Tulane's biggest strength on defense the entire season has been its ability to force teams into third-and-long situations that allowed it to make plays with its ferocious pass rush.
But, unexpectedly, that turned out to be the team's Achilles' heel in Saturday's 35-31 homecoming loss to SMU at Yulman Stadium.
Tulane led by 10 points in the fourth quarter but had it wiped away by two SMU touchdowns in the final minutes of the game.
"We got out of our rushing lanes a little bit...and they made some big plays," said Tulane defensive tackle Tanzel Smart.