Whoa, that was a close one.
Tulane needed every last second at Yulman Stadium last Saturday, and Jake Retzlaff delivered.
The Green Wave quarterback led an 11-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game with less than two minutes remaining, then returned after a defensive three-and-out and threw a 26-yard, tip-drill pass to Shazz Preston with 27 seconds left to secure the win over Army West Point, 24–17.
Retzlaff was the star all afternoon. He finished 22 of 29 for 261 yards and two touchdowns, with 62 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown. This performance secured him another spot on the Americans’ weekly honor roll — his fourth American Conference honor of the season.
Not to mention finishing the game with a Preston catch that got named the Cheez-It Crunch Time Play of the Week.
The win moved Tulane to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the American Conference. It also kept the larger picture intact. This group has now won 38 of its last 49 and is bowl eligible for a school-record fourth straight season.
You also can’t say it’s been easy for the Green Wave: two Power Four wins in the regular season for the first time since 1988, a defense that has stacked 11 takeaways. Plus, a special teams unit that makes things happen, Tulane kicker Patrick Durkin has not missed a field goal and leads the league in makes per game.
Voters are paying attention. In the most recent AP Top 25 college football poll, Tulane received 37 votes, edging closer to a Top-25 return as the calendar turns to November.
The path forward is clear and unforgiving. A bye comes at the perfect time before a Thursday trip to the Alamodome to face the University of Texas at San Antonio on Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. CST. San Antonio is never easy, but it is the kind of road test that Top-25 hopefuls handle.
From there, the sprint closes with a visit to the University of Memphis on Nov. 7, then back home against Florida Atlantic University on Nov. 15 and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Nov. 29.
Finishing it off, Tulane fans will be hoping to punch their ticket to the conference championship, heading on the road to Temple University on Nov. 22.
If Tulane wins out — that includes the conference championship — the College Football Playoff becomes a real conversation. In the 12-team format, the five highest-ranked conference champions receive automatic bids.
A one-loss Green Wave with an American title, multiple Power Four victories, a Top-25-caliber defense in takeaways and a kicking game that closes drives would check every box the committee asks for come November.