The Tulane football team’s (6-1, 3-0 American) quarterback Jake Retzlaff connected with wide receiver Shazz Preston on a juggling 26-yard reception in the end zone with just 27 seconds remaining in the game to give the Green Wave a thrilling 24-17 victory over Army (3-4, 2-3 American) on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Yulman Stadium. It was Retzlaff’s second consecutive game-winning drive in the final minute.
Retzlaff went 22-for-29 in the game for 261 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also ran eight times for 62 yards and a score. Javin Gordon totaled 40 yards on his 12 carries. Maurice Turner put up 29 rushing yards. Brendan Sullivan totaled 10 yards on the ground. Preston led a group of three receivers with five catches. He totaled 86 yards and a receiving touchdown. Anthony Brown-Stephens picked up five catches for 52 yards. Bryce Bohanon had five receptions for 51 yards and his first career receiving touchdown.
Chris Rodgers led the defense with 10 tackles. Jack Tchienchou totaled nine tackles. Gerrod Henderson chipped in with eight tackles. Makai Williams had six tackles. Jordan Norman had a sack. Tre’Von McAlpine and Harvey Dyson III had two tackles for loss.
Alec Clark led the special teams with his 52-yard punt. Patrick Durkin made his only field goal attempt plus all three extra points. Brown-Stephens had a 35-yard kick return to help set up the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Green Wave held a 402-358 advantage in total yards including a 261-125 lead through the air. Tulane also had 23 first downs to 21 for Army.
Tulane scored first as Durkin knocked in a 30-yard field goal with 1:49 remaining in the second quarter to complete the 15-play, 75-yard drive.
Army tied the game on a made 43-yard field goal from Dawson Jones with 23 seconds remaining in the opening half.
Army took the lead on their first possession of the second half on a one-yard rush from Cale Hellums to finish off a 13-play, 80-yard drive that was completed at the 6:31 mark of the third quarter.
The Green Wave tied the score on the ensuing possession on Retzlaff’s 37-yard rush to tie the game at 10 all with 4:52 remaining in the third quarter.
Army took the lead with a Hellums one-yard rush to finish off a 14 play, 80-yard drive with 5:54 remaining in the game.
The Green Wave tied the game with just 1:54 remaining on a 12-yard touchdown catch from Bohanon to complete the 11-play, 75-yard drive and set up the exciting finish.
Next, the football team, after a bye next week, gets back on the road with a Thursday night game on Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. against UTSA in San Antonio at the Alamo Dome.
NOTES:
– The win improved Tulane to 14-10-1 all-time against Army in a series that dates back to 1953…The victory was Tulane’s fifth in the last six matchups against the Black Knights…Tulane is now 8-3-1 in home games against Army, including a mark of 3-0 at Yulman Stadium.
– The victory is the first time since 2019 that the program has won the first four home games of any season.
– The win was the sixth of the season for the Green Wave, making the program bowl-eligible for the fourth straight season and the seventh time in the last eight seasons…The four-straight bowl appearances will be the longest-ever stretch of reaching bowls in school history.
– Since the start of the 2022 season, Tulane is now 38-11 (.770)…The win total is tied for the sixth-most in the country in that period of time (Georgia – 44, Ohio State – 42, Oregon – 40, Michigan – 39, Penn State – 38, Tulane – 37, Texas – 37, Notre Dame 37).
– The Green Wave is 3-0 in conference play for the fourth straight year, fifth time since 2013 and the 10th time overall (2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2013, 1998, 1997, 1949, 1939, and 1934).
– With the win, Tulane has now won 20 of the team’s last 21 regular season conference games (3-0 in 2025, 7-1 in 2024, 8-0 in 2023 and last two conference games in 2022).
– Tulane improves to the nation’s best mark of 25-2 in conference regular season play since 2022.
1. Tulane 25-2 (92.5%)
2. Boise State 23-2 (92%)
3. Georgia 25-3 (89.3%)
4. SMU 23-3 (88.3%)
5. Oregon 26-6 (86.7%)
– The win makes the Green Wave 6-1 to start the season…It is the third time that Tulane has been 6-1 or better to start the year since 2022, fourth time since 1998 and the 15th time overall (2025, 2023, 2022, 1998, 1973, 1948, 1939, 1934, 1931, 1930, 1929, 1925, 1924, 1919, and 1908.
– Head Coach Jon Sumrall is now 25-3 over the course of his four-year head coaching career in games played in the months of October, November or December…He also has a 21-3 record in home games during his career.
– Coach Sumrall saw his all-time record raise to 38-10 (.791) with the win over the Black Knights…His .791 career winning percentage ranks him fourth among current FBS coaches only behind Ohio State’s Ryan Day (76-10, .884), Oregon’s Dan Lanning (40-7, .851) and Georgia’s Kirby Smart (110-20, .846). He is just ahead of Indiana’s Curt Cignetti (136-37, .786).
– With the win, Coach Sumrall is 6-1 for the first time in his four-year head coaching career.
– The win improved Coach Sumrall to 13-2 all-time against American Conference programs…He has defeated 11 of the 13 other current teams in the American in his career…Additionally, he has now defeated 27 different schools in his head coaching career between his time at Troy and Tulane.
– Since the beginning of the 2022 season, Tulane has only had three games where it has been forced to punt more than six times (8 vs. Tulsa on Sept. 27, 2025, 9 on Dec. 2, 2023 vs. SMU and 7 on Sept. 17, 2022 vs. Kansas State).
– Since the beginning of the 2022 season, the Green Wave is 32-3 (.914) when scoring first.
— Jake Retzlaff threw his first interception of the season and the first of his Tulane career to end his streak of 180 pass attempts (179 at Tulane and 1 at BYU) without one.
— Retzlaff became the first FBS quarterback to throw game-tying and game-winning touchdown passes inside a game’s final two minuts since Colorado State’s Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (vs. Boise State) on October 14, 2023.
READ MORE:FULL INTERVIEWS: Tulane earns wild 24-17 win over Army on last-minute drive
