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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Alex Bauman knew instantly that he might rating maybe the largest objective in Tulane historical past, even after the true freshman contest was over. contested 6-yard catch on the finish of the Cotton Bowl was initially thought-about incomplete.
“I saved my fingers underneath the ball,” he stated.
An extended replay evaluate confirmed Bauman made the landing with 9 seconds left, at the same time as linebacker Eric Gentry lined him as they turned ultimately zone. It capped a wild run for the No. 14 Inexperienced Wave with a 46-45 win over Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and No. 8 Southern California on Monday.
“I might need had a coronary heart assault,” Tulane coach Willie Fritz stated on the sphere moments after the sport ended.
“If you happen to informed us earlier than the sport that we had one drive, one probability to go down there and win the sport, we’d have taken that 10 10 occasions,” quarterback Michael Pratt stated.
The Inexperienced Wave (12-2) scored 16 factors within the ultimate 4:07 and the game-winning landing got here after they recovered the ball on a security to finish an FBS-record 10-game turnaround after going 2-10. season
“An enormous win for this system, an enormous win for the college, an enormous win for the town,” Fritz stated.
Williams was 37-for-52 passing for 462 yards and a document 5 touchdowns for the Cotton Bowl, precisely one month after USC’s harm setback to Utah within the Pac-12 championship sport saved the Trojans (11- 3) keep out. 4 groups within the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
Tyjae Spears rushed for 205 yards, his FBS-best eighth straight 100-yard sport. His career-best fourth landing sparked the beginning for American Athletic Convention champion Tulane, which entered the New 12 months’s Six because the top-ranked workforce within the Group of 5.
The Inexperienced Wave have been taking part in of their most vital bowl sport for the reason that 1940 New 12 months’s Day Sugar Bowl, once they have been nonetheless within the Southeastern Convention, and it was their greatest bowl win for the reason that 1935 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, dwelling of their college. .
After Spears’ 4-yard TD run With 4:07 left, the Inexperienced Wave determined to go deep as an alternative of kicking from the sideline. Mario Williams flagged for a good catch however pushed the ball out of bounds at 1. After two video games, Defensive sort out Patrick Jenkins tackles Austin Jones ultimately zone and strangled him for security.
“We have been debating whether or not or not we must always have an onside kick,” stated Fritz, Tulane’s seventh-year coach. “Clearly, it was nice that we acquired it to No. 1 and secured it.”
Pratt accomplished simply 8 of 17 passes for 234 yards, however had two 24-yarders on the ultimate drive after a security. He additionally had an 8-yard run on a fourth-and-6 play.
A primary-down 24-yard completion made it fourth-and-10 for Bauman. Deuce Watts then held on regardless of a quarterback’s crushing hit that left each on the bottom after a 24-yard drive on the 6 with 18 seconds left.
After Williams adopted coach Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma, the Trojans posted the largest turnaround in class historical past regardless of the coach’s first loss in six video games at AT&T Stadium. Their debut was a seven-win enchancment over final season’s 4-8 document.
“I’ve not often felt so conflicted on the finish of the 12 months,” Riley stated. “On the one hand, I remorse how we ended the season. … We misplaced three video games this 12 months. We misplaced two of them within the final sport of the sport. And we have been down one within the fourth quarter within the championship sport once we had an opportunity to make the Faculty Soccer Playoff.”
The Trojans by no means trailed till that ultimate landing. Williams threw TD passes on every of their first two possessions. A 9-yarder from Michael Jackson III capped a game-opening 9-minute drive that was USC’s longest in additional time this season, and Terrell Bynum’s 3-yard catch capped a 95-yard drive to make it 14-0 within the second. quarter
Tulane tied the sport at 14 on an 87-yard catch-and-run by Pratt to Jha’Quan Jackson. However USC scored twice within the ultimate 2:21 of the primary half, on a 39-yard run by Ralik Brown and a 4-yard run by Branden Rice with 12 seconds left.
Rice, son of Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame receiver Jerry Rice, had profession bests with six catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Tahj Washington had 5 catches for 109 yards.
Williams was injured on a 59-yard run within the Pac-12 championship sport loss to Utah on Dec. 2, however nonetheless threw for 363 yards and three TDs in that sport. USC’s solely different loss additionally got here to the Utes, who had a 2-point conversion at dwelling in mid-October.
The Cotton Bowl was Williams’ third sport of the season with 5 TD passes. His solely interception arrange Tulane’s lengthy game-tying TD. On a scramble with the open subject in entrance of him, Williams as an alternative dropped on his again foot and was sacked by Jarius Monroe.
“It’ll drag on. You lose the final sport of the season, you undergo the offseason, you get burned out,” Williams stated. “Then haven’t got one other sport. It would burn.”
LONG
There have been 11 performs of at the very least 30 yards, six by Tulane (two passes and 4 runs) and 5 by USC (4 passes, one run). Jackson’s 87-yard catch-and-run for the Inexperienced Wave tied for the longest landing in 87 Cotton Bowl video games.
NEXT
Tulane opens subsequent fall with dwelling video games on Sept. 2 in opposition to South Alabama and Sept. 9 in opposition to SEC workforce Ole Miss.
USC begins Riley’s second season quickly, Aug. 26 at dwelling in opposition to San Jose State.
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AP Faculty Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25. Join AP’s school soccer publication at https://tinyurl.com/mrxhe6f2
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