2006 Football Offensive Outlook
Aug 7, 2006 | Football
Aug. 7, 2006
NEW ORLEANS, La. - With the start of football practice slated for Friday, Aug. 11, TulaneGreenWave.com will provide a breakdown of the 2006 Tulane football outlook. The first installment will feature the offense, followed over the next two days by defense and special teams, respectively.
A year ago, the Tulane University football season was halted almost before it started as Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and the Gulf South Region. Forced to flee the city, the Green Wave took refuge in Ruston, La., and the campus of Louisiana Tech for the 2005 fall semester, and played 11 games in 11 weeks in 11 different stadiums.
As the team prepares for the 2006 season, there is a new feeling surrounding the Green Wave squad. One of optimism. One of promise. A concept that could prove to be one of the most awe-inspiring success stories of the in the history of college athletics. After going through a unprecedented series of events last year that helped the team bond like no other, Tulane is back on campus, back in the city of New Orleans, and back in its home since 1975 - the Louisiana Superdome.
And while being back home is an encouraging side note to the preseason hype, the Green Wave are not without solid substance on its roster as Tulane returns 42 lettermen, including 12 starters, from last year's squad. Among the returning starters on offense are two-year starting quarterback Lester Ricard, the team's leading running back Matt Forté, a pair of starting wideouts in Kenneth Guidroz and 2005 All-Conference USA honoree Preston Brown, and two offensive linemen (Michael Parenton and Derek Rogers).
Defensively, the Green Wave return four defensive linemen who started in 2005 - seniors Taurean Brown and Mike Purcell, and juniors Alvin Johnson and preseason All C-USA selection Antonio Harris. Senior cornerback/return specialist Israel Route also returns to the club to help anchor the secondary.
On special teams, senior Chris Beckman returns for his fourth season as the team's punter, as does place kicker Barrett Pepper. Pepper served primarily as the kickoff specialist last year, and helping Tulane's cause in the battle for field position are Route and junior Fred Smith, who missed the 2005 season with a preseason knee injury. Tulane also returns Craig Gelhardt as its deep snapper.
"I think the players are excited about being back and having a chance to play in the 'Dome in front of the home crowd," Tulane head coach Chris Scelfo said. "We've got to replace some outstanding players on the defensive side of the football, and several offensive linemen that have been key for us, but, this is an opportunity for someone else to step up and show what they can do.
"Every program in the country has to fill holes from year to year, and I feel confident in our ability to fill the holes left by the players who graduated. We're starting from scratch at a lot of positions and guys have to earn their way there. But to be back home and have a schedule from top to bottom that is the most demanding that we've ever had since I've been here is a big motivating factor for myself and the team. I think that the players are very excited about it."
OFFENSE
One of the mainstays of the Tulane football team over the past decade has been offensive prowess. The Green Wave's last three starting quarterbacks were all drafted in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft, and since the 1998 season, Tulane has sent two more running backs and an offensive tackled to pro football's premier league.
That does not figure to change much in 2006 with the return of Ricard, who has started 17 of the 19 games he has played in since transferring to Tulane prior to the 2003 season. In two seasons, Ricard ranks third in Tulane history in passing yards per game (200.7) and pass attempts per game (29.16) and is tied for fourth in 300-yard passing games (five). Ricard's 55.8 completion percentage ranks sixth in Tulane history and his 37 touchdown passes are tied for sixth.
 Junior running back Matt Forté returns to the lineup after leading Tulane with 655 yards and four rushing touchdowns in 2005.  | |
Joining the fold for the 2006 season are redshirt-freshman Anthony Scelfo and true freshmen D'Metres Hill and Kevin Moore. Scelfo learned from the sidelines last season, but did play baseball for the Green Wave during the fall where he hit .241 with a home run and eight RBI.
Hill comes to Tulane after a stellar prep career at Cedar Grove (Ga.) High where he threw for 1,468 yards and eight touchdowns en route to earning first-team All-Dekalb County honors. Moore, meanwhile, was named to the National Top 50 quarterback by Scout.com and Dallas Morning News Top 10 as a senior at Flower Mound Marcus (Texas) High School. As a prepster, Moore passed for 4,513 yards and 32 touchdowns during his career.
"Obviously, the quarterback position is the key to the offense," Scelfo said. "If Lester can regain his confidence, composure and leadership that he had developed two years ago, he will be fine. Having Scott Elliot start a few games for us last year gives a guy that has played in a few games and did well."
Regardless of who wins the quarterback battle in the fall, they will have the luxury of throwing passes to a deep, experience receiving corps anchored by Brown.
Seeing his first extensive time at the wideout position, Brown led the team last year with 47 catches for 720 yards and six touchdowns. Other returning receivers include Guidroz, fifth-year senior DeMarcus Davis, redshirt-junior Fred Smith, sophomores Michael Batiste, Brian King and Charles Harris, redshirt-freshmen Chris Dunn and Jeremy Williams, and incoming rookies Alan Mitchell and Casey Robottom.
Davis and Guidroz both played in all 11 games in 2005, combining for 41 catches, 430 yards and three touchdowns. Batiste, King and Harris all saw time last year as true freshmen, and King led the trio with 15 catches for 189 yards and a score.
Dunn and Williams used the redshirt year to adjust to college life and continue to develop in the weight room. Mitchell enters the foray after snaring 90 passes and scoring 13 touchdowns during his prep career at Cedar Grove (Ga.) High, while Robottom earned all-state, all-Metro and all-district honors last season after catching 40 passes for 623 yards ad five scores at St. Charles Catholic High School.
"At receiver, I think we've got a group that if they play together, learn together and develop a great work ethic, can be an outstanding group," Scelfo said. "This is the biggest group of receivers we've had since I've been at Tulane. We've got guys that can really go up and catch the ball.
"Preston Brown had a big year for us last season and Damarcus Davis has had a solid career here so far. If we could get Fred Smith back to the level he was at before his injury, that would be a big key for us. But we've got about three or four younger guys there who I think are ready to take the next step. We've got a good talented, deep group of receivers there."
Adding to the receiving corps and assisting with the blocking schemes are tight ends Craig Gelhardt, Justin Kessler, Jerome Landry and Gabe Ratcliff.
Landry stands as the most experience player at the position with 32 games under his belt as a tight end, but Radcliff may be the most complete tight end on the roster with a blend of soft hands and big body that provide not only a viable target in the aerial attack but also solid blocking ability on the corner. Kessler played in 10 games last season as a true freshman, but did not record a reception, and Gelhardt serves primarily as the team's deep snapper on special teams.
"I feel good about our tight end situation," Scelfo said. "The guy that I think has all-star potential in Gabe Ratcliff. He's had an outstanding spring and summer, and I really look forward to watching him develop this fall. We've also got Jerome Landry back, and hopefully he's healthy. Justin Kessler is an outstanding receiver, and he continues to work hard on improving his blocking. Those three guys, if we can keep them healthy, have a chance to be a good group."
Taking the pressure off the passing game is a solid corps of running backs, highlighted by the return of junior Matt Forté. Forté has galloped for 1,279 yards in two seasons with the Green Wave, including a team-leading 655 yards and four scores last season. He also has shown soft hands out of the backfield with 43 receptions for 343 yards and another three touchdowns.
Adding to the mix is fellow junior Ray Boudreaux and true freshmen André Anderson and Kevin Ivey, along with fullbacks Ian Miller and Ade Tuyo.
Primarily used on special teams, Boudreaux has run for 168 yards and two touchdowns while snaring seven passes for 48 yards in his two years at Tulane. Tuyo has played in 19 games, including three starts, during his collegiate career, while Miller returns to the club after taking a year off in 2005.
Anderson was a first-team All-DeKalb County and Prep Star All-Region selection at Stephenson High School last year where he ran for 1,827 yards and 16 touchdowns. Ivey, meanwhile, was a first-team all-state running back last year at Crescent City Christian where he ran for 741 yards and average 26.4 yards per carry with nine scores in 2005.
"We've got some proven and some very impressive freshmen among our running backs this year," Scelfo said. "Matt Forté has been one of our workhorses over the last two years, and he was very impressive during spring drills. Ade Tuyo is a solid blocking back, and we've got some good change-of-pace players like Ray Boudreaux, André Anderson and Kevin Ivey. This is a solid group of backs, and one that we will count on heavily throughout the season."
Opening holes for the running game and setting up protection for passing plays is a solid and veteran group of offensive linemen, which returns a pair of starters from a year ago in Michael Parenton and Derek Rogers and adds the return of a healthy Donald Madlock, who missed all of the 2005 season after undergoing successful shoulder surgery.
Parenton, a 2005 C-USA All-Freshman Team honoree, and Rogers combined to start 20 games last season. Madlock returns after starting at guard in both 2003 and 2004. Other returnees along the offensive line are Aryan Barto, Chris Bordelon, Scott Holt, Percy Huff, Troy Kropog, John Landa, Travis Olexa and Tyler Rice.
Holt and Kropog combined to play in 10 games in 2005, including two starts at right tackle by Kropog. Landa, Olexa and Rice all redshirted last season.
Joining the team in 2006 are true freshmen Pete Hendrickson, Nick Landry and Kevin Leary. Hendrickson (6-5, 265) was an all-district selection last season at Jesuit (Fla.) High, Landry was named to the Beaumont Enterprise Super Team after a standout year at Westbrook (Texas) High School, and Leary comes to Tulane after earning three letters at Westchester (Pa.) East High and playing last season at Valley Forge Military Prep.
"Offensive line wise, I think our starting five has a chance to be very strong," Scelfo said. "After that we're going to have to count on some incoming freshman especially at the tackle positions."
Tomorrow: Defense
