Tulane Gobsmacked by UTSA, 42-19 as Wave Offense Stumbles
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The Tulane football team couldn't do much right on Saturday night in a 42-19 loss to Texas-San Antonio. A week after the Wave defense claimed six turnovers from Memphis, the Green Wave offense gave up a half-dozen to UTSA, as Tulane's offense staggered and stuttered in this loss.
The last time a Green Wave offense has turned over the ball six times came against Houston on November 24, 2012.
The loss stopped a 10-game home win streak by Tulane and drops the Green Wave to 3-4 on the year, 1-2 in American Conference play. UTSA is atop the league at 7-1 overall, 4-0 in American games.
First Half
The Wave won the toss and deferred to the 2nd half.
Things started off well for the Wave. Just five seconds into the game, UTSA quarterback Owen McGowan threw to the left flat where Tulane defensive back Anthony Rogers was playing the route, jumped it with a pick-six of 22-yards just 5-seconds into the game.
PICK SIX on the first play of the game 🚨
— CFP (@CFBPlayoff) October 25, 2026
📺 ESPNU x @American_Conf pic.twitter.com/iKofNAKByA
Tulane 7 - UTSA 0
On the next Roadrunner series, UTSA was more conservative play-calling, and Tulane pressure caused all sorts of issues, including an Ed Smith IV sack on a third down, leading to a punt by UTSA.
On the Wave's first official possession, quarterback Trace Johnson went 0-for, as the Greenies went three and out. Johnson was off on both of his passes.
After a fair catch interference by the Tulane special teams, UTSA started at their own 44 and drove down the field picking up three first downs on chunk plays. The Roadrunners are going no huddle all the way, topping it off with a direct snap to running back A'Marion Peterson for the touchdown.
Tulane 7 - UTSA 7
A run up the middle and a wide receiver screen earned the Wave a 3rd and 7. Johnson surveyed the field and ran for 9 to pick up the first down at the TU 37. Two plays later a bullet to Oliver Mitchell Jr picked up another first down. A fly pattern downfield was perfectly thrown and even more perfectly caught by Bredell Richardson at the UTSA 23. Two plays later, Johnson runs the option right and makes a bad toss back to Jamauri McClure that is recovered by the Roadrunners at their own 44.
UTSA drove the field, converting three third downs along the way, including another touchdown run by Peterson.
UTSA 14 - Tulane 7
End of the 1st Quarter: UTSA 14 - Tulane 7
On the second play of the second quarter, Johnson found receiver Garrett Mmahat deep down the middle for 56-yards with the senior stumbling after catching the ball the Roadrunner 18. A Fat Hill completion with an ensuing penalty pushes the ball to the UTSA, but a Johnnie Daniels rush to the left has Daniels lose the ball into the end zone where it is recovered by the Roadrunners. That's back-to-back possessions where Tulane has fumbled the ball on drives that could have produced points.
The Roadrunners go three and out, though, A line drive punt settles into Jaylin Lucas' hands at the Tulane 34 returning it to the 38.
But, for the third straight possession, the Green Wave gives up the ball, this time on a double reverse that was disrupted by the defensive front of UTSA, forcing a fumble recovered by the Roadrunners in Tulane territory.
UTSA drove straight down field with quarterback McGowan running in for the touchdown with 4:23 to go in the first half. Three Tulane turnovers have led to 14-points for the Roadrunners.
UTSA 21 - Tulane 7
Another Tulane possession sees the Green Wave move quickly down field with an impressive pass from Johnson tight end Cameron Roberts and another beauty to Hill. Two dropped passes led to a Cooper Helmke 38-yard field goal with 1:38 to go in the first half.
UTSA 21 - Tulane 10
The Road runners begin their final drive of the 1st half at their own 25 with 1:38 to go in the second quarter. A run by quarterback McGowan gains 17. A run up the gut gains 15, then heavy pressure forces an interception by Rogers at the Tulane 32. It is the cornerback's second interception of the game.
With just over a minute to go in the first half, the Tulane offense has to move it up field quickly. An injury to tackle Ryan Mickow brought things to a halt, as redshirt junior was carted off the field favoring his left leg. Short passes gets the Wave to the UTSA 46, facing a 3rd and 7 with 29-seconds to go in the 2nd quarter. A deep post to Michell gets the ball to the UTSA 29. An interference penalty against the Roadrunners places the ball at the UTSA 15 with 11-seconds on the clock. A shot at the end zone falls incomplete, leading to another Helmke field goal from 33-yards out to end the first half.
UTSA 21 - Tulane 13
End of the 1st Half: UTSA 21 - Tulane 13
On SI Tulane 1st Half Analysis
The Green Wave offense shot itself in the foot in this first half. Three straight possessions, three straight fumbles. Add to that at least three drops by Johnson's receivers and you've got a recipe for disaster. Because of two interceptions by Rogers, one a pick-six, Tulane is still within one possession and they receive the second half kickoff.
Second Half
Tulane won the toss before the game, deferring to receive until the 2nd half of play. They start at their own 25 to begin.
A deep post from Johnson to Brown-Stephens picks up 13-yards. A false start backs up the Wave, then good pressure pushes TU back. A short rush by Johnson brings up a 3rd and 8. Some confusion on the field forces the Green Wave to call a timeout. Pressure on Johnson forces an incompletion, leading to a William Hudlow that bounced the wrong way and was downed at the UTSA 28.
The Roadrunners push the ball up field using a deep post to get to the Tulane 36. Three plays later, it's first and goal at the Tulane 9. A nine-yard touchdown run gives Texas-San Antonio a double-digit lead.
UTSA 28 - Tulane 13
The Green Wave started at their own 25 and went backwards with a dropped pass, an incomplete wide receiver screen and a sack. a 48-yard punt puts UTSA at their 37. Two straight penalties, one taken another declined, then a 16-yard post to the UTSA 47 for the Roadrunners picks up the first down. During this stretch, Tulane turned down a holding call that would have made it 1st and 25. UTSA completed the deep post on the next play. The Roadrunners drove down to the Tulane 5, punching it in from there.
UTSA 35 - Tulane 13
Tulane pushed downfield, but on a fourth down at the UTSA 46, Johnson's pass deep to Mmahat was tipped and intercepted at the Roadrunner 17.
UTSA uses a mix of short passes and burst runs to get to its 33 before the Roadrunners have to punt. A knuckleball punt is muffed by Jaylin Lucas and recovered by Texas-San Antonio at the Tulane 17.
But the Tulane defense bowed up, as safety Jack Tchienchou ripped the ball from the hands of a UTSA running back at the Green Wave two. Going for it on a fourth down at their own seven, Johnnie Daniels brought back memories of last week, bursting up the middle for an 81-yard run to the UTSA seven. Daniels finished it off from there with a rugby scrum into the end zone. A razzle dazzle two-point attempt with receiver Mmahat to fellow receiver Hill fell incomplete.
UTSA 35 - Tulane 19
The Roadrunners go three and out. Lucas is not back to run back the punt. Redshirt sophomore Seth Gale gathers it in at the Tulane 38, but a holding call sets the Wave back to its 28 with 5:17 to go in the game and down by two scores.
The Tulane offense went backwards, though, with a sack and then a deep interception by Johnson gives UTSA six turnovers for the game, tying a school record.
The Roadrunners ran it down the Wave defense's throat en route to their sixth touchdown of the night.
UTSA 42 - Tulane 19
Final Score: UTSA 42 - Tulane 19
On SI Tulane 2nd Half Analysis
Flip flopping the turnovers from last week to this one was a drastic drop for this Tulane team. Most of that can be attributed to a lack of a Green Wave running game. The team had negative 5-yards rushing, until Daniels' 81-yard run with under 8-minutes to go in the game.
Quarterback Trace Johnson threw a pair of interceptions, but dropped passes and that lack of running game cost him dearly, as the freshman was forced into eight quarterback hurries and sacked three times in the game after not being harried once and only sacked once versus Memphis last week.
Some soul searching needs to be done on this team, as they see any chance of going to the American Conference championship game slipping away quickly.
UTSA | Tulane | |
|---|---|---|
Total Yards | 396 | 332 |
Passing Yards | 173 | 265 |
Rushing Yards | 223 | 67 |
Penalties | 7-67 yards | 6-60 yards |
3rd Down | 12-16 | 7-14 |
Ave per completion | 10.8-yards | 11-yards |
Ave per rush | 4.7-yards | 3-yards |
Red zone | 6-7 | 3-4 |
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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.