SATURDAY’S N.O. BOWL

Wave just off mark with kick

NEW ORLEANS - Tulane appeared to have overcame a jittery start to its first bowl game in 11 years, only to be stunned by a cruel ending to kicker Cairo Santos’ otherwise distinguished college career

Orleans Darkwa scored three touchdowns as the Green Wave rallied from a 21-0 deficit, but Santos’ 48-yard field-goal try in the final seconds missed wide left as Louisiana-Lafayette held on for a 24-21 victory Saturday night in the New Orleans Bowl.

Santos was the 2012 Lou Groza award winner as the nation’s best college kicker, and he’d made a couple of game-winning kicks this season to help Tulane to its first bowl since 2002.

The game might not have come down to that kick if Tulane hadn’t hurt itself with turnovers, penalties and a rough first quarter-and-a-half in which Johnson said his team appeared too emotional to function as well as usual.

Louisiana-Lafayette’s Corey Trim intercepted Nick Montana and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown, and Sean Thomas’ second interception set up Hunter Stover’s go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter.

Those were plays the Ragin’ Cajuns needed with their quarterback, Terrance Broadway, playing with a cast on his broken right forearm.

Elijah McGuire and Alonzo Harris had touchdowns runs for the Ragin’ Cajuns (9-4).Broadway passed for 143 yards and ran for 33 but was intercepted twice, sacked four times and took a lot of hits in the second half before being replaced by Jalen Nixon in the fourth quarter.

Devin Powell replaced Montana in the first half and passed for 223 yards for Tulane (7-6), but his underthrown pass that Thomas intercepted was costly. Tulane’s Ryan Grant had seven catches for 113 yards. Darkwa finished with 86 yards rushing and was named the game’s MVP, the first time a player on the losing team received that distinction in a New Orleans Bowl.

Sports, Pages 20 on 12/23/2013

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