Tulane beat Charlotte 38-31 in overtime Friday night, finishing a late rally with a Dagan Bruno 1-yard touchdown run in the extra period. The Green Wave won it with efficiency: they converted 8 of 13 third downs and completed 28 of 36 passes, enough to overcome 2 turnovers against a Charlotte team that gave the ball away 0 times.
How It Happened
Tulane struck first. Johnnie Daniels finished a drive with a 2-yard run at 5:14 of the first quarter, and Cooper Helmke's kick made it 7-0.
The second quarter belonged to Charlotte, with one exception. Khamani Alexander broke a 44-yard touchdown run, and Aiden Bui added a 48-yard field goal to put the 49ers up 10-7. Tulane answered 13 seconds later when TJ Smith took the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a score.
Conner Harrell then took over. He hit Jaden Barnes for a 22-yard touchdown at 4:01, then found Derrick Eley from 16 yards with 49 seconds left in the half. Charlotte went to the locker room with a 10-point lead.
Daniels scored his second 2-yard touchdown at 5:18 of the third quarter to cut the gap to 3. Eley pushed it back out early in the fourth with a 1-yard run, restoring Charlotte's 10-point lead with 10:52 to play.
Tulane chipped away. Helmke's 27-yard field goal at 6:29 made it a one-score game. Then Trace Johnson threw an 11-yard touchdown to Cameron Roberts with 10 seconds left, and Helmke's extra point tied it at 31. In overtime, Bruno scored from a yard out, and Charlotte never scored in the extra period.
Key Performers
Johnnie Daniels, Tulane: 2 rushing TD (2 YDS, 2 YDS)
TJ Smith, Tulane: 95-yard kickoff return TD
Trace Johnson, Tulane: 11-yard TD pass to Cameron Roberts with 0:10 left in regulation
Cooper Helmke, Tulane: 27-yard FG, 5 extra points
Conner Harrell, Charlotte: 2 TD passes (22 YDS, 16 YDS)
Derrick Eley, Charlotte: 16-yard TD reception, 1-yard TD run
Tulane team passing: 28-36, 284 YDS, 7.9 yards per attempt
Tulane team rushing: 34 ATT, 183 YDS
Charlotte team passing: 23-36, 239 YDS, 6.6 yards per attempt
Charlotte team rushing: 43 ATT, 216 YDS
What It Means
Charlotte did nearly everything a team needs to win. The 49ers ran for more yards, piled up more first downs, held the ball for almost 34 minutes and committed no turnovers. They still lost, because Tulane was sharper on the plays that ended drives and got a special-teams touchdown on top of it.
The difference showed in the passing game. Tulane averaged nearly 8 yards per throw against under 7 for Charlotte, and the Green Wave's third-down rate was well ahead of Charlotte's 8 of 16. That efficiency let Tulane win with less possession time.
The result moves Tulane to 4-4. The road number is the story: this was the Green Wave's first win away from home, and they now sit 1-3 on the road against 3-1 at home. They needed a kickoff return touchdown, a last-minute drive and overtime to get it, which says plenty about how different this team looks away from home.
Charlotte falls to 1-7 and 0-4 at home. Losing a game in which the 49ers won the turnover battle and the clock makes this one sting more than most.