Football Earns Thrilling 24-21 Comeback Victory Over Southern Miss

Saturday, September 26

NEW ORLEANS

6 p.m.

Tulane University

2-2 , 0-0

Southern Miss (Hall of Fame)

1-3 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Southern Miss.	0	14	7	0	21
Tulane	7	7	0	10	24

Football Earns Thrilling 24-21 Comeback Victory Over Southern Miss

Sep 26, 2026 | Football

Box Score

Photo Gallery

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane football team (2-2) rallied with 10 points in the fourth quarter and then blocked the potential game-tying field goal with just under two minutes remaining to seal the 24-21 victory over Southern Miss (1-3) at Yulman Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Maurice Turner, who ran for 200 yards, had the game-winning 74-yard jaunt with 5:26 remaining to give the Green Wave a lead it would not relinquish. Josh Lewis's blocked field goal at the 1:45 mark of the fourth quarter secured the team's fourth-quarter comeback victory.

Tulane scored first for the second straight game as quarterback Kadin Semonza connected with Anthony Brown-Stephens on a 47-yard pitch-and-catch to put the Green Wave up 7-0 with 8:15 remaining in the first quarter to complete a six play, 70-yard drive.

Southern Miss tied the score at seven early in the second quarter on a 32-yard touchdown pass to Davis Dalton with 12:43 to go until the half.

The Green Wave wrestled the lead back, 14-7, at the 9:47 mark of the second quarter on Turner's 43-yard rush.

Southern Miss tied the game again on the ensuing possession as Mario Sanders hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass with 4:44 remaining in the second quarter.

Southern Miss took the team's first lead of the game early in the third quarter on the 22-yard touchdown reception by Sanders at the 10:07 mark of the third quarter.

The Green Wave picked up a 26-yard field goal from Cooper Helmke to put the score 21-17 with 8:35 remaining in the contest setting up Turner and Lewis's late game heroics.

Offense: Kadin Semonza went 12-for-24 for 129 yards and touchdown. True freshman Trace Johnson came off the bench to go 2-for-5 for 35 yards in his first game action. Fellow quarterback Dagan Bruno picked up nine yards and a rushing first down on the final series of the game. Maurice Turner ran 12 times for 202 yards and two touchdowns. Anthony Brown-Stephens had five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. Dawson Johnson picked up a pair of catches for 31 yards.

Defense: Kevin Adams III led the squad with his nine tackles. Jack Tchienchou totaled seven tackles. Geordan Guidry had five tackles and a sack. Makai Williams recorded five tackles including a sack. Ed Smith IV had three tackles, two for loss and a sack. Reshad Sterling and Derrick Shephard Jr. both had half a sack.

Special Teams: Cooper Helmke was successful on his 26-yard field goal attempt and all five of his kickoffs were touchbacks. William Hudlow averaged 54.3 on his seven punting attempts. Josh Lewis blocked a field goal.

Team: Tulane out gained the Golden Eagles 445 to 401 including 281 to 131 on the ground. The defense totaled seven tackles for loss and four sacks.

NOTES
- Maurice Turner is the 3rd Tulane running back all-time to average 15+ yards per carry on at least 10 attempts (Jimmy Hodgins vs Sewanee on 11/21/31 & Jaylin Lucas vs. South Alabama (9/12/26)).

- He is the second player to ever run for 200 or more yards Yulman history (Jaylin Lucas – 214 – 9/12/26).

- Turner's 74-yard TD run in the fourth quarter was the second-longest rush for a Tulane player over the last 4 seasons, behind Lucas' 80-yarder.

- Turner is the first Tulane player with three rushes of 40+ yards in same game in over 20 years. The last American player to do so was Navy's Blake Horvath vs. Memphis in September of 2024.

- With the win, Tulane improves to 11-24 all-time against Southern Miss in a series that started in 1979. Tulane has now won four of the last five contests against the Golden Eagles. The win also secures Tulane the "Battle for the Bell" Trophy.

- The win improved Tulane to 41-36 all-time against current schools in the Sun Belt Conference.

- Since the start of the 2022 season, Tulane is 45-15 (.750).

- Tulane is one of nine schools to win 45+ games from 2022-26.

- The Green Wave is at .500 after four games for the third time since 2020 (2026, 2024, and 2020), eighth time since 2010 (2026, 2024, 2020, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2011, and 2010) and the 38th time since the start of the program in 1893.

- Head Coach Will Hall is now 72-52 (.580) over the course of his 11-year head coaching career.

- Coach Hall improved his all-time record to 3-0 all-time as a head coach at Yulman Stadium.

- Coach Hall improved his all-time mark to 30-10 when his team runs for 200+ yards in a game. He is 45-23 in his career in home games.

- The win was Tulane's ninth consecutive win at home dating back to the start of the 2025 season (7-0 in 2025 and 2-0 in 2026). The nine straight wins at home is tied for the fifth-longest home winning streak (in the home city of New Orleans) since the beginning of the program in 1893.

Tulane All-Time Home Winning Streaks
1. 23 – 1929-1932 (Sept. 28, 1929 – Oct. 8, 1932)
t-2. 11 – 1948-49 (Sept. 25, 1948 – Nov. 5, 1949)
t-2. 11 – 1923-24 (Sept. 29, 1923 – Oct. 25, 1924)
4. 10 – 1973-74 (Sept. 22, 1973 – Oct. 19, 1974)
t-5. 9 – 2025-Present (Aug. 30, 2025 – Present)
t-5. 9 – 1998-99 (Sept. 26, 1998 – Oct. 16, 1999)
t-5. 9 – 1938-39 (Oct. 15, 1938 – Oct. 14, 1939)
t-8. 8 – 1978-79 (Oct. 28, 1978 – Nov. 17, 1979)
t-8. 8 – 1934-35 (Sept. 29, 1934 – Sept. 28, 1935)
t-8. 8 – 1908-1909 (Oct. 19, 1908 – Oct. 16, 1909)
11. 7 – 1940-41 (Oct. 19, 1940 – Oct. 18, 1941)

- The one-score victory was the team ninth straight win in a one-score game. The streak is the longest in the country with Indiana's six wins in one-score games being the next closest current NCAA active streak.

- Tulane has won 17 of the last 19 games when amassing at least 400 yards of total offense with the last loss coming against Ole Miss in the College Football Playoff (CFP) (12/20/25).

- The Green Wave have now outrushed the opposition in 41 of the last 58 games (including 35 of the last 48). In such contests, Tulane holds 38-3 (losses: 2022 vs. Southern Miss, 2023 vs. Ole Miss, and 2025 vs. UTSA).

- Since 2022, Tulane is now 18-4 when committing one turnover.

- Tulane was one of only 13 FBS teams to not play an FCS team this season.

TICKETS
Tickets for the football, volleyball and the upcoming men's and women's basketball seasons can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane football on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

GREEN WAVE CLUB
Giving to the Green Wave Club provides Tulane Athletics with the resources student‑athletes need to excel in competition and in the classroom. Your support directly improves the lives of current and future Green Wave student‑athletes and enhances Tulane's competitiveness in intercollegiate athletics. Make a gift today by calling (504) 865‑5356, emailing greenwaveclub@tulane.edu, or visiting greenwaveclub.com.