Tulane University
11-2 , 7-1
University of North Texas
11-2 , 7-1
Tulane Takes Down North Texas for Second American Conference Title
Dec 6, 2025 | Football
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NEW ORLEANS – The No. 20 Tulane football team (11-2) achieved the program's second consecutive historic victory with a 34-21 win over No. 24 North Texas (11-2) on Friday night, Jan. 5, at Yulman Stadium, securing a spot in the 2025 American Conference Championship.
North Texas struck first, as Drew Mestemaker connected with Tre Williams on an 11-yard touchdown to cap a 15-play drive, putting the Mean Green ahead 7-0 with 8:32 remaining in the first quarter.
Tulane responded with a 16-play drive that concluded on a fourth-down conversion, as Jake Retzlaff ran it in from the two-yard line with 30 seconds left in the opening quarter, tying the game at 7.
The Green Wave's defense forced and recovered a fumble on the ensuing possession. Tulane capitalized quickly, driving 37 yards over two plays, ending with Jamauri McClure's seven-yard rush at the 12:29 mark of the second quarter, giving Tulane a 14-7 lead.
Following another defensive stop, Tulane added a 30-yard field goal from Patrick Durkin, his 23rd of the season—tying the school single-season record—to push the lead to 17-7 with 5:46 remaining before halftime.
A muffed punt that hit off a North Texas player led to another short field for Tulane. The offense took advantage as Retzlaff scampered in on a one-yard touchdown run as the clock hit zero, extending the lead to 24-7 at halftime.
The Green Wave's defense scored next when Chris Rodgers intercepted a pass on fourth down and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown, making it 31-7 at the 7:32 mark of the third quarter. It marked Tulane's first non-offensive touchdown of the season.
North Texas responded with a 59-yard touchdown pass from Mestemaker to Miles Colman, cutting the lead to 31-13 with 19 seconds left in the third quarter.
The Mean Green kept fighting, scoring again on a nine-yard rush by Ashton Gray, who also converted the two-point attempt, bringing the score to 31-21 with 9:35 remaining.
Durkin then added his fifth field goal—his career-long 52-yarder—with 2:51 left, sealing the 34-21 victory after Jahiem Johnson's interception on North Texas's final drive. Durkin's 52-yard field goal was the longest in school history since Brad Palazzo's in 1997, and his five field goals tied the school record.
Following the game, safety Jack Tchienchou was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Championship Game.
Next, Tulane will learn its opponent when the first round of the playoff seedings are announced on Sunday, Dec. 7, starting at 11 a.m.
Offense
Jake Retzlaff finished 13-for-22 for 145 yards, with two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown. Jamauri McClure led the rushing attack with 121 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. Javin Gordon added 26 rushing yards. Garrett Mmahat led the receivers with three catches for 39 yards, while Omari Hayes also caught three passes. Zycarl Lewis Jr. had two receptions for 30 yards.
Defense
Jack Tchienchou led the defense with nine tackles, including a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and an interception. Chris Rodgers recorded seven tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown. Jahiem Johnson added five tackles and an interception. Santana Hopper totaled two sacks, with Sam Howard, Harvey Dyson III, and Mo Westmoreland each recording a sack. LJ Green also contributed with a sack, and Isaiah Wadsworth added a fumble recovery.
Special Teams
Patrick Durkin successfully converted two of three field goal attempts, including a career-long 52-yarder, his 24th of the season—setting a school record. Alec Clark punted three times, averaging 52 yards with a long of 63, and placed two inside the 20.
Team
Tulane outgained North Texas 463-140, including a 175-20 advantage in rushing yards. The Green Wave's defense forced five sacks, seven tackles for loss, three interceptions, and two fumble recoveries. The team held North Texas to 25.8 points below their season average, with 104 yards fewer passing than average. The 21 points surrendered was the team's season low by 10 points.
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Notes
- Jack Tchienchou's performance—forced fumble, fumble recovery, and interception—is the first by a Tulane player in the same game since Trent Mackey in 2010 against Rice. He is also the first player in an FBS Conference Championship game since Wisconsin's Andrew Van Ginkel in 2017.
- This marks Tulane's fourth consecutive season playing in the American Conference Championship, tying the league record held by Clemson, Marshall, and Northern Illinois with six appearances each.
- The victory marked Tulane's second conference championship win in four years, tying the league record for most league titles since the inception of conference championship games in 2015.
- The win improved Tulane's all-time record against North Texas to 4-0 since the series began in 2013.
- The team's 11 wins this season are the most since 2022 and tie the third-highest total in school history.
- Tulane's 24th and 25th field goals of the season by Durkin set school records for both single-season field goals and points by a kicker, with 112 points—the most in school history for any player.
- With two rushing touchdowns, Jake Retzlaff has now scored 16 rushing touchdowns this season, a school record for a Tulane quarterback and the third-most in school history behind Matt Forte (2007, 23) and Tyjae Spears (2022, 19).
- Retzlaff ranks sixth all-time at Tulane in single-season passing yards with 2,862.
- Tulane has won 40 of its last 50 games when outrushing opponents and 36 consecutive games when leading at the end of the third quarter.
- The Green Wave is 61-7 (.897) when leading at halftime and 61-9 (.871) when leading after three quarters since 2016.
- Tulane has won 43 of its last 55 games overall since 2022, a testament to sustained success under Coach Jon Sumrall.
TICKETS
Tickets for football and both men's and women's basketball seasons can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), visiting TulaneTix.com, or stopping by the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
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Team Stats
UNT 7, TLN 0
UNT - Williams III,Tre 10 yd pass from Mestemaker,Drew (Nguma,Kali kick) 15 plays, 75 yards, TOP 06:28
UNT 7, TLN 7
TLN - Retzlaff,Jake 2 yd run (Durkin,Patrick kick), 16 plays, 81 yards, TOP 07:57
UNT 7, TLN 14
TLN - McClure,Jamauri 7 yd run (Durkin,Patrick kick), 2 plays, 37 yards, TOP 00:55
UNT 7, TLN 17
TLN - Durkin,Patrick 30 yd field goal 10 plays, 46 yards, TOP 04:39
UNT 7, TLN 24
TLN - Retzlaff,Jake 1 yd run (Durkin,Patrick kick), 6 plays, 13 yards, TOP 00:47
UNT 7, TLN 31
TLN - Rodgers,Chris 35 yd interception (Durkin,Patrick kick)
UNT 13, TLN 31
UNT - Coleman,Miles 59 yd pass from Mestemaker,Drew () 4 plays, 60 yards, TOP 01:03
UNT 21, TLN 31
UNT - Gray,Ashton 9 yd run (Gray,Ashton rush), 8 plays, 88 yards, TOP 02:54
UNT 21, TLN 34
TLN - Durkin,Patrick 30 yd field goal 13 plays, 66 yards, TOP 06:29
