NOTES FOLLOWING TULANE FOOTBALL'S 31-24 WIN OVER HOUSTON
Nov 8, 2014 | Football
Nov. 8, 2014 NOTES FOLLOWING TULANE FOOTBALL'S 31-24 WIN OVER HOUSTON
Tulane 31, Houston 24
Tulane Game 9
TDECU Stadium
Houston, Texas
• Saturday's game between Tulane and Houston marked the first meeting between the two schools since 2012 and the 19th overall. The win snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Cougars. Despite Tulane's victory, Houston still holds the series, 14-5.
• With the win, the Green Wave rose to 3-6 on the year and 2-3 in American Athletic Conference play. Tulane returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 15, when they play host to Memphis at Yulman Stadium at 2:30 pm CT, which will be broadcast live on ESPNU. The game also doubles as Tulane's Homecoming.
• With a forced fumble by sophomore LB Nico Marley and a recovery on the same play by junior SS Darion Monroe and senior FS Sam Scofield's interception and redshirt freshman CB Parry Nickerson's two interceptions, Tulane has forced at least one turnover in all nine games so far in 2014 to bring the season total to 24. The Green Wave have now recorded at least one turnover in their last 18 games. The last time Tulane did not force a turnover came on Sept. 21, 2013 at Syracuse.
• With the four turnovers against Houston, Tulane has posted multiple-turnover contests in eight of their nine games this season. The lone contest in which Tulane failed to record multiple turnovers was against Rutgers.
• Monroe's fumble recovery on the opening play of the game gave Tulane consecutive contests in which they generated takeaways during their opponent's first play, and their third-straight game of notching a turnover during their opponent's opening drive. Last week against Cincinnati, redshirt-freshman CB Parry Nickerson intercepted the Bearcats' Gunner Kiel on the opening play of the contest. Against UCF, Tulane notched a turnover during UCF's opening drive when sophomore LB Edward Williams picked off an errant pass on the third play of the contest. Additionally, Tulane posted a turnover on the first play of the game against Georgia Tech when sophomore LB Eric Thomas posted a forced fumble that was recovered by senior DE Royce LaFrance.
• Scofield's interception in the first quarter marked his third of the season, a season-best for the Lafayette, La., native. Scofield now has five career interceptions.
• Monroe's fumble recovery in the first quarter gave him three on the season, tying his single-season best mark set during his freshman year of 2012. Monroe owns seven fumble recoveries for his career, tying him with Jay Rink (1987-90) for the most fumble recoveries in a career at Tulane. His single-season mark of three is one shy of the single-season record of four, set by Tony Hannah (1985) and Curt Baham (1985).
• Marley's forced fumble in the first quarter marked his second of the season, and the third of his career.
• Nickerson's two interceptions give him a team-leading six on the season. Saturday marked his first multi-interception contest.
• Tanner Lee needed just one touchdown to surpass the Tulane freshman touchdown record of nine, which was set by Ryan Griffin in 2009. Lee surpassed that record with 11:19 to go in the first quarter on a 12-yard strike to freshman WR Teddy Veal. The receiving touchdown was also the first of Veal's career, as the only other score he has posted on the season came on a 24-yard touchdown run against Georgia Tech on Sept. 20.
• The touchdown thrown by Lee to Veal on Tulane's first drive marked the fourth time on the season that the Green Wave have posted a touchdown on their opening drive. The Green Wave also notched opening-drive touchdowns against Georgia Tech, Duke and UConn.
• Lee now has 1,356 passing yards on the season, which is the second-most by a Tulane freshman. Lee is now just 26 yards behind Ryan Griffin's rookie record of 1,382.
• Lee's three touchdown throws against Houston tied a career-high by the redshirt freshman signal caller.
• Freshman RB Dontrell Hilliard's 63-yard touchdown reception with 10:39 to go in the second quarter from Tanner Lee marked the first receiving touchdown of the rookie's career. Hilliard came into the game with just 54 yards receiving on nine catches, meaning he posted more yardage in his one touchdown catch on Saturday than he had in eight games combined.
• Hillard's touchdown reception marked the second-longest passing play of the year by Tulane, eclipsed only by Tanner Lee's 74-yard touchdown throw to senior WR Xavier Rush against Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 13.
• With 107 yards receiving, as well as 85 on the ground, Hilliard notched his second-consecutive 100-yard all-purpose game. Hilliard tallied 123 yards rushing and eight yards receiving against Cincinnati last week.
• After scoring a rushing touchdown with 9:22 to go in the fourth quarter on a one-yard gain, Hilliard recorded his first career multi-touchdown game.
• Freshman WR Leondre James recorded his first career touchdown catch with 5:39 left in the third quarter on a nine-yard throw from Lee.
• After picking up just 1.0 tackle for loss against Cincinnati last week, Tulane saw its streak of 21 games with at least 4.0 stops behind the line of scrimmage snapped, dating back to a Nov. 17, 2012 game against East Carolina. The Green Wave got back on track against Houston, as the team notched 7.0 tackles for loss, with senior DE Royce LaFrance and sophomore DT Tanzel Smart each recording 1.5, while junior CB Lorenzo Doss, sophomore DE Edward Williams notched one each. Redshirt-freshman CB Parry Nickerson, freshman DT Sean Wilson, senior DE Tyler Gilbert and sophomore LB Eric Thomas all posted 0.5 tackles for loss.
• Five Tulane players had multiple-catch performances and four of them were freshmen. Hilliard hauled in five receptions for 107 yards - both career highs, as James recorded four receptions four 41 yards. Rookie TE Charles Jones II tied a career high with three receptions for 31 yards and WR Teddy Veal collected five catches for 20 yards. Senior WR Justyn Shackleford also notched four receptions on the day, totaling 31 yards.
• A total of eight players hauled in passes for the Green Wave, including the five aforementioned targets who made multi-catch days. Joining them were freshman TE Trey Scott (one catch for five yards), senior RB Dante Butler (one catch for negative-six yards) and senior TE Matt Marfisi (one catch for eight yards). Marfisi's grab was his first of the season.
• Tulane recorded four 80-yard-plus drives during the contest, the first time during the Curtis Johnson-era. Tulane posted an 88-yard drive in the second quarter before rattling off 84- and 80-yard drives in the third. The Green Wave tacked on an 80-yard drive in the fourth, as well.
• The three interceptions by the Green Wave defense marked the first time Tulane snagged three picks since playing Tulsa on Oct. 26, 2013.
• There were no punts by either team in the second half of the contest.
• With 342 yards passing by Houston quarterback Greg Ward, Jr., Tulane allowed 300 yards through the air for just the second time this season. Tulsa tossed for 438 yards through the air during the season opener.
• Eight Tulane players extended their double-digit starting streaks on Saturday at Houston: junior SS Darion Monroe (34), junior CB Lorenzo Doss (31), senior FS Sam Scofield (22), junior LT Arturo Uzdavinis (22) and senior RT Sean Donnelly (20), sophomore LB Nico Marley (11), redshirt-sophomore OL Nathan Shienle (11) and sophomore OL Chris Taylor (11).
• Tulane's game captains for Saturday's contest at Houston were redshirt-junior DE Aaron Bryant, senior TE Matt Marfisi and redshirt-sophomore OL Colton Hanson.
Tulane 31, Houston 24
Tulane Game 9
TDECU Stadium
Houston, Texas
• Saturday's game between Tulane and Houston marked the first meeting between the two schools since 2012 and the 19th overall. The win snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Cougars. Despite Tulane's victory, Houston still holds the series, 14-5.
• With the win, the Green Wave rose to 3-6 on the year and 2-3 in American Athletic Conference play. Tulane returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 15, when they play host to Memphis at Yulman Stadium at 2:30 pm CT, which will be broadcast live on ESPNU. The game also doubles as Tulane's Homecoming.
• With a forced fumble by sophomore LB Nico Marley and a recovery on the same play by junior SS Darion Monroe and senior FS Sam Scofield's interception and redshirt freshman CB Parry Nickerson's two interceptions, Tulane has forced at least one turnover in all nine games so far in 2014 to bring the season total to 24. The Green Wave have now recorded at least one turnover in their last 18 games. The last time Tulane did not force a turnover came on Sept. 21, 2013 at Syracuse.
• With the four turnovers against Houston, Tulane has posted multiple-turnover contests in eight of their nine games this season. The lone contest in which Tulane failed to record multiple turnovers was against Rutgers.
• Monroe's fumble recovery on the opening play of the game gave Tulane consecutive contests in which they generated takeaways during their opponent's first play, and their third-straight game of notching a turnover during their opponent's opening drive. Last week against Cincinnati, redshirt-freshman CB Parry Nickerson intercepted the Bearcats' Gunner Kiel on the opening play of the contest. Against UCF, Tulane notched a turnover during UCF's opening drive when sophomore LB Edward Williams picked off an errant pass on the third play of the contest. Additionally, Tulane posted a turnover on the first play of the game against Georgia Tech when sophomore LB Eric Thomas posted a forced fumble that was recovered by senior DE Royce LaFrance.
• Scofield's interception in the first quarter marked his third of the season, a season-best for the Lafayette, La., native. Scofield now has five career interceptions.
• Monroe's fumble recovery in the first quarter gave him three on the season, tying his single-season best mark set during his freshman year of 2012. Monroe owns seven fumble recoveries for his career, tying him with Jay Rink (1987-90) for the most fumble recoveries in a career at Tulane. His single-season mark of three is one shy of the single-season record of four, set by Tony Hannah (1985) and Curt Baham (1985).
• Marley's forced fumble in the first quarter marked his second of the season, and the third of his career.
• Nickerson's two interceptions give him a team-leading six on the season. Saturday marked his first multi-interception contest.
• Tanner Lee needed just one touchdown to surpass the Tulane freshman touchdown record of nine, which was set by Ryan Griffin in 2009. Lee surpassed that record with 11:19 to go in the first quarter on a 12-yard strike to freshman WR Teddy Veal. The receiving touchdown was also the first of Veal's career, as the only other score he has posted on the season came on a 24-yard touchdown run against Georgia Tech on Sept. 20.
• The touchdown thrown by Lee to Veal on Tulane's first drive marked the fourth time on the season that the Green Wave have posted a touchdown on their opening drive. The Green Wave also notched opening-drive touchdowns against Georgia Tech, Duke and UConn.
• Lee now has 1,356 passing yards on the season, which is the second-most by a Tulane freshman. Lee is now just 26 yards behind Ryan Griffin's rookie record of 1,382.
• Lee's three touchdown throws against Houston tied a career-high by the redshirt freshman signal caller.
• Freshman RB Dontrell Hilliard's 63-yard touchdown reception with 10:39 to go in the second quarter from Tanner Lee marked the first receiving touchdown of the rookie's career. Hilliard came into the game with just 54 yards receiving on nine catches, meaning he posted more yardage in his one touchdown catch on Saturday than he had in eight games combined.
• Hillard's touchdown reception marked the second-longest passing play of the year by Tulane, eclipsed only by Tanner Lee's 74-yard touchdown throw to senior WR Xavier Rush against Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 13.
• With 107 yards receiving, as well as 85 on the ground, Hilliard notched his second-consecutive 100-yard all-purpose game. Hilliard tallied 123 yards rushing and eight yards receiving against Cincinnati last week.
• After scoring a rushing touchdown with 9:22 to go in the fourth quarter on a one-yard gain, Hilliard recorded his first career multi-touchdown game.
• Freshman WR Leondre James recorded his first career touchdown catch with 5:39 left in the third quarter on a nine-yard throw from Lee.
• After picking up just 1.0 tackle for loss against Cincinnati last week, Tulane saw its streak of 21 games with at least 4.0 stops behind the line of scrimmage snapped, dating back to a Nov. 17, 2012 game against East Carolina. The Green Wave got back on track against Houston, as the team notched 7.0 tackles for loss, with senior DE Royce LaFrance and sophomore DT Tanzel Smart each recording 1.5, while junior CB Lorenzo Doss, sophomore DE Edward Williams notched one each. Redshirt-freshman CB Parry Nickerson, freshman DT Sean Wilson, senior DE Tyler Gilbert and sophomore LB Eric Thomas all posted 0.5 tackles for loss.
• Five Tulane players had multiple-catch performances and four of them were freshmen. Hilliard hauled in five receptions for 107 yards - both career highs, as James recorded four receptions four 41 yards. Rookie TE Charles Jones II tied a career high with three receptions for 31 yards and WR Teddy Veal collected five catches for 20 yards. Senior WR Justyn Shackleford also notched four receptions on the day, totaling 31 yards.
• A total of eight players hauled in passes for the Green Wave, including the five aforementioned targets who made multi-catch days. Joining them were freshman TE Trey Scott (one catch for five yards), senior RB Dante Butler (one catch for negative-six yards) and senior TE Matt Marfisi (one catch for eight yards). Marfisi's grab was his first of the season.
• Tulane recorded four 80-yard-plus drives during the contest, the first time during the Curtis Johnson-era. Tulane posted an 88-yard drive in the second quarter before rattling off 84- and 80-yard drives in the third. The Green Wave tacked on an 80-yard drive in the fourth, as well.
• The three interceptions by the Green Wave defense marked the first time Tulane snagged three picks since playing Tulsa on Oct. 26, 2013.
• There were no punts by either team in the second half of the contest.
• With 342 yards passing by Houston quarterback Greg Ward, Jr., Tulane allowed 300 yards through the air for just the second time this season. Tulsa tossed for 438 yards through the air during the season opener.
• Eight Tulane players extended their double-digit starting streaks on Saturday at Houston: junior SS Darion Monroe (34), junior CB Lorenzo Doss (31), senior FS Sam Scofield (22), junior LT Arturo Uzdavinis (22) and senior RT Sean Donnelly (20), sophomore LB Nico Marley (11), redshirt-sophomore OL Nathan Shienle (11) and sophomore OL Chris Taylor (11).
• Tulane's game captains for Saturday's contest at Houston were redshirt-junior DE Aaron Bryant, senior TE Matt Marfisi and redshirt-sophomore OL Colton Hanson.
Players Mentioned
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Athlete
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