Tulane secured a 31-17 victory against Memphis on Friday night after capitalizing on six turnovers during the contest. The matchup marked the second loss of the year for the Tigers.
Memphis vs Tulane Game Overview
Playing in New Orleans, the Green Wave leaned on a stellar defensive performance that included forcing multiple fumbles and interceptions. Freshman quarterback Trace Johnson made his first collegiate start for Tulane, completing 11 of 21 pass attempts for 165 yards, including a touchdown pass and an interception.
Memphis initially opened the scoring with a 44-yard field goal from Philippe Laforge. However, offensive struggles and costly miscues piled up for the visitors. Marcus Stokes finished the night throwing for 306 yards on 20-for-37 passing with two touchdowns and four interceptions, alongside losing two of his three fumbles.
Key Plays and Turning Points
The turning point of the first half arrived on the final play when TJ Smith intercepted a pass and returned it 76 yards for a touchdown, pushing Tulane's lead to 23-10 before intermission. Despite a scoreless third quarter, Memphis attempted a comeback when Stokes connected with Jemyri Davis for a 6-yard touchdown with 3:34 remaining to narrow the gap to 23-17.
Any hopes of a late Tiger comeback were dashed when Johnnie Daniels raced 48 yards for a score on a fourth-and-1 run with 1:34 left on the clock, followed by Kevin Adams III securing an interception to seal the win.
Tulane Football and Memphis Tigers Football Outlook
With this result, Tulane improved its record to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the American Conference. Meanwhile, Memphis dropped to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play following the missed opportunities.
Looking ahead to their next fixtures, Memphis will return home to host East Carolina on Thursday. Tulane will look to carry momentum forward as they prepare to host UTSA on October 24.
Sources: ESPN, Yahoo Sports, SportsLine.
