First Half Stats, Commentary, Plays of AAC Championship: Tulane 24 - North Texas 7
In this story:
A cool, drizzly night in Yulman Stadium greeted Tulane and North Texas in this battle for the American Conference crown. As teams were warming up, a steady drizzle fell. It ended by the time the kickoff occurred. Temperatures at game time are 51-degrees with light winds out of the Norht at 5-miles-per-hour. According to the forecast at gametime, light to moderate rain is expected by 8:00 p.m. continuing through midnight.
Tulane won the toss and elected to defer. North Texas will start at their own 25 after Patrick Durkin's touchback on the kickoff. On first down, the Mean Green run up the middle for three. On second down, no one is open, QB Drew Mestemaker picks up the 1st on a 9-yard rush. Short rush up the middle, then an incomplete pass, sets up third and 5. Completion over the middle for the first to Tulane's 48 for a 1st. Pass on the short post picks up 13 to the Tulane 35 for a 1st. Rush to the left picks up 8. Mess up on the handoff on 2nd, QB scrambles for two, short of the 1st. Then, false start by North Texas, sets up a third and a very short 6 at Tulane's 30. Run up the middle gets six and the first . Wide receiver screen picks up six to the TU 19. Pass into the end zone incomplete as the QB was under pressure. On third and 4 from the TU 19, rush to the right comes up just short the Tulane 15 after measuring for it. On the 4th and less than a yard, UNT, pass on a roll out picks up four and a first at TU's 11. Short rush to the right picks up 1. PASS ON THE QUICK OUT COMPLETE FROM DREW MESEMAKER TO TRE WILLIAMS III FROM 11-YARDS OUT. That was a 15-play drive, tying UNT for their longest drive of the year.
North Texas 7 - Tulane 0 8:32 to go in the 1st Quarter
A short run back gets the ball to the Tulane 19, where the Green Wave start their first drive. Short run to the left by by Jamauri McClure picks up four, then a quick out from Jake Retzlaff to McClure picks up 12. Sweep to McClure to the right earns four. Deep out from Retzlaff to Omari Hayes gets to the UNT 46. Sweep left to Javin Gordon loses a yard. A lazar from Retzlaff to Garrett Mmahat gains 28 to the UNT 25. Pass incomplete over the middle, then a short run to the right sets up a 3rd and 7 at UNT's 22. Slant to Omari Hayes picks up 7. On 4th and 1, Retzlaff picks up two and the first down over the left side to the UNT 14. McClure pushes the pile for a five yard gain. On second down, Retzlaff keeps over the left for five, setting up a first and goal at the 3. Javin Gordon loses a yard to the four on the left side. Retzlaff picks up to the 2. On third and goal, Retzlaff is hit as he sets up to throw and is hit from behind, causing an incomplete pass. Fourth and goal, Tulane goes for it from the UNT 2. North Texas calls a timeout with :35 to go in the 1st Quarter. On fourth and goal from the two RETZLAFF ROLLS OUT AND RUNS INTO THE END ZONE FOR A TWO YARD TOUCHDOWN.
Tulane 7 - North Texas 7 :30 to go in the 1st Quarter
North Texas takes over at its own 25 after Durkin's kickoff sails into the end zone. Run up the middle is smoked for a loss of two. Pass to the outside incomplete, setting up a 3rd and 12. Pass down the far sideline is incomplete, but pass interference is called. 15-yard penalty, gives UNT the ball at the 38. Run up the middle picks up 7 to their own 45 as the 1st quarter comes to an end.
Tulane 7 - North Texas 7 End of the 1st Quarter
Except for the final 30-seconds, the first quarter has a grand total of two drives. UNT touchdown drive took up 6:28 of the 1st quarter. Tulane's TD drive was a 16-play thing of beauty, converting two fourth downs, including the touchdown run by Retzlaff that took up 7:57 of the 1st quarter.
North Texas sees a 2nd and three at their own 44 to begin the 2nd quarter. Run up the middle gets the 1st at the Mean Green 49. Deep post picks is complete to the TU 29. Out pattern is broken up by TU. 2nd and 10, and TULANE PICKS UP ITS FIRST SACK FROM MO WESTMORELAND. LOSS OF 11, setting up a 3rd and 21 at the TU 40. Pass complete over the middle, but JACK TCHIENCHOU PUTS THE HELMET ON THE BALL AT THE 29, PICKED UP BY TULANE'S L.J. GREEN AND RETURNED 34-YARDS TO THE NORTH TEXAS 37.
McClure gets the left side, slants through the hole, then is rugby scrummed to the UNT 7. MCCLURE FINDS THE CORNER FOR A SEVEN YARD TOUCHDOWN RUN.
Tulane 14 - North Texas 7 12:29 to go in the 2nd Quarter
A pooch kick bounced around at the North Texas 35 before being recovered by UNT at their own 34. False start, pushes it back to the 29. COVERAGE SACK SANTANA HOPPER BACKS THE BALL TO THE 27. Offside by TU, sets up a 2nd and 12 from the UNT 32. Pass down the deep right is knocked away by Bailey Despanie. 3rd and 12, HARVEY DYSON SACKS THE QB 15-YARDS BEHIND THE LINE, forcing the first punt of the game, which Tulane fair catches at their own 42.
Retzlaff on the roll to the right finds Shazz Preston for a 15-yard gain to the UNT 48. McClure smashes up the middle for a six yard gain. Another McClure rush up the middle picks up three AS THE RAIN BEGINS TO FALL AT YULMAN STADIUM. Quarterback Sneak by Retzlaff picks up two and a 1st down. Gordon off the left picks up 1 to the UNT 31. Retzlaff sweep left picks up 11 and the 1st. Pass to the end zone is thrown one way while the receiver is turned the other, and falls incomplete. McClure carries left, making jump moves to pick up 8 setting up a 3rd and 2 at the UNT 12. Fake to McClure, then pass intended for freshman tight end Gabe Lovorn falls incomplete (and he was open). PATRICK DURKIN ON FOR THE 30-YARD FIELD GOAL AND IT'S GOOD!
Tulane 17 - North Texas 7 5:46 to go in the 2nd Quarter
North Texas receives the high kickoff from Durkin at the three and gets back to the 13. Run left picks up two. Short pass picks up seven, setting up a 3rd and 2 at the UNT 21. Short pass to the 1 picks up 1st. Deep out gains 11 to the Mean Green 36. Deep out incomplete. Good pressure by the TU front four. Power rush to the left picks up six, setting up a 3rd and 4 at their own 42. SANTANA HOPPER PICKS UP HIS SECOND SACK OF THE GAME, FOURTH BY TU FOR A LOSS OF EIGHT. North Texas gets a punter's roll for a 50-yarder to the Tulane 16, where Tulane takes over with 2:09 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Tulane runs left for four yards as the clock stops with two-minutes timeout.
Tulane 17 - North Texas 7 2:00 to go in the 2nd Quarter
Retzlaff runs to the right and is horse collared. 15-yard penalty. Retzlaff deep out to Zycarl Lewis gest to the UNT 48. Rush up the middle by McClure picks up four. Clock running 1:10 to go in the 2nd quarter. Retzlaff rolls out right and throws incomplete on a zinger to Anthony Brown-Stephens. Pass complete on a short out to Mmahat to the UNT 41. 4th and four, Alec Clark puts up a beauty that hits an upback of the receiving team at the North Texas 12 and is recovered by Tulane!
Tulane 1st and 10 at the Mean Green 13 with :50 to go in the 2nd quarter. Retzlaff rushes left to the seven, setting up a 2nd and 3 at the UNT 6. Tulane calls a timeout with :28 to go in the 2nd quarter. McClure rushes up the gut for three, then two, and Tulane calls their 2nd timeout with the Green Wave at the 1 with a second and goal. Pass incomplete for Omari Hayes in the end zone. 3rd and goal from the 1 with :10 to go. Retzlaff sweeps left and is stopped at the inch line, as Tulane calls their final timeout of the 1st half with :03 to go. Before Tulane can run a play, North Texas calls a timeout. On the last play of the 1st half, ON THE TUSH PUSH, JAKE RETZLAFF SCORES FROM ONE YARD OUT FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. The Retzlaff touchdown run at the end of the 1st half, was reviewed. It took nine minutes for the officials to determine it was a touchdown.
Halftime: Tulane 24 - North Texas 7
Statistics | North Texas | Tulane |
|---|---|---|
Total Yards | 115 | 205 |
Passing Yards | 98 | 89 |
Rushing Yards | 17 | 116 |
Penalties | 3-25 | 2-20 |
1st Downs | 11 | 11 |
3rd Down Efficiency | 3-7 | 1-6 |
4th Down Efficiency | 1-1 | 3-3 |
Total Plays | 33 | 39 |
Ave Yards Per Play | 3.5 | 5.3 |
Ave Yards Per Completion | 9.8 | 12.7 |
Ave Yards Per Rush | 1 | 4.5 |
Red Zone | 1-1 | 4-4 |
Time of Possession | 14:15 | 15:45 |
Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
Sacks by (Def Yards) | 0 | 4 - 36-yards |
TFL | 2 - 2-yards | 5 - 38-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.