#15
31 -- 10-3 (6-3)#1
41 -- 13-0 (9-0)
TOP ROW: On the second play of the third quarter with his team trailing 17-13, Tulane CB Tommy Andrews' caught a third quarter interception and spun past a Florida pursuer on his way to the end zone for a touchdown which gave the Green Wave a 20-17 lead just seconds into the third quarter. | BOTTOM ROW: Florida fumbled the ball away on its very next series following Andrews' pick-six. On the next play following the Gators' second turnover of the game, Green Wave QB Jamie Manning lined up with an empty backfield and heaved a deep pass to streaking RB Reggie Moore which was caught for a 43-yard touchdown to make the score 27-17, still less than a minute into the third quarter.
TULANE'S OFFENSE FIRES ON ALL CYLINDERS, HOLDS OFF FLORIDA TO WIN SEC TITLE GAME 41-31
Green Wave clinches spot in their second consecutive BCS National Championship Game, will face #2 USC in Pasadena | Manning's deep passes too much for Gators to overcome | For the second straight week, big play by CB Andrews sparks defending national champs | Moore has big game in his final opportunity to impress Heisman voters
Atlanta, GA -- The #1 ranked Tulane Green Wave trailed at halftime for the first time this season however they were able to come back and hold on for a 41-31 victory over #15 Florida, winning their third consecutive SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, Georgia. The Green Wave offense showed off its speed throughout the evening, giving the Gators a heavy dose of their vertical passing game. QB Jamie Manning went 14 of 25 for 314 yards and 3 touchdowns, averaging an impressive 22.4 yards per completion.
Manning and the Wave set the tone very early in the game. The sophomore signal-caller completed a 65-yard bomb to WR Brandon McNeil on the very first play from scrimmage all the way to the Gators' 17-yard line. Just three plays later, Manning hit RB Reggie Moore on a screen play in which the Heisman candidate took in from 6 yards out to give Tulane a quick 7-0 lead. Manning went 4 of 4 for 83 yards on the team's opening drive.
Florida (10-3, 6-3) quickly answered back however. Gators QB Tyler Skinner, playing this week in place of injured starting QB Vincent Powell, drove his team down on an 8-play drive. The redshirt sophomore quarterback would score on a draw play from 4 yards away to tie the game at 7-7.
He finished the day with a whopping 450 passing yards, taking advantage of the absence of Green Wave starting CB Cedric Burnette, who missed the game with a back injury. CB Eric Jefferson started in Burnette's place, and was routinely picked on as was the team's nickle and dime package defenders (CB Rich Young and reserve SS Daniel Carpenter), who were elevated on the depth chart due to Burnette's absence.
Skinner's 41-yard touchdown pass to freshman RB Eric Wilcox with just 0:53 to go in the first half gave Florida a 17-13 lead going into the halftime break. The Green Wave had not trailed at halftime since trailing LSU 17-10 in week four of last season (09/24/2016), a game they would go on to lose 31-27, which is the last time the team has lost.
Saturday night's deficit was short-lived - On just the second play of the third quarter, Skinner would make his first big mistake of the game, throwing an interception to Green Wave CB Tommy Andrews. Andrews, who scored his first career touchdown at a crucial moment during the team's regular season finale victory against Southern Miss, would juke his way past the Florida pursuit before diving into the end zone, giving his team a 20-17 lead in emphatic fashion just 0:16 into the second half.
Skinner would make another big mistake on his team's next drive. Running the ball on an option play, Skinner would get stripped of the football and Green Wave DE Desmond Stanley recovered it at the 43-yard line. Just one play later, Manning found Moore on a fly route for a 43-yard touchdown to put the Wave up 27-17. Moore finished the game with 204 all-purpose yards (62 rushing, 83 receiving, 59 kick returning) and 2 touchdowns. He now has 1,742 all-purpose yards and a nation-high 27 total touchdowns this season as he makes his case for the Heisman Trophy.
The Gators would not go away and continued to trade blows with the Green Wave. Following a deep 43-yard touchdown pass from Manning to McNeil which put the Wave up 34-24 early in the fourth quarter, it looked like the Wave would roll on for a victory. However the Gators would catch a break when Wave freshman RB/PR Bernard Davis would get stripped of the football on a punt return by Florida FS Matt Heinz with 7:01 remaining in the game. SS Erick Marquardt would recover for the Gators, giving them possession of the ball at the 48-yard line down by 10 points.
Florida would take advantage of the turnover by going on a 13-play 45-yard drive which culminated with a Wilcox's 4-yard touchdown run by Wilcox that cut Tulane's lead to 34-31 with only 5:29 remaining.
"You could sense that things were starting to get away from us and that we needed a big play from someone on the next possession," said Tulane head coach D. Geezy.
...And that they got. RB Brett Curtis, quiet for most of the day, would break loose for a 63-yard touchdown run on his team's ensuing drive. The scoring run put Tulane up 41-31 with just 4:01 remaining in the game. Curtis finished the day with a game-high 98 rushing yards.
The Gators would turn to their no-huddle offense, down by two scores with under four minutes remaining. They'd penetrate Green Wave territory, however Skinner's pass on 4th and 15 was completed to diving WR Andy Wright just inches shy of the first down marker, turning the ball over on downs and all but ending any hopes of a Gators comeback. It was Florida's second turnover on downs during the game as Wilcox was stuffed on a 4th and 1 carry by MLB David Reid at the Tulane 15-yard line early in the second quarter.
"I think you can point to three or four critical moments in tonight's game," said Geezy.
"Obviously the early second half turnovers which we quickly turned into two touchdowns were big. However the turnover on downs in the second quarter which cost them at least a field goal. And of course the turnover on downs at the end of the game. That's a critical point swing when you factor all of those instances in. We're very fortunate to get out of here with a win today."
The win for Tulane (13-0, 9-0) clinches the defending national champions a spot in the BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, where they are likely to face #2 USC. The two teams have met only three times (USC holds a 2-1 series advantage), including a 21-12 Trojans victory in the 1932 Rose Bowl.
Notes: Tulane RB Reggie Moore exited the game with a strained pectoral muscle late in the third quarter and did not return. Moore, who missed several games during his sophomore season with a similar injury, is expected to be fine for the team's national title game matchup...Tulane's 13-0 record marks its best in school history, besting the team's record in 1998, when they finished the year 12-0.
Green Wave RB Brett Curtis' 63-yard fourth quarter touchdown run put Tulane up 41-31 with only 4:01 remaining.
Box Score1st
TU: 6 yd TD pass from Manning to R. Moore (Bennett kick) 7:42 -- 7-0
UF: 4 yd TD run by Skinner (Miller kick) 5:29 -- 7-7
TU: 44 yd FG by Bennett 3:35 -- 10-7
2nd
UF: 58 yd FG by Miller 4:00 -- 10-10
TU: 32 yd FG by Bennett 1:55 -- 13-10
UF: 41 yd TD pass from Skinner to Wilcox (Miller kick) 0:53 -- 13-17
3rd
TU: 28 yd interception return for TD by Andrews (Bennett kick) 8:44 -- 20-17
TU: 43 yd TD pass from Manning to R. Moore (Bennett kick) 8:17 -- 27-17
UF: 6 yd TD pass from Skinner to Thompson (Miller kick) 2:13 -- 27-24
4th
TU: 43 yd TD pass from Manning to McNeil (Bennett kick) 8:53 -- 34-24
UF: 4 yd TD run by Wilcox (Miller kick) 5:29 -- 34-31
TU: 63 yd TD run by Curtis (Bennett kick) 4:01 -- 41-31
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Game Statistics
#1 Tulane Code:
[size=1] * - IMPACT Player [U] Passing RATING COMP ATT YDS TD INT [/U] 9-QB Jamie Manning(so) 211.1 14 25 314 3 0 [U] Rushing ATT YDS TD [/U] 36-RB *Brett Curtis(rs-jr) 14 98 1 9-QB Jamie Manning(so) 7 -54 0 25-RB *Reggie Moore(sr)~ 5 62 0 28-RB Bernard Davis(fr) 1 3 0 ~ - injured late in third quarter (pectoral strain) | did not return [U] Receiving REC YDS TD [/U] 2-WR Brandon McNeil(so) 5 167 1 25-RB *Reggie Moore(sr) 5 83 2 23-WR Gerald Alexander(sr) 2 15 0 15-FB Marcus Young(so) 1 12 0 87-WR Herbie Smith(jr) 1 67 0 [U] Defensive Leaders TAK SOLO AST TFL SCK INT [/U] 26-FS Dre Harris(jr) 16 11 5 1 1 0 4-CB *Tommy Andrews(so) 8 6 2 1 1 1 (1 td) 34-OLB Derrick Brown(sr) 2 2 0 1 1 0 91-DT Curt Fletcher(so) 2 1 1 1 1 0 41-FS Nick Thornburg(jr) 1 1 0 1 1 0 [u] Kicking FG MADE FG ATT LONG MISSED XP MADE XP ATT [/U] 47-PK Cody Bennett(sr) 2 2 45 n/a 5 5 [B][U]Tulane Key Team Stats:[/U][/B] Total Offensive Yards: 453 Rushing Totals: 27 att 109 yds 1 td Sacks Allowed: 4 3rd down conversions: 4-11 (36%) 4th down conversions: 0-0 (0%) Offensive Turnovers: 1 Penalties: 3 for 25 yards Time of Possession: 16:45 [/size]
#15 FloridaCode:
[size=1] * - IMPACT Player [U] Passing RATING COMP ATT YDS TD INT [/U] 14-QB Tyler Skinner(rs-so) 153.7 36 51 450 2 1 [U] Rushing ATT YDS TD [/U] 5-RB Eric Wilcox(rs-fr) 17 48 1 14-QB Tyler Skinner(rs-so) 10 0 1 30-RB Kirby Rogers(rs-fr) 2 4 0 82-WR Kyle Jones(rs-sr) 1 -1 0 [U] Receiving REC YDS TD [/U] 82-WR Kyle Jones(rs-sr) 9 113 0 10-WR *Justin Coker(rs-sr) 6 78 0 85-WR J.J. Porter(rs-so) 6 59 0 5-RB Eric Wilcox(rs-fr) 5 65 1 8-WR *Andy Wright(rs-sr) 4 74 0 83-TE Richard Jackson(fr) 2 18 0 19-WR Louis Tatum(rs-jr) 1 22 0 32-FB Adrian Thompson(jr) 1 6 1 16-WR Chad Osborne(rs-jr) 1 11 0 30-RB Kirby Rogers(rs-fr) 1 4 0 [U] Defensive Leaders TAK SOLO AST TFL SCK INT [/U] 56-OLB Steve Daniels(fr) 10 7 3 0 0 0 96-DE Amir Evans(sr) 3 2 1 2 2 0 9-FS *Carl Thompson(rs-so) 3 1 2 1 0 0 99-DE Junior Alexander(sr) 2 2 0 2 2 0 [u] Kicking FG MADE FG ATT LONG MISSED XP MADE XP ATT [/U] 12-PK Joel Miller(so) 1 2 58 63 4 4 [B][U]Opponent Key Team Stats:[/U][/B] Total Offensive Yards: 501 Rushing Totals: 33 att 51 yds 2 tds Sacks Allowed: 5 3rd down conversions: 10-16 (62%) 4th down conversions: 0-2 (0%) Offensive Turnovers: 2 Penalties: 2 for 15 yards Time of Possession: 19:15 [/size]
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2017 Tulane Green Wave Schedule/Results Code:
[SIZE=1]
Opponent (record) Result Tulane Player of the Game -Record-
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at Texas Tech (7-5) W 42-18 RB Moore 193 all-purpose yds 3 tds 1-0 (0-0)
vs LSU (6-6) W 39-13 PK Bennett 6 of 6 FGs | Long of 54 2-0 (1-0)
vs Georgia Tech (10-2) W 30-10 QB Manning 21 of 28 414 yds 3 tds 3-0 (1-0)
at Auburn (8-4) W 31-07 QB Manning 23 of 30 312 yds 3 tds 4-0 (2-0)
vs Tennessee (7-5) W 52-10 RB Moore 184 all-purpose yds 3 tds 5-0 (3-0)
at Arkansas (8-4) W 48-23 QB Manning 17 of 27 360 yds 4 tds 6-0 (4-0)
at Kentucky (4-8) W 27-24 QB Manning 17 of 27 240 yds 2 tds 7-0 (5-0)
vs Alabama (9-3) W 27-18 RB Curtis 26 car 187 yds 1 td 8-0 (6-0)
vs Syracuse (4-8) W 48-17 QB Manning 20 of 24 239 yds 3 tds 9-0 (6-0)
at South Carolina (10-2) W 41-09 RB Moore 201 all-purpose yds 4 tds 10-0 (7-0)
vs Ole Miss (5-7) W 37-07 RB Moore 200 all-purpose yds 3 tds 11-0 (8-0)
at Southern Miss (9-3) W 55-21 FS Harris 10 tk 3 tfl 1 sk 1 int 12-0 (8-0)
vs Florida (10-3) W 41-31 QB Manning 14 of 25 314 yds 3 tds 13-0 (9-0)
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SEC Championship 
C-USA Championship 
#25 Tulsa 10-3 (7-2) -- 28
Southern Miss 10-3 (8-1) -- 42
Big XII Championship 
#14 Missouri 10-3 (6-3) -- 19
#13 Oklahoma 11-2 (8-1) -- 24
MAC Championship 
Central Michigan 9-4 (6-3) -- 14
Temple 10-3 (9-0) -- 26
ACC Championship
#9 Georgia Tech 10-3 (7-2) -- 12
#8 Boston College 12-1 (8-1) -- 19
25-RB Reggie Moore (sr): 84 car 437 yds 8 TDs | 73 rec 802 yds 18 tds | 19 kr 503 yds 1 td
15-QB Danny Nolan (so): 178.9 rating | 2753 of 384 3,525 yds 40 tds 8 ints | 139 car 463 yds 2 tds
2-QB A.J. Armstrong (rs-jr): 174.0 rating | 276 of 405 3,838 yds 34 tds 3 ints | 203 car 454 yds 6 tds
7-QB Tate Larkin (jr): 134.8 rating | 237 of 428 3,255 yds 25 tds 8 ints | 156 car 569 yds 11 tds
89-WR Steve Barnes (so): 98 rec 1,529 yds 14 tds | 1,020 ret yds 1 td
BCS National Championship - Pasadena, CA
#2 USC (12-0) -- Pac-10 Champion
Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA 
#4 Michigan (11-1) -- Big 10 Champion
#7 Texas (11-1) -- At Large
Sugar Bowl - New Orleans, LA 
#3 West Virginia (12-0) -- Big East Champion
#12 Fresno State (11-1) -- At Large
Fiesta Bowl - Glendale, AZ
#8 Cincinnati (11-1) -- At Large
Orange Bowl - Miami, FL 
#5 Ohio State (11-1) -- At Large
Remaining Bowl Games
16-QB Arnold Thomas (rs-jr): 158.4 rating | 301 of 459 3,723 yds 38 tds 6 ints | 141 car 416 yds 4 tds
Bednarik Award (nation's top defensive player), 
Nagurski Award (nation's top defensive player) & 
Thorpe Award (nation's top DB): 
Groza Award (nation's top kicker):
Last Meeting: 
20 -- 13-0
A TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW 
TCU
Alabama
Boise State
Nebraska
South Carolina
Iowa
Missouri
UCF
Texas A&M
Arkansas
Penn State
Virginia Tech
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