Besides the Ole Miss Rebels, the Tulane University Green Wave’s Friday matchup against the University of Memphis Tigers ranks as one of the most anticipated this season. Both Tulane and Memphis entered the game four and one, with the winner taking first place in the American Athletic Conference. And with the 31-21 win, Tulane has a legitimate case to be ranked and establish themselves as the team to beat for a conference title. 

After a holding penalty took 10 yards off Shedro Louis’ 29-yard return to start the game, the Green Wave offense went three and out. Memphis came out strong with 13 yards on the first two carries, but chose to pass on the ensuing second and third down. Both passes fell incomplete, which allowed Tulane to get the ball back at their own 12-yard line. 

The offense gained 8 yards on first and second down, but another holding penalty set the Green Wave back to a second and 14. After finding Jha’Quan Jackson for a 10-yard pass, Memphis met quarterback Michael Pratt at the line of scrimmage to force a Tulane punt. 

The Green Wave run defense stayed shaky, allowing a 9-yard run on Memphis’ first play from scrimmage. But the pass defense made up for the gain, with Lance Robinson making a diving interception on the sideline. After two incomplete passes, Pratt found Chris Brazzell II for a gain of 32 yards, giving Tulane a fresh set of downs past midfield. Makhi Hughes reached the second level of the defense, gaining 24 yards and setting up Tulane in the red zone for the first time. Pratt linked up with Jackson for the third time in the quarter, and a 12-yard catch and run allowed for a third and short. Hughes earned a first down then found the end zone for  a touchdown. Valentino Ambrosio’s extra point gave Tulane a 7-0 lead with just over four minutes left in the first quarter. 

After another long run by Memphis, Tulane caught a break with an offensive holding penalty, which moved Memphis back 10 yards. Memphis was unable to bounce back, with two straight incompletions forcing a punt. 

Hughes rushed for 10 yards on the first two plays of the drive, but two incompletions and a check down forced a Tulane punt. Will Karoll hit a 57-yard beauty, pinning Memphis inside their own 8-yard line. 

The Green Wave defense continued to frustrate the Tigers offense, holding them to just 2 yards on their first three-and-out of the day. The offense started to slow down, with Tulane facing a fourth and 3 from the Memphis 41, but a laser to Jackson got the Green Wave just enough to keep the offense on the field. But the offense eventually stalled at the Memphis 7-yard line. Ambrosio made a 26-yard field goal to give the Green Wave a two-score lead. 

The Memphis offense finally put a drive together, which included two critical catches from receiver Demeer Blankumsee, the second going for a 17-yard touchdown. Seth Hanigan’s extra point cut the Green Wave lead to three points. 

A Memphis score is exactly the jolt the Tulane offense needed. Pratt hit Brazzell II for 38 yards and gave the Green Wave the ball at the Memphis 30. A third down wildcat forced Tulane into a fourth down, and an unblocked Tiger hit Pratt as he threw, causing an incompletion and a turnover. 

The Tulane defense forced a third down from their own 46, but an 18-yard catch and run from Blankumsee gave Memphis a fresh set of downs. After holding the Tiger offense, quarterback Hanigan found Joseph Scates, who waltzed into the end zone untouched. The extra point gave Memphis its first lead of the day.

Memphis’ offense kept rolling after the second half kickoff with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive ending in another Hanigan passing score. His third passing touchdown of the game gave Memphis a two-score lead, their largest of the day. 

Louis’ 41-yard kick return gave Tulane excellent field position, and a combination of big runs from Hughes and passes by Pratt led the offense to the 1-yard line. Pratt rushed to find the end zone, which cut the Memphis lead to four. 

Memphis’ last touchdown drive rejuvenated the Tulane defense, which forced another three-and-out. Pratt and Brazzell II connected on a 33-yard pass, which gave Tulane the ball in Memphis territory. A 29-yard catch by Yulkeith Brown gave Tulane the ball inside the Memphis 10, and a jet sweep back to Brown gave Tulane a 24-21 lead. 

The defense held Memphis to zero points after their first drive of the second half, which included an interception by Kam Pedescleaux, a five-play Memphis drive resulting in a punt and a crucial fourth down stop late in the game. That stop was set up by a third-down sack by Darius Hodges, which moved the Memphis offense back 12 yards. After the Pedescleaux interception, Pratt led the offense 52 yards down the field in just four plays, ending with a Lawrence Keys III 11-yard touchdown catch. The Keys catch gave Tulane a 31-21 lead, which held for the rest of the game.

Pratt ended the day 19 for 31 with 259 yards and one passing touchdown. He also added 9 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Hughes had his second straight game with over 100 rushing yards, finishing the game with 130 and a touchdown. Although he did not catch a touchdown, Brazzell II led the way with 103 receiving yards on just three catches. Brown and Jackson both ended the day with 46 yards, and Jackson had six catches, doubling every other receiver. Brown also added the go ahead touchdown on the jet sweep. Keys III ended the day with two catches for 17 yards and a touchdown. Memphis ended the day with only 45 rushing yards, which is a much needed performance after allowing 170 against University of Alabama at Birmingham. The defensive line was strong, as Patrick Jenkins and Hodges combined for all three sacks, including Hodges’ big play on third down in the fourth quarter. Robinson and Pedescleaux added interceptions as well. 

Tulane’s win was coupled with the program’s biggest news of late: Troy Dannen announced he would leave to become athletic director at University of Washington. Dannen stirred controversy over that move on a podcast last week, where he said “I want to go somewhere where [I] can win. I love Tulane; you’re not going to win a national championship at Tulane.”

Tulane takes on the University of North Texas at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Yulman Stadium.