Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs Tulane Green Wave Match Player Stats On Sep 06, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 6, 2014

Georgia Tech 38, Tulane 21: Tony Zenon and Tim Byerly each rushed for two touchdowns and the visiting Yellow Jackets scored 21 points off turnovers, spoiling the Green Wave’s first game in Yulman Stadium.

Zenon, a New Orleans native who moved to Georgia after Hurricane Katrina, celebrated his homecoming with a career-high 62 rushing yards and touchdown runs of 19 and 2 yards. Byerly added a pair of 1-yard touchdowns as the Yellow Jackets (2-0) finished with 344 yards rushing, including 86 by Zach Laskey and 70 by quarterback Justin Thomas.

Tanner Lee passed for 173 yards and two touchdowns for Tulane (0-2) – playing its first game on campus since 1974 – but also threw three interceptions before being pulled in the second half. Teddy Veal added a 24-yard touchdown run but the Green Wave were stopped on a costly fourth down late in the first half and had a punt blocked, both leading to Georgia Tech scores.

Georgia Tech’s Quayshawn Nealy returned an interception 10 yards for a touchdown with 11:10 left in the first half to tie the game at 14, but the Green Wave answered on Xavier Rush’s 61-yard touchdown reception from Lee less than two minutes later. Demond Smith intercepted Lee to set up Zenon’s 19-yard game-tying touchdown with 2:51 to play, and after the Yellow Jackets stopped Tulane on fourth down at the Green Wave 44, Harrison Butker’s 46-yard field goal at the horn made it 24-21 at halftime.

Lee marched the Green Wave to the Georgia Tech 39 on the opening possession of the second half before Lawrence Austin’s interception ended the drive, and Zenon capped the ensuing 12-play, 76-yard march with a 2-yard run with 4:14 left in the third. Matt Connors blocked a Tulane punt in the fourth quarter and Beau Hankins returned it 46 yards to the 1, setting up Byerly’s 1-yard run for a 38-21 lead.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Tulane’s Royce LaFrance recovered a Thomas fumble on the game’s first play, setting up Lee’s 12-yard TD pass to Justyn Shackleford three plays later. … Thomas passed for 282 yards in his first career start last week against Wofford, but with the Yellow Jackets refocused on the run this week, Thomas finished 3-for-8 for 15 yards and an interception. … Georgia Tech finished 10-for-12 on third downs.