SYRACUSE, Sept. 20 -- Tebucky Jones returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown on the game's final play Saturday night, securing a 30-19 victory for Syracuse over the Tulane Green Wave. Tulane rallied from a 24-6 deficit to cut the lead to five when it got the ball on its own 36-yard line with a minute to play.
The Green Wave moved all the way to the Syracuse five and had three three chances to score the winning touchdown. On the final play, however, Shaun King's pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and Jones was able to intercept just short of the goaline before racing the length of the field down the left sideline to cap the victory. Tulane (1-2) mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter. King's one- yard touchdown sneak with 7:38 to play cut the lead to 24-12, but the Green Wave failed on the two-point try. Tulane came within 24-19 four minutes later on a five-yard scoring run by Toney Converse. Syracuse (2-3) took the lead 1:22 into the game when Donovan McNabb connected with Kevin Johnson for a 37-yard scoring strike. Brad Palazzo hit a 30-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to cut the lead to 7-3 and was good from 47 yards five minutes into the third quarter to pull Tulane within one. The Orangemen took what appeared to be a commanding lead with help from running back Kyle McIntosh, who scored from seven yards midway through the third quarter for a 14-6 lead and added another seven-yarder four minutes later. Nate Trout's 37-yard field goal 1:35 into the fourth quarter put Syracuse up 24-6.
