Down four scores to No. 16 South Florida midway through the third quarter, things looked bleak for Tulane, and then Donnie Lewis' interception sparked a comeback.
The Wave reeled off 21 straight points, but the surge fell short as Tulane suffered a 34-28 American Athletic Conference loss before 17,256 at Yulman Stadium Saturday.
"It didn't look good for us in the beginning of the second half, but we kept fighting," coach Willie Fritz said. "We made it a very competitive ballgame. I saw some good things out of the offense late. They're one of the best defenses in the country, and we were running and throwing the ball on them late.