The Best Tulane Football Games of the 2010's
Reflecting on the Most Fun Tulane Games of the Last Decade
This newsletter was written by FTW writer Janny Meza, who you can find on Twitter here.
Although it may feel like every Greenie’s instinct to live and breathe pure nihilism stemming from countless seasons of disappointment, the 2010s have concluded with a renaissance of college football in Uptown New Orleans. That being said, this possible revival of Tulane Football was not obvious to anyone back on January 1st, 2010.
At the time, the Green Wave had just come off a 3-9 season, Bob Toledo was entering his fourth season as head coach, and fans still trekked downtown to the Superdome on gamedays. It was a dark time. Fast forward to 2019 and we are in a much better situation. The Wave have achieved bowl eligibility in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1980, just recruited one of their highest-ever rated recruiting classes, and were one spot away from breaking into the AP Top 25.
It has not been a linear process, but I would argue that it has been entertaining.
In honor of the decade closing its history books soon, let’s take a look at the ten best moments of Green Wave Football over the last ten seasons. For clarity purposes, I have ranked these moments on the two following criteria: entertainment value and long-term effects on the program.
HONORABLE MENTION: 17-point underdog Green Wave Defeats Greg Ward Jr.-led Cougars (2014)
This one might not have mattered much historically but it was one of the most unexpected upsets for Tulane Football when a 3-6 Green Wave went to Houston and took down the Cougars led by Greg Ward.
With three minutes remaining in the game, Tulane’s 31-17 lead (after three Tanner Lee touchdowns) would seem to put the game out of reach, but the Cougars produced a quick strike in just 1:02.
Now trailing by a touchdown, Houston recovered an onside kick and marched all the way to the goal line. Fortunately, that Tulane Defense had serious talent on that side of the ball, and future NFL DT Tanzel Smart would contain Ward on the final plays of the game to seal a victory.
Houston would go on to fire Head Coach Tony Levine that season.
10. Jonathan Banks Leads Late 4th Quarter Drive to Down Army (2017)
This game was weird. The Wave scored on the game’s opening play via a 75-yard run by Dontrell Hilliard and then on a 72-yard Sherman Badie scamper in the second quarter, but never really got near the endzone all game. The Knights didn’t have a single passing yard to their name yet led by three points late in the 4th quarter anyway by unceremoniously running the ball down our throats. It was a snoozefest until Jonathan Banks decided he was going to turn into Superman.
The Wave converted on 4th down THREE times in one drive, including a 10-yard Banks scramble on 4th & 8 in which he took a mammoth hit that echoed throughout Yulman. He came out for a play, and then furiously continued on with the drive that ended in a game-winning 2-yard Dontrell Hilliard TD with 23 seconds left. For me, this game will always serve as a reminder of Jonathan Banks’ incredulous improvisational abilities and the first time in the CWF that the Wave came out on the right side of a close game. The victory ended up being a quality win as well, with Army going on to win 10 games in 2017.
9. Running Charlie Strong’s USF Bulls Out of Raymond James (2018)
The 3-5 Green Wave went into Tampa against the 7-1 Bulls with not much of a chance in most experts’ eyes. Justin McMillan was only one week into the starting job, beginning with a 24-17 win against Tulsa in which the offense looked quite average. I don’t even think many Greenies expected much from this game. It was quite nice to be wrong.
The Wave went behind by a field goal early in the 1st quarter, but immediately answered back with a touchdown and never looked back. A 20-point second quarter propelled the Green Wave to a 41-15 victory, in my opinion, the most complete performance of the Willie Fritz Era. Although his stat sheet for this one isn’t spectacular, Justin McMillan cemented himself in this game as the starting QB moving forward. Patrick Johnson also had his first breakout game for Tulane, racking up 3 sacks in Tampa. We controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides with ease, showing to the rest of the AAC what this team was capable of when firing on all cylinders.
8. The Wave Turn Their Season Around, Tame the Tigers at Yulman (2018)
Even before the big win in Tampa, the Wave claimed a major AAC scalp by taking down Memphis at Yulman. The mood around Yulman was bleak before this game. The Wave were a lowly 1-3 heading into this game and were -14.5-point underdogs against the Tigers. A loss would have likely relegated the Wave to another below .500 season, but Willie Fritz and Co. had other plans.
Brady White and the Tigers left Yulman Stadium with their tails in between their legs. The final score, 40-24, does not appropriately show just how badly Memphis got dominated by the Wave. The vaunted Tigers offense was outgained 496 to 297 and only had the ball for about 20 minutes as opposed to Tulane’s near 40 minutes of possession. Corey Dauphine and Darius Bradwell ran amok, posting a combined statline of 31 carries for 230 yards and 4 touchdowns. The carnage got so bad that we even saw an obscure transfer quarterback named Justin McMillan come in for one play for Jonathan Banks and throw a 51-yard TD to Darnell Mooney.
Had Tulane not won this game, I do not believe that we would have won six games. And who knows? This could have completely turned around how we look at this program. It was his third season in charge, and many Greenies were anxious to see results. Luckily for us, we won, and the rest is history.
7. Cairo Santos Boots Five Field Goals to Beat ECU in Triple Overtime (2013)
This game had everything. Lou Groza winner Cairo Santos tying the school record with five field goals. Future NFL wide receiver Ryan Grant bringing in two different overtime touchdowns to keep the Wave alive. Country music star Blake Shelton becoming a Tulane fan.
This one was a shocker, as ECU — off to their best start in years — fell to the Green Wave in the Superdome despite 543 yards of total Pirate offense.
Starter Nick Montana was sidelined with an injury, and a young Devin Powell was thrust into the spotlight as Tulane pursued its fifth win of the season.
The play of the game? Senior Derrick Strozier would return a Carden interception for 99 yards. Fellow senior Jordan Sullen had a standout game of his own with three pass breakups in the secondary. This would be, in my opinion, the most impressive win of that 2013 season and set the team up to secure a berth in the New Orleans Bowl.
6. Cure Bowl Champs (2018)
Honestly, it was just nice to actually watch Tulane play post-season football. Having them win their bowl game? Even better. For the defeated opponent to be UL-Lafayette? Inject it into my veins.
The Wave controlled most of the game, leading by 17 points at one point. The Cajuns made a comeback to cut the lead down to a field goal early in the 4th, but the Tulane offense saw the game out with two late touchdowns. The win itself was cool, but I think what it represented for this program was even better. It was the positive change we were looking for from the suffering endured by Greenies after #BanksWasIn the season before. It was the culmination of three seasons of hard work by Willie Fritz and his staff. It was a feeling not known in Uptown New Orleans since 2002.
5. Tulane Wins One of the Games of the Year against ULL in 4-OT Thriller (2016)
This game will likely be forgotten by many because of Tulane’s eventual 4-8 record. But in terms of pure entertainment value, this is the second-best game I have watched Tulane play over the past decade. Regulation was actually quite boring, ending 16-16. Neither offense was particularly good. Overtime was the opposite. Teddy Encalade did Teddy Encalade things and Elijah Mitchell bossed our defense on the other end. This game seemed as if it was destined to go on forever until the Wave stopped a ULL two-point conversion attempt to graciously end the affair in a 41-39 Green Wave victory.
I might remember this more fondly than others because it was during my freshman year at Tulane and it was the first classic game I watched at Yulman. Also, it was the first great game of the Willie Fritz Era. I can’t lie either, it’s just fun to beat ULL.
4. Hiring Coach Willie Fritz (2015)
This was the defining moment of the 2010s for Green Wave Football. Following Curtis Johnson’s dismissal from the head coaching position at Tulane, the program was in limbo. Following a New Orleans Bowl appearance in 2013, the Wave won six games combined in the following two seasons. Former Tulane Athletic Director Rick Dickson was also on his way out. Things could have easily gotten uglier before they got better.
By the grace of the Angry Wave, Tulane hired Troy Dannen from Northern Iowa as the new AD and Georgia Southern’s Willie Fritz as the new head football coach by the end of 2015. Fast forward to 2019, Steamboat Willie is the most successful Tulane since the turn of the millennium, leading the Wave to back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 1980. Our recruiting is as strong as ever, with CWF reeling in the #2 rated recruiting class in the American for 2020.
3. Tulane Claims the Trident Trophy on Late Two-Point Conversion (2018)
The situation was simple. Beat a struggling, three-win Navy team at Yulman and clinch your first bowl appearance in five years. But, of course, the game was anything but simple. The Wave roared to a 21-3 lead at halftime, seeming as if they would coast to their sixth victory of the season. They didn’t. The Midshipmen came out of the locker room with a vengeance, scoring 25 unanswered points to take a 28-21 lead with under 4 minutes left to go in the game. I sat in the stands in disbelief. All the stats about Willie Fritz never recording three straight losing seasons in his twenty-five-year coaching career. I pondered whether we were cursed that badly. I was in a dark place and I am sure many of you were as well.
Justin McMillan had other plans. Taking over from the Tulane 29, the Tulane offense marched down the field to score on a 26-yard Jaetavian Toles TD with 1:27 left in the game. The game was headed to overtime…...until Steamboat Willie decided otherwise. The Wave went for two in a do or die decision to finish 6-6. In the end, Justin McMillan found Charles Jones III in the endzone on the same misdirection play that beat UL-Lafayette two seasons prior. A clutch defensive stop by the defense sealed the deal. The Green Wave was going bowling.
2. Green Wave Football Returns to Uptown New Orleans (2014)
The actual game, a 38-21 loss to Georgia Tech, was trivial. There was a sell-out crowd and Tulane Football had finally returned to its rightful home along South Claiborne Avenue. Bringing the Wave back to campus was a goal that many had spoken about over the years, but it had finally become a reality in 2014. The shuttles to the Superdome, the awkward tailgating, and the cavernous feeling inside the enormous Superdome were over with. Yulman Stadium was here.
1. The McCleskey Miracle (2019)
This was a no-brainer for me. I’m sure all of you reading this remember this game well-enough, but I enjoy re-telling it too much to not do it.
The national media had begun to take wind of the Green Wave following a decent showing vs Auburn and a blowout win over FIU. The D’Eriq King-led Coogs were widely expected to compete for the AAC West title alongside the Memphis Tigers. They needed a win against the Wave after coming off two early season losses versus future College Football Playoff semi-finalists Oklahoma and Washington State. The game was on national television, garnering enough hype to be broadcasted on ESPN the Uno. Questions surrounded the Green Wave’s preparedness for the big moment considering their various failures over the past years (ex: SMU 2018, Wake Forest 2016/2018). The mood was tense during warm-ups, both teams knew they needed a win to stay relevant.
Well the ball kicked off, and in the blink of an eye, Marquez Stevenson burned our entire defense on the first play of the game for 75-yard TD. I almost descended into my overarching pessimism, but the Wave finally composed themselves after forcing a D’Eriq King interception and scored a TD on the ensuing drive to tie the ballgame at 7.
I have no memory of what happened next.
All I know is that when I looked up at the scoreboard, the Wave were down 28-7 early in 2nd quarter. Snarky DMs on Twitter and text messages mocking Tulane football were appearing on my phone almost as quickly as Houston was scoring. I’m not going to lie to anyone, I was very close to leaving the press box. I had a stats exam the next day and studying for it sounded better than watching yet another Tulane football season go down the drain. Justin McMillan was playing…...below par. Our defense could not stop their three-headed monster of D’Eriq King, Marquez Stevenson, and Kyle Porter. Our running game was non-existent. Somehow, Stephon Huderson scored a consolation touchdown towards the end of the first half to cut the deficit to 14, so I decided to stay until we were truly dead in the water. Little did I know that this was the beginning of the best comeback in Tulane history, and in my opinion, of the entire 2019 college football season.
Coming out of the locker rooms, the Greenies were shot out of a cannon. Whatever CWF told the players at half-time, I need it. The Wave immediately cut the deficit to 7, scoring on their first drive out. Starting from that “consolation” Huderson TD in the 2nd quarter, the Green Wave scored 24 unanswered points to take a 31-28 lead at the mid-point of the 4th quarter. Houston would drive down the field and answer with a FG (served up nicely by a questionable roughing the passer call) to tie the affair at 31 with 21 seconds left in the game. I was so ready for overtime. I knew that we were going to win no matter what, momentum was on our side. I was wrong.
There was to be no overtime at Yulman that night. Tulane OC Will Hall called a fake kneel, fooling the Cougars defense and advancing the ball all the way to the Tulane 47. This was still out of field goal range, but they had 12 seconds on the clock and a timeout. I was thinking maybe we take one or two shots down the field, down it, and call timeout to have Merek Glover kick us to glory. I was, again, wrong.
Justin McMillan saw Jalen McCleskey open on a post route (he was actually in between 3 defenders) and lofted it to him, hoping that he get down easily to secure the field goal attempt. Instead, Jalen McCleskey somehow caught it in between those three Houston DBs and scampered for a 53-yard TD with 3 seconds left on the clock. The Cougars were stunned. Yulman Stadium, their house of horrors in AAC play, had their number once again. The Wave had finally done it on national television, and in style. Twitter went bonkers. The country was talking about the McCleskey Miracle all night long on September 19th, 2019. This was a moment many Greenies had only dreamt of, and it was now here. I had a statistics test the next day, but I did not care. I went to the Boot anyway and Hullabaloo’d until the wee hours of the night. JP and I did an impromptu podcast the next day, still riding on the emotional high of the McCleskey Miracle. We spoke about the conference championship, the New Year’s Six, and a lot of other stuff that was negated by the unfortunate second half of the 2019 seson. But for those glorious 24 hours, we lived and loved the moment. It was quite the time to be a Greenie. In fact, it was the best moment to be a Greenie of the 2010s. Here’s to many more in the 2020s.
With that trip down memory lane complete, we’re on to the Armed Forces Bowl. Beat the Buzzards.