Football Ready For Homecoming Date With Memphis
Nov 14, 2014 | Football
Tulane Game Notes
Memphis Game Notes
American Athletic Conference Notes
Homecoming Game Day Information
The Wave enter the ballgame 3-6 on the year, 2-3 in American action and coming off a 31-24 upset of Houston last week at the new TDECU Stadium. The Homecoming contest is an especially-anticipated one as the last time the game took place in uptown New Orleans was back on Nov. 2, 1974 when Tulane lined up against Kentucky. In addition the out-of-town fans and alumni expected to be in attendance, the Green Wave are anticipating a large local contingent as 66 members of the current roster hail from Louisiana, including 37 from the Greater New Orleans area.
"I'm glad that they are local and I'm glad that they're here," Tulane head coach Curtis Johnson said of his team's makeup. "It's how you manage them. It's how you manage those kids and get their mindset right. We've had a couple of home games now. We're used to the stadium and we're getting used to stuff. They're used to their parents being around and it works for our benefit for Homecoming.
"You really, really want to do well for your parents. I just hope that we play well so they can be proud of their kids. I want all of them to play well because for Homecoming, everybody is going to be here and it should be a packed stadium."
In addition to the television coverage, Saturday's contest is also available on video stream on the WatchESPN app and will be broadcast on the flagship radio station for Green Wave football - WMTI 106.1 FM "The Ticket." The radio call is available on the web at www.TulaneGreenWave.com via the All-Access Pass and live game stats will be provided for free on the official website of Tulane Athletics courtesy of GameTracker.
As a team, Tulane is averaging 357.7 yards of total offense per game (161.3 rushing, 196.3 passing) and reached the endzone 23 times while giving up 386.2 yards (167.6 rushing, 218.7 passing) per game and 31 touchdowns.
Three different Green Wave running backs have rushed for 100 yards in a game so far this year - the first time the program accomplished that feat since 1998 - and redshirt-freshman tailback Sherman Badie paces the Tulane ground game with 598 yards on 94 carries to go with three touchdowns. Sophomore Lazedrick Thompson, who has 400 yards on 86 totes to date, leads the Wave with four rushing touchdowns and freshman Dontrell Hilliard is third on the squad with 339 yards and two touchdowns on 69 carries.
Three Green Wave quarterbacks have seen action to date and both redshirt-freshman Tanner Lee along with senior Nick Montana have multiple starts at the position. Lee, who missed the UConn and UCF games due to injury, leads the Green Wave attack with 1,356 yards and 12 touchdowns - the most by a freshman in Tulane history - on 118-of-212 passing. Montana, meanwhile, has thrown for 300 yards on 42-of-72 passing with a score in three games and two starts so far in 2014 while redshirt-sophomore Devin Powell has completed 10-of-26 passes for 111 yards off the bench.
Senior wideout Justyn Shackleford leads the aerial assault with 29 catches for 382 yards to go with a pair of scores while freshman tight end Charles Jones and senior receiver Xavier Rush share the team lead with three touchdown receptions apiece. Freshman Teddy Veal is second on the squad with 27 catches for 276 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Tulane has 16 sacks among 58 tackles for loss, broke up 21 passes and forced 25 turnovers on the strength of 16 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. Senior free safety Sam Scofield headlines the unit with 69 tackles (49 solo, 20 assists) while sophomore linebacker Nico Marley and junior strong safety Darion Monroe follow with 58 and 52 stops, respectively.
Junior defensive end Royce LaFrance paces the squad with 3.0 sacks, Marley leads the team with 9.5 tackles for loss and senior cornerback Lorenzo Doss headlines the secondary with five pass break-ups. Redshirt-freshman corner Parry Nickerson has a team- and conference-best six interceptions and Monroe leads the squad with two forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries.
"We've been practicing really, really well." Johnson said. "If you watch us, we catch the ball at a high rate. Those guys hit the holes, they run and they run it into the endzone. I saw Sherman today for the first time look like the old Sherman. He's running into the endzone. Lazedrick is running into the endzone. When you're doing that without coaches yelling at you to run and hustle, you're doing something right. I'm not saying we're going to win, lose or whatever, but I like the direction we're going in."
Memphis, meanwhile, comes to town 6-3 on the year, 4-1 in conference action and riding the crest of a three-game winning streak with victories of 48-10 at SMU on Oct. 25, 40-20 against Tulsa on Oct. 31 and 16-13 at Temple on Nov. 7. As a team, the Tigers are averaging 432.9 yards of total offense per game (192.2 rushing, 240.7 passing) and 34.0 points per outing with 37 touchdowns and 15 field goals while giving up an average of 344.8 yards (127.3 rushing, 217.4 passing) and 18.7 points per contest.
Quarterback Paxton Lunch leads the Tiger's attack with 2,121 yards and 11 touchdown on 181-of-278 passing to go with a team-best seven rushing touchdown after running 75 times for 173 yards. Brandon Hayes leads the rushing attack with 604 yards on 119 carries with five touchdowns. Mose Frazier leads the receiving corps with 30 catches while contributing 318 yards and a score, Tevin Mones paces the squad with 374 receiving yards on 29 grabs, and Alan Cross paces the team with three touchdowns.
Defensively, Memphis has 23 sacks among 62 tackles for loss, broke up 41 passes and forced 19 turnovers after picking off 10 passes and recovering nine fumbles. Tank Jakes leads the squad with 60 tackles (45 solo, 15 assists), followed by Charles Harris with 40 (26 solo, 14 assists) and Fritz Etienne with 34 (27 solo, 7 assists).
Jakes also paces the team with 12.0 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and four forced fumbles. Bakari Hollier leads the secondary with six pass break-ups, Bobby McCain has a team-best three interceptions and Reggis Ball headlines the unit with a pair of fumble recoveries.
"I think they're going to come in and be ready to play," Johnson said of Memphis. "Coach [Justin] Fuente really does a great job preparing them. He's really turned things to where he wants them to be. He stuck with those kids and those kids are really, really paying off for him. I like his team. He has a really good, good football team so it's going to be a tough game for us."
Saturday's game marks the 31st meeting between Tulane and Memphis on the gridiron, and the Tigers hold an 18-11-1advantage in the all-time series. The Green Wave, however, have a 9-7-1 lead in games played in New Orleans but Tulane's last win came back on Jan. 19, 2000, when the home team posted a 37-14 victory in the Superdome. Memphis has won the last seven head-to-head matchups, including a 37-23 decision the last two times shared a field on Nov. 10, 2012, at the Liberty Bowl.
Following the Homecoming showdown against Memphis, Tulane will head to Greenville, N.C., to take on East Carolina on Nov. 22 before closing out the 2014 regular season on Dec. 6 against Temple in Yulman Stadium.
For tickets to that game, as well as future Green Wave events, contact the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE (9283). The Tulane Ticket Office is located on the first floor of the James W. Wilson, Jr. Center and is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased on-line at the official website of Tulane Athletics - www.TulaneGreenWave.com.
