Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

[kswgrad2012]

Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

So I FINALLY figured out how to post on these forums. Haha. Anyway, gonna do a Tulane dynasty on NCAA 13 (don't have the cash for 14 yet). Keep it true & realistic. Gonna stay for the long haul. Build them up from "Worst to First".


Styles:
Offense: run the "Killer Option" (Option playbook I created)
Defense: likely a 4-3 (I don't have much success w/ anything else)
Play Difficulty: Heisman
Recruiting Difficulty: Heisman (any lower on 13 & it's too easy)

Plan:
1. Start off simple, just try to get bowl-eligible.
2. Move to Big East (now American), continue to improve.
3. Win a few BCS games, then move to Power conference.
4. Move to either SEC or ACC. I could return Tulane to their former SEC stomping grounds, or move to the ACC (the "All-Academic Conference") since my school has A-rated academics.
5. Eventually win some NC's.

How I'm Gonna Make It Interesting:
1. Only recruit players w/ high interest in Academics. Automatically look at players w/ "High", "Very High", or "Most" interest in Academic Prestige. If they are "Average" or "Above Average", I'll attempt to sway their interest. If I consistently fail, they'll be removed from the Recruiting Board.
2. Play LSU every year (except Year 1). Bring back the "Battle for the Tiger Rag".
3. Heisman sliders for everything. FINALLY I have a challenge...
4. Play as many "academic power" schools in non-conf as possible (Stanford, Northwestern, Rice, etc.)
5. Maybe form a new rivalry w/ Alabama. Crimson Tide vs. Green Wave. Call it "Battle of the Waters". Haha.
6. NO FCS opponents.


Hope it's a challenge!!! Stay tuned!



Tulane Green Wave:
C-USA (2012-2013): 12-13 (9-7 C-USA)
American Athletic (2014-present): 38-20 (30-9 American)
Current season: 2018: 6-1 (4-0 American)
Bowl Record: 2-2
Conf. Titles: 1 (2017)
BCS Titles: 1 (2017)

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Year 1 Review

Decided to sim Season 1 w/ Tulane. The starters didn't fit my offense quite well, so I simmed games & did recruiting. Kept it fairly realistic. Held up to my recruiting standard: ONLY recruit players w/ high Academic interest. Man, was it tough...

I created myself as the Head Coach. Coach Kaelyn Willingham's first year with the Green Wave was a good one.

Here are the results:
Finished the year 7-6 (5-3 C-USA). Played Colorado State in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl and lost 37-14. Got a 2-year contract extension for going 7-6. Shows you how low the standards at Tulane are. Won 6 straight games at one point (1st time in a while Tulane's done that). RB Orleans Darkwa had a 1300-yd rushing season. My FIRST EVER 1000-yd rusher, since I run the Option & distribute the ball a lot.

Got some good recruits. More people like Academics than I thought.

Some Key Recruits: QB Jeff Shelby (3* Scrambler, 72 OVR). QB Tim Ashley (2* Scrambler, GEM, 70 OVR). FB Shaun Berry (2* Blocking, 66 OVR). FB J.J. Thomas (2* Blocking, GEM, 67 OVR). MLB Jamie Baker (3* Run Stopper, 62 OVR).

Shelby & Ashley will battle w/ returning QB Devin Powell (RS Fr) for the starting job. J.J. Thomas will be converted to TE so Berry can start at FB. Berry will make a good Option fullback, while Thomas will play the H-Back role. Jamie Baker will start at MLB for the season.


Things lookin' good so far.

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Year 2 Review

Season 2 of my Tulane dynasty didn't go as successful as I had hoped, but we'll improve for next year. Got some BIG news as far as recruiting is concerned, but I'll catch everyone up with some of the big news around the college football world as we ended the season.


Heisman Trophy
LSU RB Alfred Blue took home the Heisman Trophy this year.

2014 BCS National Championship
Oregon defeats Clemson, 37-31, to take home the Crystal Ball. RB DeAnthony Thomas is your Nat'l Champ MVP.

Other BCS Matchups
Rose Bowl: Utah defeats Nebraska, 39-35.
Sugar Bowl: Florida defeats SMU, 45-24.
Orange Bowl: LSU defeats Ohio State, 21-16.
Fiesta Bowl: TCU defeats ECU, 34-30.

Conference Champs
ECU wins Conference USA (def. Tulsa)
Clemson wins the ACC (def. Georgia Tech)
Florida wins the SEC (def. LSU)
Utah wins the Pac-12 (def. Stanford)
Bowling Green wins the MAC (def. Toledo)
Colorado State wins the Mountain West (def. Fresno State)
Nebraska wins the Big Ten (def. Wisconsin)
TCU wins the Big 12
SMU wins the Big East (aka "American")
Texas State wins the Sun Belt

FYI: I play my dynasty on NCAA 13 since I'm too broke to buy 14. Though the game refers to the Big East conference as "Big East", from here on out I will be consistent & refer to the new conference as "The American". You're welcome.


With all that out of the way, here's the final AP Poll for the season:

NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Jan 9, 2014
RK	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	Oregon (61)	11	2
2	TCU	11	2
3	Washington	10	2
4	LSU	12	2
5	Alabama	9	3
6	Clemson	11	3
7	Oklahoma	11	2
8	Utah	10	3
9	Michigan State	9	3
10	Wisconsin	10	3
11	Ohio State	8	4
12	ECU	10	3
13	Auburn	10	3
14	Florida	11	3
15	Army	11	2
16	Cincinnati	11	2
17	Nebraska	9	4
18	Miami (FL)	9	4
19	Iowa	7	5
20	Mississippi State	9	4
21	Colorado State	12	2
22	Northwestern	9	4
23	Georgia Tech	10	4
24	Northern Illinois	9	3
25	Navy	10	3

(To Be Continued...)

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Year 2 Review (cont.)

All-Americans
The Green Wave did not have any players reach All-American status. But they did have 4 players attain All-Conference status. The following players were named to the All-Conference USA 1st & 2nd Teams:

1st Team:
Orleans Darkwa (Sr, KR)

2nd Team:
Jordan Batiste (So, CB)
Renaldo Thomas (So, FS)
Cairo Santos (RS Jr, K)


Coaching Changes

Tulane was able to keep its offensive coordinator going forward, as Eric Price signed a 2-yr extension.

Other Coaching Changes:

• Art Briles fired at Baylor (now HC at Texas Tech). IRONY...
• June Jones fired at SMU despite 9-4 record & BCS berth. WTF?????
• then-fired Tommy Tuberville (HC, Texas Tech) now HC at UConn
• Mark Richt fired at Georgia (now HC at FIU).
• After being fired at FIU, HC Mario Cristobal becomes HC at rival FAU. Haha!
• After Bill Snyder retires, both his coordinators get HC gigs: DC at Georgia, OC now at NC State.
• Mike Riley fired at Oregon State.
• Frank Beamer retires from Virginia Tech. About time... Replaced by Oregon DC Nick Aliotti.

Notable Draft Picks (School, Position, Round #)
D. Millner (Alabama, CB, 1st)
T. Boyd (Clemson, QB, 1st)
J. Jones (Georgia, OLB, 1st)
S. Montgomery (LSU, OLB, 1st)
T. Eifert (Notre Dame, TE, 1st)
K. Stills (Oklahoma, WR, 1st)
J. Randle (Oklahoma St, RB, 1st)
C. Pachall (TCU, QB, 1st)
L. Joeckel (Texas A&M, OL, 1st)
S. Redd (USC, RB, 1st)
R. Woods (USC, WR, 1st)
S. Bailey (W. Virgina, WR, 1st)
J. Abbrederis (Wisconsin, WR, 1st)

D. Hopkins (Clemson, WR, 2nd)
L. Bell (Michigan St, RB, 2nd)
L. Toilolo (Stanford, TE, 2nd)
K. Price(Washington, QB, 2nd)

A. Blue* (LSU, RB, 3rd) *Heisman Trophy winner
Z. Ertz (Stanford, TE, 3rd)

A. Murray (Georgia, QB, 4th)
A. Ogletree (Georgia, OLB, 4th)
D. Smith (Ohio St, WR, 4th)

C. Hyde (Ohio St, RB, 5th)
T. Bray (Tennessee, QB, 5th)

T. Martinez (Nebraska, QB, 6th)

Z. Mettenberger (LSU, QB, 7th)
A. Maxwell (Michigan St, QB, 7th)



(To Be Continued...)

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Year 2 Review (cont.)

So guys, I said I had a lot of big recruiting news to share. Well here it is!


To the surprise of man coaches across the country, Coach Kaelyn Willingham was able to assemble an amazing recruiting class, in just his second year with the program. The Green Wave recruiting class ranked 20th in the nation. That's right, TWENTY. This class includes FIVE 4-star players and 13 3-star players. Most notable recruit: 4-star QB Maurice Johnson, the No. 2 QB on ESPN's 150 list. He will enter what is expected to be a FOUR-way QB competition heading into the fall.

In addition to the QB, Willingham also convinced QB Tim Ashley to stay with the team. Ashley, who threatened to leave for Arkansas State due to playing time, realized that he actually did have a good shot to win the starting job due to his performance last season. With Orleans Darkwa graduating, Ashley returns as the leading rusher from last season, despite just 3 starts.

A week later, Coach finds out that former Oklahoma QB Trevor Knight has decided to transfer to Tulane. He will sit out the upcoming season, but if the QB situation continues to be unresolved, he could become a big factor going into 2015. In addition to Knight, former Tulsa WR Justin Atkinson has also decided to play for the Wave.

In addition to the QB's, Tulane's class includes 4* HB's Doug Clark and Nick Miles, 4* WR Justin Fountain, 3* TE Marshall Brown, 2 additional FB's and a solid core of offensive linemen.

While Coach Willingham added numerous pieces to his offense, he did add some notable pieces to his defense, a defense that ranked in the bottom five in the country last year in pass defense and overall defense. This includes 4* CB Shaun Powers and 3* DE Corey Walton. These guys are expected to contribute right away to ail a less-than-stellar pass defense.


Tulane's in-depth 2014 recruiting class can be found below. Enjoy!

QB

• Maurice Johnson, 4*, 71 OVR (-7 BUST)

HB

• Doug Clark, 4*, 66 OVR
• Nick Miles, 4*, 66
• Scott Moore, 3*, 62

FB

• Fred Roach, 1*, 64 OVR
• Marco Washington, 1*, 63

WR

• Justin Fountain, 4*, 69 OVR
• A.J. Wright, 3*, 63
• Randall Armstrong, 3*, 64

TE

• Marshall Brown, 3*, 72 OVR (+6 GEM)
• Kevin Hartman, 3*, 62

T

• Phil Maxwell, 3*, 65 OVR
• Antwan Harrison, 2*, 64 (+9 GEM)

G

• Jeff Smith, 3*, 67 OVR
• Nick Bradley, 3*, 66
• Charles Rogers, 2*, 61

C

• Clint West, 3*, 64

DE

• Corey Walton, 3*, 69 OVR

OLB

• Ross Fowler, 3*, 62 OVR (+6 GEM)
• Todd Carter, 2*, 62

CB

• Shaun Powers, 4*, 72 OVR
• T.J. Gray, 3*, 68
• Drew Watson (JUCO Soph), 3*, 69

Great Class! As Signing Day comes to a close, LSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Arkansas and Michigan all had top-5 classes. WhileNew Mexico, Louisiana-Lafayette, Western Michigan, Buffalo and Eastern Michigan all round out the BOTTOM 5.

Surprises: The Purdue Boilermakers brought in the 9th best recruiting class. That's right, NINTH. WTH...????? At the same time, SEC powers South Carolina & Texas A&M each had the 80th & 84th ranked classes, respectively. WOW.....


(To Be Continued)

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

*Courtesy to BleedGreen710 for the new banners!*

Year 3 Preview

It's time for Season 3 of Tulane Football: From Worst to First! As the Kaelyn Willingham era enters Year 3 in New Orleans, the Tulane Green Wave enter the season with MANY questions to answer. Who starts at QB? Will the defense improve? Can they play as a COMPLETE team? How will they do in Year 1 of their new conference? Willingham hopes that all that and more will be answered in the first few weeks.

A Season Preview is available below. Enjoy!


"The New-Look Big East: American Athletic Conference"
Alright guys, I said I play on NCAA 13, so technically the Big East is still the "Big East." But to keep consistent w/ all the NCAA 14 players, I'll refer to it as "The American" in this dynasty. After using some effective Conference Realignment changes, most changes are as expected, based on what's going to happen in real life. The only difference is Marshall leaving C-USA for the MAC. Since all their C-USA rivals are now in The American, Marshall will resume an old rivalry w/ MAC member Ohio Bobcats. This move also balances the MAC at 14 teams (2 divisions X 7 teams), and gives C-USA a round-robin conference schedule at 10 teams.

Preseason Outlook for The American is posted below. "What you guys think?"

1. ECU
2. Cincinnati
3. SMU
4. Houston
5. UCF
6. Temple
7. Tulsa
8. UConn
9. USF
10. Tulane (booo!)
11. Memphis


Preseason AP Top 10
Didn't feel like writing down all 25 teams, so I'll just give out the Preseason Top 10. The Green Wave will be facing one of these teams at home on Week 3. Guess which one...

AP Top 10
1. LSU
2. Oregon (last year's Nat'l Champ)
3. Alabama
4. Washington (surprise, surprise...)
5. Michigan State
6. Clemson
7. Oklahoma
8. Auburn (huh?)
9. Wisconsin
10. TCU (Nat'l Champ dark horse)


Heisman Watch List
A few surprises make the Preseason Watch List. But all their teams did good last season.

1. QB Angel Santiago, Army
2. HB Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
3. HB Tre Mason, Auburn


All-Americans
Tulane did not have any players make the NCAA Preseason All-America 1st & 2nd Teams. But they did have 4 players make both All-AAC teams.

1st Team AAC:
RG Corey Redwine, RS JR
CB Jordan Batiste, RS Jr (should NOT have, though)
FS Renaldo Thomas, Jr

2nd Team AAC:
CB Darion Monroe, RS Jr (should have made 1ST team)


Tulane Green Wave 2014 Schedule
Schedule includes 8 conference games & 4 non-conference. We play all AAC teams except UCF and Temple. Non-conference schedule consists of 4 rematches from last year, including the Battle for the Tiger Rag vs. LSU & the Battle for the Victory Bell @ Southern Miss. Bye weeks are Weeks 1, 6, 12.

Here's the schedule. Again, what do you guys think?

Tulane Green Wave 2014 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Sep 6	at Southern Miss
Sep 13	vs #1 LSU
Sep 20	at BYU
Sep 27	vs SMU
Oct 11	at Memphis
Oct 18	vs Houston
Oct 25	vs UConn
Nov 1	at USF
Nov 8	at #22 Cincinnati
Nov 22	vs Marshall
Nov 29	vs Tulsa
Dec 6	at #21 ECU

Position Battles
The Green Wave enter the 2014 season with MANY positions unsolidified. Although QB Trevor Knight transferred to Tulane from Oklahoma in the off-season, the QB race will be 3-fold, with returning Sophomores Devin Thomas & Tim Ashley competing w/ true Freshman Maurice Johnson. Johnson, the #2 QB prospect in this year's class, replaces Sophomore QB Jeff Shelby, who was dismissed from the program due to academic & behavioral issues .

The HB & FB positions will likely be by committee this season, as no true front-runner emerged at these positions during spring AND fall practice. The TE position will also likely be committee this season, although this is due to the good depth at the position. Coach Willingham is likely to get creative with his offense this season!

The WR position will be situational. Smaller, quicker receivers will be utilized mostly in Spread formations as a way to stretch the defense, for both the pass AND the run. Bigger, physical receivers will be used in Flexbone, Wingbone and other traditional formations to help facilitate a ground-and-pound running game. They will be used heavily in blocking.

The Defense doesn't have any major changes but will be expected to improve. Most of the starters from last year return to their positions, with higher expectations in mind.



Personally, I will NOT be afraid to use situational packages in my depth chart/playcalling this season. I actually think it makes the game more fun. That DOES include the QB position. I haven't done it before, but I am kinda looking forward to running a 2-QB system this season, with Powell & Ashley. Especially if neither one pulls away by the Week 6 bye. Here's how the "Situation Offense" would work:

QB:
Tim Ashley: used during "stretch-the-field" running, play action pass (utilize his SPEED)
Devin Powell: used during "power" running, "intentional" passing (when we have to pass); intent is to utilize his LARGE BODY & HIGH PASSING AWARENESS.

HB:
RB committee of Dante Butler, Robert Kelley & Wendell Goolsby ALL STARTING. Goolsby is a former WR w/ 88 Speed, 91 Acceleration. Kelley will also see time at FB with his 6'1" 225-lb body.

FB:
FB committee of Shaun Berry, Taylor Bullock & HB Robert Kelley; with Berry used in Power situations, Kelley used in Spread situations, and Bullock used mainly in blocking. Bullock will also be used in LIMITED receiving & rushing.

WR:
WR's will be used in either Spread formations or Power formations, depending on their size, speed & blocking ability. As explained above.

TE:
TE committee of Matt Marfisi, Marshall Brown & J.J. Thomas. Situation distribution similar to WR's.



FYI: The offense this season will go no-huddle in Spread situations, while playing ground-and-pound in Power situations.




Hope you all have enjoyed this 2014 Tulane Green Wave Preview! Remember always, Roll Wave!!!

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Sorry I haven't updated my Tulane dynasty lately! I visited my friend at college this weekend and am returning home today. New Tulane update later this week!

Preview: My team has the bye this week. I'm thinking of updating my offensive playbook...


As you can see in the signature, my team is 1-3 this season. But we're riding a wave of momentum into the bye week, and we hope to continue that success going forward!


Roll Wave!

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

After a rough 0-3 start, Kaelyn Willingham's Green Wave squad have turned their season around with FOUR straight victories. They have evened their mark at 4-3, and have opened American Athletic Conference play w/ an impressive 4-0 record. For just the third time in the Willingham era the team is above .500; they currently sit at 3rd in the conf. standings. Up next: USF, who's having a rough season at 2-5. A win would give them 5 straight, putting them at 5-3 (5-0 AAC), which puts them in great position going into next week's matchup @ #6 Cincinnati, who currently leads the conference. The Bearcats just came off a HISTORIC upset @ #11 Ohio State, in which they became the first Ohio team in over 90 YEARS to defeat the Buckeyes. The Tulane-Cincinnati game is sure to have huge implications in determining the inaugural American Athletic Conference champion.


ROLL WAVE!!!


PS: Currently my top 2 rushers are BOTH my QB's. Isn't that weird???

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

So I had my Green Wave team rolling on a 4-game winning streak after a 0-3 start. Only to lose this week to a WINLESS team.

The Green Wave dropped a 21-13 decision to the South Florida Bulls, who finally claimed their first win of the season. Both teams approached the game in similar fashion: establish the ground game, play good defense. Well neither team was really able to run the ball; the Wave were held to 164 yards on the ground, 2nd-lowest of the season. The Bulls fared far worst at 88 yds. But both defenses played stout today. I was surprisingly impressed with my defense's performance.

The Green Wave (now 4-4, 4-1 AAC) have a much-important contest coming up in Cincinnati. the #7 Bearcats are firing on all cylinders this season, coming off that huge win @ Ohio State. While they will not be undefeated in conf. play as they had hoped, the Wave are still very much looking forward to this game. We just hope they're still hung over on that win!

In other news, Coach Kaelyn Willingham has brought his career win-loss record at Tulane to 16-17 overall, 13-8 in conference play. Having won more games as head coach than the previous THREE Tulane coaches combined, the Athletic Department is looking at a hefty contract extension for him .

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

GREEN WAVE UPSET CINCINNATI!!!

The Green Wave pull off a historic upset, beating the #6 Bearcats 48-41 in Cincinnati over the weekend. The win gives Tulane its first win vs. a Top 10 opponent in team history, and puts them in prime position to win its first American Athletic Conference title, at 5-1 in conference play.

For a team that struggled to run the ball against USF, the Green Wave put up 400 on the ground versus the Bearcats. Another 100 in the air gave them 500 for the day. Though the defense didn’t help by making it a shootout, they made the plays they needed to make to secure the victory.

The Wave (5-4, 5-1 American) turn their attention to closing the season. They have a battle with UCF and Temple for the conference title. Neither team do the Green Wave play this season.

[Deuce2223]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Congrats on your Top-10 win and current spot atop the AC. Do you plan on staying with Tulane longterm? and if so do you hope to one day move them to the SEC?

I am in my 4th year at Georgia State and after going 11-2 and winning the Sunbelt in my 2nd year with the team I moved them to Independent Status. I then went 4-0 against SEC opponents and 10-2 Overall before beating Arizona in my bowl game, so I went ahead and made a massive change with the SEC adding 6 teams, well moving TAMU and Arkansas to the Big 12, Missouri to the Big Ten and Kentucky to the ACC.

Anyways good luck moving forward

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Congrats on your Top-10 win and current spot atop the AC. Do you plan on staying with Tulane longterm? and if so do you hope to one day move them to the SEC?

I am in my 4th year at Georgia State and after going 11-2 and winning the Sunbelt in my 2nd year with the team I moved them to Independent Status. I then went 4-0 against SEC opponents and 10-2 Overall before beating Arizona in my bowl game, so I went ahead and made a massive change with the SEC adding 6 teams, well moving TAMU and Arkansas to the Big 12, Missouri to the Big Ten and Kentucky to the ACC.

Anyways good luck moving forward

Thanks man!

Yes I do plan to stay with the Green Wave long term. I'm doing a "1 star to 6 star" dynasty. I'm gonna stay in the AAC until I win some BCS games & attain big-time status. I'm debating moving them to the SEC & playing stiff competition, or moving to the ACC & playing "smart schools." I recruit based on our academic grade (A+), and was thinking of adding Notre Dame to the ACC as well if I went there.

What do you think?

By the way, nice work with GSU! I know a lot of people who struggle with them. Keep me updated!

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Thought I’d give you guys an update on how the season finished. Just finished Season 3 (2014) last night, and it ended on a high note.

Week 11, BYE WEEK: The Green Wave were off this week, but we did get some things accomplished. My recruiting class is shaping up to be a good one, as this season I decided to focus on improving the defensive side of the ball. We’ve got some good D-linemen coming in to improve our pass rush, and we’ve also added some players in the secondary. I’ll go in-depth into the recruiting on my blog, but go there & check out these stud ATH’s I’m recruiting. One of them could be the next Myles Jack…

Week 12, vs. Marshall: The Green Wave came fresh off the Bye still buzzing over the win @ Cincinnati (who, by the way, has lost 3 straight games). But they weren’t able to keep their momentum going. The Wave suffered defeat at the hands of the Thundering Herd, who were firing on all cylinders throughout the game. The Wave couldn’t run the ball, amassing a season low 77 yards on 43 carries. Much of the season-high passing yardage came in garbage time after the game was well-in-hand. FINAL SCORE: Marshall 27, Tulane 11

Week 13, vs. Tulsa: The Wave would rebound after the disappointing loss the last week at home. They would send their seniors out right on Senior Day with a home victory vs. Tulsa. Tulsa, who has struggled all season, continued their woes against the Green Wave, who seemed to get their mojo back. The running game was working, the defense played tough, and they blew them out. FINAL SCORE: Tulane 45, Tulsa 16

Week 14, @ ECU: The Wave came into this game knowing the conference title was on the line. They played hard and outlasted a feisty Pirates team. Though the Wave will have to go forward without one of their own, as QB Devin Powell went down with an undisclosed injury. Nonetheless, FINAL SCORE: Tulane 41, ECU 38

End of Season info coming up!

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

6-6 (5-4 ACC) vs. 7-5 (7-1 American)



We're in the Belk Bowl!

The regular season is over, Bowl Season is upon us! Tulane has accepted a bid to play in the 2014 Belk Bowl against Florida State at Bank of America Stadium: home of the Carolina Panthers! The Green Wave are excited for the game, as they get to play another tough competitor in the ACC’s Seminoles. Though Florida State did not have the season they anticipated finishing 6-6, they were still able to hang tough with some of the nation’s best competition. Players from both teams are looking forward to the matchup, as many of them grew up together in the South and will be reunited for the game.

Coach Kaelyn Willingham is excited for the game, as he doesn’t get to coach against this type of competition very often. “I’m excited for the game, I’m excited for the players.” he says. “It’s nice to go to a bowl game that’s close to home. I’m sure family and friends will be excited to travel!”

The game will be broadcast on ESPN, and local networks. Tune in! And stay tuned for post-game coverage!

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Wild Game in Charlotte!

A game that quickly became a defensive struggle. A game in which the offense didn’t show up until the end. A game in which one team committed SIX turnovers and never fell out of the game. A game in which a 3rd-string True Freshman QB made the biggest plays. And a game that would come down to a freshman mistake. This was Tulane-Florida State.

The Green Wave went into the Belk Bowl knowing they had quite a task at hand, taking on a Florida State team that didn’t have the season they wanted, but were still a feisty team to mess with. The game began with an early Tulane turnover by QB Tim Ashley; thankfully the Wave defense was able to hold the Seminoles to 3. Ashley would go on to fumble the ball THREE more times in the first half, losing two of them. The god news: after a few defensive stops (including a key 4th-down stop in the Florida State redzone), the game would go into the half tied 3-3.

Needing a spark on offense, Coach Willingham would not turn to Ashley in the 2nd half. Nor would he turn to QB Devin Powell; Powell broke his collarbone in the last game of the regular season, and his season in over. Willingham chose to turn to the Number 3: Maurice Johnson. The true freshman would come in and immediately make his impact. He would have a historic day, rushing for a Belk Bowl record 233 yards on 15 carries. It seemed like every time Tulane’s defense would bail out the offense, the offense would give Florida State the ball right back. Tulane would turn over the ball SIX times in the game, including 5 fumbles.

FSU would take a 17-10 lead, but then Johnson would make his biggest play of the game. Running for a 67-yd touchdown with 1:13 left in the game, Johnson would help tie the game at 17. But then FSU would come back. Marching down the field in under 40 seconds, FSU QB Clint Trickett would throw a deep bomb TD to take the lead. Then the drama: The Green Wave would get the ball back, then with 10 seconds left Johnson would complete a bomb down the field to WR Shawn Henry. With :03 left Tulane just needs to spike the ball then set up the Hail Mary. But Johnson audibles out of the spike play, then tries to go back to it while letting the game clock run down to :00. No timeouts, GAME OVER. Tulane loses 24-17.

The Wave finish the season 7-6, but hope to put the bowl loss behind them as they hope to continue the success they had this season going forward. The Green Wave would love to win a conference title in 2015, and Coach Kaelyn Willingham will be looking for a new contract in the offseason.