27 -- 4-1 (2-1)
41 -- 2-2 (1-1)
TOP: After holding Houston to a three and out on their first possession, Tulane freshman OLB Mark Richards puts a halt to the Cougars' second drive with this spectacular leaping interception. The play put the Green Wave in position to extend their early lead to 10-0 in the first quarter. BOTTOM: Tulane freshman QB Anthony High does a play-action fake and hits redshirt sophomore FB Simon Parker for a tight-rope touchdown that made the score 27-6 just before halftime. The score was both High's first career touchdown pass and Parker's first career touchdown.
QB HIGH, RB DARKWA LEAD OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION AS TULANE EARNS PIVOTAL 41-27 VICTORY OVER HOUSTON
Despite a few expected mistakes, freshman quarterback finishes with 297 yards and 2 touchdown passes in successful debut | Darkwa gains 241 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns as Green Wave cruises past previously unbeaten Cougars to end two-game losing skid | Team hopes to duplicate effort next week at home against UTEP
New Orleans, LA -- The Tulane Green Wave stormed out to a 34-6 lead and held off a late Houston rally to win 41-27 Saturday at the Louisiana Superdome. Freshman QB Anthony High, making the first start of his career, finished the game 15 of 27 for 297 yards along with 2 touchdowns. High also threw 3 interceptions during the contest however the former 3-star recruit from Texas displayed tremendous playmaking ability, extending pass plays with his feet and also using his 4.4 speed to pick up critical first downs throughout the game. He finished with 20 rushing yards, a total that would have been higher if not for three sacks.
RB Orleans Darkwa offered tremendous help to the young quarterback, rushing the ball 28 times for 188 yards and two touchdowns. The senior's 23-yard touchdown run concluded a 6-play 71-yard opening possession drive for the Green Wave that lasted 1:56. Darkwa also added 2 receptions for 53 yards during the game.
Tulane's tremendous first half got its exclamation point when High found redshirt sophomore FB Simon Parker for a 5-yard touchdown that made the score 27-6 going into the halftime locker room.
Darkwa would then add a 33-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the third quarter to extend Tulane's lead to 34-6.
"We thought that it was important for us to come out and establish our running game and to try to take pressure off of Anthony," said Tulane head coach D. Geezy.
"In all honestly, I think we passed a little bit more than I had originally anticipated with the young quarterback but I thought the offense responded and made plays for him."
Houston (4-1, 2-1) was able to make a game of it in the second half, outscoring Tulane 21-7 after halftime. The Cougars got to within 14 points at 34-20 late in the third quarter and faced a 4th and goal from the Green Wave 1-yard line with a chance to make it a one possession game early in the fourth quarter. However junior QB Terrance Broadway's pass to a wide open Jonathan Wright in the end zone bounced off the junior fullback's chest, thwarting a huge scoring opportunity.
High would put the game away midway through the fourth quarter when he found WR Wilson Van Hooser for a 6-yard touchdown that made the score 41-20 with just 4:04 remaining.
"Things got a little uneasy there for a bit but fortunately the defense came up with a big stop there at the goal line and High was able to put together a crucial, game-clinching drive," said Geezy.
High, who was starting in place of much-maligned junior QB Curtis Byrd, did not have a perfect game in his debut. Three interceptions, two of which were to Cougars CB Robby Hollis, marred an otherwise stellar afternoon however Geezy understands that there will be growing pains when having a freshman starting quarterback - just as their was when Byrd started as a freshman in 2011.
Two of High's interceptions came on passes that were thrown deep to seemingly open targets but sailed right into the hands of a defender. The third came on a poor decision to throw the ball across his body.
"All in all, I was happy with the progress Anthony made today but there is certainly a lot to clean up in regards to the turnovers and completion percentage," said Geezy.
"These improvements will come with time as he gains more and more confidence and the game slows down for him. But with that said, I thought the guys did a good job of rallying around Anthony and I thought he brought a different sort of command and 'swagger,' if you will, to the offense."
Tulane (2-2, 1-1) will host UTEP (1-4, 0-2) next week at the Louisiana Superdome. The Green Wave defeated the Miners 38-28 last season in El Paso and are 3-0 against their Conference USA West division foes under Geezy.
Box Score
1st
TU: 23 yd TD run by Darkwa (Ginsburgh kick) 6:21 -- 7-0
TU: 25 yd FG by Ginsburgh 3:56 -- 10-0
TU: 32 yd FG by Ginsburgh 1:11 -- 13-0
2nd
UH: 2 yd TD run by Brown (PAT missed) 7:18 -- 13-6
TU: 5 yd TD run by Roberts (Ginsburgh kick) 4:58 -- 20-6
TU: 5 yd TD pass from High to Parker (Ginsburgh kick) 0:50 -- 27-6
3rd
TU: 33 yd TD run by Darkwa (Ginsburgh kick) 5:56 -- 34-6
UH: 23 yd TD pass from Broadway to Mason (Carter kick) 4:28 -- 34-13
UH: 35 yd TD pass from Broadway to Wright (Carter kick) 3:04 -- 34-20
4th
TU: 6 yd TD pass from High to Van Hooser (Ginsburgh kick) 4:04 -- 41-20
UH: 8 yd TD pass from Broadway to Blackmon (Carter kick) 2:08 -- 41-27
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Game Statistics
Tulane Code:
[size=1] * - IMPACT Player [U] Passing RATING COMP ATT YDS TD INT [/U] 15-QB Anthony High(fr) 150.1 15 27 297 2 3 [U] Rushing ATT YDS TD [/U] 22-RB *Orleans Darkwa(sr) 28 188 2 15-QB Anthony High(fr) 10 20 0 26-RB Joey Roberts(jr) 5 23 1 5-RB Anthony Barnett(fr) 3 5 0 39-FB Simon Parker(rs-so) 2 2 0 [U] Receiving REC YDS TD[/U] 25-WR Daniel Hopkins(jr) 3 54 0 87-WR John Lacey(jr) 3 68 0 22-RB *Orleans Darkwa(sr) 2 53 0 9-WR Wilson Van Hooser(rs-sr) 2 15 1 88-TE Joel Bowers(fr) 2 52 0 86-WR Brent Comardelle(rs-jr) 2 50 0 39-FB Simon Parker(rs-so) 1 5 1 [U] Defensive TAK SOLO AST TFL SCK INT[/U] 97-OLB *Mark Richards(fr) 8 7 1 2 0 1 21-CB Kyle Davis(rs-jr) 7 6 1 0 0 1 27-FS Will Washington(so) 7 5 2 1 0 0 90-DE Wendell Beckwith(rs-jr) 2 2 0 2 1 0 [u] Kicking FG MADE FG ATT LONG MISSED XP MADE XP ATT [/U] 16-P Jonathan Ginsburgh(sr) 2 2 32 n/a 5 5 [B][U]Tulane Key Team Stats:[/U][/B] Total Offensive Yards: 535 Rushing Totals: 48 att 238 yds 3 tds Sacks Allowed: 3 3rd down conversions: 7-13 (53%) 4th down conversions: 1-1 (100%) Offensive Turnovers: 3 Penalties: 4 for 40 yards Time of Possession: 25:24 [/size]
HoustonCode:
[size=1] * - IMPACT Player [U] Passing RATING COMP ATT YDS TD INT [/U] 13-QB Terrance Broadway(jr) 165.0 30 42 398 3 2 [U] Rushing ATT YDS TD [/U] 6-RB Xavier Brown(rs-jr) 8 28 1 1-WR DeAndre Perry(rs-jr) 2 3 0 85-WR Joel Blankenship(rs-so) 1 1 0 13-QB Terrance Broadway(jr) 1 -5 0 [U] Receiving REC YDS TD[/U] 82-WR *Chance Blackmon(rs-sr) 8 124 1 6-RB Xavier Brown(rs-jr) 8 81 0 87-WR *Jordan Jolly(rs-jr) 4 47 0 85-WR Joel Blankenship(rs-so) 4 48 0 1-WR DeAndre Perry(rs-jr) 2 26 0 25-RB Derrick Mitchell(rs-so) 1 9 0 20-FB Jonathan Wright(jr) 1 35 1 88-WR Jevon Mason(rs-fr) 1 23 1 45-TE Kenneth Bibbins(sr) 1 5 0 [U] Defensive TAK SOLO AST TFL SCK INT[/U] 54-MLB Wesley Barber(rs-so) 9 7 2 1 0 0 51-OLB Jerry Copeland(so) 9 6 3 0 1 0 40-CB Robby Hollis(so) 7 6 1 0 0 2 99-DE David Johnson(fr) 7 6 1 2 1 0 23-SS Sam Carter(jr) 6 5 1 0 0 1 95-DT Jonathan Smith(so) 4 4 0 2 1 0 [u] Kicking FG MADE FG ATT LONG MISSED XP MADE XP ATT [/U] 4-PK Shannon Carter(jr) 0 0 n/a n/a 3 4 [B][U]Opponent Key Team Stats:[/U][/B] Total Offensive Yards: 425 Rushing Totals: 12 att 27 yds 1 td Sacks Allowed: 1 3rd down conversions: 3-9 (33%) 4th down conversions: 1-2 (50%) Offensive Turnovers: 2 Penalties: 2 for 12 yards Time of Possession: 10:36 [/size]
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2013 Tulane Green Wave Schedule/Results Code:
[SIZE=1]
Opponent (record) Result Tulane Player of the Game -Record-
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at Air Force (0-1) W 41-20 QB Byrd 10-21 281 yds 2 tds 1 rush td 1-0 (0-0)
vs Kentucky (2-0) L 07-41 RB Darkwa 11 car 74 yds 1 rec td 1-1 (0-0)
at SMU (1-2) L 24-29 RB Darkwa 173 total yds 1 rush td 1-2 (0-1)
vs Houston (4-1) W 41-27 RB Darkwa 241 total yds 2 rush tds 2-2 (1-1)
vs UTEP
at UCF
vs Marshall
vs Georgia Tech
at Rice
vs Tulsa
at Southern Miss
at LSU
[/SIZE]
Next Game:
1-4 (0-2)
at 
2-2 (1-1).
Green Wave News Clips
UTEP
4-1 (2-1)
Tulane | RB Moore soft commits to Tulane
#25 UCF
at 
Marshall
(6-2) at 
#15 Georgia Tech
1-8 (1-4)
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