Football To Take On Duke On Saturday Afternoon In Durham
Sep 23, 2011 | Football
Sept. 23, 2011
Tulane Game Notes
Duke Game Notes
Conference USA Notes
Gameday Central
Tulane Live
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University football team will look to make it two in a row when the Green Wave travel to Durham, N.C., for a showdown with ACC opponent Duke on Saturday, Sept. 24, at Wallace Wade Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 2:34 p.m. and the game will be aired live on the Internet on ESPN3.
At 2-1 on the season and fresh off a 49-10 win last weekend at UAB, Tulane sports a winning record after three games for the first time since 2005. The Green Wave are 2-0 all-time against the Blue Devils, and a victory on Saturday would give Tulane its first 3-1 start since 2003.
"The important thing now is we have to show maturity," Tulane head football coach Bob Toledo said. "We've got to put UAB behind us and really concentrate and focus on the upcoming opponent - that's Duke. They've had time to enjoy the victory. Now they have to move on.
"We now have to put together games back to back. We can't just win, pat ourselves on the back, say `Oh, that was great,' and then go lose the next one. We've got to continue to work hard in practice. We've got to continue to improve. We've got to go up, not just go up and down. If we can get better in practice, improve the things we're deficient at and win another, then it starts giving credibility to what you're doing."
In addition to the ESPN3 broadcast, Saturday's game at Duke will be aired live on the flagship radio station of Green Wave football, WIST AM 690, while live audio are available on-line at www.TulaneGreenWave.com to paid members of the All-Access Pass. Live stats are also available on the web courtesy of GameTracker, and a new, interactive option is available via "Tulane Live".
Tulane heads to Tobacco Road 2-1 on the year, 1-1 in C-USA play and looking to build on the momentum of last week's 39-point win against the Blazers. As a team, the Green Wave are averaging 389.3 yards per game (149.0 rushing, 240.3 passing) while opponents have averaged 341.3 yards of total offense per contest (112.7 rushing, 228.7 passing).
Sophomore Orleans Darkwa, a member of the 2011 Doak Walker Award Preseason Watchlist, leads the Wave with 151 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 47 carries (3.2 avg.) and senior Albert Williams is close behind with 144 yards and a score on 30 rushing attempts (4.8 avg.).
Junior Ryan Griffin has completed 54-of-89 passes (.607) for 718 yards, six touchdowns and one interception, and his favorite target to date has been senior wideout Joe Kemp, who paces the squad with 14 receptions for 161 yards (11.5 avg.). Darkwa and rookie wideout Justyn Shackleford are tied for second on the team with six catches each, and sophomore Wilson Van Hooser paces the squad with a pair of touchdown receptions.
Defensively, junior middle linebacker Trent Mackey - a member of the Preseason Lombardi Rotary Award Watchlist who played as a freshman in 2008 at Duke - paces the team with 35 tackles (23 solo, 12 assists) while junior safety Shakiel Smith is next with 20 (16 solo, 4 assists). Tulane leads C-USA with 10 sacks and five interceptions, and also paces the league with a plus-three turnover margin.
The Green Wave have forced six turnovers and sophomore nickelback Derrick Strozier paces the squad with two interceptions - including one he returned 55 yards for a score last week at UAB. Mackey, junior corner Ryan Travis and freshman safety Renaldo Thomas have one interception each while junior defensive end Austen Jacks has a fumble recovery to his name.
Jacks leads the way with 3.5 tackles for loss, including 2.5 sacks, while sophomore defensive tackle Julius Warmsley has a team-leading 3.0 sacks. Sullen, Smith, Warmsley and junior cornerback Alex Lauricella are tied for the team lead with two pass break-ups each while Jacks and senior defensive end Dezman Moses have one forced fumble apiece.
"Obviously, we still have a lot of work to do," Toledo said. "We're not a finished product by any means. We've got to continue to improve daily and we've got to get better. That's what we're going to practice for."
Duke, meanwhile, enters the weekend 1-2 on the year and fresh off a 20-19 win over Boston College last weekend in Chestnut Hill, Mass. As a team, the Blue Devils are averaging 393.0 yards of total offense per game (96.3 rushing, 296.7 passing) while allowing opponents to tally a 373.3 mark per contest (127.0 rushing, 246.3 passing).
Juwan Thompson leads the Duke ground game with 183 yards on 34 carries (5.4 avg.) and Anthony Boone has a team-best two rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Sean Renfree directs the Blue Devils attack, completing 83-of-113passes for 748 yards, two toucdowns and an interception. Conner Vernon paces the team with 20 receptions for 292 yards and a pair of scores.
On defense, Matt Daniels leads the way with 31 tackles (16 solo, 15 assists) while Kelby Brown and Ross Cockrell follow with 20 and 18, respectively. Kenny Anunike paces Duke with 5.0 tackles for loss, including a team-best 4.0 sacks. Dainels has six of the Blue Devils' 13 pass break-ups while Walt Canty and Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo each have an interception.
"It's another road game for us," Toledo said. "It's an ACC opponent and a BCS opponent. I think David Cutcliffe has done a nice job. You're all familiar with him having been at Tennessee and Ole Miss. He's got a very young team like us as well...We've got to be successful running the football, we've got to take our shots when it's time and we've got to make some plays in the passing game."
Saturday's game in Durham marks the third meeting between the two teams and the first in 38 years. The Green Wave won the previous two meetings, downing Duke 17-0 on Nov. 28, 1964 at old Tulane Stadium and defeating the Blue Devils 24-17 on Oct. 13, 1973, in North Carolina.
Following the trip to Duke, Tulane will conclude its three-game road swing with an Oct. 1 showdown with Army at Michie Stadium. From there, the Green Wave return to the Louisiana Superdome on Saturday, Oct. 8, when Tulane plays host to Syracuse. Kickoff for that game will be 7 p.m. and the game will be carried live on Cox Sports Television.
Season ticket sales are still available through the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office, with packages starting as low as $90. Single-game sideline tickets are $35, adult endzone seats selling for $20 and youth endzone seats cost $10. The Ticket Office is located on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr., Center on Ben Weiner Drive, and tickets can be purchased in person, over the phone at 504-861-WAVE (9283) or via the Internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
