Tulane stuns Houston in OT: Guerry Smith’s top three takeaways

What we learned

This is a different Tulane team. Playing at what had been a house of horrors under coach Willie Fritz, with third-string quarterback Kai Horton, forced to take over after the opening series, the Wave found a way to win, ending a four-game overtime skid in an incredibly gutsy victory. Horton led a composed tying touchdown drive in the final three minutes after Tulane fell behind for the first time. The defense, which stayed on the field for almost the entire second half, came up big on Houston’s OT possession. Horton then found Tyjae Spears in the end zone for the winning score. This, quite simply, was a game past Tulane teams would have lost. Not these guys.

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Poise under pressure. Hand it to Horton, who struggled after an early touchdown pass, to keep it together on that 75-yard tying drive, when he completed 6 of 9 passes for 69 yards. Credit offensive coordinator Jim Svoboda for calling the shovel pass to tight end Tyrick James on fourth-and-goal from the 3, a play that totally fooled the Cougars. And credit the defense for an excellent first three quarters and its ability to bounce back in overtime after a pair of long Houston touchdown drives. The Cougars, by contrast, picked up multiple penalties down the stretch after entering as the nation’s leader in penalties and penalty yards. The more disciplined team won.

Final thoughts

Never mind the middling stats. Tyjae Spears is one of the biggest difference-makers Tulane has had in a long time. He had 14 carries for 54 yards and 85 yards on six receptions, including the game-decider. It was another terrific call to get him the ball in that situation, because he almost always delivers. On a night when the offense had to make dramatic adjustments after quarterback Justin Ibieta went out on the first series, Spears was the constant. He deserved every bit of his wild post-touchdown celebration, when he spiked the ball out of the back of the end zone.