The Tulane University football team (1-5) fell to the Houston Cougars (5-1) 40-22 in its first home matchup against an American Athletic Conference opponent at Yulman Stadium Thursday night.
The loss marked the Green Wave's first loss to the Cougars at home since 2015. The trenches proved to be the biggest difference in the ballgame as Tulane struggled to control the Houston pass rush allowing eight sacks in the loss.
"At times we ran the ball well, had some good plays," head coach Willie Fritz said. "There were some good things, but we have to do a better job of executing."
Despite being under pressure most of the game, Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt was efficient through the air, completing 20 of his 30 passes for 214 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.
The Cougars' quarterback Clayton Tune threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns in the contest.
The lone turnover of the contest was a Pratt fumble which turned into three points for the Cougars to change the momentum of the game.
Macon Clark stood out for the Green Wave defense, recording 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Dorian Williams added nine tackles with eight being solo stops.
Houston scored touchdowns on their first two drives to take an early 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
"As a defense, we need to come out harder and faster," Clark said. "We have to focus on the next week, going in 0-0."
Tulane got on the board with 10:45 left in the second quarter with a 13-yard pitch and catch from Pratt to Tyrick James. The score marked the 16th straight game Pratt has thrown for a touchdown. The Wave completed a two-point conversion to make it a 14-8 game.
After Houston added a field goal, the Green Wave drove down the field and scored on a 39-yard rush up the middle by Tyjae Spears to cut the Cougars' lead to 17-15 right before half.
Directly out of halftime, Tulane stopped Houston on fourth-and-one on the Cougars' own 29-yard line. On the very next play, Pratt connected with tight end Will Wallace on a touchdown strike to give the Green Wave its first lead 22-17.
"We have to look ourselves in the mirror and find a way," Wallace said. "It's a unity thing, getting everybody on the same page. We have to do whatever it takes to win."
Unfortunately, the advantage did not last for Tulane as Houston scored on three of its next four drives while holding the Wave scoreless the rest of the way.
The Cougars tacked on one final score with just over one minute to play to put the final tally at 40-20.
The Green Wave is back in action Thursday, October 21, as it travels to Dallas to battle SMU. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. CT.
