Coach Geezy in the Big Easy: Our City, Our Team | Tulane Green Wave (Part I archive)

[Deegeezy]

I like the height/speed combo Adams. That frame will be good against the taller receivers you face.....

Yeah he looks like a good player. He'll probably get redshirted but end up one of my top 4 corners next season.

Goodness the rich get richer in Bama.....looks like they won't miss a beat from Ingram to Stewart

I've learned not to focus too much on the overalls in this game as finally the individual ratings seem to have more of an impact and you seem to have a few raw gems

Beck, nice job stealing him away from Texas, I like his speed and tackling numbers......he could become something

I'm drooling over ATH Smith, speed to burn and great size.....he might make a beastly receiver in a few years

ATH Washington....no way he's a two star guy with that size, speed and coverage skills....can you say hidden gem?

Overall you did a good job recruiting

I had to look 3 or 4 times at Washington's numbers before I believed it. I was so pumped when I got him because I put in a lot to find him. I throroughly scouted and came across him at about mid-season. Going into the off-season I figured i had no chance because I was down -800 to his hometown Missouri, as I had been all during the year. Thankfully I was able to schedule a visit in week 1 of the off-season and I totally nailed the recruiting call that week. I got an A+ grade on the visit and he signed right afterwards.

He'll be a back-up at SS in year 1 but I may get him into the CB rotation since his ratings are so high in the coverage areas. He'll sort of be our Malcom Jenkins (hybrid corner/safety).

Great sign with the safety not sure why is overall is so low but his coverage skills are excellent. One of the better 3* athletes that I have seen.

He's actually a 2-star ATH! I can't wait to follow this guy's career.

His OVR is low because his 67 AGI, and 70 ACC I believe.

Recruiting class looks like it brought in some better recruits than last year, interesting that you may be going back into the SEC

Yeah it's more or less wishful thinking at this stage. I do see that Mississippi State is stinking it up though so their spot in the SEC West may be ripe for the pickin' if I could sting together a couple of spectacular years soon. Their program prestige is down to 1 also. It's amazing how hard they have fallen in this particular dynasty.

A bright future ahead for your team Dee, a new outlook on things around campus I am sure.

Nice class. Scott and Woodard should be solid on the o-line in a few seasons.

Thanks guys...The class is really starting to grow on me. The guy I am most anxious to use is the ATH Will Washington. I will probably play him at nickle or dime back as well as at back-up SS.

He's actually a 2-star ATH! I can't wait to follow this guy's career.

His OVR is low because his 67 AGI, and 70 ACC I believe.

Oh wow 2* even better. Yeah the acc can be a problem, but it should be fine at safety. I got a 3* RB/ATH who really struggles hitting the hole cause his ACC is in the 70s.

Yeah I think he'll be fine. With the way his coverage ratings have started off, he should very rarely be out of position. I can't wait to see this guy in action!

[Deegeezy]

2012 Tulane Green Wave Roster



* - IMPACT player
RED - redshirted player
c - Team Captain
Starters in BOLD
t - Transfer (ineligible this season)


Offense

[size=1]
[b][u]
# - POS - NAME               Class  HGT  WGT  Ovr[COLOR="White"].[/COLOR][/u][/b]
[b]
#18 QB  Curtis Byrd          SO     6-1  203  69 [/b] 
#11 QB  Ryan Griffin (c)     RS-SR  6-5  217  72 
#13 QB  Chris Moore          FR     6-2  196  63
[COLOR="red"]#8  QB  George Ford          FR     6-3  195  58[/COLOR]
[b]
#22 RB  Orleans Darkwa       JR     5-11 204  77 [/b]
#26 RB  Joey Roberts         SO     6-2  185  71 
#28 RB  Payten Jason         SR     5-11 196  71 
#24 RB  Stephen Barnett      RS-JR  5-11 203  65
#6  RB  Thomas Walker        FR     6-2  214  59
[COLOR="red"]#19 RB  William Archer       FR     5-10 160  55 [/COLOR] 
[b]  
#44 FB  Kasey Stelly         RS-SR  6-1  249  61 [/B]
#39 FB  Simon Parker         SO     6-0  241  54 
[b]
#5  WR  *D.J. Banks          SR     5-9  177  85  
#89 WR  Devin Figaro         SR     6-2  198  75 [/B]
#9  WR  Wilson Van Hooser    RS-JR  6-0  184  73 
#87 WR  John Lacey           SO     6-4  182  67
#46 WR  Brett Comardelle     RS-SO  6-0  183  70
#86 WR  Brandon Clark        RS-JR  5-11 166  68 
#12 WR  D.J. Ponder          RS-SR  6-2  195  72 
#3  WR  Ryan Grant           RS-JR  6-0  180  69
#1  WR  Jordan Sullen        RS-JR  5-11 182  59
#7  WR  Isaiah Smith         FR     6-4  209  63 
[b]
#81 TE  Brock Sanders        SR     6-3  236  64 [/b]
#83 TE  Jeff Valentine       SO     6-5  229  56  
[b]
#77 LT  L.J. Abrams          SR     6-6  322  77  
#79 RT  Eric Jones           RS-SR  6-6  306  72 [/b]
#70 LT  Sean Donnelly        RS-SO  6-8  300  63  
#78 RT  Roosevelt Shaw       RS-FR  6-3  270  53
[COLOR="red"]#73 LT  Luke Scott           FR     6-4  273  56[/COLOR]
[b]
#69 LG  Hunter Howden        RS-JR  6-4  290  68
#65 RG  Zach Morgan          SR     6-2  295  76 [/b]
#72 LG  Rio Mares            RS-JR  6-5  324  63
#60 RG  Ben Stone            RS-SO  6-3  299  66
[COLOR="red"]#64 RG  Jamie Matthews       FR     6-5  299  56[/COLOR]
[b]
#55 C   Brent Woodard        FR     6-3  282  68 [/b]
#67 C   Jeff Payne           RS-FR  6-5  279  57
[/size]

Defense

[size=1]
[b][u]
# - POS - NAME               Class  HGT  WGT  Ovr[COLOR="white"].[/COLOR][/u][/b]
[b]
#50 LE  Austen Jacks         SR     6-3  238  76 
#54 RE  Devin Williams       RS-JR  6-2  226  73 [/b]
#94 LE  Casey Blum           RS-SR  6-3  256  71  
#90 RE  Wendell Beckwith     RS-SO  6-3  242  69  
#57 RE  Jay Wood             SO     6-5  225  57
[b]
#92 DT  Anthony McCloud      RS-SR  6-2  307  79
#97 DT  *Shane Delery        SR     6-3  268  75   [/b]
#91 DT  Joe Hogan            SO     6-5  303  59
#93 DT  Kenneth Welcome      RS-SO  6-2  290  54  
#95 DT  Bruce Stovall        SO     5-11 285  51
#96 DT  Chauncey Harrison    RS-FR  6-2  278  50
[COLOR="red"]#84 DT  Mark Hopkins (t)     JR     6-4  303  80 [/COLOR]
[b]
#49 LOLB *Kerchal Byrd (c)   JR     6-0  221  80  
#34 ROLB *Darryl Farley      RS-SR  5-11 232  79[/b]
#43 ROLB Logan Hamilton      JR     5-11 220  63 
#59 ROLB Ray Oppman          RS-SO  6-1  217  59 
#56 LOLB Martin Dickson      SO     6-6  237  61  
[B]
#2  MLB  Samson Beck         FR     5-10 234  64[/b]
#53 MLB  Andre Robinson      JR     6-1  220  66 
#20 MLB  Trent Mackey        RS-SR  5-11 226  65
#52 MLB  Shelton Babcock     RS-FR  6-0  226  56  
[b]
#17 CB   Alex Lauricella     RS-SR  5-10 180  74 
#10 CB   Ryan Travis         SR     5-11 161  66 [/b]
#27 S/CB Will Washington     FR     6-3  216  63 (nickle)
#33 CB   Kendrick Washington RS-JR  5-9  163  63
#42 CB   Thomas Ham          FR     5-11 185  64
#15 CB   Andrew Adams        FR     6-1  178  61
#38 CB   Derek Richardson    SO     6-1  161  52
[COLOR="red"]#41 CB   Mark Cummings       FR     6-0  184  51 [/COLOR]
[b]
#4  FS   Shakiel Smith       SR     5-11 194  79 [/b]
#21 FS   Kyle Davis          RS-SO  5-11 207  68 (dime) 
[B]
#47 SS   Cameron DeJean      JR     6-2  197  74 [/b]
#30 SS   Peter Morreale      RS-JR  5-11 190  62

[/size]

Specialists

[size=1]
[b][u]
# - POS - NAME               Class  HGT  WGT  Ovr[COLOR="White"].[/COLOR][/u][/B][B]

#14 PK  Ryan Rome            RS-JR  5-9  168  86 [/B]
[B]
16  P   Jonathan Ginsburgh   JR     5-11 199  81 [/B]
[B]
#9  KR1 Wilson Van Hooser    RS-JR  6-0  184  88 [/B]
#26 KR2 Joey Roberts         SO     6-2  185  79
[B]
#9  PR  Wilson Van Hooser    RS-JR  6-0  184  88 [/B]

[/size]

* - IMPACT player
RED - redshirted player
c - Team Captain
Starters in BOLD
t - Transfer (ineligible this season)

[Deegeezy]

2012 Tulane Green Wave Schedule


Date
08/25 at #22 Georgia Tech
09/01 Mississippi St.
09/08 at #9 Ole Miss
09/15 SMU
09/22 UAB
09/28 at Houston
10/07 at UTEP
10/12 Rice
10/20 at Memphis
10/27 ECU

BYE
11/10 at Tulsa

BYE
11/24 #14 LSU


Home games in BOLD

[Deegeezy]

2012 ESPN the Magazine College Football Preview



Preseason Top 25 Coaches' Poll

1.Alabama (41)
2.Miami (20)
3.Texas
4.Clemson
5.Wisconsin
6.Stanford
7.Pittsburgh
8.Michigan St.
9.Ole Miss
10.Oklahoma
11.Ohio St.
12.West Virginia
13.South Carolina
14.LSU
15.TCU
16.Michigan
17.Boston College
18.Auburn
19.Georgia
20.Purdue
21.Boise St.
22.Georgia Tech
23.Cincinnati
24.Florida
25.Utah
59. Tulane



2012 ESPN Heisman Favorites


1.QB Jordan Wynn (sr), Utah
2.QB A.J. McCarron (rs-jr), Alabama
3.QB Amir Griffin (so), Oklahoma
4.RB Dion Lewis (sr), Pittsburgh
5.RB Tre Newton (rs-sr), Texas



2012 Conference USA Projected Finish


West

1.Tulsa
2.Tulane
3.Houston
4.SMU
5.UTEP
6.Rice

East

1.Southern Miss*
2.UCF
3.Memphis
4.Marshall
5.UAB
6.ECU




* - Projected overall winner

[Deegeezy]

Wow nice center you got their. I can't get any to even talk to me, good job. That schedule will be tough with three ranked teams but hopefully you can push for a C-USA conf championship bid. I like the white helmets and was wondering why you weren't wearing them any.

Thanks...Yeah I had been saving the white helmets but couldn't hold off much longer. I wanted to have something in my back pocket just to help keep things from getting stale (not that they are).

Wow man, great offseason you definitely added a lot of depth and got a quality starter in the center. Will Washington is going to be a stud, maybe even this year. It's nice to see McCloud in the lineup anchoring that defensive line. Tough schedule and a huge season opener against Georgia Tech. If you can pull out the win their it could really set the tempo for you this season. I also love to see the LSU season finale. Your schedule is beginning to look more and more like an SEC schedule. It is only a matter of time before you make the move. I also really like the white helmet, much classier in my opinion. Looking forward to the opener!

I'm a little worried about the out of conference schedule, in particular the LSU and Ole Miss games. I am sure I can handle MSU. GT wil be tough but they're certainly beatable.

McCloud could really be a game-changer for us at DT. I can't wait to get this thing started!

3 straight games vs. Georgia Tech? You're crazy Geezy
also your back-up QB is the captain?
:wtf:

I didn't want it to be that way but week 1 was the only week that the game would allow me to schedule GT.

I sure do miss the days where we could pick our own team captains. You're right, the AI's choice is pretty bogus.

Byrd only progressed like what, 3 points? that's a little disappointing unless his THA improved significantly

Short leash for him this year if he starts messing up?

He went from a 64 to 69 so +5. He went from a 72 to a 75 in accuracy His chief ratings are: 82spd, 74thp, 75tha. Griffin's are 63spd, 75thp, and 81 tha.

I'm sticking with Byrd. I know I grew frustrated at the end of last year but I am confident he'll turn the turnovers around this season.

Schedule looking tough with 2 of the 3 ranked teams being road games, but I could see you possibly winning the C-USA this year if everyone plays to potential.

That's the goal...I really think we can win the conference this season. It is ripe for the taking.

[Deegeezy]

N/R 25 -- 0-1
#22 31 -- 1-0

TOP ROW: Georgia Tech QB Jordan Luallen slips through the grasp of Tulane DE Devin Williams and turns the option-keeper into a 93-yard touchdown run, putting the Yellow Jackets up 7-0 early. BOTTOM ROW: Tulane back-up QB Ryan Griffin get hammered as he throws, resulting in a pass that ends up in the hands of Georgia Tech DT J.T. Lanier. The redshirt senior would take the turnover 52 yards for a fourth quarter touchdown that made the score 28-10 early in the period.

TULANE FALLS TO #22 GEORGIA TECH 31-25 ON OPENING DAY

Yellow Jackets score all 31 points off turnovers in defeating Tulane in rubber match from last season | Tulane's fourth quarter comeback attempt comes up short | Geezy benches Byrd in second half, won't immediately commit to a week two starter | Team hopes to clean-up its mess next week in home opener versus Mississippi State

Atlanta, GA -- The Tulane Green Wave fell to #22 Georgia Tech 31-25 Saturday in Atlanta on the opening day of the 2012 season. The game marked the third conseuctive time the two schools have faced off dating back to last season, with Georgia Tech taking each of the last two contests. Tulane fell to the Yellow Jackets 25-17 in last season's Champs Sports Bowl, just one game after upsetting Georgia Tech 27-20 at the Louisiana Superdome in their 2011 regular season finale.

Yellow Jackets QB Jordan Luallen, who won the starting job over last year's starter Tevin Washington, finished the game with 192 passing yards and one touchdown through the air. He also rushed 15 times for 100 yards, the bulk of which came on a 93-yard first quarter touchdown burst on an option-keeper.

Georgia Tech would quickly strike again following the big play as on the ensuing kickoff, Tulane KR/WR Wilson Van Hooser was stripped of the ball by Yellow Jackets freshman CB Ross Collier, a 4-star player who chose Georgia Tech over Tulane last fall during recruiting. PK Wesley Harvey would recover the fumble and returned it 21 yards for a touchdown to make the score 14-0 in the first quarter.

"That was a tough way to start things off and by the time we finally recovered, it was already too late," said Tulane head coach D. Geezy.

The story for Tulane was turnovers. The Green Wave turned the ball over four times during the game, not including a turnover on downs on the team's final series. The Yellow Jackets (1-0) scored all 31 of their points following turnovers, including a back-breaking interception return for a touchdown by DT J.T. Lanier that made the score 28-10 in the fourth quarter.

Green Wave second year QB Curtis Byrd largely struggled during the game and was benched at halftime following a 4 of 12 for 53 yard performance that included 2 interceptions, including one late in the first half that resulted in a Georgia Tech touchdown pass from Luallen to WR Kevin Blanco that made the score 21-7 just before halftime.

Back-up QB Ryan Griffin, a redshirt senior, finished the game in Byrd's place and went 7 of 11 for 167 yards with one touchdown and one interception, though largely not his fault. The perfomances of his two signal callers led to several questions from reporters after the game regarding who will be the team's starting quarterback moving forward.

"We'll have to sit down and evaluate the game on film as a staff but I am not ready to make a decision based on emotion," said Geezy.

"There was a point in the game where we felt like Curtis was struggling a bit and we needed a spark on offense. I thought Ryan did some good things in the game.

"We have a tough decision to make."

Tulane would get the ball back late in the fourth quarter with a chance to either tie or win the game. Starting at their own 20-yard line, Griffin drove Tulane all the way to midfield with less than a minute to go. However an intentional grounding penalty on 1st down and a sack of Griffin on 3rd down put the Green Wave in a next-to-impossible 4th and 27 situation from their own 33-yard line. Griffin's desperation heave to WR D.J. Banks deep down the field would fall incomplete with 0:52 remaining, ending Tulane's hopes.

Georgia Tech (1-0) would melt the final 0:52 off the clock with running plays and add field goal on the game's final play to pad their lead.

"I didn't think it was necessary in that situation but I can understand their logic," said Geezy.

"Their kicker had a rough day and missed three field goals so I imagine they just wanted to get him some work. Personally, I would not have risked the block but who am I to question a coach that's beaten us two times in a row now?"

Tulane (0-1) will host Mississippi State (0-0) next week at the Louisiana Superdome. The game will mark the first meeting between the two former SEC rivals since the 2007 season.


Box Score


1st

GT: 93 yd TD run by Luallen (Harvey kick) 3:09 -- 0-7
GT: 21 yd fumble return for TD by Harvey (Harvey kick) 3:01 -- 0-14
TU: 2 yd TD run by Darkwa (Rome kick) 0:01 -- 7-14

2nd

GT: 12 yd TD pass from Luallen to Blanco (Harvey kick) 0:08 -- 7-21

3rd

TU: 46 yd FG by Rome 3:29 -- 10-21

4th

GT: 52 yd INT return for TD by Lanier (Harvey kick) 7:18 -- 10-28
TU: 80 yd TD pass from Griffin to Lacey (Rome kick) 7:04 -- 17-28
TU: Fumble by Roberts at goal line recovered in end zone for TD by Stone (Darkwa run) 3:32 -- 25-28
GT: 43 yd FG by Harvey 0:00 -- 25-31

----------------------------------

Game Statistics

Tulane

Click here to view 2012 Tulane Green Wave Roster

[size=1]

* - IMPACT Player

[U]
Passing                      RATING  COMP  ATT  YDS  TD  INT   [/U]  
18-QB  Curtis Byrd(so)         37.1    4    12   53   0   2
11-QB  Ryan Griffin(rs-sr)    202.9    7    11  167   1   1 
[U]
Rushing                         ATT  YDS  TD [/U]
22-RB  Orleans Darkwa(jr)        21  110   1
26-RB  Joey Roberts(so)           7   27   0
11-QB  Ryan Griffin(rs-sr)        3    8   0
18-QB  Curtis Byrd(so)            2    6   0
60-RG  Ben Stone(rs-so)           0    0   0 (1 fr, 1 td)
[U]
Receiving                       REC  YDS  TD[/U]
89-WR  Devin Figaro(sr)           3   46   0
 5-WR  *D.J. Banks(sr)            3   36   0
81-TE  Brock Sanders(sr)          2   46   0
87-WR  John Lacey(so)             1   80   1
83-TE  Jeff Valentine(so)         1    1   0
22-RB  Orleans Darkwa(jr)         1   11   0
[U]
Defensive                       TAK  SOLO  AST  TFL  SCK  INT[/U]
 4-FS  Shakiel Smith(sr)         10   10    0    4    0    0
49-OLB *Kerchal Byrd(jr)         10    9    1    1    0    0
50-DE  Austen Jacks(sr)           2    2    0    2    2    0
21-FS  Kyle Davis(rs-so)          1    1    0    1    1    0
[u]
Kicking                         FG MADE FG ATT LONG  MISSED  XP MADE XP ATT [/U]
14-PK  Ryan Rome(rs-jr)           1       1     46     n/a     2       2

[B][U]Tulane Key Team Stats:[/U][/B]

Total Offensive Yards: 371
Rushing Totals: 33 att 151 yds 1 td
Sacks Allowed: 1
3rd down conversions: 5-11 (45%)
Offensive Turnovers: 4
Penalties: 5 for 54 yards
Time of Possession: 18:34
[/size]

#22 Georgia Tech

[size=1]

* - IMPACT Player

[U]
Passing                      RATING  COMP  ATT  YDS  TD  INT   [/U]  
 7-QB  Jordan Luallen(rs-jr)  189.5    9    15  192   1   0
[U]
Rushing                         ATT  YDS  TD [/U]
 7-QB  Jordan Luallen(rs-jr)     15  100   1
32-FB  Richard Watson(rs-sr)     11   40   0
24-RB  Chris McIntyre(fr)         2   11   0
 2-RB  Nick Wise(fr)              2    0   0
[U]
Receiving                       REC  YDS  TD[/U]
88-WR  *Kevin Blanco(so)          4  114   1
32-FB  Richard Watson(rs-sr)      2   33   0
15-WR  Marlon Brown(rs-jr)        2   24   0 
 5-WR  Stephen Hill(sr)           1   21   0
[U]
Defensive                       TAK  SOLO  AST  TFL  SCK  INT[/U]
34-SS  Johnny Alexander(fr)       8    7    1    0    0    1
39-FS  Jeff Sims(fr)              8    6    2    0    0    1
22-CB  Ross Collier(fr)           2    2    0    0    0    0 (1 ff) 
99-DT  J.T. Lanier(rs-jr)         1    1    0    1    1    1 (1 td)
[u]
Kicking                         FG MADE FG ATT LONG  MISSED  XP MADE XP ATT [/U]
 4-PK  Wesley Harvey(so)          1       4     43  60,55,43   4       4 (1 fr, 1 td)

[B][U]Opponent Key Team Stats:[/U][/B]

Total Offensive Yards: 343
Rushing Totals: 30 att 151 yds 1 td 
Sacks Allowed: 3
3rd down conversions: 2-11 (18%)
Offensive Turnovers: 1
Penalties: 4 for 27 yards
Time of Possession: 13:26
[/size]

----------------------------------

2012 Tulane Green Wave Schedule/Results

  [SIZE=1]
                                                                     
Opponent (record)       Result        Tulane Player of the Game         -Record-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
at Georgia Tech (1-0)   L 25-31       RB Darkwa 21 car 110 yds 1 td     0-1 (0-0)
vs Mississipi St. 
at Ole Miss
vs SMU
vs UAB
at Houston
at UTEP
vs Rice
at Memphis
vs ECU
at Tulsa
vs LSU

[/SIZE]

Next Game:


(0-0) at (0-1)

.

[Deegeezy]

Sticking with Byrd until he goes 4-12 with 2 picks lol.........you had to bench him though, he wasn't getting the job done....Griffin played well in his place, might have a quarterback controversy on your hands........tough loss tho, in a span of three games with GT, you already have a nice lil rivalry brewing

He was just awful. That was my first time playing in a truly hostile environment so I saw a whole 'nother side of awful from him I guess due to composure.

I do need to take that into consideration with my ultimate decision.

Not sure just yet what I want to do at QB. The downfall with Griffin is that he was pretty much a statue in the pocket. If no one was open, I had no fall back option of running. This negative was magnified in the closing moments of this past game with him getting sacked in crunch time and also being forced to intentionally ground the ball on another occassion late due to his slowness.

The kicker scored? oh say it isn't so haha just playing man. Tough loss to take, turnovers just killed you. It looks like quite the QB controversy brewing. Who you pick could determine just how far Tulane goes this season. I love the storyline of the rivalry between you and georgia tech, I feel like this will be a yearly battle now. Good luck bouncing back against miss st! its time to show the SEC you belong in their conference!

This is indeed a huge decision. I can honestly say I am not leaning one way or another right now. I may go with the proverbial ""game time decision."":thumbsup:

I definitely plan to start trying to schedule GT every year.

kick Mississippi State's *** m'kay?
lol tough loss against Tech man

I think I can blow away Mississippi State. I don't know what's happened to them, but their team looks garbage. They must have been pretty bad in recruiting lately. They're like 3-21 through two years of this dynasty and are now a 1-star prestige team!

We gots a rivalry going with GT. Tough loss though dude

A rivalry indeed...I must admit a part of me enjoyed the fact that CB Ross Collier of their's, a player I recruited heavily and ended up second place to GT, came up with a game-changing play. It just adds to the rivalry.

Another great game against Tech, to bad you lost. I like the all whit unis.

I'm feeling them too. I can't wait to see how they look underneath the Superdome lights. I think they look sharp & clean.

3 Games in a row against GT all close battles. I agree a yearly rivalry could be brewing. Hopefully, you can rebound against Miss St.

Yeah we seem to have a knack for the close battles. It would be nice to blow a team out. I have had some comfortable wins, but haven't really had a true ""it-was never-close,"" ""put the back-ups in"" blowout.

[Deegeezy]

Tulane | Byrd to remain starter
Sat, 1 Sep 2012 8:11:49 -0700
Tammy Nunez of the New Orleans Times Picayune reports that Tulane head coach D. Geezy has informed sophomore QB Curtis Byrd that he will start the team's week 2 game versus Mississippi State this afternoon at the Louisiana Superdome. ""Curtis had a rough outing last week obviously but we've determined as a staff that he gives us the best chance of winning moving forward,"" said Geezy. ""At the end of the day, this young man has a winning record here however he is still very young and there will be some bumps in the road, especially in a hostile environment such as Georgia Tech. We think he had a great week of practice and is ready to take command of the offense.""

___________________________


Tulane | Punter Martin to visit
Sat, 1 Sep 2012 8:11:49 -0700
Tammy Nunez of the New Orleans Times Picayune reports that Tulane will host 3-star punter Sean Martin this weekend for an on-campus visit. The Zachary, Louisiana native has a very strong and accurate leg and is also capable of kicking field goals. Tulane is considered a long shot for his services however as sources have indicated that he is close to committing to Ohio State. Miami, Alabama, and Oklahoma round out his top five with his home state Tulane ranked 5th.


___________________________


Tulane | Saints GM calls for community support of Tulane
Sat, 1 Sep 2012 8:11:49 -0700
Lenny Vangilder of NewOrleans.com reports that the Tulane Green Wave got a vote of support from an unlikely spokesperson this week, New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. “I’ve watched what Boise State and Utah have done in recent years. The only thing that keeps Tulane from that is community support,” Loomis said at Monday’s Quarterback Club meeting. “That’s your responsibility and my responsibility. I know I’m going to be there for every Tulane game this year that I can. I encourage all of you to do that.”

___________________________

[Deegeezy]

21 -- 0-1
24 -- 1-1

Tulane sophomore QB Curtis Byrd sees the middle of the field wide open and takes off for an 11-yard touchdown run that increased the Green Wave's lead to 21-13 with just 0:12 to go until halftime.

TULANE OUTLASTS MISSISSIPPI STATE IN 24-21 VICTORY AT THE SUPERDOME

QB Byrd responds to week-long criticism with solid effort going 13 of 19 for 213 yards and 2 total touchdowns | Tulane's victory their first over an SEC opponent since 32-29 win over Bulldogs in 2006 at Starkville | Green Wave now shifts focus to bout with #6 Ole Miss next week on the road

New Orleans, LA -- The Tulane Green Wave won for the first time in this early 2012 season, defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs 24-21 Saturday at the Louisiana Superdome. Green Wave QB Curtis Byrd went 13 of 19 for 213 yards and had one touchdown throwing the ball. The sophomore also had a solid day running the ball finishing with 39 rushing yards, including an 11-yard second quarter touchdown run.

Mississippi State (0-1) moved the ball well throughout the game however they were only able to punch the ball into the end zone on two occassions.

"We played a good bit of bend-don't-break versus their spread, no huddle attack," said Tulane head coach D. Geezy.

"We knew that we would be giving up a lot of yardage and short underneath stuff however the guys did a good job of buckling down in the red zone and forcing a couple of field goals as well as a third quarter fumble deep in the red zone."

Green Wave PK Ryan Rome's 42-yard field goal with 2:33 remaining in the game seemingly put the contest away at 24-13. The Bulldogs had other plans however.

Mississippi State would drive 76 yards on 8 plays and scored when QB Dan Stegall found WR Chad Bumphis for a 20-yard touchdown that made the score 24-19. RB Derek Boyd's two-point conversion run would make it a three point deficit at 24-21 with 0:50 remaining.

Tulane FS Shakiel Smith would recover the ensuing onsides kick however to all but put the game away. Green Wave RB Orleans Darkwa would ice the game by converting on 3rd and 3 with a 5-yard run with 0:41 remaining and Mississippi State out of timeouts.

Tulane (1-1) will travel to face another SEC opponent, #6 Ole Miss (2-0), next week on the road. The Rebels and Green Wave last met in the 2010 season with Ole Miss winning 31-10 at the Louisiana Superdome during Geezy's first season at Tulane.

Notes: The Green Wave won their first game over an SEC opponent since September 16, 2006, coincidentally against Mississippi State 32-29 on the road. Tulane is 27-30 all-time versus their former SEC rivals from Starville, winning 3 of their past 6 match-ups dating back to 2003.


Box Score


1st

: 27 yd FG by Whitfield 4:21 -- 0-3
: 1 yd TD run by Stelly (Rome kick) 1:15 -- 7-3

2nd

: 4 yd TD run by Boyd (Whitfield kick) 7:34 -- 7-10
: 46 yd TD pass from C. Byrd to Lacey (Rome kick) 6:52 -- 14-10
: 48 yd FG by Whitfield 4:08 -- 14-13
: 11 yd TD run by C. Byrd (Rome kick) 0:12 -- 21-13

3rd

No Scoring

4th

: 42 yd FG by Rome 2:33 -- 24-13
: 20 yd TD pass from Stegall to Bumphis (Boyd run) 0:50 -- 24-21

----------------------------------

Game Statistics

Tulane

Click here to view 2012 Tulane Green Wave Roster

[size=1]

* - IMPACT Player

[U]
Passing                      RATING  COMP  ATT  YDS  TD  INT   [/U]  
18-QB  Curtis Byrd(so)        169.4   13    19  213   1   1
[U]
Rushing                         ATT  YDS  TD [/U]
22-RB  Orleans Darkwa(jr)        21   96   0
18-QB  Curtis Byrd(so)           11   39   1
26-RB  Joey Roberts(so)           2   15   0
44-FB  Kasey Stelly(rs-sr)        1    1   1
[U]
Receiving                       REC  YDS  TD[/U]
 5-WR  *D.J. Banks(sr)            3   35   0
22-RB  Orleans Darkwa(jr)         2    3   0
83-TE  Jeff Valentine(so)         2   31   0
89-WR  Devin Figaro(sr)           2   25   0
81-TE  Brock Sanders(sr)          2   45   0
 9-WR  Wilson Van Hooser(rs-jr)   1   28   0
87-WR  John Lacey(so)             1   46   1
[U]
Defensive                       TAK  SOLO  AST  TFL  SCK  INT[/U]
49-OLB *Kerchal Byrd(jr)         15    8    7    1    0    0
 4-FS  Shakiel Smith(sr)         10    4    6    0    0    0 (1 ff)
10-CB  Ryan Travis(sr)            8    7    1    1    0    0 (1 fr)
[u]
Kicking                         FG MADE FG ATT LONG  MISSED  XP MADE XP ATT [/U]
14-PK  Ryan Rome(rs-jr)           1       1     42     n/a     3       3

[B][U]Tulane Key Team Stats:[/U][/B]

Total Offensive Yards: 364
Rushing Totals: 35 att 151 yds 2 tds
Sacks Allowed: 2
3rd down conversions: 6-9 (66%)
Offensive Turnovers: 1
Penalties: 3 for 30 yards
Time of Possession: 18:46
[/size]

Mississippi St.

[size=1]

* - IMPACT Player

[U]
Passing                      RATING  COMP  ATT  YDS  TD  INT   [/U]  
19-QB  Dan Stegall(rs-jr)     164.9   25    31  272   1   0
17-QB  Tyler Russell(rs-jr)   200.7    1     1   12   0   0
[U]
Rushing                         ATT  YDS  TD [/U]
37-RB  Derek Boyd(so)            14  105   1 (2-pt)
19-QB  Dan Stegall(rs-jr)         7   23   0
17-QB  Tyler Russell(rs-jr)       1   -4   0
18-WR  Michael Carr(jr)           1    4   0
[U]
Receiving                       REC  YDS  TD[/U]
37-RB  Derek Boyd(so)             6   33   0
 3-WR  *Brandon Heavens(sr)       5   61   0
86-TE  Mark Henderson(fr)         4   21   0
43-FB  William Shumpert(rs-jr)    3   53   0
 1-WR  *Chad Bumphis(sr)          3   59   1
16-WR  Ryan Elliot(rs-jr)         2   19   0
83-WR  Charles Bailey(rs-sr)      2   14   0
12-WR  Robert Johnson(rs-so)      1   24   0
[U]
Defensive                       TAK  SOLO  AST  TFL  SCK  INT[/U]
50-MLB Jason Brown(fr)           14   12    2    0    0    0
99-DE  Sean Ferguson(rs-sr)       5    5    0    2    2    0
31-SS  Jamerson Love(jr)          5    5    0    0    0    1
[u]
Kicking                         FG MADE FG ATT LONG  MISSED  XP MADE XP ATT [/U]
 4-PK  Marque Whitfield(so)       2       2     49     n/a     1       1

[B][U]Opponent Key Team Stats:[/U][/B]

Total Offensive Yards: 412
Rushing Totals: 23 att 128 yds 1 td 
Sacks Allowed: 0
3rd down conversions: 3-8 (37%)
Offensive Turnovers: 1
Penalties: 3 for 30 yards
Time of Possession: 13:14
[/size]

----------------------------------

2012 Tulane Green Wave Schedule/Results

  [SIZE=1]
                                                                     
Opponent (record)       Result        Tulane Player of the Game         -Record-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
at Georgia Tech (1-0)   L 25-31       RB Darkwa 21 car 110 yds 1 td     0-1 (0-0)
vs Mississipi St. (0-1) W 24-21       QB Byrd 13-19 213 yds 2 total tds 1-1 (0-0) 
at Ole Miss
vs SMU
vs UAB
at Houston
at UTEP
vs Rice
at Memphis
vs ECU
at Tulsa
vs LSU

[/SIZE]

Next Game:


(1-1) at #6 (2-0)

.

[Deegeezy]

Nice win, Ole Miss will be tough to beat

Thanks man...You're right. We need to play flawless to even stand a chance on the road against #6.

Nice 'W' man
C-USA play will seem easy after nonconference

That's the idea! There is always a method to the madness.

If you can beat two straight Mississippi teams in a row, :flashfap:

Lacey using that speed for that TD

Wow someone's been doing their homework on this! Lacey has turned into the ultimate deep threat. He seems to get at least one big play almost every week.

Byrd responded to his critics and managed the game well....hopefully he can build on this and become more consistent because the talent is certainly there

That's what it is all about...managing the game. I find it imperative for us to not ever get down early. Because if I have to make Byrd do too much, we're in trouble.

Great win and good job by Byrd.

Thanks man.

Solid win man. Byrd really silenced his critics, despite the turnover he had a really good game. Ole Miss is going to be tough though. Although if you can down a top ten team from the SEC it would go miles and miles for putting your program on the map..good luck man! Can't wait to see how it turns out!

That one turnover was pretty upsetting too. He missed a wide open target on a slant route and threw it directly to the safety.

You're right, a win this week may take our program to the next level. It'll be tough but certainly not impossible.

Hard fought win over the Bulldogs. The Rebels will be another tough test. Hopefully, the boys stay focussed and pull off the shocker.

Thanks man...It should be a good game. I'll be firing this one up later today and hopefully can get the results posted some time tonight.

[Deegeezy]

NR 24 -- 2-1
#6 20 -- 2-1

TOP: On the opening possession of the second half, Tulane OLB Kerchal Byrd strips Ole Miss RB Rodney Scott of the football & DT Shane Delery scoops it up and returns it 44 yards for a touchdown that gave Tulane a 17-6 lead early in the third quarter. BOTTOM: With his team trailing 20-17, Tulane QB Curtis Byrd finds a hole in the Rebels' zone coverage and connects with WR D.J. Banks on an 80-yard touchdown bomb which put the Green Wave ahead for good at 24-20 with just 0:50 to go in the contest.

QB BYRD THROWS GAME-WINNING TOUCHDOWN PASS WITH UNDER A MINUTE REMAINING AS TULANE STUNS #6 OLE MISS 24-20 IN RAINY OXFORD

Banks' 80-yard scoring reception gives Green Wave their first ever win over a top 10 opponent | Tulane picks up ""program-advancing"" victory over former SEC rivals despite sloppy play & conditions | Team will open up Conference USA play next week versus SMU at the Superdome

Oxford, MS -- The Tulane Green Wave engineered a monumental upset, topping 6th ranked Ole Miss 24-20 Saturday in rain-soaked Oxford. Despite turning the ball over five times, the Green Wave were able to persevere and make enough big plays in the end to come away with a victory. Tulane QB Curtis Byrd's 80-yard touchdown pass to WR D.J. Banks gave the Green Wave a 24-20 lead with 0:50 remaining in the game.

Ole Miss (2-1) would get the ball back and penetrate all the way to the Tulane 49-yard line on their next possession. However a holding penalty and then a sack on 2nd down by DT Shane Delery backed Ole Miss up to their own 40-yard line with just 0:15 remaining. After spiking the ball to kill the clock on 3rd down, the Rebels would face a 4th and 18 from the 40. Rebels QB Nathan Stanley launched a deep pass all the way to the end zone to WR Melvin Harris however Green Wave CB Alex Lauricella swatted the ball away to preserve his team's victory.

"That ball seemed to hang up in the air forever," said Tulane head coach D. Geezy.

"After playing a near-flawless game on that side of the ball, we had given up a big play on their previous possession which resulted in them taking the lead for the first time since the second quarter. This time though, the defensive backs located the football in the air and came away with a great play."

Byrd, who finished the day 11 of 21 for 202 yards and two touchdowns, had trouble holding onto the football during the game. The much-maligned sophomore threw three interceptions, two in the first quarter and one of which on the opening possession of the game in the red zone to conclude what was a promising 9-play drive to start the day. The Colorado native also had two fumbles in the game, including one that was returned 74 yards for a touchdown by Rebels DT Alan Thomas to cut the Green Wave's lead to 17-13 with 2:01 remaining in the third quarter.

"This was a situation where we had an opportunity to increase our lead to possibly three scores which would have been huge," said Geezy.

"I was disappointed that we did not take better care of the football today but at the same time, I thought perhaps the poor conditions may have contributed to the turnovers. With that said, we have to be more mindful of the type of game we're playing and treat each and every possession with more care."

The Green Wave played a solid game defensively, holding Ole Miss to 287 yards on the day and only one offensive touchdown. The team was able to force three turnovers, including a fumble that was recovered and returned 44 yards for a touchdown by DT Shane Delery which gave the Wave a 17-6 lead late in the third quarter.

"I think all 3 phases today came together and complimented each other well," said Geezy.

"This was a big win for these kids and a big win for Tulane University. We still have a long way to go but it looks like this squad is ready to take the next step and get to the next level of being a championship-caliber ball club. We just have to continue to take it one week at a time."

The win marks the team's second straight week defeating an SEC opponent, as the Green Wave topped Mississippi State 24-21 last week at home. Tulane is reportedly lobbying for a return to the SEC after residing in the conference from 1933-1965. Saturday's win went a long way in proving they belong.

"We showed today that we can play with pretty much anybody and teams need to be prepared for a street-fight whenever they see the Green Wave on their schedule," said Geezy.

Tulane (2-1) will host SMU (0-3) next week at the Louisiana Superdome in what will be the first full weekend of Conference USA play. The Green Wave fell to the Mustangs 45-24 last season on the road.

Notes: The win for the Green Wave over the 6th ranked Rebels marked the school's first ever win over a top 10 ranked opponent...Tulane starting DE Devin Williams sustained a hip injury in the first half of Saturday's contest. Geezy indicated in his post game press conference that the injury will keep Williams out for the next 3 to 4 weeks. Sophomore DE Wendell Beckwith played in Williams' place and recorded 3 tackles and a sack during the game.

Greatest Game Score: 1,358 (#2 Overall)

Box Score


1st

OM: 36 yd FG by Rose 2:52 -- 0-3
OM: 25 yd FG by Rose 1:03 -- 0-6

2nd

TU: 8 yd TD pass from Byrd to Sanders (Rome kick) 3:34 -- 7-6
TU: 22 yd FG by Rome 0:41 -- 10-6

3rd

TU: 44 yd fumble return for TD by Delery (Rome kick) 6:54 -- 17-6
OM: 74 yd fumble return for TD by Thomas (Rose kick) 2:01 -- 17-13

4th

OM: 57 yd TD pass from Stanley to Harris (Rose kick) 1:35 -- 17-20
TU: 80 yd TD pass from Byrd to Banks (Rome kick) 0:50 -- 24-20

----------------------------------

Game Statistics

Tulane

Click here to view 2012 Tulane Green Wave Roster

[size=1]

* - IMPACT Player

[U]
Passing                      RATING  COMP  ATT  YDS  TD  INT   [/U]  
18-QB  Curtis Byrd(so)        136.0   11    21  202   2   3 (2 fumbles lost)
[U]
Rushing                         ATT  YDS  TD [/U]
22-RB  Orleans Darkwa(jr)        20   52   0
26-RB  Joey Roberts(so)          11   36   0
18-QB  Curtis Byrd(so)            7   11   0
28-RB  Payten Jason(sr)           2    2   0
[U]
Receiving                       REC  YDS  TD[/U]
 5-WR  *D.J. Banks(sr)            2   92   1
22-RB  Orleans Darkwa(jr)         2   12   0
81-TE  Brock Sanders(sr)          2   33   1
 9-WR  Wilson Van Hooser(rs-jr)   2   25   0
87-WR  John Lacey(so)             1   24   0
26-RB  Joey Roberts(so)           1   10   0
89-WR  Devin Figaro(sr)           1    6   0
[U]
Defensive                       TAK  SOLO  AST  TFL  SCK  INT[/U]
47-SS  Cameron DeJean(jr)         7    4    3    0    0    0
49-OLB *Kerchal Byrd(jr)          5    4    1    0    0    0 (2 ff)
 4-FS  Shakiel Smith(sr)          5    4    1    1    0    1 
90-DE  Wendell Beckwith(rs-so)    3    3    0    1    1    0
97-DT  Shane Delery(sr)           3    3    0    1    1    0 (1 fr, 1 td)
27-CB  Will Washington(fr)        2    2    0    0    0    0 (1 fr)
[u]
Kicking                         FG MADE FG ATT LONG  MISSED  XP MADE XP ATT [/U]
14-PK  Ryan Rome(rs-jr)           1       1     22     n/a     3       3

[B][U]Tulane Key Team Stats:[/U][/B]

Total Offensive Yards: 303
Rushing Totals: 40 att 101 yds 0 tds
Sacks Allowed: 3
3rd down conversions: 8-13 (61%)
Offensive Turnovers: 5
Penalties: 2 for 20 yards
Time of Possession: 19:58
[/size]

#6 Ole Miss

[size=1]

* - IMPACT Player

[U]
Passing                      RATING  COMP  ATT  YDS  TD  INT   [/U]  
12-QB  Nathan Stanley(rs-sr)  169.4   14    18  181   1   1
28-RB  Korvic Neal(rs-jr)       0.0    0     1    0   0   0
[U]
Rushing                         ATT  YDS  TD [/U]
 2-RB  *Rodney Scott(sr)         13   92   0
29-RB  Devin Thomas(rs-sr)        6   24   0
12-QB  Nathan Stanley(rs-sr)      3  -10   0
[U]
Receiving                       REC  YDS  TD[/U]
 5-WR  Melvin Harris(rs-sr)       5   85   1
10-WR  Jesse Grandy(sr)           4   52   0
29-RB  Devin Thomas(rs-sr)        2   15   0
11-WR  Pat Patterson(rs-jr)       1    5   0
83-TE  Ferbia Allen(rs-sr)        1   15   0
 2-RB  *Rodney Scott(sr)          1    9   0
[U]
Defensive                       TAK  SOLO  AST  TFL  SCK  INT[/U]
42-MLB D.T. Shackelford(sr)       9    8    1    2    0    1
45-OLB Josh Lancaster(rs-sr)      9    7    2    4    1    0
49-OLB *Joel Kight(sr)            7    6    1    4    1    0 (1 ff)
17-FS  Damien Jackson(rs-sr)      5    5    0    0    0    2
55-DE  Cameron Whigham(jr)        3    2    1    3    1    0 (1 ff)
87-DT  Alan Thomas(rs-so)         3    2    1    2    0    0 (1 fr, 1 td)
54-DE  Carlos Thompson(rs-so)     1    0    1    0    0    0 (1 fr)
[u]
Kicking                         FG MADE FG ATT LONG  MISSED  XP MADE XP ATT [/U]
 4-PK  Marque Whitfield(so)       2       2     49     38     1       1

[B][U]Opponent Key Team Stats:[/U][/B]

Total Offensive Yards: 287
Rushing Totals: 22 att 106 yds 0 tds 
Sacks Allowed: 2
3rd down conversions: 1-8 (12%)
Offensive Turnovers: 3
Penalties: 5 for 30 yards
Time of Possession: 12:02
[/size]

----------------------------------

2012 Tulane Green Wave Schedule/Results

  [SIZE=1]
                                                                     
Opponent (record)       Result        Tulane Player of the Game         -Record-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
at Georgia Tech (1-0)   L 25-31       RB Darkwa 21 car 110 yds 1 td     0-1 (0-0)
vs Mississipi St. (0-1) W 24-21       QB Byrd 13-19 213 yds 2 total tds 1-1 (0-0) 
at Ole Miss (2-1)       W 24-20       WR Banks 2 rec 92 yds 1 td        2-1 (0-0)
vs SMU
vs UAB
at Houston
at UTEP
vs Rice
at Memphis
vs ECU
at Tulsa
vs LSU

[/SIZE]

Next Game:



(0-3) at (2-1)

.

[Deegeezy]

Beating a Top 10 club on an 80 yard pass with under a minute left? That's jump out of chair and run a lap around the house crazy good. Off to a very HOT start this year. Hopefully, the team stays focussed SMU has TRAP GAME written all over it.

Haha...I was able to contain to excitement to my office. The celebration didn't really begin until that last defensive stop though. I was excited on the TD, but knew I still didn't have it in the bag just yet.

You're right about SMU...I need to bring my A game because I have struggled against them so far in this dynasty. This seems to be the perfect scenario for a let down.

Byrd with the clutch throw in crunch time......great win over a formidable club

Clutch....That's the best word to describe Byrd. He has ugly stats but he finds a way to win each and every week. He reminds me a TON of Vince Young. He isn't your prototypical QB but you just have to leave him there because he will figure out how to win.

Nice win over a top 10 team Geezy

Thanks Chill...Hopefully this is the start of something special.

Could that have been the biggest win of this nasty so far?

No question...The Georgia Tech win at the end of last season is a very distant second compared to this one.

Nice win. Under a minute TD against a top-10 team is great for your program.

Thanks man...Hopefully we can start picking up some Top 25 votes soon.

Not to mention this win was on the road, this should help in the recruiting scene for sure.

Really? I had no idea that road wins did anything special for recruiting...Though I must say, I did see myself rising up recruits' list after this game even though I had not even called them.

wow nice win

Thanks man.

****

:bowwerd:

amazing win man! You hate to see the five turnovers from Byrd but the clutch throw to win the game makes the rest meaningless. This win should go miles towards proving that Tulane belongs back in the SEC. A bit of a rough day for Darkwa. Huge win though again, should give you lots of momentum heading into your conference schedule. Time to bring home that conference title!

Byrd just finds ways to win. I can live with the errors as long as the Ws keep coming. Obviously I would like the turnovers to stop at some point though.

I'm really feeling good about our chances to win Conference USA this year. I am hoping that playing these good teams will make playing the CUSA teams a little easier.

[Deegeezy]

Green Wave News Clips


Tulane | Georgia CB Garrison commits
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 8:11:49 -0700
Tammy Nunez of the New Orleans Times Picayune reports that the Tulane Green Wave have received the first committment of their 2013 recruiting class, CB Chris Garrison. Garrison, 5-10 179 pounds, is a 3-star prospect that runs a 4.46 40 yard dash. The Lawrenceville, Georgia native is expected to compete immediately for playing time next fall as Tulane is set to lose both of its starting cornerbacks to graduation after this season.


___________________________


Tulane | Three set to visit
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 8:11:49 -0700
Tammy Nunez of the New Orleans Times Picayune reports that the Tulane Green Wave will be hosting three players this weekend for their game versus SMU: 4-star JUCO-JR WR Daniel Hopkins (5-11 170 pounds, 4.36 40, Georgia, #8 WR prospect), 3-star OLB Mark Richards (6-4 237 pounds, 4.58 40, Louisiana, #13 OLB prospect), and 3-star TE Ted Harris (6-4 229 pounds, 4.72 40, Texas, #39 TE prospect).


___________________________



Tulane | Punter Martin gives soft committment to Ohio State
Mon, 10 Sep 2012 8:11:49 -0700
Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN reports that Ohio State has received a soft committment from 3-star punter Sean Martin. Martin, a Louisiana native, had visited Tulane back in week 2 of the season. Tulane is reportedly ranked second on Martin's list but at this point it appears that he will elect to sign with Ohio State.


___________________________

Tulane Green Wave 2013 Recruiting Class - through week 3

.

[Deegeezy]

20 -- 0-4 (0-1)
45 -- 3-1 (1-0)

TOP: Tulane QB Curtis Byrd eludes a sack, sees the middle of the field wide open, and takes off for a 25-yard second quarter touchdown that gave the Green Wave a 14-10 lead that they would never relinquish. BOTTOM: RB Orleans Darkwa breaks loose for a 34-yard fourth quarter touchdown which extended his team's lead to 35-20 with 7:39 remaining. He would later add a 56-yard score to put the game away.

RB DARKWA BLAZES PAST SMU DEFENSE FOR 232 YARDS AND THREE TOUCHDOWNS AS WAVE ROLLS OVER MUSTANGS 45-20

Tulane offense near-flawless during blowout victory in Conference USA opener | Byrd accounts for 272 yards and three scores in strong performance | FS Smith, Wave defense figure out how to shut down SMU's run & shoot attack | Team will host UAB next week at the Superdome

New Orleans, LA -- The Tulane Green Wave scored 17 unanswered fourth quarter points en route to a 45-20 blowout victory over the SMU Mustangs Saturday at the Louisiana Superdome. Junior RB Orleans Darkwa led the way for the Green Wave, rushing 28 times for a career-high 232 rushing yards and three touchdowns, two of which came in the fourth quarter.

QB Curtis Byrd also had a solid performance, going 14 of 18 for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He also had success running the ball, rushing 7 times for 73 yards, including a 25-yard second quarter touchdown run that made the score 14-10 and gave Tulane the lead for good.

SMU (0-4, 0-1) put up solid passing numbers as expected with their run & shoot offensive attack. Mustangs QB Stephen Kaiser went 22 of 37 for 341 yards and two touchdowns but also threw an interception. Despite the huge passing numbers however, SMU struggled to figure out how to consistently move the ball against the Tulane defense and were unable to keep up with the scoring pace.

"We played a lot of 3-2-6 defense today and that seemed to give them a lot of problems," said Tulane defensive coordinator Charles Kelly.

"We mixed up our blitzes and coverages very well and that resulted in sacks and a lot of misfires from their quarterback. They had given us fits last season as well as in the year before that before I got here, putting up 40+ points each time. But we seemed to find a solution today."

Green Wave FS Shakiel Smith had a terrific game, amassing 4 tackles, a sack, and an interception during the contest. Former Florida State Seminole DT Anthony McCloud, who transferred to Tulane last season, played his best game thus far with the Wave, and had 2 of the team's 5 sacks on the day.

Tulane (3-1, 1-0) will host UAB (2-1, 1-0) next week at the Louisiana Superdome. The Green Wave defeated the Blazers last season on the road 13-3 in a rain-soaked defensive battle.


Box Score


1st

SM: 34 yd FG by Wood 5:20 -- 0-3
TU: 6 yd TD pass from Byrd to Sanders (Rome kick) 0:29 -- 7-3

2nd

SM: 6 yd TD pass from Kaiser to Guinyard (Wood kick) 5:03 -- 7-10
TU: 25 yd TD run by Byrd (Rome kick) 0:57 -- 14-10
TU: 1 yd TD run by Darkwa (Rome kick) 0:03 -- 21-10

3rd

TU: 10 yd TD pass from Byrd to Banks (Rome kick) 5:03 -- 28-10
SM: 46 yd TD pass from Kaiser to Guinyard (Wood kick) 4:38 -- 28-17
SM: 39 yd FG by Wood 2:14 -- 28-20

4th

TU: 34 yd TD run by Darkwa (Rome kick) 7:39 -- 35-20
TU: 56 yd TD run by Darkwa (Rome kick) 4:59 -- 42-20
TU: 24 yd FG by Rome 1:28 -- 45-20

----------------------------------

Game Statistics

Tulane

Click here to view 2012 Tulane Green Wave Roster

[size=1]

* - IMPACT Player

[U]
Passing                      RATING  COMP  ATT  YDS  TD  INT   [/U]  
18-QB  Curtis Byrd(so)        207.3   14    18  199   2   0 
[U]
Rushing                         ATT  YDS  TD [/U]
22-RB  Orleans Darkwa(jr)        28  232   3
26-RB  Joey Roberts(so)           7   19   0
18-QB  Curtis Byrd(so)            7   73   1
28-RB  Payten Jason(sr)           1    7   0
[U]
Receiving                       REC  YDS  TD[/U]
 9-WR  Wilson Van Hooser(rs-jr)   4   23   0
81-TE  Brock Sanders(sr)          3   50   1
 5-WR  *D.J. Banks(sr)            2   39   1
87-WR  John Lacey(so)             2   74   0
26-RB  Joey Roberts(so)           1   -2   0
89-WR  Devin Figaro(sr)           1   14   0
83-TE  John Valentine(so)         1    1   0
[U]
Defensive                       TAK  SOLO  AST  TFL  SCK  INT[/U]
50-DE  Austen Jacks(sr)           5    3    2    1    1    0
 4-FS  Shakiel Smith(sr)          4    3    1    1    1    1 
90-DE  Wendell Beckwith(rs-so)    3    2    1    1    1    0
92-DT  Anthony McCloud(rs-sr)     2    2    0    2    2    0
[u]
Kicking                         FG MADE FG ATT LONG  MISSED  XP MADE XP ATT [/U]
14-PK  Ryan Rome(rs-jr)           1       1     24     n/a     6       6

[B][U]Tulane Key Team Stats:[/U][/B]

Total Offensive Yards: 530
Rushing Totals: 43 att 331 yds 4 tds
Sacks Allowed: 1
3rd down conversions: 5-8 (62%)
Offensive Turnovers: 1
Penalties: 5 for 45 yards
Time of Possession: 21:54
[/size]

SMU

[size=1]

* - IMPACT Player

[U]
Passing                      RATING  COMP  ATT  YDS  TD  INT   [/U]  
10-QB  Stephen Kaiser(rs-so)  149.3   22    37  341   2   1
[U]
Rushing                         ATT  YDS  TD [/U]
10-QB  Stephen Kaiser(rs-so)      6  -37   0
48-RB  Zach Line(sr)              3    7   0
[U]
Receiving                       REC  YDS  TD[/U]
80-WR  Kyle Guinyard(rs-so)       7   93   2
48-RB  Zach Line(sr)              4   41   0
 3-WR  *Darius Johnson(sr)^       3   49   0
^ injured in first half (back strain) | out two weeks
81-WR  Ricky Collins(rs-so)       2   53   0
82-WR  Deonte McDade(rs-jr)       2   89   0
26-WR  Chayse Joubert(rs-jr)      2    5   0
83-TE  Hayden Greenbauer(jr)      1   11   0
[U]
Defensive                       TAK  SOLO  AST  TFL  SCK  INT[/U]
44-MLB *Taylor Reed(sr)          10    7    3    1    0    0
32-CB  Kenneth Acker(rs-so)       5    3    2    1    0    0 (1 fr)
98-OLB Brandon Henderson(rs-jr)   2    2    0    0    0    0 (1 ff)   
90-DE  Kevin Grenier(rs-sr)       2    2    0    1    1    0
[u]
Kicking                         FG MADE FG ATT LONG  MISSED  XP MADE XP ATT [/U]
13-PK  Chase Wood(sr)             2       2     40    n/a      2       2

[B][U]Opponent Key Team Stats:[/U][/B]

Total Offensive Yards: 311
Rushing Totals: 9 att -30 yds 0 tds 
Sacks Allowed: 5
3rd down conversions: 1-8 (12%)
Offensive Turnovers: 1
Penalties: 3 for 24 yards
Time of Possession: 10:06
[/size]

----------------------------------

2012 Tulane Green Wave Schedule/Results

  [SIZE=1]
                                                                     
Opponent (record)       Result        Tulane Player of the Game         -Record-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
at Georgia Tech (1-0)   L 25-31       RB Darkwa 21 car 110 yds 1 td     0-1 (0-0)
vs Mississipi St. (0-1) W 24-21       QB Byrd 13-19 213 yds 2 total tds 1-1 (0-0) 
at Ole Miss (2-1)       W 24-20       WR Banks 2 rec 92 yds 1 td        2-1 (0-0)
vs SMU (0-4)            W 45-20       RB Darkwa 28 car 232 yds 3 tds    3-1 (1-0)
vs UAB
at Houston
at UTEP
vs Rice
at Memphis
vs ECU
at Tulsa
vs LSU

[/SIZE]

Next Game:



2-1 (1-0) at 3-1 (1-0)

.

[Deegeezy]

I can see a conference championship on the horizon. It looks like you have this bunch moving in the right direction DGZ! Good job!

Thanks man...That is definitely the goal. Time to start dominating this conference. I'm feeling very confident after this win!

Nice win. The team remained focussed and didn't fall into what would normally have been a classic Trap Game after the big upset win over Ole Miss.

Thanks...I was very worried about this being a trap game but the team responded with a great performance.

See you used a lot of that 3-2-6 like I did, works huh?

Darkwa put in work on SMU, thats good to see along with Byrd only throwing 4 incompletions.

Yep...Great call on the 3-2-6. The coverages and blitzes out of that personnel package gave them fits! Looks like I finally have the tonic for the spread offenses of the CUSA.

Darkwa :bow:

He was an absolute beast in this past game after struggling the week before. Hopefully we see more of that this season!

Great win Geezy. Where do you see the 40 times at?

Thanks...You can't see it on your recruiting board but if you go to ""Find Prospects"" or ""All Prospects,"" you'll see it all there when you scroll over to the right.