NEW ORLEANS (Interstat) — Tulane used a late fourth-quarter touchdown and a blocked field goal to defeat Southern Mississippi 24-21 on Saturday at Yulman Stadium in a Football Bowl Subdivision game. The Green Wave improved to 2-2, while the Golden Eagles fell to 1-3. Tulane’s final scoring drive and defensive stand capped a back-and-forth contest that featured several momentum swings and a dramatic finish. Southern Mississippi entered the game after a loss to Connecticut, a loss to Auburn and a win over Alcorn State. Tulane had beaten South Alabama and lost to Kansas State and Duke earlier in the season.

Maurice Turner powered Tulane’s offense with 12 carries for 200 yards and two touchdowns, including a 74-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter that provided the winning margin. The 5-foot-10, 186-pound running back from Nicholls, Georgia, also caught one pass for six yards. Cooper Helmke added a 26-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and made his extra-point attempts. Southern Mississippi had a chance to answer, but Creighton Wilbanks missed a 44-yard field goal attempt and later had a 21-yard attempt blocked by Jameer Lewis. The Golden Eagles’ final threat ended when the kick was turned away with 1:45 remaining.

Landry Lyddy led Southern Mississippi with a strong passing performance, completing 18 of 29 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns. The 6-foot, 198-pound quarterback from Shreveport, Louisiana, spread the ball to multiple receivers. Davis Dalton, a 6-foot-3, 202-pound receiver from Madison, Mississippi, caught three passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Mario Sanders, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound receiver from Minneapolis, Minnesota, had four receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns. AJ Little, a 5-foot-10, 174-pound receiver from Macon, Mississippi, added four catches for 75 yards. Steven Robinson, a 5-foot-9, 208-pound running back from Baltimore, Maryland, rushed 16 times for 73 yards and caught one pass for six yards. Jamarice Wilder, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound running back from Sarasota, Florida, carried 10 times for 60 yards and added two receptions for six yards. Eelijah Singleton had one catch for 27 yards. Preston Kilgore contributed one reception for five yards. Kaden Saunders and MJ Johnson each recorded two catches for 17 yards. The Golden Eagles moved the ball effectively through the air but could not convert their final scoring opportunity.

Tulane’s Kadin Semonza completed 12 of 24 passes for 129 yards and one touchdown. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound quarterback from Mission Viejo, California, guided the Green Wave efficiently. Trace Johnson completed two of five passes for 35 yards. Anthony Brown-Stephens, a 5-foot-10, 168-pound receiver from Springfield, Ohio, was the Green Wave’s leading receiver with five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. Dawson Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound tight end from Denver, Colorado, caught two passes for 31 yards. Destyn Hill, a 6-foot, 193-pound receiver from New Orleans, Louisiana, had three receptions for 11 yards. Bredell Richardson added one catch for three yards. Jaylin Lucas, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound running back from Houma, Louisiana, contributed 23 rushing yards on nine carries, 28 receiving yards on two catches, 25 kick-return yards and two punt-return yards. Dagan Bruno added a 9-yard run. William Hudlow, a 5-foot-11, 217-pound punter from New Orleans, Louisiana, punted seven times for 380 yards. Tulane’s balanced attack complemented Turner’s breakout day on the ground.

Defensively, Tulane’s Kevin Adams III recorded nine tackles, and Jack Tchienchou finished with seven. Adams, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound defensive back from Destrehan, Louisiana, helped anchor the secondary. Tchienchou, a 5-foot-10, 182-pound safety from Atlanta, Georgia, was active throughout. Dickson Agu, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker from Geismar, Louisiana, Geordan Guidry and Makai Williams each had five tackles. Williams, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound linebacker from Cibolo, Texas, and Guidry each added a sack. Warren Roberts Jr. had four tackles and two quarterback hurries, while Chase Green and Kameron Hamilton each made four tackles. Ed Smith IV and Reshad Sterling each recorded three tackles, with Smith adding a sack and Sterling a half-sack. Derrick Shepard Jr. had two tackles and a half-sack. Kajuan Banks, Josh Lewis, Anthony Rogers, Jah’rie Garner, TJ Smith, E’zaiah Shine, PaLanding Drammeh, LJ Green, Macho Stevenson and Justin Agu also contributed tackles. Joshua Moore made two stops. The Green Wave defense pressured Southern Mississippi throughout and came up with the decisive blocked kick.

Southern Mississippi’s defense got 10 tackles from Michael Robinson III, a 6-foot, 190-pound defensive back from Columbus, Ohio. Wesley Edison added eight tackles, and Landon Sylvie, a 5-foot-10, 177-pound safety from Shreveport, Louisiana, finished with seven tackles and an interception. Mathis Haygood, a 6-foot-3, 228-pound linebacker from Fayetteville, Georgia, added six tackles. A’mari Wilson, a 6-foot-7, 260-pound defensive lineman from Jacksonville, Florida, recorded four tackles. The Golden Eagles forced Tulane to settle for field goals at times and kept the game within reach until the final minute. Tulane’s special teams also played a role, with Helmke converting his field goal and extra points and Hudlow flipping field position with seven punts.

Tulane struck first when Semonza connected with Brown-Stephens on a 47-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Southern Mississippi answered in the second quarter when Lyddy found Dalton for a 32-yard score. Tulane regained the lead on Turner’s 43-yard touchdown run, but Lyddy hit Sanders for a 14-yard touchdown later in the second quarter. In the fourth quarter, Helmke made a 26-yard field goal, Wilbanks missed from 44 yards, Turner broke free for 74 yards and a touchdown, and Southern Mississippi’s final 21-yard field goal attempt was blocked. The sequence left Tulane ahead and Southern Mississippi searching for one more answer.

Southern Mississippi next plays at Troy, while Tulane next plays at Army.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Southern Mississippi 28, Tulane 26. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Tulane with a 96.9 percent probability to win. Southern Mississippi had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +17.5. The total score of 45 went over the over/under line of 52.5.