Football Travels To Texas For Saturday Showdown At Houston
Nov 7, 2014 | Football
Nov. 7, 2014
The Wave head to Houston 2-6 on the year, 1-3 in American action and coming off back-to-back losses with a 20-13 defeat at UCF on Oct. 18 and a 38-14 home loss to Cincinnati last Friday at Yulman Stadium. Tulane and Houston met almost annually from 1996-2012 as members of Conference USA, and the Cougars have won the last 10 head-to-head matchups. Five of those losses came in the Lone Star State and the last time Tulane won at Houston was back on Sept. 7, 2002, when the Green Wave came away with a 34-13 victory.
"It's always hard to go on the road, especially with a team like this with a bunch of freshmen," Tulane head coach Curtis Johnson said. "I don't think any of these kids have even seen their stadium, and neither have we because they have a new stadium...This is going to be a good experience for us and it'll be a good-experience game for us. I like some of our matchups against them, though."
In addition to the television coverage, Friday'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 357.2 yards of total offense per game (166.0 rushing, 191.2 passing) and reached the endzone 19 times while giving up 381.2 yards (177.2 rushing, 204.0 passing) per game and 28 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 595 yards on 92 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 254 yards and a touchdown on 44 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 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns - which ties a Tulane freshman record for scoring strikes - on 94-of-177 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 25 catches for 351 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. Rush, who suffered a season-ending knee injury prior to last week's game against the Bearcats, sits second on the team with 295 receiving yards, and freshman Teddy Veal is second on the squad with 22 catches for 256 yards.
Defensively, Tulane has 13 sacks among 51 tackles for loss, broke up 18 passes and forced 21 turnovers on the strength of 12 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. Senior free safety Sam Scofield headlines the unit with 60 tackles (44 solo, 16 assists) while sophomore linebacker Nico Marley and junior strong safety Darion Monroe follow with 52 and 50 stops, respectively.
Senior defensive end Tyler Gilbert 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 four pass break-ups. Redshirt-freshman corner Parry Nickerson has a team-best four interceptions and Monroe leads the squad with two forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries.
"We feel comfortable talent wise," Johnson said of his team's matchup with the Cougars. "We look at our talent and our tight end, but we've got to look at it two years from now. When Charles begins to get good and Sherman and all of those guys become good players, they'll be looking at us and say `This team is talented.' There isn't a coach that doesn't come up to us and says, `I can't believe how many freshmen you're playing' before the game and after the game they say, `Man your freshmen are talented.' We're getting their attention, but right now we're just not ready to take the next step. I think we're moving in that direction."
Houston, meanwhile, enters the weekend 5-3 on the year, 3-1 in conference action and riding the crest of a three-game winning streak with victories of 28-24 at Memphis on Oct. 11, 31-10 against Temple on Oct. 17 and 27-3 at USF on Nov. 1. As a team, the Cougars are averaging 371.8 yards of total offense per game (166.1 rushing, 205.6 passing) and 28.0 points per outing with 27 touchdowns and 13 field goals while giving up an average of 314.4 yards (140.5 rushing, 173.9 passing) and 16.0 points per contest.
Kenneth Farrow leads a balanced rushing attack with 549 yards on 98 carries and shares the team lead in rushing touchdowns with Ryan Jackson, who has 400 yards on 76 tries, at five each. Like Tulane, Houston has used multiple quarterbacks and John O'Korn leads the team with 944 yards and six touchdowns on 89-of-172 passing. Greg Ward, Jr. - who opened the year as one of the Cougars' starting wide receivers and pulled down 15 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown - has since taken over under center where he has completed 72-of-100 passes for 100 yards and four touchdowns while running 53 times for 218 yards and a pair of scores.
Deontay Greenberry leads the receiving corps with 39 catches for 466 yards with three scoring receptions. Daniel Spencer and Ryan Jackson both sit second on the team with two touchdown catches, and Spencer is second on the team with 24 grabs with Markeith Ambles sitting second with 249 receiving yards.
Defensively, Houston has 16 sacks among 42 tackles for loss, broke up 25 passes and forced 24 turnovers after picking off 15 passes and recovering nine fumbles. Efrem Oliphant leads the squad with 83 tackles (45 solo, 38 assists), followed by Derrick Mathews with 52 (29 solo, 23 assists) and Adrian McDonald with 42 (24 solo, 18 assists).
Oliphant also paces the team with 7.0 tackles for loss and shares the team lead in sacks with Joey Mbu at 2.5 each. McDonald has a team-best three interceptions, three forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries, and the quintet of Mbu, Lee Hightower, William Jackson, B.J. Singleton and Steven Taylor share team-high pass break-up honors with five apiece.
"This quarterback is a very fast kid," Johnson said of Ward, Jr.. "He can run. He's a jitterbug. He's not very big but he can sure run. He throws it decently and they have some very speedy receivers. They're very quick, but they don't throw it much. They've got this back, No. 35 [Kenneth Farrow], who is a really good, physical back. They're very similar to us. They've got this No. 22 [Ryan Jackson], who beat us a couple of years ago.
"Offensively, they have a lot of kids that can play well. Defensively, they're going to bring pressure. They're going to play coverage behind their pressure. They've got a good defensive line. One kid transferred from Texas A&M, so he's a good player. The linebackers are good players. They lost one of their better linebackers and they lost one of their better guys in the secondary, but they've got a lot of guys. They're a very good football team."
Saturday's game marks the 19th meeting between Tulane and Houston on the gridiron, and the Cougars hold a 14-4 lead in the all-time series. The last time the two teams met was on Nov. 24, 2012, when Houston posted a 40-17 home win at old Roberson Stadium.
Following the trip to The Lone Star State, the Green Wave return to action on Saturday, Nov. 15, when they play host to Memphis in a Homecoming contest at 2:30 p.m. 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.
Tulane Game Notes
Houston Game Notes
American Athletic Conference Notes
Gameday Information
The Wave head to Houston 2-6 on the year, 1-3 in American action and coming off back-to-back losses with a 20-13 defeat at UCF on Oct. 18 and a 38-14 home loss to Cincinnati last Friday at Yulman Stadium. Tulane and Houston met almost annually from 1996-2012 as members of Conference USA, and the Cougars have won the last 10 head-to-head matchups. Five of those losses came in the Lone Star State and the last time Tulane won at Houston was back on Sept. 7, 2002, when the Green Wave came away with a 34-13 victory.
"It's always hard to go on the road, especially with a team like this with a bunch of freshmen," Tulane head coach Curtis Johnson said. "I don't think any of these kids have even seen their stadium, and neither have we because they have a new stadium...This is going to be a good experience for us and it'll be a good-experience game for us. I like some of our matchups against them, though."
In addition to the television coverage, Friday'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 357.2 yards of total offense per game (166.0 rushing, 191.2 passing) and reached the endzone 19 times while giving up 381.2 yards (177.2 rushing, 204.0 passing) per game and 28 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 595 yards on 92 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 254 yards and a touchdown on 44 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 1,119 yards and nine touchdowns - which ties a Tulane freshman record for scoring strikes - on 94-of-177 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 25 catches for 351 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. Rush, who suffered a season-ending knee injury prior to last week's game against the Bearcats, sits second on the team with 295 receiving yards, and freshman Teddy Veal is second on the squad with 22 catches for 256 yards.
Defensively, Tulane has 13 sacks among 51 tackles for loss, broke up 18 passes and forced 21 turnovers on the strength of 12 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries. Senior free safety Sam Scofield headlines the unit with 60 tackles (44 solo, 16 assists) while sophomore linebacker Nico Marley and junior strong safety Darion Monroe follow with 52 and 50 stops, respectively.
Senior defensive end Tyler Gilbert 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 four pass break-ups. Redshirt-freshman corner Parry Nickerson has a team-best four interceptions and Monroe leads the squad with two forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries.
"We feel comfortable talent wise," Johnson said of his team's matchup with the Cougars. "We look at our talent and our tight end, but we've got to look at it two years from now. When Charles begins to get good and Sherman and all of those guys become good players, they'll be looking at us and say `This team is talented.' There isn't a coach that doesn't come up to us and says, `I can't believe how many freshmen you're playing' before the game and after the game they say, `Man your freshmen are talented.' We're getting their attention, but right now we're just not ready to take the next step. I think we're moving in that direction."
Houston, meanwhile, enters the weekend 5-3 on the year, 3-1 in conference action and riding the crest of a three-game winning streak with victories of 28-24 at Memphis on Oct. 11, 31-10 against Temple on Oct. 17 and 27-3 at USF on Nov. 1. As a team, the Cougars are averaging 371.8 yards of total offense per game (166.1 rushing, 205.6 passing) and 28.0 points per outing with 27 touchdowns and 13 field goals while giving up an average of 314.4 yards (140.5 rushing, 173.9 passing) and 16.0 points per contest.
Kenneth Farrow leads a balanced rushing attack with 549 yards on 98 carries and shares the team lead in rushing touchdowns with Ryan Jackson, who has 400 yards on 76 tries, at five each. Like Tulane, Houston has used multiple quarterbacks and John O'Korn leads the team with 944 yards and six touchdowns on 89-of-172 passing. Greg Ward, Jr. - who opened the year as one of the Cougars' starting wide receivers and pulled down 15 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown - has since taken over under center where he has completed 72-of-100 passes for 100 yards and four touchdowns while running 53 times for 218 yards and a pair of scores.
Deontay Greenberry leads the receiving corps with 39 catches for 466 yards with three scoring receptions. Daniel Spencer and Ryan Jackson both sit second on the team with two touchdown catches, and Spencer is second on the team with 24 grabs with Markeith Ambles sitting second with 249 receiving yards.
Defensively, Houston has 16 sacks among 42 tackles for loss, broke up 25 passes and forced 24 turnovers after picking off 15 passes and recovering nine fumbles. Efrem Oliphant leads the squad with 83 tackles (45 solo, 38 assists), followed by Derrick Mathews with 52 (29 solo, 23 assists) and Adrian McDonald with 42 (24 solo, 18 assists).
Oliphant also paces the team with 7.0 tackles for loss and shares the team lead in sacks with Joey Mbu at 2.5 each. McDonald has a team-best three interceptions, three forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries, and the quintet of Mbu, Lee Hightower, William Jackson, B.J. Singleton and Steven Taylor share team-high pass break-up honors with five apiece.
"This quarterback is a very fast kid," Johnson said of Ward, Jr.. "He can run. He's a jitterbug. He's not very big but he can sure run. He throws it decently and they have some very speedy receivers. They're very quick, but they don't throw it much. They've got this back, No. 35 [Kenneth Farrow], who is a really good, physical back. They're very similar to us. They've got this No. 22 [Ryan Jackson], who beat us a couple of years ago.
"Offensively, they have a lot of kids that can play well. Defensively, they're going to bring pressure. They're going to play coverage behind their pressure. They've got a good defensive line. One kid transferred from Texas A&M, so he's a good player. The linebackers are good players. They lost one of their better linebackers and they lost one of their better guys in the secondary, but they've got a lot of guys. They're a very good football team."
Saturday's game marks the 19th meeting between Tulane and Houston on the gridiron, and the Cougars hold a 14-4 lead in the all-time series. The last time the two teams met was on Nov. 24, 2012, when Houston posted a 40-17 home win at old Roberson Stadium.
Following the trip to The Lone Star State, the Green Wave return to action on Saturday, Nov. 15, when they play host to Memphis in a Homecoming contest at 2:30 p.m. 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.
Players Mentioned
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Cornerback
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Defensive End
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Running Back
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Tight End
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Quarterback
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Linebacker
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Safety
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Wide Receiver
/ FootballTulane Tuesday: HC Jon Sumrall - 9/23/25
Tuesday, September 23
Tulane Tuesday: S Bailey Despaine - 9/23/24
Tuesday, September 23
Tulane Tuesday: OL Shadre Hurst - 9/23/25
Tuesday, September 23
Postgame: HC Jon Sumrall and WR Anthony Brown-Stephens - 9/20/25
Sunday, September 21
