Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall greets Tulane wide receiver Dontae Fleming (1) after Tulane turned the ball over to Memphis on an interception during the second half of an NCAA football game at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (Staff photo by Scott Threlkeld, The Times-Picayune)
Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall greets Tulane wide receiver Dontae Fleming (1) after Tulane turned the ball over to Memphis on an interception during the second half of an NCAA football game at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. (Staff photo by Scott Threlkeld, The Times-Picayune)
Senior Night was not supposed to be Tulane’s final home game this year.
After the Green Wave (9-3, 7-1 American Athletic Conference) lost to Memphis (10-2, 6-2) on Thanksgiving, though, the 24 scholarship players who were honored during a pre-game ceremony may not get another chance to play in Yulman Stadium.
A win would have clinched a host spot for the AAC Championship Game for the third consecutive year. Now an Army victory against Texas-San Antonio at home on Saturday (11 a.m. CBS Sports Network would force Tulane to travel to potentially frigid West Point, New York for next Friday’s matchup.
The list of players walking with their parents included defensive end Terrell Allen, kicker Jacob Barnes, tight end Reggie Brown, wide receiver Yulkeith Brown, defensive end Javon Carter, running back Shaadie Clayton-Johnson, cornerback Johnathan Edwards, wide receiver Dontae Fleming, safety Jalen Geiger, offensive tackle Rashad Green, linebacker Tyler Grubbs, defensive tackle Eric Hicks, long snapper Ethan Hudak, rush end Adin Huntington, defensive tackle Patrick Jenkins, rush end Shi’Keem Laister, center Vincent Murphy, nickelback Caleb Ransaw, guard Josh Remetich, cornerback Micah Robinson, guard Caleb Thomas, cornerback Lu Tillery and wide receivers Phat Watts and Mario Williams.
Tillery and Williams are listed as juniors but are choosing not to play a fifth year of college football. The rest are seniors.
Strangely, since the start of 2022, Tulane is a sparkling 15-1 in opponents’ stadiums but only 15-6 at home. Coach Jon Sumrall praised the announced Senior Night crowd of 25,021 considering students were out of town on Thanksgiving break.
“Very, very grateful to our fan base,” he said at the start of his post-game press conference. “Unbelievable turnout. The fans did their part. We didn’t do ours.”
Not only did Tulane’s chance to set the AAC record for consecutive regular-season victories end Thursday night, but two other streaks went by the wayside.
Sumrall lost outside of September for the first time in his three-year head coaching career. Troy won 10 straight after starting 1-2 in 2022 and nine straight after beginning 1-2 in 2023 (he did not coach the Birmingham Bowl loss to Duke). Tulane had won eight in a row since starting 1-2.
This also was Tulane’s first loss to Memphis at Yulman Stadium since 2016. The Wave beat the Tigers 40-24 in 2018, 35-21 in 2020 and 38-28 in 2022.
Quarterback Justin Ibieta took part in Senior Day although he no longer is on the official roster.
Ibieta, an injury-plagued Metairie Country Day product who was part of the same 2020 signing class as Michael Pratt, suffered a gruesome leg injury in the Military Bowl last December that ended his playing career but remained with the team to help out on the sideline this year. His seasons in 2022 and 2023 were curtailed by torn labrums in his first action each time.
“Justin Ibieta is everything Tulane football’s about,” Sumrall said. “He’s selfless, dependable, hard-working, loyal. He’s been a great friend and mentor to Darian Mensah. I love Justin Ibieta. I’ve never coached him a down, but he’s somebody we care deeply about. He’s one of ours, and the way he impacts other people makes everybody around him better.”
Held to a career-low 15 yards on nine carries, Tulane’s Makhi Hughes touched the ball only once after the first two plays of the second half and not at all in the fourth quarter.
Arnold Barnes scored a 2-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 31-21 early in the fourth quarter. Shaadie Clayton-Johnson played most of the rest of the way.
“”We felt like Shaadie (Clayton-Johnson) gave us something in the throw game, and we were trying to move fast, so you don’t want to sub and let the defense match (while the clock runs and the official stands over the ball),” Sumrall said. “We felt like Shaadie gave us a chance. He made a real nice catch on the one ball that was maybe a touch underthrown on our sideline, but it (Hughes sitting out) wasn’t anything strategic. We didn’t get the ground game going tonight.”
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