Tulane Green Wave vs Cincinnati Bearcats Match Player Stats On Nov 25, 2022

Tyjae Spears rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns and No. 19 Tulane defeated host and No. 24 Cincinnati 27-24 to win the American Athletic Conference regular-season title Friday afternoon.

Spears had his sixth consecutive 100-yard rushing game and eclipsed 1,000 yards for the season as the Green Wave (10-2, 7-1 AAC) earned the host spot in the conference championship game Dec. 3.

Michael Pratt added a 30-yard touchdown pass to Duece Watts that provided the winning points with 5:10 left.

Whether Cincinnati will oppose Tulane in the title game depends on the outcome of Saturday's game between UCF and South Florida. A win by UCF would match the Bearcats at 6-2 in a tie for second, but UCF defeated Cincinnati 25-21 on Oct. 29 and holds the tiebreaker.

Evan Prater made his first start at quarterback for Cincinnati (9-3, 6-2) in place of injured Ben Bryant. Prater completed 10 of 26 for 102 yards and an interception as the two-time defending conference champion Bearcats saw their 32-game home winning streak end.

Tulane notched the first turnover of the game in the third quarter when Dorian Williams snared a tipped pass from Prater at the Cincinnati 40.

The Green Wave converted a fourth and 3 from the 6 when the Bearcats were called for pass interference. On the next play, Spears ran 2 yards for a touchdown and a 20-10 lead.

On the ensuing possession, Cincinnati converted a fourth and 1 on its way to Ryan Montgomery's 8-yard touchdown run that trimmed the lead to 20-17 at the end of the third.

The Bearcats converted two fourth downs on their way to Montgomery's 15-yard touchdown run that briefly gave them their first lead at 24-20 with 6:27 left.

The Green Wave needed just three plays to set up Pratt's game-winner to Watts.

Valentino Ambrosio kicked a 34-yard field goal for a 3-0 Tulane lead that held up through the end of the first quarter.

On the first play of the second quarter, Ryan Coe kicked a 28-yard field goal that tied the score.

Spears ran 11 yards for the game's first touchdown, giving the Green Wave a 10-3 lead.

On the ensuing possession, the Bearcats' Charles McClelland ran 35 yards for a tying touchdown.

Ambrosio kicked a career-long 47-yard field goal with 16 seconds left to give Tulane a 13-10 halftime lead.

--Field Level Media