On a tense Thursday night in New Orleans, Tulane survived a second-half comeback from East Carolina, leaning on a career-high performance from quarterback Jake Retzlaff to grind out a 26–19 win that wasn’t secured until the final seconds.
After leading 12–0 at halftime, Tulane suddenly found itself trailing 16–12 in the fourth quarter as ECU stormed back behind a couple of touchdown drives and quick defensive stops. But Retzlaff refused to blink, guiding two late touchdowns to rescue the Green Wave from what could have been a stunning home upset.
Retzlaff was steady and sharp, completing 26 of 36 passes for 347 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. The Green Wave piled up 458 total yards, including 362 through the air, while overcoming 11 penalties and a sluggish ground game that produced just 96 rushing yards on 25 carries.
The biggest strike came early in the fourth quarter when Zycarl Lewis Jr. broke free down the right sideline for a 63-yard touchdown, igniting the crowd and flipping momentum back toward Tulane. But the decisive blow came in the closing moments, a 4-yard touchdown pass from Retzlaff to Javin Gordon with just 35 seconds left, capping a composed, methodical drive that sealed the win.
That is another Wave Win!!!#RollWave 🌊 pic.twitter.com/xE0fiUjQJY
— Tulane Football (@GreenWaveFB) October 10, 2025
Tre Shackelford (four catches, 65 yards) and Bryce Bohanon (four for 45) contributed through the air as well, giving Tulane a balanced, efficient passing attack that kept ECU’s defense on its heels.
Still, head coach Jon Sumrall was far from pleased after the win.
“We are a really sloppy football team that finds ways to win games, and I’m going to lose my mind because we’re so immature,” Sumrall said in his on-field postgame interview with ESPN. “We’ve got to grow up fast! I’m glad we won. I’m not happy with how we played.”
It was raw honesty from a coach whose team remains unbeaten in American Conference play, but knows it can’t keep living this dangerously.
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