Notes Following Football's 42-28 Homecoming Win Over Army
Oct 28, 2006 | Football
Oct. 28, 2006
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Tulane 42, Army 28
Tulane Game 8
Louisiana Superdome
New Orleans, La.
• Today's game marked the 14th time the two teams have met, and the fifth time the squads have battled at the Louisiana Superdome. Tulane's 42-28 victory is its third straight over Army, and the Green Wave now leads the all-time series, 8-5-1. Tulane has won four of the five all-time matchups at the Superdome.
• With the win, Tulane head coach Chris Scelfo claimed his 36th career victory at Tulane. That moves him into a tie for second place all time with the Green Wave, which sits him next to Red Dawson, who went 36-19-4 from 1936-41. Scelfo now trails only Clark Shaughnessy, who went 59-26-6 in two different stints at Tulane (1915-20 and 1922-26).
• With 35 first downs against Army, Tulane ties the school-record set by against Northwestern State on Sept. 29, 1928 in a game won by the Green Wave, 65-0.
• Tulane's 586 yards of total offense was a season high for the Green Wave and the most since Nov. 13, 2004 when the Green Wave tallied 593 yards against these same Army Black Knights in the Louisiana Superdome.
• The Green Wave defense held Army to just 267 yards of total offense. Prior to Saturday's game, the fewest yards Tulane had allowed was 350 against Mississippi State on Sept. 16 in Starkville, Miss. Saturday's showing was the fewest yards allowed since limiting SMU to just 127 yards on Sept. 24, 2005 in Dallas.
• Quarterback Lester Ricard completed 33-of-43 passes for 409 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His yardage total was a season-high and the fourth-most in Tulane history. It marked the second time Ricard eclipsed the 400-yard mark in his career and the eighth time he has thrown for over 300 yards. His eight 300-yard games ranks tied for second in Tulane career history, along with Shaun King (1995-98). Patrick Ramsey (1998-2001) holds the Tulane record with 16 300-yard outings.
• Ricard completed nine consecutive passes in the first half, and was a perfect 12-for-12 for 161 yards and a touchdown in the third quarter. His 33 completions was a season high and the second most of his career (36 vs. UAB on Oct. 23, 2004). His 33 completions also ranks tied for ninth in school history, joining Roch Hontas who accomplished the feat on 42 attempts while passing for 373 yards against SMU on Oct. 23, 1977.
• Junior running Matt Forté rushed for 124 yards on 24 carries, marking the fourth consecutive contest that he has eclipsed the century mark. He becomes the first running back to do so since the 2003 season when then-senior Mewelde Moore ran for 100-plus yards at Texas (Sept. 27), vs. Houston (Oct. 11), at Louisville (Oct. 17), vs. Memphis (Oct. 25) and at Navy (Nov. 3).
• Forté now has five 100-yard rushing games in 2006 and seven for his career, which ranks tied for third in Tulane history (Toney Converse from 1997-99 and Jamaican Dartez from 1995-98). In addition, Forté jumped three sports in the Tulane career record book in rushing yards and now sits seventh in school history with 2,077 yards. During the course of the day, Forté surpassed Jerald Sowell (1,962 yards from 1993-96), Toney Converse (2,014 from 1997-99) and Chance Miller (2,023 from 1977-79).
• With 124 yards against Army, Forté now has 798 yards on the season which ranks 13th in Tulane single-season history.
• Two Tulane players - freshman running back André Anderson and sophomore wide receiver Michael Batiste - scored the first touchdowns of their respective careers on Saturday. In addition, junior tight end Gabe Ratcliff caught his first scoring pass since his freshman year (2004). In all, 12 Green Wave players have scored at least one touchdown.
• Sophomore wide receiver Brian King set career-highs in both receptions and yards against Army, hauling in five passes for 83 yards. Prior to today's ballgame, King had three receptions on three occasions, and had a career-best 48 yards against Southeastern Louisiana on Oct. 1, 2005 in Baton Rouge, La.
• By holding Army to just a pair of field goals in the first half, Tulane held an opponent without a touchdown in a half for the first time since last year's game against Southeastern Louisiana (Oct. 1, 2005) in Baton Rouge, marking a span of 14 games.
• The Louisiana Superdome has been a good place for junior defensive back David Skehan to be. In three career games, Skehan has a pick in each game, including a 30-yard return for a touchdown against SMU back on Sept. 30.
• Senior cornerback Jeremy Foreman joined Skehan with an interception of his own, giving Tulane a pair of picks in the same game for the first time since Oct. 29, 2005 - a span of 13 games. In that game against Marshall, the Green Wave picked off three passes, including returns for touchdowns by then-seniors Tra Boger and Bruce Youmans. The pick was the fourth of Foreman's career and his first since the 2005 season-opener against Mississippi State (Sept. 17).
• Junior linebacker Joe Goosby made his return to the defensive rotation on Saturday and made his presence felt with a pair of tackles, a forced fumble and a pass break up. Goosby had not played on the defensive side of the ball since breaking his hand against Rice on Oct. 7. Goosby played special teams only against UTEP the next game out but did not play last week at Auburn.
• Junior wide receiver Fred Smith saw action as a wide receiver for the second consecutive game and caught his first pass - a nine-yard reception in the second quarter - since the 2004 season. It was Smith's first catch since Nov. 27, 2004 at TCU - a three-yard loss. The catch was Smith's first positive play from scrimmage since hauling in an eight-yard strike on Nov. 6, 2004 against Navy. Smith missed all of the 2005 season with a knee injury, and prior to last week's game at Auburn, had been used exclusively as a return specialist in 2006.
• Junior defensive lineman Antonio Harris started his 30th consecutive game, the longest such streak on the Green Wave team.
