Navy Avenges Last Year's Loss to Tulane

ANNAPOLIS,Md. (AP) -- Navy scored touchdowns on its first four possessions and amassed a season-high 418 yards rushing Saturday in handing beleaguered Tulane its fifth straight loss, 49-21.<br> <br> Quarterback Lamar Owens ran for 80 yards and three touchdowns, and Matt Hall had 109 yards rushing and a score for Navy (5-3), which built a 28-0 first-quarter lead and coasted to its fifth win in six games.<br> <br> Representatives from the Liberty Bowl and Poinsettia Bowl were in attendance to watch Navy, which needs one more win to become eligible to play in a third straight bowl for the first time.<br> <br> A year ago, Tulane beat Navy 42-10. On Saturday, the road-weary Green Wave trailed 35-7 at halftime.<br> <br> It&#39;s been a rough season for Tulane (2-6), and this lopsided defeat didn&#39;t help. Displaced from its New Orleans home by Hurricane Katrina, the Green Wave has been forced to practice at Louisiana Tech and was playing in its eighth different stadium in eight weeks.<br> <br> Starting quarterback Lester Ricard was lifted in the first quarter after going 2-for-7 with two interceptions. Backup Scott Elliott finished 13-for-26 for 109 yards with an interception and a touchdown.<br> <br> In a gesture of good will, Navy covered Tulane&#39;s travel expenses for the trip, including airfare, hotel and bus transportation. But the Midshipmen ceased being generous after the opening kickoff.<br> <br> Tulane lost 5 yards on its first possession before Navy moved 40 yards in five plays to go up 7-0. After a 20-yard punt return by Jason Tomlinson, Hall gained 32 yards on four carries before Owens ran it in from the 8.<br> <br> Israel Route fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Midshipmen recovered on the Tulane 25. Six plays later, Owens sneaked in from the 1.<br> <br> Tulane got its initial first down on the next series before Greg Thrasher intercepted a tipped pass at the Green Wave 42. That set up a 38-yard touchdown run by Marco Nelson, making it 21-0.<br> <br> Route fumbled the kickoff and Tulane recovered, but the Green Wave committed their third turnover when Ricard was intercepted by David Mahoney at midfield. Navy needed seven plays to reach the end zone, taking a 28-0 lead on a 2-yard run by Hall with 3:42 left in the first quarter.<br> <br> After the opening 15 minutes, the Midshipmen had 180 yards rushing on 23 attempts - an average of 7.8 yards a carry.<br> <br> Navy was poised to add another touchdown early in the second quarter, but Trey Hines fumbled into the end zone on first down from the 2 and the Green Wave recovered.<br> <br> Undaunted by the mishap, the Midshipmen moved 84 yards in eight plays on their next possession, going up 35-0 on an 11-yard run by Reggie Campbell.<br> <br> Tulane finally scored on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Elliott to Jovon Jackson with 40 seconds left in the half.<br> <br> Navy took the second half kickoff and ran off 12 straight running plays, capped by a 1-yard TD by Owens on a fourth-down play, to make it 42-7.<br> <br> © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.<br>