Cotton Bowl 2023: Tulane vs USC

After a truly incredible day at the 87th annual Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, I was writing the below recap whilst watching Monday Night Football on ESPN. The Bills and Bengals were midway through an entertaining first quarter, when Bills Safety Damar Hamlin collapsed. I watched in horror at the scenes of both teams’ players inconsolable with grief as Hamlin legitimately fought for his life. So, as I now type this at 11:05pm central time, in our apartment in Dallas, my wife and I are still hoping for positive news about Hamlin before we go to bed tonight. A situation like this puts everything else into perspective – tell your loved ones every single day that you love them. Do it today, do it tomorrow, and every day beyond that; everything is fleeting, and – as much as we all love this sport (and many others) – none of it really matters.

So, below is my Cotton Bowl Recap. It was an incredible day – and an incredible game – that showed the absolute best that this sport can offer. But, based on Monday evening’s events, it did not feel right to me to publish this without acknowledging the dangers and sacrifices real humans make to play this game for their occupation, and our entertainment. Thoughts, prayers, and every kind of well-wishes to Damar Hamlin and his family. Please read on if you like, and please excuse me if any of it feels disjointed – my head is still spinning – but it’s an equally good idea to take the time you might have spent reading this to call someone important to you and tell them you love them. 

Pre-Game

The 87th Annual Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is one that will last long in the memory of everyone who watched it on tv, or was fortunate enough to witness it live, but especially for the travelling army of Green-clad humans who rolled into AT&T Stadium from New Orleans. The Green Wave of Tulane was loud, proud, and present throughout, as they dwarfed the “home team” USC Trojans’ support in both size and noise created. And the 55,000 plus people inside Jerry World saw one of the great College Football games of the year.

Tulane finished the 2021 campaign at a disastrous 2-10 mark, so who could have realistically imagined 12 months later they’d be standing on the Cotton Bowl stage? USC themselves were a miserable 4-8, so 11-2 this year was just as much of a surprise, even with the highly touted set of recruits Head Coach Lincoln Riley brought with him to Southern California. Heisman Trophy Winner Caleb Williams was the star man that Riley most wanted to follow him from his controversial Oklahoma exodus, and he delivered in spades all season long.

Pre-Game, it was very apparent that Tulane had travelled well, with significant swathes of fans decked out in green and blue filling much of the South stand. Jerry World is always a crazy scene. The sheer size of the place is scarcely believable, and the noise that is contained within this funhouse of football heaven never ceases to amaze. It was extremely noticeable that USC’s band dwarfed that of Tulane, with the Trojans’ support filling the entirety of the Cowboys Stadium field, whilst Tulane only had enough bodies to cover the area from 35yd line to 35yd line. College Football always provides a certain amount of enjoyable nonsense to go along with the elite level sport on show. Traveler the Horse (a USC staple) was one representation of that, as was the National Anthem being performed by a former Miss Texas – Shilah Phillips. This game had a “big fight feel,” despite the supposed David vs Goliath nature of the matchup. 

1st Half

Tulane won the toss, and deferred to the 2nd half, meaning Caleb Williams started the game with the ball in his hands. The opening drive was masterful, occupying more than nine minutes of game time, methodically matriculating the ball down the field in 17 plays. Williams hit Michael Jackson III for the game’s opening TD.

As the first quarter ended, USC were knocking on the door attempting to go up two scores, but found themselves backed up, thanks firstly to a holding penalty before having 12 men in the huddle. No bother. On 3rd and 22, Caleb Williams scrambled, danced, jived, and rolled his way to the USC sideline, extending the play far longer than it had any right to be, before somehow finding Brenden Rice, who out jumped two Tulane DBs to set up 1st and goal – which was promptly converted into 6 points as Williams found Terrell Bynum, and it was 14-0.

Tulane’s star RB Tyjae Spears came alive on their 2nd drive. After a big gain from QB Michael Pratt (50yd rush), Spears did the rest, powering into the endzone – which would become a theme for the day. Spears eluded a USC tackler with a duck, and a scoot down to the 3yd line, before taking it in with the next carry. Tulane were not willing to roll over without a fight. Then, Jha’Quan Jackson made the play of the half, with his 87yd TD catch and run to tie the game at 14. The sound of the Tulane fans getting louder and louder as Jackson streamed away from Trojan defenders was wonderful, and it would not be the last time the Green Wave were extremely vocal today. Pratt was just 2-6 in the first half, but had a passer rating of over 200. Bonkers.

That said, Caleb Williams was not ready to be done before Half Time, leading two quick scoring drives to reestablish a 14pt lead for USC at the break. First, Raleek Brown broke a 39yd TD run, before Rice and Williams connected again, for Williams’ 3rd TD pass of the half. Williams was 20-29, for 253yds and those 3TDs in the first half. 

2nd Half

Crescent City Sports

Luckily for the Green Wave, the decision to defer the opening kickoff proved to be a hugely positive one. Tyjae Spears scored quickly, his 2nd of the day, trimming the lead to 7 once more, as Tulane continued to keep swinging back. Following that, a missed 52yd FG from Denis Lynch kept the score at 28-21, and gave Tulane the ball back, though they could only score a Valentino Ambrosio (what a name) Field Goal to cut the arrears to 28-24.

Then, Williams and Rice took over again, as the former moves passed 400yds passing, and the latter went over 150yds receiving on a drive that pushed the score to 35-24. Spears completed his hat-trick to push himself towards 200yds on the ground (he finished with 205… and a bunch of NFL Draft Hype), and the lead was back to 35-30. Not for long though, as Williams set the Cotton Bowl game record with his FIFTH TD pass of the day, this time to Kyron Hudson, as the score ballooned to 42-30, with 12 mins left. But the real dagger appeared to have been stuck in the Wave’s back when the imperious Spears fumbled on the next drive, leaving the Trojans on the cusp of a 3 score lead.

But ALL of that…everything that went before, was basically rendered irrelevant by the dramatic events of the last few drives of the game. As we left the Press Box to head to field level, with just a shade over 5 minutes to play, it felt like we were marching towards a competitive, but clear victory for USC. Williams had been near perfect, and Tulane had been infrequently able to stop the Trojans from scoring points. It felt like it was going to take a near miracle for the Green Wave to win the game.

However, there was a path. First, they needed to hold USC to a Field Goal, and keep it a two score game. They did. Lynch delivered this time, and the USC lead was 45-30. Next, Tulane needed a score – and fast. Enter  — who are a massive play to get Tulane inside the 5yd line, before Tyjae Spears scored his 4th TD of the day. 45-37, and just 13 seconds spent on that drive. Then, do Tulane onside kick it? Or kick deep? They’d burned their surprise onside kick earlier – a bit too early I thought – so elected to kick deep, and boy did it work out well. Mario Williams bafflingly tried to run the ball down on the sideline, when it looked like that ball might drift out all on it’s own, and then touched it, knocking it out of bounds around the 1 yard line.

USC were backed up, and having avoided just about managed to get the ball out of the endzone on first down, they couldn’t repeat the trick on 2nd. Patrick Williams grabbed a hold of Austin Jones and assured me would not be able to get away this time. Safety! Chaos energy was building… the lead was now just 6, and Tulane were about to get the ball back following the free kick. A little over 3 minutes on the clock, the greatest season in Tulane history at the tips of their fingers… Could Michael Pratt lead the drive of his life? 

You bet. Multiple 4th down conversions, chaotic scrambles, and an absolutely incredible pass to Duece Watts, which set the Green Wave up at the 6yd line, with a mere 18 seconds left to play. 9 seconds later, Pratt’s pass over the middle was caught by Freshman Tight End Alex Bauman, but not before it was initially ruled incomplete by the (surprisingly poor) SEC officiating crew. That said, the roar that went up from the crowd when they saw the first replay that looked like it might have been a catch sent chills up my spine. When the official announcement was made, the noise of the travelling Tulane fans nearly blew the roof off of AT&T Stadium. Ambrosio added the extra point, and Tulane led 46-45.

Caleb Williams tried to execute a “Miami Miracle” play, but it was not to be, and the Green Wave swarmed the field as time expired. Tulane were Cotton Bowl Champions. It was a truly magical comeback, and one that showed that – on their best day – any team can beat any other team in college football. I can’t think of another sporting event I’ve been at in person where the tide changed so quickly, so rapidly, and so perfectly to give us all the excitement a bowl game ending deserves. It was perfection for everyone… other than the USC fans in attendance.

The Aftermath

The Tulane celebrations were beyond jubilant. “We did it!” Or variations on that theme, were shouted all across the turf. I was fortunate enough to be in close proximity for the trophy presentations – to most outstanding players Dorian Williams & Tyjae Spears –  and Coach Willie Fritz could barely contain his glee when lifting the Cotton Bowl Trophy. As the confetti fell, you really felt how much this meant to the Tulane players, coaching staff, officials, and fans. There were legitimately tears everywhere, and it was touching to see these people who work SO hard to build a program have a true moment in the sun – it was thoroughly deserved. There aren’t enough legitimately happy endings in sports, and I’m so glad that Tulane got the one they deserved.

Fritz joked in his press conference that this victory was “revenge for the ‘32 game” – a reference to the 1932 Rose Bowl game where the Trojans defeated the Green Wave. With Tulane having set the FBS record for best improvement from one season to the next (10 win increase!!), you have to believe that they’re primed to be relevant in the expanded College Football Playoff discussion in the near future. USC left heartbroken, but Lincoln Riley’s team will return with a vengeance next year. Dallas was a sea of green yesterday, and the Tulane Green Wave are gonna keep rolling into 2023.

Callum Squires

NFL/CFB ANALYST

CALLUM IS FROM LONDON, BUT PLAYED COLLEGE SOCCER AT TRINITY UNIVERSITY IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. CALLUM IS A LONG-SUFFERING DOLPHINS FAN WHO BELIEVES THE TUA HYPE. NOW BACK STATESIDE, HIT HIM UP ON TWITTER @CALLUMJDSQUIRES!

5/5