Tulane Answers the Bell in Philadelphia, Crushes Temple, 37-13

Ranked 24th in the polls and knowing the chance to play in the American Conference championship was on the line, the Tulane football team answered the doubters on the road by clobbering the Temple Owls, 37-13.

"I'm grateful for our guys' effort and performance tonight," Tulane coach Jon Sumrall said immediately after the game. "I thought the guys really prepared the right way this week and played for something bigger than themselves."

Sumrall used the opportunity to point to a specific player on the Green Wave squad that showed his teammates how playing for something bigger can mean something special.

"Bryce Bohannon, our leading pass catcher on the year, asked if he could be put on special teams," Sumrall beamed. "not as a returner but as one of the blockers." Bohannon got hurt during what Sumrall called a "friendly fire" incident on Tuesday. "We've had him on (the special teams) the last couple of weeks, He gets that injury and I think it gives our guys some appreciation of playing for something bigger than yourself."

Freshman running back Jamauri McClure had a breakout game, rushing 17-times for 122-yards, his longest a slashing, bulldozer of a 25-yard run. The frosh was asked what led to his rushing explosion.

"Getting the ball in my hands," McClure joked with the media. "No, I've been preparing every week," he said when talking about how he got ready for this game, "preparing for anytime they give me a chance. I really didn't think ahead. They (the coaches) just told me to trust them and keep working."

"Jamauri's playing his fourth year of organized football in his life," Sumrall pointed out to the Philadelphia media. "I think the process on how to become a good player, he's still figuring it out. I think what's been neat to see is this week, I get to work at 5:30 Tuesday morning, and he's in the weight room, rolling out. I mean our first meeting isn't until 7 o'clock. He's still growing. I don't think he's scratched the surface of how good a player he can become."

Another freshman, kicker Patrick Durkin, had a Patrick Durkin kind of night, hitting five field goals from 50, 36, 38, 42, and in the fourth quarter a career high 52-yarder.

"Durkin five for five," Sumrall marveling at the frosh kicker's effort. "(But) I want to kick less field goals and score more touchdowns. To win the really big games, you've got score more touchdowns."

The Wave opened the game in an almost identical fashion as it did against Memphis two weeks ago. It just took them one more play. After a short Javin Gordon run up the gut for three yards, quarterback Jake Retzlaff found Shazz Preston on a deep post, catching the ball at the Temple 30, then speeding into the end zone for the first score of the night.

"We do our first nine scripted plays of the game every week," Retzlaff told the media after the win. "I remember telling (pass game coordinating) coach Will Hall at yesterday's practice, 'We might score at least twice with these first nine (plays),' and, sure enough, we score (after) the first two (plays). To get that kind of start gets everybody fired up.

Although the Tulane defense held Temple fo 167-yards of total offense, twenty of which were on the ground, Sumrall was still not pleased.

"We just gave them a couple of plays early in the game," the former Kentucky linebacker said, shaking his head. "Other teams have good players," as Sumrall stated during the media conference about Temple many times, "but their touchdown drive early in the first half, we just gifted a couple of plays to them. It's like, 'Let's play good football. Let's act like we've done this before.' I thought our defense played okay. Our defense did some good things, but didn't dominate by any stretch of the imagination."

Defensive lineman Jordan Norman, who accounted for four tackles and two sacks, agreed.

"I don't think this is a complete game for us," Norman said. "I feel like there are other things we could have done better, but it turned out good for us."

There was a decent contingent of Green Wave colors in the stands for this one. Sumrall enjoyed the Tulane fans showing up in the LINC.

"It was awesome tonight, the turnout of the Tulane people," Sumrall raved. "I know we have a lot of alumni and presence up here in the Northeast. I turned around at one point and said, 'I feel like we're almost in Yulman.' It was like Yulman in Philly. It was a cool feeling to see so many people show up tonight."

And he closed with a plea, not just to Tulane fans, but to the city of New Orleans.

"I know it's going to be Thanksgiving break next week, so the students will be out of town," Sumrall summarized. "The city of New Orleans needs to show up for this football team. It's 9-and-2, with an opportunity to clinch and play in the (American) Conference championship next week with a win (against Charlotte). Man, there's no reason we should not sell the game out."

Tulane closes out their regular season this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in Yulman Stadium against American Conference foe Charlotte. A win, and Tulane is in the American Conference trophy game. Win there, and the Green Wave have the inside track to be in the College Football Playoffs for the first time in Tulane history.