SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 7, 2013
South Alabama 41, Tulane 39: Ross Metheny passed for 290 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for two more scores as the visiting Jaguars held off the Green Wave.
Metheny rushed for 75 yards on 11 carries and Jay Jones added 64 yards on the ground for South Alabama (1-1), which bounced back after falling to FCS school Southern Utah in Week 1. Terrence Timmons returned a key blocked punt for a touchdown late in the third quarter to put the Jaguars on top for good.
Nick Montana completed 29-of-47 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns, including a 10-yard score with 1:19 left before a failed two-point conversion sealed the loss. Ryan Grant caught 14 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns, while Orleans Darkwa rushed for a pair of scores for Tulane (1-1).
South Alabama dominated the first 16:01 of the game, opening up a 28-7 edge as Metheny rushed for a pair of scores and threw for two more. The Green Wave began to recover in the second quarter, with Montana hitting Justyn Shackleford with a 29-yard touchdown pass before settling for a 31-19 deficit at the break.
Metheny turned the ball over on three straight possessions in the third quarter and Tulane turned two into touchdowns, with Montana completing a 40-yard scoring pass to Grant to put the Green Wave on top 33-31 with 6:35 left in the quarter. But Timmons' punt block return with 1:01 left put the Jaguars back on top and a field goal pushed it to 41-33.