A Tulane defense that began the season by holding current No. 1 Alabama to 172 yards of total offense has inexplicably lost its swagger.

UAB (3-7, 2-4 C-USA) rushed for 272 yards and gained 426 yards of offense in a 41-24 victory over the Green Wave (2-8, 1-5) on Saturday. It was the sixth straight loss for Tulane and snapped a 19-game road losing streak by the Blazers.

"We've got to take a good, hard look at our defense," head coach Bob Toledo told the Times-Picayune. "I know we're worn down a little bit, but we're out of position a lot and we lose contain and miss a lot of tackles."

The Green Wave had no sacks and just one tackle for loss against UAB.

"I really, honestly don't know what's happened to us," safety Corey Sonnier said. "We come out every week trying to do our job, but lately I don't know what's going on. We're supposed to be doing our assignments -- the line containing, the linebackers hitting the gaps and the (defensive backs) covering. We're just not doing it."

Tulane has to win one of its two remaining games at Tulsa on Saturday or at Memphis on Nov. 29 to avoid tying the school record for losses.

SEASON RECAP

Alabama 20, Tulane 6: The Green Wave held a Crimson Tide unit that had 419 yards of total offense against Clemson in the season opener to just 172 yards (99 rushing yards, 73 passing), but two breakdowns on special teams thwarted their upset bid in Tuscaloosa. Alabama had an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown and a 17-yard punt block return for another score, both in the first quarter.

East Carolina 28, Tulane 24: Patrick Pinkney's 24-yard scoring strike to Jamar Bryant with 1:41 remaining allowed the Pirates to escape with a 28-24 victory at the Superdome. The Green Wave forced four turnovers, recorded five sacks and limited 14th-ranked East Carolina to just 56 rushing yards in the conference opener.

Tulane 24, Louisiana-Monroe 10: Andre Anderson ran for 157 yards and a touchdown and Kevin Moore passed for 272 yards and a score to lead the offense, while safety Corey Sonnier's 10 tackles paced a defense that recorded four sacks and held the Warhawks to 182 yards of total offense at the Superdome.

Tulane 34, SMU 27: Andre Anderson rushed for a career-high 219 yards and Kevin Moore tossed a career-best three touchdown passes, two of them to Jeremy Williams, as the Green Wave scored 31 first-half points and held on for the victory over the Mustangs at the Superdome. Anderson ran for 126 yards after halftime as Tulane chewed up huge chunks of clock.

Army 44, Tulane 13: The Black Knights rushed for 291 yards, recorded four takeaways and blocked two kicks to spoil the Green Wave's homecoming in their first game in four years at Tad Gormley Stadium. Andre Anderson ran for more than 100 yards in his third straight game and Kevin Moore passed for 273 yards and a touchdown to lead Tulane.

UTEP 24, Tulane 21: Andre Anderson rushed for a career-high 255 yards and scored three touchdowns, but the Miners got a late touchdown pass from Trevor Vittatoe to Jeff Moturi to pull out the win in El Paso. Tulane finished with 318 rushing yards, but it had a tough time moving the ball through the air without injured receiver Jeremy Williams.

Rice 42, Tulane 17: The Green Wave lost leading rusher Andre Anderson to a shoulder injury and gained only 34 yards on the ground in their third consecutive defeat. Backup QB Joe Kemp gave Tulane a second-half spark by passing for 201 yards and two touchdowns, but the Owls got four touchdowns from Chase Clement (two passing, two rushing) and rushed for 230 yards at the Superdome.

LSU 35, Tulane 10: The 15th-ranked Tigers held the Green Wave to 163 yards of total offense, allowing only a 48-yard field goal by Ross Thevenot and a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Travis Burks. LSU won the in-state rivalry for the 17th consecutive time and handed Tulane its 35th straight loss against ranked opponents. Charles Scott led the Tigers with 114 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Houston 42, Tulane 14: The Cougars rolled up 693 yards of offense and handed the Green Wave a fifth consecutive loss, guaranteeing a sixth straight losing season. Nathan Austin ran for two scores, but Tulane lacked the firepower to compete with Houston's Case Keenum (384 passing yards, four touchdowns) and Bryce Beall (176 rushing yards, three touchdowns).

UAB 41, Tulane 24: The Blazers rushed for 272 yards and intercepted four passes to hand the Green Wave a sixth consecutive loss. J.T. McDonald had 108 all-purpose yards and scored three touchdowns and Ross Thevenot booted a 50-yard field goal in a losing effort before a sparse crowd at the Louisiana Superdome. UAB snapped a 19-game road losing streak.

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