N/R
42 -- 0-8 (0-5) #20
45 -- 7-1 (4-1) 
LEFT: RB Reggie Moore dives into the end zone following a 31-yard touchdown run which tied the game at 35-35 in the fourth quarter. It was his first of two 4th quarter scores. | RIGHT: Tulane freshman PK Cody Bennett drills a 21-yard field goal as time expires to give his team the 45-42 win over the Wildcats.
REFUSE TO LOSE
Tulane PK Bennett's 21-yard field goal as time expires caps off a see-saw battle with Kentucky as Green Wave wins 45-42 shootout | RB Moore's spectacular fourth quarter and big play on game's final drive propels Tulane to their 4th straight victory | QB Byrd leads explosive day for Green Wave offense, throws for a career-high 445 yards and 3 touchdowns | Team now braces for gigantic road clash with #1 Alabama next week
New Orleans, LA -- Green Wave head coach D. Geezy has seen some game-breaking players over the course of his college coaching and NFL front office career however he may be witnessing the blossoming of the best he's seen. Tulane RB Reggie Moore scored two touchdowns and had a clutch 73-yard reception on the game's final possession to set up a 21-yard game-winning field goal by PK Cody Bennett as time expired, lifting the Green Wave to a 45-42 victory over Kentucky Saturday at the Louisiana Superdome. In a game that featured multiple lead changes and strings of unanswered points by both sides, it all came down to who had the football last.
After taking a 28-14 lead via a 54-yard bomb from QB Curtis Byrd to third-string RB Anthony Barnett, Tulane would force what looked to be a three and out on Kentucky's next possession and looked to be in firm control of the game. However the Wildcats called a fake punt on the 4th and 3 and FB Maurice Richardson took the direct snap and ran 7 yards for a first down at the Green Wave 48-yard line. Five plays later, Kentucky QB Tyler Brause found WR Jameel Gordon for a 25-yard touchdown pass to cut their deficit to 28-21.
Kentucky (0-8, 0-5) would force a three and out on Tulane's next possession. Following the ensuing punt, Brause directed an 11-play 75-yard drive which culminated with a 1-yard scoring pass to Gordon which tied the game at 28-28. Brause finished the game with 294 passing yards and 3 touchdowns.
"We could not get off the field all day long on third down defensively," said Tulane defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Charles Kelly said of his unit which allowed Kentucky to convert 11 of 17 third down conversion attempts and control the clock with 19:29 of possession time.
The Wildcats would grab the lead early in the fourth quarter via a 1-yard touchdown run by RB Derek Jefferson which made the score 35-28 with 8:16 remaining - That's when Moore took over.
The freshman 4-star recruit would score on a 31-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 35-35. Two possessions later, Moore's 8-yard touchdown reception out of the backfield gave Tulane a 42-35 lead. Moore finished the game with a team-high 6 receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Kentucky would tie the game back up at 42-42 via a 1-yard touchdown run by RB Jason Sanders with 0:26 remaining, seemingly setting the stage for overtime.
However Moore would come through with one more heroic play. First, Moore would return the ensuing kickoff to the 23-yard line. On the very next play, Byrd found Moore deep down the field on a desperation heave in which the Schreiver, LA native hauled in at the 20-yard line and ran all the way down to the 4-yard line for a 73-yard gain before being tackled. The Green Wave would let the clock run all the way down to 0:02, setting up the game-winning field goal by Bennett as the clock expired, giving Tulane the 45-42 victory.
"I think it is safe to say that Reggie is emerging as our 'closer' or the proverbial 'home run hitter' for us," said Geezy.
"It is sort of like in basketball where in the clutch, you knew Michael Jordan was getting the ball for the last shot or Reggie Miller would take the final three pointer. He has proven time and time again that when we need a big play, he is a capable go-to guy."
Moore wasn't the only player with a spectacular performance. Byrd finished the day with a career-high 445 passing yards and 3 touchdown on the day, leading Tulane to their fourth straight win this season. His previous career-high was a 440-yard performance in a 41-32 loss at Rice in his freshman season.
Tulane (7-1, 4-1) will travel next week to face #1 Alabama (7-0, 5-0) in a monster conference clash in Tuscaloosa. It will be the Green Wave's first game outside of the friendly confines of the Louisiana Superdome, where they are 5-0 this season, in nearly a month. The Crimson Tide has one each of the past five SEC championships, dating back to the 2009 season.
"They have what may be the best quarterback in college football in Josh Hunter," said Geezy of what many believe is the nation's Heisman favorite.
Hunter has thrown for 2,069 yards, 18 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions this season and also has 169 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns, leading Alabama to the nation's #1 points per game ranking at 42.4 ppg (Tulane is #4 with 35.6 ppg).
"He is probably the fastest quarterback we'll ever see and their team is probably the fastest I personally have ever seen. They have speed across the board at all of the skill positions. We'll have our hands full and it will be a big challenge but one I believe our team has proven itself capable of succeeding in."
QB Curtis Byrd throws a deep pass down the sideline over the out-stretched arms of a Kentucky defender and into the hands of WR Brent Comardelle. The redshirt senior then took it the rest of the way to the house for a 76-yard touchdown to cut Tulane's deficit to 14-7 in the first quarter.
Greatest Game Score: 818 (#9 Overall)
(Click here to view all of Geezy's Greatest Games)
Box Score 1st
UK: 4 yd TD pass from Brause to Williams (Smart kick) 4:22 -- 0-7
UK: 15 yd TD run by Jefferson (Smart kick) 1:52 -- 0-14
TU: 76 yd TD pass from Byrd to Comardelle (Bennett kick) 1:37 -- 7-14
2nd
TU: 1 yd TD run by Parker (Bennett kick) 4:50 -- 14-14
TU: 2 yd TD run by Roberts (Bennett kick) 0:06 -- 21-14
3rd
TU: 54 yd TD pass from Byrd to Barnett (Bennett kick) 7:29 -- 28-14
UK: 25 yd TD pass from Brause to Gordon (Smart kick) 3:37 -- 28-21
UK: 1 yd TD pass from Brause to Gordon (Smart kick) 1:36 -- 28-28
4th
UK: 1 yd TD run by Jefferson (Smart kick) 8:16 -- 28-35
TU: 31 yd TD run by R. Moore (Bennett kick) 5:34 -- 35-35
TU: 8 yd TD pass from Byrd to R. Moore (Bennett kick) 2:01 -- 42-35
UK: 1 yd TD run by Sanders (Smart kick) 0:26 -- 42-42
TU: 21 yd FG by Bennett 0:00 -- 45-42
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Game Statistics
Tulane Code:
[size=1] * - IMPACT Player [U] Passing RATING COMP ATT YDS TD INT [/U] 18-QB Curtis Byrd(sr) 230.9 22 30 445 3 0 15-QB Anthony High(so) 100.0 1 1 0 0 0 [U] Rushing ATT YDS TD [/U] 25-RB Reggie Moore(fr) 13 77 1 (1 fumble lost) 26-RB Joey Roberts(sr) 8 28 1 18-QB Curtis Byrd(sr) 2 -5 0 15-QB Anthony High(so) 1 -3 0 (1 fumble lost) 39-FB Simon Parker(rs-jr) 1 1 1 [U] Receiving REC YDS TD [/U] 25-RB Reggie Moore(fr) 6 108 1 88-TE Joel Bowers(so) 4 57 0 (1 fumble lost) 87-WR *John Lacey(sr) 4 55 0 85-TE Justin Thomas(so) 2 16 0 23-WR Gerald Alexander(fr) 2 39 0 86-WR Brent Comardelle(rs-sr) 2 80 1 24-WR Daniel Hopkins(sr) 1 31 0 5-RB Anthony Barnett(so) 1 54 1 1-TE Trevor Rice(fr) 1 5 0 [U] Defensive TAK SOLO AST TFL SCK INT [/U] 27-CB Will Washington(jr) 9 8 1 0 0 0 97-OLB *Mark Richards(so) 9 7 2 2 1 0 2-MLB Samson Beck(jr) 8 5 3 0 0 0 (1 ff) 90-DE Wendell Beckwith(rs-sr) 3 2 1 2 1 0 84-DT *Mark Hopkins(rs-sr) 2 1 1 0 0 0 (1 fr) [u] Kicking FG MADE FG ATT LONG MISSED XP MADE XP ATT [/U] 47-PK Cody Bennett(fr) 1 1 21 n/a 6 6 [B][U]Tulane Key Team Stats:[/U][/B] Total Offensive Yards: 543 Rushing Totals: 25 att 98 yds 3 tds Sacks Allowed: 1 3rd down conversions: 5-8 (62%) 4th down conversions: 1-1 (100%) Offensive Turnovers: 3 Penalties: 2 for 21 yards Time of Possession: 16:31 [/size]
KentuckyCode:
[size=1] * - IMPACT Player [U] Passing RATING COMP ATT YDS TD INT [/U] 13-QB *Tyler Brause(rs-sr) 191.9 23 30 294 3 0 [U] Rushing ATT YDS TD [/U] 29-RB Derek Jefferson(rs-jr) 18 85 2 25-RB *Brandon Gainer(rs-sr) 10 44 0 20-RB Jason Sanders(rs-jr) 5 5 1 13-QB *Tyler Brause(rs-sr) 3 -15 0 38-FB Andre Lacey(jr) 2 5 0 87-WR Jameel Gordon(rs-jr) 2 6 0 44-FB Maurice Richardson(jr) 1 7 0 [U] Receiving REC YDS TD [/U] 87-WR Jameel Gordon(rs-jr) 5 61 2 86-WR Jeremy Williams(so) 4 45 1 84-WR Jerry Frank(rs-jr) 4 44 0 83-WR Tyler Massey(rs-so) 3 57 0 82-TE Caleb Miles(jr) 3 52 0 29-RB Derek Jefferson(rs-jr) 2 22 0 20-RB Jason Sanders(rs-jr) 1 11 0 38-FB Andre Lacey(jr) 1 2 0 [U] Defensive TAK SOLO AST TFL SCK INT [/U] 50-MLB Brian Wright(rs-jr) 9 8 1 1 0 0 54-OLB *Malcolm McDuffen(rs-sr) 7 7 0 0 0 0 (1 ff) 40-CB Jerrell Priester(rs-sr) 4 3 1 0 0 0 60-DE Allen McDonald(rs-so) 2 2 0 1 1 0 [u] Kicking FG MADE FG ATT LONG MISSED XP MADE XP ATT [/U] 5-PK Darrius Smart(rs-fr) 0 0 n/a n/a 6 6 [B][U]Opponent Key Team Stats:[/U][/B] Total Offensive Yards: 431 Rushing Totals: 41 att 137 yds 3 tds Sacks Allowed: 2 3rd down conversions: 11-17 (64%) 4th down conversions: 2-2 (100%) Offensive Turnovers: 1 Penalties: 8 for 69 yards Time of Possession: 19:29 [/size]
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2014 Tulane Green Wave Schedule/Results Code:
[SIZE=1]
Opponent (record) Result Tulane Player of the Game -Record-
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at Idaho (0-1) W 51-29 RB Moore 339 all-purpose yds 3 tds 1-0 (0-0)
vs San Diego St. (0-1) W 38-34 QB Byrd 17-28 310 yds 3 tds 2-0 (0-0)
vs Southern Miss (2-1) W 31-07 LB Richards 7 tk 2 tfl 1 int 1 ff 3-0 (0-0)
at LSU (2-1) L 31-56 FS Washington 4 tak 2 ints 1 fr 3-1 (0-1)
at Vanderbilt (2-3) W 24-13 RB Moore 15 car 92 yds 1 td 4-1 (1-1)
vs Auburn (2-3) W 34-31 RB Moore 20 car 181 yds 1 td 5-1 (2-1)
vs Florida (5-2) W 31-28 RB Moore 254 all-purpose yds 3 tds 6-1 (3-1)
vs Kentucky (0-8) W 45-42 QB Byrd 22-30 445 yds 3 tds 7-1 (4-1)
at Alabama
vs Arkansas
at Ole Miss
at Georgia Tech
[/SIZE]
Next Game:
#18
(7-1, 4-1) at #1 
(7-0, 5-0).
roud:
Green Wave News Clips
Tulane | Two more four star prospects commit
#1 Alabama
at #21 
Arkansas
(2-8, 2-5)
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