Tulane Prepares For Cincinnati
Oct 1, 2001 | Football
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Oct. 1, 2001
FACTS ON THE BEARCATS
2001 Record: 1-2
2001 C-USA Record: 1-0
Head Coach: Rick Minter
Alma Mater/Year: Henderson State '77
Record at UC/Years: 35-47-1/8th
Overall Record/Years: Same
Football SID: Brian McCann
SID Phone: 513-556-5191
SID Fax: 513-556-0619
SID e-mail: Brian.Mccann@uc.edu
Website: www.UCBearcats.com
THE SERIES
Overall: Tulane leads 10-2
In Cincinnati: Tulane leads 5-1
As C-USA Members: Tulane leads 4-0
Last Meeting: Tulane 24, Cincinnati 19
Sept. 30, 2000 in New Orleans
First Meeting: Tulane 6, Cincinnati 0
Nov. 6, 1909 in New Orleans
Of Note: Tulane has won the last five meetings between these teams as Cincinnati's last win came in 1981. Tulane's rivalry with UC goes back farther (1909) than with any other C-USA team. The 12 games have been spread over a 92-year stretch.
TU HEAD COACH CHRIS SCELFO In his third season as the Tulane head coach, Chris Scelfo, one of the youngest head coaches in NCAA Division I-A, has a career record of 11-17. A 1985 graduate of Northeast Louisiana University (now Louisiana-Monroe), Scelfo began his coaching career at his alma mater and made coaching stops at Oklahoma (1986-87), Marshall (1990-95) and Georgia (1996-98) before becoming Tulane's head coach. A native of New Iberia, La., Scelfo has already surpassed the two-year victory total of every Tulane coach since 1966 except two and he is one of just three TU coaches to see an increase of three or more wins between their first and second seasons.
OF NOTE Road Show: After three straight home games over the last four weeks, Tulane takes to the road for most of the rest of the season with five of its last seven games away from the Superdome. After the Cincinnati game, Tulane will be home for a Homecoming matchup with TCU next week, followed by four road games in the last five weeks of the year.
Conference Calling In four seasons, the Green Wave is 16-15 all-time in Conference USA play, including a 6-0 record and league championship in 1998. After adding a seventh conference game a year ago, the league will have an eight-game schedule next season. In 1996, teams played five league games, and the number stood at six from 1997-99 until moving to seven last year. The league has expanded to 10 teams with the addition of TCU this season. South Florida, a I-A independent this year, will become C-USA's 11th football member beginning in 2003.
C-USA Slate With the addition of TCU to the C-USA fold, Tulane is 40-53-2 versus teams that currently comprise Conference USA. The all-time lists, both as C-USA teams and overall:
Team All-Time C-USA
- Army 5-3-1 2-1
- Cincinnati 10-2-0 4-0
- East Carolina 1-4-0 1-3
- Houston 3-4-0 3-2
- Louisville 2-6-0 2-2
- Memphis 11-11-1 3-2
- Southern Miss 6-16-0 1-4
- TCU 2-6-0 0-0
- UAB 0-1-0 0-1
Ramsey's TD Streak Tulane QB Patrick Ramsey owns the nation's longest current streak of consecutive games throwing a touchdown pass, as the senior has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 26 straight games played, every game in which he has started during his Green Wave career. In fact, the Ruston, La. native has tossed at least two touchdown passes in every game this season with 11 total. With 61 career touchdown passes, he trails Tulane record holder Shaun King by nine TDs.
Great Grad Rates Tulane student-athletes, and Tulane football players, were near the very top of the DIvision I-A lists when the NCAA released its annual graduation rate report last month. The graduation rate for ALL Tulane student-athletes who entered the school in 1994-95 was 75% as opposed to a 70% graduation rate for the overall student body. On the football side, Tulane's graduation rate of 89% for the six-year cohort topped every school in Conference USA, every school in Louisiana and nearly every school in the nation.
A "Fresh" Start Six different true freshmen have now started at least one game each for Tulane this season. Wide receiver Carl Davis and cornerback Darren Sapp are the latest to be added to the list as they each made their first starts last week versus Southern. Davis moved up when senior Zander Robinson went down with a torn MCL versus UCF. He joins tight end Bobby Hoover, strong safety Tra Boger and linebacker Brandon Spincer in the starting line-up this week. Sapp got the start when the Wave came out in the nickel formation for the first defensive play last week. Boger and Spincer have started two games each while defensive linemen Brandon Rottmayer and Wallace Mateen have one start apiece this season. Hoover is listed as the starter at tight end but has not "technically" made a start as Tulane typically has not started the game in a set which uses the tight end.
Freshmen Count Mounts In all, 13 true freshmen have seen action for the Green Wave this year as Gerald Brobbey, Chris Williams and Laine Sambrooks are on the Tulane special teams while Darren Sapp contributes on special teams and as Tulane's starting nickel back. Jay Ashton and Alvin Smith have also seen action on the defensive line this year with Ashton listed at a second team spot this week along with Brandon Rottmayer. In addition to the true freshmen, five redshirt freshmen have seen action for the Green Wave this year for a total of 18 freshmen contributors.
Open Date Slate In a quirk of scheduling, seven of the Green Wave's 2001 opponents will have or have had at least two weeks (or more) to prepare for the Wave, including Cincinnati. That group includes three teams Tulane has already faced: BYU, which was the first game for both teams, LSU, which played Tulane in its season opener, and UCF, which had an unexpected open date due to the postponement of its contest with ULL on Sept. 15. In addition to Cincinnati, Tulane's next opponent -- TCU -- is enjoying an off week prior to playing the Wave, as will its last two opponents of the year, Navy and Southern Miss.
It's Been A While With his 64-yard punt return for a touchdown versus Southern last week, Tulane's Lynaris Elpheage became the first Green Wave player since 1988 to return a punt for a score. Elpheage was six years old when TU's Mitchell Price scored on a 59-yard return vs. Chattanooga on Sept. 3, 1988. That's 149 games between punt return touchdowns for the Green Wave.
Perfection By tying his career-high with four field goals versus Southern, including kicks of 44 and 50 yards, Tulane kicker Seth Marler continued his "perfect" season. The junior has made all nine of his field goal attempts and is 15-of-15 on extra points in 2001. He leads the nation with the highest percentage of made field goals. Marler has made 11 consecutive three-pointers dating back to the final game of last season, and six of his nine kicks this year have been of 40 yards or more. The Lilburn, Ga. native has made seven FGs in the last two games, connecting on kicks of 43, 46, and 48 yards versus UCF. Those three field goals followed a career-record 53-yard blast versus East Carolina that was the second-longest in Tulane history. Marler is 13-of-13 from inside the 40 since the end of the 1999 season and he is 14-for-14 on field goals of less than 30 yards in his career. WIth 202 career points, Marler now ranks fourth all-time in scoring at Tulane.
Tell Me "Moore" With each game, Tulane's Mewelde Moore continues to establish rushing marks not seen at the school since the days of All-American and career rushing leader Eddie Price in 1948-49. Moore's 201-yard rushing day versus Southern was just the fourth 200-yard game in Tulane history, and the first since 1970 when David Abercrombie set the school record with 246 yards. By averaging eight yards per carry in the game, Moore established a new single game school record for 25 attempts or more. His 271 all-purpose yards in the game tied for the second-highest total all-time. His 683 yards in just five games this season ranks as the 15th-highest SINGLE SEASON total while his 1,573 career yards put him 10th on the Tulane career list, in just 15 games. With nine 100-yard games, Moore already ranks second all-time. The Baton Rouge native is second on the squad in receiving with 28 catches and his six touchdowns lead the team. He ranks third in the nation in all-purpose yards per game with 206.6 and is seventh in rushing. Moore is among the national leaders in receiving yardage by a running back with 268.
In the Zone In the last two games, Tulane has been perfect from inside the red zone, scoring on all eight of its trips inside its opponents 20-yard line. The Green Wave has converted on five touchdowns and three field goals and is now 16-of-20 overall when it reaches the opponents' 20. Tulane has also scored on 24- and 50-yard passing plays, and on a 64-yard punt return in its last two games.
Turnover Turnaround A turnover differential of +8 over the last two games has turned around Tulane's turnover margin for the season. The Green Wave forced Southern into five turnovers with two interceptions and three fumble recoveries, and intercepted one pass in the UCF game while recovering two fumbles. Meanwhile, the offense has not committed a single turnover in the last two weeks after starting the season with eight turnovers in its first three games.
Savvy Senior Tulane offensive tackle Corey Sewell will line-up for his 40th career start Saturday versus Cincinnati. The resilient senior from LaPlace, La. has started every game of his career, beginning with the first game of his freshman year in 1998 through last week. Last season, Sewell played every play except for six during the year -- 891 snaps.
25 And Counting Having broken Shaun King's record for career pass completions last week to gain control of his 25th school record, Patrick Ramsey is now just 36 pass attempts away from King's career mark. With 49 yards, Ramsey can also overtake Terrence Jones for second place on the career passing yards list, but he is still 783 yards behind King's career yardage mark of 8,419. Ramsey's 61 career touchdown passes are nine behind King's 70. Ramsey is Tulane's all-time leader in 300- and 400-yard passing games and leads the Tulane career lists in most of the per game averages. He owns the Top 6 single game completion marks and 11 of the top 12 games in single game pass attempts.
On The Watch Four Tulane players have been named as candidates for five national awards. Senior quarterback Patrick Ramsey was named one of just 20 candidates for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the nation's top senior quarterback. Ramsey has also been named to the Watch List for the Davey O'Brien Quarterback Award and is Tulane's nominee for the National Scholar-Athlete Award. Junior kicker Seth Marler -- a semifinalist last year who is enjoying a "perfect" season so far in 2001 -- is on the list for the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top kicker. Running back Mewelde Moore is one of just three sophomores on the Watch List for the Doak Walker Award while senior punter Casey Roussel is on the Watch List for the Ray Guy Award given to the nation's top punter.
Youth Movement Entering the game versus Cincinnati this week, Tulane lists NO seniors among its defensive starters while just two seniors -- LB David Dorsey and DE Glenn Lemoine --are listed ANYWHERE on the defensive two-deep. By contrast, the Tulane offense features veteran senior starters like Corey Sewell (39 starts), Patrick Ramsey (26) and Torie Taulli (26) as well as three of their senior classmates (Chrys Bullock, Terrell Harris, Charles Caldwell) in the starting line-up.
Spreading It Out Patrick Ramsey hit 10 different receivers with passes in the UCF game. That is the most Tulane receivers to catch passes in a game since Sept. 2, 1995, when 10 players caught passes from QB Aley Demarest in the season-opening loss to Maryland in the Superdome. That's a string of 66 games since a Tulane QB "spread it around" as much. Ramsey's receivers in the game included two players who caught their first passes of the year -- WR Chris Bush and RB Gee Reshard, and two more who caught their second passes of the season in WR James Dunn and TE Bobby Hoover.
In Brief At the conclusion of preseason drills, five players -- QB Patrick Ramsey, WR Terrell Harris, C Torie Taulli, DE Floyd Dorsey and SS Terry Fontenot -- were elected the 2001 permanent team captains by their teammates, Tulane receiver Terrell Harris has a streak of 23 straight games with a pass reception, he ranks sixth on the school's all-time list with 140 catches, Tulane opening day foe BYU improved its record to 4-0 last week and continues to lead the nation in scoring offense.
ON THE AIR Tulane-Cincinnati TV There is no television broadcast of the Tulane-Cincinnati game.
Tulane ISP Radio Network WTIX-FM (94.3) in New Orleans is the flagship station of Tulane's 12-station network. Jim Freeman, in his first season as the "Voice of the Green Wave," provides play-by-play while Steve Barrios returns with color commentary and Todd Graffagnini is the sideline reporter.
Market Station Frequency
- Alexandria KDBS-AM 1410
- *Amite WABL-AM 1570
- *Baton Rouge WSKR-AM 1210
- Bogalusa WBOX-FM 92.9
- +Chattahoochee (FL) WTCL-AM 1580
- *Lafayette KROF-AM 960
- Lake Charles KEZM-AM 1310
- *Morgan City KMRC-AM 1430
- *New Orleans WTIX-FM 94.3
- Shreveport KEEL-AM 710
- ^Thibodaux KTIB-AM 640
- West Monroe KWJM-FM 92.7
^Partial football schedule
Coaches' Call-In Show Head Coach Chris Scelfo will be the featured guest on the Tulane Coaches' Call-In Show every Monday from 7-8 p.m. beginning August 20th. Jim Freeman and Tulane AD Rick Dickson will co-host the show, which will be take place live at Superior Grill on St. Charles Ave. in New Orleans.
Chris Scelfo TV Show The Chris Scelfo Show will air weekly in New Orleans on WDSU-TV every Sunday night at 11:05 p.m., and on Cox Cable Mondays at 8 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. The show will also air on Comcast Sports South. Check local listings for those weekly times.
TulaneGreenWave.com Tulane game broadcasts and Call-In Shows, as well as Coach Scelfo's portion of the weekly Conference USA Coaches' Teleconference, can be heard on the internet through Tulane's official athletic department website, www.TulaneGreenWave.com. The site is the stop for all the latest information on Tulane Athletics, including player features, Ask the Coach and AD, statistics and game reports.
