Tulane tallies 7 rushing TDs, squashes Southern 66-21

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:19 p.m. ET

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) Dontrell Hilliard scored three rushing touchdowns, Josh Rounds and Lazedrick Thompson added two each, and Tulane totaled 437 yards on the ground in a 66-21 victory over Southern on Saturday.

Hilliard scored twice on short runs within the first five minutes, and Parry Nickerson's 96-yard interception return gave Tulane (1-1) a 21-0 lead with 6:33 left in the first quarter.

Austin Howard hit Dillon Beard for a 20-yard TD later in the first to pull Southern (0-2) to 21-7, but Sherman Badie returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a score.

True freshman quarterback Johnathan Brantley made his first start for the Green Wave, rushing for 119 yards on 11 carries, including a 63-yard scamper that set up Thompson's second TD run, giving Tulane a 42-7 lead early in the second quarter.

Tulane's 66 points are the most since a 63-30 win over Louisiana Tech in 1998.