No. 24 Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt is sidelined vs. No. 20 Ole Miss. Kai Horton starts

Published Sep. 9, 2023 4:26 p.m. ET

Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt was not in uniform for the No. 24 Green Wave’s highly anticipated home game against 20th-ranked Mississippi on Saturday.

Backup Kai Horton’s first start of the season came after Tulane coach Willie Fritz said Tuesday that Pratt was “fine” after limping off the field late in a 37-17 victory over South Alabama last weekend.

Pratt did not take part in warmups before the Ole Miss game and appeared shortly before the coin toss wearing shorts with a protective sleeve on his left knee.

Pratt was named American Athletic Conference offensive player of the week after completing 14 of 15 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns against South Alabama.

However, in the final five minutes of the game, Pratt tried to scramble on third-and-long deep in Jaguars’ territory. As two defenders converged, Pratt did not slide, instead launching into an awkward leap with his left leg extended.

The initial hit spun him around horizontally and as he fell to the turf, a second defender crashed down on his left knee.

Pratt limped to the sideline, got on a stationary bicycle and then finished the game by handing off to run out the clock on Tulane’s final possession.

On Saturday morning, ESPN reported that Tulane would wait until shortly before the game to announce who would start behind center. After that, the point spread for that game changed considerably, with Ole Miss going from a 6 1/2-point favorite to a 12 1/2-point favorite in the hours leading up to kickoff.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll