Smith’s halftime pick-six and Daniels’ fourth-down run lift Tulane past Memphis 31-17

Tulane spent much of Friday night giving Memphis chances to move the ball. It kept taking the ball back. Six forced turnovers helped the Green Wave beat the Tigers 31-17 at Yulman Stadium, with TJ Smith’s 76-yard interception return before halftime and Johnnie Daniels’ late touchdown providing the separation.

Memphis had cut a 13-point deficit to six when Marcus Stokes found Jemyri Davis for a 6-yard touchdown with 3:34 remaining. Tulane’s answer came on fourth-and-1: Daniels broke through for 48 yards with 1:34 left. Trace Johnson’s two-point pass to Destyn Hill made it a two-touchdown game.

Until that snap, Daniels had run six times for a combined seven yards. Memphis needed one more stop to get the ball back down six. Tulane instead trusted the run, and Daniels’ breakaway left the Tigers facing a 14-point deficit with little more than a minute remaining.

That finish followed a second quarter in which Tulane scored all 23 of its first-half points. Stonka Burnside’s 76-yard catch and run had given Memphis a 10-3 lead early in the quarter. Cooper Helmke’s second field goal narrowed the gap, and Johnson put Tulane ahead with a 38-yard scoring pass to Hill.

Smith then turned the final play of the half into a touchdown, taking an interception 76 yards for a 23-10 lead. Memphis never led again. Neither side scored in the third quarter, leaving the Tigers to chase the same deficit until Davis’ late touchdown.

Johnson completed 11 of 21 passes for 165 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Hill caught four passes for 62 yards. Daniels finished with 55 yards on seven carries; his last touchdown accounted for 48 of those yards.

The yardage totals show how much Memphis left behind. The Tigers gained 488 yards to Tulane’s 325. Stokes threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns, Jaylin Carter rushed for 135 yards on 23 carries, and Burnside caught seven passes for 151 yards. Those gains repeatedly ended with Tulane in possession.

Helmke’s three field goals were essential while Tulane’s offense struggled to sustain drives. He connected from 56, 40 and 29 yards, all in the second quarter. The Green Wave converted four of 16 third downs and finished with 12 first downs, compared with Memphis’ 27. Daniels’ late touchdown came on Tulane’s only fourth-down attempt.

The result brings Tulane to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the American Conference. Memphis drops to 5-2 and 2-1. Tulane’s published schedule has UTSA coming to Yulman Stadium on October 24.