Navy football overcomes 24-point deficit to beat Tulane originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Navy didn't leave itself much time to take the game-winning field goal against Tulane on Saturday, but kicker Bijan Nichols remained unfazed.
His kick from the left hash marks completed a 24-point comeback in a 27-24 win at Tulane, the second-biggest in Midshipmen history.
In what was Xavier Arline's first start at quarterback - only the fifth freshman in school history to get the start at QB - the Midshipmen got off to a slow start. The Green Wave took full advantage and took a 24-0 lead into halftime. But Navy's defense sunk the Tulane offense in the second half, shutting them out to help the comeback cause.
A couple of Nelson Smith one-yard rushing touchdowns got the Midshipmen back into the contest. Then, before Nichols won the game with no time left, Arline threw this absolute beauty of a pass to Mychal Cooper to tie the game at 24.
It's an incredible feat for Navy, which was coming off a terrible drubbing at the hands of No. 21-ranked BYU on Labor Day night. It will aim to carry this momentum forward to Oct. 3 in a somewhat controversial Commander-in-Chief's Trophy game against Air Force that hadn't previously been on the schedule. Navy, of course, will play Army in another CIC game on Dec. 12.
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Next week's scheduled game against Temple was previously moved to Oct. 10 because of COVID-19 issues with the Owls football team earlier in September.
