Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Cats Can’t Swim

Houston drowns in Sea of Green, 42-17

In what was expected to be a tight contest, Tulane made easy work of the Houston Cougars en route to a 42-17 home victory, in what may have been the highest-attended game in the Kaelyn Willingham era.

With an estimated 22,000 in attendance, the Green Wave put up a ferocious second half effort after trailing 17-14 at the half. Houston QB Daniel Walker got things going early with a nice drive capped off with a 3-yd touchdown run, only to have Wave QB Bryan Higgins do what he’s done all season. Finding TE Marshall Brown for an 18-yd scoring strike, the Wave would nod it up at 7 after one. After an Aaron Armstrong FG Walker would run in for his 2nd rushing TD of the game, this one from 8 yds out. Then the Wave would do something they hadn’t done all season. On a QB scramble Bryan Higgins would fumble the ball on the dive attempt, and Houston CB Joel Cox would recover the ball. That would be Tulane’s FIRST turnover on offense for the season. Thankfully the Cougars would do nothing with the extra possession, leaving Tulane with valuable time left in the half. In about a minute Higgins & Crew would march down the field, and Bryan would find WR Aaron Gandy for his first receiving TD of the season. It wasn’t an easy half for the Wave on both sides of the ball, and Tulane would go into halftime in a 3-pt deficit.

Bryan Higgins didn’t have a huge first half. Would he have a big second?

The second half shaped up to be an interesting one. With both teams making plays in the first half, it was easy to see that the game could have a grind-it-out finish. The Green Wave had the ball first, and took no time in gaining their first lead of the game. Higgins would find Aaron Gandy for a second time in the game, making it 21-17. The misfortune struck for Houston, as Daniel Walker would be picked off by CB Charlie Smith. The Wave would capitalize on the opportunity, with Higgins finding Aaron’s brother Chris Gandy in the back of the endzone for his 4th passing touchdown of the game. For WR Chris Gandy it would be his first career TD. Then on defense the Wave would ratchet up the pressure. Walker would be sacked 5 times in the second half and the Cougars would struggle to get it going on offense. Higgins would find Marshall Brown on a deep strike and the big TE would walk into the endzone. What was a 17-14 game at the half had become a 35-17 beating in the Fourth. Chris Gandy would score another TD in the game, this one on an option pitch for the only rushing TD in the game. 42-17 the final.


Higgins would have a career-high 5 passing TDs, despite having only NINE completions in the game. The Wave defense would hold the Cougars to just 347 yards on offense. Despite the one rushing score, the Wave did manage to have another 300-yd rushing game. Coach Kaelyn Willingham did have some words for the media after the game:

Willingham: "I'm glad to see our fans come out in full force for the game. Hopefully we can keep on winning and they will keep on coming."

Tulane will enjoy the win before heading out on a 3-game road trip, starting in Tampa with the South Florida Bulls.

After a quiet 1st half, Bryan Higgins would EXPLODE in the second, en route to 5 passing TDs.








The Wave D was swarming in the second half, forcing 7 sacks and 2 turnovers.

Houston Cougars at Tulane Green Wave
Sep 23, 2017	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Houston Cougars (2-1, 0-1 American)	7	10	0	0	-	17
Tulane Green Wave (5-0, 3-0 American)	7	7	14	14	-	42

Team Stats Comparison
	HOU	TULN
Total Offense	347	496
Rushing Yards	183	338
Passing Yards	164	158
First Downs	15	21
Punt Return Yards	0	0
Kick Return Yards	169	24
Total Yards	516	520
Turnovers	2	1
3rd Down Converstion	3/10 (30%)	5/7 (71%)
4th Down Conversion	0/2 (0%)	0/0
2-Point Conversion	0/0	0/0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-2-0 (100%)	5-5-0 (100%)
Penalties	1-9	4-35
Posession Time	16:27	19:33

Houston Cougars PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Daniel Walker 10/18 151 0 2 Brian Long 1/1 13 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Cameron White 17 152 8.9 0 Daniel Walker 14 26 1.8 2 Stanley Gaines 5 16 3.2 0 Brian Long 2 -11 -5.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Willie Ingram 3 64 21.3 0 Steve Smith 3 31 10.3 0 Eric Nash 2 40 20.0 0 John Hand 2 27 13.5 0 Ray Hicks 1 2 2.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Matthew Franklin 3 2 Eric Franklin 3 0 Jared Smith, John Hand, Michael Dawson 2 0 Brandon Jennings 2 1 Sean Stanley 1 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Greg Perry 11 0.0 0 0 Chris Upshaw 9 0.0 0 0 Damien Jones 8 0.0 0 0 Corey Massey 6 0.0 0 0 Corey Avery, Kelly Robinson 5 0.0 0 0 Rodney Scott 4 0.0 0 0 Zach Hairston 3 1.0 0 0 Raymond Hall, Kevin McDowell 3 0.0 0 0 Troy Rodgers, Chris Johnson 2 0.0 0 0 4 tied 1 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Aaron Armstrong 1/1 2/2 5 50 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Pete Taylor 2 108 54.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Steve Smith 3 99 33.0 0 Eric Nash 3 70 23.3 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Tulane Green Wave PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Bryan Higgins 9/13 158 5 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Josh Williams 19 128 6.7 0 Bryan Higgins 11 115 10.4 0 Shawn Henry 8 46 5.7 0 Fred Roach 5 15 3.0 0 Chris Gandy 1 21 21.0 1 Aaron Gandy 1 13 13.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Aaron Gandy 3 43 14.3 2 Marshall Brown 2 69 34.5 2 Jason Eaton 2 26 13.0 0 Chris Gandy 1 11 11.0 1 Fred Roach 1 9 9.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Clint West 10 0 Fred Roach, Nick Bradley 4 0,1 Jeff Smith, Brandon Palmer, Marshall Brown 3 0 Phil Maxwell 2 0 Kevin Hartman, Marco Washington, Doug Clarke 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Fred Arnold 11 3.0 0 0 Ross Fowler 6 1.0 0 0 Jason Harper 6 0.0 1 0 Willie Ross 5 1.0 0 0 Tony Parker 5 0.0 0 0 Charlie Smith 4 0.0 1 0 Bruce McDaniel 4 0.0 0 0 Shaun Powers, T.J. Gray, Terrence Thomas 3 0.0 0 0 4 tied 2 0.0 0 0 Bobby Moyer, Corey Walton 1 1.0 0 0 Cedric Jackson, Jeff Smith, Trevor Phillips 1 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Zach McGee 0/0 6/6 6 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Zach McGee 2 77 38.5 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Shawn Henry 1 24 24.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Week 5's Top Results


Top 25

#7 LSU 30, #12 Arizona State 20

#18 Michigan 27, Toledo 24

Central Michigan 31, #4 Virginia Tech 30

#24 Penn State 31, Wisconsin 17

#23 Iowa 35, #25 Ohio State 42

UL Monroe 7, #8 Alabama 37

#19 North Carolina 35, Louisville 10

#9 Florida State 14, Wake Forest 38

#6 Oregon 41, UCLA 7

Kentucky 12, #21 Florida 31

UCF 28, #17 Texas 42

#15 Notre Dame 35, Purdue 3 ("Game of the Week")

South Carolina 10, #16 Auburn 52

Oregon State 14, #10 USC 23

#5 Miami 17, #3 Clemson 38

#22 Arkansas 28, Missouri 35

#1 Nebraska 42, #14 Tennessee 23

Vanderbilt 31, #2 Georgia 38

Buffalo 7, #13 Oklahoma 41

Akron 24, #11 Kansas State 27

#20 Boise State 31, BYU 21


American Athletic Conference

Houston 17, Tulane 42

Colorado 49, UConn 31

UCF 28, #17 Texas 42

Cincinnati 31, SMU 34

Ohio 35, South Florida 23

Memphis 13, East Carolina 38


Others

West Virginia 24, Maryland 20

Northwestern 42 Rutgers 45 (OT)

San Diego State 31, Utah State 17

Mid Tenn State 24, UTSA 10

UNLV 7, Air Force 31

Colorado State 14, Hawai'i 45

Oklahoma State 28, TCU 40

Syracuse 27, Duke 13

Nevada 38, Wyoming 31 (OT)

Illinois 20, Texas State 10

NC State 40, Virginia 33

Cal 38, Arizona 21

New Mexico State 21, New Mexico 14 ("Rio Grande Rivalry")

Boston College 44, Pittsburgh 12

Texas A&M 14, Mississippi State 34

Utah 25, Washington 42

Washington State 17, Stanford 27

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

A Look Around The Nation

Miami, VA Tech, FSU tumble after brutal losses


COACHES POLL

1. Nebraska (34), 3-0
2. Clemson (26), 3-0
3. Georgia (1), 4-0
4. Oregon, 4-0
5. LSU, 2-1
6. Alabama, 3-1
7. USC, 3-0
8. Kansas State, 3-0
9. Miami (FL), 2-1
10. Oklahoma, 3-0
11. Notre Dame, 3-1
12. Auburn, 3-1
13: Arizona State, 3-1
14. Texas, 2-1
15: Michigan, 4-0
16: Tennessee, 3-1
17: North Carolina, 3-1
18. Virginia Tech, 2-1
19. Florida State, 2-1
20. Boise State, 2-1
21. Florida, 2-1
22. Penn State, 4-0
23. Ohio State, 2-2
24: Missouri, 4-0
25: Stanford, 4-1

Others Receiving Votes:
Wake Forest (259), Georgia Tech (234), West Virginia (168), Arkansas (162), Iowa (145), Army (122), Miami (OH) (70)

Dropped Out:
Arkansas (#22), Iowa (#23)


BOTTOM 10

123. Memphis, 0-4
122. Texas Tech, 0-4
121. Eastern Michigan, 0-4
120. UTSA, 0-3
119. UL Lafayette, 0-3
118. UMass, 0-2
117. Texas State, 0-4
116. East Carolina, 1-3
115. San Jose State, 1-3
114. Mid Tenn State, 1-3


THE AMERICAN STANDINGS

1. Tulane, 5-0, 3-0
2. SMU, 3-1, 2-0
3. UCF, 1-3, 1-1
4. East Carolina, 1-3, 1-2
5. Cincinnati, 2-1, 0-1
6. Houston, 2-1, 0-1
7. Temple, 1-1, 0-0
8. UConn, 1-2, 0-0
9. South Florida, 1-2, 0-0
10. Memphis, 0-4, 0-2


HEISMAN WATCH

Heisman Watch - Updated: Sep 26, 2017
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Bryan Higgins	QB	Tulane		40/60, 630 yds, 10 TD, 0 INT; 69 rush, 684 yds, 7 TD
Eric Beverly	HB	Georgia		75 rush, 528 yds, 8 TD
Jesse Davis	QB	Auburn		50/85, 782 yds, 8 TD, 2 INT; 56 rush, 365 yds, 5 TD
John Mitchell	QB	Missouri		79/123, 985 yds, 7 TD, 3 INT; 55 rush, 302 yds, 7 TD
Marty McLaurin	QB	Wake Forest		60/109, 688 yds, 9 TD, 3 INT; 50 rush, 361 yds, 7 TD

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

NCAA
Cody Allen, CB, Wake Forest
TKL, 4 ATK, 4 INT

Jermaine Phillips, QB, Michigan State
23/34, 425 YDS, 6 TD; 10 CAR, 63 YDS


American Athletic Conference
Fred Arnold, MLB, Tulane
6 TKLS, 4 TFL, 5 ATK, 3 SKS

Bryan Higgins, QB, Tulane
9/13, 158 YDS, 5 TD; 11 CAR, 115 YDS

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Week 6's Top Games


Top 25

Louisville (2-1) @ #9 Miami (FL) (2-1)

Wisconsin (2-2) @ #15 Michigan (4-0)

#2 Clemson (3-0) @ #18 Virginia Tech (2-1)

NC State (3-1) @ #19 Florida State (2-1)

#12 Auburn (3-1) @ #21 Florida (2-1)

#25 Stanford (4-1) @ Washington (2-2)

Wake Forest (4-0) @ #17 North Carolina (3-1)

#20 Boise State (2-1) @ San Diego State (2-1)

#13 Arizona State (3-1) @ #11 Notre Dame (3-1)

Illinois (2-0) @ #22 Penn State (4-0)

Colorado (2-3) @ #4 Oregon (4-0)

#7 USC (3-0) @ Washington State (1-3)

#6 Alabama (3-1) @ Ole Miss (2-0) ("Game of the Week")

#23 Ohio State (2-2) @ #1 Nebraska (3-0)

#24 Missouri (4-0) @ Mississippi State (3-1)


American Athletic Conference

Tulane (5-0) @ South Florida (1-2)

SMU (3-1) @ TCU (2-2)

Temple (1-1) @ Army (2-0)

Memphis (0-4) @ UL Lafayette (0-3)

Houston (2-1) @ East Carolina (1-3)


Others

West Virginia (4-0) @ Kansas (1-1)

Utah (2-2) @ Cal (3-1)

FIU (1-2) @ UTSA (0-3)

Colorado State (2-2) @ UNLV (3-1)

Central Michigan (2-1) @ Miami (OH) (4-0)

Indiana (2-1) @ Nevada (2-2)

Georgia Tech (2-1) @ BYU (3-1)

Duke (0-4) @ Baylor (2-1)

Southern Miss (2-1) @ North Texas (2-2)

Purdue (2-1) @ Michigan State (2-2)

Arkansas (2-2) @ Texas A&M (2-2)

UCLA (3-1) @ Oregon State (1-2)

Boise State (2-1) @ San Diego State (2-1)

Maryland (1-3) @ Northwestern (2-2)

Fresno State (2-1) @ Wyoming (1-3)

Eastern Michigan (0-4) @ Oklahoma State (1-2)

Minnesota (3-1) @ Iowa (2-2)

Syracuse (3-1) @ Boston College (2-1)

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Runnin' With The Bulls

Matchup Preview *|* September 30, 2017
	@
Tulane Green Wave (5-0, 3-0 American, 1-0 Away)		South Florida Bulls (1-2, 0-0 American, 0-2 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 45.6 (#3) Points Per Game 21.0 (#102) 490.4 (#13) Total Offensive Yards 381.3 (#82) 358.4 (#1) Rushing Yards 228.0 (#34) 17 Rushing TD 4 132.0 (#112) Passing Yards 153.3 (#98) 10 Passing TD 4 Defensive Stats Comparison 18.8 Points Per Game 24.3 380.4 (#69) Total Yards Allowed 341.6 (#41) 91.6 (#3) Rushing Yards Allowed 184.3 (#67) 288.3 (#123) Passing Yards Allowed 157.3 (#31) 16 Sacks 9 12 Interceptions 2 Injury Report NONE HB Eric Patterson Strained shoulder (Questionable) Game Notes Tulane & South Florida meet again, this time in Tampa. The past few match-ups between the two schools have been rather close, to say the least. But this time around Tulane comes in with a roaring wave of an offense, averaging over 40 points & almost 500 yards per game. No one has stopped them to this point, and it will be interesting to see if the Bulls will be able to, given that they have not played a relevant team up to this point. They may have to go without their workhorse RB Eric Patterson, who is nursing a strained shoulder suffered 2 weeks ago @ Rutgers, and is questionable to play in the game. If he can't go, expect RS Sr QB Jeff Johnson and HB Darnell Taylor to shoulder the load. On defense the Wave would like to continue the intensity they played with in the 2nd half of the Houston game, and they may be able to against what has been a lackluster USF offense in the early going. But don't sleep on the Bulls D too, as they successfully neutralized the Tulane running game in the past few meetings. If they play up to par, it could be the first "true" test Tulane has had all season. Tulane's ratings: 89/89/84 South Florida's ratings: 85/81/84 Players To Watch: Tulane QB Bryan Higgins: 40/60, 630 yds, 10 TD, 0 INT; 69 rush, 684 yds, 7 TD HB Josh Williams: 83 rush, 631 yds, 6 TD MLB Fred Arnold: 38 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks South Florida QB Jeff Johnson: 39/83, 460 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT HB Darnell Taylor: 63 rush, 365 yds, 2 TD (+) HB Eric Patterson: 33 rush, 187 yds, 2 TD Kirk Herbstreit picks: TULANE

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Bryan For Heisman!

With the success of the Tulane football team early this season they have gained more than the usual attention. The outstanding play of QB Bryan Higgins in the first 5 games has gotten students on the Tulane campus excited. So excited that they have begun a grassroots campaign for him to win this year's Heisman Trophy. Well, their hard work is paying off. Nissan, the sponsor of the Heisman Trophy, has published its latest poll for the Heisman Watch. And yours truly appears at the very top. Bryan Higgins currently leads the early poll for the award after having 17 TDs to just 1 turnover in 5 games this season. He leads the nation in rushing TDs (7), 2nd in rushing yards (684), 2nd in passing TD (10) and leads the nation in QB efficiency (209.9 rating). The Tulane student body have now begun a full-fledged campaign for Bryan, using the Twitter hashtag #BRYANFORHEISMAN. The hashtag has been posted on signs around campus, and will be posted throughout the city of New Orleans as the season progresses.

The Tulane players are loving the attention they are receiving in the area as of late, as there has not been much buzz about Green Wave football in a long time.

Coach Willingham: "We're really having fun right now as a team. We know we have a lot of work to do to rise to the top, but we are definitely enjoying the time."

When asked about his new-found fame, Bryan Higgins shrugged it off in humility.

Higgins: "You know, I'm just doing what the coaches ask me to do everyday. Just trying to be the best quarterback I can be. Help this team win some games."

That's not to say he doesn't enjoy the attention.

Higgins: "It's funny. I get calls now from back home in West Virginia, and all these people are calling me like 'Bryan! You up for the Heisman race? That's what's up, man!'. So yeah, I got love from back home."

Bryan sure seems like a guy who doesn't want to let the limelight get to him. But he's definitely enjoying the time, just like everyone else. T-shirts with the #BRYANFORHEISMAN hashtag written on them will go on sale in a few weeks, if the football team keeps on winning. But for right now, the team just wants to take things one game at a time.

Stay tuned.

#BRYANFORHEISMAN

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Bryan, El Matador

Tulane tires out Bulls on way to 6-0 start

Like Spanish matadors often make little work of raging bulls, Bryan Higgins made little work of the South Florida Bulls this week, en route to being named Player of the Game after his 2-TD performance. The game took place in an evening downpour, but it didn’t stop Tulane from putting up another fine performance. We begin in the first, where Fred Roach’s TD run from 1 yd out put Tulane on the board after a long opening drive. Then after an early INT by South Florida QB Jeff Johnson, the Wave find pay-dirt again with Higgins hitting Jason Eaton in stride for a 31-yd TD pass. With just over 2:00 to go in the half Higgins would go to the air again, finding TE Kevin Hartman over the middle for a 20-yd TD. Often used as a blocker, Hartman would score the first TD of his career in the game. After throwing his 2nd INT in the game Jeff Johnson would finally get USF going, as HB Darnell Taylor (playing for the injured Eric Patterson) would punch it in from 8 yards out to put the Bulls on the board, 21-7. That would be the score at the half.

Kevin Hartman skyscraping over defenders for his first career touchdown.

In the second half it would be much more Wave football, as WR Justin Fountain would receive an option pitch and take it 80 yds to the house, making it 28-7 early in the third. After Zach McGee tacks on a 44-yd FG Jeff Johnson would throw his 3rd INT of the day, this time with LB Fred Arnold returning it 33 yds to score. 38-7 before South Florida could even figure themselves out. Not much to report on in the fourth, as the Wave sent in the 2nd stringers to close it out, but the Bulls would finally get a TD out of Johnson, as Jeff would find WR D.J. Blanchard wide open for a 47-yd TD pass. It would be the only big play Tulane would give up on the day, and Coach Willingham was proud of his team’s effort.

Willingham: "We played hard out there tonight, and we deserved the win. South Florida’s a good team, and they usually do a good job of neutralizing our rushing attack. But tonight we made the plays we needed to to handle them."

USF would get the ball back one last time, and Johnson would throw another INT, his fourth. 38-14 the final. Tulane will regroup, then head out to Philly for another night game next week with the Temple Owls. The Wave now sit at an undefeated 6-0, becoming the first team in FBS to become bowl-eligible. They have also matched their conference win total from last season at 4.

Charlie Smith grabbed some beastly INTs in the game.




Justin Fountain with the 80-yd option pitch TD.

Tulane Green Wave at South Florida Bulls
Sep 30, 2017	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Tulane Green Wave (6-0, 4-0 American)	7	14	17	0	-	38
South Florida Bulls (1-3, 0-1 American)	0	7	0	7	-	14

Team Stats Comparison
	TULN	USF
Total Offense	399	299
Rushing Yards	269	51
Passing Yards	130	248
First Downs	17	13
Punt Return Yards	0	18
Kick Return Yards	39	162
Total Yards	438	479
Turnovers	0	4
3rd Down Converstion	7/11 (63%)	2/7 (28%)
4th Down Conversion	0/0	0/1 (0%)
2-Point Conversion	0/0	0/0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-1-0 (50%)	2-1-0 (50%)
Penalties	4-40	2-10
Posession Time	24:10	11:50

Tulane Green Wave PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Bryan Higgins 9/9 130 2 0 Adam Barnes 0/1 0 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Bryan Higgins 17 86 5.0 0 Josh Williams 13 46 3.5 0 Shawn Henry 8 34 4.2 0 Fred Roach 3 6 2.0 1 Adam Barnes 3 2 0.6 0 Justin Fountain 1 80 80.0 1 Doug Clarke 1 12 12.0 0 Aaron Gandy 1 3 3.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Marshall Brown 3 33 11.0 0 Justin Fountain 2 24 12.0 0 Jason Eaton 1 31 31.0 1 Josh Williams 1 22 22.0 0 Kevin Hartman 1 20 20.0 1 Shawn Henry 1 0 0.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Jeff Smith 8 1 Brandon Palmer 6 0 Nick Bradley, Clint West 5 1 Kevin Hartman 4 0 Phil Maxwell, Josh Williams 3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Terrence Thomas 8 0.0 0 0 Fred Arnold 6 0.0 1 1 Tony Parker 5 0.0 0 0 Ross Fowler, Bruce McDaniel 4 0.0 0 0 Charlie Smith 3 0.0 2 0 Shaun Powers, Trevor Phillips 3 0.0 0 0 T.J. Gray 2 0.0 1 0 Claude James 2 0.0 0 0 8 tied 1 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Zach McGee 1/1 5/5 8 44 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Zach McGee 2 86 43.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Shawn Henry 2 39 19.5 0 Corey Brown 1 0 0.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Shawn Henry 1 0 0.0 0

South Florida Bulls PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jeff Johnson 22/33 248 1 4 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Darnell Taylor 9 39 4.3 1 Jeff Johnson 2 14 7.0 0 Joe Haynes 1 -2 -2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Darnell Taylor 7 34 4.8 0 Joe Haynes 5 58 11.6 0 D.J. Blanchard 3 84 28.0 1 Cedric Tyler 3 35 11.6 0 Jason West 3 34 11.3 0 Robert Taylor 1 3 3.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Marque McBride 4 0 Terrence Allen 2 0 5 tied 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Odell Davis, Mark Dickerson 9 0.0 0 0 Art Sanchez 7 2.0 0 0 Jason Forte 7 0.0 0 0 Joe Williams 6 0.0 0 0 Kevin Thompson, Sam Veney 5 0.0 0 0 4 tied 3 0.0 0 0 Robert Harrison 2 1.0 0 0 Ryan George 2 0.0 0 0 6 tied 1 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG James Higdon 0/1 2/2 2 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Chase Turner 1 40 40.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Joe Williams 6 134 22.3 0 Antonio Gray 1 28 28.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Joe Wiliams 2 18 9.0 0

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

When looking for matador photos online, I stumbled across this. I give the guy credit, I don't think I could have the b@lls to do this.

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Week 6's Top Results


Top 25

Louisville 28, #9 Miami (FL) 38

Wisconsin 30, #15 Michigan 20

#2 Clemson 38, #18 Virginia Tech 10

NC State 37, #19 Florida State 27

#12 Auburn 14, #21 Florida 33

#25 Stanford 21, Washington 17

Wake Forest 44, #17 North Carolina 38 (OT)

#20 Boise State 24, San Diego State 45

#13 Arizona State 7, #11 Notre Dame 17

Illinois 24, #22 Penn State 21

Colorado 35, #4 Oregon 49

#7 USC 35, Washington State 9

#6 Alabama 23, Ole Miss 0 ("Game of the Week")

#23 Ohio State 21, #1 Nebraska 44

#24 Missouri 28, Mississippi State 17


American Athletic Conference

Tulane 38, South Florida 14

SMU 6, TCU 38

Temple 17, Army 42

Memphis 3, UL Lafayette 31

Houston 52, East Carolina 17


Others

West Virginia 24, Kansas 14

Utah 28, Cal 38

FIU 24, UTSA 0

Colorado State 7, UNLV 31

Central Michigan 21, Miami (OH) 42

Indiana 24, Nevada 48

Georgia Tech 31, BYU 37

Duke 21, Baylor 35

Southern Miss 30, North Texas 27

Purdue 21, Michigan State 48

Arkansas 38, Texas A&M 35

UCLA 38, Oregon State 14

Maryland 31, Northwestern 29

Fresno State 31, Wyoming 24

Eastern Michigan 19, Oklahoma State 24

Minnesota 24, Iowa 45

Syracuse 38, Boston College 17

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

A Look Around The Nation

Wake Forest among unlikely ascenders


COACHES POLL

1. Nebraska (37), 4-0
2. Clemson (23), 4-0
3. Georgia (1), 4-0
4. Oregon, 5-0
5. USC, 4-0
6. Kansas State, 3-0
7. LSU, 4-0
8. Alabama, 4-1
9. Oklahoma, 3-0
10. Miami (FL), 3-1
11. Notre Dame, 4-1
12. Texas, 2-1
13. Tennessee, 3-1
14. Wake Forest, 5-0
15. Florida, 3-1
16. Missouri, 5-0
17. Arizona State, 3-2
18. Auburn, 3-2
19. Virginia Tech, 2-2
20. Stanford, 5-1
21. West Virginia, 5-0
22. North Carolina, 3-2
23. Michigan, 4-1
24. Illinois, 3-0
25. NC State, 4-1

Others Receiving Votes:
Florida State (123), Miami (OH) (83), Arkansas (68), Army (22), Penn State (21), Ohio State (15), Iowa (5)

Dropped Out:
Florida State (#19), Boise State (#20), Penn State (#22), Ohio State (#23)

BOLD = Surprise team in poll this week


BOTTOM 10

123. Memphis, 0-5
122. Eastern Michigan, 0-5
121. UTSA, 0-4
120. Duke, 0-5
119. Texas Tech, 0-4
118. Buffalo, 0-4
117. UMass, 0-3
116. Western Michigan, 1-4
115. Mid Tenn State, 1-4
114. East Carolina, 1-4


THE AMERICAN STANDINGS

1. Tulane, 6-0, 4-0
2. SMU, 3-2, 2-0
3. Houston, 3-1, 1-1
4. UCF, 1-3, 1-1
5. East Carolina, 1-4, 1-3
6. Cincinnati, 2-1, 0-1
7. Temple, 1-2, 0-0
8. UConn, 1-2, 0-0
9. South Florida, 1-3, 0-1
10. Memphis, 0-5, 0-2


HEISMAN WATCH

Heisman Watch - Updated: Oct 4, 2017
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Bryan Higgins	QB	Tulane		49/69, 760 yds, 12 TD, 0 INT; 86 rush, 770 yds, 7 TD
Marty McLaurin	QB	Wake Forest		73/128, 858 yds, 11 TD, 3 INT; 57 rush, 406 yds, 7 TD
John Mitchell	QB	Missouri		97/151, 1188 yds, 10 TD, 6 INT; 62 rush, 356 yds, 7 TD
Eric Beverly	HB	Georgia		75 rush, 528 yds, 8 TD
Shaun Rucker	QB	Oregon		66/119, 884 yds, 11 TD, 1 INT; 55 rush, 272 yds, 4 TD

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

NCAA
Jerald Rodriguez, CB, UCLA
3 TKLS, 2 ATK, FF, INT

Tim Ashley, QB, Hawai'i
7/11, 99 YDS, 19 CAR, 211 YDS, 5 TOTAL TD


American Athletic Conference
Charlie Smith, CB, Tulane
TKL, 2 ATK, 2 INT

Daniel Walker, QB, Houston
12/20, 193 YDS, 8 CAR, 115 YDS, 3 TOTAL TD

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

1) 6-0, 4-0 in conference play, and STILL no love for Tulane in the polls???

2) And the top 3 Heisman candidates are currently QB's for Tulane, Wake Forest and Missouri?

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Week 7's Top Games


Top 25

#14 Wake Forest (5-0) @ #24 Illinois (3-0)

#2 Clemson @ Georgia Tech ("Game of the Week")

Duke (0-5) @ #10 Miami (FL)

#3 Georgia @ #13 Tennessee

Washington (2-3) @ #5 USC (4-0)

#1 Nebraska (4-0) @ Indiana (2-2)

#19 Virginia Tech @ Pittsburgh (1-3)

#15 Florida (3-1) @ #7 LSU (2-1)

Syracuse (4-1) @ #11 Notre Dame (4-1)

Texas Tech (0-4) @ #12 Texas (2-1)

#23 Michigan (4-1) @ Purdue (2-2)

#6 Kansas State (3-0) @ #9 Oklahoma (3-0)

#21 West Virginia (5-0) @ Iowa State (2-1)

#22 North Carolina (3-2) @ Virginia (2-2) ("South's Oldest Rivalry")

#8 Alabama (4-1) @ #16 Missouri (5-0)

#20 Stanford (5-1) @ #4 Oregon (5-0)


American Athletic Conference

Tulane (6-0) @ Temple (1-2)

Cincinnati (2-1) @ Miami (OH) (5-0)

Marshall (3-2) @ UCF (1-3)

East Carolina (1-4) @ UConn (1-2)


Others

UTSA (0-4) @ Florida Atlantic (4-1)

Air Force (3-1) @ Navy (3-2)

UCLA (4-1) @ Kansas (1-2)

Rice (3-1) @ Southern Miss (3-1)

Michigan State (3-2) @ Minnesota (3-2)

Wisconsin (3-2) @ Iowa (3-2)

Penn State (4-1) @ Maryland (2-3)

Rutgers (1-2) @ Ohio State (2-3)

Ole Miss (2-1) @ Vanderbilt (2-3)

Hawai'i (4-0) @ Boise State (2-2)

Baylor (3-1) @ TCU (3-2)

Florida State (2-2) @ Boston College (2-2)

San Diego State (3-1) @ Colorado State (2-3)

Utah State (1-3) @ Wyoming (1-4)

Kentucky (1-4) @ South Carolina (1-3)

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Battle of The Birds

(Tulane's mascot is a pelican)

Matchup Preview *|* October 7, 2017
	@
Tulane Green Wave (6-0, 4-0 American, 2-0 Away)		Temple Owls (1-2, 0-0 American, 0-1 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 44.3 (#4) Points Per Game 23.0 (#95) 475.1 (#16) Total Offensive Yards 328.6 (#103) 343.5 (#2) Rushing Yards 184.6 (#71) 19 Rushing TD 2 131.6 (#115) Passing Yards 144.0 (#109) 12 Passing TD 6 Defensive Stats Comparison 18.0 Points Per Game 29.0 366.8 (#54) Total Yards Allowed 381.0 (#65) 84.5 (#1) Rushing Yards Allowed 182.3 (#64) 282.0 (#123) Passing Yards Allowed 198.6 (#70) 16 Sacks 10 16 Interceptions 4 Injury Report NONE NONE Game Notes Tulane & Temple meet again in Philadelphia. The last few meetings between the two have been very entertaining; the first being a defensive barn-burner, the second being an Ol' West shootout. This time around the talent gap is wider than usual, with Tulane bringing forth a very deep & experienced roster. Tulane's Coach Willingham has done a good job assembling talent the past few years, and while Temple hasn't done a bad job themselves the talent gap is clearly noted on paper. Tulane brings forth a more explosive QB, depth in the backfield, a powering offensive line, and a ball-hawking defense. The Owls brought in 3 top-rated RBs in the off-season, but they haven't put it together as of this point. This could be interesting, but don't expect it to be close. Tulane's ratings: 89/89/84 Temple's ratings: 81/78/80 Players To Watch Tulane QB Bryan Higgins: 49/69, 760 yds, 12 TD, 0 INT; 86 rush, 770 yds, 7 TD HB Josh Williams: 96 rush, 677 yds, 6 TD C Clint West: 33 pancake blocks, 3 sacks allowed RG Jeff Smith: 33 pancake blocks, 2 sacks allowed Temple QB Grant Dickens: 16/34, 163 yds, 3 TD, 0 INT QB Jonathan Wood: 10/20, 189 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT HB James Clark: 49 rush, 197 yds FB Desmond Ward: 40 rush, 154 yds, 1 TD Kirk Herbstreit picks: TULANE

^^^ from the 1st-ever Sugar Bowl Classic (1935)!

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Recruiting Insider

While the Wave have been filling a few needs in recruiting this season, the bulk of the recruiting has been aimed towards building depth at key positions. The current needs are at WR, OL, S, but the coaching staff is also looking at adding depth at QB, RB, TE, and LB. The offense will be losing some key starters after this season, but looks to be in good shape going forward with all the youngsters the coaches have added the past few years. The defense, however, may need some work.

Willingham: "We’re losing some key guys to graduation this spring. Charlie [Smith], Shaun [Powers], Ross [Fowler]. All those guys will be hard to replace. We hope to develop the young guys in the off-season, but as you know it’s a slow process."

In the meantime the Wave will look to add some pieces that could be immediate contributors. Willingham has 4 guys he has keened on in recruiting so far.


Mike Jackson, #20 C (JUCO Jr), Richfield, MN
Mike Jackson has captured the attention of the Tulane coaching staff from all the way in Minnesota. He currently attends junior college near Minneapolis, and would be immediately ready to play if he committed to the Wave. (81 Pass Block, 80 Run Block, 79 Impact Blocking, 87 Acceleration) highlight some of his skills. Although Minnesota’s far away from Tulane, that apparently doesn’t matter to him, as many of the schools in his top 10 are far from his hometown.

Jeff Rodgers, #42 ATH, Mobile, AL
A speedy, jack-of-all-trades guy, what makes Jeff Rodgers stand out to the coaches are his abilities on defense. The 4-star prospect out of the Land of Dixie projects as a DB on the Tulane roster, but with his (79 Man Cov, 81 Zone Cov, 81 Press, 76 Play Recognition), it’s unclear whether he’d be a man-to-man corner, or a far-back safety. But the coaches are excited about what he could do right away. He’s also no dummy, as his top 4 schools are all A-rated academic institutions (Tulane, Northwestern, Georgia Tech, Texas).

Jake Foster, #21 C (JUCO Jr), South Boston, VA
Taking a trip to southern Virgina, we find Jake Foster, a 3-star lineman whose skill set could result in immediate playing time. (79 Pass Block, 79 Run Block, 82 Impact Blocking, 88 Acceleration) means he could me moved around on the line, wherever there’s a need. Just like Mike Jackson, expect a tough fight for Foster, who’s currently really high on Kansas State. They’ve already offered him a scholarship, and Iowa, Notre Dame & Ohio State are in the running as well. It’s not expected that Coach Willingham would sign 2 JUCO players to practically the same position, but their skill sets could be great stop-gaps as the O-line may have some issues after this season.

Adam Chavis, #14 OLB, Georgetown, KY
Onto the Bluegrass State, Adam Chavis has the looks & skills of a star in the making. Good tackling ability, great speed for a linebacker, and ability to play in coverage, Chavis has all the skills to defend a Spread attack. He could also fit into any defensive package, with his versatility. But he’s a great fit for the 4-2-5 attack the coaches are currently using. He also has great size at 6’3”, 236 lbs. Might be hard to pull him out of Kentucky though, as in-state Louisville has recruited him heavily (and offered a scholarship). Notre Dame’s also in the running too.

[kswgrad2012]

Re: Tulane Football: "From Worst to First"

Wave Make It Seven

Winning streak continues after Owls make it tough

Make it seven in a row for the Green Wave football team, as they found a tougher-than-expected matchup awaiting them with the Temple Owls. If the team learned anything from the game, it’s to take everyone on the schedule seriously.

Willingham: "Well we obviously can’t let winning get to our heads. We’re 7-0, but we need to approach every game as if we’re 0-0."

After a string of blowouts & offensive explosions by the Wave, a close defensive battle was quite a change of pace. The game started out as many have this season, with Tulane scoring a TD on its opening drive. Bryan Higgins would find Aaron Gandy for a 20-yd TD strike. Then Temple would hand Tulane a taste of its own medicine, as the Owls ground attack led them to draw even at 7. It would be 10-7 Wave after one, but Temple would pound it again, with true freshman RB James Clark scoring for the second time in the game. One of last season's top-rated recruits, Clark finally had the game the Owls hoped he would when they recruited him. It would stay 14-10 until 2 minutes to go in thee half, as Bryan Higgins would take a read-option scamper 28 yds to the house. The Owls got the ball back and looked to be dead, until a busted coverage in the Tulane secondary would lead to a 60-yd play down the field by WR Jared Robinson. Temple QB Grant Pickens would then find receiver Brandon Mayhew in the endzone for a 4-yd TD strike. The Wave would tack on a FG as time expired in the half, but at 21-20 the Wave coaches felt that some adjustments would need to be made for the second half.

Willingham: "We knew they would want to run the ball on us coming into it. But when they came out in 5-wide sets to start the game, it caught us by surprise. That took away our focus and led to the big gains on the ground. But we would play the second half a lot better defensively."

It was a close first half on both sides offensively, with both teams gaining over 200 yards of offense. But the second half would be a lot different. Both rolling offenses would come to screeching halts as the defenses would turn it up. Only 13 points were scored in this half. Much of the third quarter was both teams running into a wall offensively, as there were 4 consecutive 3-and-out drives. Then Tulane would finally get a drive going, by way of an old-school style of offense: the Wingbone, or Wing-T for short. The Wingbone formation is very similar to the Flexbone formation that the service academies use today. And it would prove vital in this game, as Temple was clearly not prepared for it.

The Wingbone (Wing-T) is not a very popular offensive formation these days. But it worked wonders for the Green Wave in this game.

Out of the Wing-T, backup FB Marco Washington would punch it in for the Wave at the end of the 3rd period, and the Wave would hold the lead for the rest of the game. Temple could not do anything on offense in the second half, and when they would finally get in the redzone again, they’d go 0 for 4 tries. Turnover on downs, Tulane would march down the field again, with Bryan Higgins scoring for the 3rd time (2nd time on the ground). They’d try a 2-point attempt after that score (and for the first time this season, no less), but it would fail. Sitting at 33-21, that’s how the game would end. Temple would turn it over on downs again, and Tulane would knee it out.


The Green Wave are off to their hottest start since 1998, when the J.P. Losman-led Tulane squad finished the year 12-0, the only perfect season in Tulane history. With 3 games remaining until their first Bye week, it’s easy to get overly optimistic at the possibilities. But as the coaches & players learned in this one, it’s better to take things one step at a time. @ UConn next to finish the road trip, then it’s back home to face SMU.

Slot receiver Jason Eaton had 95 yds rushing in the game, on 2 Option pitches.



WR Aaron Gandy with the 4-yd TD grab.





Temple RB James Clark would have the first big game of his career, rushing for 130 yds on 17 carries.

Tulane Green Wave at Temple Owls
Oct 7, 2017	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Tulane Green Wave (7-0, 5-0 American)	10	10	7	6	-	33
Temple Owls (1-3, 0-1 American)	7	14	0	0	-	21

Team Stats Comparison
	TULN	TEM
Total Offense	450	356
Rushing Yards	376	161
Passing Yards	74	195
First Downs	18	15
Punt Return Yards	21	12
Kick Return Yards	85	111
Total Yards	556	479
Turnovers	0	0
3rd Down Converstion	8/12 (66%)	5/10 (50%)
4th Down Conversion	2/2 (100%)	1/2 (50%)
2-Point Conversion	0/1 (0%)	0/0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-3-2 (80%)	4-3-0 (75%)
Penalties	0-0	0-0
Posession Time	22:35	13:25

Tulane Green Wave PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Bryan Higgins 6/9 74 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Bryan Higgins 23 147 6.3 2 Josh Williams 10 69 6.9 0 Fred Roach 10 43 4.3 0 Jason Eaton 2 95 47.5 0 Shawn Henry 1 9 9.0 0 Taylor Gaston 1 9 9.0 0 Marco Washington 1 2 2.0 1 Justin Fountain 1 2 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Aaron Gandy 2 22 11.0 1 Justin Fountain 2 11 5.5 0 Chris Gandy 1 31 31.0 0 Kevin Hartman 1 10 10.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Fred Roach 8 0 Nick Bradley, Marshall Brown 5 0 Josh Williams, Phil Maxwell 4 0 Jeff Smith 4 1 Clint West 3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Fred Arnold 8 0.0 0 0 Terrence Thomas, Charlie Smith 6 0.0 0 0 Corey Walton 4 0.5 0 0 Ross Fowler, Tony Parker, Claude James 4 0.0 0 0 Willie Ross 3 1.5 0 0 Todd Carter, Shaun Powers, Trevor Phillips 3 0.0 0 0 T.J. Gray 2 0.0 0 0 Bobby Moyer 1 1.0 0 0 4 tied 1 0.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Zach McGee 2/2 3/3 9 35 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Zach McGee 1 44 44.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Shawn Henry 3 66 22.0 0 Charlie Smith 1 19 19.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Shawn Henry 2 21 10.5 0

Temple Owls PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Grant Dickens 12/17 195 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD James Clark 17 130 7.6 2 Grant Dickens 12 30 2.5 0 Desmond Ward 1 1 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Joe Parks 4 40 10.0 0 Brandon Mayhew 3 40 13.3 1 David Henry 2 28 14.0 0 Jared Robinson 1 60 60.0 0 Kelvin McCloud 1 15 15.0 0 James Clark 1 12 12.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Seth Jackson 4 1 Wes Hooper 4 2 Joe Parks 2 0 Lonnie Johnson, Kedrick Brooks 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Matt O'Donnell 14 1.0 0 0 Mark Williams, Mike Williams 9 0.0 0 0 Brent McGee 7 0.0 0 0 Earl Wiley 6 0.0 0 0 Paul Sanders, Matt Sarria 5 1.0 0 0 Scott Tyree 4 0.0 0 0 Eric Hamilton, Andrew Cannon 3 0.0 0 0 Kareem Washington 2 0.0 0 0 6 tied 1 1.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Bryson Johnson 0/1 3/3 3 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Blake Archer 2 64 32.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Jared Robinson 4 89 22.2 0 David Henry 1 22 22.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Jared Robinson 1 12 12.0 0