Tulane had its chances to pull a road upset of undefeated Cincinnati, but penalties and missed opportunities killed those hopes on a hot Saturday afternoon at Nippert Stadium.
Perhaps no three plays better encapsulated the 37-21 American Athletic Conference loss than how Tulane's first drive of the second half ended.
Terren Encalade dropped a third-down pass to start the unfortunate series of events. Cincinnati's Ethan Tucky blocked the ensuing punt, and then Desmond Ridder found Kahlil Lewis for a 15-yard score -- his second of the day -- to put the Bearcats up 30-16.
That proved to be all Cincinnati (6-0, 2-0) would need as the Tulane offense, with LSU-transfer Justin Millan at the helm, managed just 94 yards in the second half and 266 for the game.