Tulane certainly missed spiritual leader Sam Howard last Saturday against Florida Atlantic, but the two linebackers who started in his place made huge plays in the 35-24 victory.

Chris Rodgers stuffed quarterback Caden Veltkamp inside the 1-yard line as he tried to score on a fourth-down keeper in the second quarter. Makai Williams tackled American Conference catch leader Easton Messer for a 6-yard loss on fourth-and-3 in the third quarter.

Those stops helped guarantee the Green Wave (8-2, 5-1) would remain tied at the top in the American Conference in the loss column.

“I saw the running back shake in front of the quarterback, so I knew they were going to run the QB,” Rodgers said of his one-on-one tackle, which preserved a 21-10 lead. “I just knifed through, and that gave us a lot of m

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