Game 6, Year 16 (2025 season): #3 Tulane Green Wave at #2 Notre Dame
#3
31 -- 6-0
#2
13 -- 6-1
OLB Sean Williamson (#9) and the Tulane defense celebrates following a fourth down stop in the second half.
South Bend, IN -- Perhaps #2 Notre Dame was emotionally spent following last week's comeback victory over rival USC. Or maybe perhaps it was just that Tulane was well-rested coming off of its bye week and having two weeks to prepare. Whichever way you'd like to spin it, the end result is the same, as the #3 ranked Green Wave absolutely demolished the #2 ranked Fighting Irish 31-13 Saturday night in chilly South Bend, where temperatures dipped into the 30s with the wind chill. The visiting team got two defensive touchdowns along with a 250-yard 2-touchdown performance from redshirt sophomore QB Jimmy McBride, as the Wave overcame the absence of starting RB Tony Tompkins as well as some early adversity to pick up one of if its most significant non-conference wins in recent memory.
Redshirt sophomore QB Jimmy McBride was efficient, completing 20 of his 25 pass attempts for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns on the night.
The Green Wave, who came into the game as 8 1/2 point underdogs, squandered its opening possession by being stuffed on a wild fourth and one gamble by head coach D. Geezy at their own 42-yard line when FB J.J. Williams was blasted behind the line of scrimmage by Notre Dame DE Zach Caldwell, who was the nation's #1 overall high school recruit in the 2023 off-season.
"I wanted our team to establish some early dominance, because that was our mindset going in," said Tulane head coach D. Geezy. "It just didn't work out for us there but I do think we showed both us and them, that we came here to win."
The ill-fated gamble would end up not hurting the Wave however, as Tulane reserve safety La'Roi Brown, in the game because of members of the Wave defense being winded early due to the cold air, came up with a big play with the Fighting Irish in scoring position. Brown, who was responsible for a game-sealing interception two seasons ago in a close 33-32 win at Tennessee back in 2023, picked off Notre Dame QB George Hardin's option pitch attempt to RB Pat McMahon and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown that gave his team a 7-0 lead. The big play completely swung the momentum back into Tulane's favor and set the tone for the evening.
Later, in the second quarter, McBride would lead an 8-play 80-yard drive which lasted 3:08 and ended with a 33-yard touchdown pass to WR Kenny Bell that increased their team's lead to 14-0, a lead they would take into the halftime locker room.
The Wave would increase its advantage to 24-0 following a 42-yard field goal by PK Aaron Larson and an 8-yard touchdown pass from McBride to true freshman WR Grant Brady. Both drives were aided by clutch third down receptions by RB Michael Brown Jr., who finished the game with a career-high 11 receptions for 109 yards.
"We came out today wanting to establish the short passing game with Michael, really as an extension of the running game, with Tony being out," said Tulane first year offensive coordinator Joe Roberts, who was without the Heisman contending Tompkins following a pectoral injury sustained by the senior star.
Notre Dame (6-1) was completely overwhelmed all evening offensively and was held to a season-low 334 yards, including only 244 passing yards for Hardin, who was red-hot coming into the game after last week's 396-yard 5-touchdown performance in the Irish's aforementioned 35-27 win over the then-#2 ranked Trojans. The Green Wave used a steady dose of heavy blitz pressure out of multiple defensive formations, confusing the Notre Dame offense all night.
Sophomore CB J.T. Hills came up with the game-clinching turnover for a second week in a row, this time getting a pick-six that made the score 31-6 in the fourth quarter and all but ended any hopes of a Notre Dame miracle comeback."We watched a lot of tape these past couple of weeks and one thing we saw is that no one they have faced this year has forced the issue. Everyone just kind of sat back and took their medicine, and we decided that if they're going to beat us, we will go down swinging with pressure packages," said Tulane second year defensive coordinator Karl Dunbar, who used a steady mix of 2-4-5 and 3-2-6 packages throughout the night.
The Irish would finally get on the board when OLB Jonathan Cobbs picked off McBride and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown that made the score 24-6. However, Tulane sophomore CB J.T. Hills would return the favor in the fourth quarter with a pick-six of his own, taking an interception 35 yards for a game-sealing touchdown that made the score 31-6.
"I'd be lying if I was to say I expected us to dominate the scoreboard the way we did against this great team, but I do know we were supremely confident that we could come in here and get the 'W," said Geezy.
"We still have a lot of football left to play, but we will certainly enjoy this one for the next 24 hours before moving on to next week."
Tulane (6-0) will travel to face Kentucky (2-4) next week at Lexington. The Green Wave defeated the Wildcats 34-15 last season at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Sophomore RB Michael Brown Jr. was a big part of Saturday night's game plan and finished the night with a career-high 11 receptions for 109 yards. Here, he celebrates following a third down and long conversion.
Box Score
1st
: 90 yd fumble return TD by L. Brown (Larson kick) 4:54 -- 7-0
2nd
: 33 yd TD pass from McBride to Bell (Larson kick) 6:09 -- 14-0
3rd
: 42 yd FG by Larson 5:35 -- 17-0
: 8 yd TD pass from McBride to Brady (Larson kick) 2:12 -- 24-0
: 44 yd interception return TD by Cobbs (2-pt pass failed) 0:01 -- 24-6
4th
: 35 yd interception return TD by Hills (Larson kick) 6:53 -- 31-6
: 31 yd TD pass from Hardin to Whitfield (Gary kick) 1:47 -- 31-13
Game Statistics
#3 Tulane
#2 Notre Dame
2025 Tulane Green Wave Schedule/Results
Next Game:
#1 (6-0) at 
(2-4)
Photo Gallery
WR Anthony Robertson and his Fighting Irish teammates all "tap the sign" on their way through Notre Dame Stadium's historical tunnel walk onto the playing field.
The Fighting Irish Leprechaun leads the troops to the sideline in what was an electric pregame atmosphere at South Bend.
Coach Geezy tried to give his team a spark early, going for it on 4th and 1 from Tulane's own 42 on the game's opening possession, however the rare gamble backfired as Notre Dame star DE Zach Caldwell stuffed FB J.J. Williams behind the line of scrimmage, turning the ball over on downs.
With the Fighting Irish in scoring position a few plays following Geezy's gamble, reserve defensive back La'Roi Brown caught QB George Hardin's option pitch attempt to RB Pat McMahon and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown that gave Tulane a 7-0 first quarter lead.
With leading rusher Tony Tompkins on the mend, Tulane RB Michael Brown Jr. was a big part of Tulane's game plan and finished with 11 receptions for 109 yards.
RB Eric Banks bounced off of DE T.J. Pearson's tackle attempt on this first half carry on his way to finishing with 112 rushing yards on the night.
Tulane defensive coordinator Karl Dunbar's unit used bracket coverage on Notre Dame WR Chad Harris all evening long. Here, OLB Sean Williamson swats away a pass attempt to Harris, who finished with a season low 2 receptions for 16 yards.
Notre Dame junior WR Anthony Robertson picked up the slack and took advantage of the attention being paid to Harris, finishing the night with 6 receptions for 83 yards.
Redshirt junior WR Kenny Bell, a former 2-star recruit and converted high school and junior college quarterback, took advantage of this coverage mismatch versus OLB Jonathan Cobbs (#58) and hauled in a 33-yard second quarter touchdown that made the score 14-0.
WR Adam Lawson fights off Notre Dame freshman CB Joseph Pruitt after coming down with a jump ball reception for a big gain in the second half.
A couple of plays after his big catch, Lawson jumps onto the back of freshman WR Grant Brady following Brady's 8-yard third quarter touchdown reception that gave the Wave a commanding 24-0 lead.
McBride's ill-advised decision to throw while being hit resulted in Notre Dame OLB Jonathan Cobbs picking off his pass and returning it for a 44 yards for a touchdown that made the score 24-6 and gave Notre Dame a brief glimmer of hope.
With Notre Dame flirting with the idea of a miracle fourth quarter comeback, CB J.T. Hills' pick-six essentially put the game away, making the score 31-6.
Notre Dame true freshman WR Aaron Whitfield dove into end zone for a late 31-yard touchdown in garbage time, but it was too little too late for the home team.
Following his final kneel down, McBride celebrated Tulane's emphatic victory with members of his offensive line.
.
#3
31 -- 6-0#2
13 -- 6-1OLB Sean Williamson (#9) and the Tulane defense celebrates following a fourth down stop in the second half.
#3 Tulane marches into South Bend and comes away with a statement win versus #2 Notre Dame | Playing without Heisman contending RB Tompkins, Green Wave gets steady performance from QB McBride and two defensive touchdowns in big victory | Underdog Wave's stunning dominance shows the nation that SEC is still the king of college football | Team must avoid looking ahead to date with defending national champion Bama, will travel to Lexington to face Kentucky next week
South Bend, IN -- Perhaps #2 Notre Dame was emotionally spent following last week's comeback victory over rival USC. Or maybe perhaps it was just that Tulane was well-rested coming off of its bye week and having two weeks to prepare. Whichever way you'd like to spin it, the end result is the same, as the #3 ranked Green Wave absolutely demolished the #2 ranked Fighting Irish 31-13 Saturday night in chilly South Bend, where temperatures dipped into the 30s with the wind chill. The visiting team got two defensive touchdowns along with a 250-yard 2-touchdown performance from redshirt sophomore QB Jimmy McBride, as the Wave overcame the absence of starting RB Tony Tompkins as well as some early adversity to pick up one of if its most significant non-conference wins in recent memory.
Redshirt sophomore QB Jimmy McBride was efficient, completing 20 of his 25 pass attempts for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns on the night.
The Green Wave, who came into the game as 8 1/2 point underdogs, squandered its opening possession by being stuffed on a wild fourth and one gamble by head coach D. Geezy at their own 42-yard line when FB J.J. Williams was blasted behind the line of scrimmage by Notre Dame DE Zach Caldwell, who was the nation's #1 overall high school recruit in the 2023 off-season.
"I wanted our team to establish some early dominance, because that was our mindset going in," said Tulane head coach D. Geezy. "It just didn't work out for us there but I do think we showed both us and them, that we came here to win."
The ill-fated gamble would end up not hurting the Wave however, as Tulane reserve safety La'Roi Brown, in the game because of members of the Wave defense being winded early due to the cold air, came up with a big play with the Fighting Irish in scoring position. Brown, who was responsible for a game-sealing interception two seasons ago in a close 33-32 win at Tennessee back in 2023, picked off Notre Dame QB George Hardin's option pitch attempt to RB Pat McMahon and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown that gave his team a 7-0 lead. The big play completely swung the momentum back into Tulane's favor and set the tone for the evening.
Later, in the second quarter, McBride would lead an 8-play 80-yard drive which lasted 3:08 and ended with a 33-yard touchdown pass to WR Kenny Bell that increased their team's lead to 14-0, a lead they would take into the halftime locker room.
The Wave would increase its advantage to 24-0 following a 42-yard field goal by PK Aaron Larson and an 8-yard touchdown pass from McBride to true freshman WR Grant Brady. Both drives were aided by clutch third down receptions by RB Michael Brown Jr., who finished the game with a career-high 11 receptions for 109 yards.
"We came out today wanting to establish the short passing game with Michael, really as an extension of the running game, with Tony being out," said Tulane first year offensive coordinator Joe Roberts, who was without the Heisman contending Tompkins following a pectoral injury sustained by the senior star.
Notre Dame (6-1) was completely overwhelmed all evening offensively and was held to a season-low 334 yards, including only 244 passing yards for Hardin, who was red-hot coming into the game after last week's 396-yard 5-touchdown performance in the Irish's aforementioned 35-27 win over the then-#2 ranked Trojans. The Green Wave used a steady dose of heavy blitz pressure out of multiple defensive formations, confusing the Notre Dame offense all night.
Sophomore CB J.T. Hills came up with the game-clinching turnover for a second week in a row, this time getting a pick-six that made the score 31-6 in the fourth quarter and all but ended any hopes of a Notre Dame miracle comeback.
The Irish would finally get on the board when OLB Jonathan Cobbs picked off McBride and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown that made the score 24-6. However, Tulane sophomore CB J.T. Hills would return the favor in the fourth quarter with a pick-six of his own, taking an interception 35 yards for a game-sealing touchdown that made the score 31-6.
"I'd be lying if I was to say I expected us to dominate the scoreboard the way we did against this great team, but I do know we were supremely confident that we could come in here and get the 'W," said Geezy.
"We still have a lot of football left to play, but we will certainly enjoy this one for the next 24 hours before moving on to next week."
Tulane (6-0) will travel to face Kentucky (2-4) next week at Lexington. The Green Wave defeated the Wildcats 34-15 last season at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Sophomore RB Michael Brown Jr. was a big part of Saturday night's game plan and finished the night with a career-high 11 receptions for 109 yards. Here, he celebrates following a third down and long conversion.
Box Score| Tulane Green Wave at Notre Dame Fighting Irish | |||||
| 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE | |
| #3 Tulane Green Wave (6-0) | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
| #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
1st
: 90 yd fumble return TD by L. Brown (Larson kick) 4:54 -- 7-02nd
: 33 yd TD pass from McBride to Bell (Larson kick) 6:09 -- 14-03rd
: 42 yd FG by Larson 5:35 -- 17-0: 8 yd TD pass from McBride to Brady (Larson kick) 2:12 -- 24-0: 44 yd interception return TD by Cobbs (2-pt pass failed) 0:01 -- 24-64th
: 35 yd interception return TD by Hills (Larson kick) 6:53 -- 31-6: 31 yd TD pass from Hardin to Whitfield (Gary kick) 1:47 -- 31-13 Game Statistics #3 Tulane Code:
[size=1] [U] Passing RATING COMP ATT YDS TD INT [/U] 2-QB *Jimmy McBride(rs-so) 182.4 20 25 250 2 1 [U] Rushing ATT YDS TD [/U] 6-RB Anthony Brown(fr) 13 65 0 2-QB *Jimmy McBride(rs-so) 8 -18 0 22-FB J.J. Williams(so) 5 -8 0 10-RB Michael Brown Jr.(so) 1 -3 0 [U] Receiving REC YDS TD [/U] 10-RB Michael Brown Jr.(so) 11 109 0 11-WR Grant Brady(fr) 3 48 1 (3 pr, 13 yds) 13-WR Adam Lawson(so) 2 41 0 1-TE Ronnie Parsons(sr) 1 9 0 80-WR Lionel Parks(rs-sr) 1 12 0 4-WR Kenny Bell(rs-jr) 1 33 1 [U] Defensive Leaders TAK SOLO AST TFL SCK INT [/U] 48-CB Jamaal Green(rs-sr) 9 6 3 0 0 0 43-MLB *Mario Young(sr) 7 7 0 3 1 0 58-DE Mike Miller(rs-so) 5 4 1 1 1 0 3-CB Tyler Harrison(sr) 4 3 1 2 1 0 34-CB J.T. Hills(so) 3 3 0 1 0 1 (1 td) 55-OLB Joshua Freeman(fr) 2 2 0 1 1 0 15-CB Benny Smith(rs-so) 2 2 0 1 1 0 16-SS La'Roi Brown(rs-sr) 2 1 1 0 0 0 (1 fr, 1 td) [u] Kicking FG MADE FG ATT LONG MISSED XP MADE XP ATT [/U] 49-PK Aaron Larson(jr) 1 1 42 n/a 4 4 [B][U]Tulane Key Team Stats:[/U][/B] Total Offensive Yards: 298 Rushing Totals: 29 att 48 yds 0 tds Sacks Allowed: 5 3rd down conversions: 4-11 (36%) 4th down conversions: 0-1 (0%) Offensive Turnovers: 1 Penalties: 4 for 37 yards Time of Possession: 21:19 [/size]
#2 Notre DameCode:
[size=1] [U] Passing RATING COMP ATT YDS TD INT [/U] 9-QB *George Hardin(rs-sr) 141.2 22 31 244 1 1 7-P Avery Gary(sr) 116.8 1 1 2 0 0 (fake punt) [U] Rushing ATT YDS TD [/U] 5-RB Eric Banks(jr) 19 112 0 9-QB *George Hardin(rs-sr) 10 -24 0 [U] Receiving REC YDS TD [/U] 1-WR Anthony Robertson(jr) 6 83 0 5-RB Eric Banks(jr) 6 22 0 25-WR Aaron Whitfield(fr) 5 77 0 88-WR *Chad Harris(sr) 2 16 0 (1 kr, 20 yds | 1 pr, 6 yds) 17-WR Mike Pope(rs-sr) 1 17 0 81-WR Zac Mason(rs-jr) 1 23 0 82-TE Cory Baker(so) 1 6 0 33-S/CB Doug McKnight(jr) 1 2 0 (fake punt) [U] Defensive Leaders TAK SOLO AST TFL SCK INT [/U] 44-MLB Kasey Ford(rs-so) 10 8 2 2 0 0 95-DT Paul Tolbert(rs-sr) 6 4 2 3 2 0 11-LE Zach Caldwell(jr) 3 3 0 2 0 0 94-MLB Jon Moore(jr) 4 3 1 3 1 0 90-RE Michael Haumiller(sr) 2 2 0 2 1 0 58-OLB Jonathan Cobbs(rs-sr) 1 1 0 1 0 1 (1 td) 33-S/CB Doug McKnight(jr) 1 1 0 1 1 0 [u] Kicking FG MADE FG ATT LONG MISSED XP MADE XP ATT [/U] 7-PK Avery Gary(sr) 0 0 n/a n/a 1 1 [B][U]Notre Dame Key Team Stats:[/U][/B] Total Offensive Yards: 334 Rushing Totals: 29 att 88 yds 0 tds Sacks Allowed: 5 3rd down conversions: 5-12 (41%) 4th down conversions: 0-1 (0%) Offensive Turnovers: 3 Penalties: 7 for 67 yards Time of Possession: 14:41 [/size]
2025 Tulane Green Wave Schedule/Results Code:
[SIZE=1]
Opponent (record) Result Tulane Player of the Game -Record-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
at Auburn (4-3) W 48-29 RB Tompkins 305 all-purpose yds 4 tds 1-0 (1-0)
vs #13 Ohio St. (6-1) W 34-24 RB Tompkins 13 car 183 yds 3 tds 2-0 (1-0)
vs Georgia (4-3) W 42-14 QB McBride 14-25 281 yds 4 total tds 3-0 (2-0)
vs #20 LSU (5-2) W 33-30 PK Larson 4-4 fgs long-50 3-3 xps 4-0 (3-0)
at #15 Florida (4-2) W 27-22 RB Tompkins 25 car 150 yds 3 tds 5-0 (4-0)
at #9 Notre Dame (6-1) W 31-13 QB McBride 20-25 250 yds 2 tds 6-0 (4-0)
at Kentucky (2-4)
vs #2 Alabama (7-0)
at #12 Southern Miss (7-0)
at #23 Arkansas (6-1)
vs Ole Miss (3-3)
vs #5 TCU (7-0)
[/SIZE]
Next Game:
#1
(6-0) at (2-4) Photo GalleryWR Anthony Robertson and his Fighting Irish teammates all "tap the sign" on their way through Notre Dame Stadium's historical tunnel walk onto the playing field.
The Fighting Irish Leprechaun leads the troops to the sideline in what was an electric pregame atmosphere at South Bend.
Coach Geezy tried to give his team a spark early, going for it on 4th and 1 from Tulane's own 42 on the game's opening possession, however the rare gamble backfired as Notre Dame star DE Zach Caldwell stuffed FB J.J. Williams behind the line of scrimmage, turning the ball over on downs.
With the Fighting Irish in scoring position a few plays following Geezy's gamble, reserve defensive back La'Roi Brown caught QB George Hardin's option pitch attempt to RB Pat McMahon and returned it 90 yards for a touchdown that gave Tulane a 7-0 first quarter lead.
With leading rusher Tony Tompkins on the mend, Tulane RB Michael Brown Jr. was a big part of Tulane's game plan and finished with 11 receptions for 109 yards.
RB Eric Banks bounced off of DE T.J. Pearson's tackle attempt on this first half carry on his way to finishing with 112 rushing yards on the night.
Tulane defensive coordinator Karl Dunbar's unit used bracket coverage on Notre Dame WR Chad Harris all evening long. Here, OLB Sean Williamson swats away a pass attempt to Harris, who finished with a season low 2 receptions for 16 yards.
Notre Dame junior WR Anthony Robertson picked up the slack and took advantage of the attention being paid to Harris, finishing the night with 6 receptions for 83 yards.
Redshirt junior WR Kenny Bell, a former 2-star recruit and converted high school and junior college quarterback, took advantage of this coverage mismatch versus OLB Jonathan Cobbs (#58) and hauled in a 33-yard second quarter touchdown that made the score 14-0.
WR Adam Lawson fights off Notre Dame freshman CB Joseph Pruitt after coming down with a jump ball reception for a big gain in the second half.
A couple of plays after his big catch, Lawson jumps onto the back of freshman WR Grant Brady following Brady's 8-yard third quarter touchdown reception that gave the Wave a commanding 24-0 lead.
McBride's ill-advised decision to throw while being hit resulted in Notre Dame OLB Jonathan Cobbs picking off his pass and returning it for a 44 yards for a touchdown that made the score 24-6 and gave Notre Dame a brief glimmer of hope.
With Notre Dame flirting with the idea of a miracle fourth quarter comeback, CB J.T. Hills' pick-six essentially put the game away, making the score 31-6.
Notre Dame true freshman WR Aaron Whitfield dove into end zone for a late 31-yard touchdown in garbage time, but it was too little too late for the home team.
Following his final kneel down, McBride celebrated Tulane's emphatic victory with members of his offensive line.
.
Week 8 SEC Scoreboard
(7-0) at #1 
Tulane | RB Tompkins on track to play in week 10
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