NEW ORLEANS — Tulane and LSU posted big wins in major bowl games on Monday.
New Orleans sports bars were packed with folks cheering on their teams.
“It’s been 80 years since we’ve been in a major bowl, it’s about time,” said Tulane alum Geoff Rose, who watched the game with Green Wave fans at Bruno’s in Uptown.
Tulane overcame double-digit deficits in the Cotton Bowl to beat the USC Trojans.
The wave scored the go-ahead touchdown with just 8 seconds left on the clock.
“Man, it’s been a great season,” Tulane alum Corey Martin said. "You cannot help but get excited. The energy is infectious. What more do you want, a bowl game and Tulane.”
“I think we’re on the way up,” Tulane alum Joanne Lammons said. “I think that Tulane is now a football school. That’s what we want to be.”
LSU had an easier time with Purdue in the Citrus Bowl.
The Tigers beat the Boilermakers by 56 points. “I think they had a great season,” said LSU alum Gina Lorio who watched the game with her family at Wrong Iron on Bayou St. John. “We lost a few in the early part of the season that we should have won but otherwise they had a great season.”
“It’s been remarkable,” LSU alum Les Olivier said. “Next year, we’re a top ten team, maybe better.”
Both LSU and Tulane have solid football programs to build on next season.
“(QB Jayden) Daniels is coming back, right,” LSU fan Alfred Reese said. “He made some progress throughout the year, so he looks dominant. He’s going to be looking to make some noise going into the next year.”
“We have a very good recruiting class coming in,” LSU alum Zach Bienvenu said. “The coach is a year in. We actually surprised some people, so we’re all very excited.”
Here are the final scores:
LSU crushed Purdue, 63-7
Tulane beat USC, 46-45