Tulane and Tulsa collided in Chapman Stadium fresh off emotional non-conference finishes. Tulsa was on the high side, producing a statement victory at Oklahoma State four games into the Tre Lamb era. Tulane’s previous week greatly contrasted as the Green Wave were thoroughly tossed aside by Ole Miss in a 45-10 annihilation.
But Week 5 presented a new day for both American Conference opponents. Tulane remained on the road and this time produced a comfortable victory. The Green Wave improved to 23-2
in regular season American games since 2022, pushing past Tulsa in 31-14 fashion on the plains.
Tulane was twice matched but never trailed in a wire-to-wire win. The Green Wave unsurprisingly opened the scoring effort with a Jake Retzlaff touchdown run as the BYU transfer quarterback logged his seventh such score since arriving in New Orleans. But the remainder of Tulane touchdowns were courtesy of running back Javin Gordon, who accrued a team-high 78 rushing yards complemented by a hat trick of end zone appearances.
In an eventful second quarter which featured 24 of the game’s 45 collective points, Gordon made his presence felt. He snapped a 7-7 tie on a 12-yard rushing touchdown and then broke a 14-14 tie later in the frame on a 25-yard scamper to paydirt. Gordon’s second score of the game jump-started a 17-0 run for Tulane, a stretch lasting from the 2:13 mark of the second quarter to the 5:28 mark of the third quarter. Neither team registered a single point in the final stanza as the Green Wave coasted to a three-score victory.
Pass rush was one facet where Tulane desperately sought improvement considering the Green Wave managed just five sacks through four weeks. The narrative regarding the pass rush was completely flipped Saturday as Tulane sacked Tulsa six times and recorded 13 tackles for loss in a lopsided line of scrimmage matchup. Texas Tech transfer Harvey Dyson III landed 2.0 sacks while Appalachian State transfer Santana Hopper added 1.5, as the defensive line largely spearheaded the backfield invasion. Hopper finished with four tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries, fully living up to his all-conference status he attained at his previous stop.
Facing constant pressure was Tulsa quarterback Baylor Hayes, who made his third-straight start in place of the injured Kirk Francis (suffered concussion in Week 2 at New Mexico State). Hayes amassed 245 passing yards boosted by a 72-yard second quarter touchdown strike, but Tulsa couldn’t assist the quarterback with a working run game. No Golden Hurricane player exceeded 50 rushing yards and the team averaged 2.4 yards per attempt.
There was offensive futility on both sides though. The teams combined for 17 punts and 12 three-and-outs, with the majority of these instances occurring in the second half. Penalties played a significant factor in making the first down sticks harder to reach, as Tulane was flagged 12 times for 154 yards and Tulsa six times for 54 yards.
Tulsa (2-3, 0-2 American) was unable to build on the Oklahoma State victory and remains winless in conference play through two tries. The Golden Hurricane face yet another challenging opponent next Saturday, taking a trip east to battle the undefeated Memphis Tigers.
Tulane (4-1, 1-0 American) gets back on track with a conference win — the first step in a quest for a fourth-straight American Conference Championship appearance. The Green Wave receive extended rest after outlasting Tulsa, as their next game transpires Oct. 9 vs. East Carolina in Thursday night action.
