Seventeen years is a long time to wait for anything, but after all the struggles the Tulane Green Wave have faced over the last year, a Southeastern Conference road victory was just what the doctor ordered.
The Wave, a program still trying to regain its composure after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina last fall, defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs 32-29 Saturday night in front of a crowd of 38,130 at Davis Wade Stadium to earn their first victory over an SEC opponent on the road since 1989.
“To be able to do that is a tremendous tribute to those players,” Tulane head coach Chris Scelfo said. “It has been a long time.”
Tulane quarterback Lester Ricard lit up the Bulldog secondary all evening, going 16-of-23 for 298 yards and four touchdowns in the Wave’s first victory in their last nine games.
The Wave entered halftime only up by a touchdown but would put together a three-play, 76-yard drive on its first possession of the second half. Ricard found Gabe Ratcliff open down the sideline for a 55-yard completion, setting up Demarcus Davis for a 6-yard score.
Tulane would score three times in the third quarter, twice on Bulldog turnovers, sealing what would eventually prove to be an upset victory. Tulane was an 11-point underdog.
“We hit the big play to Gabe, which really helped us,” Scelfo said. “In games like this there are going to be three or four plays that decide it, and that was one of them.”
The Bulldogs would mount a comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring first on a blocked Chris Berkman punt, then again two minutes later on a 3-yard rush by Arnil Stallworth.
State pulled to its closest margin since the first quarter with just under two minutes left in the game, as senior wide receiver turned quarterback Omarr Conner led the offense on a 12-play, 77 yard drive, rushing the last 5 yards himself for his first rushing touchdown of the year.
The two-point conversion attempt was good on another Conner run, and the Bulldogs were within three points.
However the following on-sides kick attempt ended up in the Wave’s possession, killing all hopes of an MSU rally.
“We’re always close, but in football close is not good enough,” MSU head coach Sylvester Croom said. “The inexperience still shows.”
Davis, a senior out of Shreveport, La., had a team-high four catches for 90 yards, but Ricard’s biggest weapon in the road win was junior running back Matt Forte, who rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown in the win.
“We needed this win,” Davis said. “We went out there and played like we know we are capable of. Everyone played fast and played hard.”
Conner came in at quarterback for the Bulldogs in the second quarter after freshman starter Tray Rutland had managed only 6 passing yards in more than a quarter of play. Conner, a former quarterback in Croom’s West Coast system, went 15-for-25 for 241 yards, and immediately led the Bulldog offense on its first touchdown drive of the year, a nine-play string that culminated in a 2-yard handoff to Anthony Dixon.
Junior wide receiver Tony Burks led all Bulldogs receivers with four catches for 130 yards.
“It’s obvious that Omarr came in and gave us a spark,” Croom said. “He’s probably played better quarterback [tonight] than the entire time he’s been here. He made some big plays when things weren’t there. He’ll be starting next week.”
Conner also paced the Bulldogs in rushing, scampering nine times for 55 yards, an average of 6.1 yards per carry, while sophomore Derek Pegues returned five punts for 80 yards and two kickoffs for 112 yards to keep the struggling Bulldog offense in the game.
Tulane will travel to Baton Rouge next week to battle in-state rival LSU, while MSU will travel to Birmingham, Ala., to continue non-conference play against the UAB Blazers.