Football To Wrap 2014 Campaign Saturday vs Temple
Dec 5, 2014 | Football
Tulane Game Notes
Temple Game Notes
American Athletic Conference Notes
Game Day Information
NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane University football team will wrap up the 2014 campaign on Saturday, Dec. 6, when they take the field at Yulman Stadium against American Athletic Conference foe Temple. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 and the game will be televised live nationally on ESPN2.
At 3-8 overall and 2-5 in American action entering the ballgame, the Green Wave will be playing for pride while the Owls (5-6, 3-4) will be battling for their postseason lives with one win to go in order to become bowl eligible. Tulane, however, has a lot at stake in Saturday's game as the program continues to build and the Green Wave faithful will say goodbye to a 25-member class of seniors and student-athletes slated to graduate during the 2014-15 school year.
"Whenever you're playing, it's for something," Tulane head coach Curtis Johnson said. "All of the good teams I've been on, you never talk about the tangible things. Even the Super Bowl years and the national championship years, you always talk about the next thing in front of you and that's what we're trying to do with this program, too. We're playing for an awful lot too.
"We're planning to send these seniors out the best possible way we can because that's what they'll remember. We're playing for our fans and the people in the stands. These guys want to get a jump on spring ball. I think we're playing for a lot and they're going to want to play well for all of their parents and everybody who wants to come to this game. This will be the game that everybody wants to shine in."
In addition to the television coverage, Saturday's game is available on all handheld wireless devices through the WatchESPN app and will be carried 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 are also available on the official website of Tulane Athletics for free courtesy of GameTracker.
As a team, Tulane is averaging 354.1 yards of total offense per game (148.3 rushing, 205.8 passing) and reached the endzone 24 times while giving up 391.5 yards (163.9 rushing, 227.6 passing) per game and 40 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 659 yards on 111 carries to go with three touchdowns. Sophomore Lazedrick Thompson, who has 470 yards on 98 totes to date and leads the team lead with four rushing touchdowns, while freshman Dontrell Hilliard ranks third on the squad with 409 yards on 84 carries to go with three scores.
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 posted his first 300-yard passing game with a 301-yard effort last time out at East Carolina, leads the Green Wave attack with 1,853 yards and 12 touchdowns on 169-of-303 passing and all of those stats stands as Tulane records for a rookie passer. 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 465 receiving yards to go with a pair of scores while sharing the team lead with freshman Teddy Veal at 36 catches apiece. Freshman tight end Charles Jones and senior receiver Xavier Rush both have a team-high three touchdown receptions and Hilliard has 26 receptions to date.
Defensively, Tulane has 21 sacks among 75 tackles for loss, broke up 31 passes and forced 27 turnovers on the strength of 16 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries. Senior free safety Sam Scofield headlines the unit with 89 tackles (58 solo, 31 assists) while sophomore linebacker Nico Marley and junior strong safety Darion Monroe follow with 74 and 67 stops, respectively.
Junior defensive end Royce LaFrance paces the squad with 6.0 sacks, Marley leads the team with 12.0 tackles for loss and senior cornerback Lorenzo Doss headlines the secondary with eight pass break-ups. Redshirt-freshman corner Parry Nickerson has a team- and conference-best six interceptions, Monroe and LaFrance share team-high forced fumble honors with two each and the tandem of Monroe and Marley both have a team-best two fumble recoveries.
"I told our kids a couple of things," Johnson said. "One, we want to send our seniors out just the best way you can. These seniors have been awesomely outstanding. That's not a word. I kind of made that one up. They've been awesome because it's hard to get through a coaching change and a transition to do what we're doing. A lot of their teammates didn't make it through the transition.
"The second thing that is difficult is you're going into a difficult league that is a little different, your expectations are high and you don't realize the dreams that you have. We do have dreams, we do have goals and we do have vision. I want to send these guys out the best possible way that we can because they're outstanding. Their attitudes are great. It's been a good year during a trying time."
Temple, meanwhile, enters the weekend looking to snap a three-game skid after sandwiching home losses of 16-13 and 14-6 to Memphis and Cincinnati, respectively, around a 30-13 loss at Penn State. As a team, the Owls are averaging 304.9 yards of total offense per game (109.2 rushing, 195.7 passing) and 24.3 points per outing with 32 touchdowns and 14 field goals while giving up an average of 354.5 yards (164.3 rushing, 190.2 passing) and 18.8 points per contest.
Quarterback P.J. Walker leads the Temple attack with 2,062 yards and 12 touchdowns on 183-of-343 passing while adding 248 yards and three scores on the ground. Jahan Thomas paces the rushing attack with 384 yards on 80 carries and Kenneth Harper leads the Owls with five touchdowns to go with 306 yards on 79 totes. Jalen Fitzpatrick leads the receiving corps with 50 catches for 702 yards and six scores.
Defensively, Temple has 23 sacks among 71 tackles for loss, broke up 36 passes and forced 29 turnovers after picking off 10 passes and recovering 19 fumbles. Tyler Matakevich leads the squad with 101 tackles (75 solo, 26 assists), followed by Nate D. Smith with 70 (46 solo, 24 assists) and Sean Chandler with 65 (50 solo, 15 assists).
Matt Ioannidis paces the unit with 11.0 tackles for loss, Praise Martin-Oguike has a team-best 6.5 sacks and Chandler headlines the secondary with and 10 pass break-ups. Tavon Young leads the Owls with four interceptions, Averee Robinson has a team-best three fumble recoveries and Martin-Oguike has five of the team's 19 forced fumbles.
"Temple is a very, very good football team," Johnson said. "They've got a quarterback that reminds me a lot of the guy at Houston, but he can probably throw a little bit better. They've got a big offensive line. The defensive line, this No. 9 [Ioannidis] and 72 [Hershey Walton] are great players. This corner, No. 1 [Young], he earned that No. 1 jersey because that's how good he is. They're a very, very good football team. They play outstanding defense and it's going to be a tough game for us."
Saturday's game marks just the second meeting between Tulane and Temple on the gridiron, and the Green Wave won the initial meeting with a 20-14 victory in the inaugural Sugar Bowl back on Jan. 1, 1935, at old Tulane Stadium.
For tickets to Saturday's 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.
