Fort Worth, Texas — For the first time in Tulane football history, the Green Wave won a bowl game in back-to-back seasons. They rallied from a 13-0 deficit to score 30 unanswered and defeat Southern Miss 30-13 in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
Senior quarterback Justin McMillan finished 13-18 for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns in his final game for Tulane. McMillan, who also added 41 rush yards, was sacked 3 times but did not throw a single interception in the win. The Green Wave did not have any turnovers in the game but forced 2– picking off Southern Miss quarterback Tate Whatley twice. The Tulane defense also held Southern Miss to just 58 yards rushing.
Leading the Green Wave ground attack was Cameron Carroll, who had 48 yard on 9 carries, and then through the air, it was Jalen McCleskey with 2 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. Amare Jones and Jacob Robertson Jr. accounted for the other two Tulane receiving touchdowns.
Southern Miss scored on their first two drives of the game to lead it 13-0 into the second quarter, where Tulane was able to make two field goals to cut it to 13-6 at the break. Then came the 24-point third quarter for the Green Wave, as they were able to shut-out the Golden Eagles for the final 3 quarters of the game.
Tulane finishes the 2019-2020 season with a final mark of (7-6), as the Green Wave’s seniors became the winningest senior class this century. This group also set a program record for most rushing yards in a season with 3,162. It’s the first time the Green Wave have finished with more than 3,000 yards on the ground.
