The Tulane Green Wave put together a total team effort on Friday night, and it paid off massively with a 31-17 win over the rival Memphis Tigers.

With the win, Tulane improved to 3-3 on the year and 1-1 in American Conference play. It marked the first league victory of the Will Hall era after a tough loss to the Army Black Knights just one week ago. 

The Green Wave used a 23-point second quarter to pull away early, and its defense held strong, never letting the Tigers back into the fight. A fourth-quarter touchdown in crunch time would ultimately ice the game for the home team.

Though plenty of players made massive contributions, a few stood out above the rest. Here's a look at which offensive and defensive standouts were at the top of their game this weekend.

Johnson made his first career start for the Green Wave, despite being just a true freshman. Though he had a few mistakes, he looks like the team's most-impressive signal-caller.

The rookie ended the night with 165 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 11-of-21 passing. he made key plays when necessary -- including dropping an absolute dime to extend a critical drive late in the game. 

There's still a few areas for improvement that need to be addressed, but Johnson was truly the biggest difference-maker for a Tulane offense that has been flat at times this year. His poise under pressure and unforgettable start to his young career earn him MVP honors. 

Through preseason camps and much of the first few weeks of the year, Hill has shown that he is the best wideout on the team -- even if he wasn't getting targeted as much as he would have liked.

Hill had his best game of the season against Memphis, hauling in four catches for 62 yards, one of which was a 38-yard touchdown score to give his team its first lead of the night. He seemed to be on the right page with Johnson, and the two pose a true threat to opposing defenses. 

This is a big outing to build on for Hill, and he'll be expected to contribute at this level moving forward. 

It's hard to choose just one defensive standout from a squad that forced six turnovers and had 16 takedowns behind the sticks, but Adams was a force to be reckoned with on the gridiron.

The defensive back had nine total tackles -- eight of which were solo -- two interceptions and a fumble recovery. He was all over the field, doing a little bit of everything and causing absolute chaos. 

It feels like Adams has gotten better each week, and this outing was one of his best so far. 

Tulane's defensive line has had some woes this year, but Garner stepped up in a big way on Friday night.

If there was a big hit that needed to be made, Garner did it. The senior totaled three tackles, two sacks, two tackles-for-loss, one pass breakup and one quarterback hurry. It's hard to ask for much more from a defensive lineman. 

Now, it's up to Garner to carry this momentum through the rest of the season. If he and his fellow lineman can play like this consistently, then this team is going to be a big problem moving forward.