Most Eye-Catching Stats from Tulane's Win Over Rice

While it wasn't necessarily a game to write home about, the Tulane Green Wave's 20-17 win over the Rice Owls was a breath of fresh air after a disappointing stretch filled with quite a few lopsided losses.

Tulane's offense found a way to make the important plays late, and its defense had one of its best performances of the season. It will now look to carry some of this momentum into the final two weeks of the season as it strives for bowl eligibility.

A few numbers jumped off the stat sheet in the win on both sides of the ball. For starters, the Green Wave converted nine of its 18 third-down attempts -- that's 50 percent. It was even better on fourth down, going 3-for-4. The team was able to better sustain drives and keep momentum on its side, especially in the second half of the game.

Not to mention, Tulane's offensive line had one of its best performances of the year. The group has taken its fair share of criticism this season, but on Saturday, it gave up no sacks. Rice might not have been the strongest competition in the trenches, but the fact that a line that has struggled so much with quarterback protection was able to limit sacks is a huge improvement. 

The Olive Green and Sky Blue defense made some big plays as well. The group only allowed Rice to convert four of its 15 third-down attempts, though it did struggle a bit more by giving up four fourth-down conversions. The Owls were limited to just 32 passing yards, with quarterback Gael Ochoa going 5-for-13 passing. Of course, that doesn't mean the Green Wave made Rice's offense completely stagnant: the home team still managed 256 rushing yards. 

On top of all of this, the Wave only committed two penalties, losing 20 total yards. Early in the season, it seemed like Tulane couldn't make it through a single drive without drawing a flag -- you have to acknowledge that the team has played more disciplined as of late. 

The Green Wave will now face one of its toughest opponents of the season. The North Texas Mean Green returns to Yulman Stadium on November 21st for a rematch of last year's American Conference Championship, and the visiting squad has put together another impressive season. A kickoff time has not yet been set for the matchup, but it should be coming in the next few days.