Tulane Green Wave Runs the USF Bulls Out of New Orleans

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The Tulane Green Wave (3-2, 1-0 American Athletic Conference) defeated the South Florida Bulls (2-3, 0-1), 45-10, on Sept. 28 at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans. This game was never really close. At halftime, the Green Wave led 31-7. The Bulls' defense never figured out how to stop the Green Wave offense as Tulane rolled to its third win of the season, making a statement to the rest of the AAC.

The first drives for each team were vastly different. For the Bulls, they quickly went three-and-out. However, for Tulane, a short punt led to a six-play, 69-yard drive, ending with a Makhi Hughes 5-yard touchdown run. The following Bulls' drive, they gained just one first down before they were forced to punt again. Tulane's second drive was fairly similar to their first. The Green Wave went 88 yards in seven plays as Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah found receiver Dontae Fleming for a 15-yard touchdown pass.

Tulane vs. USF's Stats

Mensah finished the game going 18-of-22 with 326 yards and 3 touchdowns. Byrum Brown finished the day 12-of-18 with 134 yards and a rushing touchdown. In terms of rushing, Hughes ran for 61 yards and 2 touchdowns while the Bulls leading rusher was Nay'Quan Wright. Wright had just 38 yards on 7 carries. The top 2 receivers for Tulane were Fleming and Mario Williams. The two combined for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns against a usually tough Bulls defense. Bulls receiver Abdur-Rahmaan Yahseen led USF with 5 catches and 84 yards.

When It Changed

This game was taken over by the Green Wave the moment their offense took the field for their first drive in the first quarter. Once the Green Wave scored touchdowns on two separate drives on two long drives, the South Florida defenses' confidence was shaken.

The bad play from the defense shifted into the offense as well. After forcing a Tulane three-and-out, Wright lost the ball. It was recovered by the Green Wave and Tulane scored a touchdown the following drive. It effectively put the game out of the reach. The Bulls only positive plays was a 51-yard pass to Yahseen, which led to a 10-yard Brown touchdown run.

To make matters even worse, Brown left the game in the third quarter and did not return.

What the Results Mean

For Tulane, getting off to a strong start in the AAC schedule was crucial for the rest of the season's success. The Green Wave beat the Bulls with their own game plan. They dominated the Bulls in all aspects of the game. The Green Wave will face be at UAB (1-3, 0-1) on Oct. 5. After that, they return home to face Rice (1-3, 0-1) on Oct. 19. On Oct. 26, they face North Texas (3-1) in Denton, Texas. All of these, the Green Wave are capable of winning.

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For the Bulls, they will have to go back to the drawing board. It is never good losing by any amount, but losing by a lot to a conference opponent to start the conference schedule is a terrible thing. They will head back home against Memphis (3-1, 0-1) on Oct. 11. After that, they face UAB on Oct. 19 at home before facing FAU (1-3, 0-1) in Boca Raton, Fla. on Nov. 1.

Tulane looks like a team that is headed to the College Football Playoff if they play their cards right. They just need to keep the success they had this week throughout the rest of the season. For USF, they need get the confidence from their wins and remember how they accomplished that.