Tulane scores 30 unanswered to knock off Southern Miss in Armed Forces Bowl
Tulane quarterback Justin McMillan couldn’t have scripted the end to his college career any better.
He played in his hometown — having grown up just 35 miles away from Amon G. Carter Stadium — and in a bowl game that honors military members such as his parents.
It became even sweeter when he played a starring role and earned MVP honors in carrying the Green Wave to a 30-13 victory over Southern Miss in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
“It’s literally a Cinderella story for me,” said McMillan, whose parents, Petrina and Derrick McMillan, served in the Army.
All 30 of Tulane’s points were unanswered, as it won bowl games in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. This felt good, too, given the history between the programs.
Tulane and Southern Miss are separated by just 111 miles and had played in what was dubbed the “Battle for the Bell” annually from 1979-2006. Southern Miss had dominated the series 23-7.
That changed Saturday.
“This is just the seventh winning season in the last 38 years for Tulane,” coach Willie Fritz said. “There is a lot to accomplish. I have taken over some programs without traditions, and that is why I’ll always be indebted to those seniors who took a chance on me at Tulane.”
That starts with McMillan, who started his college career at LSU before playing his final two years at Tulane.
McMillan, who won two state championships at nearby Cedar Hill High School, finished 13 of 18 for 215 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 41 yards on 17 carries.
Much of his and his team’s success came in the third quarter, as the Green Wave scored 24 points after cutting the deficit to 13-6 at the half. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter.
McMillan had just 22 yards passing in the first half, but was 9 of 10 for 193 yards and three TDs in the second half. The highlight came on a 52-yard pass to Jalen McCleskey that tied the game at 13.
“The pass from Justin to Jalen jump-started us,” Fritz said.
McMillan added a 7-yard TD pass to Jacob Robertson and a 20-yard TD pass to Amare Jones.
“We didn’t play to the best of our abilities in the first half,” McMillan said. “Nobody had to tell us that. It was understood.
“Coming back out there in the second half, I took my time and settled down a lot more. There was a lot of nerves in that first quarter with it being my last game.”
Tulane’s defense came through, too.
Green Wave safety Larry Brooks, who played at Kennedale, had a pivotal interception to set up the 7-yard TD pass from McMillan to Robertson.
Southern Miss coach Jay Hopson could only describe the third quarter as “disastrous.”
“It really was a disastrous third quarter. Nothing went well for us,” Hopson said. “They made some explosive plays, and explosive plays kill you in football.”
Southern Miss also had lost a couple of key players to first-half injuries, including starting quarterback Jack Abraham (shoulder) and versatile playmaker De’Michael Harris (hamstring).
It became a disappointing day for the Golden Eagles after they jumped out to a 13-0 lead. Abraham connected with Quez Watkins for a 44-yard score on one possession and later scored on a 3-yard run.
But Abraham’s day ended after taking a hard hit with 33 seconds left in the first half. Abraham sustained a shoulder injury after being taken to the ground by Tulane linebacker Lawrence Graham on an incomplete pass play.
Abraham was 17 of 23 for 167 yards and one TD in the opening half. Southern Miss backup Tate Whatley went 9 of 22 for 134 yards with two interceptions in the second half.
Harris was lost a few series before Abraham. Hopson said the offensive game plan featured Harris substantially.
“That was the real big blow when 18 [Harris] went out,” Hopson said. “That was a good shot to us. You don’t expect injuries. We didn’t get traction after that.”
Southern Miss defensive back D.Q. Thomas acknowledged the difficulty of bouncing back after seeing those standout players sidelined.
“It was tough,” said Thomas, an Arlington Martin product. “Those guys keep the offense going. When they went down, it hurt for a lot of us, but on defense, we knew we had to step up and make the plays to pick up for our offense.
“We just didn’t make the plays we needed to make.”
Tulane finished its season 7-6, winning its second consecutive bowl game under Fritz. Southern Miss also finished 7-6, in Hopson’s fourth season.
“I am really proud of our effort today,” Fritz said. “We beat a good Southern Mississippi team, and this was a big victory for our program.”
Said Hopson: “I give Tulane all the credit. They did what they needed to do to win.”
This story was originally published January 4, 2020 at 2:00 PM.
