Two esteemed football programs from the state of Louisiana set the stage in Orlando, Florida at the 2018 AutoNation Cure Bowl. The contest featuring the Tulane Green Wave and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns was dubbed the “Bayou Battle” edition of this game. Now in its fourth year bringing awareness to the fight against cancer, the event allowed both teams to play for the cause of supporting the Breast Cancer Research Fund (BCRF). The Tulane Green Wave claimed victory, 41-24.

While the Cajuns were the first to light the scoreboard, the Wave crashed into the end zone repeatedly as they scored on their first four drives while going six-of-seven on third down conversions in the first two quarters. After that string of success, Tulane quarterback Justin McMillan forced a pass that was intercepted by defensive back Bralen Trahan at the goal line for the first turnover of the match. Louisiana turned it into points with a field goal before heading into the locker room but still found themselves down big 24-10 at the half.

After the break, Lousiana imposed their will by stopping Tulane on fourth down on the first drive of the second half and then scoring with running back Elijah Mitchell. After that, they forced the game’s second turnover by causing a fumble by Amare Jones. Trahan recovered the loose ball and was responsible for both takeaways in the stat line.

The final quarter began with the Green Wave up 27-17. The Cajuns continued to persevere and make the game theirs with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Louisiana’s man under center Andre Nunez to wide receiver Jarrod “Bam” Johnson. This play put the game within three.

Finally, with 3:49 left on the clock, Tulane’s running back Darius Bradwell smashed into the end zone for his second of two touchdowns. Bradwell finished the day as the eighth 1,000-yard rusher in his school’s history. This assured the win even before McMillian recorded the game’s final score on a 16-yard scamper.

While the Green Wave lost the turnover by giving up the ball twice with zero takeaways, record-breaking numbers on offense helped them overcome. They tallied a Cure Bowl record 28 first downs and a college bowl game record 337 yards. The later broke a record that was set back in the Rose Bowl in 1932.

The Ragin’ Cajuns didn’t finish as strong as their head coach Billy Napier would have liked, but the program still has plenty to be proud of for 2018. During Napier’s first year in a head coaching position, he’s led Louisiana to a west division title and also a berth in the Sun Belt Conference’s first championship game. Considering their running back corps of Trey Ragas, Elijah Mitchell, and Raymond Calais are all returning next year, there’s plenty for the offense to be excited about as they look to return to the SunBelt Championship for 2019 and earn a ring this time.

Congrats to Tulane, our official 2018 Cure Bowl champions! pic.twitter.com/x83RWU2rh7 — AutoNation Cure Bowl (@CureBowl) December 15, 2018

On the winning side, Tulane completes the season improving their record for the third-straight season under head coach Willie Fritz. Since they were only one game away from winning the West in the American Athletic Conference, should the Green Wave uptick their perform next season, it could enable them to turn the corner for an opportunity to win that league.

Regardless of what the scoreboard reads at the end, this event is responsible for raising upwards of $4.4 million dollars to the BCRF in the past four years. That can be marked as nothing short of a win.

Kyle Nash, known as The Student of the Game, covers UCF Football for SportsMediaPass.com and is a special contributor for Break the Fourth. He’s a also a writer for the DolphinsWire of USA Today and co-host of the DinnerTime and Default Assault podcasts.