Midway through the 4th quarter of a thrilling, back-and-forth, 46-45 Cotton Bowl win against a favored USC squad led by Heisman winner Caleb Williams, Tulane looked dead in the water.
Superstar running back Tyjae Spears made a rare mistake and coughed up a fumble, and USC cashed in a field goal to take a 45-30 lead with 4:30 remaining. According to ESPN's win probability index, USC had a 99.8% chance to win the game. But that's when Tulane went to work.
The Green Wave drove the field for a touchdown in just 27 seconds. The lead was trimmed to 8. A good start, but the Trojans still had the game in hand. That is, until a Tulane safety two plays later cut the lead to 6. The Green Wave got the ball back with 3:20 remaining needing a touchdown to win the game.
It took a pair of 4th down conversion from quarterback Michael Pratt to get down inside the Trojans' 10, but he ultimately found TE Alex Bauman in the end zone for the go-ahead score with 9 seconds remaining.
The moment was made even more entertaining due to the delayed fan reaction from the large Tulane contingent that made the trip out to Arlington for the game. The play was initially called incomplete, but it was reviewed and deemed a catch as it was clear the ball never touched the ground. The reaction was priceless.
The win capped off a dream season and turnaround for Tulane, with the AAC winners finishing 12-2 a year after going 2-10.
Spears was the hero for the Green Wave throughout, finishing with 205 yards rushing and 4 TDs on his 17 carries. Pratt's heroics were mostly felt on the ground with his 83 yards rushing on 15 carries, but his arm helped generate the big plays. The Tulane QB completed just 8 of 17 passes, but they went for 234 yards and 2 TDs.
Meanwhile the Trojans' disappointing finish only got worse. They had College Football Playoff ambitions before a defeat at the hands of Utah in the Pac-12 championship game, and they'll ultimately finish ranked below Tulane.
Now that's a win worth celebrating.
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