Football Goes On The Road To Take On Southern Miss
Nov 12, 2001 | Football
Nov. 12, 2001
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TULANE AT SOUTHERN MISS
November 17, 2001
2:00 p.m. CST
Hattiesburg, Miss.
M.M. Roberts Stadium
FACTS ON THE WAVE
2001 Record: 3-8
2001 C-USA Record: 1-5
Head Coach: Chris Scelfo
Alma Mater/Year: NE Louisiana '85
Record at Tulane/Years: 13-21/3rd
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 EAGLES
2001 Record: 4-3
2001 C-USA Record: 2-2
Head Coach: Jeff Bower
Alma Mater/Year: Southern Miss '78
Record at USM/Years: 71-50-1/11th
Overall Record/Years: Same
Football SID: Mike Montoro
SID Phone: 601-266-4503
SID Fax: 601-266-4507
SID e-mail: michael.montoro@usm.edu
Website: www.SouthernMiss.com
THE SERIES
Overall: Southern Miss leads 16-6
In Hattiesburg: Southern Miss leads 8-3
As C-USA Members: Southern Miss leads 4-1
Last Meeting: Southern Miss 56, Tulane 24 (Oct. 14, 2000 in New Orleans) First Meeting: Tulane 20, Southern Miss 19 (Oct. 13, 1979 in Hattiesburg)
Of Note: This year's game marks the 23rd consecutive season in which the two teams have met, Tulane's longest current consecutive foe. Southern Miss has won six of the last seven and 12 of the last 14 meetings, with Tulane's last win coming in 1998 in the Superdome. The Green Wave's last win in Hattiesburg was a 17-15 triumph in 1993.
TULANE 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 13-21. 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 13th all-time in coaching wins at Tulane, tied with the 13 posted by Claude Simons Jr. in four full seasons.
NOTING THE GREEN WAVE
Season Finale
Tulane concludes its 12-game 2001 campaign versus Conference USA foe Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, completing a season-ending string during which the Green Wave will have played four of its last five and five of its last seven games on the road.
So Long Seniors Tulane says goodbye to 15 seniors, including one specialist, six defensive players and eight offensive players, 13 Louisianans and two Floridians. Offensively, the Green Wave will lose six senior starters - QB Patrick Ramsey, WR Terrell Harris and offensive linemen Chrys Bullock, Charles Caldwell, Corey Sewell and Torie Taulli along with second team running back Gee Reshard and injured WR Zander Robinson. The senior specialist is punter Casey Roussel, while on defense, SS Meldon Barnes, CB Jamal Jones, DE Glenn Lemoine, LBs David Dorsey and Preston Curtis and CB Trey Godfrey make their final appearances in a Tulane uniform.
A Season to Remember
Mewelde Moore established Tulane and Conference USA marks for single season rushing yards with his sixth 100-yard game of the season, a 131-yard effort, last week at Navy. With 1,293 yards on the year, Moore shattered the mark of 1,178 set 53 seasons ago by All-American Eddie Price. Moore and Price are the only players in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. Moore also set a new C-USA mark for single season rushing, breaking the record of 1,289 yards set by Louisville's Frank Moreau in 1999. Earlier this year, the Baton Rouge native set the Tulane records for rushing yards by a sophomore and rushing attempts. He was the first player in the country to reach the 1,000-yard mark this season and his current total ranks second in the nation. His 11 career 100-plus yard games (in 20 games) ranks second to Price's 13.
Record-Breaking
Moore did a lot of rushing damage in successive weeks versus Southern and Cincinnati with back-to-back 200-yard games, the first time that feat has been accomplished in school history. 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 a school record 8.9 yards per rush. The previous week, Moore gained 201 yards on 25 carries in the win over the Jaguars.
The Nation's Most Complete Back
While it's hard to overlook his rushing numbers, when combined with his accomplishments as a receiver, it is obvious that Mewelde Moore is the nation's most complete running back. The leading pass catcher on the Green Wave team (62 catches), Moore became the FIRST player in school history -- a span of over 1,000 games -- to earn over 100 yards receiving and 100 yards rushing in the same game when he tallied 130 receiving and 131 rushing versus Navy. Moore also became the first player in Tulane history to have 2,000 yards rushing (2,183) and 1,000 yards receiving (1,090) for his career. He has two 100-yard receiving games this season, including a nine-catch, 168-yard day at Army that is the highest yardage total by a Tulane player this year, ranked 13th in school history and established a new record for receiving yards by a running back. He has set new Tulane and C-USA single season and single game records for all-purpose yards and ranks third in the nation in that category.
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 31 straight games played, every game in which he has started during his Green Wave career. The Ruston, La. native has tossed at least two touchdown passes in eight of 10 games played this season with 22 total.
All-Purpose II
As further proof of his all-around excellence, Mewelde Moore has now recorded six of the top eight all-purpose games in Tulane history.
Marler a Groza Finalist
Named one of three finalists for the 2001 Lou Groza Award this week, Tulane kicker Seth Marler had his string of 17 straight field goals snapped last week at Navy when he missed a 28-yard attempt. Marler is one of only two kickers in the country who has missed less than two field goals with 14 or more kicked. The junior is within two three-pointers of the Tulane career record for field goals with 46 and is a perfect 39-of-39 on extra points, including two made from 35 yards out. Marler continues to be perfect from 40 yards and out with three 50-yard kicks and four of more than 40, this season. He made a career-long 53-yard field goal versus East Carolina which was the second-longest in Tulane history.
Major Award
Even with all the records, Patrick Ramsey earned possibly the greatest honor of his career when he was named one of eight Division I-A National College Scholar-Athletes by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Ramsey, the first Tulane player to win the award in its 42-year history, will win an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and will be honored at the Foundation's 44th Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, Dec. 11, 2001. The award is based on superior academic performance, outstanding football ability, strong leadership and citizenship. A double major in accounting and finance, Ramsey will graduate from Tulane in December with a gpa of over 3.4.
Number One
With a 10-yard touchdown pass to Roydell Williams in the third quarter, Patrick Ramsey passed Shaun King for the Tulane record for passing touchdowns with the 71st of his career. He added one more in the game and enters his final collegiate game with 72 touchdown passes. Earlier this season, Ramsey set the career records for passing yards, pass completions and pass attempts and is now the only player in school history to pass the 9,000-yard mark. He recorded the fourth 400-yard passing game of his career versus Navy and is the only player in Tulane history to reach that mark. He also has 12 games in which he passed for 300-399 yards 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 29 records during his stellar Tulane career.
League-Wide
Patrick Ramsey also ranks as one of the top passers in Conference USA history. Ramsey ranks second on the C-USA charts in career passing yards with 9,053 yards. His 779 completions are third, seven out of second all-time, while he will finish third in passing attempts. Ramsey's 72 career touchdown passes are second all-time in C-USA history while he also ranks second in total offense.
Record Return
With Lynaris Elpheage's 48-yard interception return for a touchdown versus Navy, the Green Wave defense has now returned three passes for scores this season. That ties the school record for team interception returns in a season, set by the 1955 and 1946 defenses. Tra Boger (25 yards versus TCU) and Jeff Sanchez (79 yards versus UAB) recorded the other two interception return touchdowns this year.
Right Place, Right Time x 3
Tulane's Roxie Shelvin moved into the Conference USA lead for fumble recoveries when he fell on a Navy fumble at the Tulane four-yard line to prevent a critical touchdown chance. It marked the third straight game that Shelvin has had a fumble recovery for the Green Wave, and the junior's time has been limited during those games due to a sprained ankle.
Mitchell's Tackle Totals Soar
Tulane free safety Adrian Mitchell is putting up tackle totals unseen at Tulane in the last several seasons. With 17 tackles Saturday at Navy, Mitchell has 128 on the season, the highest single season total for a Green Wave defender since 1993, when Mike Staid finished the year with 133 total stops. If Mitchell hits his average of 11 tackles Saturday at Southern Miss, he will finish with 139 tackles, which would be the most at the school since Burnell Dent had 139 in 1984. The junior from Alexandria has led Tulane in tackles in six games, has hit double figures in eight games and has made 16, 12 and 17 tackles in the last three weeks. Mitchell, who ranks fourth in Conference USA in tackles, has 89 solo stops this year, the 10th-highest total in Tulane history and the most by any player since 1983.
Laying it on the Line
Four senior starters on the Green Wave offensive line enter the final game of their careers along with 11 senior classmates. The four -- tackles Corey Sewell and Chrys Bullock, guard Charles Caldwell and center Torie Taulli -- have combined to make 118 career starts. Sewell is the longevity leader of the group. The LaPlace, La., product will line up for his school record 46th consecutive career start Saturday , having started every game of his Tulane career beginning in his rookie season of 1998. Taulli has 32 career starts and has started every game in the last three years except one. After missing the last two weeks with a back injury, Caldwell has 25 career starts while left tackle Chrys Bullock made his 16th start last week. The "youngsters" on the 2001 line are juniors Seth Zaunbrecher and Derick Bugg, and sophomore Brendon Drysdale. Waiting in the wings are five freshmen who redshirted this season.
On the Other Hand
On the opposite side of the line, Tulane is currently starting and playing as many as four freshmen at one time as Wallace Mateen (DT), Trawick Boger (SS) and Brandon Spincer (LB) have each started six games this year while at defensive end, Jay Ashton and Brandon Rottmayer have combined to start six games. Ashton has four-and-a-half sacks on the season with seven tackles for loss and 32 tackles. He has forced a team-leading four fumbles. Spincer leads the freshmen with 61 tackles while BOger has added 56. Both have 38 solo stops on th year. Mateen's 28 tackles include three tackles for loss.
Streaking
Despite missing a game with an injury and seeing limited time in other contests this year, Tulane receiver Terrell Harris extended his streak of consecutive games played with a pass reception to 28 last week, tying his season high with nine catches for 69 yards at Navy. Harris' streak stretches back to the fourth game of the 1999 season at Syracuse.
Conference Calling
In five seasons, Tulane is 17-19 all-time in Conference USA play. 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 in 2001. South Florida will become C-USA's 11th football member in 2003.
"Fresh" Starters Ten members of the 2001 signing class have started games for Tulane this season. The 10 -- four on offense and six on defense -- have combined to make 37 starts, including 26 on defense. DT Wallace Mateen has now started each of the Wave's last five games and has six total starts as do LB Brandon Spincer and SS Tra Boger. Receiver Carl Davis is next with five starts while defensive ends Brandon Rottmayer and Jay Ashton and tight end Bobby Hoover have started three games each. Tristan Smith made his second start of the season last week at receiver and is tied with nickel back Darren Sapp. Tight end Laine Sambrooks is the other freshmen starter. The Green Wave started a total of six true freshmen on offense and defense versus TCU and Navy while five freshmen made starts in the UAB and Army games.
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 each of their last two foes. Three of Tulane's early opponents did not play in the week prior to the TU game: BYU, the first game for both teams, LSU, which played Tulane in its season opener, and UCF, which had an open date due to the postponement of its Sept. 15 game. In addition, Cincinnati and TCU had the week prior to the Tulane game off.
Looking Ahead
Tulane is scheduled to open 2002 spring drills March 2nd with 11 starters returning on defense but just three on offense. The spring game will be held March 23rd.
ON THE AIR
Tulane-Southern Miss TV
There is no television broadcast of the Tulane-Southern Miss 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 %New Orleans WTIX-AM 690 Shreveport KEEL-AM 710 ^Thibodaux KTIB-AM 640 West Monroe KWJM-FM 92.7 *Also carries Coaches' Call-In Show ^Partial football schedule %Simulcasts selected games
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.
