The 2013 New Orleans Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on December 21, 2013, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The thirteenth edition of the New Orleans Bowl, it featured the Tulane Green Wave of Conference USA against the Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns of the Sun Belt Conference. The game began at 8:00 p.m. CST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2013–14 bowl games that concluded the 2013 FBS football season. Sponsored by freight shipping company R+L Carriers, the game was officially known as the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. The Ragin' Cajuns defeated the Green Wave by a score of 24–21.
In March 2016, Louisiana–Lafayette vacated its 2011 and 2013 New Orleans Bowl wins, due to major NCAA violations including ACT exam fraud and payments to recruits.
Teams
The Ragin' Cajuns accepted their invitation after earning an 8–3 record in their first eleven games of the season, going on to finish at 8–4 (5–2 Sun Belt). The Green Wave had a regular season record of 7–5 (5–3 C-USA). Despite the Superdome being the Green Wave's home venue, the Ragin' Cajuns are set to be the designated home team, as they are from the Sun Belt Conference.
Tulane Green Wave
2013 was the Green Wave's most successful season in over a decade, finishing at 7–5 overall and 5–3 in Conference USA. At the season's conclusion, bowl director Billy Ferrante extended an invitation to play in the game. This will be the Green Wave's first New Orleans Bowl, as well as their first bowl game of any kind since the 2002 Hawaii Bowl, which saw them defeat the Hawaii Warriors by a score of 36–28 at Aloha Stadium. It will also be the Green Wave's final game as a member of Conference USA before moving to the American Athletic Conference for 2014, as well as their final game in the Superdome before moving to the on-campus Yulman Stadium for 2014.
Offense
Second-year head coach Curtis Johnson led the Green Wave into the game with a statistically lackluster offense that ranked near the bottom of the Football Bowl Subdivision in passing yards, averaging only 176.1 per game, rushing yards, averaging only 128.1 per game, and points scored, averaging only 25.1 per game. Their mediocre passing game was led by Nick Montana, the son of NFL-great Joe Montana, who played his redshirt freshman and freshman season at University of Washington and his sophomore season at Mt. San Antonio College before transferring to Tulane, at which he was named the team's starter over Devin Powell, who played during the season when Montana sustained a separated right shoulder in October, prior to the season's first game. The two-pronged rushing game included senior running back Orleans Darkwa, who rushed for 780 yards and 9 touchdowns during the regular season, and junior running back Rob Kelley, who rushed for 422 yards and 3 touchdowns during the regular season.
Ryan Grant, who was on the preseason Biletnikoff Award watchlist, saw his 2013 season numbers decline from 2012, but still managed to record 70 receptions, 926 yards, and 9 touchdowns, highlighted by a 14-reception, 187-yard, 2-touchdown performance in the Green Wave's second game, a loss at the hands of South Alabama. Other prominent receivers included junior wideout Justyn Shackleford (34 regular season receptions), and sophomore wideout Xavier Rush, freshman wideout Kedrick Banks, and Kelley, the latter three of whom each recorded 17 regular season receptions. Sophomore tight end Sydie London was not much of a threat in the passing game (12 receptions in 12 games), but he was one of just two tight ends on the roster, so was almost a starter by default, though at one spring practice, did impress New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston, who thought he was one of the best players on the team. Tulane's offensive line was a much maligned group throughout the season. By the end of the season, they were ravaged by injury, and hindered both the running and passing games. The 2012 winner of the Lou Groza Award, senior kicker Cairo Santos, handled the kicking for the Green Wave, but regressed from being a perfect 21/21 to going 16/22, though he did have a long of 56 yards.