Tulane Green Wave vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights Match Player Stats On Sep 27, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 27, 2014

Rutgers 31, Tulane 6: Gary Nova threw for 291 yards and four touchdowns as the short-handed Scarlet Knights cruised by the visiting Green Wave.

Nova set the tempo early by completing his first nine passes and leading three first-half scoring drives as Rutgers (4-1) took to the air in the first game without leading rusher Paul James. Justin Goodwin and Desmon Peoples mixed and matched out of the backfield, combining for 165 yards on 33 carries as James recovers from a torn ACL suffered last week versus Navy, while Leonte Carroo caught seven passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns.

Devin Powell replaced an injured Tanner Lee with 5:57 left in the second quarter and Sherman Badie ran 86 yards for a touchdown two plays later to close the Green Wave deficit to 21-6 at the half. Lee, a freshman plagued by nine interceptions in the season’s first four games, was off to a solid start, hitting 7-of-9 passes before leaving with the shoulder injury.

In Rutgers’ first season in the Big Ten, critics began to question Nova as the leader of the offense earlier this month after throwing five interceptions versus Penn State. He has since completed 25-of-35 passes for 442 yards as the Scarlet Knights have won consecutive non-league games heading into a conference date with Michigan next week.

Badie ran for 108 yards on 12 carries as the Green Wave (1-4) relied on the ground game despite trailing from the 7:31 mark of the first quarter on. Tulane used six ball carriers, but finally let Nick Montana who replaced Powell late, open it up in the fourth quarter as he completed all five passes he attempted.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Carroo has at least two catches in all five games this season. …Tulane trails the all-time series, 5-2, and Rutgers has won seven consecutive home games against non-conference opponents. … Scarlet Knights coach Kyle Flood, who took over three years ago after Greg Schiano left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is now 10-1 in September games.