ARLINGTON, Texas – The No. 16 Tulane Green Wave (11-2, 7-1 American Athletic Conference) opened Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Week preparations with a Wednesday morning practice at AT&T Stadium.

Head Coach Willie Fritz took his squad through about a 90-minute workout ahead of the 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic matchup against the No. 10 Southern California Trojans (11-2, 8-1 Pac-12 Conference)

"It was a good practice," said Fritz. "This is the first time we've practiced since Dec. 22. We did a little one at school, but it was more walkthrough-stuff yesterday. I thought it went well. I thought the guys picked things up quickly. You know, it's getting used to the facility here. We're just so lucky that they're letting us come in here and practice." 

The ability to practice at AT&T Stadium, provided by a Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame inductee, was not lost on Coach Fritz, who emphasized that importance to his team.

"I think you're pumped and excited about the opportunity to be here," Fritz said. "I talked to the team about how fortunate we are that Mr. (Jerry) Jones and the Cowboys let us come in here, and I told him about how Mr. Jones played in the Cotton Bowl (in 1965). It's a big deal to him. So, I think it's pretty neat that he gives access to both teams to the facility." 

With five days to go until kickoff, Fritz wants his team to enjoy earning Tulane's first Classic berth in program history while preparing for USC.

"We want to have fun," Fritz said. "Hey, this is an honor to be here, but it's also a reward for a great season. We want our guys to enjoy it and have fun, but also understand we've got to have work done as well. When we get 24 hours out, we'll start locking in."

This matchup marks the fourth meeting between Tulane and USC and the first since 1946. The Trojans hold a 2-1 advantage with wins in the 1932 (21-12) and 1946 (20-13). The Green Wave scored a 27-13 victory in the 1942 meeting. The first meeting in 1932 capped off the 1931 season as two squads squared off in the 18th Rose Bowl Game on New Year's Day.

The 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is Monday, Jan. 2 at Noon CT on ESPN and ESPN Radio. Kickoff is slated for 12:10 p.m.

This year's Classic is a part of the ESPN bowl lineup for the ninth straight year. Mark Jones and Robert Griffin III are set to the call the action from the booth with Quint Kessenich reporting from the sidelines.

ESPN Radio returns as the Classic's national radio partner for the ninth consecutive year with Brad Sham and Dusty Dvoracek in the booth and Taylor McGregor on the sidelines to describe all the action from AT&T Stadium.

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