Sylvester Croom won his debut as Mississippi State head coach, beating Tulane, 28-7.

"I've beaten Tulane there several times and the Saints," he said, rapping a wooden desk.

Duke held the record for the largest comeback when it rallied from a 56-27 halftime deficit to beat Tulane by 74-72 on Dec. 30, 1950.

The following Friday, beat Tulane in New Orleans, 44-6.

Georgia beat Tulane in New Orleans, 20-0.

In 1934, LSU won its first Southeastern Conference title by beating rival Tulane.

L.S.U. concluded its regular season yesterday by beating Tulane, 41-36.

"If we beat Tulane, 7-6, we would have dropped in the polls," Brown said.

They beat Tulane in the preseason tournament before losing to Kentucky in the semifinals.

Louisiana State, which beat Tulane by 44-14, moved into the No. 20 position from No. 21.