Football Closes Out Preseason Camp With 85-Play Scrimmage
Aug 21, 2010 | Football
Aug. 21, 2010
Scrimmage Statistics & Play-By-Play
Video Interview With Coach Toledo
Video Interview With Running Back A.Williams
Video Interview With Cornerback A.Lauricella
NEW ORLEANS - The Green Wave offense rolled up 267 total yards and the defense had four sacks among 13 tackles for loss as the Tulane University football team wrapped up fall camp with an 85-play scrimmage Saturday afternoon at the Westfeldt Practice Facility.
After holding special teams meetings in the morning and having position meetings after lunch, the 2010 team hit the field at 3:20 p.m. for a brief practice session before going full boar into the scrimmage. In addition to the offense vs. defense portion, the Green Wave once again put a heavy focus on special teams with PAT/field goal drills, return game and punting situations sprinkled throughout the day.
"I thought we did some good things on both sides of the ball," Tulane head football coach Bob Toledo said. "Everybody got their final chance to show what they can do so we can evaluate them. We did a lot of our kicking game. There were a lot of plusses that happened today. Now, we have to go look at the film to see who is going to play for us and start getting ready to play on Monday.
"Starting Monday, we'll begin game planning. The guys who are going to play will start getting their reps and the guys who are not going to play will be on the scout teams. We have to move everything up a couple of days (due to the Thursday game against Southeastern Louisiana to open the year), but I think it's good because it's Labor Day weekend. Our students will hopefully stay and come to the game along with fans, boosters and alums. I think it's a great opportunity for us to have some fans there, show them what we can do, and hopefully impress them enough that they'll come back again."
The Tulane offense came roaring out of the gates as sophomore quarterback Ryan Griffin led the team on a 12-play, 60-yard drive which was capped by a four-yard touchdown jaunt by junior running back Albert Williams. After sitting on the sideline while the No. 2 and No. 3 offense took their respective turns, the No. 1 unit added a potential scoring drive that went 52 plays down to the 18-yard line before Toledo and his staff called for a new drive to begin.
But while the offense took center stage early on, it was the Green Wave defense that stole the spotlight late as it held the offense to just a pair of field goals in four red-zone possessions to end the day. Thirteen of the team's 63 tackles were behind the line of scrimmage as junior defensive end Dezman Moses along with sophomore corners Alex Lauricella and Ryan Travis had two tackles for loss each.
Travis and sophomore safety Devon Walker tied for team-high tackle honors with six apiece while junior Taylor Echols was next with five. Senior defensive tackles Oscar Ponce de Leon and Josh Smith along with sophomore linebacker Darryl Farley and freshman defense end Wendell Beckwith each had a sack to add to the defense's overall effort. Smith capped the afternoon with a fumble recovery to give his defensive mates an extra bounce in their steps as the unit headed for the locker room.
Offensively, the Wave ran for 136 yards and two touchdowns on 38 carries and a quartet of quarterbacks combined to complete 21-of-40 passes for 131 yards. The highlight of the day came from walk-on running back Carlos Wilson who ran for a team-best 44 yards on five carries, including a 32-yard touchdown.
Griffin led a modest passing attack, completing 8-of-14 tosses for 57 yards while senior Kevin Moore was 10-of-19 for 56 yards. Freshman Wilson Van Hooser paced the aerial game with five grabs for 30 yards while senior Casey Robottom added four receptions for 29 yards.
With classes starting in two days, the Green Wave will now shift their practice schedule to the normal in-season schedule of afternoon practices with daily session slated to begin on Monday at 2:50 p.m. Tulane opens the 2010 season on Thursday, Sept. 2, when they play host to Southeastern Louisiana at 7 p.m. in the Louisiana Superdome.
Season tickets for the upcoming season remain on sale through the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office. Season ticket prices are $199 for sideline seats, $99 for adult endzone and $65 for youth endzone. In addition, fans can purchase a Family 4 Pack (2 adult, 2 youth) for $250, as well as an opportunity to pick any two games for $60. Single game tickets are also available.
For more information or to purchase tickets please call the Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE, log onto the internet at TulaneGreenWave.com, or show up in person at the ticket office located inside the James W. Wilson Jr. Center on Ben Weiner Drive.
