ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Fourth-year Tulane quarterback Justin Ibieta’s terrible run of luck continued Wednesday at the Military Bowl when he hurt his right leg in the second quarter and had to be taken off the field on a cart.
Ibieta, a Country Day product who tore a labrum against Morgan State in 2021 and again vs. Houston last year, was alternating series with starter Kai Horton when he came up hobbling after a keeper, then fell to the ground. He played four snaps, beginning with a three-and-out when he misfired on a quick out before running twice, and then the run when he got injured.
Teammates went over to check on him and showed their concern while the cart came out.
“I hate it for him,” Tulane interim coach Slade Nagle said. “He went down again.”
Ibieta is 26-of-40 passing for 303 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in his career. The bulk of his work came against Morgan State in September 2021, but he was 5 of 5 on the opening drive against Houston last season before tearing his labrum for the second time.
With Michael Pratt opting out of the Military Bowl, the plan was for Horton — who has entered the transfer portal but elected to play — and Ibieta to share time against Virginia Tech.
Pratt attended the game to provide support.
Machado out
Tulane lost leading tackler Jesus Machado on the opening play of Virginia Tech’s second series, and he did not return.
Machado entered the Military Bowl with 98 tackles — 23 more than fellow linebacker Tyler Grubbs, the next closest teammate. In his absence, Mandel Eugene and Dickson Agu joined the rotation at inside linebacker. Grubbs and Jared Small played the heavy majority of snaps, combining for 15 tackles in the first half alone. They were limited to four stops between them in the second half.
“Any time you lose a guy like Jesus early in the game, that hurts,” Nagle said. "He’s an experienced player who has played a lot of football and a leader on the defense.”
Fabulous fans
For the third time in as many appearances by Virginia Tech, the Military Bowl sold out, joining the Hokies’ 2014 and 2018 games against Cincinnati. Despite steady rain that turned into a downpour at times, the attendance of 35,849 was the third highest since the game moved to Annapolis in 2013.
The Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg is about a 300-mile drive from Annapolis, and many of its alumni settle around Washington, D.C.
In contrast, the last two Military Bowls had an attendance of 17,974 for Duke-Central Florida in 2022 and 24,242 for North Carolina-Temple in 2019. The 2020 and 2021 contests were canceled because of COVID-19 issues.
“We’ve got the most unbelievable fan base,” Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry said. “A testament again tonight, they sat through that rain cheering these guys on.”
Lagniappe
Tulane freshman Will Karoll’s 61-yard punt that was downed at the Virginia Tech 7 in the first quarter was the longest in the Military Bowl’s 14-game history. … Valentino Ambrosio’s 49-yard field goal, which cleared the upright with plenty of yards to spare in the second quarter, tied the bowl record. … Tulane lost reserve defensive back Shi’Keem Laister to an injury in the second quarter. … The loss ended Tulane’s 10-game winning streak in road and neutral-site games.