Tulane pulled off a wild 24-21 victory over Southern Miss on their homefield, capping a 10-0 run in the final nine minutes of the game. Man, what a finish for the Green Wave, grabbing their fourth win in the rivalry’s last five matchups and keeping “The Bell” right where it belongs.
Will Hall’s Redemption Story
This wasn’t just another game for Tulane or head coach Will Hall, oh no. This was personal. The “Battle for the Bell” rivalry dates all the way back to 1979, with these teams duking it out annually until 2006. Even with conference realignment, they still schedule each other, and Saturday marked their fifth meeting since January 2020. But this one? Supercharged. See, Hall was once the offensive coordinator for Tulane, then he bounced to Southern Miss to be their head coach from 2021-24. He even handed Tulane a signature loss in 2022 when they were ranked #9 in the AP Poll! But his 14-30 record in Hattiesburg? That left a mark. As the first-year Tulane head coach, he absolutely needed to prove he could turn things around, and this game was his chance. Southern Miss almost pulled off the upset, but Hall and his Green Wave prevailed. You gotta love when a coach gets that kind of moment against his old squad.
Maurice Turner’s Absolute Clinic
The Green Wave found themselves in a real tough spot, down 21-14 to Southern Miss in the fourth quarter. It felt like they were staring defeat right in the face! But the defense stepped up, forced a punt, and then Cooper Helmke drilled a 26-yard field goal with 8:35 remaining to make it 21-17. The turning point? Southern Miss missed their response field goal, giving Tulane new life. Two plays later, boom! Maurice Turner found daylight and sprinted for a ridiculous 74-yard go-ahead touchdown run, shedding two defenders trying a simultaneous tackle. Absolutely electrifying! That monster run put Tulane in front 24-21 with 5:26 left. Turner was an absolute beast all night, racking up a career-high 200 yards on only 12 carries, including a 43-yard touchdown earlier in the second quarter. He’s the second Tulane running back this year to hit 200 yards at home; Jaylin Lucas put up 212 in Week 2 against South Alabama. Talk about a ground game!
Clutch Defense Seals The Deal
Even after Turner’s incredible run, the drama wasn’t over. Southern Miss pushed the ball all the way down to Tulane’s 3-yard line, basically knocking on the door for a go-ahead touchdown themselves. But the Green Wave defense, man, they dug deep. They came up with a massive 3rd-and-goal stop, forcing Southern Miss to try for a game-tying field goal. Then, the heroics continued! Redshirt freshman defensive end Josh Lewis, a 6’5″, 260-pound beast, got a hand on Creighton Wilbanks’ chip shot attempt, altering it at the line of scrimmage. That preserved Tulane’s 3-point advantage with just 1:45 remaining. What a gutsy play to seal the deal!
What a performance from Tulane, fighting back from a deficit in the fourth quarter and securing a huge win for Hall against his former team. That kind of grit and determination early in the season? That’s what builds momentum.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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