Green Wave Hit The Road To Face UCF on Friday
Oct 19, 2005 | Football
Oct. 19, 2005
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2005 TULANE FOOTBALL
Game 6: Friday, October 21, 2005; 6 p.m. (CDT)
Orlando, Fla.; Florida Citrus Bowl (65,438)
GREEN WAVE FACTS
2005 Record: 2-3
2004 Record: 5-6
2004 C-USA Record/Finish: 3-5/t6th
Head Coach: Chris Scelfo
Alma Mater/Year: UL-Monroe/1985
Record at Tulane/Year: 33-43/7th
Career Record/Years: .Same
Location: New Orleans, La.
Enrollment: 13,214
Conference: Conference USA
Stadium: Louisiana Superdome
Capacity: 64,900
President: Dr. Scott Cowen
Athletics Director: Rick Dickson
Interim Football SID: John Sudsbury
Cell Phone: 214-793-6363
E-Mail: sudsbury_2000@yahoo.com
Ticket Info: 800-488-5252
Website: www.TulaneGreenWave.com
2005 TULANE SCHEDULE & RESULTS
SERIES FACTS
Games Played: One
Series Record: 0-1
First Meeting: Sept. 22, 2001, UCF, 36-29
Last Meeting: Same
in Orlando: 0-0
Current Streak: UCF W1
Scelfo vs. UCF: 0-1
Tulane-UCF on TV
The Tulane-UCF game will be broadcast live online via the College Sports TV All-Accesspackage, which utilizes scoreboard camera feeds and the home radio broadcast to let fans view the game online. For more information, visit www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
Tulane Coaches' Call-In Show
Head coach Chris Scelfo's Call-In Radio Show made its return on Monday evening, live from Ponchatoula's in downtown Ruston, hosted by Sean Fox from KNBB-FM (ESPN Radio 99.3) in Ruston. The show will air each Monday from 7-8 p.m. Coach Scelfo will take questions from callers, review the previous week's game and preview the upcoming opponent.
"Tulane Football with Head Coach Chris Scelfo"
Highlights of the Green Wave's previous game, comments from Scelfo on the upcoming opponents, and player features can be seen each week on the Tulane football coaches' television show. The show was scheduled to air on Cox Sports Television across the state each Thursday night at 10:30 p.m. and again Saturdays at 7:30 a.m.
Tulane/ISP Radio Network
Following Hurricane Katrina, Tulane's radio network has been modifi ed; unfortunately the fl agship station, WTIX AM 690 in New Orleans is off the air indefi nitely. However, ISP Sports has put together an eight-station network across Louisiana. Six-time Louisiana Sportscaster of the Year Larry Matson returns to his Tulane roots to handle play-by-play duties while Todd Graffagnini will handle the color analysis. Longtime color commentator Steve Barrios, a Tulane Hall of Famer, has limited availability due to his full-time job as a State Farm insurance agent.
Northshore - WJSH FM 104.7
Lafayette - KROF Am 960
Baton Rouge - WSKR AM 1210
Shreveport - KRMD AM 1340
Alexandria - KBDS AM 1410
Lake Charles - KAOK AM 1400
West Monroe - KWJM FM 92.7
Ruston - KPCH-FM 97.7
NEWS & NOTES
Hitting the Road
Tulane will play just its second "road" game of the season this Friday, traveling to Orlando, Fla., to face Conference USA newcomer UCF. Of course, none of Tulane's four "home" games have been true home games as the Green Wave has played its five games in five different stadiums already this season. Last Friday was the closest thing to a home game for the Wave as it played in Ruston where it is housed on the Louisiana Tech campus. In that game, UTEP took full advantage of three Tulane turnovers to post a 45-21 victory over the Wave. UCF, meanwhile, suffered its fi rst C-USA loss, 52-31, to Southern Miss. The Golden Knights had opened their C-USA tenure with wins over Marshall and Memphis.
Last Week's Leaders
Quarterback Lester Ricard piled up big numbers on Friday night for the Green Wave, completing 29-of-52 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. His favorite targets were Bubba Terranova (8 catches for 103 yards and a TD), Damarcus Davis (7-for-76) and Preston Brown (5-for-93, 2 TDs). Defensively, senior linebacker Anthony Cannon continued to pile up tackles as he registered 11 - his fourth double-figure tackle game of the season.
On the Run
Tulane evacuated New Orleans on Sunday, August 28th, the day before Hurricane Katrina came to shore. After two days sleeping on a gymnasium floor at Jackson State University (including the last 30 hours without electricity), the team moved on to Dallas to much plusher accommodations at a DoubleTree hotel. This Monday, the Wave made the move to its "home" for the semester: Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, La.
Finally Football
After arriving on the Tulane campus on August 9, the Green Wave football team waited 39 days before hitting the fi eld for a real game. Sixteen of those days were spent on the road fleeing Hurricane Katrina and its resulting destruction, before settling at Louisiana Tech University for the remainder of the season. The September 17th opening day marked the latest opening day for the Green Wave since the 1973 season when it debuted against Boston College on Sept. 22 with a 21-16 victory in New Orleans. Th at team fi nished the year 9-3 with the No. 20 ranking in the nation.
Touchdown Terranova
Entering this season, Bubba Terranova had 33 catches for 426 yards and four touchdowns in his career. In the first five games of 2005, the senior has 22 catches for 321 yards and four touchdowns. He has snared TDs in four straight games and has also tallied a pair of 100-yard receiving games, the first of his career. On Friday against UTEP, the New Orleans native (from Slidell, La., a suburb), had a career-best eight catches for 103 yards.
Third-Down Bubba
Not only is Bubba Terranova posting big numbers in receiving, but the veteran wide receiver is making plays in crucial situations. Of his eight catches in the UTEP game, five were third-down plays and another was a fourth-down conversion. He had six fi rst downs in the game. For the season, Terranova has 12 catches on third down (10 for fi rst downs), including all four of his touchdown receptions. He has 14 first-down receptions total this year.
Brown on the Board
Wide receiver Preston Brown, who had not caught a pass entering this season, has stepped into the role of Tulane's go-to receiver in 2005. the junior has 27 receptions for 333 yards this year to lead the team in both categories. In the Houston game, he snagged a 13-yard Lester Ricard delivery for his fi rst career touchdown and he followed that up with a pair of TD catches against UTEP. The New Jersey product made his debut at wide receiver on Sept. 17 against Mississippi State and corralled Tulane's first reception of the game, a 20-yarder, on the Wave's yards, including a 27-yard reception from punter Chris Beckman on a fake punt. Brown's 117 yard-eff ort is the 83rd-best in school history.
Big Ol' Jet Airliner
For the first time this year, the Tulane football team is scheduled to board an airplane. the Green Wave will fl y out of Monroe, La., on Friday morning for its game against UCF on Saturday. It is scheduled to return after the game.
Driver, Where You Taking Us?
The Green Wave has become quite familiar with busses this season. Without a home stadium, Tulane had traveled a minimum of 69 miles for each of its games (until last Friday's game against UTEP, which was played in Ruston). In addition, the travel has not been easy due to the lack of vacancies at hotels in southern Louisiana. Prior to the Southeastern Louisiana game, the Wave slept on air mattresses at English Turn Country Club in New Orleans, while the team bussed to Lafayette the morning of the Houston game.
Rolling Doubles on Defense
Senior linebacker Anthony Cannon collected 11 tackles in the loss to UTEP on Friday, his fourth double-fi gure tackle game of the season and the 19th of his Green Wave career. Cannon, who has registered 100+ tackles in each of his fi rst three seasons, piled up a season-high 14 tackles in the Houston game. The Stone Mountain, Ga., product has 377 career takedowns to rank sixth all-time (15 from moving into fi fth) for the Green Wave. He has 195 solo stops; while his 182 assists rank third all-time for the Wave.
Travelin' Band
With one "home" football game remaining to be scheduled, the Tulane football team is guaranteed to play in at least 10 diff erent stadiums this year. Th is weekend's UCF game will mark the sixth stadium in six games. Next weekend, the Wave travels to Mobile's Ladd-Peebles Stadium (Stadium #7) for a "home" game against Marshall. While a location for the Tulsa "home" game (Nov. 19) has not been finalized, games at Navy, Rice and Southern Miss assure the Wave of 10 stadiums this year. In 1975, Southern Miss, with current head cach Jeff Bower at quarterback, played 11 games in 11 stadiums due to the rebuilding of its own stadium.
A Lift From Lester
After struggling in the Houston game, quarterback Lester Ricard rebounded in a big way against UTEP, connecting on 29- of-52 passes for 376 yards and three touchdowns. Those numbers lifted the junior onto many career leader lists for the Green Wave. the Amite High School grad now ranks eighth all-time in passing yards (3,090), pass attempts (446) and completions(256) and seventh in touchdowns (31) at Tulane. With just 12 interceptions in 446 pass attempts, Ricard currently ranks first in interception percentage (2.69%), displacing J.P. Losman, who closed his career at 2.74%.
Showing Some Hart
While Barrett Pepper has battled injuries this fall, walk-on freshman Jacob Hartgroves has stepped into the place-kicking role and has successfully converted 13-of-14 extra point attempts. His lone miss was a blocked extra-point against Southeastern Louisiana. A three-time academic all-district honoree at Bryan (Texas) High School, Hartgroves also has one field goal this year.
Future Schedule
The Tulane administration continues to rebuild its home schedule. On Oct. 5, Tulane announced that it would host Marshall on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. the only remaining Green Wave home game without a site is the Nov. 19 contest against Tulsa.
Opportunity Knocks
With three of its top receivers from last year graduated, Tulane was in the hunt for players to step up in 2005. Thus far, it has not been a problem. Quarterback Lester Ricard has connected with 11 different receivers in the first five games. Junior Preston Brown (zero catches entering 2005) leads the team with 27 grabs for 333 yards, while senior Bubba Terranova (22-for- 321) and junior Damarcus Davis (22-for-214) have also stepped up their production. Brown and Terranova have both registered their fi rst career 100-yard games this year, while Davis had a career-best seven catches against Southeastern Louisiana and against UTEP.
Precision Punting
Punter Chris Beckman, a first team all-conference selection in 2004, may have a lower punting average, however, the junior continues to excel at his duties. In the UTEP game, Beckman punted fi ve times for 179 yards (35.8 avg.), however, that number is deceiving as he had punts of 21 and 24 yards which were both downed at the UTEP 10-yard line. Th is season, Beckman has punted 34 times for 1344 yards (39.5 avg.). the Mississippi product also has a 35-yard punt which was downed at the 11 (SMU) and a 31-yard punt which was fair-caught at the 12 (MSU). Removing his four "successful short" punts from his average boosts him to a solid 41.1 punting average. Ten of his punts have been downed inside the 20 (fi ve inside the 10) while he just has two touchbacks (he had only two in 52 punts all of last season).
Doubling Back
Last season, Matt Forte and Jovon Jackson reach rushed for exactly 624 yards. However, the majority of Forte's yardage came after Jackson suff ered an injury. This year, the pair are splitting time in the backfi eld. In the Houston game, the duo combined for a season-high 150 yards on the ground, while their combined season total now stands at 472 yards (94.4 yards per game). Forte leads the way with 82 carries for 283 yards, while Jackson has 51 attempts for 189 yards.
Defensive Specialists
the Tulane defense held SMU to just 127 total yards on Sept. 24. That effort was the best by the Green Wave defense since Nov. 1, 1997 when UL-Lafayette (then Southwestern Louisiana) was limited to 126 total yards.
No Rush
the 117 rushing yards by Mississippi State on Sept. 17 was the least by a Tulane opponent since the 2002 Hawai'i Bowl victory when Hawaii had just 66 rushing yards. the defense outdid itself one week later, holding SMU to just 63 yards on the ground - the least by a Wave opponent since the 1998 season, when it held Louisiana Tech and BYU to 54 rushing yards each in the fi nal two games of the year. On Oct. 1, the "D" improved yet again versus the rush, holding Southeastern Louisiana to just 41 yards, the least since the 1997 season when UL-Lafayette (then Southwestern La.) had just one rushing yard. Houston, however, put a stop to Tulane's impressive rush defense numbers by piling up 248 yards on the ground on Saturday.
Award Winners
Tulane has already collected three weekly awards this season. Return man Sean Lucas was named the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week (9/26), while quarterback Lester Ricard was named the Louisiana Off ensive Player of the Week (9/26) and linebacker Anthony Cannon was the Louisiana Defensive Player of the Week for Oct. 2.
Hitting the Sack
the Green Wave registered nine sacks on Sept. 24 against SMU, the second-most sacks recorded by the Tulane defense since prior to 1989. Last season against Florida A&M, the Wave tallied 11 sacks; in the 2002 Hawaii Bowl, Tulane notched eight sacks matching its total from the 1997 meeting with Memphis. Single-game records prior to 1989 are not available.
The Decision Process
While Katrina has caused a myriad of questions and problems for the Green Wave football team and the Tulane Athletic Department in general, all of those pale in comparison to the true tragedies which have been faced in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast. In its thought process for dealing with the relocation of its athletic department, Tulane focused on fi ve specifi c tasks - enroll the student-athletes in school, provide for the housing needs, assist with meal services, arrange for books, and provide the counseling needed to all involved. With those fi ve objectives obtained, the Green Wave staff has moved on to more general needs such as staffi ng needs at its multiple locations, scheduling work, and preparation for games.
Tulane Goes to Four Sites
In an unprecedented move, the Tulane University Athletic Department has relocated to four diff erent campuses for the fall of 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina. In addition to Louisiana Tech, SMU, Texas A&M and Texas Tech are hosting Green Wave teams.
Site Tulane Teams
Louisiana Tech Football, Track & Field SMU Men's and Women's Golf Texas A&M Men's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Men's & Women's Tennis, Women's Swimming & Diving Texas Tech Women's Basketball, Baseball
Hurricane Veterans
While the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe has devastated the city of New Orleans, and the entire Gulf Coast, it is not the fi rst time a hurricane has aff ected the Green Wave football team. Just last season, Hurricane Ivan drove the university to evacuation forcing the postponement of its Sept. 18th game with Louisville (which was eventually played on Dec. 4th). In 2002, Tropical Storm Isidore forced the Wave to miss practice time and to bunk down in the Reily Student Recreation Center for one night prior to a home game against Texas. Back in 1965, Hurricane Betsy, another devastating storm for the Big Easy, forced the Wave's season opener with Texas to be moved from New Orleans to Austin.
Just Fakin'
The Green Wave successfully faked a pair of punts on Sept. 17 against Mississippi State. On the fi rst play of the second quarter, the Wave snapped the ball directly to Tra Boger, who rushed for three yards on the fourth-and-two play. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Wave again lined up to punt, but this time punter Chris Beckman connected with Preston Brown for a 27-yard pass completion, the longest pass play by either team in the game.
Got My Eye on You
Linebacker Anthony Cannon is on a pair of "Watch Lists" for 2005. the senior, who has tallied 100 or more tackles in each of his fi rst three seasons, is on the list for the Rotary Lombardi Award, which goes to the top lineman or linebacker in the nation. He is also a top candidate for the Butkus Award as the top linebacker in the country.
Good Works
Senior off ensive lineman Matt Traina was honored by the AFCA when the organization named him to its 2005 Good Works Team, which recognizes players for their dedication and commitment to community service. Traina has started every game in his collegiate career while also participating in numerous community service activities as President of Tulane's Student-Athlete Advisory Board.
More For Matt
Matt Traina has also been selected as a semifi nalist for the Draddy Award, known in many circles as the "Academic" Heisman. the trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership. the 15 fi nalists will be announced on Oct. 27 with the winner announced on Dec. 6 at the 48th National Football Foundation Awards Dinner on Dec. 6 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Each fi nalist will be recognized that night and will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship.
Welcome to College Football
The Green Wave has had 22 players see their fi rst career action this year. Off ensively, linemen Troy Kropog and Michael Parenton and receivers Brian King and Cary Koch have seen the most time, while on defense it been cornerback Josh Lumar and linebackers James Dillard and Jordan Ellis hitting the fi eld the most. True freshman Jacob Hartgroves has handled all place-kicking duties thus far this year. Fourteen true freshmen (Luke Bell, Kirk Bush, Sean Carney, Dillard, Ellis, Ace Foyil, Matt Harding, Charles Harris, Hartgroves, Justin Kessler, King, Koch, Evan Lee, James McMurchy) have seen action, while seven redshirt freshmen (Michael Batiste, Ryan Bewley, Scott Eilliott, Craig Gelhardt, Kropog, Josh Lumar, Parenton, David Skehan) cracked the lineup for the fi rst time. Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Reggie Scott has seen signifi - cant action this year, buthe played in last year's opener before suff ering an injury.
Helping Hands
Anyone interested in helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina are encouraged to support any of the federally-recognized relief organizations, while those wishing to support the student-athletes from Tulane or Southern Mississippi (the other Conference USA school directly aff ected by the storm) can visit www.ConferenceUSA.com for information regarding the C-USA Relief Fund.
Football Talk
While the talk around Tulane football has focused on Hurricane Katrina, it should not be forgotten that competing on the fi eld is still the main focus of the Green Wave. Tulane returns 45 letterwinners and 18 starters for 2005 while saying goodbye to just three starters from both the off ensive and defensive sides of the ball. the Green Wave welcomes eight starters back on off ense while nine players, including 2003 starter Tra Boger, are back for the Green Wave defense.
Still More Returnees
While only 16 of the 2004 "offi cial" starters (players who started at least six games a year ago) return on off ense and defense, overall there are 31 players on Tulane's 2005 roster who have started games for the Green Wave over the last two seasons. Th at includes eight players (in addition to the 16) who started at least two games a year ago and fi ve players who held starting positions in 2003. Familiar names like Israel Route, Michael Purcell, Bruce Youmans, Billy Harrison and Matt Forte, although not considered returning starters, have produced big plays at critical moments over the last two seasons.
C-USA 2005
Tulane, with the 1998 C-USA football crown to its credit, is one of six holdover teams in the "new look" Conference USA 2005 - along with East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Southern Miss and UAB. the league bid farewell to football members Army, Cincinnati, Louisville, USF and TCU and welcomes Marshall, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, UCF and UTEP to the fold this year. For 2005, Conference USA will consist of 12 schools competing in all sports and will hold its fi rst football championship game.
Go West, Young Wave!
Tulane will play in the West Division of Conference USA with Rice, SMU, Tulsa, UTEP and Houston, and will meet crossover opponents Southern Miss, UCF and Marshall in 2005 and 2006. Although Tulane is one of six teams remaining in Conference USA, the new divisional alignment of the 12-team all-sports league means that the Green Wave will face only two of the same league opponents in 2005 -- USM and Houston. the Green Wave will face all six of the league's new schools, the only "holdover" team to do so.
the Long Haul
Now in his seventh season at the helm of the Tulane program, Chris Scelfo is the longest-tenured coach at Tulane (in seasons) since Andy Pilney, who coached the Wave for eight years from 1954-61. In addition to Pilney, only Hall-of-Famer Clark Shaughnessy (1915-20, 1922-26) with 11, coached more seasons than Scelfo's six. Only three previous Tulane coaches -- Shaughnessy with 59, and Bernie Bierman (1927-31) and Red Dawson (1936-41) with 36 -- have won more games at Tulane than Scelfo's 33. Among C-USA coaches, Scelfo ranks fourth in longevity behind Southern Miss' Jeff Bower (14 seasons), Rice's Ken Hatfi eld (11) and UAB's Watson Brown (10).
Welcome Back
On the defensive side of the ball, Tulane welcomes back two players who redshirted the 2004 season while the Green Wave off ense will have the services of a pair of former letterwinners. Safety Tra Boger, the Green Wave's leading tackler in 2003, returns after missing all but two games a year ago after undergoing knee surgery for a meniscal tear. Sophomore defensive lineman Alvin Johnson also is ready for action after redshirting the 2004 season. On the off ensive side, tight end Jerome Landry and quarterback Nick Cannon are preparing to return to action. Landry underwent knee surgery last spring, while Cannon had surgery on his shoulder and elbow, causing him to miss the 2004 campaign.
Moving On
Former Tulane receiver Roydell Williams, the Tulane and Conference USA all-time leader in touchdown catches who ranks second on the Tulane career list for receiving yards and catches, was drafted in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. He is the seventh Tulane player to be drafted during the Chris Scelfo era as the Green Wave has seen at least one player drafted every year since 1999, except in 2003. A year ago, Tulane QB J.P. Losman was a fi rst round selection of the Buff alo Bills while running back Mewelde Moore was chosen in the fourth round by the Vikings.
Century Mark
Senior linebacker Anthony Cannon posted his third straight 100-tackle season in 2004 en route to All-Conference USA and All-Louisiana honors. He fi nished the season ranked fourth in Conference USA and 29th in the nation in tackles per game and is the fi rst Green Wave defender since Mike Staid (1991-94) to compile 100-plus tackles in three straight seasons. Last year, Cannon tied his career high with 16 tackles in the Southern Miss game.
Lester is the Latest
The latest in a distinguished line of Tulane quarterbacks is junior Lester Ricard, who is in his second season as the starter in 2005. Ricard, who followed NFL-ers Shaun King, Patrick Ramsey and J.P. Losman as Tulane's starting quarterback, missed the last two-and-a-half games of the 2004 season with a broken wrist, but not before posting two of the most impressive performances in Tulane and Conference USA history.
Versus UAB on Oct. 23, Ricard joined Ramsey as the only Tulane QBs to throw for 400 yards in a game when he completed 36-of-49 passes for 417 yards with a school-record six touchdown passes. the mark for single game TD passes had stood since 1952. the 417 yards rank third on the Tulane single-game list while his 36 completions is tied for second all-time.
Two weeks later, Ricard completed a school and C-USA record 94.7 percent of his passes - on 18-of-19 passing - for 323 yards and four TDs, including an 87-yard touchdown pass that tied for the second-longest in school history. He completed his last 14 passes of that game while compiling a single-game ef- fi ciency rating of 307.01 that ranked second in the nation.
Back Intact
the Green Wave coaching staff returns intact for the second straight season in 2005. the staff includes three coaches who have been with Chris Scelfo for the duration of his Tulane tenure in Garret Chachere, Frank Scelfo and Don Mahoney.
New Schedule
Due to its placement in the Western Division of Conference USA and the fact that two of its three "crossover" opponents are Marshall and UCF, Tulane is the only C-USA tea which will play all six of the league's new members in 2005. Overall, the Green Wave will face seven new opponents, marking the largest turnover in Tulane's schedule in a single season since 1970.
