Green Wave football rolls over Tulsa

Zachary Brandwein, Staff Writer
November 9, 2022

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Gallery • 6 Photos
Courtesy of Parker Waters
Tulsa quarterback Braylon Braxton threw for 146 yards on 13/25 passing for one touchdown.

The Green Wave traveled to Tulsa, Oklahoma to take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in their fifth American Athletic Conference game of the season. Since 2005, Tulsa has won 13 of 18 meetings with Tulane, including their last two games. This week would prove to be a bit different, as Tulane would win 27-13. 

Tulsa starting quarterback Davis Brin was out with a shoulder injury. Brin’s first major action came against the Green Wave in 2020 as he led the Golden Hurricane past the Green Wave in a double overtime thriller. Coming into this week, the College Football Playoff committee ranked Tulane 19th in the country, resulting in their highest ranking since the 1998 season, when Tulane beat Brigham Young University in the Liberty Bowl. 

With 482 total yards on the day, Tulane’s offense was able to do whatever they wanted on the field. Tulane punted three times on the day, which equals the amount of touchdowns they scored. 

Michael Pratt had a smaller workload this week, completing 11 of only 19 pass attempts for 125 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Tyrick James led the receiver group with four catches, while Duece Watts led in yards with 42. 

Pratt also ran the ball 11 times for 36 yards; however, he was not the focal point of the ground game. Running back Tyjae Spears saw his third straight game with more than 125 yards after having none through the first six weeks. Spears was only given the ball 14 times, and he averaged 11.2 yards per carry, including a long of 55 yards as well as a 34 yard touchdown.  

Spears is currently in the top 50 for yards per carry for the Football Bowl Subdivision ahead of Auburn’s Tank Bigsby and California’s Jaydn Ott. Freshman running back Shaadie Clayton-Johnson burst onto the scene as well and rushed for 106 yards on 14 carries as well. In total, Tulane ran the ball 53 times against Tulsa, which should come as no surprise. In terms of rushing yards per game, Tulsa’s defense is fourth worst in the FBS, allowing 226.3 rushing yards per game. 

The Green Wave defense continued to shut down their opponent as well. After the victory at Tulsa, the Green Wave allows an average of 307.3 yards per game, which ranks 16th in the FBS. The linebacker corps continues to shine, contributing 3 1/2 of the four sacks Tulane had on the day. Nick Anderson and Dorian Williams led the team in tackles with 13 each, and Williams also recorded two sacks, which are both season highs for him. 

After the victory, Tulane is now ranked 16th in the AP poll, and CBS predicts Tulane will make a Birmingham Bowl appearance, while Sports Illustrated predicts that the Green Wave will play Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl.

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