to evacuate New Orleans due to Hurricane Ida.

- Tulane 71 points was the most points the team has scored since putting up 72 against Louisiana during the 1998 season (10/31/98).

- Tulane has now scored 40+ points in three straight games (71 – UAB, 45 – USF and 41 – Louisiana)…The three straight 40+ points games is the longest for the program since the 1998 season when the team also scored 40+ plus in four straight games (49 vs. Army – 11/14/98, 48 vs. Houston – 11/21/98, 63 vs. Louisiana Tech – 11/26/98 and 41 vs. BYU (Liberty Bowl) – 12/31/98)

- Rayshawn Pleasant's 100-yard kick return touchdown was his second kickoff return touchdown of the season…He is the first Tulane player to ever return multiple kicks for touchdowns in the same season and only the second player in school history to ever do it in a career as Michael Pierce (1986-89) did it once in 1987 and once in 1988…His first kick return for a touchdown against Louisiana earlier this season made Pleasant just one of only four players in Tulane history to get both a defensive touchdown and a special teams touchdown in a career along with Mitchell Price (1987-89 - 1 INT, 1 PR and 1 KR), Israel Route (2003-06 - 1 FR and 1 KR) and Lynaris Elpheage (2000-02 - 1 Rush, 2 INT, 2 PR and 1 KR)… Pleasant is the first since Elpheage in 2002 to get both a special teams touchdown and a defensive touchdown in the same season…Pleasant's defensive touchdown and special teams touchdown in the same season was the third time in program history along Elpheage, who did it twice…In 2002, Elpheage had a interception, a punt return and kick return for a touchdown plus a rush for a touchdown as well… In 2001, Elpheage had an interception and a punt return touchdown.

- The Green Wave is 2-0 in conference play for the third straight year, fifth time since 2017 and 11th time in school history.

- The victory was the fourth for Tulane in the team's first six games…It marks the first time since 2013 that Tulane has won exactly four of the first six games, but the third time in as many seasons that Tulane is 4-2 or better…Overall, Tulane is 4-2 or better for the 46th time in school history.

- The win was the first time that Jon Sumrall has won his first two conference game in three years as a head coach…It was his ninth straight regular season conference victory dating back to the Sun Belt Conference league game he lost to James Madison while at Troy last season (9/16/23).

- The win improved Coach Sumrall to 5-0 all-time against current AAC teams.

- The victory made Tulane 4-0 this season when outrushing the opponent.

- The win was Tulane's 12th straight in AAC regular season play dating back to the 2022 season (11/17/22 vs. SMU - Present)…The streak is now the third-longest in league history and only trails UCF (9/30/2017 – 9/28/19) and Cincinnati (10/2/20 – 10/29/22) by five for the all-time record of 17 straight conference game victories…Tulane's 12 straight conference wins is the second longest active streak in the country behind the 24 from Michigan.

- The win improved Tulane to 7-6 all-time against UAB.

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