Football Prepares For UAB
Oct 15, 2001 | Football
Oct. 15, 2001
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TULANE at UAB
October 20, 2001
4:00 p.m. CDT
Birmingham, Ala.
Legion Field
FACTS ON THE WAVE
2001 Record: 2-5
2001 C-USA Record: 1-2
Head Coach: Chris Scelfo
Alma Mater/Year: NE Louisiana '85
Record at Tulane/Years: 12-18/3rd
Overall Record/Years: Same
Football SID: Donna Turner
SID Phone: 504-865-5506
SID Fax: 504-865-5512
SID e-mail: dturner1@tulane.edu
Website: www.TulaneGreenWave.com
FACTS ON THE BLAZERS
2001 Record: 2-4
2001 C-USA Record: 1-2
Head Coach: Watson Brown
Alma Mater/Year: Vanderbilt '73
Record at UAB/Years: 33-39/7th
Overall Record/Years: 65-114-1/17th
Football SID: Grant Shingleton
SID Phone: 205-934-0722
SID Fax: 205-934-7505
SID e-mail: wileyg@uab.edu
Website: www.uabsports.com
THE SERIES
Overall: UAB leads 1-0
In Birmingham: UAB leads 1-0
As C-USA Members: UAB leads 1-0
First/Last Meeting: UAB 23, Tulane 20 (OT)
Nov. 20, 1999 in Birmingham
Of Note: Tulane travels to UAB for the second time since the Blazers started playing football in Conference USA... The two teams played the only overtime game in Tulane history the last time the Wave visited Birmingham... The Green Wave is making its eighth visit to Legion Field, including six games versus Alabama that were played at the site.
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 12-18. 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 moved past Mack Brown and Buddy Teevens in Tulane victories with the win over TCU. He now ranks 14th all-time in coaching wins at Tulane, one behind the 13 posted by Claude Simons Jr. in four full seasons.
OF NOTE
Hitting the Road
Tulane enters the "road stretch" of its 2001 season as they will play away for four of their last five games. The Green Wave's final home contest of the season -- a Nov. 3 date with Louisville -- is sandwiched by a pair of road games before and after. After the game in Birmingham this week, Tulane returns to Army Oct. 28, then plays at Navy and at Southern Miss to close out the season on Nov. 10 and Nov. 17, respectively.
A Thousand Times
Tulane's game with UAB Saturday will be the 1,000th in school history. Tulane played its first game Nov. 18, 1893 versus the Southern Athletic Club and game No. 500 was a 27-13 win over eighth-ranked Auburn in New Orleans on Oct. 29, 1955. Now in its 109th season, the Wave's all-time record is 454-507-38.
C-USA Slate
With the addition of TCU to the C-USA fold, Tulane is 41-54-2 versus teams that currently comprise Conference USA. The all-time lists, both as C-USA teams and overall
Conference Calling
In four seasons, the Green Wave is 17-16 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. 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.
Now There Are Two
With 88 yards on 21 carries last week versus TCU, Mewelde Moore became only the SECOND player in 108 years of Tulane football to earn 1,000 yards rushing in a single season. Moore joined Tulane all-time great, and single season record holder Eddie Price, who had a pair of 1,000-yard seasons, in 1948 and 1949. Moore is the first player in 52 years to gain 1,000 yards and was also the fastest to the mark. Price set the single season record with 1,178 yards in 1948 and had 1,137 yards one season later. Moore needs 118 yards to move into second place for single season yards and will establish a new school record with 159 rushing yards. In back-to-back weeks versus Southern and Cincinnati, Moore recorded two of the top five rushing days in Tulane history, and two of the top four all-purpose games. His 10 100-plus yard games in his career (in just 17 career games) ranks second to Price's 13.
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 28 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 17 total. With 67 career touchdown passes, he trails Tulane record holder Shaun King by just three.
A Clean Sweep?
Having added the Tulane career records for pass completions and pass attempts versus Southern and Cincinnati, Patrick Ramsey now takes aim at just about the only Wave passing records he hasn't broken yet -- touchdown passes and passing yards. Ramsey trails Shaun King's record for career touchdown passes by three (70-67) and is averaging nearly two-and-a-half TD passes per game with 17 in seven games. In the yardage department, King compiled 8,419 passing yards in his four-year career (1995-98) and Ramsey trails that mark by 175 yards entering Saturday's game after 355 yards last week. 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. In all, he has broken 26 records during his stellar career.
First and Fastest to 1,000
Tulane's Mewelde Moore is the only player in the country to have compiled 1,000 rushing yards to date as he ranks fourth in the nation in yards per game. In fact, Moore is the only player in the nation with more than 900 yards. Moore did much of the rushing damage in successive weeks versus Southern and Cincinnati with back-to-back 200-yard games. At Cincinnati, Moore broke the 31-year-old Tulane single game rushing record with 249 yards on 28 carries, picking up C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors. He also set the Conference USA and Tulane record for all-purpose yards in a game with a total of 336 rushing (249) and receiving (87) yards. He averaged 9.9 yards every time he touched the ball and 8.9 yards per rush (a new Tulane record). He scored a pair of touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving.
Still the One
Mewelde Moore also continues to rank No. 1 in the country in all-purpose yards per game as he is averaging 217.7 yards per game rushing, receiving and returning. Only one other player in the nation is averaging over 200 all-purpose yards per game. Moore is also within 141 yards of Tulane's all-time record for single season all-purpose yards, set by Michael Pierce in 1988. Pierce, who earned the bulk of his yards on returns, had 1,644 that season. Moore's current total of 1,503 all-purpose yards ranks second all-time on the Tulane single season charts.
A Total of 10
The Green Wave started a total of six true freshmen on offense and defense versus TCU, and a total of 10 members of the 2001 signing class have now started games for Tulane this season. The 10 have combined to make 17 starts. Brandon Spincer and Tra Boger, two of four true freshmen starters for the Wave defense last week, have each made three starts to lead the way for the rookies. Receiver Carl Davis, cornerback Darren Sapp and defensive lineman Wallace Mateen have two starts each while Bobby Hoover, Laine Sambrooks, Jay Ashton and Brandon Rottmayer have started one game apiece. Offensively, Tulane came out in a two-tight end set to open the TCU game, which meant both starter Bobby Hoover (Katy, Texas) and his back-up, Laine Sambrooks (Houston), earned their first career starts versus TCU as did Ashton. Mateen, Boger and Spincer were the other true freshmen to start the TCU contest.
Perfection
Tulane kicker Seth Marler added two more field goals and six extra points, including a 35-yarder after a celebration penalty, as he continues his pursuit of the "perfect" season. The junior has made all 13 of his field goal attempts in 2001 to lead the nation, and is 24-of-24 on extra points. Marler has made 15 consecutive three-pointers dating back to the final game of last season. The field goals haven't exactly been "chip shots" either, three have been of over 50 yards and four were from 40-plus yards out. Marler connected on a 51-yard boot versus TCU and made a career-record 53-yard FG versus East Carolina, the second-longest in Tulane history. The junior now needs just four field goals to tie Brad Palazzo for the Tulane career record at 48. He will move ahead of Eddie Murray into second place with two three-pointers. WIth 223 career points, Marler now ranks third all-time in scoring at Tulane.
Turnover Turnaround
In its last four games, Tulane is +10 on the turnover count, having committed four turnovers (three of those in the Cincinnati game) while forcing opponents into 14 miscues, including five each in Tulane's wins over TCU and Southern. After starting the season with eight turnovers in its first three games, Tulane's offense has committed just four in the last four. The Green Wave ranks a very respectable 25th nationally in turnover margin, having committed a total of 12 turnovers while opponents have given the ball up 17 times.
Key Catch for KC
Tulane fullback Kris Coleman made his first catch of the season count when he hauled in a pass from Patrick Ramsey at the 12-yard line and dragged a TCU defender the rest of the way into the end zone to get Tulane on the board last week. Coleman's catch was the first of the year for the sophomore and just the second of his career. He came back to make a 21-yard catch and run later in the game while also rushing for 12
yards on three carries.
Ten For TE
Through the first seven games of 2001, Green Wave tight end Bobby Hoover has more catches -- 10 -- than Tulane TEs made in the last two seasons combined. In fact, Hoover's total of 10 catches is more than Tulane tight ends have made in any of the previous four seasons. Tulane tight ends caught three passes in 2000, four in 1999 and five in both 1998 and 1997. In 1996, Tulane tight ends Cory Geason and Kevin Cunane accounted for 26 catches.
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 its last two opponents, Cincinnati and TCU. Three of Tulane's early opponents did not play in the week prior to the game with Tulane: 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 and TCU, Tulane's last two opponents of the year, Navy and Southern Miss, will have off before playing the Wave.
Offensive Youth is Served
While much has been made of the lack of seniors on the Green Wave defense, the Cincinnati game pointed up the youthfulness of the Tulane offense. Of the 12 players that caught a pass or rushed the ball for Tulane at Cincinnati, 10 were freshmen or sophomores, including EVERYONE who caught a pass and the top four rushers. Sophomores Mewelde Moore, James Dunn and Kris Coleman and freshman Tristan Smith combined for 34 carries for 288 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Moore, Smith and Dunn, along with freshmen Bobby Hoover and Carl Davis and sophomore Roydell Williams caught 24 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
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% topped every school in Conference USA, every school in Louisiana and nearly every school in the nation.
In Brief
Tulane offensive tackle Corey Sewell will line-up for his 42nd career start Saturday versus UAB, having started every game of his career, from the first game of his freshman year in 1998 through last week, Tulane receiver Terrell Harris has a streak of 24 straight games with a pass reception, he ranks sixth on the school's all-time list with 146 catches, Tulane opening day foe BYU improved its record to 6-0 last week
and continues to lead the nation in scoring offense while ranking second
in total offense.
ON THE AIR
Tulane-UAB TV
There is no television broadcast of the Tulane-UAB 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
- *Also carries Coaches' Call-In Show
^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.
