Tulane beats Hawai'i, 36-28

Associated Press

Lynaris Elpheage returned one punt for a touchdown and set up the go-ahead score to lead Tulane to a 36-28 victory over Hawai'i in the inaugural Hawai'i Bowl today.

Trailing 14-6 in the third quarter, Elpheage scored Tulane's first TD with a 60-yard return.

Elpheage ran back Hawai'i's next punt 56 yards, giving Tulane the ball at the Hawai'i 17. That set up the go-ahead touchdown, a 1-yard run by quarterback J.P. Losman. Elpheage was voted the game's outstanding player after returning four punts for 143 yards.

The Green Wave (8-5) came into the game as a double-digit underdog but threatened to turn the game into a rout when Mewelde Moore scooted 25 yards late in the third period to make it 26-14.

However, Hawai'i (10-4) came back behind Shawn Withy-Allen, who filled in for an injured Timmy Chang, who left in the second quarter with a hand injury.

Withy-Allen hooked up on a 57-yard scoring pass with Justin Colbert to make it 26-21.