Final Stats, Commentary, Plays AAC Championship: Tulane 34 North Texas 21
In this story:
Attendance for the American Championship game: 23, 986 in Yulman. By this time, rain has ceased here in Uptown.
Halftime: Tulane 24 - North Texas 7
Tulane won the toss to begin the game, so the Wave received the 2nd half kickoff. Flags on the kickoff, personal foul, against Tulane. After the touchback, TU starts at their 13. McClure shifty run to the left picks up 9. Retzlaff throws incomplete. On 3rd and 1, Retzlaff on the keeper gets the 1st to the 23. McClure off right guard picks up five. Gordon picks up four up the middle. Retzlaff off the left side picks up 5 and the 1st down. Deep out by Retzlaff falls incomplete. Gordon up the middle for 3, sets up a 3rd and 7 at the TU 40. Deep curl complete to Anthony Brown-Stephens for 22 to the UNT 37. Muffed play loses a yard. McClure off the right side picks up five. Third and 6 at the UNT 34, McClure picks up three, setting up a 4th and four. PATRICK DURKIN ATTEMPTS A 50-YARD FIELD GOAL WHICH SAILS WIDE LEFT.
North Texas gets the ball at their own 32. Roll out by North Texas QB, shoved out of bounds for no gain. Mean Green is called for hitting a Tulane player after the play, personal foul. Backed up to the 18 for a 2nd and 24. Short rush off the left picks up 4. On 3rd and 20, QB rush picks up nine, setting up a 4th and 9. ON THE PASS, LINEBACKER CHRIS RODGERS GETS THE TIP DRILL FOR THE INTERCEPTION AT THE 35 AND RETURNS IT FOR A PICK-SIX. As Rogers gets to the end zone, the ball comes out and the play goes under review. It is ruled a touchdown.
Tulane 31 - North Texas 7 7:32 to go in the 3rd Quarter
North Texas calls the fair catch at the three to start at their own 25. Deep post picks up 12. Rush up the middle picks up 14 to the TU 48. Deep out to the TU 25 falls incomplete. 2nd and 10 with 6:38 to go in the 3rd. Short rush to the right picks up 1. 3rd and 9 at the TU 47. QB flushed out the pocket and picks up the 1st down to the TU 33 on a 13-yard gain. Short rush to the TU 32. QB under pressure again, but rushes up the middle for 18 to the TU 14. Short rush to the Tulane 13. Pass to the end zone falls incomplete. 3rd and 9 at the TU 13 for UNT. Pass to the end zone, Tulane called for pass interference. UNT 1st and goal at the TU 2. TIPPED PASS IS INTERCEPTED BY JACK TCHIENCHOU IN THE END ZONE, TUMBLING OUT OF BOUNDS AT THE ONE.
Tulane starts inside their own 1, and UNT is called for offsides. On first and five from the six, Gordon picks up 5 to the 11 for a first down. Gordon sweeps left for three to the TU 14. McClure rushes right for two, setting up a 3rd and 7. Short pass to Preston picks up 1. On 4th and 6, Clark punts a 42-yarder to the UNT 40.
North Texas begins with its best field position. First down wide receiver screen picks up 2. Rush right gains four to their own 46. Deep pass down the right side broken up by Isiah Wadsworth. 4th down, UNT goes for it. Mean Green called for a false start, setting up a 4th and 9 at their own 41. Punt unit is on, as North Texas calls a timeout with :26 to go in the 3rd period and decides to go for it. DEEP POST COMPLETION 59-YARDS FROM MESTEMAKER TO MYLES COLEMAN. UNT goes for two and fails.
Tulane 31 - North Texas 13 :13 to go in the 3rd Quarter
Short kickoff returned to the TU 36, where Tulane starts their drive. Arnold Barnes picks up four up the middle as the 3rd quarter comes to an end.
Tulane 31 - North Texas 13 End of the 3rd Quarter
Tulane called for false start. Wide receiver screen on 2nd and 10 to Mmahat gets to the 50 for a first down. Barnes gets a tough yard up the gut. Retzlaff rushes right to midfield, losing 1, setting up a 3rd and 10. On the blitz, short pass to Gordon gains five, bringing on Clark for his third punt. Fair catch called at the UNT 12 with 12:20 to go in the 4th quarter.
Mean Green complete short to Cameron Dorner, who turns 15 yards into 35 at their own 35. Blast run up the middle gains 13 to their own 48. Pass over the middle to the TU 38. Short run picks up 1 up the middle. BLITZ BY SAM HOWARD SACKS THE QB FOR A LOSS OF 4. 3rd and 13 picks up 6, setting up a 4th and 7 at the TU 35. Pass over the middle to the TU 9. RUSH UP THE MIDDLE FROM 9-YARDS OUT BY ASHTON GRAY FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. UNT going for two, RUSH UP THE MIDDLE BY GRAY IS GOOD FOR TWO.
The last two touchdown drives by North Texas have taken less than four minutes total.
Tulane 31 - North Texas 21 9:26 to go in the 4th Quarter
Tulane runs back to their 22 on the ensuing kickoff. Short pass to the right picks up 1. McClure up the middle picks up four, setting up a 3rd and five. Post threaded by Retzlaff through a cornerback's hands to Zycarl Lewis for the first down to the TU 40. Gordon gains 1 up the middle. On 3rd and 9, pass interference called on UNT at the 42 of North Texas. McClure runs up the middle for three. On a beautiful fake, Retzlaff keeps around he right for 11 and a 1st down at the UNT 30. McClure rushes for 8 five of which is a rugby scrum by Tulane. McCLURE HAS 20 CARRIES FOR 119-YARDS SO FAR. On 2nd and 2 at the UNT 22, Gordon forces his way for five and a 1st down to the UNT 17. Gordon up the middle again gains three as North Texas calls their 2nd timeout of the 2nd half. McClure up the middle for 1, setting up a 3rd and 6 at the UNT 13. North Texas calls their final timeout with 3:41 to go in the 4th quarter. McClure up the middle, gains 1. PATRICK DURIN ON FOR A 30-YARD FIELD GOAL AND IT'S GOOD. That 13-play drive sucked up 6:29 on the 4th quarter clock.
Tulane 34 - North Texas 21 2:51 to go in the 4th Quarter
North Texas starts at their own 25 after the Durkin touchback. Quick out pass pick up 15. Short pass picks up 6 to the 46 of UNT. Slant over the middle picks up a first to the TU 41. Rush right picks up 7 to the TU 34 as we reach the two minute timeout.
Tulane 34 - North Texas 21 1:56 to go in the 4th Quarter
On 2nd and 3 from the Tulane 34, rush right for 10 to the TU 24. Post pass gets to the TU 4. As UNT gets to the line for their 1st down call, Tulane calls a timeout with 1:39 to go. Run up the middle loses two. Pass sails through the end zone on 2nd down. On 3rd and goal from the 6, PASS IS INTERCEPTED IN THE END ZONE BY JAHIEM JOHNSON! That's the 5th turnover of the game by UNT.
With 1:00 to go, TU lines up in victory formation and takes a knee to end the game.
Statistics | North Texas | Tulane |
|---|---|---|
Total Yards | 415 | 344 |
Passing Yards | 294 | 145 |
Rushing Yards | 121 | 199 |
Penalties | 7-65 | 5-37 |
1st Downs | 25 | 20 |
3rd Down Efficiency | 4-12 | 5-14 |
4th Down Efficiency | 3-4 | 3-3 |
Total Plays | 68 | 74 |
Ave Yards Per Play | 6.1 | 4.6 |
Ave Yards Per Completion | 14 | 11.2 |
Ave Yards Per Rush | 3.6 | 3.8 |
Red Zone | 2-4 | 5-5 |
Time of Possession | 24:52 | 35:08 |
Turnovers | 5 | 0 |
Sacks by (Def Yards) | 0 | 5 - 40-yards |
TFL | 3 - 3-yards | 7 - 44-yards |
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.