Tulane earns first major bowl berth since Jan. 1, 1940, heads to Cotton Bowl

Tulane ran its record to 11-2 on Saturday by winning the American Athletic Conference Championship Game, 45-28, over UCF.

The victory clinched a Cotton Bowl bid for the Green Wave.

And it has been a long time since Tulane has played in a major bowl. How about more than 80 years?

The last time the Green Wave played in a major bowl was in 1940 when it was in the Sugar Bowl on that New Year’s Day, losing to Texas A&M 14-13.

The victory in the American Athletic Championship was not as comfortable as the final score sounds.

Quarterback Michael Pratt accounted for more than 440 yards and 5 touchdowns as Tulane accounted for 649 yards of offense. However, a 31-14 lead in the fourth quarter turned into a three-point lead when the Knights scored two touchdowns.

Pratt then led to a pair of scoring drives in 4:14.

He threw a 60-yard TD pass to Shae Wyatt and iced the game with an 18-yard run.

 

Story originally appeared on Touchdown Wire