The Green Wave scored on the second offensive play of the game and never looked back, rolling to a big conference win in Philadelphia to improve to 9-2 on the season.
After a dramatic week filled with an AP Top 25 ranking, a projected College Football Playoff berth and a slew of coaching rumors, the Tulane Green Wave silenced any outside noise and rolled to a 37-13 win over the Temple Owls.
The Green Wave was dominant from the start, with quarterback Jake Retzlaff finding Shazz Preston for a 69-yard touchdown on the offense's second play of the game. Neither side of the ball let up from there, creating positive plays to make up for any miscues and all but securing the game by halftime.
Retzlaff stole the show -- as he has many times this season -- going 17-for-28 with 231 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score. The transfer signal-caller looked poised in the pocket and continued to show why he's among the best at his position in the American Conference.
On those drives where Tulane just couldn't find the end zone, the team called a kicker who will undoubtedly go down as one of the most successful in program history. Patrick Durkin nailed five field goals, two of which went for at least 50 yards. It was the arguably the best game of the year for the freshman out of Plainfield, Illinois.
Speaking of freshman difference-makers, running back Jamauri McClure followed up an impressive showing against the Florida Atlantic Owls with a season-high 122 rushing yards on 17 carries against Temple. Despite not finding the end zone, McClure continuously moved the chains and helped his team keep the momentum. Fellow freshman Javin Gordon totaled eight carries for 27 yards.
As good as the Green Wave's offense looked, the defense was arguably the best unit on the field on Saturday.
Tulane stood exceptionally tall in the trenches, giving up just 20 total rushing yards with six tackles-for-loss and four sacks. No matter how the Owls' offensive line stacked up, the group was completely outplayed. Temple did find a bit more success in the air, with Evan Simon and Gevani McCoy combining for 184 yards. Simon added the team's only two touchdowns of the afternoon.
Nevertheless, there are still a few things that the Green Wave needs to work on as it prepares to wrap up the regular season and make some noise in the postseason. Tulane only converted three of its 12 third down attempts, and the team picked up eight penalties for 83 yards. It's hard to imagine that those types of struggles will cut it as competition gets more fierce.
The Green Wave should realistically continue to find success in both the AP Top 25 and the CFP Rankings this week, and the team will end the regular season at Yulman Stadium next weekend against the Charlotte 49ers. With a win, Tulane could look to host the American Conference Championship on Friday, December 5th.