NEW ORLEANS — Michael Pratt passed for three touchdowns and scrambled 19 yards for a go-ahead score with 2:34 to go, and No. 23 Tulane staved off a frantic North Texas comeback bid to defeat the Mean Green 35-28 on Saturday.
Mekhi Highes ran for a 10-yard touchdown and finished with 121 yards on 20 carries — his third straight game eclipsing the 100-yard mark.
Tulane (6-1, 3-0 AAC) appeared to be cruising toward its fifth straight victory when tight end Alex Bauman made his second touchdown catch of the game on a 21-yard throw from Pratt to make it 28-7 in the third quarter.
But North Texas (3-4, 1-2), which had been shut out in the first half, scored touchdowns on their next three possessions, the second of which began with a successful onside kick.
Landon Sides’ 6-yard catch tied the game at 28 with 9:08 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Green Wave then marched 75 yards on 13 plays, ending with Pratt's scoring run on a third-and-12 play with 2:34 remaining — a play that also gave Pratt 70 yards rushing for the game.
Tulane's Lawrance Keys caught five passes for 78 yards, highlighted by his 23-yard touchdown to cap a five-play, 41-second, 73-yard scoring drive shortly before the end of the first half.
Chandler Rogers passed for season-high 343 yards and two TDs without an interception. His first touchdown pass went to Ja'Mori Maclin on North Texas' opening possession of the second half. But on North Texas' final drive, his fourth-down pass fell incomplete, allowing Tulane to run out the clock.
Ayo Adeyi ran for an 18-yard touchodown and Oscar Adaway scored on a 1-yard run for North Texas.
THE TAKEAWAY
North Texas: Rogers found his rhythm after passing for just 90 yards in the first half. Although he couldn't lead North Texas to a comeback win, he did increase his number of passing attempts without an interception to 175. Maclin prolonged his streak of catching at a touchdown pass in every game this season.
Tulane: Although the Green Wave defense looked shaky for much of the second half, it still fared relatively well against a North Texas entered the game leading the AAC in total offense with 477.5 yards per game. The Mean Green finished with 426 yards at Tulane and fell about eight points short of their scoring average of nearly 36 points.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
After getting back in the AP Top 25 poll this week, Tulane isn't bound to move up much after surviving at home against the Mean Green, but should not fall out of the poll, either.
UP NEXT
North Texas: Hosts Memphis next Saturday.
Tulane: Visits Rice next Saturday.
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