Game Twelve
#19 
Game Notes
--- And so here it was, our final game of the season, as we head on the road to take on Tulane. Much like the UTSA game, this had signs of being a blowout. Tulane entered with the #90 offense, ranking #102 in rushing and #65 in passing. They also had a weak defense, ranking #92 in the nation in defense, #78 in rushing defense and #98 in passing defense. While we would likely shut them down on the ground, our passing defense, ranked #123 in the nation, left a LOT to be desired. Potentially trouble for us, is Tulane’s ranking of #19 in turnover differential, entering the game at +6, while we enter at -3, good enough for #85 in the country. We finally broke our streak of ineptitude and won the coin toss, electing to kick and putting our defense out front first.
A 16 yard kickoff return and Tulane was underway on their 17 yard line. The Green Wave wouldn’t move from that spot, as three straight incomplete passes left Tulane punting just three plays into the game. Sean Parks caught the 40 yard punt on a fair catch and we began our first drive of the game from our 43. Roy Smith would manage only a three yards on back to back rushes and we were left with third and four at the 49 yard line. A blitz by Tulane helped us out, as Brandon Booth found Ryan Strong for a 9 yard pick up and first down at the Tulane 42. After a three yard rush, Smith busted up the middle, gaining 12 yards, before fumbling the ball. Our tight end was able to fall on the ball and recover it, though a booth review would end up overturning the play, declaring that Smith was down by contact before the ball came loose and negating the fumble. With the action reset, we had a first down at the 28 yard line. Two rushes for four and 12 yards by Smith and we were looking at first down from the Green Wave 12 yard line. Keeping it on the ground, Smith would break a tackle to avoid being tackled for a loss, bounce it outside the left tackle, break out of another tackle and take it for the 12 yard touchdown rush and a 7-0 lead with 6:09 left in the quarter.
Starting on their 23 yard line after the kickoff, Tulane would move the ball this time, though it would be backwards, as John Wright was tackled for a two yard loss on first down. Wright would recover and Tulane would gain their first positive yards of the day with a 6 yard gain to set up third and 6 from the 27. A three yard rush by Wright left Tulane punting on fourth and three. A four yard return on the 40 yard punt and we started our new drive at our 33 yard line. Smith would pick up three yards before being brought down to leave us with second and 7. A 6 yard gain, and we were left facing third and one from our 42. Strong avoided the blitz and was able to gain 8 yards to give us a first down at our 49 yard line. A huge hole opening up before him, Smith was able to turn on the speed and pick up 12 yards on the next play to set us up with first and 10 at the 39 yard line. Pulling out the play action, Booth found Chad Fisher along the right sideline on a stop and go for an 18 yard gain and first down at the Tulane 21. A first down pass to Parks went for a gain of 13 and we had first and goal at the 7. Smith never had a chance on the first down rush, getting wrapped up by the middle linebacker, managing to roll to his right and fall forward to be whistled down for only no gain. A pass to Fisher picked up four yards and we faced third and goal from the three. Sending it up the gut, Smith managed to gain three yards, but was stopped just shy of the goal line, setting up fourth and goal from less than a yard out. Getting this close, we refused to walk away with only a field goal, viewing that as a sign of surrender. We came out in goal line formation and Strong punched it in from one yard out to open our lead to 14-0 with 1:47 left in the first quarter.
After a touchback on the kickoff, Wright got the Green Wave moving with a 6 yard rush, but it was downhill from there, as a loss of two yards by Wright and an incomplete pass left Tulane again punting it away on fourth and 6 from their 29. An 8 yard return on the 41 yard punt and we resumed on offense at our 37 yard line. Smith was able to pick up only one yard, being quickly brought down by the defensive tackle. We came out firing on the next play, as Booth took advantage of a mismatch, Smith burning the secondary, catching the pass in stride and outracing the defense for a 62 yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead with 27 seconds to go in the quarter. A 23 yard kickoff return got the Green Wave out to their 29 yard line. After a dropped pass, Brandon Landry finally completed his first pass of the game, hitting Wright for a gain of 9 yards as the clock ran out on the quarter, our leading holding at 21-0.
Opening the second quarter, Tulane faced third and one from their 38 yard line. The drive would stall out with an incomplete pass, as Tulane remained in search of that elusive initial first down. A fair catch on the 47 yard punt left us starting on our 15. Taking advantage of a heavy blitz from the left, Smith was able to pick up 10 yards off the right tackle and a first down at our 25 yard line. Smith never had a chance on the next play, as the nose tackle broke through and brought him down for a loss of one yard. Going back to the air, Booth found Carlos Anderson uncovered on the left side for an 18 yard gain and a first down at the 42 yard line. Trying to pull a wrinkle out of our playbook, the first down option play was blown up as Booth was taken down for a loss of two yards. The second down play action pass was nearly intercepted as the corner got a jump on the comeback route, and we were left with third and 12. Parks pick up the first down and then some, catching a pass from Booth and spinning away from the corner, racing down the field before being brought down by the safety for a 38 yard gain and a first down at the 22 yard line. We’d find the end zone on the next play, as Fisher got behind the safety on a slant route, hauled in the pass from Booth and took it the rest of the way for the 22 yard touchdown and a 28-0 lead with 6:53 to go in the half.
Starting on their 25 after the kickoff, Tulane finally was able to get a first down, as Landry hit Mike Washington for a 13 yard gain to get to their 38 yard line. The drive would stall there as three more incomplete passes would bring the punt team back on. A 9 yard return on the 49 yard punt and we were off and running at our 22 yard line. Coming out firing on first down, the pass from Booth intended for Nicholas Roberts was nearly intercepted. Throwing up another pass, this time the defense would come through, as Kent Baker would pick off the pass intended for Parks, returning it 10 yards to our 19 yard line to set up Tulane inside our red zone. After a four yard rush by Wright and an incomplete pass, Tulane converted third and 6 with a 12 yard pass from Landry to Washington to get first and goal at our two yard line. A false start penalty pushed the Green Wave out to our 8, before a 5 yard rush by Wright put Tulane right back at our two yard line with second and goal. Landry would get Tulane on the scoreboard, rushing it in from two yards out to make it 28-7 with 5:14 to play in the half.
Starting on our 25 after the touchback, Booth was able to recover from the previous drive, hitting Parks for a 12 yard gain and a first down at our 37. Going back to the ground, Smith never had a chance, wrapped up in the backfield for a two yard loss. Going back to the air on the next play proved a mistake, as Booth threw his second interception of the game, Daniel Slaughter returning it 7 yards to our 41 yard line. After two incomplete passes, Landry hit Justin Martin for a 10 yard gain to leave the Green Wave with fourth and inches at our 31. A holding penalty on the conversion attempt would push Tulane back to fourth and 11 at our 41 yard line. Tulane came out in punt formation, and caught our return team sleeping with a fake punt. Punter Lance McIntyre threw hit Edward Fernandez for an 11 yard gain and Tulane had first down at our 30. After a dropped pass, Wright picked up 7 yards on the ground to leave third and three. Tulane breathed new life after our defense got tagged with pass interference, giving Tulane first and goal at our 7 yard line. A four yard rush by Landry left second and goal from the three. Two more yards by Wright got it down to our one yard line on third and goal. The defense struck back, tackling Wright for a loss of two yards to set up fourth and goal from our three yard line. The Green Wave would settle for the 20 yard field goal from Nicholas Slaughter and our lead was 28-10 with 2:29 left in the half.
A 25 yard return by Fisher got us started on our 26 yard line. Smith was able to gain 8 yards on first down, before being swarmed for only a one yard gain to leave us with third and one. Strong would carry it for the first down, picking up three yards to get us to the 39 yard line with 1:25 to play. After an incomplete pass on first down, Tulane nearly had their third interception of the day, but the corner was unable to hold onto the ball, leaving us with third and 10, 1:10 to go. Anderson was able to get separation on third down and haul in the pass from Booth. Getting some downfield blocking from Fisher, Anderson was able to gain 24 yards before being brought down by the linebacker at the Tulane 37 yard line. After a 13 yard pass to Fisher, Booth’s pass intended for Parks was nearly picked off, leaving us with second down at the 24 yard line, the clock stopped with 40 seconds to play. Booth was able to find John Andrews over the middle on second down, Andrews taking advantage of all three linebackers blitzing and picking up 16 yards on the pass. Looking at first and goal from the 8 yard line, we called out first timeout with 36 seconds left on the clock. Trying our luck on the ground, Smith was able to pick up 6 yards, leaving us second and goal from the two. Our second timeout stopped play with 31 seconds remaining. We would find the end zone again on the next play, as Smith took it in for the two yard touchdown. Pratt’s extra point was no good and our lead stood at 34-10 with 29 seconds remaining in the half.
An 18 yard kickoff return left Tulane on their 20 yard line and 19 seconds to play. Landry found Darren Walker for a 20 yard gain, out to their 41 yard line and their first timeout froze the clock with 15 seconds to go. Landry hit John Mitchell for a 15 yard pickup and Tulane’s second timeout stopped the clock with 8 ticks left, the Green Wave with first down at our 44 yard line. An incomplete pass on first down left just two seconds to go in the half. Landry’s final pass of the half went to Washington, who was able to gain 25 yards to our 20 yard line before being brought down, the clock reading all zeroes. Heading into the halftime, our lead still held at 34-10.
A touchback on the kickoff gave our offense possession at our 25 yard line to start the second half. Smith got us moving forward, picking up 12 yards on the first down carry to get us to our 37. A play action pass to Parks went for a gain of 19 yards and we had first down at the Tulane 45. Strong would get brought down for no gain on the first down rush, as the linebacker swam over our left guard and got instant pressure in the backfield. Returning to the air, Parks was able to haul in a 12 yard pass from Booth and our drive stayed alive, advancing to the 33. The Green Wave were once again ready on the ground, bring down Smith for a gain of only one yard. Booth found Smith on second down for a 5 yard gain to leave us with third and four at the 27. Booth’s pass for Anderson was knocked incomplete and we were left attempting a field goal. The 44 yard field goal attempt by Alphonso Pratt was no good and Tulane took over on their 27. A loss of two yards by Wright and an incomplete pass left the Green Wave facing third and 12, when Landry hit Wright for a 17 yard gain and first down at their 42. A 12 yard pass to Tavares Gutierrez gave Tulane first down at our 45. A 16 yard pass to Martin found the Green Wave at our 30 yard line. Wright picked up three yards on a first down rush, followed by an incomplete pass. Wright would convert the third and 7 with a 9 yard rush to get a first down at our 17. An 8 yard pass to Walker and Tulane faced second and two from our 9 yard line. A 7 yard pass to Mitchell and the Green Wave had first and goal at our two. Wright would punch it in on the next play from two yards out. Tulane went for a two-point conversion, but Landry was sacked on the play for a one yard loss, our leading siting at 34-16 with 4:22 left in the third quarter.
Starting on our 25 yard line after the touchback, our offense knew it had to do something this drive, Tulane now only trailing by 18. A pair of rushes for two and four yards by Smith left us with third and four, where Jason Hall caught a pass from Booth for a 6 yard gain and first down at our 37. Calling an audible out of run after reading a blitz, Booth connected with Parks down the right sideline, who had beaten his cover off the line of scrimmage and hauled in the pass, racing the safety for a 58 yard gain before being knocked out at the 5 yard line. Smith would punch it in from 5 yards out on first and goal, bouncing it outside the left tackle after Tulane clogged up the middle, to extend our lead to 41-16 with 2:51 left in the third quarter. Starting on their 25 yard line after the kickoff, Tulane looked likely punt, after two incomplete passes left the Green Wave with third and 10. But a pass interference penalty kept the drive alive, as Tulane got a new set of downs at their 40 yard line. An incomplete pass was followed with Landry being sacked for a loss of 7 yards, and Tulane’s drive again seemed doomed, facing third and 17. Leave it to our defense to again bail them out, as we were tagged with pass interference for the second time this drive, and Tulane had a first down at the 48 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Landry found Washington for a 12 yard gain and Tulane was sitting at our 40. A 5 yard rush by Wright and an incomplete pass left Tulane again with third down, this time Landry connecting with Martin for a gain of 13 and Tulane was knocking on our door at our 22 yard line. Three straight incomplete passes left Tulane facing fourth and 10, and the defense came through big, swatting down the pass intended for Washington to force the turnover on downs, our offense taking over at our 22 with 53 seconds left in the quarter.
Smith got us started with a 6 yard rush on first down, but was tackled for no gain on the next play, leaving us facing third and four. Booth kept the drive alive, needling a pass between the corner and the linebacker to Parks for a 12 yard gain, as the final 5 seconds ticked off the clock. The third quarter was at a close, our lead sitting at 41-16.
Starting the fourth quarter, Strong was able to avoid the blitzing linebacker, and busted up the middle, fighting for an 8 yard gain on the first down play. Strong would keep pounding the ball, picking up another 8 yard gain to give us a first down at the Tulane 43 yard line. Strong was living up to his name, breaking his third straight 8 yard run, before fighting forward for 5 yards and a first down at the 30. Fisher entered the backfield to give Strong a breather, picking up 7 yards on the first down carry. Despite a penetrating blitz, Strong was able to fight forward for a two yard gain on the next play, leaving us with third and one at the 21 yard line. Strong would convert the third down, managing to pick up two yards to give us a new set of downs at the 19 yard line. Fisher toting the rock this time, it was a 8 yard gain to leave us second and two at the 11. Strong would take the ball on second down, avoiding the blitz and picking up 6 yards, setting us up with first and goal from the four yard line. Booth’s pass on first down was nearly intercepted, but fell incomplete. The next play, Fisher would cut inside the corner and haul in the four yard touchdown pass from Booth, adding on to our lead, now 48-16 with 5:21 left in the game.
Starting on their 25 yard the touchback, it was a short drive for the Green Wave. Wright was able to pick up four yards on first down, before an incomplete pass and a three yard loss by Landry left Tulane with fourth and 9 on their 26 yard line. Our special teams would come through huge, as Parks took the 40 yard punt, returning it 66 yards for the touchdown, our first punt return TD of the season, making our lead now 55-16 with 4:26 remaining. After a 17 yard kickoff return, Tulane found themselves on their 21. Landry started the drive with a three yard rush, but an incomplete pass left them with third and 7. A gain of one yard by Landry and Tulane was left facing fourth and 6 from their 25 yard line. The 48 yard punt was returned for 10 yards by Parks and we took over on offense at our 37 yard line with 3:34 remaining in the game.
Our second team offense came out to close out the game at the start of the drive. Back in the game, Smith gained 7 yards on the first down carry, followed by a 5 yard pickup and first down at midfield, the Tulane fans that still remained in the crowd starting to head for the exits. Hall would keep us moving forward, gaining 6 yards on first down, followed by a two yard gain to give us third and two at the Tulane 43. Hall would get the first down, rushing for 5 yards to get us to the 38 with 2:02 remaining. Three more rushes from Hall, for gains of four, 5 and two yards, and we had a first down at the 28 yard line with 1:07 left to play. Choosing to keep it going on the ground, instead of taking a couple knees, to give our second team offense some much valuable playing time, Hall was able to pick up 5 yards on the first down rush, before being brought down for a loss of one. The final play of the game, on third and 6, brought out the boos from the entire stadium, as Anderson found a hole, got a pair of downfield blocks, and had nothing but green in front of him for a 23 yard touchdown rush as the clock showed all zeroes. The extra point made the final score 62-16, the controversy already erupting around the nation with our “piling on” touchdown from our second team offense as the final seconds ran out.
With the win, we improve to 11-1 on the year, a perfect 8-0 in C-USA action, Tulane falls to 3-9, 1-7 in C-USA action. Up next, it’s off to the C-USA Championship Game, were we meet the Golden Panthers of Florida International for the second time this season. We defeated FIU 27-14 back in week 4. Since then, FIU has been a team on fire, reeling off 8 straight wins, their record standing at 10-2, 7-1 in C-USA play. Recapping their year, the Golden Panthers started the season with 24-21 win at NC State, before losing 23-17 at #11 Texas. A 27-17 win at Tulane was followed with a 27-14 loss to Tulsa, before pitching two shutouts at home, 45-0 against North Texas and 31-0 against UAB. From there, FIU got a 24-17 win at Marshall and won at Louisiana Tech 44-14. After their bye week, the Golden Panthers beat East Carolina on the road 27-17, took down Southern Miss 24-10, destroyed Florida Atlantic on the road 34-3 and beat New Mexico State at home, 34-19. This C-USA Championship Game is shaping up to be a barn burner.
Final Score
#19 62,
16
Stat(s) of the Game:
Tulsa Offense – A one-two punch by our offense. 365 yards through the air, 252 yards on the ground, if Tulane managed to stop one, we were pretty much able to switch to the other and keep bending the Green Wave over. Booth had a good day with 365 yards and three touchdowns, though it was marred by those two interceptions, Tulane scoring 10 of their 16 points off of those interceptions. Another great day by Smith, ending the game with 124 yards and 3 touchdowns on 27 carries. In, 6 people carried the ball today. Turning to receiving, we had 7 different people catch a pass, Fisher and Smith both with touchdown receptions. 6 people had double digit receiving yards, Parks the leader, with 164 yards receiving (but surprisingly no touchdowns to go with those yards).
Tulsa Defense – Gave up some big plays, but made the plays when it counted, including the HUGE fourth and goal stand at the one foot line, forcing the turnover on downs and preserving our victory with only minutes left to play. A round of beers is sure as hell being bought tonight for that defense.
Tulsa Kicking – A so-so day. Missed his only field goal attempt from 44 yards out, and went 8-9 in PATs, shanking yet another one.
Scoring Summary
| Team |
1st Quarter |
2nd Quarter |
3rd Quarter |
4th Quarter |
Final Score |
|
21 |
13 |
7 |
21 |
62 |
|
0 |
10 |
6 |
0 |
16 |
| Time |
Team |
Result |
Play |
Score |
| First Quarter |
| 6:09 |
|
Touchdown |
R. Smith, 12 yard run (A. Pratt kick) |
7-0 |
| 1:47 |
|
Touchdown |
R. Strong, 1 yard run (A. Pratt kick) |
14-0 |
| 0:27 |
|
Touchdown |
R. Smith, 62 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick) |
21-0 |
|
| Second Quarter |
| 6:53 |
|
Touchdown |
C. Fisher, 22 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick) |
28-0 |
| 5:14 |
|
Touchdown |
B. Landry, 2 yard run (N. Slaughter kick) |
28-7 |
| 2:32 |
|
Field Goal |
N. Slaughter, 19 yard field goal |
28-10 |
| 0:29 |
|
Touchdown |
R. Smith, 2 yard run (missed kick) |
34-10 |
|
| Third Quarter |
| 4:22 |
|
Touchdown |
J. Wright, 2 yard run (2-pt conversion failed) |
34-16 |
| 2:51 |
|
Touchdown |
R. Smith, 5 yard run (A. Pratt kick) |
41-16 |
|
| Fourth Quarter |
| 5:21 |
|
Touchdown |
C. Fisher, 4 yard pass from B. Booth (A. Pratt kick) |
48-16 |
| 4:26 |
|
Touchdown |
S. Parks, returned punt 66 yards (A. Pratt kick) |
55-16 |
| 0:00 |
|
Touchdown |
C. Anderson, 24 yard run (A. Pratt kick) |
62-16 |
| Tulsa |
Stat |
Tulane |
| 62 |
Score |
16 |
| 28 |
First Downs |
15 |
| 617 |
Total Offense |
257 |
| 52 - 252 - 5 |
Rushes - Yards - TD |
22 - 57 - 2 |
| 19 - 28 - 3 |
Comp - Att - TD |
15 - 42 - 0 |
| 365 |
Passing Yards |
200 |
|
Times Sacked |
|
| 11 - 13 (84%) |
3rd Down Conversion |
4 - 15 (26%) |
| 1 - 1 (100%) |
4th Down Conversion |
1 - 2 (50%) |
| 0 - 0 (0%) |
2-Point Conv |
0 - 1 (0%) |
| 5 - 5 - 0 (100%) |
Red Zone - TD - FG |
6 - 2 - 1 (50%) |
| 2 |
Turnovers |
0 |
| 0 |
Fumbles Lost |
0 |
| 2 |
Intercepted |
0 |
| 97 |
Punt Return Yards |
0 |
| 25 |
Kick Return Yards |
92 |
| 739 |
Total Yards |
349 |
| 0 – 00.0 |
Punts - Average |
7 - 44.1 |
| 3 - 45 |
Penalties |
2 - 15 |
| 24:02 |
Time of Possession |
11:58 |
| Fail Impact |
Goal |
Progress |
Pass Impact |
|
Win 8 games in one season |
 |
 |
 |
13+ passing TD in one season |
|
|
|
14+ points per game in each season |
43 |
|
|
7+ rushing TD in one season |
|
|
 |
2400+ total offensive yards in one season |
|
|
 |
2400+ total offensive yards in each season |
1/2 Passed |
 |
|
Win 4 games in one season |
|
|
|
2000+ total offensive yards in one season |
|
 |
28
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by morsdraconis
You might be right about Nebraska. I'll end up finding out later tonight after I play the CCG. It might go back to 3 open bids after the repping by the Big East this year. I've always defended the Big East, but either an unranked 9-3 SMU squad or unranked 8-4 UCF squad playing in a BCS bowl, it's as bad as Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl this year. At least in Wisconsin's case, there are very unusual circumstances even allowing them to get that far, in the Big East in my dynasty, it was just a horrible year by all.
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