Tulane topples Miners in an emotional victory

As the Green Wave prepared to face off against Conference USA rival University of Texas-El Paso Miners, they knew that they would have to win this game to keep their slim chance of playing in a postseason bowl game alive. UTEP, who had already beaten two of the top teams in the conference in Houston and Tulsa, was also playing an important game to keep its postseason chances alive. This game proved to be one of the most exciting of the year, and Tulane showed heart and determination to come out on top 45-38 in overtime.

Andre Anderson scoring a touchdown sending game to overtime.

Tulane came out of the gate lethargic and struggled on both sides of the ball. UTEP drove 69 yards on 14 plays on its opening drive before having to settle for a field goal after failing to convert on third-and-two from Tulane’s three-yard line.

Tulane’s first drive of the game was not nearly as successful. Despite a first down after consecutive receptions by standout senior wide receiver Jeremy Williams, the drive stalled soon after as redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Griffin—winless in three starts this season — was sacked on third down.

UTEP’s ensuing drive lasted nine plays for 73 yards, resulting in a short touchdown run by Jason Williams. Donald Buckram’s rush of 25 yards through the middle of Tulane’s defense on a draw play as well as a 27-yard screen pass to Buckram highlighted the drive. Buckram accounted for 58 of UTEP’s 73 yards on the drive.

With momentum quickly turning against the Green Wave, Jeremy Williams got set to receive the ensuing kickoff. Fielding the kick at the 12-yard line, Williams ran the kick for a touchdown, the first Tulane kick return since Israel Route took one to the house against LSU in 2005. After the game, Williams would attribute the return to the special teams players in front of him.

“I’ve got to credit my blockers.” Williams said.

With emotional tide turning back in their favor, the Green Wave defense held UTEP to a three-and-out on their next possession. The defensive line set the tone for the drive with a sack by defensive lineman Justin Adams, who became the first Tulane player this season to notch multiple sacks on the year.

The offense finally came together on Tulane’s next drive. Williams ran a reverse 27 yards and caught a pass for five yards and Casey Robottom caught two passes for 21 yards, including a play that almost resulted in Robottom’s second touchdown of the season. Instead, after being reviewed, the ball was placed on the goal line and Griffin snuck up the middle to give Tulane a 14-10 lead.

The lead, however, lasted only 22 seconds as Buckram started off the next drive by breaking a screen pass 72 yards for a touchdown. Tulane responded with an 18-play, 66-yard drive that resulted in a field goal to tie the game going into halftime.

The second half was as dramatic as the first, with Tulane marching down the field on its first drive thanks to important contributions from unlikely sources. On second-and-15, Griffin threw backwards to true freshman wide receiver D.J. Banks, who looked to pass before tucking the ball and running for 10 yards. On the next play Ryan Griffin— who nobody would ever confuse for a running quarterback— broke a 15-yard run, his longest of the season. The touchdown came on a reception by freshman tight end Brock Sanders. The reception marked his first career reception and first career touchdown and gave Tulane a 24-17 lead.

Tulane kicker Ross Thevenot converts a crucial field goal against UTEP this past Saturday.

The Miners responded with a scoring drive of their own as they marched 80 yards down the field in nine plays. Wide receiver Kris Adams caught two passes on third downs to keep the drive moving and Buckram broke a 28-yard run for a touchdown.

Tulane’s next drive was not as successful, as they were forced to punt after a costly false-start penalty on a second-and-one. Momentum continued to sway back and forth as Tulane and UTEP alternated touchdowns. A 36-yard touchdown run by Buckram was answered by a six-yard touchdown reception by Ryan Grant, the first of his career. With 5:12 left, Buckram scored his fourth touchdown of the game.

Tulane was unable to get anything going and was forced to punt on its next drive. UTEP immediately started trying to run out the clock. They were relatively successful and were able to bleed the clock down inside the two-minute warning before the desperate Tulane defense forced UTEP to punt, setting up one of the best moments for Tulane football in a long time.

Griffin, with no timeouts and needing 86 yards and a touchdown to win the game, faced a daunting task that would have overwhelmed most freshman quarterbacks playing in front of an energized Superdome crowd. Williams and Robottom were heroic on the drive, going up and catching everything that came in their direction. With eight seconds left and Tulane on the seven-yard line, three receivers ran slant routes as Anderson stayed in to block. After Griffin saw all his receivers were covered, however, he threw the ball to the unsuspecting Anderson, who willed his way into the end zone with a defender trying to bring him down with one second left to force overtime.

After losing the overtime coin toss and playing offense first, Tulane continued its offensive success as Anderson scored what would be the winning touchdown. UTEP, needing a touchdown to force a second overtime had its drive and an Alex Wacha sack ended the game.

Tulane came into the game saying they would be playing with a playoff mentality, and they did just that. The offense came together to score 45 points, the defense came up with stops when needed, and special teams finally provided a spark. Griffin finished the game 24 of 36 for 278 yards and three touchdowns, Williams and Robottom combined for 17 receptions for 224 yards, and Anderson carried the ball a Herculean 29 times for 105 yards and scored the tying and winning touchdowns.