Football Wants To Welcome Navy The Old-Fashioned Way
Oct 21, 2002 | Football
Oct. 21, 2002
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Game 9
Tulane vs. Navy
Homecoming 2002
Oct. 26, 2002
2:30 p.m. (CDT)
New Orleans, La.
Tad Gormley Stadium (30,000)
Green Wave Facts
2002 Record: 5-3
2002 C-USA Record: 3-2
Head Coach: Chris Scelfo
Alma Mater/Year: UL-Monroe/1985
Record at Tulane/Year: 18-25/4th
Overall Record/Years: Same
President: Scott Cowen
Athletic Director: Rick Dickson
Ticket Office Phone: 504-861-WAVE
2002 Schedule
8/31 vs. Southern 37-19, W
9/7 at Houston* 34-13, W
9/14 at East Carolina* 20-24, L
9/21 at Memphis* 10-38, L
9/28 TEXAS (#3) 0-49, L
10/5 at UL-Monroe 52-9, W
10/12 CINCINNATI* 35-17, W
10/19 UAB* 35-14, W
10/26 NAVY (HC) 2:30 pm
11/9 at TCU* 2 pm
11/16 ARMY* 2:30 pm
11/23 SOUTHERN MISS* 2:30 pm
*C-USA Game; (HC) Homecoming game to be played at Tad Gormley Stadium; All times Central.
Midshipmen Facts
2002 Record: 1-6
Head Coach: Paul Johnson
Alma Mater/Year: Western Carolina/1979
Record at Navy/Years: 1-6/1st
Overall Record/Years: 63-16/6th
Superintendent: Richard J. Naughton
Athletic Director: Chet Gladchuk
Website: www.NavySports.com
2002 Schedule
8/31 at SMU 38-7, W
9/7 N.C. STATE 19-65, L
9/21 NORTHWESTERN 40-49, L
9/28 DUKE 17-43, L
10/5 at Air Force 7-48, L
10/12 RICE 10-17, L
10/19 at Boston College 21-46, L
10/26 at Tulane 3:30 pm
11/9 NOTRE DAME Noon
11/16 CONNECTICUT Noon
11/23 at Wake Forest TBA
12/7 Army (Meadowlands) Noon
All times Eastern.
Series Facts
Series Record: Tulane leads 9-5-1
First Meeting: 11/5/49, TU 21, Navy 21
Last Meeting: 11/10/01, TU 42, Navy 28
In New Orleans: Tulane leads 6-1-1
Current Streak: 2 by Tulane
Scelfo vs. Navy: 2-1
Tulane Head Coach Chris Scelfo
In his fourth full season as the Tulane head coach, Chris Scelfo has improved his career record to 18-25. 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). He coached four teams that played in a I-AA national championship game, two of which won championships. A native of New Iberia, La., Scelfo has moved into a tie for ninth all-time in coaching wins at Tulane, ahead of 25 others, including former coaches Greg Davis, Mack Brown and Buddy Teevens. His next victory will move him past Tommy Bowden and Larry Smith on the Wave coaching lists.
Notes on the Wave
Game at Gormley
Tulane plays host to Navy in a very special Homecoming 2002 game to be played at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans' City Park. The contest is special because for the first time since 1974, Tulane will play a game outside in New Orleans, instead of at its usual home in the Superdome. A myriad of events are scheduled in conjunction with the game (see next note) and with the Homecoming/Parents' Weekend festivities at Tulane this week.
Homecoming Happenings
Tulane moved this game to Tad Gormley Stadium in an attempt to create an "old-fashioned" Homecoming Weekend, complete with parade, presentation of the Homecoming Court, tailgating, concerts and more. Nearly 40 tents will be erected in "Homecoming Village" located adjacent to Tad Gormley, where four free pre-and post-game concerts will be held. In addition, fans are encouraged to welcome the Tulane team into the Stadium at Gate D and the "Green Wave Mambo Parade" will take place at 12:30 p.m. on Roosevelt Mall. Student groups, floats and dignitaries will march in the parade. Just before kickoff, look to the sky for a military flyover. Tickets for the game are still available by calling 504-861-WAVE, and reservations are being take for tents in Homecoming Village at 865-5625.
Of Late
Tulane enters the game on a season-long three-game win streak, thanks in large part to the Wave's defensive efforts. Green Wave opponents are averaging just 13.3 points per game during the streak while the Tulane defense and special teams have scored four TDs, sacked opposing quarterbacks 15 times and forced 13 turnovers. Last week, Tulane defeated UAB 35-14 behind a pair of scores on plays involving laterals, J.P. Losman's two touchdown passes and Mewelde Moore's 88 rushing yards.
Sweet Sixteen?
Tulane and Navy meet for the 16th time, and for the ninth time in New Orleans, with the Wave owning a 9-5-1 edge in the series, which began in 1949 with a 21-21 tie. The teams have met 11 times in the last 12 years, missing only the 1997 season. Tulane is looking for its third straight win over the Naval Academy, and for its fourth win in the last five games. That would mark TU's longest winning streak since Tulane won five straight over Navy between 1950-1991.
The Last Meeting
In Annapolis last year, Tulane claimed a 42-28 win over the Midshipmen as Patrick Ramsey completed 36-of-49 passes for 442 yards and Mewelde Moore became the first player in Tulane history to earn 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in the same game. The Wave sprinted out to a 21-0 lead, then exploded for 21 points in the third quarter to cement the road victory.
Deja' Vu?
Mewelde Moore could break Eddie Price's career rushing record this Saturday as the Tulane junior needs just 56 yards versus Navy to pass Price's mark of 3,095 yards. Over the years, Navy has seen their share of successful Tulane backs, beginning with Price, who, in the very first game of this series on Nov. 5, 1949, set the Tulane single game record with 238 yards in 22 attempts.
Outdoor Football Returns
Tulane will play outside in New Orleans for the first time since Nov. 30, 1974 when the Wave played its final home game in Tulane Stadium before moving to the brand-new Louisiana Superdome in 1975. Tulane Stadium was home to the Wave for 49 years, from 1926 to 1974. It was the largest steel-constructed stadium in the world and was the site of three Super Bowls. Tulane Stadium was torn down in 1981.
Staying Home
In all, the Green Wave will play seven games in New Orleans this season, the most home contests for Tulane since 1988 - a stretch of 13 seasons. Six of those games will be played in the Superdome, the most games in the 'Dome for Tulane since the 1998 season. After playing four of its first six games on the road, Tulane plays five of its last six games of 2002 at home, including this string of three straight ending with the Navy game.
Bowl Eligible
With the 12-game schedule for most Division I-A teams this year, it will take only six wins for teams to become bowl eligible, meaning the Green Wave is just one win away from making the cut. Conference USA has five bowl tie-ins in 2002, including the New Orleans Bowl. Laterally Speaking OK, it's possible, though not normal, to see one touchdown scored off a play involving a lateral. But two TDs -- one on an interception and the other on a punt return -- involving a lateral? The lateral was Tulane's secret weapon versus UAB. In the second quarter, Lynaris Elpheage caught a punt at the Tulane 22-yard line, made the first couple of tacklers miss and went 57 yards to the UAB 21, where he was on the verge of being tackled when he lateralled the ball to a trailing Gerald Brobbey, who went 21 yards for the score and a 13-7 Tulane lead. Then in the third quarter, Tulane's Tra Boger picked off a UAB pass at the Tulane 40, got to the 47 where he was corralled, and shoveled the ball behind him to teammate Sean Lucas. The freshmen, who had already scored two TDs on defensive plays this year, went the remaining 53 yards for the touchdown.
A Helluva Hullabaloo
In conjunction with Homecoming Week, on Thursday, Oct. 24, Tulane Athletics will play host to "A Helluva Hullabaloo" in the James Wilson Center. The annual fundraiser of the Tulane Athletics Fund (T.A.F.), the Hullabaloo will feature the cuisine of 15 local restaurants, live and silent auctions with memorabilia and items such as fishing trips with former TU quarterback Patrick Ramsey and former NBA and UNO coach Tim Floyd, tickets to the NCAA Final Four and signed items from Tulane pros. Tickets for "A Helluva Hullabaloo" are $50 each.
An Offensive Defense
Filled with former high school quarterbacks, running backs and receivers, maybe it shouldn't be surprising that Tulane's defensive players have shown a nose for the end zone this year. With its third interception return for a score added to a pair of fumble returns for TDs, the 2002 "D" has broken the school record for defensive touchdowns in a season with five. The previous mark of four was established by the 1993 defense, which scored on three fumble returns and an interception return. In all, five defensive players have scored seven TDs for the Green Wave this year, including Lynaris Elpheage's kickoff return score versus Houston and Brobbey's (with a big assist from Elpheage) TD against UAB. True freshman Sean Lucas leads the way with three scores, including two in back-to-back weeks, with Elpheage adding two TDs and Floyd Dorsey and Brobbey collecting the others.
Leading the Nation
With eight interceptions in its last three games, including Tra Boger's pickoff versus UAB, Tulane's team total of 16 interceptions leads the nation and ranks seventh on the Green Wave single season charts. Tulane's 16 INTs are one more than San Jose State's 15. Also atop the individual interception stats is Tulane junior Lynaris Elpheage, whose seven pickoffs in eight games lead the country. The Green Wave's 26 turnovers forced also rank first in the country, ahead of Arizona State and San Jose State. Tulane has equalled its turnover total from last year. Beyond that, the Wave collected 34 turnovers in 1997.
Sack-Happy
With six more sacks against UAB, the Wave defense has compiled 15 sacks in the last three weeks (five versus Cincinnati and four versus ULM) and has totalled 29 on the year. Tulane has already surpassed its 2001 sack total of 25. Tulane leads Conference USA in sacks with its 29 sacks for minus 210 yards on the year. The Green Wave is well shy of the school record of 46 sacks by the 1973 "D". However, well within reach is the second-highest mark in school history of 35 sacks totalled by the 1997 defense. Tulane's defensive line also boasts the top two career sackers in Green Wave history in defensive ends Kenan Blackmon and Floyd Dorsey. Blackmon is the Wave's all-time leader with 18.5 sacks while Dorsey had two sacks versus UAB to move into the number two spot on the career list with 16.5.
Great Rates
In the latest graduation rates figures released by the NCAA, Tulane once again ranks among the national leaders in terms of graduating its student-athletes, and also its football players. In fact, Tulane's graduation rate of 80% for the four-class average ranks it fifth among Division I-A programs. The Wave's 82% number for the 1995-96 cohort alone is tied for 11th in Division I-A. The Green Wave's graduation rate of 78% for all student-athletes was 12th nationally and ranked ahead of all other Louisiana and Conference USA schools.
Fantastic Frosh
Tulane linebacker Anthony Cannon has more tackles than any other true freshman in the nation with 67. A native of Stone Mountain, Ga., Cannon is one of only two true freshmen to lead his team in tackles with Memphis' O.C. Collins the only other rookie leading his team. Cannon's 67 stops are nine more than senior safety Quentin Brown and include 41 solo stops and four tackles for loss.
J.P. Efficiency
While J.P. Losman's numbers haven't been off the charts, the junior has quietly moved atop the Conference USA passing efficiency lists as he has thrown eight TD passes in the last three games with just one INT during that time. On the season, he has 13 touchdown passes and six interceptions. For his career, Losman has thrown 21 touchdown passes to rank seventh all-time at Tulane. Minus his top receiver, Roydell Williams, Losman has hit nine different players with TD passes this year.
Opportunistic
Tulane has now scored 79 points off its opponents turnovers on the season, including 55 points in the last three games, wins over Louisiana-Monroe, Cincinnati and UAB. The Green Wave has scored 11 touchdowns and a field goal after getting a turnover.
Elpheage Excels
Tulane junior cornerback Lynaris Elpheage leads the nation with seven interceptions on the season and his career total of 13 pickoffs ties him for second in Green Wave history, behind only Paul Ellis, who had 18 INTs from 1969-71. Elpheage tied the Tulane career record for interception return TDs versus UL-Monroe with his second, on a 62-yard catch and run. It was the fifth TD of his Green Wave career. Elpheage's seven interceptions this year is the most by a Tulane player since 1970, when Paul Ellis totalled nine INTs and Joe Bullard had eight. The Cincinnati game marked the first time this year that Elpheage intercepted only ONE pass in a game. The rest of his interceptions have come in twos -- versus Southern, Houston and ULM.
On the Hunt
Elpheage needs just two passes broken up to establish new Green Wave career and single season marks. With two pass break-ups versus UAB, Elpheage has 42 PBUs in his career and 14 on the season. Michael Jordan owns the Tulane record with 43 PBUs from 1995-97 and set the single season mark with 15 in 1996. Elpheage had a season and career-high five passes broken up at UL-Monroe and his two in the UAB game tied his single season high -- the junior has broken up 14 passes in each of the last two seasons.
Just a Junior
Baton Rouge's Mewelde Moore, already the owner of 15 school records, will likely become Tulane's all-time rushing yardage leader versus Navy. Currently, Moore trails record-holder Eddie Price (1946-49) by just 56 yards, while trailing return expert Michael Pierce (4,627), in all-purpose yards by 140 yards.
Spreading the Scoring
With the first career score for special teams specialist Gerald Brobbey, 15 different Tulane players have now scored touchdowns on the year. Six players, including defenders Lynaris Elpheage and Sean Lucas, have scored multiple TDs, led by running back Mewelde Moore with five. Tristan Smith and J.P. Losman have three TDs as does Lucas, while Elpheage and Jerome Landry have scored twice each.
Marler's Marks
Kicker Seth Marler had one of his best days of the season with three LONG field goals -- of 50, 46 and 47 yards -- to provide the Wave's first nine points of the game versus Cincinnati. Marler, who had missed four of his previous five field goal tries, became Tulane's career scoring leader with his second three Saturday and finished the day with 298 career points. Marler has hit 23-of-33 field goals from 40 yards and longer in his career and is 5-of-8 from that distance in 2002. The 2001 Lou Groza Award winner was named Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week for his UC performance, which included six punts for a 41.2-yard average and sending seven of his eight kickoffs into the end zone.
Most Improved
Tulane's "bend but don't break" defense surrendered just three field goals to Louisiana-Monroe, marking the first time since Nov. 1, 1997 that a Green Wave opponent did not score a touchdown. That day, Tulane shut out Louisiana-Lafayette (then Southwestern Louisiana) by the score of 56-0. Tulane had given up at least one touchdown in each of its 54 games since that day. In holding Cincinnati to 17 points and UAB to 14, Tulane has limited its opponent to less than 20 points five times this season, all, not coincidentally, Green Wave wins.
The "Cycle," FB Style
Tulane cornerback Lynaris Elpheage has apparently accomplished a unique feat -- the football "return cycle." When Elpheage returned Houston's on-side kickoff attempt 42 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, he added a kickoff return TD to his career punt return, interception return and fumble return scores. No other current Division I-A player has turned the trick. Last year, he recorded touchdowns on a 64-yard punt return versus Southern and on a 48-yard interception return against Navy. As a freshman, Elpheage scored on a 23-yard fumble recovery and return in the Navy game. The kickoff return TD was Tulane's first in 53 games, since Adam Moorhead brought a kick back 67 yards versus Louisville on October 11, 1997.
Basic Blackmon
In addition to his career sack record, senior Kenan Blackmon became Tulane's all-time leader in tackles for loss with one TFL versus UAB to up his career total to 43, one more than Mark Olivari, who had 42 from 1973-75.
Mo=75%
With 88 yards versus UAB-- the 22nd time in 30 games that he has gained 80 yards or more -- Mewelde Moore is accounting for 75 percent of Tulane's rushing offense on the year. Moore has 729 yards through eight games while Tulane has totalled 973 rushing yards as a team. Jovon Jackson is second as the true freshman hit the 100-yard mark on the season with 31 versus UAB.
Looking Ahead
Following the Navy game, Tulane will enjoy its only open date of the 2002 season on Nov. 2 before returning to action Nov. 9 with its final road game of the year at C-USA leader TCU.
BY THE NUMBERS
Tulane in the NCAA Team Stats
Category Rank Average
Rush Offense 89 121.63
Pass Offense 76 196.50
Total Offense 107 318.13
Scoring Offense 55 27.88
Rush Defense 78 169.00
Pass Eff. Defense 12 98.47
Total Defense 67 372.75
Scoring Defense 45 22.88
Net Punting 73 33.94
Punt Returns 8 16.63
Kickoff Returns 27 22.64
Turnover Margin 12 1.38
Pass Defense 46 203.75
Tulane in the NCAA Individual Stats
Category Player Rank
Rushing Moore 43rd
Pass Efficiency Losman 55th
Total Offense Losman 65th
Interceptions Elpheage 1st
Q. Brown 23rd
Punting Marler 30th
Punt Returns Elpheage 13th
Kickoff Returns Sanchez 27th
Field Goals Marler 16th
Scoring Marler 60th
All-Purpose Moore 47th
Tulane/Navy Statistical Average Comparison
Tulane Category Navy
27.9 Scoring 21.7
18.9 First Downs 18.6
121.6 Rushing 272.1
196.5 Passing 113.6
318.1 Total Offense 385.7
16 Turnovers 23
20.7 1st Downs Allowed 23.4
22.9 Points Allowed 39.3
169.0 Rushing Allowed 251.9
203.8 Passing Allowed 196.4
372.8 Total Offense Allowed 448.3
27 Turnovers Forced 11
Notable Numbers
1 Lynaris Elpheage's national rank in interceptions.
13 Elpheage's national rank in punt returns.
15 Turnovers forced by the Tulane defense in the last three games.
29 League-leading sack total for the Tulane defense
56 Rushing yards needed by Mewelde Moore to break the Tulane career record.
79 Points off turnovers scored by the Green Wave this season.
140 All-purpose yards needed by Moore to break the Tulane career all-purpose record.
On the Air
Tulane-Navy on TV There is no television broadcast of the Tulane vs. Navy game.
Tulane-ISP Radio Network
In 2002, Tulane games will be heard in the New Orleans area on WTIX-FM (94.3), WTIX-AM (690) and WJSH-FM (104.7), as part of a 13-station network that stretches across the state and even into Florida. Newcomer Sean Kelley calls the play-by-play action while former Tulane wide receiver Steve Barrios returns with color commentary and Todd Graffagnini is back on the sideline beat.
Tulane 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. during the season. Tulane radio voice Sean Kelley hosts the show, which is broadcast live from Superior Grille on St. Charles Ave. in New Orleans.
Tulane Sports Today
"Tulane Sports Today," featuring Head Coach Chris Scelfo with game highlights and player features, and hosted by Sean Kelley, will air weekly in New Orleans on WDSU-TV Sunday nights at 11:05 p.m., and on Cox Cable Mon. at 8 p.m. and Weds. at 7 p.m.
"Ringside"
Tulane Athletics will be the featured topic on the radio show "Ringside" with host Jeff Crouere each Wednesday from 10:30 to 11 a.m. on WTIX-AM 690 in New Orleans. Tulane coaches, players and athletics staff will be featured during the segment, which will run throughout the 2002-2003 school year.
