2020 Tulane Football Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Media Guide

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TULANE FOOTBALL GAME TWELVE

144 NFL DRAFT PICKS | 95 ALL-AMERICA SELECTIONS | EIGHT NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION HALL OF FAMERS | 14 BOWL APPEARANCES

2020 TULANE SCHEDULE 6-5 OVERALL, 3-5 THE AMERICAN

TULANE (6-5) vs. NEVADA (6-2)

DATE Sept. 12 SEPT. 19 Sept. 26 Oct. 8 OCT. 16 Oct. 24 OCT. 31 Nov. 7 NOV. 14 Nov. 19 DEC. 5 Dec. 22

12.22.20 | 2:30 P.M. (CT) | BOISE, IDAHO | ALBERTSONS STADIUM (36,387) TULANE GREEN WAVE Head Coach: Willie Fritz Record at Tulane: 29-32 (Fifth year) Overall: 222-106-1 (28th year)

NEVADA WOLF PACK Head Coach: Jay Norvell Record at Nevada: 24-22 (Fourth year) Overall: Same

TULANE TO MAKE ITS THIRD STRAIGHT BOWL APPEARANCE -The Green Wave head to Boise, Idaho for their matchup with the University of Nevada in the 2020 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN. -The Green Wave’s trip to Boise, will mark the first time in program history that Tulane has played a football game in the state of Idaho.

-Tulane’s trip to the 24th annual Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will be its 14th bowl appearance in program history.

-Tulane enters its matchup with Nevada with wins in four of its last five games.

-The Green Wave will face Nevada for just the second time in program history. Tulane won the only matchup between the two teams back in 1992.

-Tulane will look to win its third straight bowl game. The Green Wave have never won three bowl games in a row.

2020 NEVADA SCHEDULE 6-2 OVERALL, 6-2 MOUNTAIN WEST

Tulane

Willie Fritz is the ONLY Tulane football head coach to have appeared in three bowl games.

18

Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt has thrown for 18 touchdowns in nine appearances. His 18 touchdown passes are the most in The American and are the most at the FBS level by a true freshman. He is currently ranked 19th among all QBs nationally.

TIME/RESULT TV W, 27-24 ESPN2 L, 27-24 ABC W, 66-24 Stadium L, 49-31 ESPN L, 37-34 (OT) ESPN L, 51-34 ESPN2 W, 38-3 ESPN+ W, 38-21 ESPN+ W, 38-12 ESPN+/ESPN2 L, 30-24 (2OT) ESPN W, 35-21 ESPN+ 2:30 p.m.

ESPN

* American Athletic Conference game All times Central | Home games in BOLD CAPS

quarterback

Michael

Pratt

accounted for a career-high four FIRST AND 10 touchdowns back on Dec. 5 against 1. Tulane had eight players named to the American Athletic Conference all-league Memphis, as he rushed for two scores and passed for two more. team. The eight players named all-conference are the program’s most since 1997.

2. The Green Wave finished the regular season by playing in 11 games. Tulane was one of just 19 schools that closed the regular season by playing in 11-or-more games.

3. Tulane enters bowl season as one of just 14 schools to have won bowl games in back-to-back seasons.

4. True freshman Michael Pratt became just the seventh true freshman to start at quarterback since 1975. Pratt became the first true freshman to earn a win as a starter since 1985 (Terrence Jones in 1985 was the last). His 18 touchdown passes are the most by a true freshman in program history.

5. Tulane enters its matchup with Nevada having scored 30-or-more points in eight of its last nine games, including a 66-point outburst back on Sept. 26 against Southern Miss. Tulane has not scored 30-or-more points in seven games in the same season since the team’s perfect 12-0 season in1998.

6. The Green Wave finished the regular season tied for third nationally and ranked first in the American Athletic Conference as a team with 36.0 sacks on the year. Tulane’s 36.0 sacks rank sixth all-time in program history for a single season.

7. Redshirt sophomore running back Cam Carroll has rushed for a touchdown in six of the Green Wave’s 11 games this season. He has also rushed for two or more touchdowns in four games this season. Against Southern Miss, Carroll scored four touchdowns. At the end of the regular season, Carroll ranked 13th in the nation and led in The American in total touchdowns with 12.

8. Tulane’s special teams unit ranks as one of the best in The American. The Green Wave rank third in the league in kick return average (24.9) and rank fourth in punt return average (11.8). In addition, Ryan Wright leads The American and ranks eighth nationally in punting, averaging 45.8 yards per punt.

9. Tulane has rushed for over 100 yards in 63 of its last 64 games. Tulane had its 56-game streak of rushing for at least 100 yards snapped at Houston back on Oct. 8.

10. The Green Wave have also surpassed 200 yards rushing in 15 of their last 24 games dating back to the start of the 2019 season. Tulane ranks second in the American in rushing yards per game, averaging 218.9 per game.

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OPPONENT at South Alabama NAVY* at Southern Miss at Houston (THU)* No. 17 SMU (FRI)* at UCF* TEMPLE* at ECU* No. 25 ARMY at No. 25 Tulsa (THU)* MEMPHIS* vs. Nevada

25

Tulane’s 2020 senior class has captured 25 wins since the start of the 2017 campaign. No senior class since 2000 has won more games than the 2020 senior class.

DATE OCT. 24 Oct. 31 NOV. 5 Nov. 14 NOV. 21 Nov. 28 DEC. 5 Dec. 11 Dec. 22

OPPONENT WYOMING* at UNLV* UTAH STATE* New Mexico* ^ SAN DIEGO STATE* at Hawaii* FRESNO STATE* at San Jose State* ^ vs. Tulane

TIME/RESULT TV W, 37-34 CBSSN W, 37-19 FS1 W, 34-9 ESPN W, 27-20 FS2 W, 26-21 CBS L, 24-21 ESPN W, 37-26 FS2 L, 30-20 CBSSN 2:30 p.m.

ESPN

* Mountain West Conference game ^ Played in Las Vegas, Nev. All times Central | Home games in BOLD CAPS

SERIES: Tulane leads Nevada, 1-0 First Result:.................................................Tulane won, 34-17 (1992) Last Result:..................................................................................Same Current Streak:..................................................................Tulane, W1 TV: ESPN Play-by-Play................................................................................... TBA Analyst............................................................................................ TBA Sideline.......................................................................................... TBA RADIO: 104.1 The Spot/Sirius XM 380 Play-by-Play............................................................Andrew Allegretta Analyst..............................................................................Steve Barrios WHAT’S INSIDE Gameday Information...........................................................................1 Media information................................................................................2 Statistical Comparison..........................................................................3 Notes................................................................................................. 3-7 The Record When/The Career Record Book/Top 25 Polls......................8 The Last Time It Happened..............................................................9-11 Head Coach Willie Fritz Bio............................................................12-15 Two Deep/Assistant Coaches..........................................................16-17 Rosters/Pronunciations......................................................................18 Yulman Stadium Information.............................................................19 Individual Game-By-Game Statistics............................................ 20-26 Statistics Package..........................................................................27-36 2020 Game-By-Game Results....................................................... 37-43 Bowl History..................................................................................44-50 Bowl Records.......................................................................................51

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COVERING THE GREEN WAVE TULANE FOOTBALL MEDIA SCHEDULE: BOWL WEEK - ALL TIMES CENTRAL DEC. 17 Thursday No media availability.

DEC. 18 Friday

DEC. 19 Saturday

Practice, 8:45-10:45 a.m. (media availability after practice) – The practice location is at Yulman Stadium.

Practice, 8:30-10:30 a.m. (media availability after practice) – The practice location is at Yulman Stadium.

11:00 a.m. - Weekly press conference via Zoom

10:45 a.m. - Weekly press conference via Zoom

DEC. 20 Sunday No media availability.

DEC. 21 Monday

DEC. 22 Saturday

Travel Day.

Gameday.

Media availability via Zoom TBA.

Media Availability after the game via Zoom.

TULANE STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES & SERVICES

GENERAL INFORMATION Office Phone............................................... (504) 407-7349 Address..........2950 Ben Weiner Drive, New Orleans, 70118 Website...........................................TulaneGreenWave.com

Weekly News Conference During the regular season, head coach Willie Fritz and selected players will meet with the media each Tuesday (except for the bye week and during midweek) at a designated time set prior to the season. Requests for specific players should be made to the Strategic Communications office.

TOM SYMONDS - ASSISTANT AD Coach and player interviews, game notes Cell: (504) 407-7349 E-mail: tsymonds@tulane.edu Twitter: @Tom_Symonds PIERCE FELTNER - ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Player interviews, game notes, roster info and statistics Cell: (859) 640-6860 E-mail: pfeltner@tulane.edu WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS (YULMAN STADIUM) Network............................................................... PressBox Password...................................................YulmanStadium OFFICIAL SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS Twitter .......................... @GreenWaveFB/@TulaneAthletics Instagram..................... @GreenWaveFB/@TulaneAthletics Facebook.......................GreenWaveFootball/TUGreenWave YouTube........................................................TUGreenWave Hashtags...........................................#NolaBuilt #RollWave

Interviews All interview requests for head coach Willie Fritz, any assistant coaches and players must be coordinated through the Strategic Communications office.

For the 2020 season, student-athletes and coaches are only available for interviews via phone or through a Zoom call due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to arrange for student-athlete interviews, please provide 24 hours notice to the Strategic Communications office. Student-athlete interviews may be conducted in the atrium of the Wilson Center, in Yulman Stadium or in the Strategic Communications Office. The Tulane training room, football locker room and weight room are off-limits to the media.

For telephone interviews, student-athletes will be provided with the number and will make the call at a mutually-agreed upon time. Phone numbers of student-athletes will not be made available to the media.

Practice Coverage Regular-season practices will be held in Yulman Stadium and are open to the media. Practices during the regular season may be closed or moved without notice. Please contact the Strategic Communications office if you plan on attending practice.

Still photographs and video may ONLY be shot from the stands during selected segments of practice by approved agencies.

Website Updated statistics, game recaps, weekly and daily releases, player and coaches’ bios, historical, broadcast and ticket information, can be found at TulaneGreenWave.com. Media are encouraged to check the website regularly for the latest Green Wave Athletics news.

Video Services Requests for video footage of the football team should be made to the Strategic Communications office. Please allow a minimum of three days lead time for video requests.

Accessing Information In addition to TulaneGreenWave.com and the official football-specific social media outlets, the latest news, weekly releases, updated depth charts, rosters and season and single game statistics can be sent on a daily or weekly basis via e-mail. Contact the appropriate staff member in the Strategic Communications office to be added to a particular sport’s media distribution list.

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TULANE FOOTBALL QUICK FACTS Location.............................................................. New Orleans, La. Founded................................................................................ 1834 Enrollment...........................................................13,581 (Private) Nickname....................................................................Green Wave Mascot.......................................................... Riptide, Angry Wave Colors.........................................................Olive Green & Sky Blue Conference......................................American Athletic Conference President............................................................... Michael A. Fitts Director of Athletics...................................................Troy Dannen Faculty Representative.......................................... Michele Adams Stadium................................................Yulman Stadium (30,000) Surface........................................ UBU Speed Series 5M (Artificial) Yulman Stadium Press Box................................... (504) 314-7490 Athletics Department Phone.................................(504) 865-5500 Athletics Ticket Information..................................(504) 861-9283

2020 TULANE (6-5)

COACHING STAFF

Willie Fritz (Pittsburg State, 1983).........................Head Coach, 5th year Tulane Overall/Conference Records.......... 29-32/15-24 The American Overall Record/Year................................ 222-105-1 (.692)/28th year NCAA Record/Year.................................. 182-100-0 (.648)/24th year

Chris Hampton.......................................Defensive Coordinator, 5th year Chip Long......................... Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, 1st year Jeff Conway...................................................... Wide Receivers, 5th year Josh Christian-Young........................................Defensive Backs, 1st year Slade Nagle..............................................................Tight Ends, 5th year Jamaal Fobbs....................................................Running Backs, 5th year Byron Dawson....................................................Defensive Line, 1st year Michael Mutz........................................................ Linebackers, 5th year George Barnett.................................................. Offensive Line, 1st year J.J. McCleskey...........................................................Secondary, 3rd year Chris Couch..........................Special Teams Analyst/Recruiting, 5th year Jake Stone.................................. Defensive Analyst/Recruiting, 6th year Shane Meyer............................Director of Football Operations, 5th year Kyle Speer........ Director of Strength & Conditioning (Football), 5th year Patrick Hopewell...Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, 8th year Jay Marks..............Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, 6th year Justin Smith......... Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, 2nd year Wesley Fritz..................................Director of Player Personnel, 5th year Donn Landholm......................Director of Player Development, 5th year Tony Cima............................................Director of New Media, 2nd year Brandon Vyhnalek..............Director, Football Video Operations, 5th year Alby Lindon............................... Assistant AD, Sports Medicine, 8th year Ryan Larkin........................................Assistant Athletic Trainer, 3rd year Alfredo Mosquera............ Graduate Assistant, Athletic Trainer, 2nd year Natalie Startin.................. Graduate Assistant, Athletic Trainer, 2nd year Lauren Davis......................................Senior Academic Advisor, 4th year Andrew Neupert...........................Graduate Assistant, Defense, 1st year Jack Witte.....................................Graduate Assistant, Defense, 1st year Ben Thomas.................................Graduate Assistant, Offense, 2nd year Keyan Williams............................. Graduate Assistant, Offense, 1st year Dylan Cox..........................................Graduate Assistant, Video, 1st year

TEAM INFORMATION Offensive Formation.........................................................Multiple Defensive Formation........................................................Multiple 2019 Overall Record.................................................................7-6 2019 Conference Record/Finish.............. 3-5/4th (American West) Letterwinners Returning/Lost..............................................48/20 Starters Returning...............14 (5 offense/7 defense/2 specialists) Starters Lost........................11 (6 offense/4 defense/1 specialists)

Team Stats

2020 NEVADA (6-2)

TULANE

Opp.

Team Stats

2020 NCAA TEAM RANKINGS NEVADA

Opp.

Category

TULANE NEVADA

Points/game

35.4 27.2

Points/game

29.8 22.8

Total Offense

64

31

First downs

240

First downs

173

162

Rushing Offense

18

112

234

Rushing/Game

218.9 137.8

Rushing/Game

111.5 130.8

Passing Offense

108

10

Passing/Game

177.5 279.8

Passing/Game

325.1 248.5

Team Passing Efficiency

79

21

Offense/Game

396.4 417.6

Offense/Game

436.6 379.3

Scoring Offense

22

53

Fumbles/Lost

17/4 17/10

Fumbles/Lost

10/5 6/3

Total Defense

69

45

Penalties/Yards

70/598 61/499

Rushing Defense

38

32

Passing Yards Allowed

115

87

Team Pass. Eff. Defense

91

44

Punts-Yards

54/2467 54/2212

Punting Average Third Down Conv.

Fourth Down Conv.

45.7

41.0

47/137

74/182

10/18

13/29

Penalties/Yards Punts-Yards

62/525 44/369 29/1347 39/1678

Punting Average Third Down Conv.

46.4

43.0

44/104

44/122

Scoring Defense

54

34

9/13

10/21

Turnover Margin

22

95

3rd Down Conv. %

103

53

Fourth Down Conv.

2020 Tulane Statistical Leaders

2020 Nevada Statistical Leaders

4th Down Conv. %

62

22

Rushing

Att. Yds. Avg. TD Long

Rushing

Att. Yds. Avg. TD Long

3rd Down Conv. Def.

66

26

Huderson

118 721 6.1 4 47

Taua

94 573 6.1 3 60

4th Down Conv. Def.

38

42

Carroll

112 621 5.5 11 52

Lee

64 322 5.0 2 35

Red Zone Offense

39

34

Red Zone Defense

46

40

Passing Comp. Att. Int. Pct. Yds. TD

Passing Comp. Att. Int. Pct. Yds. TD

Net Punting

16

4

Pratt

128 229 5

Strong

Punt Returns

24

51

Howard

25 58 1 43.1 314 1

55.9 1638 18

227 327

4

69.0 2587 22

Kickoff Returns

20

59

Avg. TD Long

First Downs Offense

16

61

Avg. TD Long

Doubs 53 960 18.1 9 65

First Downs Defense

114

64

Watts, D 31 512 16.5 6 52

Johnson 44 545 12.4 7 50

Fewest Penalties Per Game 80

110

Receiving Rec. Yds. Receiving Rec. Yds.

Time of Possession

Jackson 29 356 12.3 6 42

84

40

Defense UT AT Total TFL-Yds Sack-Yds Int Defense UT AT Total TFL-Yds Sack-Yds Int

Hall

Williams 55 29 84 14.5-42 4.5-21 0

Williams 36 17 53.0 0-0

30 26 56.0 6.5-17 1-10 0 -

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Anderson 51 28 79 10.5-35 3.5-19 0

SCOUTING NEVADA • The Wolf Pack will appear in their third straight bowl game under the direction of head coach Jay Norvell.

• Nevada runs an air raid offense which has given opponents trouble for much of the 2020 campaign, as its passing attack ranks 10th in the nation, averaging 325.1 yards per game.

• Sophomore quarterback Carson Strong leads the Mountain West Conference in passing touchdowns (22) and passing yards (2,587).

• Junior Romeo Doubs has caught a majority of Strong’s passes over the past two years as he became just the 16th player in Wolf Pack football history to surpass 2,000 career yards.

• Running back Toa Taua surpassed 2,000 career rushing earlier this year against Hawaii.

• Nevada opened up the year on a high note as it posted a 5-0 record.

• Nevada was picked to finish second in the West Division when the Mountain West released its preseason poll.

LAST TIME OUT VS. MEMPHIS - DECEMBER 5 • With the win, Tulane captured its fourth win in five games to finish the regular season with a winning record.

• With the win over Memphis, Tulane has now defeated the Tigers in back-to-back games at home. Tulane has not defeated Memphis in back-to-back home games since the 1988 and 1989 seasons.

• Tulane closed out the regular season by winning its final three home games. The Green Wave’s two losses at home came by a combined total of six points. Since the start of the 2017 season, Tulane has posted a 17-7 mark at Yulman Stadium.

• Tulane and Memphis met for the 37th time in program history. With the win, Tulane secured its 13th all-time win over Memphis. Since 2000, Tulane has only defeated Memphis three times. Two of those victories have come under the direction of head coach Willie Fritz.

• Prior to its matchup with Memphis, Tulane honored its 17 seniors.

• Tulane outgained Memphis by a 419-300 count.

• Memphis entered the game averaging 488.1 yards of total offense per game. This is just the third time this season Memphis has been held to under 350 yards of total offense.

• The 2020 senior class served as the gameday captains for today’s game.

• The Wave of Change flag carrier was DL De’Andre Williams.

• The No. 18 flag was carried by CB Chase Kuerschen.

• With the win, Tulane head coach Willie Fritz improves to 222-106-1 all-time. His 29 wins at Tulane rank sixth alltime in program history.

• Offensive starters for the Green Wave were QB Michael Pratt, WR Duece Watts, WR Jha’Quan Jackson, WR Mykel Jones, RB Stephon Huderson, TE Tyrick James, OL Sincere Haynesworth, OL Caleb Thomas, OL Trey Tuggle, OL Joey Claybrook and OL Josh Remetich.

• Pratt finished the game with a pair of touchdown passes.

The freshman signal caller has now thrown for multiple touchdown passes in seven games.

• In nine appearances this season, Pratt has thrown 18 touchdowns. Pratt’s 18 passing touchdowns are the most by a Tulane quarterback since Ryan Griffin threw 20 as a senior in 2012.

• Wide receiver Phat Watts had a career-high 55 yards receiving.

• Duece Watts and Jha’Quan Jackson both hauled in their team-best sixth touchdown receptions of the season.

• Jackson finished the game with 132 all-purpose yards (57 yards receiving, 43 kick return yards and 15 punt return yards).

• Redshirt sophomore running back Cam Carroll has rushed for his 11th touchdown of the year. He now has 12 touchdowns on the year. Carroll has rushed for a touchdown in six of the Green Wave’s 11 games this season.

• Senior running back Stephon Huderson finished the game

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LIFE IN THE AMERICAN 2020 AAC PRESEASON POLL 1. UCF (10) 2. Cincinnati (7) 3. Memphis (2) 4. SMU 5. Navy (1) 6. Tulane 7. Houston 8. Temple 9. Tulsa 10. East Carolina 11. USF

204 201 192 146 125 118 114 88 49 42 41

2020 AAC STANDINGS TEAM W-L PCT. Cincinnati 6-0 1.000 Tulsa 6-0 1.000 Memphis 5-3 .625 UCF 5-3 .625 SMU 4-3 .571 Houston 3-3 .500 Navy 3-4 .428 Tulane 3-5 .375 ECU 3-5 .375 Temple 1-6 .142 USF 0-7 .000

W-L PCT. 8-0 1.000 6-1 .857 7-3 .700 6-3 .666 7-3 .700 3-4 .428 3-7 .300 6-5 .545 3-6 .333 1-6 .142 1-8 .111

2020 AAC WEEKLY AWARDS Cameron Sample (DPOTW) Tyjae Spears (Honor Roll) Cameron Carroll (Honor Roll) Patrick Johnson (Honor Roll) Duece Watts (Honor Roll) Nick Anderson (Honor Roll) Patrick Johnson (DPOTW) Cameron Carroll (Honor Roll) Michael Pratt (Honor Roll)

Sept. 14 Sept. 14 Sept. 28 Sept. 28 Nov. 2 Nov. 2 Nov. 9 Nov. 9 Nov. 16

with a team-best 67 yards rushing.

• As a team, Tulane surpassed 100 yards rushing also rushed for over 100 yards 63rd time in its last 64 games.

• Defensive starters for the Green Wave were LB Dorian Williams, LB Marvin Moody, S Chase Kuerschen, S Larry Brooks, CB Jaylon Monroe, CB Willie Langham, DL Noah Seiden, DL Adonis Friloux, DL Patrick Johnson, DL Cameron Sample, and DL Jeffrey Johnson.

• Larry Brooks recorded an interception for the third straight game. Brooks leads the team with three interceptions on the season.

• Dorian Williams led the team with nine tackles.

• Cornelius Dyson collected his first career interception.

• Adonis Friloux tallied his first career sack.

• Patrick Johnson tallied a tackle for loss. He now has 40 career tackles for loss which ranks sixth all-time.

• As a team, Tulane finished the game with eight tackles for loss and three sacks. Tulane’s defensive unit has tallied 37 sacks this season - a figure that sixth all-time in program history.

• Ryan Wright finished the game with five punts for 216 yards (43.2 average). Wright entered the game leading the American Athletic Conference in punting average.

• Merek Glover connected on five extra points. He now has 292 career points kicking which ranks third all-time.

TULANE FOOTBALL ESTABLISHES - WAVE OF CHANGE • Prior to the start of the 2020 season, the Tulane University football program established a player focused group called Wave of Change.

• The group vows to engage the collective public by committing to bring awareness to injustices and inequalities facing society.

• Wave of Change is led by a council of Tulane football players that includes: Sam Bruchhaus, Sorrell Brown, Joey Claybrook, Sincere Haynesworth, Kevin Henry, Keon Howard, Tyrick James, Jacob Robertson Jr., Cameron Sample, KJ Vault, Chase Kuerschen and De’Andre Williams.

TULANE ATHLETIC ESTABLISHES - WAVE BRAND WORKS • In the spring of 2020, Tulane University Athletics partnered with the Tulane Center for Sport on new name, image, and likeness initiatives to enhance student-athletes’ education and personal brand.

• The partnership between the Center for Sport and Tulane Athletics will provide Green Wave student-athletes with a comprehensive educational program to help equip each individual with the knowledge and expertise to maximize their NIL opportunities in a way that is compliant with NCAA legislation, as well as with federal and state laws.

TULANE ATHLETICS RECEIVES TWO GIFTS TOTALING $2.5 MILLION • Tulane University Athletics was the recent recipient of two generous donations that totaled $2.5 million.

• The two gifts will significant enhance the Green Wave student-athlete experience.

• The first gift of $1 million came from Don and Lora Peters in support of an expansion and renovation of the department’s academic center.

• The $1 million gift from Don and Lora Peters kickstarts a $2.2 million fundraising campaign to address a substantial infrastructure enhancement to the academic services center which has not received a significant renovation in two decades.

• The second contribution was a gift in excess of $1.5 million from the Estate of Alan H. Rosenbloum. One million dollars of the gift will be used to establish the Alan H. Rosenbloum Mental Health Endowed Fund. The fund will expand Tulane

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Athletics’ mental health support of its 350 student-athletes.

• Through the establishment of the Alan H. Rosenbloum Mental Health Endowed Fund, Tulane Athletics will provide numerous wellness services, suicide prevention education, patient assessment, treatment planning and coordination as well as ongoing program monitoring and development of student-athletes.

TULANE IN BOWLS • The Green Wave’s trip to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will be their 14th bowl trip in program history.

• Tulane owns a 6-7 mark in its previous 13 bowl trips.

• The Green Wave will be in search of their third straight bowl win. Tulane has never won three straight bowl games.

• Tulane entered the year as one of just 14 teams nationally to have won back-to-back bowl games.

THE ELITE EIGHT • Eight Tulane University football players earned AllAmerican Athletic Conference honors on Tuesday, as the league announced its 2020 all-conference team.

• Headlining this year’s list of honorees was senior defensive linemen Patrick Johnson, as he earned First Team All-AAC honors.

• He becomes just the third player in program history to be named to The American’s all-conference team in three straight seasons, joining former Green Wave cornerback Parry Nickerson.

A MEMORABLE SENIOR CLASS • Tulane’s 2020 senior class will be in search of its 26th win since 2017.

• Tulane’s 2020 seniors have collected the most wins by a graduating class since 2000.

• The 2020 class is the first class in program history to appear in three straight bowls.

• In 2019, the Green Wave captured their sixth bowl win in program history, as it won the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.

• In 2018, this year’s senior class guided the Green Wave to their fifth bowl win in program history and a share of the American Athletic Conference West Division title.

• The 2020 senior class consists of Corey Dublin, Merek Glover, Kevin Henry, Keon Howard, Stephon Huderson, Patrick Johnson, Mykel Jones, Ajani Kerr, Ben Knutson, Chase Kuerschen, Jaylen Miller, Jaylon Monroe, Marvin Moody, Jacob Robertson Jr., Cameron Sample, Jaetavian Toles and De’Andre Williams.

MOST WINS FOR A SENIOR CLASS SINCE 2000 1. 2017-2020 2. 2016-2019 3. 2001-2004 4. 2002-2005 5. 2015-2018

25 23 21 20 19

WELCOME TO UPTOWN • Following Tulane final regular season game of the year against Memphis, the Green Wave welcomed three new coaches to their staff for the start of bowl season.

• Chip Long was named offensive coordinator and replaced Will Hall, who was named the head coach at the University of Southern Miss. Long arrives at Tulane following a year as an offensive analyst at the University of Tennessee. Prior to his time at Tennessee he spent three years at the University of Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish offensive coordinator.

• The Green Wave welcomed back Chris Hampton, as the team’s new defensive coordinator. Hampton spent the

STARTERS RETURNING/LOST Offensive Starters Returning (6) OL Joey Claybrook OL Corey Dublin OL Sincere Haynesworth TE Tyrick James TE Will Wallace

Career Starts 25 48 16 21 13

Defensive Starters Returning (8) DL Jeffrey Johnson DL Patrick Johnson S Chase Kuerschen DB Jaylon Monroe LB Marvin Moody DL Cameron Sample DL De’Andre Williams

Career Starts 31 37 33 27 25 38 30

Special Teams Starters Returning (3) P Ryan Wright PK Merek Glover

Career Games 33 47

Offensive Starters Lost (5) RB Darius Bradwell QB Justin McMillan WR Darnell Mooney OL Keyshawn McLeod WR Jalen McCleskey

Career Starts 11 19 47 25 13

Defensive Starters Lost (3) LB Lawrence Graham S P.J. Hall S Will Harper CB Thakarius Keyes

Career Starts 19 22 19 22

Special Teams Starters Lost (0) LS Geron Eatherly

Career Starts 47

GREEN WAVE PLAYERS IN THE NFL

Darius Bradwell Ryan Griffin Dontrell Hilliard Thakarius Keyes John Leglue Darnell Mooney Cairo Santos

Los Angeles Chargers Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cleveland Browns Kansas City Chiefs New Orleans Saints Chicago Bears Chicago Bears

SACK KING • Senior defensive end Patrick Johnson claimed the program record in sacks after a career day of three sacks at ECU. He now has 24.5 sacks in his career.

• He finished the regular season with a nation-best 10 sacks.

His 1.00 sacks per game rank 12th nationally and first in the AAC. • Johnson has made a name on the defensive line during his career Uptown. He has led the team in sacks the last two seasons. Johnson has also amassed 39.0 tackles for loss in his career - a figure that ranks tied for sixth all-time.

• Johnson has logged at least 2.0 sacks in three games this season.

2020 regular season at Duke University.

• Tulane also welcomed George Barnett, as the team’s new offensive coordinator.

ELITE EIGHT • Tulane football closed the year eight All-AAC selections.

The eight AAC selections are the most the Green Wave have had since joining The American.

• The Green Wave’s eight all-league players were the most Tulane has had selected for an all-conference team since 1997.

• Headlining this year’s list of honorees was senior defensive linemen Patrick Johnson, as he earned First Team All-AAC honors • He becomes just the third player in program history to be named to The American’s all-conference team in three straight seasons.

• Johnson is the first Tulane player to be all-conference in three consecutive season.

• Fellow senior defensive lineman Cameron Sample as well as junior punter Ryan Wright also earned First Team All-AAC recognition.

• Senior offensive lineman Corey Dublin, sophomore offensive linemen Sincere Haynesworth, senior running Stephon Huderson and sophomore linebacker Dorian Williams all were named Second Team All-AAC. • Dublin’s second team honor marked the second time he was honored by the American Athletic Conference.

• Rounding out the list of all-conference honorees was junior offensive lineman Joey Claybrook, as he was named Honorable Mention.

PRATT LEADS THE WAY • Quarterback Michael Pratt took over as the Green Wave’s signalcaller at Southern Miss. He has thrown for the most touchdowns among freshmen in the American.

• Pratt is tied for third nationally among freshmen in passing touchdowns with 18. He leads the nation among true-freshmen and ranks 19th overall among all collegiate signal callers.

• Pratt threw for over 200 yards in three straight games earlier this year.

• He closed out the year on a high note, as he passed for a career high 254 yards.

• Pratt’s 18 passing touchdowns are the most ever by a true freshman quarterback in program history.

• In just nine appearances, Pratt has been responsible for 150 points, which ranks 21st nationally and fifth in the AAC. THE IRON MEN • Tulane enters its final game of the season with seven players who have started in every game this year.

• OL Sincere Haynesworth, TE Tyrick James, DL Jeffery Johnson, DL Patrick Johnson, CB Jaylon Monroe, DL Cameron Sample, WR Duece Watts.

35 EQUALS WINS • Under Coach Fritz, the Green Wave have scored over 35 points in 21 games. Tulane is 20-2 in those games.

• The Olive and Blue have scored exactly 38 points in last three of their last six games, all of which were wins. Tulane has scored 35+ in three straight games against FBS opponents for only the second time in Fritz’s tenure. The Green Wave achieved the feat last season in wins over Houston, Army and UConn.

SAMPLE SIZE • Senior defensive lineman Cameron Sample has made an impact this season and professional scouts have begun to take notice, as he was named to the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

2020 HOME-AWAY BREAKDOWN Category Points Per Game Opponent Points Per Game Rushing Yards Per Game Opponent Rushing Yards Per Game Passing Yards Per Game Opponent Passing Yards Per Game Passing (Comp-Att-Int-TD) Opponent Passing (Comp-Att-Int-TD) Total Offense Per Game Opponent Total Offense Per Game 3rd-Down Conversions Opponent 3rd-Down Conversions 4th-Down Conversions Opponent 4th-Down Conversions Sacks By-Yards Opponent Sacks By-Yards Red Zone Scores-Chances Opponent Redzone Chances

HOME (3-2) 33.8 20.0 216.0 147.6 194.2 203.6 75-137-4-8 72-128-5-5 410.2 351.2 22-60 30-81 6-8 3-11 11-59 11-78 19-22 13-15

AWAY (3-3) 36.7 33.2 221.3 128.8 163.5 342.5 78-151-3-11 145-239-4-16 384.8 471.3 25-77 43-100 4-10 10-17 26-182 16-95 20-23 16-21

Score by Quarters Tulane (HOME) Opponents (HOME)

1ST 45 20

2ND 41 26

3RD 38 33

4TH 45 18

OT 0 3

TOTAL 169 100

Tulane (AWAY) Opponents (AWAY)

45 38

51 62

73 48

48 42

3 9

220 199

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BREAKDOWN BY CLASS Graduates (6): LB Kevin Henry, WR Mykel Jones, DB Ajani Kerr, OL Ben Knutson, OL Jaylen Miller Seniors (13): RB Corey Dauphine, QB Keon Howard, WR Jacob Robertson Jr., NT De’Andre Williams, PK Merek Glover, RB Stephon Huderson, DE Cameron Sample, DE Patrick Johnson, CB Jaylon Monroe, LB Marvin Moody, S Chase Kuerschen, OL Corey Dublin, WR Jaetavian Toles Juniors (24): WR Dane Ledford, CB Willie Langham, WR Logan Ammons, LB KJ Vault, TE Connor Prouet, DE Torri Singletary Jr., LB Sam Bruchhaus, OL Cameron Jackel, OL Timothy Shafter, OL Joey Claybrook, TE Will Wallace, QB Drew Harris, DE Alfred Thomas, S Larry Brooks, S Macon Clark, LB Nick Anderson, TE Keitha Jones Jr., NT Jeffery Johnson, TE Tyrick James, DE Davon Wright, P Ryan Wright, LS Matt Smith, WR Duece Watts, WR Phat Watts Sophomores (18): QB Christian Daniels, QB Josh Holl, RB Cameron Carroll, RB Ygenio Booker, OL Stephen Lewerenz, OL Nik Hogan, OL Michael Remondet, WR Ryan Thompson, WR Sorrell Brown, DE Noah Seiden, PK Sterling Stockwell, PK Casey Glover, DE Carlos Hatcher, WR Jha’Quan Jackson, QB Josh Coltrin, LB Dorian Williams, OL Sincere Haynesworth, PK Graham Dable Redshirt Freshmen (15): DB Levi Williams, DB Kiland Harrison, RB Tyjae Spears, S Jonathan Mestayer II, S Kanyon Walker, JOK Darius Hodges, JOK Armoni Dixon, LS Ethan Hudak, OL Colby Orgeron, OL/DL Caleb Thomas, OL Jackson Fort, WR Tyrek Presley, TE Keshon Williams, DL Eric Hicks Jr. Freshmen (29): QB Michael Pratt, QB Justin Ibieta, DB Cornelius Dyson, WR Matthew Redmond, S Gabe Liu, WR Reed Rutkowski, DB Kevaris Hall, DB Shi’Keem Laister, DB Reggie Neely, S Chadwick Bailey, LB Jesus Machado, LB Matthew Hightower, CB Rishi Rattan, RB Eric Charles, DL Angelo Aderson, LB/S Aidan McCahill, LB Andrew Wilks, DL Noah Taliacich, LB Hayden Beal, OL Ethan Marcus, OL Josh Remetich, OL Rashad Green, OL Matt Lombardi, OL Trey Tuggle, OL Joseph Solomon, WR Stephen Payne, TE Reggie Brown, DL Brandon Brown, Adonis Friloux.

• Sample was a big part of the Tulane defense at South Alabama. He tied his career-high with 2.0 sacks against the Jaguars.

• Sample currently ranks third in the AAC in individual sacks.

• Sample is sixth on the Green Wave in tackles (52) and fourth on the team in tackles for loss with 8.5.

•

DORIAN WILLIAMS LEADS THE WAY • Sophomore Dorian Williams has stepped up on the defensive end for the Green Wave. He has finished first or second on the team in tackles on eight occasions this season.

• Williams currently leads the Green Wave with 75 total tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss. He is third among all sophomores in the American with 84 total tackles.

• The sophomore linebacker is tied for the American lead in tackles for loss and is tied for sixth nationally with 14.5 tackles for loss.

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RUNNING DEEP AT RUNNING BACK • The Tulane running back room is one of the deepest in the country as it features senior Stephon Huderson and redshirt sophomore Cam Carroll.

• Huderson and Carroll are one of ONLY three running back duos in the AAC to both rush for over 500 yards this season.

• Under the direction of running back coach Jamaal Fobbs, Tulane ranks 18th nationally in rushing yards per game and second in The American.

• Tulane has surpassed 200 yards rushing in five games this season, including a 427-yard outburst against Southern Miss.

• Tulane’s running backs combined for 172 yards at South Alabama and 236 yards against Navy. They added 387 yards and six touchdowns at Southern Miss.

• At ECU, Tulane rushed for 277 yards.

•

FEARSOME FOURSOME • The Green Wave defensive line of junior Jeffery Johnson and seniors Patrick Johnson, Cameron Sample and De’Andre Williams has become one of the most consistent forces at Tulane. The foursome has started a combined 137 games in their careers.

• Sample leads the way with 38 starts, Patrick Johnson adds 37, Williams and Jeffery Johnson round out the group with 31 career starts apiece.

• The group has also stepped up defensively as they combined for 177 total tackles, 11.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss last season. The foursome accounted for 21.1 percent of the

• • • • •

• •

NO FLY ZONE • The Green Wave have recorded nine interceptions on the season. With the two picks against Memphis, Tulane logged multiple interceptions in three games this season.

• The 142 interception return yards rank third in the American and 27th in the nation.

FOR THE BRAND • Junior Ryan Wright has made a habit of booming punts this season. He currently ranks eighth in the nation in punting average at 45.7. Wright’s 2,243 punt yards rank seventh in the nation following the regular season. Both stats lead the conference.

• Wright finished the regular season as one of 14 punter that surpassed 2,000 punting yards.

• Redshirt senior Merek Glover’s 48 made PATs are good enough for fifth in the country.

DEFENSE HOLDS STRONG • The Green Wave defense held the line of scrimmage all

TULANE IN THE AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE/NCAA RANKINGS (2020 FINAL REGULAR SEASON RANKINGS)

Category Scoring Offense Scoring Defense Total Offense Total Defense Rushing Offense Rushing Defense Passing Offense Passing Yards Allowed Net Punting Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Turnover Margin Sacks Sacks Allowed Tackles for Loss Red Zone Offense Red Zone Defense Time of Possession Bold - Ranked in the NCAA’s Top 25

6

•

Green Wave’s total tackles, 45 percent of the sacks and 29 percent of the tackles for loss.

The foursome combined for 12 tackles, 4.0 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss in the first game of the 2020 season at South Alabama.

The line logged 19 total tackles and 1.0 tackle for loss against Navy.

The four added 11 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and four sacks at Southern Miss.

The foursome logged 15 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss and 1.0 sack at Houston.

The line added 15 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and two sacks against SMU. The group logged 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack at UCF. The four logged 11 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack against Temple.

The line recorded 13 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery at ECU. The group logged 19 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack against Army.

The group registered 10 tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss and 0.5 sacks at Tulsa.

The front four closed out the year on a high note, as they registered 10 tackles, 5.0 tackle for loss and three sacks against Memphis.

Avg. AAC NCAA 35.4 4th 22nd 27.2 3rd 54th 396.4 8th 64th 416.7 4th 69th 218.9 2nd 18th 137.4 2nd 38th 177.5 10th 108th 279.4 9th 115th 41.48 1st 16th 11.89 4th 24th 24.96 3rd 20th .73 2nd 22nd 3.36 1st 9th 2.45 9th 89th 8.5 1st 5th .867 4th 39th .806 4th 46th 29:04 7th 84th

TULANE’S RECORD WHEN...

UNDER FRITZ 2020

Plays at Night 11-14 Plays During the Day 18-18 Plays at Home 18-11 Plays on the Road 9-21 Plays at Neutral Site 2-0 Plays on Grass 6-5 Plays on Turf 23-27 Scores First 16-10 Opponent Scores First 11-22 Leads After First Quarter 17-9 Trails After First Quarter 6-19 Game is Tied After First Quarter 6-4 Leads at Halftime 23-4 Trails at Halftime 5-26 Game is Tied at Halftime 1-3 Leads After Third Quarter 23-7 Trails After Third Quarter 5-25 Game is Tied After Third Quarter 1-1 In Overtime 2-3 Scores 21 or More Points 28-17 Scores 20 Points or Less 1-14 Opponent Scores 21 or More Points 15-29 Opponent Scores 20 Points or Less 13-3 Victory Margin is 7 Points or Less 10-15 Victory Margin is 8-14 Points 3-4 Victory Margin is 15-20 Points 5-4 Victory Margin is 21+ Points 10-9 Amasses 350+ Total Yards 27-12 Holds Opponent to 350 Yards or Less 15-8 Commits Less than 3 TOs 26-27 Commits 3 or More TOs 2-5 Has Fewer TOs than Opponent 18-10 Has More TOs than Opponent 6-12 Has Equal TOs to Opponent 4-8 Has More First Downs than Opponent 16-9 Opponent Has More First Downs 10-20 Punts Less than 7 Times 27-19 Punts 7 or More Times 2-13 Player Runs for 100 or More Yards 16-8 Opponent Player Rushes for 100 or More Yards 7-16 Player Passes for 200 or More Yards 9-8 Opponent Player Passes for 200 or More Yards 15-20

1-3 5-2 3-2 3-3 0-0 1-1 5-4 3-4 3-1 2-3 1-1 3-1 5-2 1-1 0-2 5-2 1-3 0-0 0-2 6-5 0-0 4-5 2-0 1-3 1-0 2-1 1-1 6-3 4-1 5-5 1-0 3-1 1-3 2-1 4-1 0-4 6-4 0-1 3-3 0-3 3-1 4-4

season. Tulane has logged 10 or more tackles for loss in a single game four times this season.

• The Olive and Blue opened the season with 12 at South Alabama. The Green Wave then hit 12 at Southern Miss, 11 against SMU and 10 against ECU. NEXT MAN UP ON DEFENSE • The Green Wave’s defense has had a next man up mentality with five different players recording double-digit tackles on 10 different occasions in a single game this season.

• Senior Marvin Moody started the trend with 20 tackles against Navy, which is a single game team-high on the season.

• Sophomore Dorian Williams followed that performance with 10 tackles at Southern Miss.

• At Houston, Williams and senior Chase Kuerschen both logged 12 tackles each.

• Junior Larry Brooks was the next Tulane player to do it with 11 against SMU. • Williams added 12 and Kuerschen registered 11 at UCF. • Junior Nick Anderson got in on the action with 14 tackles in the win over Temple.

• Williams achieved the feat again when he recorded 11 tackles at Tulsa. Anderson followed suit with 11 tackles himself in the same game.

DEFENSE STEPS UP BIG AGAINST TEMPLE • The Green Wave defense stepped up big against Temple.

Tulane only allowed the Owls to cross the 50 yard line once in the second half.

• This marked the first time the Olive and Blue did not allow an opponent to score a touchdown under Willie Fritz.

This was also the first time since the Green Wave beat UConn, 12-3, in 2014 that they did not allow a conference opponent to score a touchdown.

• The Green Wave only allowed the Owls to gain 222 total yards. This was the fewest total yards Tulane has allowed a conference opponent during the Willie Fritz era. The number was the lowest by a conference opponent since UConn in 2014 when the Huskies gained 217 total yards.

CARROLL THE TOUCHDOWN MACHINE • Redshirt sophomore Cameron Carroll has burst onto the scene this season with 11 rushing touchdowns. He currently is tied for 13th in all of FBS football in rushing touchdowns (11) and tied for 13th in total touchdowns (12).

• He opened the season with back-to-back games with two rushing touchdowns at South Alabama and Navy.

• Carroll broke out for a career-high 163 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown at Southern Miss.

• The Flowood, Miss., native logged a rushing touchdown against Temple along with 63 yards.

• Carroll had his fourth multi-touchdown at ECU. He had ran for 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Pirates.

HUDERSON SHINES • Running back Stephon Huderson has stepped up running the ball during senior season.

• He currently leads the Green Wave with 721 rushing yards. The Petal, Miss., native is also tops on the team with 6.1 yards per carry and 65.5 yards per game.

• Huderson is second in the American and 32nd in the nation in rushing yards. He is eighth in the conference in rushing yards per game.

FRESHMEN STEP UP • Tulane’s true freshmen class has stepped up big for Green Wave this season.

• Freshmen Michael Pratt, Trey Tuggle and Josh Remetich have combined for 19 starts this season. Tuggle has started eight games for the Wave on the offensive line.

• Cornelius Dyson leads the way defensively for the freshmen with 21 tackles and five pass breakups. Adonis Friloux has added 19 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and one QB hurry on the season.

• Kevaris Hall has been a game-changer for the Olive and Blue on defense. He changed the momentum at Southern Miss with his 52-yard interception return. He also logged a sack against SMU on a third down to force a punt.

PUSH BACK THE OFFENSE • The Green Wave defense has held strong up front all season.

The unit ranks fifth in FBS and first in the AAC in tackles for loss per game at 8.5.

• The Olive and Blue have recorded 94 tackles for loss on the season, which is second nationally.

• Dorian Williams and Patrick Johnson are tied for sixth nationally and lead The American with 14.5 tackles for loss.

• The 82 yards Johnson has pushed opposing offense back this season is third in the nation.

DOMINATE AGAINST THE RUN • The Green Wave have held five of their opponents under 100 yards rushing.

• Tulane opened the year holding South Alabama to 65 yards rushing for the game and only 13 rushing yards in the second half.

• Against Southern Miss, Tulane held the Golden Eagles to just 70 yards rushing.

• The Green Wave stepped up against the run when facing Temple, only allowing the Owls to rush for 77 yards. Tulane only allowed Temple to gain 26 yards on the ground in the second half.

• Tulane held the line again at ECU. The Green Wave held the Pirates to only 35 yards rushing for the game. This was the fewest yards Tulane has held an opponent to on the ground since holding Memphis to 31 yards on the ground on Sept. 28, 2018.

• The Green Wave limited Memphis to just 45 yards rushing.

GREEN WAVE TURNOVERS • Tulane forced five turnovers at Houston earlier this season.

This was the marked the most turnovers forced by a Tulane team since Nov. 26, 2016 against UConn.

• Tulane currently ranks second in the AAC in turnover margin at .73.

• The Green Wave forced three turnovers against Army.

Juniors Larry Brooks and Willie Langham recorded interceptions, while senior Jaetavian Toles intercepted the Knights’ attempted pitch on a kickoff and returned it for a touchdown.

• Tulane forced three turnovers in a second straight game when it recovered two fumbles and grabbed an interception at Tulsa.

• The Green Wave forced Memphis into a pair of interceptions.

CLARK QB TERRORIZER • Junior Macon Clark logged two interceptions at Houston.

He returned his first interception 67 yards for a touchdown.

• Clark is the first Tulane player with two interceptions in a game since Larry Brooks achieved the mark last season vs.

Missouri State.

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GLOVER IN THE RECORD BOOKS • Redshirt senior kicker Merek Glover has put himself in the Tulane record books with his play.

• Glover is the all-time program leader in PATs made (172) and PATs attempted (178). He ranks third in most kicking points (292), tied for sixth in field goals made (40) and PAT percentage (.971) in program history.

• Glover came to Tulane as a walk-on and was nominated for the 2019 Burlsworth Trophy, which is given to the most outstanding football player that started their career as a walk-on.

NATIONAL WAVE • Tulane’s game against Navy was broadcast on ABC. This was the first Green Wave game on ABC in 40 years. The last game on the network was in 1980 against Southern Miss.

MOODY SHINES • Senior linebacker Marvin Moody led the Olive and Blue with 20.0 total tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss against Navy.

He was the first Tulane defender to rack up 10+ tackles in a game since Lawrence Graham did it against Navy in 2019.

FIVE YEARS WITH FRITZ • Willie Fritz is in his fifth year (28th overall) as the Green Wave’s head coach.

• In each of his previous four seasons, Tulane has protected its home turf compiling a 16-9 home record overall and a 14-5 record at Yulman Stadium in the last four seasons.

• Fritz led the Olive and Blue to a 5-1 home record last season.

• During Fritz’s tenure, Tulane has lost by eight points or less 14 times.

FRITZ INKS SEVEN-YEAR DEAL • Earlier this year, Tulane head coach Willie Fritz inked a seven-year contract extension.

• In his four previous seasons with the Green Wave, Fritz has directed the Green Wave to a pair of bowl wins and a share of the 2018 American Athletic Conference West Division crown.

KUERSCHEN SELECTED AS A CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALIST • Tulane University senior Chase Kuerschen was selected as a semifinalist for the 2020 William V. Campbell Trophy® Presented by Mazda by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame on Oct. 1.

• The NFF will announce 12-to-14 finalists in November, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2020 NFF National ScholarAthlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments.

TULANE ADDS FOUR GRADUATE TRANSFERS • Tulane added graduate transfers Kevin Henry, Mykel Jones, Ajani Kerr and Jaylen Miller over the offseason. All four studentathletes will be able to compete immediately.

• Henry comes to Tulane after he spent the past four seasons at Oklahoma State University. During his career at Oklahoma State, Henry played in 36 games and amassed 50 career tackles. He played in 12 games, recorded 23 tackles and tallied 1.5 tackles for loss last season.

• Jones arrives in New Orleans following a stellar career at Oklahoma where he totaled 33 career receptions for 495 yards.

His best year at OU came in 2017 when he logged 16 catches for 310 yards and one touchdown. He helped guide the Sooners to the College Football Playoff Semifinals against Georgia in 2017.

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STEPHEN MARTIN SCHOLARS NICK ANDERSON | ALANNA AUSTIN

Tulane University Athletics announced on Dec. 2 that Nick Anderson and Alanna Austin, were the 2020 recipients of the Stephen Martin Scholars, as part of the institution’s long-term initiative to honor the lasting impact that individuals from diverse backgrounds have made at the University.

The Stephen Martin Scholars honors Stephen Martin, who broke the color barrier in the Southeastern Conference when he played his first baseball contest for Tulane in 1965.

Anderson, a junior with the football team, and Austin, a senior member of the sailing team, are the third and fourth Tulane student-athletes to receive this prestigious honor.

Prospective candidates for the honor will represent the highest level of character and leadership skills while being academically driven and civic-minded.

Martin and his wife, Brigid Cheri Martin, also a Tulane graduate, were married for 43 years and the couple had three children, Stephen Jr., Nicole and Dana. Stephen Jr. and Dana each earned their college degrees from Tulane.

Born Nov. 2, 1946, Martin was a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, earning his bachelor’s degree in Latin from Tulane in 1968 before earning his master’s in business administration at his alma mater in 1973.

He served his country in the United States Army and retired as the Chief Financial Officer for Tuskegee University in 2012.

• Miller begins the 2020 campaign following a career at Duke. He played in nine games for the fifth ranked offensive line in the ACC in sacks allowed. Miller also helped the Blue Devils rank 15th nationally in tackles for loss allowed in 2019.

• Kerr saw action in five games at Georgia Tech and made one start in 2019 before missing the rest of the season due to injury. In 2018, he finished eighth on the team 39 tackles, fourth with two pass breakups and fifth with four special teams tackles.

HOMETOWN BOYS • Located in the iconic city of New Orleans, the Tulane football team has made a habit of keeping its local players at home.

The 2020 roster features seven student-athletes who hail from New Orleans.

• Defensive lineman Angelo Anderson (John Curtis), offensive lineman Corey Dublin (Jesuit), quarterback Justin Ibieta (Country Day School), offensive lineman Cameron Jackel (Archbishop Shaw), offensive lineman Colby Orgeron (John Curtis), tight end Connor Prouet (Jesuit) and offensive lineman Josh Remetich (Holy Cross) all played high school football in New Orleans.

MOONEY & KEYES DRAFTED; THREE OTHERS EARN ROSTER SPOTS • Tulane University wide receiver Darnell Mooney was selected as the 28th pick in fifth round (173 overall) by the Chicago Bears

•

•

• •

• •

and cornerback Thakarius Keyes was taken as the 23rd pick of the seventh round (237) by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Their selections mark the fourth consecutive season a Green Wave student-athlete has been taken in the NFL Draft. Mooney and Keyes also become the 147th and 148th Tulane players chosen in the NFL Draft in program history, respectively.

As a senior in 2019, Mooney led the Green Wave with 48 receptions, 745 yards and five touchdowns. He was also the team leader with 57.3 average yards per game. Mooney broke out during his junior season when he hauled in 47 receptions, 993 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named Second Team All-AAC honors after the 2018 season.

Mooney left his mark on the record books at Tulane as he is sixth in receiving yards (2,572), eighth in touchdown receptions (19), ninth in 100-yard games (seven) and 11th in receptions (154).

Keyes made 12 starts last season and recorded 47 tackles and one interception. He was second on the team and first among cornerbacks with five pass breakups. The Laurel, Mississippi, native marked the fifth straight year a cornerback from Tulane was taken in the NFL draft.

Keyes ended his career in Uptown with 20 pass breakups.

Former Tulane offensive linemen Christian Montano, running back Darius Bradwell and wide receiver Jalen McCleskey inked free agent contracts with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Atlanta Falcons, respectively.

THE CAREER RECORD BOOK

TOP 25 RANKINGS

Week 16 Rankings

ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL RK TEAM 1.

Alabama (62) 2.

Notre Dame 3.

Ohio State 4. Clemson 5.

Texas A&M 6. Cincinnati 7. Indiana 8.

Iowa State 9.

Coastal Carolina 10. Georgia 11. Florida 12. Oklahoma 13. USC 14. BYU 15. Northwestern 16.

North Carolina 17. Louisiana 18. Iowa 19. Miami 20. Tulsa 21. Texas 22. Liberty 23. Buffalo 24.

NC State 25.

San José State

REC 10-0 10-0 5-0 9-1 7-1 8-0 6-1 8-2 11-0 7-2 8-2 7-2 5-0 10-1 6-1 8-3 9-1 6-2 8-2 6-1 6-3 9-1 5-0 8-3 6-0

Others Receiving Votes: Oklahoma State 83, Marshall 47, Boise State 12, UCF 11, Army 9, Washington 9, Auburn 8, TCU 3, Appalachian State 1 COACHES POLL RK TEAM 1. Alabama(60) 2.

Notre Dame(2) 3. Clemson 4.

Ohio State 5.

Texas A&M 6. Cincinnati 7. Indiana 8.

Iowa State 9. Georgia 10. Oklahoma 11. Florida 12.

Coastal Carolina 13. USC 14. Northwestern 15.

North Carolina 16. BYU 17. Iowa 18. Louisiana 19. Miami 20. Tulsa 21. Liberty 22.

Oklahoma State 23.

NC State 24. Texas 25.

San José State

REC 10-0 10-0 9-1 5-0 7-1 8-0 6-1 8-2 7-2 7-2 8-2 11-0 5-0 6-1 8-3 10-1 6-2 9-1 8-2 6-1 9-1 7-3 8-3 6-3 6-0

Others Receiving Votes: Buffalo 102, Auburn 45, Army 35, Boise State 30, Marshall 29, Washington 22, Missouri 17, Colorado 17, Nevada 10, Wisconsin 8, SMU 7, Oregon 6, Utah 4, TCU 1

QUARTERBACK SACKS 1. Patrick Johnson 2. Kenan Blackmon 3. Floyd Dorsey 4. Royce LaFrance 5 Mark Olivari 6. Dezman Moses 7. Brian Douglas 8. Julius Warmsley 9. Logan Kelley 10. Antonio Harris TACKLES FOR LOSS 1. Nico Marley 2. Kenan Blackmon 3. Floyd Dorsey 4. Mark Olivari 5. Tanzel Smart 6. Patrick Johnson 7. Royce LaFrance 8. Brett Timmons 9. Julius Warmsley 10. Anthony Cannon

Dennis O’Sullivan

Bryan Alexander

MOST POINTS KICKING 1. Seth Marler 2. Cairo Santos 3. Brad Palazzo 4. Merek Glover 5. Ross Thevenot 6. Ed Murray 7. Tony Wood 8. Todd Wiggins 9. Andrew DiRocco 10. Lee Gibson

FIELD GOALS MADE 1. Seth Marler 2. Cairo Santos 3. Brad Palazzo 4. Ed Murray 5. Tony Wood 6. Merek Glover

Ross Thevenot 8. Todd Wiggins 9. Andrew DiRocco 10. Bart Baldwin

24.5 22.5 21.5 20 16 15.5 15 14.5 14 14 50.5 50 43 42 40.5 40 37 32 30.5 29 29 29 333 312 290 292 222 219 200 190 164 110 66 61 48 45 42 40 40 34 27 21

PATS MADE 1. Merek Glover 2. Brad Palazzo 3. Seth Marler 4. Cairo Santos 5. Ross Thevenot 6. Todd Wiggins 7. Ed Murray 8. Andrew DiRocco 9. Tony Wood

PATS ATTEMPTED 1. Merek Glover 2. Brad Palazzo

Seth Marler 4. Cairo Santos 5. Ross Thevenot 6. Todd Wiggins 7. Andrew DiRocco 8. Ed Murray

PAT PERCENTAGE 1. Bart Baldwin 2. Brad Palazzo 3. Cairo Santos 4. Ed Murray 5. Tony Wood 6. Merek Glover 7. Nick Beucher 8. David Falgoust MOST HEAD COACHING WINS 1. Çlark Shaughnessy (1915-20; 22-26) 2. Chris Scelfo (1998-2006) 3. Bernie Bierman (1927-31)

Red Dawson (1936-41) 5. Henry E. Frnka (1946-51) 6. Willie Fritz (2016-Present) 7. Ted Cox (1932-35) 8. Bennie Ellender (1971-75) 9. Andy Pilney (1954-61) 10. Jim Pittman (1966-70)

172 146 135 129 102 88 84 83 74 178 148 143 132 109 97 87 86 1.000 .986 .977 .977 .974 .972 .971 .957 59 37 36 36 31 29 28 27 25 21

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FUTURE NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS 2021 Home: Oklahoma (Sept. 4), Morgan State (Sept. 11), UAB (Sept. 25) Away: Ole Miss (Sept. 18) 2022 Home: Massachusetts (Sept. 3) Away: Kansas State (Sept. 10), Southern Miss (Sept. 24) 2023 Home: Ole Miss (Sept. 9), South Alabama (Sept. 23), Mississippi State (Oct. 7) Away: Southern Miss (Sept. 16) 2024 Home: Southeastern Louisiana (Aug. 31), Kansas State (Sept. 7) Away: Oklahoma (Sept. 14), Louisiana-Lafayette (Sept. 21) 2025 Home: Northwestern (Aug. 30), Duke (Sept. 13) Away: South Alabama (Sept. 6), Ole Miss (Sept. 20) 2026 Home: South Alabama (Sept. 12), Southern Miss (Sept. 26) Away: Duke (Sept. 5), Kansas State (Sept. 19)

THE LAST TIME THE TULANE TEAM Scored 90+ Points Scored 80+ Points Scored 70+ Points Scored 60+ Points Scored 50+ Points Scored 40+ Points Back-To-Back 40+ Games

Three Straight 40+ Games

Four Straight 40+ Games

Had 30+ First Downs Had 25+ First Downs Allowed 10 Or Fewer 1st Downs Allowed 15 Or Fewer 1st Downs Rushed for 600+ Yards Rushed For 500+ Yards Rushed For 400+ Yards Rushed For 300+ Yards Allowed 25 Or Fewer Rushing Yards Allowed 50 Or Fewer Rushing Yards Allowed 99 Or Fewer Rushing Yards

2027 Home: Louisiana-Lafayette (Sept. 4) Away: Southern Miss (Sept. 11), Wake Forest (Sept. 18)

Passed For 400+ Yards Passed For 300+ Yards Passed For 250+ Yards

2028 Home: TBA Away: Iowa State (Sept. 16)

Allowed 25 Or Fewer Passing Yards Allowed 50 Or Fewer Passing Yards Allowed 100 Or Fewer Passing Yards Allowed 150 Or Fewer Passing Yards

2029 Home: Iowa State (Sept. 19) Away: TBA

FUTURE AAC HOME AND AWAY SCHEDULES 2021 Home: Cincinnati, Houston, USF, Tulsa Away: UCF, ECU, Memphis, SMU

Rushed and Passed For 200+ Yards Had Two Players With 100+ Rushing Yards

Had Two Players With 100+ Receiving Yards

Had 100+ Rusher And 100+ Receiver

Had 150+ Rusher And 150+ Receiver

Had 100+ Rusher And 300+ Passer

Had 100+ Rusher, 100+ Receiver And 300+ Passer

95 vs. UL Lafayette, 10/12/1912 84 vs. Mississippi College, 10/9/1937 72 vs. UL Lafayette, 10/31/1998 66 at Southern Miss, 9/26/2020 66 at Southern Miss, 9/26/2020 66 at Southern Miss, 9/26/2020 42 at Army, 10/5/19 49 vs. UConn, 10/12/19 48 vs. Houston, 11/21/1998 63 vs. Louisiana Tech, 11/26/1998 41 vs. BYU (Liberty Bowl), 12/31/1998 49 at Army, 11/14/1998 48 vs. Houston, 11/21/1998 63 vs. Louisiana Tech, 11/26/1998 41 vs. BYU (Liberty Bowl), 12/31/1998 31 vs. UConn, 10/12/19 26 vs. Memphis, 12/5/20 10 at Wake Forest, 9/1/2016 11 vs. Temple, 10/31/2020 638 vs. Mississippi College, 10/9/1937 504 vs. Clemson, 11/18/1944 430 at Southern Miss, 9/26/2020 5430 at Southern Miss, 9/26/2020 -35 vs. UCF, 10/3/2015 45 vs. Memphis, 12/5/20 35 at ECU, 11/7/2020 476 vs. Rice, 11/3/2012 323 vs. UConn, 10/12/2019 254 vs. Memphis, 12/5/20 0 vs. Army, 9/23/2017 33 vs. Army, 11/14/2020 33 vs. Army, 11/14/2020 145 vs. Temple, 10/31/2020 277 Rush/216 Pass at ECU, 11/7/20 at Southern Miss, 9/26/2020 Cameron Carroll 163, Stephon Huderson 120 at SMU, 11/25/2017 Darnell Mooney 168/Terren Encalade 111 vs. Houston, 9/19/2019 Darius Bradwell 113 Rush/Jalen McCleskey 120 Receive vs. McNeese State, 9/26/2009 André Anderson 199 rush/Jeremy Williams 22 Receive vs. Rice, 11/13/2010 Orleans Darkwa 113 rush/Ryan Griffin 314 Pass vs. Rice, 11/13/2010 Orleans Darkwa 113 rush/Ryan Grant 140 rec/Ryan Griffin 314 Pass

Had Three RBs Rush for Touchdowns at Southern Miss, 9/26/20

Cameron Carroll (3), Tyjae Spears (2), Stephon Huderson (1) Had Three RBs Rush for 2+ Touchdowns vs. Southern, 9/10/2016

Dontrell Hillard (3), Josh Rounds (2), Lazedrick Thompson (2) Had Three Players Rush for Touchdowns at Southern Miss 9/26/20

Cameron Carroll (2), Tyjae Spears (2),Stephon Huderson (1), Michael Pratt (1) Had 4+ Players Rush for Touchdowns at Southern Miss 9/26/20

Cameron Carroll (2), Tyjae Spears (2),Stephon Huderson (1), Michael Pratt (1) Had Three Players with Receiving Touchdowns______________________________________ vs. Southern Miss (LMAFB), 1/4/2020 ___________________________________________________Jalen McCleskey (1), Amare Jones (1), Jacob Robertson Jr. (1)

10

THE LAST TIME (CONT.) Had 700+ Yards Total Offense___________________________ 706 vs. UL Lafayette, 10/31/1998 Had 600+ Yards Total Offense_______________________________ 634 vs. UConn, 10/12/2019 Had 500+ Yards Total Offense_______________________________ 504 vs. Temple, 10/31/2020 Had 400+ Yards Total Offense________________________________ 419 vs. Memphis, 12/5/20 Allowed 150 Or Fewer Yards Total Offense________________________ 140 vs. UConn, 11/7/2015 Allowed 200 Or Fewer Yards Total Offense___________________ 182 vs. Missouri State, 9/14/2019 Allowed 250 Or Fewer Yards Total Offense_______________________ 222 vs. Temple, 10/31/2020 Allowed 300 Or Fewer Yards Total Offense________________________ 300 vs. Memphis, 12/5/20 Won In Overtime____________________________________ 31-24 (OT) at ECU, 11/11/2017 Lost In Overtime___________________________________24-30 (2OT) at Tulsa, 11/19/2020 Played To A Tie____________________________________ 10-10 vs. Miami (Fla.), 11/5/1966 Had A 90+ Yard Running Play____________________________________ at Tulsa, 8/28/2014

Sherman Badie 90 yds {td} Had An 80+ Yard Running Play__________________________________ at Tulsa, 10/22/2016

Josh Rounds 84 yards Had A 70+ Yard Running Play_____________________________________ at USF, 11/3/2018

Darius Bradwell 73 yards {td} Had A 60+ Yard Running Play_____________________________________ at USF, 11/3/2018

Darius Bradwell 73 yards {td} Had A 50+ Yard Running Play____________________________________ vs. Army, 11/14/20 _________________________________________________ Amare Jones 50 yards {td} Had A 90+ Yard Passing Play___________________________________ at Army, 11/14/2015

Teddy Veal 90 yards from Tanner Lee {td} Had An 80+ Yard Passing Play_____________________________ vs. Missouri State, 9/14/2019

Tyjae Spears 88 yards from Keon Howard {td} Had A 70+ Yard Passing Play______________________________ vs. Missouri State, 9/14/2019

Tyjae Spears 88 yards from Keon Howard {td} Had A 60+ Yard Passing Play______________________________ vs. Missouri State, 9/14/2019

Tyjae Spears 88 yards from Keon Howard {td} Had A 50+ Yard Passing Play___________________________________ vs. Temple, 10/31/20 ________________________________________ Duece Watts 52 yards from Michael Pratt Had Two Drives of 90+ Yards___________________________________vs. Maine, 9/19/2015

6 Plays for 90 Yards, 12 Plays for 94 Yards

_________________________Running back Cameron Carroll forced out of the back of end zone Returned An Interception For TD_________________________________ at Houston, 10/8/20 ___________________________________________________ Macon Clark, 64 yards Allowed An Interception Return For TD_______________________________at Tulsa, 11/19/20 ___________________________________________________ Zaven Collins, 96 yards Returned A Fumble For TD______________________________________ vs. Army, 11/14/20

Jaetavian Toles, 8 yards Allowed A Fumble Return For TD___________________________________ vs. Tulsa, 11/2/19 _________________________________________________ Willie Langham, 13 yards Returned A Punt Return For TD________________________________vs. Houston, 10/17/2015

Demarcus Ayers, 73 yards Allowed A Punt Return For TD____________________________________ at ULM, 9/28/2013

Rashon Ceaser 88 yards Returned A Kickoff For TD______________________________________vs. UCF, 11/23/2019

Stephon Huderson 98 yards Allowed A Kickoff Return For TD________________________________ at Houston, 10/8/2020

Marquez Stevenson, 97 yards Blocked A Punt____________________________________________ at UAB, 9/15/2018

Roderic Teamer Jr. Allowed A Blocked Punt_____________________________________ at Cincinnati, 10/6/18

Ethan Tucky, downed at Tulane 15-yard line Blocked A Punt For TD___________________________________ at East Carolina, 10/9/2004

Bubba Terranova block, Gabe Ratcliff recovery in endzone Allowed A Blocked Punt For TD__________________________________ at Army, 11/14/2015

Kenneth Brinson 22 yards for TD Blocked A Field Goal___________________________________ at ECU, 11/7/2020, Eric Hicks Allowed A Blocked Field Goal___________at SMU, 11/30/19, Delontae Scott block, Merek Glover 32 yds Blocked A Field Goal For TD________________________________ vs. North Texas, 10/5/2013

Darion Monroe block, Derrick Strozier 62 yds Allowed A Blocked Field Goal For TD_______________________________ at SMU, 11/21/2015

Zach Wood block, RC Cox 66 yds

Had 100+ Tackles____________________________106 (37 solo/74 asst) at Houston, 9/25/2010 Had 90+ Tackles_______________________________96 (58 solo/38 asst) at UCF, 10/25/2020

Blocked A PAT________________________________________vs. Army, 11/14/2020, Team Allowed A Blocked PAT__________________________at Ohio State, 9/22/2018, Jonathon Cooper

Had 8+ Sacks____________________________________________ 9 at SMU, 9/24/2005 Had 7+ Sacks_________________________________________ 7 vs. Memphis, 9/28/2018

Executed An On-Side Kick_______________________________________ at SMU, 11/30/19 ______________________________________________ SMU’s James Proche recovered Allowed An On-Side Kick_______________________________________at ECU, 11/7/2020

Had 15+ Tackles For Loss______________________________ 15 vs. East Carolina, 10/12/2013 Had 10+ Tackles For Loss_____________________________________ 10 at ECU, 11/7/2020 Forced 5 Fumbles____________________________________vs. Mississippi State, 9/13/2003 Forced 4 Fumbles_____________________________________ vs. Jackson State, 8/29/2013 Had 4 Fumble Recoveries_____________________________________vs. Army, 11/16/2002 Had 3 Fumble Recoveries______________________________________ at ULM, 9/28/2013 Had 10+ Pass Breakups______________________________________ 12 vs. Tulsa, 11/2/19 Had 8+ Pass Breakups_________________________________________ 8 at ECU, 11/7/20 Had 5+ Interceptions_______________________________________5 at Army, 9/20/2003 Had 4+ Interceptions_____________________________________ 4 at Houston, 10/8/2014 Had 3+ Interceptions_________________________________ 3 vs. Missouri State, 9/14/2019 Forced 8 Total Turnovers______________________________ 8 (3 FR/5 INT) at Army, 9/20/2003 Forced 5+ Total Turnovers___________________________ 5 (2 INT/3 FR) at Houston, 10/8/2020 Forced 4+ Total Turnovers___________________________ 5 (2 INT/3 FR) at Houston, 10/8/2020 Scored A Safety_____________________________________________vs. SMU, 10/20/18

Snap over quarterback’s head out of end zone Allowed A Safety___________________________________________vs. Navy, 9/19/2020

Scored A 2-Point Conversion______________________________at South Alabama, 9/12/2020

Keon Howard pass to Tyrick James Allowed A 2-Point Conversion____________________________________at ECU, 11/7/2020

Tyler Snead pass to Holton Ahlers Returned Blocked PAT For Score______________________________ vs. Memphis, 10/25/2003

Anthony Cannon block, Jeremy Foreman return Successfully Faked A Field Goal___________________________________vs. LSU, 11/23/1996

Adam Moorhead 8 yd run Successfully Faked A Punt______________________________________ at ECU, 11/11/2017

Glen Cuiellette 11-yard pass to Darnell Mooney Missed A PAT_______________________________ at South Alabama, 9/12/2020; Merek Glover Shutout An Opponent________________________________56-0 vs. UL-Lafayette, 11/1/1997 Was Shutout________________________________________ 31-0 vs. Temple, 11/19/2016 Held Opponent Without A TD_____________________________ W 38-3 vs. Tulane, 10/31/2020 Failed To Score A TD_____________________________________L, 24-6 at Auburn, 9/7/2019 Neither Team Scored A TD_____________________L 9-6 vs. Penn State (Liberty Bowl), 12/22/1979 Scored Two TDs Via Interception Return______________________________ at UAB, 9/17/2011

Trent Mackey 39 yds, Derrick Strozier 55 yds Scored Two TDs Via Blocked Punt__________________________________ at LSU, 11/25/1978

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THE LAST TIME (CONT.)

Jeff Roberts and Gary Brown, both recovered in endzone Scored Two TDs Via Return____________________________________ at Houston, 10/9/2020 ___________________________________________ Macon Clark INT, Jeffery Johnson FR Scored Three TDs Via Return______________________________ vs. Southern Miss, 10/26/1996

Jeff Liggon KOR, Derrick Singleton FR & INT

vs. UTEP, 11/7/2009 Had 250+ All-Purpose Yards___________________________________285 (255 rush/30 rec)

by André Anderson at UTEP, 10/11/2008 Had 200+ All-Purpose Yards____________________________ 249 (65 rush/104 rec/80 return)

by Amare Jones at Army, 10/5/19

Blocked Two Punts_______________________________ vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 9/3/2011

Matthew Bailey – twice Blocked Two Kicks___________________________________________vs. USF, 10/21/2017

Roderic Teamer Jr. PAT, Donnie Lewis Jr. FG

Had 450+ Yards Total Offense_________________________________ 465 (-11 rush/476 pass)

by Ryan Griffin vs. Rice, 11/3/2012 Had 400+ Yards Total Offense__________________________________410 (67 rush/343 pass)

by Jordy Joseph vs. Tulsa 11/27/2015 Had 350+ Yards Total Offense__________________________________362 (48 rush/314 pass)

by Jonathan Banks at SMU, 11/25/2017

A TULANE PLAYER...____________________________________________________ Ran For 300+ Yards______________________________ 342 by Matt Forté at SMU, 10/20/2007 Ran For 250+ Yards__________________________ 255 by André Anderson vs. UTEP, 10/11/2008 Ran For 200+ Yards____________________________ 215 by Sherman Badie at Tulsa, 8/28/2014 Ran For 150+ Yards______________________ 163 by Cameron Carroll at Southern Miss, 9/26/2020 Ran For 100+ Yards_________________________ 106 by Stephon Huderson at Tulsa, 11/19/2020 Ran For 5+ TDs__________________________________ 5 by Matt Forté at Rice, 11/17/2007 Ran For 4+ TDs_______________________________4 by Dontrell Hilliard vs. Tulsa, 10/7/2017 Ran For 3+ TDs_________________________ 3 by Cameron Carroll at Southern Miss, 9/26/2020 Ran 40+ Times______________________________44 by Matt Forté vs. Memphis, 10/27/2007 Ran 30+ Times_________________ 35 by Darius Bradwell vs. UL Lafayette (Cure Bowl), 12/15/2018 Ran 20+ Times____________________________ 25 by Stephon Huderson at Tulsa, 11/19/2020 Ran For 100+ Yards In Consecutive Games________________________________ Tyjae Spears

105 at South Alabama on 9/12/2020; 119 vs. Navy, 9/19/2020 Ran For 100+ Yards In 3 Straight Games_______________________________ Dontrell Hilliard

104 at Oklahoma on 9/16/2017; 134 vs. Army, 9/23/2017;

175 vs. Tulsa, 10/7/2017 Ran For 200+ Yards In Consecutive Games_________________________________ Matt Forté

In 4 Straight From 10/6 – 10/27/2007 Completed 35+ Passes_______________________ 36 by Ryan Griffin vs. East Carolina, 11/17/2012 Completed 30+ Passes__________________________ 36 by Ryan Griffin at Houston, 11/24/2012 Completed 25+ Passes________________________ 25 by Tanner Lee at East Carolina, 11/22/2014 Completed 20+ Passes__________________________ 21 by Michael Pratt vs. Memphis, 12/5/20 Attempted 60+ Passes__________________________ 66 by Ryan Griffin at Houston, 11/24/2012 Attempted 50+ Passes________________________ 57 by Ryan Griffin vs. East Carolina, 11/17/12 Attempted 40+ Passes_______________________________ 42 by Glen Cuiellette, 11/12/2016 Passed For 400+ Yards____________________________ 476 by Ryan Griffin vs. Rice, 11/3/2012 Passed For 350+ Yards_________________________ 372 by Justin McMillan vs. ECU, 11/10/2018 Passed For 300+ Yards_________________________ 372 by Justin McMillan vs. ECU, 11/10/2018 Passed For 6+ Touchdowns_________________________ 6 by Lester Ricard vs. UAB, 10/23/2004 Passed For 5+ Touchdowns__________________________ 5 by Ryan Griffin vs. UAB, 10/27/2012 Passed For 4+ Touchdowns____________________ 4 by Glen Cuiellette vs. UL Lafayette 9/24/2016 Passed For 3+ Touchdowns__________________________ 3 by Michael Pratt at ECU, 11/7/2020 Caught 15+ Passes__________________________ 15 by JaJuan Dawson vs. Ole Miss, 10/9/1999 Caught 10+ Passes___________________________ 14 by Ryan Grant vs. South Alabama, 9/7/13 Had 250+ Receiving Yards___________________271 by Jerome McIntoshvs. Vanderbilt, 11/18/1989 Had 200+ Receiving Yards_______________________ 217 by Darnell Mooney vs. ECU, 11/10/2018 Had 150+ Receiving Yards_______________________ 217 by Darnell Mooney vs. ECU, 11/10/2018 Had 100+ Yards Receiving_________________________114 by Duece Watts vs. Navy, 10/31/2020 Had 100+ Receiving Yds in Consecutive Games_________________________ by Darnell Mooney

111 vs. Nicholls (9/8/2018); 123 at UAB, 9/15/2018 Caught 3+ TD Passes 3 by Terren Encalade vs. UL Lafayette, 9/24/2016 Caught 2+ TD Passes____________________________2 by Duece Watts vs. Temple, 10/31/2020 Had 300+ All-Purpose Yards_______________________324 (139 rec/145 ret) by Jeremy Williams

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Scored 5+ Total TDs_______________________________________________ 5 (all rush)

by Matt Forte at Rice, 10/20/2007 Scored 4+ Total TDs_________________________________________4 (3 rush, 1 receiving)

by Cameron Carroll at Southern Miss, 9/26/2020 Scored 3+ Total TDs________________________________________________ 3 (3 pass)

by Michael Pratt at ECU, 11/7/2020 Scored Rushing & Receiving TD____________________________Jha’Quan Jackson (1 rush/1 rec)

vs. Army, 11/14/20 Threw TD Pass & Scored Rushing TD Michael Pratt (2 pass/1 rush)

vs. Temple, 10/31/2020 Scored Via Interception Return Macon Clark

at Houston, 10/8/2020 Scored 2 TD Via Interception Return Ernest Crouch vs. SMU, 10/27/1945 Scored 2 Total Defensive TDs________________________________Derrick Singleton (FR/INT)

vs. Southern Miss, 10/26/1996 Had 20+ Tackles_________________________ 20 (12 solo/8 asst) by Marvin Moody, 9/19/2020

at Army, 11/14/1998 Had 15+ Tackles_______________________________ 15 (8 solo/7 asst) by Rae Juan Marbley

at FIU, 10/14/2017 Had 10+ Tackles__________ 11 (6 solo/5 asst) by Dorian Williams & 11 (7solo/4 asst) by Nick Anderson

at Tulsa, 11/19/2020 Had 3+ Sacks________________________________ 3.0 by Patrick Johnson at ECU, 11/7/2020 Had 2+ Sacks______________ 2.0 by Cameron Sample & Patrick Johnson at South Alabama, 9/12/20 Had 4+ TFL_________________________________4.0 by Royce LaFrance vs. UCF, 10/3/2015 Had 3+ TFL_________________________________ 3.0 by Patrick Johnson at ECU, 11/7/2020 Had 3+ Interceptions_________________________ 4 by Jimmy Glisson vs. Virginia, 11/19/1949 Had 2+ Interceptions___________________________ 2 by Macon Clark at Houston, 10/8/2020 Had 4+ Pass Breakups________________________________ 5 by P.J. Hall vs. Tulsa, 11/2/2019 Had 3+ Pass Breakups________________________________ 5 by P.J. Hall vs. Tulsa, 11/2/2019 Made 5+ Field Goals________________________ 5 by Cairo Santos vs. East Carolina, 10/12/2013 Made 4+ Field Goals________________________________________ 4 by Andrew DiRocco

vs. UL Lafayette, 9/24/2016 Made 3+ Field Goals 3 by Merek Glover

vs. Southern Miss (LMAFB), 1/4/2020 Had A 50+Yard Field Goal___________________________56 by Cairo Santos at ULM, 9/28/2013 Had An 80+ Yard Punt______________________83 by Casey Roussel vs. East Carolina, 10/23/1999 Had A 70+ Yard Punt_____________________________ 70 by Peter Picerelli at Tulsa, 9/8/2012 Had A 60+ Yard Punt_____________________________62 by Ryan Wright at Tulsa, 11/19/2020

WILLIE FRITZ HEAD COACH | 222-106-1 Fifth Season (28th Overall) | Pittsburg State, 1983 Personal Hometown: Shawnee Mission, Kansas Wife: Susan Children: Wesley, Lainie and Brooke Education Bachelor’s - Pittsburg State, 1983 Master’s of Kinesiology - Sam Houston State, 1986 Playing Experience Pittsburg State, Defensive Back (Football), 1978-81 Pittsburg State, Point Guard (Basketball), 1979-81 Coaching Experience 1982, Pittsburg State (GA) 1983, Shawnee Mission Northwest (Kan.) High School (Asst.)

1984-85, Sam Houston State (GA) 1986, Willis (Texas) High School (Asst.)

1987-90, Coffeyville Community College (DC) 1991-92, Sam Houston State (DB/ST) 1993-96, Blinn College (HC) 4 1997-2009, Central Missouri (HC) 13 2010-13, Sam Houston State (HC) 4 2014-15, Georgia Southern (HC) 2 2016-Present, Tulane (HC) 4 Postseason Experience 1987 Jayhawk Bowl (Coffeyville CC) 1988 Jayhawk Bowl (Coffeyville CC) 1990 NJCAA Championship Game (Coffeyville CC) 1994 Mineral Water Bowl (Blinn College) 1995 NJCAA Championship Game (Blinn College) 1996 NJCAA Championship Game (Blinn College) 2001 Mineral Water Bowl (Central Missouri) 2002 NCAA Division II Playoffs (Central Missouri) 2011 NCAA FCS Championship game (Sam Houston State) 2012 NCAA FCS Championship game (Sam Houston State) 2013 NCAA FCS Playoffs (Sam Houston State) 2015 GoDaddy.com Bowl (Georgia Southern)* 2018 AutoNation Cure Bowl (Tulane) 2019 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Tulane) * - Did not coach in the 2015 GoDaddy.com Bowl, but led Georgia Southern to the game.

ACTIVE DIVISION I FBS HEAD COACHES WITH 200-OR-MORE WINS RK. HEAD COACH WINS 1.

Nick Saban 258 2.

Mack Brown 256 3.

Brian Kelly 251 4.

Willie Fritz 222

Tulane football head coach Willie Fritz continued his model of success in Uptown this past fall, as he guided the Green Wave to a third straight bowl appearance for the first time in program history.

The Green Wave’s appearance in the 2020 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl marked the 14th bowl appearance in the 127-year history of the program. Three of those bowl appearances have occurred under Fritz’s watch. Fritz’s three bowl appearances are the most by any Tulane football head coach.

The 2020 season marks Fritz’s 28th year as a collegiate head coach and 24th leading a NCAA program at the Division I or Division II level. Under Fritz’s watch, the Green Wave have established a renewed sense of enthusiasm and a winning culture for the Green Wave.

During the 2020 regular season, Tulane overcame numerous off the field challenges as part of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the pandemic, Fritz guided his team into 11 games during the regular season. In those 11 games, Tulane faced three nationallyranked teams and in the process, the Green Wave picked up their first win over a Top 25 team in over 30 years, as they defeated 25th-ranked Army at home.

Tulane’s victory over Army was one of four wins in its final five games that propelled the Green Wave to their third straight bowl appearance.

The Green Wave once again finished the year with a strong running game, as they averaged 218.9 yards per game - a figure that ranked second in the American Athletic Conference. Defensively, Tulane ranked among the nation’s best in putting pressure on the quarterback, averaging 3.36 sacks per game which led the AAC. Tulane’s bid to the 2020 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl marked just the second time in program history that the Green Wave have made bowl appearances in back-toback seasons.

In 2019, Fritz led the Green Wave to the best start to a season in over 20 years and came within one spot of cracking the top 25 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Poll for the first time over 20 years. The Green Wave also established a strong homefield advantage under Fritz’s direction in 2019, as they posted a 5-1 record inside Yulman Stadium. Tulane’s 5-1 mark at home was the team’s best record at Yulman Stadium since the venue opened in 2014.

Tulane’s 2019 unit also featured an impressive rushing attack, which ranked 13th in the country, averaging 249.8 yards per game. The Green Wave rushing attack finished the year with a program-best 3,162 yards. Tulane closed the year with 5,841 yards of total offense, which marked just fourth time in program history the Green Wave surpassed 5,000 yards of offense.

Tulane also finished the 2019 campaign by scoring 430 points for the season, averaging 33.1 points per game.

The Green Wave defensive unit also posted another impressive season, as they held eight of their 13 opponents under their season average in total yards and forced 16 turnovers.

Following the regular season, Tulane had four players receive All-American Athletic Conference honors for the third straight season, as Patrick Johnson, Corey Dublin, P.J. Hall and Thakarius Keyes were all honored by the league office.

In April of 2020, Tulane continued its NFL Draft tradition, as the Green Wave had a pair of players selected for the second time in three years. Wide receiver Darnell Mooney and cornerback Keyes were taken in the fifth (Chicago Bears) and seventh rounds (Kansas City Chiefs), respectively. The selections of Mooney and Keyes on day three of the event marked the fourth consecutive year that a Tulane player was drafted.

Of Fritz’s 222 wins, 86 have come on the NCAA Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision), and 164 of his wins have come at NCAA institutions.

In 2018, Fritz guided Tulane to its first bowl trip since 2013, a share of the American Athletic Conference title and just its sixth winning season in the last 37 years, while facing the second toughest schedule among teams from the conference.

Tulane closed the year with wins in five of its last six games to earn a share of the American Athletic Conference West Division crown and a bid to the 2018 AutoNation Cure Bowl where it would post a convincing win over in-state rival Louisiana-Lafayette to claim its fifth bowl victory in program history. Three of the Green Wave’s losses in 2018

came by seven points or less.

Following the regular season, four Tulane players earned all-conference honors from The American, while eight players earned all-league recognition from Phil Steele College Football Magazine, including junior long snapper Geron Eatherly, who also earned fourth team all-America from the publication.

Under Fritz’s watchful eye in 2018, Tulane’s rushing attack was among the nation’s best, ranking 23rd in the nation and fifth in The American, averaging 218.2 yards per game.

The Green Wave rushing attack also proved to be an explosive unit, as they totaled 18 plays of 30 yards or more.

Tulane’s defense also proved to be a force, as it ranked third in The American in total defense, but it was the Green Wave’s ability to rush the quarterback that made the unit one of the best in the conference. In 2018, Tulane averaged just over three sacks per game (3.15), which led The American and ranked eighth nationally. Sophomore Patrick Johnson led the way for the Green Wave as he averaged nearly one sack a game (0.81), which ranked 12th in the FBS and second in The American.

The Green Wave continued their success in April of 2019, as cornerback Donnie Lewis Jr., was drafted in the seventh round by the Cleveland Browns.

The 2017 campaign saw Tulane finish the year with its highest win total since 2013 despite facing one of the nation’s toughest schedules, as nine of its opponents earned invitations to bowl games. In addition, four of the Green Wave’s losses came by six points or fewer.

The Green Wave earned three victories against bowl participants in 2017 while four players earned All-Conference honors. Among the players was former cornerback Parry Nickerson, who was named to the all-conference first team, and earned All-America honors from Sports Illustrated and SB Nation.

Under Fritz’s direction, the 2017 squad featured an aggressive ground attack, which averaged 231.5 yards per game – a figure that ranked No. 20 nationally and fourth in The American – and an opportunistic defensive unit that recorded 19 turnovers.

The 2017 season also served as a milestone season for Fritz as he earned his 200th victory as a head coach and in the process became just the fourth active Football Bowl Subdivision head coach with 200 wins.

The program’s success continued into April, as Fritz saw two of his players selected in the 2018 NFL Draft. Nickerson and defensive lineman Ade Aruna were both selected in the sixth round by the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings, respectively.

In his first season in the Crescent City, Fritz guided Tulane to a 4-8 record and earned his first AAC victory in the team’s season finale at UConn. The Green Wave posted 30 or more points in five games in 2016, four of which were in wins. Three of the eight losses were by seven points or fewer with Tulane leading in four of those games entering the fourth quarter.

Following the year, linebacker Nico Marley, defensive tackle Tanzel Smart and Nickerson earned All-AAC honors. In the spring of 2017, Smart was selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams.

The Shawnee Mission, Kansas, native was named the Green Wave’s 40th head coach by director of athletics Troy Dannen on Dec. 15, 2015. At that time, he brought 33 years of collegiate experience as a football student-athlete or coach to Tulane, having led teams to six combined conference championships (one at every level he had coached) and two bowl appearances. He was twice named the national coach of the year, including the American Football Coaches Association FCS Coach of the Year in 2011 and the Liberty Mutual FCS Coach of the Year in 2012.

Fritz came to New Orleans from Georgia Southern where he spent two seasons and led the Eagles to a combined record of 17-7, a 2014 Sun Belt Conference title and the school’s first-ever NCAA postseason bowl game with their berth in the 2015 GoDaddy.com Bowl.

Georgia Southern concluded the 2015 regular season with an 8-4 overall record including a mark of 6-2 in conference play.

Fritz led the Eagles to a 9-3 overall record and a perfect mark of 8-0 in conference play during his first season at Georgia Southern in 2014, and was named the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year. However, the school’s waiver claim to allow Georgia Southern to play in a bowl despite being in the second year of the NCAA’s transition period was denied.

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COACH FRITZ ON...

The importance on a Tulane degree “I think the first thing that stands out about a Tulane degree is that it is a global degree. A degree from Tulane will not only help you regionally, but nationally and internationally as well. With a student body representing all 50 states and 78 countries from around the world, our graduates are going to make worthwhile connections no matter where they are from or where they want to work. The academic reputation at Tulane speaks for itself and helps our graduates stand out in the workforce as employers truly understand the significance of a Tulane degree.”

What he looks for in recruits “The No. 1 thing we look for is character. That is a big deal for us. We talk all the time about a guy being a ‘Tulane Guy’. A ‘Tulane Guy’ for us is someone who is strong academically, a bona fide Division I football player and also someone who makes great decisions. All of those things are very important to us when we go out and recruit someone to bring into our family.”

The team’s style of play “We are a disciplined team and program. To win, you cannot beat yourself. We feel like we do a good job teaching our guys the fundamentals to help them be the very best player they can be when they have that crucial one-on-one matchup.”

How to build a program “You have to recruit the right guys, retain them and then you have to develop them as students and as people. You do not want guys who come in for a year and then leave. You want guys to come in and have a great experience for four or five years.”

Attending school in New Orleans “Our guys don’t like going to school here - they love going to school here.

As a Tulane student-athlete, you have an opportunity to get a world-class education, you get to play big-time college football and you get to do this in the iconic city of New Orleans. New Orleans is the No. 1 destination city in the world. There are so many great things to do here in New Orleans. It is a unique city and I think that’s why there are so many Tulane graduates that live in New Orleans. They don’t want to leave after they get that degree.”

The program’s relationship with the New Orleans Saints “We are so blessed to have a NFL team in our city that welcomes us with open arms. Not only do the Saints do a wonderful job with us, but they also do an outstanding job with the high school programs and the park league programs throughout the city. We have access to their indoor facility, which helps us out tremendously when we need to practice indoors because of the weather. They also have great people in place with the Benson Family and head coach Sean Peyton. They have been very gracious about sharing their facilities and time with Tulane football, and we could not be more appreciative.”

On the Social Justice Movement “We have a long way to go to ensure social justice and true equality among in our nation. At Tulane University, we are extremely fortunate to have a group of leaders that understands what steps are needed to ensure equality. This process truly begins with us as an athletics department and it has been so refreshing for me as a head coach to see the steps our administration has taken to engage in this movement to provide a platform for our student-athletes to voice their to discuss, promote and exemplify diversity. Our social justice movement at Tulane will not go away and I look forward. My wife Susan and I have made a sizable financial contribution to the Social Justice Movement.”

On how Tulane will prepare student-athletes for Name, Image and Likeness “Through our Wave Brand Works program, our student-athletes will have the opportunity to take advantage of a comprehensive and innovative program that will truly benefit each of them during the years on campus and long after in their professional careers. This program partners with the Tulane Center for Sport and provide incredible resources that our institutional leadership, our campus and our city have to offer. We have a responsibility to our studentathletes to educate them on Name, Image and Likeness and to provide them with whatever support is permissible by legislation.”

14

Prior to Georgia Southern, Fritz served as head coach at Sam Houston State from 2010-13 where he led the Bearkats to back-to-back Southland Conference titles, NCAA Division I Championship game appearances in 2011 and 2012 and a third straight NCAA playoff berth in 2013.

Honored as the American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2012, Fritz was selected by the media and his peers in the Southland Conference as the league’s Coach of the Year in 2011 after his team went a perfect 7-0 in conference play.

In 2011 and 2012, Sam Houston State posted the two highest singleseason win totals in program history with marks of 14-1 (2011) and 11-4 (2012) and Bearkat players were showered with accolades. More than 50 earned All-Southland Conference honors under Fritz in his last four years, not including additional Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards. All-America status from national coaching and media outlets were bestowed on 11 Sam Houston State players during his tenure.

Prior to his head coaching tenure at Sam Houston State, Fritz revitalized Central Missouri and guided the Mules to 11 winning seasons in 13 years. The NCAA Division II program’s ledger included two 10-win seasons with the 2001 Mule squad earning its first postseason trip in more than 30 years.

THE FRITZ FAMILY

In 2002, Central Missouri made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs and was the Mid-America Athletic Association (MIAA) co-champion a year later. A 97-47 mark in 13 seasons ranks Fritz as the winningest coach in the program’s history. He was the only coach to ever win seven or more games in eight consecutive seasons, and his victory total ranked him 15th among active Division II coaches at the time. In addition to his impressive 67.4 winning percentage with the Mules, Fritz coached his student-athletes to achieve their potential on the field and in the classroom. More than 150 Mules were recognized with All-MIAA honors with 41 first-team selections and 24 All-Americans.

Under Fritz, Central Missouri recorded a graduation rate of 84 percent with 144 MIAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll recipients, 14 Academic All-Region and three Academic AllAmericans. For all of his accomplishments guiding Central Missouri, Fritz was honored by the school with induction into its Athletics Hall of Fame on Feb. 11, 2017.

Prior to his time at Central Missouri and Sam Houston State as a head coach, Fritz spent two different stints as an assistant coach with the Bearkats. He first served as a graduate assistant during the 1984 and 1985 seasons when he earned a master’s degree in kinesiology. During that two-year stretch, Sam Houston State posted a 16-6 record and won the 1985 Gulf Star Conference championship. He returned to Sam Houston State a second time in 1991 after spending four years at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas under legendary coach Dick Foster, earning a promotion to defensive coordinator after one year. He stayed another two years to work for Coach Foster’s Skip and the Red Ravens. During the 1990 season, Fritz served as the defensive coordinator where he helped guide the Red Ravens to a national title.

When Fritz was brought back to Sam Houston State in 1991 under Ron Randleman as secondary and special teams coach, he instilled an attitude of excellence on special teams that would last more than a decade. The Bearkats’“block party” racked up 80 blocked punts, field goals and extra points beginning with Fritz in 1991 and lasting through 2004.

In Fritz’s first year as a full-time assistant coach at Sam Houston State in 1991, the Bearkats won the Southland Conference. That league title and an eight-win season launched Sam Houston State to the program’s second-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship.

Fritz departed Huntsville for a second time prior to the 1993 season for an opportunity to be the head coach at Blinn College, where he would turn around a program that had only five wins in its previous three seasons.

From 1993-96, Fritz and the Buccaneers would rack up 39 victories against only five losses with a tie and claim two national junior college championships. He was inducted into the NJCAA Football Hall of Fame for the environment of success he created at Blinn.

One of seven children, Fritz is the son of the late Harry Fritz, who coached the Central Missouri football team in 1952 before continuing his career as the Executive Director at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in Kansas City. The elder Fritz also served at several colleges and universities in administration as an athletics director.

Fritz played on two conference title teams and was a four-year starter at defensive back for Randleman at Pittsburg State and remained at his alma mater as a student assistant coach in 1982. Early coaching stops included a year at Shawnee Mission Northwest (Kansas) High School in 1983 and Willis (Texas) High School in 1986, with his return to Sam Houston State for graduate school in between those years.

Fritz and his wife Susan have three children, a son and two daughters. Their son Wesley, who was married in the summer of 2019 to his wife Rebecca, is a member of the Tulane football staff and serves as the Director of Player Personnel. The couple’s daughter Lainie is an elementary school teacher and sports broadcaster while their youngest daughter Brooke is a CPA for Deloitte in Houston, Texas.

PROMINENT PUPILS UNDER HEAD COACH WILLIE FRITZ Keith Traylor, DL, Coffeyville CC - Drafted 3rd RD (Broncos) Siran Stacy, RB, Coffeyville CC - Drafted 2nd RD (Eagles) Darnell Walker, DB, Coffeyville CC - Drafted 7th RD (Falcons) Bruce Pickens, DB, Coffeyville CC - Drafted 3rd Pick Overall (Falcons) Tracy Scroggins, LB, Coffeyville CC - Drafted 2nd RD (Lions) Shockmain Davis, WR, Blinn JC - Undrafted Free Agent (Patriots) Larry Davis, WR, Blinn JC Adren Dudley, TE, Blinn JC Nick Gatto, K, Blinn JC Mike Green, RB, Blinn JC - Undrafted Free Agent (Titans) Craig Koontz, DE, Blinn JC - Montreal Alouettes Quincy Morgan, WR, Blinn JC - Drafted 2nd RD Browns John David Baker, P, Blinn College - Undrafted Agent (Rams - punted in Super Bowl XXXVI) Michael Bishop, QB, Blinn College - Drafted 7th RD (Patriots) Chris Brazzell, WR, Blinn College - Drafted 6th RD (Jets) Jason Davis, P Blinn College - Undrafted Free Agent (Packers) Eric Brown, DB, Blinn College - Drafted 2nd RD (Broncos) Mike Brown, TE, Blinn College - Undrafted Free Agent (Bears) Tim Denton, DB, Blinn College - Undrafted Free Agent (Redskins) Shon Mitchell, RB, Blinn College - Undrafted Free Agent (49ers) Marcus Stanton, Blinn College - Undrafted Free Agent (Redskins) Colston Weatherington, DE, Central Missouri - Drafted 6th RD (Cowboys) Toby Korrodi, QB, Central Missouri - Undrafted Free Agent (Cardinals) Roderick Green, OLB, Central Missouri - Drafted 5th RD (Ravens) Delanie Walker, TE, Central Missouri - Drafted 6th RD (49ers) Todd Devoe, WR, Central Missouri - Undrafted Free Agent (Ravens) Dennis Gile, QB, Central Missouri - Undrafted Free Agent (Patriots)

Tim Flanders, RB, Sam Houston State - Undrafted Free Agent (Saints) Daxton Swanson, DB, Sam Houston State - Undrafted Free Agent (Colts) Lachlan Edwards, P, Sam Houston State - Drafted 7th RD (Jets) PJ Hall, DE, Sam Houston State - Drafted 2nd RD (Raiders) Matt Breida, RB, Georgia Southern - Undrafted Free Agent (49ers) Antwione Williams, LB, Georgia Southern - 5th RD (Lions) Ironhead Gallon, LB, Georgia Southern - Undrafted Free Agent (Cardinals) Montay Crockett, WR, Georgia Southern - Undrafted Free Agent (Packers) Younghoe Koo, K, Georgia Southern - Undrafted Free Agent (Chargers) Garrett Frye, OL, Georgia Southern - Undrafted Free Agent (Chiefs) Edwin Jackson, LB, Georgia Southern - Undrafted Free Agent (Cardinals/Colts) Ade Aruna, DL, Tulane - Drafted 6th RD (Vikings) Sherman Badie, RB, Tulane - Undrafted Free Agent (Cardinals) Dontrell Hilliard, RB, Tulane - Undrafted Free Agent (Browns) Nico Marley, LB, Tulane - Undrafted Free Agent (Redskins) Parry Nickerson, CB, Tulane - Drafted 6th RD (Jets) Josh Rounds, RB, Tulane - Undrafted Free Agent (Bears) Tanzel Smart, DT, Tulane - Drafted 6th RD (Rams) Lazedrick Thompson, RB, Tulane - Undrafted Free Agent (Cardinals) Donnie Lewis Jr., CB, Tulane - Drafted 7th RD (Browns) Roderic Teamer Jr., S, Tulane - Undrafted Free Agent (Chargers) John Leglue, OL, Tulane - Undrafted Free Agent (Broncos) Charles Jones II, TE, Tulane - Undrafted Free Agent (Jaguars) Darnell Mooney, WR, Tulane - Drafted 5th RD (Bears) Thakarius Keyes, CB, Tulane - Drafted 7th RD (Chiefs) Darius Bradwell, RB, Tulane - Undrafted Free Agent (Chargers) Jalen McCleskey, WR, Tulane - Undrafted Free Agent (Falcons) Christian Montano, OL, Tulane - Undrafted Free Agent (Steelers)

As A College Head Coach Year School Overall Conf/Finish 1993 Blinn College 6-3-1 3-2-1 1994 Blinn College 9-2 5-1 1995 Blinn College 12-0 6-0

1996 Blinn College 12-0 7-0

As A NCAA Head Coach Year School Overall Conf/Finish 1997 Central Missouri 5-6 4-5/6th 1998 Central Missouri 8-3 6-3/T-3rd 1999 Central Missouri 7-4 5-4/4th 2000 Central Missouri 7-4 5/4/T-4th 2001 Central Missouri 10-2 7/2/2nd 2002 Central Missouri 10-2 8-1/2nd

2003 Central Missouri 9-2 7-2/T-1st 2004 Central Missouri 7-4 5-4/4th 2005 Central Missouri 7-3 5-3/5th 2006 Central Missouri 5-6 3-6/T-6th 2007 Central Missouri 7-4 6-3/T-3rd 2008 Central Missouri 7-4 5-4/T-4th 2009 Central Missouri 8-3 6-3/T-2nd 2010 Sam Houston State 6-5 4-3/T-3rd 2011 Sam Houston State 14-1 7-0/1st

2012 Sam Houston State 11-4 6-1/T-1st

2013 Sam Houston State 9-5 4-3/T-3rd

2014 Georgia Southern 9-3 7-0/1st 2015 Georgia Southern 8-4* 6-2/3rd

TULANE 2020 [6-5, 3-5 American] S 12 at South Alabama S 19 NAVY* S 26 at Southern Miss O 8 at Houston* O 16 SMU* O 25 at UCF* O 31 TEMPLE* N7 at ECU* N14 ARMY N19 at Tulsa* D5 Memphis*

W 27-24 L 24-27 W 66-24 L 49-31 L 37-34 L 51-34 W 38-3 W 38-21 W 38-12 L 30-24 (2OT) W 35-21

2019 [7-6, 3-5 American] A 29 FIU S 7 at Auburn S14 MISSOURI STATE S19 *HOUSTON O5 at Army O12 *UCONN O19 *at Memphis O26 *at Navy N2 *TULSA N16 *at Temple N23 *UCF N30 *at SMU J4 vs. Southern Miss

W L W W W W L L W L L L W

42-14 6-24 58-6 38-31 42-33 49-7 17-47 38-41 38-26 21-29 31-34 20-37 30-13

2018 [7-6, 5-3 American, t1st] A 30 WAKE FOREST S 8 NICHOLLS S 15 at UAB S 22 at Ohio State S 28 * MEMPHIS O 6 * at Cincinnati O 20 * SMU O 27 * at Tulsa N 3 * at USF N 10 * EAST CAROLINA N 15 * at Houston N 24 * NAVY D 15 ULL (Cure Bowl)

L (OT) W L L W L L W W W L W W

17-23 42-17 24-31 6-49 40-24 21-37 23-27 24-17 41-15 24-18 17-48 29-28 41-24

W, Mineral Water Bowl L, NCAA DII First Round

2017 [5-7, 3-5 American, 5th] S 2 GRAMBLING STATE S 9 * at Navy S 16 at Oklahoma S 23 * ARMY O 7 * TULSA O 14 * at FIU O 21 * USF O 27 * at Memphis N 4 * CINCINNATI N 11 * at East Carolina N 18 * HOUSTON N 25 * at SMU

W L L W W L L L L W W L

43-14 21-23 14-56 21-17 62-28 10-23 28-34 26-56 16-17 31-24 20-17 38-41

L, NCAA DI Championship L, NCAA DI Championship L, NCAA DI Second Round

2016 [4-8, 1-7 American, 6th] S 1 at Wake Forest S 10 SOUTHERN S 17 * NAVY S 24 UL LAFAYETTE O 1 at UMass O 14 * MEMPHIS O 22 * at Tulsa O 29 * SMU N 5 * at UCF N 12 * at Houston N 19 * TEMPLE N 26 * at UConn

L W L W (4 OT) W L L L L L L W

3-7 66-21 14-21 41-39 31-24 14-24 27-50 31-35 6-37 18-30 0-31 38-13

Postseason L, Mineral Water Bowl W, NJCAA National Championship W, NJCAA National Championship Postseason

GoDaddy.com Bowl Champions*

2016 Tulane 4-8 1-7/6th West 2017 Tulane 5-7 3-5/5th West 2018 Tulane 7-6 5-3/T-1st West Cure Bowl Champions 2019 Tulane 7-6 3-5 Armed Forces Bowl Champions 2020 Tulane 6-5 3-5 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl TOTAL 28 Years (Overall) 222-106-1 .674

24 Years (NCAA) 183-101-0 .643 *Led Georgia Southern to a berth in the GoDaddy.com bowl but did not coach in the game

GEORGIA SOUTHERN 2015 [9-4, 6-2 Sun Belt, 3rd] GODADDY.COM BOWL CHAMPIONS S 5 at West Virginia L 0-44 S 12 WESTERN MICHIGAN W 43-17 S 19 THE CITADEL W 48-13 S 26 * at Idaho W 44-20 O 3 * at ULM W 51-31 O 17 * NM STATE W 56-26 O 22 * at Appalachian St. L 13-31

O 29 * TEXAS STATE N 14 * at Troy N 21 at Georgia N 28 * SOUTH ALABAMA D 5 * GEORGIA STATE GODADDY.COM BOWL D 23 vs. Bowling Green

W W L (OT) W L

37-13 45-10 17-23 55-17 7-34

W

58-27

2014 [9-3, 8-0 Sun Belt, 1st] SUN BELT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS A 30 at NC State L S 6 SAVANNAH ST. W S 13 at Georgia Tech L S 20 * at S. Alabama W S 25 * APP. STATE W O 4 * at NM St. W O 11 * IDAHO W O 25 * at Georgia State W O 30 * TROY W N 8 * at Texas State W N 15 at Navy L N 29 * UL MONROE W

23-24 83-9 38-42 28-6 34-14 36-28 47-24 69-31 42-10 28-25 19-52 22-16

SAM HOUSTON STATE 2013 [9-5, 4-3 Southland, 3rd] A 31 HOUSTON BAPTIST W S 7 at Texas A&M L S 14 TEXAS SOUTHERN W S 21 INCARNATE WORD W S 28 E. WASHINGTON W O 12 * LAMAR W O 19 * at McNeese State L O 26 * NW ST W N 2 * vs. SFA # W N 9 * NICHOLLS ST. W N 16 * at Southeastern La. L N 23 * at Central Arkansas L NCAA FCS PLAYOFFS N 30 SOUTHERN UTAH W D 7 at Southeastern La. L # - at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

74-0 28-65 55-17 52-21 49-34 14-3 23-31 44-10 56-49 49-24 21-34 31-49 51-20 29-30

2012 [11-4, 6-1, Southland, T-1st] SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE CO-CHAMPIONS S 8 INCARNATE WORD W 54-7 S 15 at Baylor L 23-48 S 22 * at Central Arkansas L 20-24 S 27 at Texas Southern W 50-6 O 6 * vs. SFA # W 51-43 O 13 * at Nicholls St. W 41-0 O 20 * McNEESE STATE W 45-10 O 27 * at Lamar W 56-7 N 3 * SOUTHEASTERN LA W 70-0 N 10 * at NW State W 52-17 N 17 at Texas A&M L 28-47 NCAA FCS PLAYOFFS D 1 CAL POLY W 18-16 D 7 at Montana State W 34-16 D 15 at Eastern Wash.

W 45-42 J 5 vs. NDSU @ L 13-39 # - at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas @ - at Frisco, Texas 2011 [14-1, 7-0 Southland, 1st} SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS S 1 WESTERN ILLINOIS W S 17 * C. ARKANSAS W S 24 at New Mexico W (OT) O 1 UTSA W O 8 * Stephen F. Austin# W O 15 * NICHOLLS ST. W O 22 * at McNeese State W O 29 * LAMAR W N 5 * at Southeastern LA W N 12 * NW STATE W N 19 at Texas State W NCAA FCS PLAYOFFS D 3 STONY BROOK W D 10 MONTANA STATE W D 16 MONTANA W J 7 NDSU@ L # - at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas @ - at Frisco, Texas

20-6 31-10 48-45 22-7 45-10 47-7 38-14 66-0 38-9 43-17 36-14 34-27 49-13 31-28 6-17

15

2010 [6-5, 4-3 Southland, 3rd] S 4 at Baylor L S 18 at Western Illinois L S 25 GARDNER WEBB W O 2 * at Lamar W O 9 * at Nicholls W O 16 * SE LA W O 23 * vs. SFA # L O 30 * at NW St. L2ot N 6 * McNEESE STATE L N 13 * at Central Arkansas W N 20 TEXAS STATE W # - at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

1997 [5-6, 4-5 MIAA, 6th] S 6 at Nebraska-Omaha S 13 MENLO (CALIF.) S 20 * at Missouri-Rolla S 27 * TRUMAN O 4 * at Southwest Baptist O 11 * MISSOURI SOUTHERN O 18 * PITTSBURG STATE O 25 * at Emporia State N 1 * at Northwest Mo State N 8 * WASHBURN N 15 * at Missouri Western

3-34 14-56 30-14 38-10 26-7 57-7 28-31 20-23 28-33 20-13 31-29

CENTRAL MISSOURI 2009 [8-3, 6-3 MIAA T-2nd] A 27 SW BAPTIST S 3 MISSOURI S&T S 12 * at Emporia State S 19 * PITTSBURG STATE S 26 * at Washburn O 3 * TRUMAN O 10 * FORT HAYS STATE O 17 * at Miss. Western O 24 * at Neb.-Omaha O 31 * MISS. SOUTHERN N 7 * at NW Missouri

W W W W L W W L W W L

39-28 50-13 24-21 23-14 21-36 38-3 48-3 21-36 49-31 27-17 14-56

2008 [7-4, 5-4 MIAA T-4th] A 28 MINNESOTA STATE S 4 ARKANSAS TECH S 13 * at Truman S 20 * WASHBURN S 27 * at Pittsburg State O 4 * EMPORIA STATE O 11 * NW MO ST. O 18 * at Miss. Southern O 25 * NEB.-OMAHA N 1 * MISS. WESTERN N 8 * at Fort Hays St.

W W W W L W L W L L W

29-9 49-13 31-28 43-34 28-49 42-14 13-20 47-14 33-38 41-42 24-21

2004 [7-4, 5-4 MIAA, 4th] A 28 at Adams State S 4 at Lincoln S 11 * NORTHWEST MO. STATE S 18 * at Missouri Southern S 25 * SOUTHERN BAPTIST O 2 * MISSOURI WESTERN O 9 * at Missouri Rolla S&T O 16 * at Truman O 23 * WASHBURN O 30 * at Pittsburg State N 6 * EMPORIA STATE

W W L W W L L W W L W

13-0 47-0 20-38 40-33 48-21 44-49 38-42 46-0 47-21 27-47 35-33

2007 [7-4, 6-3 MIAA, T-3rd] A 23 at Minnesota State S 8 CONCORDIA-ST.PAUL S 15 * TRUMAN S 22 * at Washburn S 29 * PITTSBURG STATE O 6 * at Emporia State O 13 * at NW Missouri O 20 * MISS. SOUTHERN O 27 * at SW Baptist N 3 * at Missouri Southern N 10 * FORT HAYS STATE

L W W W L2OT W L W W L W

14-23 56-24 27-7 28-14 31-38 38-7 26-28 24-23 56-14 28-42 31-10

2006 [5-6, 3-6 MIAA, T-6th] S 2 at Lincoln S 9 DAKOTA STATE S 16 * WASHBURN S 23 * at Truman S 30 * at Fort Hays State O 7 * MISSOURI WESTERN O 14 * SW BAPTIST O 21 * at Miss. Southern O 28 * NW MISSOURI N 4 * EMPORIA STATE N 11 * at Pittsburg State

2003 [9-2, 7-2 MIAA, T-1st] MIAA Co-Champions A 28 LINCOLN S 11 LANGSTON S 20 * at Northwest Mo. State S 27 * MISSOURI SOUTHERN O 4 * at Southwest Baptist O 11 * at Missouri Western O 18 * MISSOURI ROLLA O 25 * TRUMAN N 1 * at Washburn N 8 * PITTSBURG STATE N 15 * at Emporia State

W W W W W L W W W L W

37-13 75-6 52-24 50-7 30-23 10-27 73-21 28-22 49-28 24-28 28-18

W W L L W L W L L W L

78-0 52-0 10-14 21-24 37-14 14-31 49-24 26-31 14-31 48-21 30-35

2005 [7-3, 5-3 MIAA, 5th] A 25 ADAMS STATE S 1 LINCOLN S 10 * at Washburn S 17 * TRUMAN O 1 * at Missouri Western O 8 * at Southwest Baptist O 15 * MISSOURI SOUTHERN O 22 * at Northwest Missouri O 29 * at Emporia State N 5 * PITTSBURG STATE

W W W W W W W W L W W

63-7 72-12 21-14 41-13 55-14 35-6 55-21 42-21 7-10 17-3 ot 23-20

W W L W L W W L W W

14-6 83-0 27-42 69-17 10-13 45-7 27-24 21-31 21-14 83-21

L

28-49

16

2002 [10-2, 8-1 MIAA, 2nd] A 31 at Lincoln S 14 STERLING S 21 * at Missouri Western S 28 * EMPORIA STATE O 5 * MISSOURI ROLLA O 12 * at Southwest Baptist O 19 * WASHBURN O 26 * MISSOURI SOUTHERN N 2 * at Northwest Mo State N 9 * TRUMAN N 16 * at Pittsburg State NCAA DIVISION II PLAYOFFS N 23 at Northern Colorado 2001 [10-2, 7-2 MIAA, 2nd] A 30 LINCOLN S 6 OTTAWA S 15 * MISSOURI WESTERN S 22 * at Emporia State S 29 * at Missouri Rolla

W 24-10 W 63-13 W 34-28 W ot 40-34 W 31-10

O 6 * SOUTHWEST BAPTIST W 49-17 O 13 * at Washburn W 58-34 O 20 * at Missouri Southern L 13-35 O 27 * NORTHWEST MO STATE W 37-36 N 3 * at Truman W 58-27 N 10 * PITTSBURG STATE L 13-38 MINERAL WATER BOWL (Excelsior Springs, Mo.) D 1 vs. Minnesota Duluth W 48-17 2000 [7-4, 5-4 MIAA, 4th] A 31 WINONA STATE S 9 QUINCY S 16 * EMPORIA STATE S 23 * at Pittsburg State S 30 * WASHBURN O 7 * at Truman O 14 * at Missouri Rolla O 21 * MISSOURI WESTERN O 28 * SOUTHWEST BAPTIST N 4 * at Missouri Southern N 11 * NORTHWEST MO. STATE 1999 [7-4, 5-4 MIAA, 4th] A 28 at Quincy S 4 WINONA STATE S 18 * at Emporia State S 25 * PITTSBURG STATE O 2 * at Washburn O 9 * TRUMAN O 16 * MISSOURI-ROLLA O 23 * at Missouri Western O 30 * at Southern Baptist N 6 * MISSOURI SOUTHERN N 13 * at Northwest Mo. State 1998 [8-3, 6-3 MIAA, T-3rd] S 3 NEBRASKA-OMAHA S 12 ST. CLOUD STATE S 19 * MISSOURI-ROLLA S 26 * at Truman O 3 * SOUTHWEST BAPTIST O 10 * at Missouri Southern O 15 * at Pittsburg State O 24 * EMPORIA STATE O 31 * NORTHWEST MO STATE N 7 * at Washburn N 14 * MISSOURI WESTERN

W W W L W L W L W W L

W W L L W L W W W W L

W W W W W W L L L W W

45-26 75-0 34-21 20-23 28-17 14-28 33-7 ot 16-23 41-10 35-0 17-55

60-13 30-24 12-41 7-14 32-18 13-24 41-0 35-28 49-3 47-7 14-41

42-26 20-16 27-0 10-7 34-0 20-13 13-32 24-56 20-34 37-0 38-28

BLINN COLLEGE 1996 [12-0, 7-0 SWJCFC) NJCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS A 31 HARDIN SIMMONS JV S 7 at Cisco S 21 * TYLER S 28 * at Navarro O 5 * CISCO O 12 * at Ranger O 19 * TRINITY VALLEY O 26 * at Kilgore N 2 * NE OKLAHOMA SWJCFC PLAYOFFS N 9 vs. Trinity Valley N 16 vs. Navarro MINERAL WATER BOWL (Excelsior Springs, Mo.) D 7 vs. Coffeyville

L 12-41 W 53-13 W 44-14 L 2ot 34-37 W 52-17 W 31-10 L ot 29-30 L 10-50 L 9-41 W 20-14 L ot 24-27

W W W W W W W W W

28-7 66-7 37-13 21-6 52-7 50-15 41-6 24-8 14-7

W W

21-0 43-0

W

43-14

1995 [12-0, 6-0 TJCFC) NJCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS S 2 HARDIN SIMMONS JV W S 9 CISCO W S 23 * at Tyler W S 30 * NAVARRO W O 7 * at Cisco W O 14 * RANGER W O 21 * at Trinity Valley W O 28 KILGORE W N 4 * at NE Oklahoma W TJCFC PLAYOFFS N 11 vs. Trinity Valley W N 18 vs. Cisco W TEXAS JUNIOR COLLEGE SHRINE BOWL (Tyler, Texas) D 2 Hinds W 1994 [9-2, 5-1 TJCFC) S 3 at Tyler S 10 RANGER S 17 NAVARRO S 24 at Cisco O 1 * TYLER O 8 * at Navarro O 15 * CISCO O 22 * at Ranger O 29 * vs. Trinity Valley N 5 * at Kilgore MINERAL WATER BOWL (Excelsior Springs, Mo.) D 3 Hinds 1993 [6-3-1, 3-2-1 TJCFC) S 4 TYLER S 11 CISCO S 18 TRINITY VALLEY S 25 at Kilgore O 2 * at Tyler O 9 * NAVARRO O 16 * at Cisco O 23 * RANGER O 30 * at Trinity Valley N 6 * KILGORE * - Conference game Home games in CAPS

21-7 56-10 37-10 28-16 35-11 40-6 24-10 45-14 24-17 37-7 51-19 21-14

W W W W W W W W L W

28-14 31-15 42-24 42-7 41-10 41-19 45-26 59-30 23-27 13-9

L

17-19

W W L W L L W W T W

23-15 31-21 17-20 17-16 14-35 10-17 41-18 16-12 17-17 30-7

TULANE FOOTBALL TWO-DEEP OFFENSE QB 7 Michael Pratt (Fr., 6-2, 200, Boca Raton, Fla.) RB 5 Stephon Huderson (Sr., 5-9, 200, Petal, Miss.)

SB 4 Jha’Quan Jackson (So., 5-9, 185, Luling, La.) TE 80 Tyrick James (So., 6-2, 245, Waco, Texas) OR WR-X 2 Duece Watts (Jr., 6-2, 195, Richton, Miss.)

WR-H 3 Phat Watts (Jr., 6-0, 190, Richton, Miss.)

WR-Z 4 Jha’Quan Jackson (So., 5-9, 185, Luling, La.) LT 79 Joey Claybrook (Jr., 6-6, 295, Starkville, Miss.)

LG 64 Corey Dublin (Sr., 6-4, 300, New Orleans, La.) C 52 Sincere Haynesworth (So, 6-1, 310, Pearland, Texas) RG 68 Josh Remetich (Fr., 6-3, 275, New Orleans, La.) RT 65 Ben Knutson (GS., 6-7, 305, Granger, Ind.)

13 Justin Ibieta (Fr., 6-4, 230, Metairie, La.) 20 Cameron Carroll (R-So., 6-0, 225, Flowood, Miss.)

14 Christian Daniels (R-So., 6-2, 220, Rocky Mount, N.C.) 84 Will Wallace (R-Jr., 6-4, 235, Natchez, Miss.)

23 Jaetavian Toles (Sr., 6-0, 180, Houston, Texas) 83 Dane Ledford (R-Sr., 6-0, 170, College Park, Ga.) 3 Phat Watts (Jr., 6-0, 190, Richton, Miss.)

65 Ben Knutson (GS., 6-7, 305, Granger, Ind.) 69 Rashad Green (Fr., 6-4, 320, Baton Rouge, La.) 64 Corey Dublin (Sr., 6-4, 300, New Orleans, La.) 58 Caleb Thomas (R-Fr., 6-3, 280, Orcutt, Calif.)

72 Trey Tuggle (Fr., 6-6, 295, Mize, Miss.)

DEFENSE Joker 3 Angelo Anderson (Fr., 6-3, 255, New Orleans, La.) 33 Kevin Henry (GS., 6-0, 245, Baton Rouge, La.) DE 41 Darius Hodges (R-Fr., 6-1, 265, Montgomery, Ala.) 91 Noah Seiden (R-Soph., 6-2, 265, Mandeville, La.) NT 77 Jeffery Johnson (Jr., 6-3, 330, Brookhaven, Miss.)

95 Adonis Friloux (Fr., 6-1, 300, Hahnville, La.) DT 94 Eric Hicks Jr. (R-Fr., 6-2, 285, Savannah, Ga.) 90 Davon Wright (Jr., 6-1, 305, Donaldsonville, La.) LB 28 Marvin Moody (Sr., 6-2, 225, Bryant, Ark.) 40 Nick Anderson (Jr., 5-10, 230, Vicksburg, Miss.)

LB 24 Dorian Williams (So., 6-1, 210, Fort Mill, S.C.) 33 Kevin Henry (GS., 6-0, 245, Baton Rouge, La.)

CB 9 Jaylon Monroe (Sr., 5-9, 180, Dallas, Texas) 19 Kiland Harrison (Fr., 5-11, 185, Raymond, Miss.)

CB 21 Ajani Kerr (GS., 6-0, 195, Powder Springs, Ga.)

8 Willie Langham (R-Jr., 6-1, 175, Bessemer, Ala.) FS 36 Chase Kuerschen (Sr., 6-1, 195, Knoxville, Tenn.)

17 Cornelius Dyson (Fr., 6-2, 200, Kentwood, La.) SS 31 Larry Brooks (Jr., 6-0, 200, Fort Worth, Texas) 26 Shi’Keem Laister (Fr., 6-2, 190, Clanton, Ala.) Nickel 37 Macon Clark (Jr., 6-0, 185, St. Rose, La.) 19 Kiland Harrison (Fr., 5-11, 185, Raymond, Miss.)

SPECIAL TEAMS P 97 Ryan Wright (Jr., 6-3, 245, San Ramon, Calif.)

96 Casey Glover (R-So., 6-3, 200, Jericho, N.Y.) KO 62 Merek Glover (R-Sr., 6-0, 200, Jericho, N.Y.) 96 Casey Glover (R-So., 6-3, 200, Jericho, N.Y.) PK 62 Merek Glover (R-Jr., 6-0, 200, Jericho, N.Y.) 92 Sterling Stockwell (R-So., 5-9, 200, Orlando, Fla.) LS 57 Ethan Hudak (R-Fr., 6-0, 230, Phoenix, Ariz.)

45 Matt Smith (R-Jr., 6-0, 220, Peachtree, Ga.) H 97 Ryan Wright (Jr., 6-3, 245, San Ramon, Calif.)

96 Casey Glover (R-So., 6-3, 200, Jericho, N.Y.) KOR 5 Stephon Huderson (Jr., 5-9, 190, Petal, Miss.)

4 Jha’Quan Jackson (So., 5-9, 185, Luling, La.) PR 4 Jha’Quan Jackson (So., 5-9, 185, Luling, La.) 36 Chase Kuerschen (Sr., 6-1, 195, Knoxville, Tenn.)

COACHING STAFF

WILLIE FRITZ

Head Coach (Field)

GEORGE BARNETT

Offensive Line (Box)

CHIP LONG OC/Quarterbacks (Field)

JOSH CHRISTIAN-YOUNG Defensive Backs (Box)

BYRON DAWSON

Defensive Line (Field)

CHRIS HAMPTON DC/Safeties (Field)

SLADE NAGLE Tight Ends (Booth)

MICHAEL MUTZ Linebackers (Field)

JEFF CONWAY Wide Receivers (Field)

JAMAAL FOBBS Running Backs (Field)

J.J. McCLESKEY Cornerbacks (Field)

CAREER GAMES/STARTS Pos. Name WR Logan Ammons DL Angelo Anderson LB Nick Anderson RB Ygenio Booker S Larry Brooks TE Reggie Brown WR Sorrell Brown LB Sam Bruchhaus RB Cameron Carroll S Macon Clark OL Joey Claybrook QB Josh Coltrin TE Christian Daniels RB Corey Dauphine OL Corey Dublin DB Cornelius Dyson OL Jackson Fort DL Adonis Friloux PK Casey Glover PK Merek Glover OL Rashad Green DB Kevaris Hall DB Kiland Harrison DE Carlos Hatcher OL Sincere Haynesworth LB Kevin Henry DL Eric Hicks Jr. DL Darius Hodges QB Josh Holl QB Keon Howard LS Ethan Hudak RB Stephon Huderson QB Justin Ibieta OL Cameron Jackel WR Jha’Quan Jackson TE Tyrick James NT Jeffery Johnson DE Patrick Johnson RB Amare Jones LB Keitha Jones Jr. WR Mykel Jones DB Ajani Kerr OL Ben Knutson S Chase Kuerschen DB Shi’Keem Laister CB Willie Langham WR Dane Ledford OL Stephen Lewerenz LB Jesus Machado S Jonathan Mestayer OL Jaylen Miller CB Jaylon Monroe LB Marvin Moody OL Colby Orgeron QB Michael Pratt WR Tyrek Presley WR Matthew Redmond TE Connor Prouet OL Josh Remetich OL Michael Remondet WR Jacob Robertson Jr. WR Reed Rutkowski DE Cameron Sample DE Noah Seiden OL Tim Shafter DE Torri Singletary Jr. RB Tyjae Spears K Sterling Stockwell DE Alfred Thomas OL Caleb Thomas WR Ryan Thompson WR Jaetavian Toles OL Trey Tuggle LB KJ Vault TE Will Wallace WR Duece Watts WR Phat Watts NT De’Andre Williams LB Dorian Williams TE Keshon Williams CB Levi Williams DE Davon Wright P Ryan Wright

GP/GS 4/0 3/0 24/2 15/0 33/10 2/0 5/0 9/0 26/1 32/7 33/25 1/0 13/0 28/8 48/48 9/0 1/0 9/1 5/0 48/0 3/0 9/0 7/0 22/3 22/16 10/10 11/4 8/0 3/0 10/3 10/0 46/13 2/0 4/0 19/6 36/20 35/30 49/37 36/10 18/0 11/5 11/3 24/12 46/33 2/0 37/12 9/0 9/0 6/0 5/0 8/0 46/27 46/23 1/0 9/8 7/0 1/0 1/0 6/4 2/0 38/5 1/0 46/38 18/3 11/3 2/0 7/3 4/0 14/0 5/3 9/0 43/7 9/8 16/0 30/15 11/11 11/3 49/30 22/3 3/0 2/0 26/3 34/0

17

18

18

No Player Pos Cl./Exp. 30......... Logan Ammons...............................WR.............R-Jr. 3........... Angelo Anderson............................. DL.................Fr. 40......... Nick Anderson................................. LB.................Jr. 32......... Chadwick Bailey................................S..................Fr. 56......... Hayden Beal.................................... LB.................Fr. 27......... Ygenio Booker................................. RB........... R-So. 31......... Larry Brooks......................................S..................Jr. 93......... Brandon Brown............................... DL.................Fr. 89......... Reggie Brown...................................TE.................Fr. 86......... Sorrell Brown..................................WR........... R-So. 59......... Sam Bruchhauss.............................. LB..............R-Jr. 20......... Cameron Carroll............................... RB........... R-So. 37......... Macon Clark......................................S..................Jr. 79......... Joey Claybrook................................ OL..............R-Jr. 8........... Josh Coltrin..................................... QB...............So. 67......... Graham Dable.................................. K.................So. 14......... Christian Daniels..............................TE............ R-So. 12......... Cameron Dartez.............................. QB............ R-Fr. 6........... Corey Dauphine22........................... RB............R-Sr. 49......... Armoni Dixon..................................JOK............ R-Fr. 64......... Corey Dublin.................................... OL................ Sr. 17......... Cornelius Dyson............................... DB................Fr. 74......... Jackson Fort.................................... OL............. R-Fr. 95......... Adonis Friloux................................. DL.................Fr. 96......... Casey Glover.................................... PK............ R-So. 62......... Merek Glover................................... PK.............R-Sr. 69......... Rashad Green.................................. OL.................Fr. 25......... Kevaris Hall..................................... DB................Fr. 16......... Drew Harris..................................... QB.............R-Jr. 19......... Kiland Harrison............................... DB............ R-Fr. 54......... Carlos Hatcher................................. DE............ R-So. 52......... Sincere Haynesworth...................... OL................So. 33......... Kevin Henry..................................... LB................ Gr. 94......... Eric Hicks Jr...................................... DL............. R-Fr. 39......... Matthew Hightower........................ LB.................Fr. 41......... Darius Hodges.................................JOK............ R-Fr. 66......... Nik Hogan....................................... OL............ R-So. 19......... Josh Holl.......................................... QB........... R-So. 9........... Keon Howard................................... QB............R-Sr. 57......... Ethan Hudak....................................LS............. R-Fr. 5........... Stephon Huderson.......................... RB............... Sr. 13......... Justin Ibieta.................................... QB................Fr. 63......... Cameron Jackel............................... OL..............R-Jr. 4........... Jha’Quan Jackson............................WR...............So. 80......... Tyrick James.....................................TE.................Jr. 77......... Jeffery Johnson............................... NT.................Jr. 7........... Patrick Johnson............................... DE................ Sr. 46......... Keitha Jones Jr..................................TE.................Jr. 1........... Mykel Jones.....................................WR............... Gr. 21......... Ajani Kerr........................................ DB............... Gr. 65......... Ben Knutson.................................... OL................ Gr. 36......... Chase Kuerschen...............................S................. Sr. 26......... Shi’Keem Laister............................. DB................Fr. 8........... Willie Langham............................... CB..............R-Jr. 83......... Dane Ledford...................................WR.............R-Jr. 51......... Stephen Lewerenz........................... OL............ R-So. 22......... Gabe Liu............................................S..................Fr. 71......... Matt Lombardi................................ OL.................Fr. 35......... Jesus Machado................................ LB.................Fr.

No 1 2 3 3 4 5 5 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 12 13 14 15 16 16 17 19 19 20 21 21 22 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 40 41 42 43 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52

Player Mykel Jones Duece Watts Angelo Anderson Phat Watts Jha’Quan Jackson Stephon Huderson Cameron Sample Corey Dauphine Patrick Johnson Michael Pratt Josh Coltrin Willie Langham Keon Howard Jaylon Monroe Cameron Dartez Justin Ibieta Christian Daniels Jacob Robertson Jr. Drew Harris Levi Williams Cornelius Dyson Kiland Harrison Josh Holl Cameron Carroll Ajani Kerr Matthew Redmond Gabe Liu Tyjae Spears Jaetavian Toles Dorian Williams Kevaris Hall Shi’Keem Laister Ygenio Booker Marvin Moody Reggie Neely Logan Ammons Jonathan Mestayer II Larry Brooks Chadwick Bailey Kevin Henry Kanyon Walker Jesus Machado Chase Kuerschen Macon Clark KJ Vault Matthew Hightower Nick Anderson Connor Prouet Darius Hodges Torri Singletary Jr. Rishi Rattan Matt Smith Keitha Jones Jr. Aidan McCahill De’Andre Williams Armoni Dixon Andrew Wilks Stephen Lewerenz Sincere Haynesworth

Pos WR WR DL WR WR RB DE RB DE QB QB CB QB CB QB QB TE WR QB DB DB DB QB RB DB WR S RB WR LB DB DB RB LB DB WR S S S LB S LB S S S LB LB TE JOK DE CB LS TE LB/S NT JOK LB OL OL

Ht 5-11 6-2 6-3 6-0 5-9 5-9 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-1 5-9 6-0 6-4 6-2 6-0 6-1 5-11 6-2 5-11 6-1 6-0 6-0 6-2 5-10 5-10 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-0 5-8 6-0 6-0 5-11 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-1 6-4 5-9 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-3 6-3 6-2 6-3 6-1

Wt 190 195 255 190 185 200 280 195 255 200 205 175 215 180 195 230 220 170 200 170 200 185 200 225 195 200 180 190 180 210 190 190 205 225 170 170 195 200 190 245 190 220 195 185 190 215 230 225 265 225 165 220 225 190 290 230 210 285 310

Cl./Exp. Gr. Jr. Fr. Jr. So. Sr. Sr. R-Sr. Sr. Fr. So. R-Jr. R-Sr. Sr. R-Fr. Fr. R-So. R-Sr. R-Jr. R-Fr. Fr. R-Fr. R-So. R-So. Gr. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. Sr. So. Fr. Fr. R-So. Sr. Fr. R-Jr. R-Fr. Jr. Fr. Gr. R-Fr. Fr. Sr. Jr. R-Jr. Fr. Jr. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-Jr. Fr. R-Jr. Jr. Fr. R-Sr. R-Fr. Fr. R-So. So.

Hometown/Previous School(s) Patterson, LA / Patterson H.S. Richton, Miss. / Petal HS New Orleans, La. / John Curtis Christian Richton, Miss. / Petal HS Luling, La. / Hahnville Petal, Miss. / Petal HS Snellville, Ga. / Shiloh HS Port Arthur, Texas / Texas Tech Chattanooga, Tenn. / Notre Dame HS Boca Raton, Fla. / Deerfield Beach HS Houston, Texas / Manvel Bessemer, Ala. / McAdory HS Laurel, Miss. / Laurel Dallas, Texas / West Mesquite HS Baton Rouge, LA / Catholic Metairie, La. / Metairie Park Country Day School Rocky Mount, N.C. / Western Alamance HS College Park, Ga. / Woodward Academy Easton, Pa. / Camden Valrico, Fla. / Bloomingdale Kentwood, La. / Kentwood High School Raymond, Miss. / St. Joseph Catholic Houston, Texas / Cypress Christian School Flowood, Miss. / Northwest Rankin HS Powder Springs, Ga. / McEachern Keenesburg, Colo. / Kent Denver Oakland, Calif. / Williston Northampton School Ponchatoula, La. / Ponchatoula Houston, Texas / Stratford HS Fort Mill, S.C. / Indian Land Red Oak, Texas / Red Oak High School Clanton, Ala. / Chilton County High School Brooksville Fla. / Hernando HS Bryant, Ark. / Bryant HS Shelby County, Tenn. / Briarcrest Christian School New Baunfels, Texas / Canyon HS Baton Rouge, La. / Catholic Fort Worth, Texas / Kennedale HS Los Angeles, Calif. / Loyola Baton Rouge, LA / Central H.S. Leesburg, Fla. / Wildwood Miami, Fla. / Champagnat Catholic Knoxville, Tenn. / Knoxville Catholic HS St. Rose, La. / Destrehan HS Hoover, Ala. / Hoover HS Palos Heights, Ill. / Shepard High School Vicksburg, Miss. / Jones County JC/Vicksburg New Orleans, La. / Jesuit HS Montgomery, Ala. / Park Crossing Baldwin, Fla. / Baldwin County HS Shawnee, Kan. / Bishop Miege Peachtree, Ga. / Trinity Christian HS (Sharpsburg) Port Arthur, Texas / Memorial High School East Grand Rapids, Mich. / East Grand Rapids Baton Rouge, La. / Scotlandville Magnet Chicago, Ill. / Loyola Academy Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Country Day School Gainesville, Fla. / Buchholz HS Pearland, Texas / Pearland

18

No 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 99

Player Carlos Hatcher Noah Taliancich Hayden Beal Ethan Hudak Caleb Thomas Sam Bruchhaus Ethan Marcus Jaylen Miller Merek Glover Cameron Jackel Corey Dublin Ben Knutson Nik Hogan Graham Dable Josh Remetich Rashad Green Timothy Shafter Matt Lombardi Trey Tuggle Colby Orgeron Jackson Fort Joseph Solomon Michael Remondet Jeffery Johnson Joey Claybrook Tyrick James Tyrek Presley Reed Rutkowski Dane Ledford Will Wallace Ryan Thompson Sorrell Brown Stephen Payne Keshon Williams Reggie Brown Davon Wright Noah Seiden Sterling Stockwell Brandon Brown Eric Hicks Jr. Adonis Friloux Casey Glover Ryan Wright Alfred Thomas

Pos DE DL LB LS OL/DL LB OL OL PK OL OL OL OL K OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL NT OL TE WR WR WR TE WR WR WR TE TE DE DE PK DL DL DL PK P DE

Ht 6-3 6-3 5-11 6-0 6-3 6-3 6-1 6-3 6-0 6-6 6-4 6-7 6-4 6-1 6-3 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-6 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-3 6-6 6-2 6-2 6-0 6-0 6-4 6-1 6-3 5-10 6-3 6-2 6-1 6-2 5-9 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-3 6-2

Wt 240 270 220 230 280 215 295 310 200 300 300 305 300 200 275 320 285 275 295 285 310 270 280 330 295 250 195 175 185 235 190 205 165 245 240 305 265 195 310 285 300 200 245 290

Cl./Exp. R-So. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr. R-Jr. Fr. Gr. R-Sr. R-Jr. Sr. Gr. R-So. So. Fr. Fr. R-Jr. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Fr. Fr. R-So. Jr. R-Jr. Jr. R-Fr. Fr. R-Jr. R-Jr. R-So. R-So. Fr. R-Fr. Fr. Jr. R-So. R-So. Fr. R-Fr. Fr. R-So. Jr. Jr.

Hometown/Previous School(s) Carrollton, Texas / Hebron HS Destrehan, La. / Destrehan Bluegoose, Tenn. / Scotts Hill Phoenix, Ariz. / Mountain Ridge Orcutt, Calif. / Righetti Lake Charles, La. / St. Louis Catholic Long Island, N.Y. / Lynbrook Jacksonville, Fla. / Providence Jericho, N.Y. / Friends Academy Marrero, La. / Archbishop Shaw HS New Orleans, La. / Jesuit HS Granger, Ind. / Virginia / Penn HS Brandon, Miss. / Northwest Rankin HS Winnetka, Ill. / New Trier New Orleans, La. / Holy Cross Baton Rouge, La. / University Lab Hingham, Mass. / Hingham HS Philadelphia, Pa. / Saint Joseph’s Prep School Mize, Miss. / Mize Attendance Center New Orleans, La. / John Curtis The Woodlands, Texas / College Park Indianapolis, Ind. / Bishop Chatard Youngsville, La. / Ascension Episcopal School Brookhaven, Miss. / Brookhaven HS Starkville, Miss. / Starkville HS Waco, Texas / China Spring HS Riverdale, Ga. / Charles Drew Park Ridge, Ill. / Loyola Academy Argyle, Texas / Argyle HS Natchez, Miss. / Cathedral HS St. Louis, Mo. / MICDS Arlington, Texas / Martin HS Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Country Day School Longview, Texas / Pine Tree Houston, Texas / Legacy School of Sports Science Donaldsonville, La. / Donaldsonville HS Mandeville, La. / St. Paul’s School Orlando, Fla. / Dr. Phillips HS Katy, Texas / Morton Ranch Savannah, Ga. / Benedictine Military School Hahnville, La. / Hahnville High School Jericho, N.Y. / Friends Academy San Ramon, Calif. / California HS Montgomery, AL / Sidney Lanier High School

No Player Pos Cl./Exp. 60......... Ethan Marcus.................................. OL.................Fr. 47......... Aidan McCahill...............................LB/S...............Fr. 30......... Jonathan Mestayer II.........................S.............. R-Fr. 61......... Jaylen Miller.................................... OL................ Gr. 9........... Jaylon Monroe................................. CB................ Sr. 28......... Marvin Moody................................. LB................ Sr. 29......... Reggie Neely................................... DB................Fr. 73......... Colby Orgeron................................. OL............. R-Fr. 87......... Stephen Payne................................WR................Fr. 7........... Michael Pratt................................... QB................Fr. 81......... Tyrek Presley...................................WR............ R-Fr. 40......... Connor Prouet..................................TE..............R-Jr. 43......... Rishi Rattan..................................... CB.................Fr. 21......... Matthew Redmond.........................WR................Fr. 68......... Josh Remetich................................. OL.................Fr. 76......... Michael Remondet.......................... OL............ R-So. 15......... Jacob Robertson Jr...........................WR............R-Sr. 82......... Reed Rutkowski...............................WR................Fr. 5........... Cameron Sample............................. DE................ Sr. 91......... Noah Seiden.................................... DE............ R-So. 70......... Timothy Shafter.............................. OL..............R-Jr. 42......... Torri Singletary Jr............................ DE..............R-Jr. 45......... Matt Smith.......................................LS..............R-Jr. 75......... Joseph Solomon.............................. OL.................Fr. 22......... Tyjae Spears.................................... RB............ R-Fr. 92......... Sterling Stockwell........................... PK............ R-So. 55......... Noah Taliancich............................... DL.................Fr. 99......... Alfred Thomas................................. DE.................Jr. 58......... Caleb Thomas................................OL/DL.......... R-Fr. 85......... Ryan Thompson...............................WR........... R-So. 23......... Jaetavian Toles................................WR............... Sr. 72......... Trey Tuggle...................................... OL.................Fr. 38......... KJ Vault.............................................S...............R-Jr. 34......... Kanyon Walker..................................S.............. R-Fr. 84......... Will Wallace......................................TE..............R-Jr. 2........... Duece Watts....................................WR................Jr. 3........... Phat Watts.......................................WR................Jr. 50......... Andrew Wilks.................................. LB.................Fr. 48......... De’Andre Williams........................... NT.............R-Sr. 24......... Dorian Williams............................... LB................So. 88......... Keshon Williams...............................TE............. R-Fr. 16......... Levi Williams................................... DB............ R-Fr. 90......... Davon Wright.................................. DE.................Jr. 97......... Ryan Wright..................................... P..................Jr.

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Ygenio Booker............................................................................................................... Ee-gee-nee-oh Sorrell Brown...........................................................................................................................Sore-rell Sam Bruchhaus..................................................................................................................Bruck-house Corey Dauphine......................................................................................................................Daw-feen Stephon Huderson................................................................................................Stef-ahn Hud-er-son Amare Jones.........................................................................................................................Ah-mar-ee Ben Knutson.........................................................................................................................NEWT-son

Chase Kuerschen......................................................................................................................Ker-shin Stephen Lewerenz.................................................................................................................... Ler-renz Connor Prouet......................................................................................................................... Prew-ett Michael Remondet............................................................................................................ Re-mon-day Tyjae Spears.............................................................................................................................. Tah-Jay Jaetavian Toles................................................................................................................ Ja-tay-vee-an Davon Wright.............................................................................................................................Da-von

19

GREEN WAVE GAMEDAY TULANE FOOTBALL GOES DOWN UPTOWN AT YULMAN STADIUM

Yulman Stadium, the crown jewel of the university’s athletics complex, opened its gates for the first time in front of a capacity crowd on September 6, 2014, against Georgia Tech. Yulman Stadium marked the beginning of a renaissance of Tulane Athletics, which saw Green Wave football return to campus for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Tulane football has been a part of the fabric of New Orleans since the Green Wave played their first season back in 1893. Generations experienced college football at the old Tulane Stadium from 1926-74.

It is not hard to find a story about someone’s experience at old Tulane Stadium. Boy Scouts selling programs, a record crowd of 86,598 watching Tulane’s new home field advantage came from the generosity of three the Green Wave defeat LSU in 1973, the annual Sugar Bowl and early couples in particular: Richard Yulman and his late wife Janet; Gayle and Saints football are all part of the story of Tulane Stadium. the late Tom Benson; and Jill and Avie Glazer.

Now in its fifth year, a new chapter continues to be written in a new Richard Yulman, the retired chairman and owner of mattress home by a new (and old) generation of Green Wave fans. manufacturing giant Serta International, donated $15 million toward construction of this $73 million facility. Yulman Stadium is named in honor of Richard, Janet and the Yulman family.

Construction Began: January 2013 The late New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson and his wife Gayle, a First Game: September 6, 2014 member of the Board of Tulane, donated $7.5 million to Yulman Stadium.

Tulane vs. Georgia Tech Benson Field, which hosts the games of Yulman Stadium, is named in Capacity: 30,000 their honor.

Cost: $73 million Architect: Gould Evans and Associates Jill and Avie Glazer supported the stadium with a multi-million dollar and Lee Ledbetter & Associate gift. The Jill H. and Avram A. Glazer Family Club, the premium space in Contractor: Woodward Design + Build LLC which to experience games at Yulman Stadium, is named in their honor. Artificial Turf: UBU Speed Series 5M Field Size: 92,660 square feet Construction of Yulman Stadium began in January 2013. Gould Evans and Associates and Lee Ledbetter & Associates served as the project architects, while Woodward Design + Build LLC was the contractor.

INSIDE YULMAN STADIUM

20

CAREER STATISTICS 40 NICK ANDERSON LB • Jr. • 5-10 • 230 Vicksburg, Miss. (Jones County JC/Vicksburg)

BROOKS’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS Date

2020

ANDERSON’S CAREER STATISTICS

YR G UA A TTL TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH 2019 13 19 7 26 2.0 3 1 0 0 0 2 2020 11 50 29 79 10.5 35 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 24 69 36 105 12.5 38 1 0 0 0 2

ANDERSON’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date

Opp.

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU 0 Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn 2 Sept. 14, 2019 MSU 2 Sept. 19, 2019 Houston 3 Oct. 5, 2019 Army 1 Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN 2 Oct. 18, 2019 at Memphis 2 Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy 1 Nov. 2, 2019 Tulsa 0 Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple 1 Nov. 23, 2019 UCF 0 Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU 2 Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss (LMAFB)3

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

3 2 2 2 3 5 11 2 6 6 6

2 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 0 6 1 1 2 3 6 0 5 0

2 2 2 3 2 3 3 1 0 1 0 2 5 8 2 8 3 4 7 14 8 6 11 6

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-1 1.5-9 1.0-1 1.0-1 0.0-0 1.0-1 1.0-4 2.5-7 0.5-2 0.0-0 1.0-8 1.0-2

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-7 0.0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-6 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Opp.

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

Tackles............................................................................14 vs. Temple, 10/31/20 Sacks..........................................................1 (2x, last) at South Alabama 9/12/20 Tackles for loss...............................................................2.5 vs. Temple, 10/31/20

BROOKS’ CAREER STATISTICS

YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 5 3 1 2 0 0 5 11 1 2 0 0

BROOKS’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS Opp.

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU 1 Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn 0 Sept. 14, 2019 MSU 0 Sept. 19, 2019 Houston 5 Oct. 5, 2019 at Army 3 Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN 3 Oct. 18, 2020 at Memphis 0 Oct. 26, 2020 at Navy 1 Nov. 2, 2019 Tulsa 3 Nov. 23, 2019 UCF 0 Nov. 20, 2019 at SMU 1 Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss (LMAFB) 1

1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 2

2 0 0 6 3 5 0 1 4 0 1 3

4 7 2 5 11 5 2 3 4 9 2

0-0 0-0 1.0-5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 1-0 1-0

20 CAMERON CARROLL RB • R-So. • 6-0 • 225 Flowood, Miss. (Northwest Rankin HS) CARROLL’S CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS

RUSHING G ATT YDS TD 2018 4 4 14 0 2019 11 72 364 4 2020 11 112 621 11 TOTAL 26 188 999 15

LG AVG/C AVG/G 10 3.5 3.5 41 5.1 33.1 52 5.5 56.5 52 5.3 38.4

ECU

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-35 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 1-29

Sept. 14, 2019 MSU Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 18, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 Tulsa Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2020 UCF Nov. 30, 2020 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss (LMAFB)

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

TOTAL 32 41 17 58 4.5 16 6 1 1 0 0

CLARK’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS Opp.

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama 0 Sept. 19, 2020 Navy 2 Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss 3 Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston 3 Oct. 16, 2020 SMU 5 Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF 1 Oct. 31, 2020 Temple 2 Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina 2 Nov. 14, 2020 Army 4 Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa 1 Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis 4

1 0 2 1 0 2 0 2 2 1 1

1 2 5 4 5 3 2 4 6 2 5

0.0-0 1.0-6 0.0-0 1.0-2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-7

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-6

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 2-73 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

62 MEREK GLOVER K • R-Sr.• 6-0 • 200 Jericho, N.Y. (Friends Academy)

LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2 0.2 0.0 0.0 32 0.4 12.3 4.5 32 0.2 8.2 1.9

GLOVER’S CAREER FIELD GOAL STATISTICS

0 0 0 0 4 14 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0

8 5 5 10 4 8 3 7 0 13 9

44 33 55 22 14 71 9 21 0 47 48

0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0

15 18 41 7 5 27 3 9 0 13 22

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 -2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 11 15 18 6 11 13 6 7 6 9

26 62 163 34 12 44 63 129 9 41 38

2 2 3 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1

12 24 52 9 8 20 13 48 5 26 10

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 32 1 32 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 4 1 13 0 13

CARROLL’S CAREER HIGHS

YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 16 4 1 1 0 0

CLARK’S CAREER HIGHS

Rushing Receiving Date Opponent Att Yds TD LG Rec Yds TD LG

2018

CLARK’S CAREER STATISTICS

YR G UA A TTL TFL 2018 12 5 0 5 0 2019 9 9 5 14 0 2020 11 27 12 39 4.5

Tackles...............................................................................6, vs. Army , 11/14/20 Tackles for loss..............................................1 (3x, last) at East Carolina, 11/7/20 Interceptions...................................................................... 2 at Houston, 10/8/20

CARROLL’S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS

YEAR G REC YDS TD 2018 4 0 0 0 2019 11 2 0 1 2020 11 4 49 1 TOTAL 26 6 49 2

37 MACON CLARK S • Jr. • 6-0 • 185 St. Rose, LA (Destrehan HS)

Date

BROOKS’ CAREER HIGHS

Nov. 10, 2018

2019

1 1 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 2 1

Tackles................................................................. 11 (2x, last) at Tulsa , 11/19/20 Tackles for loss..........................................................1 at Southern Miss, 9/26/20 Interceptions........................................................................... 2 vs. MSU, 9/14/19

15, 2018 at Houston 31 LARRY BROOKS Nov. Nov. 24, 2018 Navy Dec. 15, 2018 ULL (Cure Bowl) S • Jr. • 6-0 • 200 2019 Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Fort Worth, Texas (Kennedale HS)

Date

3 6 2 5 10 2 2 2 4 7 1

CARROLL’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

ANDERSON’S CAREER HIGHS

YR G UA A TTL TFL 2018 11 1 1 2 0 2019 12 18 7 25 0 2020 11 44 10 54 1.0 TOTAL 34 63 18 80 1.0

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int

0 0 0 0

Rush touchdowns.....................................................3, at Southern Miss, 9/26/20 Long rush...............................................................52, at Southern Miss, 9/26/20 Rushes...................................................................15, at Southern Miss, 9/26/20 Rush yards............................................................163, at Southern Miss, 9/26/20 Receiving yards.................................................... 26, at South Alabama, 9/12/20

YEAR G ATT MADE LG PCT 2017 11 9 8 37 88.9 2018 13 13 10 40 76.9 2019 13 17 13 44 76.4 2020 11 14 9 42 64.3 TOTAL 48 53 40 44 75.5

GLOVER’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Field Goals PATs Date Opponent Att-Made Lg Blkd Att-Made

2017

Sep 02, 2017 GRAMBLING Sep 16, 2017 at Oklahoma Sep 23, 2017 ARMY WEST POINT Oct 07, 2017 TULSA Oct 14, 2017 at FIU Oct 21, 2017 USF Oct 27, 2017 at Memphis Nov 04, 2017 CINCINNATI Nov 11, 2017 at ECU Nov 18, 2017 HOUSTON Nov 25, 2017 at SMU

2018

Aug. 30 2018 WAKE FOREST Sep 8, 2018 NICHOLLS Sep 15, 2018 at UAB Sep 22, 2018 at Ohio State Sep 28, 2018 MEMPHIS Oct 6, 2018 at Cincinnati Oct 20, 2018 SMU Oct. 27, 2018 at Tulsa Nov 03, 2018 at USF Nov 10, 2018 ECU Nov 15, 2018 at Houston Nov 24, 2018 Navy Dec 15, 2018 ULL (Cure Bowl)

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 4-3 1-1 2-2 1-1

0 0 0 0 35 0 0 37 26 24 25

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 2-2 3-3 8-9 1-1 4-4 2-3 1-1 4-4 2-2 5-5

1-1 0-0 1-1 0-0 1-1 0-0 1-0 1-1 3-2 1-1 1-1 1-0 2-2

39 0 40 0 20 0 0 20 38 33 40 0 38

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

2-2 6-6 3-3 0-1 5-5 3-3 3-3 3-3 5-5 3-3 0-1 3-3 5-5

21

CAREER STATISTICS GLOVER’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Field Goals PATs Date Opponent Att-Made Lg Blkd Att-Made

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss (LMAFB)

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

0-0 2-2 1-1 1-1 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-2 1-1 0-1 1-2 3-2 3-3

0 44 23 44 0 0 31 39 31 0 29 42 36

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0

6-6 0-0 5-5 5-5 6-6 6-6 1-1 5-5 5-5 3-3 4-4 2-2 3-3

0-0 1-1 2-1 1-1 2-2 0-0 2-1 2-1 1-1 3-1 0-0

0 22 41 39 34 0 40 42 26 39 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1-2 3-3 9-9 4-4 4-4 4-4 5-5 5-5 5-5 3-3 5-5

9 KEON HOWARD QB • RS-Sr. • 6-1 • 215 Laurel, Miss. (Laurel) HOWARD’S CAREER PASSING STATISTICS

TOTAL 23 296 156 10 2,086 12 88 53.9 118.5

GLOVER’S CAREER HIGHS

HATCHER’S CAREER STATISTICS

YR G UA A TTL TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH 2018 12 8 7 15 4.0 20 2 0 0 0 0 2019 4 3 1 4 2.0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2020 6 6 4 10 1.5 9 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 22 17 12 29 7.5 32 2 0 0 0 0

2018

8/31/2018 Sep 8, 2018 Sep 22, 2018 Sep 28, 2018 Oct 6, 2018 Oct 20, 2018 Oct 27, 2018 Nov 03, 2018 Nov 10, 2018 Nov 15, 2018 Nov 24, 2018 Dec 15, 2018

Opp.

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int

WAKE FOREST NICHOLLS at Ohio State MEMPHIS at Cincinnati SMU at Tulsa at USF ECU at Houston NAVY ULL (Cure Bowl)

0 2 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 1

0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 2 0 0

0 2 0 2 5 1 0 2 0 2 0 1

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-7 1.5-8 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-4 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-7 0.5-3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis

0 0 0 3

1 0 0 0

1 0 0 3

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 2.0-3

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0 1 1 1 0 3

1 0 0 1 0 2

1 1 1 2 0 5

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-9

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-9

0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

2019

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF

22

Sept. 2, 2017 Kentucky Sept. 9, 2017 Southern Oct. 7, 2017 at UTSA Oct. 14, 2017 UTEP Oct. 21, 2017 La. Tech Oct. 28, 2017 UAB Nov. 4, 2017 at Tennessee

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 14, 2019 Missouri St. Oct. 12, 2019 UConn Oct. 18, 2019 at Memphis

HUDERSON’S CAREER KICK RETURN STATISTICS

YEAR 2018 2018 2019 2020 TOTAL

G 11 12 12 11 46

NO. YDS TD 1 44 0 10 196 0 6 219 1 2 23 0 19 482 1

2017

2018

14 9 20 27 53 25 22

87 71 212 221 301 207 100

0 0 3 1 3 1 0

0 0 0 2 2 0 1

10 1 10 5 13 5 10

18 -18 29 30 63 30 29

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 4 8 0

1 -4 6 120 10 92 1 0

0 1 1 0

1 0 0 0

3 2 5 2

5 0 42 5

0 0 1 0

Sept. 12, 2020 at S. Alabama 14 30 191 0 0 Sept. 18, 2020 Navy 10 25 108 0 1 Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss 1 3 0 0 0 Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF 0 0 0 0 0 Oct. 31, 2020 Temple 1 1 15 1 0 Nov. 14, 2020 Army 0 0 0 0 0

HOWARD’S CAREER HIGHS

LG YD/C YD/G 11 3.7 6.4 30 4.1 23.4 55 5.7 24.3 47 6.1 65.5 55 5.3 29.6

LG AVG/R AVG/G 44 44.0 4.0 31 19.6 16.3 98 36.5 18.3 12 11.5 2.1 98 25.4 10.5

Rushing R eceiving Date Opponent Att Yds TD LG Rec Yds TD LG

AVG/G 37.5 20.1

7 5 15 16 32 14 7

2020

HATCHER’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

ATT YDS TD 19 70 1 68 281 0 51 291 1 118 721 4 256 1363 6

Sep 02, 2017 GRAMBLING Sep 09, 2017 at Navy 13.0 12.2 Sep 16, 2017 at Oklahoma Sep 23, 2017 ARMY WEST POINT 19.8 Oct 07, 2017 TULSA Oct 14, 2017 at FIU HOWARD’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS Oct 21, 2017 USF Date Opp. C ATT YDS TD INT RUSH YDS TD Nov 04, 2017 CINCINNATI 2016 Nov 11, 2017 at ECU Nov. 12, 2016 at Old Dominion 12 24 230 1 1 28 98 1 Nov 18, 2017 HOUSTON Nov. 19, 2016 at North Texas 10 26 135 0 3 12 40 0 Nov 25, 2017 at SMU Nov. 25, 2016 La. Tech 0 0 0 0 0 4 12 0

2017

54 CARLOS HATCHER DE • R-So. • 6-3 • 240 Carrollton, Texas (Hebron HS)

G 11 12 12 11 46

HUDERSON’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

HOWARD’S CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS

YEAR G ATT YDS TD LG AVG/C 2016 4 44 150 2 22 3.4 2017 9 54 181 0 32 3.4 2018 DID NOT PLAY 2019 4 12 52 1 11 4.3 2020 6 15 73 1 24 4.9 TOTAL 23 125 456 4 32 4.0

5 STEPHON HUDERSON RB • Sr. • 5-9 • 200 Petal, Miss. (Petal) HUDERSON’S CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS YEAR 2017 2018 2019 2020 TOTAL

YEAR G ATT COM INT YDS TD LG PCT EFFIC 2016 4 50 22 4 365 1 55 44.0 95.92 2017 9 170 96 5 1199 8 84 56.4 125.36 2018 DID NOT PLAY 2019 4 18 13 0 208 2 88 72.0 206.0 2020 6 58 25 1 314 1 32 43.1 90.82

Points scored............................................ 12 (2x, last) at Southern Miss, 9/26/20 PATs made.................................................................9 at Southern Miss, 9/26/20 Field goals made............................ 3, 2x, last vs. Southern Miss (LMAFB), 1/4/20 Field goals attempted.....................................................4 vs. Cincinnati, 11/4/17 Long................................................................... 44, 2x, last vs. Houston, 9/19/19

Date

HATCHER’S CAREER HIGHS

Tackles...................................................................... 5 (2x, last) at UCF, 10/24/20 Sacks......................................................................... 1 (2x, last) at UCF, 10/24/20 Tackles for loss.............................................................2.0 at Memphis, 10/19/19 Pass breakups........................................................................ 2 vs. ECU, 11/10/18

8 31 1 5 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 16 0 0 0 0

Rush attempts........................................................28 at Old Dominion, 11/12/16 Rush yards..............................................................98 at Old Dominion, 11/12/16 Long rush.............................................................................. 32 at UTSA, 10/7/17 Rush TDs....................................................1, 3x, last vs. South Alabama, 9/12/20 Pass attempts.......................................................53 vs. Louisiana Tech, 10/21/17 Pass completions.................................................32 vs. Louisiana Tech, 10/21/17 Pass yards...........................................................301 vs. Louisiana Tech, 10/21/17 Pass TDs....................................................3, 2x, last vs. Louisiana Tech, 10/21/17 Long pass................................................................ 88 at Missouri State, 9/14/19

Aug. 30 2018 WAKE FOREST Sep 8, 2018 NICHOLLS Sep 15, 2018 at UAB Sep 22, 2018 at Ohio State Sep 28, 2018 MEMPHIS Oct 6, 2018 at Cincinnati Oct 20, 2018 SMU Oct 27, 2018 at Tulsa NOV 03, 2018 AT USF NOV 10, 2018 ECU NOV 15, 2018 at Houston DEC 15, 2018 ULL (Cure Bowl)

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

7 36 0 11 1 0 0 0 3 8 0 5 0 0 0 0 7 21 1 7 1 5 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 26 0 5 7 21 0 7 6 9 0 4 6 15 0 4 8 58 0 22 2 3 0 2 6 42 0 30 4 11 0 4 7 40 0 22 4 16 0 8 2 14 0 10 6 26 0 8

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 21 0 21 0 0 0 0 3 39 0 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

7 0 0 9 8 5 6 7 4 5 1 4

47 0 0 9 40 24 20 100 12 11 8 11

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

16 0 0 9 14 8 8 55 7 7 8 5

0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0

4 3 11 7 19 14 3 15 7 25 10

15 14 120 31 132 88 35 89 27 106 67

0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0

5 9 47 8 25 16 20 18 11 16 21

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 8 0 8 2 20 0 16 0 0 0 0 2 44 0 26 0 0 0 0 1 10 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 5

0 0 0 0 0 16 22 32 0 98 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 16 22 32 0 98 0 0

CAREER STATISTICS HUDERSON’S CAREER HIGHS

Rushes.................................................................................25 at Tulsa, 11/19/20 Yards................................................................................. 132 vs. SMU, 10/16/20 Long Rush.............................................................................55 vs. Tulsa, 11/2/19 Receptions............................................................................ 3 vs. SMU, 10/20/20 Long Reception.....................................................................32 vs. Tulsa, 11/2/19 Touchdowns............................................................1 (5x, last) at Tulsa, 11/19/20 All-Purpose yards.............................................................. 146 vs. SMU, 10/20/18 Catches.................................................................................. 3 vs. SMU, 10/20/18 Receiving yards................................................................... 39 vs. SMU, 10/20/18 Long Kick Return...................................................................98 vs. UCF, 11/23/19

4 JHA’QUAN JACKSON WR • So. • 5-9 • 185 Luling, LA. (Hahnville)

JOHNSON’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date

G REC YDS TD 8 2 31 1 11 29 356 6 19 31 387 7

LG AVG/C AVG/G 17 15.5 3.9 42 12.3 32.4 42 12.5 20.4

JACKSON’S CAREER KICK RETURN STATISTICS

80 TYRICK JAMES TE • Jr. • 6-2 • 250 Waco, Texas (China Spring HS)

YEAR 2019 2020 TOTAL

JAMES’ CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS

YEAR 2019 2020 TOTAL

YEAR 2018 2019 2020 TOTAL

G REC YDS TD 12 4 49 0 13 19 283 1 11 16 161 3 36 39 503 4

LG AVG/C AVG/G 30 12.3 4.1 45 15.8 21.8 29 10.1 14.6 45 12.9 14.0

G NO. YDS TD 12 2 18 0 13 0 0 0 11 0 0 0

JAMES’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 12, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

JAMES’ CAREER HIGHS

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

G NO. YDS TD LG AVG/R AVG/G 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 15 195 0 54 13 17.7 19 15 195 0 54 13 10.3

2019

LG AVG/R AVG/G 10 9.0 1.5 0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0

Rushing Receiving Date Opponent Att Yds TD LG Rec Yds TD LG Aug. 30, 2018 Wake Forest Sept. 15, 2018 UAB Oct. 6, 2018 at Cincinnati

2019

JACKSON’S CAREER PUNT RETURN STATISTICS

JACKSON’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

TOTAL 36 2 18 0 10 9.0 0.5

2018

G NO. YDS TD LG AVG/R AVG/G 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 5 110 0 43 22 10 19 5 110 0 43 22 5.8

Rushing Receiving Date Opponent Att Yds TD LG Rec Yds TD LG

JAMES’ CAREER KICK RETURN STATISTICS

YEAR 2018 2019 2020

1 5 0 5 1 30 0 30 2 14 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 4 3 5 0

60 0 0 0 0 51 0 45 0 34 31 62 0

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

18 0 0 0 0 39 0 45 0 16 18 17 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 2 0 1 2 1 0 2 2 2 3

23 38 0 8 19 4 0 18 12 19 30

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0

23 29 0 8 13 4 0 13 8 19 16

Receiving touchdowns...........................................1, (4x, last) at Tulsa, 11/19/20 Reception yards....................................................................... 60 vs. FIU, 8/29/19 Long reception.....................................................................45 at Navy, 10/26/19

Sept. 14, 2019 MSU Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 Tulsa Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss (LMAFB)

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 25, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0 17

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 1 14 1 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 17 0 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 14 0 0 0 17

3 1 1 1 0 4 3 7 5 1 3

44 6 42 8 0 59 45 57 37 1 57

0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 1

21 6 42 8 0 20 26 20 21 1 42

JACKSON’S CAREER HIGHS

Receptions.................................................................. 7 at East Carolina, 11/7/20 Reception yards......................................................................59 at UCF, 10/24/20 Long reception............................................... 42 (2x, last) vs. Memphis, 12/5/20

77 JEFFERY JOHNSON NT • Jr. • 6-3 • 330 Brookhaven, Miss. (Brookhaven) JOHNSON’S CAREER STATISTICS

YR G UA A TTL TFL 2018 13 13 17 30 1.0 2019 12 14 15 29 3.0 2020 11 12 15 26 6.0 TOTAL 36 39 47 86 10.0

YDS PD 2 1 19 0 23 0 44 1

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int

Aug. 30 2018 WAKE FOREST Sep 8, 2018 NICHOLLS Sep 15, 2018 at UAB Sep 22, 2018 at Ohio State Sep 28, 2018 MEMPHIS Oct 6, 2018 at Cincinnati Oct 20, 2018 SMU Oct 27, 2018 at Tulsa Nov 03, 2018 at USF Nov 10, 2018 ECU Nov 15, 2018 at Houston Nov 24, 2018 NAVY Dec 15, 2018 ULL (Cure Bowl)

JACKSON’S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS

YEAR 2019 2020 TOTAL

Opp.

2018

FF FR BLK QBH 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 2

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

2 2 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 4 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0.5-1 0.5-1 0 0-0 0-0 2 2 4 0.5-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 2 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-0 0-0 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 4 5 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 1.5-11 1.5-11 0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 0.5-2 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 1.0-6 1.0-6 0 0-0 0-0 0 2 1 2 2 0 2 0 2 1 1

1 2 3 3 2 0 2 2 0 1 0

1 4 4 5 4 0 4 2 2 2 1

0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-9 0.5-1 1.5-7 0.0-0 1.0-4 0.0-0 1.0-3 0.5-1 1.0-1

0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-9 0.5-1 1.0-6 0.0-0 1.0-4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-(-2) 0.0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

J . JOHNSON’S CAREER HIGHS Tackles.................................................................5 (2x, last) at Houston, 10/8/20 Tackles for loss.......................................................1.5 (3x, last) vs. SMU, 10/8/20 Breakups..............................................................................1 vs. Nicholls, 9/8/18 Fumbles recovered........................................1 (3x, last) at East Carolina, 11/7/20 Sacks....................................................... 1.5 (2x, last) at Southern Miss, 9/26/20

7 PATRICK JOHNSON DE • Sr. • 6-3 • 255 Chattanooga, Tenn. (Notre Dame) JOHNSON’S CAREER STATISTICS

YR G UA A TTL TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH 2017 12 6 6 12 1.0 4 0 0 0 0 0 2018 13 34 15 49 16.0 74 5 4 1 0 2 2019 13 24 11 35 2.5 37 4 0 0 0 1 2020 11 28 11 39 14.5 82 2 2 0 0 4 TOTAL 49 92 43 135 40.0 210 11 6 1 0 7

JOHNSON’S CAREER SACKS

YR G 2017 12 2018 13 2019 13 2020 11 TOTAL 49

UA 0 10 4 10 24

A TOTAL YDS 0 0.0 0 1 10.5 63 0 4.0 27 0 10.0 67 1 24.5 157

23

CAREER STATISTICS JOHNSON’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date

Opp.

2017

Sep 02, 2017 GRAMBLING Sep 09, 2017 at Navy Sep 16, 2017 at Oklahoma Sep 23, 2017 ARMY WEST POINT Oct 07, 2017 TULSA Oct 14, 2017 at FIU Oct 21, 2017 USF Oct 27, 2017 at Memphis Nov 04, 2017 CINCINNATI Nov 11, 2017 at ECU Nov 18, 2017 HOUSTON Nov 25, 2017 at SMU

2018

Aug. 30 2018 Sep 8, 2018 Sep 15, 2018 Sep 22, 2018 Sep 28, 2018 Oct 6, 2018 Oct 20, 2018 Oct 27, 2018 Nov 03, 2018 Nov 10, 2018 Nov 15, 2018 Nov 24, 2018 Dec 15, 2018

WAKE FOREST NICHOLLS at UAB at Ohio State MEMPHIS at Cincinnati SMU at Tulsa at USF ECU at Houston NAVY ULL (Cure Bowl)

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

Receiving Date Opponent Rec Yds

1 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0

0 1 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 1 4 0 3 0 1 0 0 1 0

1.0-4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

2016

1 2 1 4 3 2 3 2 6 3 0 6 2

2 2 0 0 0 4 2 2 0 1 0 1 1

3 4 1 4 3 6 5 4 6 4 0 7 3

0.0-0 1.5-2 1.0-2 1.0-6 1.0-3 1.5-13 1.0-5 1.5-8 4.0-12 1.0-8 0.0-0 2.0-10 0.5-5

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-6 1.0-3 1.0-9 1.0-5 1.0-7 3.0-11 1.0-8 0.0-0 1.0-9 0.5-5

0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

2017

1 1 2 1.0-6 1.0-6 0 0 0-0 2 0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0 0-0 5 0 5 2.0-7 1.0-6 0 0 0-0 2 1 3 2.0-10 1.0-6 0 0 0-0 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0 0-0 2 4 6 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0 0-0 2 2 4 1.0-7 0.0-0 0 0 0-0 2 0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0 0-0 2 1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0 0-0 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0 0-0 1 1 2 1.5-10 1.0-9 0 0 0-0 3 0 2 1 3 2 4 5 4 1 3

0 0 2 0 2 3 0 1 2 1 0

3 0 4 1 5 5 4 6 6 2 3

2.0-21 0.0-0 2.5-12 1.0-2 2.0-9 0.0-0 1.0-5 3.0-21 2.0-7 0.0-0 1.0-5

2.0-21 0.0-0 2.0-11 1.0-2 1.0-8 0.0-0 0.0-0 3.0-21 1.0-4 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

P. JOHNSON’S CAREER HIGHS

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Tackles..................................................................................7 vs. Navy, 11/24/18 Tackles for loss............................................................ 3 at East Carolina, 11/7/20 Sacks.............................................................. 3, 2x, last at East Carolina, 11/7/20 Fumbles forced.............................................. 2 , 2x, last at East Carolina, 11/7/20 Pass breakups.........................................................................3 vs. Tulsa, 11/2/19

1 MYKEL JONES WR • Gr. • 5-11 • 190 Patterson, LA (Patterson H.S.) JONES’ CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS

YEAR 2016 (OU) 2017 (OU) 2018 (OU) 2019 (OU) 2020 TOTAL

24

JONES’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int

G REC YDS TD 12 13 106 0 14 16 310 1 3 2 37 0 8 2 42 0 11 11 154 1 48 44 649 2

LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 43 1.1 8.2 8.8 55 1.1 19.4 22.1 33 0.7 18.5 12.3 37 0.3 21.0 12.3 31 1 14.0 14.0 55 0.9 14.8 13.5

Sept. 10, 2016 ULM Sept. 17, 2016 Ohio State Oct. 1, 2016 at TCU Oct. 8, 2016 at Texas Oct. 15, 2016 Kansas State Oct. 22, 2016 at Texas Tech Oct. 29, 2016 Kansas Nov. 3, 2016 at Iowa State Nov. 12, 2016 Baylor Nov. 19,2016 at West Virginia Dec. 3, 2016 Oklahoma State Jan. 2, 2016 Auburn Sept. 2, 2017 UTEP Sept. 9, 2017 at Ohio State Sept. 16, 2017 Tulane Sept. 23, 2017 at Baylor Oct. 7, 2017 Iowa State Oct. 14, 2017 at Texas Oct. 21, 2017 at Kansas State Oct. 28, 2017 Texas Tech Nov. 4, 2017 at Oklahoma State Nov. 11, 2017 TCU Nov. 18, 2017 at Kansas Nov. 25, 2017 West Virginia Dec. 2, 2017 TCU Jan. 1, 2018 Georgia

2018

Sept. 1, 2018 FAU Sept. 8, 2018 UCLA Nov. 10, 2018 OSU

2019

Sept. 1, 2019 Houston Sept. 7, 2019 South Dakota Sept. 14, 2019 at UCLA Sept. 28, 2019 Texas Tech Oct. 5, 2019 at Kansas Oct. 19, 2019 West Virginia Nov. 9, 2019 Iowa State Nov. 16, 2019 at Baylor

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 Sept. 19, 2020 Sept. 26, 2020 Oct. 8, 2020 Oct. 16, 2020 Oct. 24, 2020 Oct. 31, 2020 Nov. 7, 2020 Nov. 14, 2020 Nov. 19, 2020 Dec. 5, 2020

at South Alabama Navy at Southern Miss at Houston SMU at UCF Temple at East Carolina Army at Tulsa Memphis

JONES’ CAREER HIGHS

TD

LG

6 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0

48 3 8 0 0 4 0 0 43 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

18 3 7 0 0 4 0 0 43 0 0 0

0 2 0 0 1 0 3 0 3 0 1 0 3 0

0 48 0 0 10 0 76 0 53 0 33 0 67 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

0 42 0 0 10 0 32 0 30 0 33 0 55 0

2 0 0

37 0 0

0 0 0

33 0 0

1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

5 0 0 0 0 37 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

5 0 0 0 0 37 0 0

1 0 0 0 2 0 5 4 1 0 1

21 0 0 0 38 0 90 48 8 0 8

0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0

21 0 0 0 31 0 31 17 8 0 8

Receptions.............................................................................. 6 vs ULM, 9/10/16 Long reception.....................................................55 vs TCU (Rose Bowl), 12/2/17 Receptions yards.............................................................90 vs. Temple, 10/31/20

36 CHASE KUERSCHEN S • Sr. • 6-1 • 195 Knoxville, Tenn. (Knoxville Catholic) KUERSCHEN’S CAREER STATISTICS

YR G UA A TTL TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH 2017 12 42 18 60 0.5 1 2 2 0 0 0 2018 12 16 7 23 0.0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2019 12 58 18 76 1.5 5 4 1 0 2 2 2020 10 49 15 64 0.0 0 3 0 1 0 0 TOTAL 46 165 58 223 2.0 6 11 3 1 0 2

KUERSCHEN’S CAREER INTERCEPTIONS

YEAR G NO. 2017 12 1 2018 12 1 2019 12 2 2020 10 0 TOTAL 46 4

YDS TD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

LG AVG/R AVG/G 0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0

KUERSCHEN’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date

Opp.

2017

Sep 02, 2017 GRAMBLING Sep 09, 2017 at Navy Sep 16, 2017 at Oklahoma Sep 23, 2017 ARMY WEST POINT Oct 07, 2017 TULSA Oct 14, 2017 at FIU Oct 21, 2017 USF Oct 27, 2017 at Memphis Nov 04, 2017 CINCINNATI Nov 11, 2017 at ECU Nov 18, 2017 HOUSTON Nov 25, 2017 at SMU

2018

Aug. 30 2018 Sep 8, 2018 Sep 15, 2018 Sep 22, 2018 Sep 28, 2018 Oct 6, 2018 Oct 20, 2018 Oct 27, 2018 Nov 03, 2018 Nov 10, 2018 Nov 24, 2018 Dec 15, 2018

WAKE FOREST NICHOLLS at UAB at Ohio State MEMPHIS at Cincinnati SMU at Tulsa at USF ECU NAVY ULL (Cure Bowl)

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int 0 6 4 2 5 1 9 7 2 1 5 0

0 2 2 1 2 3 5 0 1 1 1 0

0 8 6 3 7 4 14 7 3 2 6 0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-

0 1 0 3 0 3 1 1 2 0 5 0

0 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 1

0 2 0 4 0 5 2 0 2 0 6 1

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

1 2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 7 0 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 5 1 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 5 8 0.5-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 1-0 5 3 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 4 3 7 1.0-4 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 6 1 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 6 0 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 8 0 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 7 1 8 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 5 2 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0 1-0 5 6 1 8 4 7 4 3 7 4

1 1 1 4 0 4 0 3 0 1

6 7 2 12 4 11 4 6 7 5

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0.0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

CAREER STATISTICS KUERSCHEN’S CAREER HIGHS

Interceptions.................................. 1, 4x, last vs. Southern Miss (LMAFB), 1/4/20 Tackles..................................................................................14 vs. USF, 10/21/17 Tackles for loss....................................................................1.0 at Navy, 10/26/19 Fumbles forced................................................... 1, 2x, last at Oklahoma, 9/16/17 Pass breakups.......................................................1, 4x, last vs Temple, 10/31/20

8 WILLIE LANGHAM CB • R-Jr. • 6-1 • 175 McAdory, Ala. (McAdory) LANGHAM’S CAREER STATISTICS

YR G UA A TTL TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH 2018 13 11 1 12 0.0 0 7 0 0 0 0 2019 13 17 2 19 1.0 9 3 0 1 0 0 2020 11 23 5 27 0.0 0 5 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 37 51 8 59 1.0 9 15 0 1 0 0

LANGHAM’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date

Opp.

2018

Aug 31, 2018 WAKE FOREST Sep 8, 2018 NICHOLLS Sep 15, 2018 at UAB Sep 22, 2018 at Ohio State Sep 28, 2018 MEMPHIS Oct 6, 2018 at Cincinnati Oct 20, 2018 SMU Oct 27, 2018 at Tulsa Nov 03, 2018 at USF Nov 10, 2018 ECU Nov 15, 2018 at Houston Nov 24, 2018 NAVY Dec 15, 2018 ULL (Cure Bowl)

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2018 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss

2020

Sep. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 21, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 2 1 1 1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 3 1 1 1

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

2 0 2 1.0-9 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 1-13 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 5 1 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0 0-0 3 0 0 1 5 2 2 3 1 3 3

0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 0

3 0 0 1 6 4 2 3 3 3 3

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 2.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-14 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

LANGHAM’S CAREER HIGHS

Tackles...................................................................6 (2x, last) vs. SMU, 10/16/20 Passes defensed.......................................... 2, 3x, last vs. Missouri State, 9/14/19

9 JAYLON MONROE CB • Sr. • 5-9 • 180 Mesquite, Texas (West Mesquite) MONROE’S CAREER STATISTICS

YR G UA A TTL TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH 2017 9 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2018 13 21 8 29 0.0 0 7 0 0 0 0 2019 13 30 8 38 2.5 8 6 0 0 1 1 2020 11 24 6 30 1.0 2 9 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 46 76 22 98 3.5 10 22 0 0 1 1

MONROE’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date

Opp.

2017

Sep 02, 2017 GRAMBLING Sep 16, 2017 at Oklahoma Oct 07, 2017 TULSA Oct 14, 2017 at FIU Oct 21, 2017 USF Nov 04, 2017 CINCINNATI Nov 11, 2017 at ECU Nov 18, 2017 HOUSTON Nov 25, 2017 at SMU

2018

Aug. 30 2018 Sep 8, 2018 Sep 15, 2018 Sep 22, 2018 Sep 28, 2018 Oct 6, 2018 Oct 20, 2018 Oct 27, 2018 Nov 03, 2018 Nov 10, 2018 Nov 15, 2018 Nov 24, 2018 Dec 15, 2018

WAKE FOREST NICHOLLS at UAB at Ohio State MEMPHIS at Cincinnati SMU at Tulsa at USF ECU at Houston NAVY ULL (Cure Bowl)

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

2 0 2 2 0 0 0 2 7 4 0 0 2

2 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 0 0 0

4 1 2 2 0 1 0 3 9 5 0 0 2

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

3 1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 1-0 2 1 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 6 0 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 1.0-2 0.0-0 0 0-0 1-0 3 1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 0 3 1.0-5 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 3 4 0.5-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 0 2 0 4 3 0 4 2 3 3

0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 1

3 0 2 0 5 3 0 5 5 3 4

1.0-2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

MONROE’S CAREER HIGHS

Tackles.......................................................................................9 at USF, 11/3/18 Passes Breakups..................................................................... 4 vs. ECU, 11/10/18 Blocked kicks............................................................ 1 vs. Missouri State, 9/14/19 Interceptions......................................................... 1, 2x, last at Temple, 11/16/19

28 MARVIN MOODY LB • Sr. • 6-2 • 225 Bryant, Ark. (Bryant) MOODY’S CAREER STATISTICS

YR G UA A TTL TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH 2017 11 4 1 5 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2018 13 41 30 71 5.0 14 0 0 1 0 0 2019 13 34 22 56 5.5 20 3 0 0 0 3 2020 9 37 31 68 6.5 20 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 46 116 84 200 17.0 54 3 0 1 0 3

MOODY’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date

Opp.

2017

Sep 02, 2017 GRAMBLING Sep 09, 2017 at Navy Sep 16, 2017 at Oklahoma Sep 23, 2017 ARMY WEST POINT Oct 07, 2017 TULSA Oct 14, 2017 at FIU Oct 21, 2017 USF Nov 04, 2017 CINCINNATI Nov 11, 2017 at ECU Nov 18, 2017 HOUSTON Nov 25, 2017 at SMU

2018

Aug. 30 2018 Sep 8, 2018 Sep 15, 2018 Sep 22, 2018 Sep 28, 2018 Oct 6, 2018 Oct 20, 2018 Oct 27, 2018 Nov 03, 2018 Nov 10, 2018 Nov 15, 2018 Nov 24, 2018 Dec 15, 2018

WAKE FOREST NICHOLLS at UAB at Ohio State MEMPHIS at Cincinnati SMU at Tulsa at USF ECU at Houston NAVY ULL (Cure Bowl)

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1

0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 1

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

3 3 4 1 3 3 1 0 6 3 7 2 5

4 1 3 3 0 2 3 3 3 1 3 3 0

7 4 7 4 3 5 4 3 9 4 10 5 5

0.5-1 0.0-0 1.0-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-3 0.0-0 1.0-2 0.0-0 1.0-4

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

3 4 7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 4 3 7 0.5-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 1 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 2 4 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 3 6 1.0-4 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 1.0-3 1.0-3 0 0 0-0 0-0 3 2 5 1.0-7 1.0-7 0 0-0 0-0 3 3 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 6 1 7 1.0-4 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 0.0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 0 3 0.0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 12 3 2 5 3 5 2 2

1 8 6 5 0 4 2 4 1

4 20 9 7 5 7 7 6 3

1.0-2 3.0-7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-3 0.5-6 0.5-2

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-6 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

MOODY’S CAREER HIGHS

Tackles.......................................................................................20 Navy, 9/19/20 Tackles for loss............................................................1, 9x, last vs.UCF, 11/23/19 Sacks..........................................................................1, 2x, last vs. Tulsa, 11/2/19 Passes Defensed.....................................................................3 at Tulsa, 10/27/18 Fumbles Recovered................................................................1 at Tulsa, 10/27/18

7 MICHAEL PRATT QB • Fr. • 6-1 • 205 Boca Raton, FLA. (Deerfield Beach HS) PRATT’S CAREER PASSING STATISTICS

YEAR G ATT COM INT YDS TD LG PCT EFFIC 2020 9 229 128 5 1638 18 52 55.9 137.6 TOTAL 9 229 128 5 1638 18 52 55.9 137.6

PRATT’S CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS

YEAR G ATT YDS TD LG AVG/C AVG/G 2020 9 97 204 7 21 2.1 22.7 TOTAL 9 97 204 7 21 2.1 22.7

25

CAREER STATISTICS PRATT’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS Date

Opp.

ROBERTSON’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

C ATT YDS TD INT RUSH YDS TD

2020

Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss 8 Pct. 8, 2020 at Houston 11 Oct. 16, 2020 SMU 12 Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF 14 Oct. 31, 2020 Temple 12 Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina 22 Nov. 14 2020 Army 19 Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa 8 Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis 21

18 25 29 24 21 34 27 17 33

142 141 192 215 205 216 197 76 254

2 1 1 3 2 3 2 2 2

0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0

7 13 16 12 12 5 5 10 17

40 -9 26 -5 56 31 19 22 24

1 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 2

PRATT’S CAREER HIGHS

Rush yards.......................................................................56 vs. Temple, 10/31/20 Long rush............................................................................ 21 vs. SMU, 10/16/20 Rush TDs.............................................................2(2x, last) vs. Memphis, 12/5/20 Pass attempts............................................................ 34 at East Carolina, 11/7/20 Pass completions...................................................... 22 at East Carolina, 11/7/20 Pass yards.....................................................................254 vs. Memphis, 12/5/20 Pass TDs......................................................... 3, 2x, last at East Carolina, 11/7/20 Long pass........................................................42 (3x, last) vs. Memphis, 12/5/20

15 JACOB ROBERTSON JR. WR • R-Sr. • 6-0 • 170 College Park, Ga. (Woodward Academy) ROBERTSON’S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS

YEAR 2017 2018 2019 2020 TOTAL

G REC YDS TD 10 11 81 0 8 4 69 0 13 9 74 1 8 5 56 0 39 29 280 1

LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 14 1.1 7.4 8.1 30 0.5 17.2 8.6 22 0.7 8.2 5.7 23 0.7 9.3 7 30 0.8 9.7 7.2

ROBERTSON’S CAREER PUNT RETURN STATISTICS

YEAR 2017 2018 2019 2020 TOTAL

G NO. YDS TD 10 5 24 0 8 12 31 0 13 5 32 0 8 0 0 0 39 22 87 0

LG AVG/R AVG/G 14 4.8 2.4 14 2.6 3.9 11 6.4 2.5 0 0.0 0.0 14 4.0 2.2

Rushing Receiving Date Opponent Att Yds TD LG Rec Yds TD LG Sep 09, 2017 at Navy Sep 16, 2017 at Oklahoma Sep 23, 2017 ARMY WEST POINT Oct 07, 2017 TULSA Oct 14, 2017 at FIU Oct 27, 2017 at Memphis Nov 04, 2017 CINCINNATI Nov 11, 2017 at ECU Nov 18, 2017 HOUSTON Nov 25, 2017 at SMU

2018

Aug. 30 2018 WAKE FOREST Sep 8, 2018 NICHOLLS Sep 15, 2018 at UAB Sep 22, 2018 at Ohio State Sep 28, 2018 MEMPHIS 10/06/18 at Cincinnati Oct 20, 2018 SMU Nov 10, 2018 ECU

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 0 0 0 2 1 2 1 0 0 0 1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 2 1 2 0 0 2 1 3

0 0 10 14 12 0 0 14 7 24

0 0 0 0 0 9 0 14 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 7 0 9

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 5 1 10 0 10 0 0 0 0 1 24 0 24 1 30 0 30

-4 3 0 0 0 12 22 16 18 0 0 0 7

0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 22 0 11 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 4 0 4 1 10 0 10 0 0 0 0 1 14 0 14 0 0 0 0 1 5 0 5 1 23 0 23 0 0 0 0

ROBERTSON’S CAREER HIGHS Receptions............................................................................. 3 at SMU, 11/25/17 Reception yards.................................................................... 30 vs. ECU, 11/10/18 Long reception..................................................................... 30 vs. ECU, 11/10/18 Punt returns............................................................. 3, 2x, last vs. SMU, 10/20/18 Punt return yards.................................................... 14, 2x, last vs. ECU, 11/10/18 Long punt return..................................................... 14, 2x, last vs. ECU, 11/10/18

5 CAMERON SAMPLE DE • Sr. • 6-3 • 280 Snellville, Ga. (Shiloh) YR G UA A TTL TFL 2017 11 15 11 26 2.0 2018 11 17 23 40 6.0 2019 13 30 14 44 5.5 2020 11 27 24 51 7.5 TOTAL 46 89 72 161 21

SAMPLE’S CAREER SACKS

YR G UA 2017 11 0 2018 11 4 2019 13 1 2020 11 5 TOTAL 46 10

YDS PD 4 1 28 1 6 5 58 1 96 8

FF FR BLK QBH 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 1 0 0 3 1 1 0 8

A TOTAL YDS 0 0.0 0 0 4.0 24 1 1.5 2 0 5.0 46 1 10.5 72

SAMPLE’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date

Opp.

2017

Sep 02, 2017 GRAMBLING Sep 09, 2017 at Navy Sep 16, 2017 at Oklahoma Sep 23, 2017 ARMY WEST POINT Oct 07, 2017 TULSA Oct 14, 2017 at FIU Oct 21, 2017 USF Oct 27, 2017 at Memphis Nov 04, 2017 CINCINNATI Nov 18, 2017 HOUSTON Nov 25, 2017 at SMU

2018

Aug. 30 2018 WAKE FOREST Sep 8, 2018 NICHOLLS Sep 15, 2018 at UAB Sep 22, 2018 at Ohio State Sep 28, 2018 MEMPHIS Oct 6, 2018 at Cincinnati

26

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

SAMPLE’S CAREER STATISTICS

ROBERTSON’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

2017

Rushing Receiving Date Opponent Att Yds TD LG Rec Yds TD LG

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int

SAMPLE’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date Opp. Oct 20, 2018 SMU Oct 27, 2018 at Tulsa Nov 03, 2018 at USF Nov 24, 2018 NAVY Dec 15, 2018 ULL (Cure Bowl)

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int 1 3 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 4 6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 1.5-8 1.0-6 0 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 1-0 0-0 4 1 5 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 1 3 0.5-1 0.5-1 0 0-0 0-0 2 5 7 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 2 0 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 2 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 1 4 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 3 0 3 1.0-1 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0 2 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 5 0 5 1.0-1 1.0-1 0 0 0-0 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0 0-0 5 5 1 1 2 4 3 0 4 1 3

2 3 2 4 2 3 0 3 1 3 0

7 8 3 5 4 7 3 3 5 4 3

3.5-27 0.0-0 1.0-8 0.0-0 0.5-1 1.5-15 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-7

2.0-17 0.0-0 1.0-8 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-14 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-7

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

SAMPLE’S CAREER HIGHS

Tackles............................................................................ 9 at Ohio State, 9/22/18 Tackles for Loss............................................................. 2.5 at Ohio State, 9/22/18 Sacks................................................................................2 vs. Memphis, 9/28/18 Pass Breakups.....................................................1, 5x, last vs. Memphis, 12/5/20

22 TYJAE SPEARS RB • R-Fr. • 5-10 • 190 Ponchatoula, La. (Ponchatoula) SPEARS’ CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS

YEAR G ATT YDS TD 2019 4 32 192 1 2020 3 37 274 2 TOTAL 7 69 466 3

LG YD/C YD/G 52 6.0 38.4 42 7.4 91.3 52 6.8 66.6

SPEARS’ CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS

YEAR 2019 2020 TOTAL

G 4 3 7

REC YDS TD 5 133 1 2 30 0 7 163 1

LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 88 1.3 26.6 33.3 16 0.7 15.0 10.0 88 1.0 23.3 23.3

SPEARS’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Rushing R eceiving Date Opponent Att Yds TD LG Rec Yds TD LG

2019

0 2 2 4 0 1 2 2 0 1 1

0 0 2 2 0 4 2 0 0 0 1

0 2 4 6 0 5 4 2 0 1 2

0.0-0 1.0-2 0.5-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU

1 2 3 3 3 0

3 1 0 6 0 5

4 3 3 9 3 5

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 2.5-7 2.0-13 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-5 2.0-13 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Receptions............................................................................. 3 at SMU, 11/30/19 Rushing yards..................................................... 105 at South Alabama, 9/12/20 Long reception........................................................ 88 vs. Missouri State 9/14/19 Touchdowns...............................................................2 at Southern Miss 9/26/20

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss

SPEARS’ CAREER HIGHS

2 8 0 12 10

12 89 0 60 31

0 1 0 0 0

6 52 0 15 7

0 0 0 0 1 88 1 88 0 0 0 0 1 4 0 4 3 41 0 20

11 105 0 36 18 119 0 42 8 50 2 15

2 30 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

CAREER STATISTICS 99 ALFRED THOMAS DE • Jr. • 6-2 • 290 Montgomery, Ala. (Sidney Lanier)

TOLES’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

THOMAS’ CAREER DEFENSIVE STATISTICS

YR G UA A TTL TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH 2018 7 2 5 7 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2019 3 2 1 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2020 4 0 4 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL 14 4 10 14 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

THOMAS’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date

Opp.

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int

2018

Aug. 30 2018 WAKE FOREST Sep 8, 2018 NICHOLLS Sep 15, 2018 at UAB Sep 22, 2018 at Ohio State Nov. 15, 2018 AT HOUSTON Nov. 24, 2018 NAVY

0 0 0 0 1 1

1 0 0 1 0 1

1 0 0 1 1 2

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

2019

Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn 1 1 2 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE 1 0 1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON 0 0 0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa

0 0 0 0

0 1 3 0

0 1 3 0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

ALFRED THOMAS’ CAREER HIGHS

Tackles.................................................................. 3 (2x, last) vs. Army, 11/14/20

23 JAETAVIAN TOLES WR • Sr. • 6-0 • 180 Stratford, Texas (Stratford) TOLES’ CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS

RECEIVING G REC YDS TD 2017 8 1 5 0 2018 11 7 74 1 2019 13 13 160 1 2020 11 4 55 1 TOTAL 44 25 294 3

2018

Aug. 30 2018 WAKE FOREST Sep 8, 2018 NICHOLLS Sep 15, 2018 at UAB Sep 22, 2018 at Ohio State Sep 28, 2018 MEMPHIS Oct 20, 2018 SMU Nov 10, 2018 ECU Nov 15, 2018 at Houston Nov 24, 2018 NAVY Dec 15, 2018 ULL

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1

0 0 0 0 0 12 15 10 0 0 18

0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 12 15 10 0 0 18

TOLES’ CAREER HIGHS

Receptions...........................................................2, 2x, last vs. Houston, 9/19/19 Touchdowns..........................................................1, 3x, last vs Temple, 10/31/20 Receiving yards...................................................................26 vs. Navy, 11/24/18 Long....................................................................................26 vs. Navy, 11/24/18

G 11 13 7 31

REC YDS TD 3 16 0 4 52 0 4 54 1 11 122 1

2018

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0

0 13 6 12 7 0 0 10 26 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

0 13 6 12 7 0 0 10 26 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 1 2 1 0

11 19 19 18 17 0

0 0 0 0 0 0

11 19 19 11 17 0

Aug 31, 2018 WAKE FOREST Sep 8, 2018 NICHOLLS Sep 15, 2018 at UAB Sep 22, 2018 at Ohio State Sep 28, 2018 MEMPHIS Oct 27, 2018 at Tulsa Nov 03, 2018 at USF Nov 10, 2018 ECU Nov 15, 2018 at Houston Nov 24, 2018 NAVY Dec 15, 2018 ULL

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss

2020

Sept. 26, 20120 at Southern Miss Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 15 1 15 1 11 0 11 0 0 0 0 2 34 1 27

WALLACE’S CAREER HIGHS

Receptions.............................................................2, (3x, last) at Tulsa, 11/19/20 Yards....................................................................................34 at Tulsa, 11/19/20 Long.....................................................................................27 at Tulsa, 11/19/20

2 DUECE WATTS WR • Jr. • 6-2 • 195 Richton, Miss. (Petal HS) WATTS’ CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS

YEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 2020 11 31 512 6 52 2.8 16.5 46.5 TOTAL 11 31 512 6 52 2.8 16.5 46.5 Receiving Date Opponent Rec Yds

2020

WALLACE’S CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS

YEAR 2018 2019 2020 TOTAL

WALLACE’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Rushing R eceiving Date Opponent Att Yds TD LG Rec Yds TD LG

WATTS’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

84 WILL WALLACE TE • R-Jr. • 6-4 • 235 Natchez, Miss. (Cathedral HS) LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 9 0.3 5.3 1.5 16 0.3 13.0 4.0 27 0.6 13.5 7.7 27 0.4 11.1 3.9

Rushing Receiving Date Opponent Att Yds TD LG Rec Yds TD LG

TOLES’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Sep 02, 2017 GRAMBLING Sep 16, 2017 at Oklahoma Sep 23, 2017 ARMY WEST POINT Oct 07, 2017 TULSA Oct 14, 2017 at FIU Oct 21, 2017 USF Oct 27, 2017 at Memphis Nov 18, 2017 HOUSTON

2020

WALLACE’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 5 0.1 5.0 0.6 26 0.6 10.6 6.7 19 1.0 12.3 12.3 15 0.4 13.8 5 26 0.6 11.8 6.7

Rushing Receiving Date Opponent Att Yds TD LG Rec Yds TD LG

2017

Rushing Receiving Date Opponent Att Yds TD LG Rec Yds TD LG Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis 0 0 0 0 1 15 0 15 Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy 0 0 0 0 1 5 1 5 Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA 0 0 0 0 4 41 0 13 Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nov. 23, 2019 UCF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss 0 0 0 0 1 15 0 15

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 14

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 9

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 22 0 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16 0 16 0 0 0 0 1 14 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Sept. 12, 2020 Sept. 19, 2020 Sept. 26, 2020 Oct. 8, 2020 Oct. 16, 2020 Oct. 24, 2020 Oct. 31, 2020 Nov. 7, 2020 Nov. 14, 2020 Nov. 19, 2020 Dec. 5, 2020

at South Alabama Navy at Southern Miss at Houston SMU at UCF Temple at East Carolina Army at Tulsa Memphis

0 0 2 2 3 3 5 5 6 1 4

0 0 38 50 56 48 114 57 85 18 46

TD 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 0 1

LG 0 0 23 40 42 28 52 35 26 18 18

WATTS’ CAREER HIGHS

Long reception................................................................52 vs. Temple, 10/31/20 Receptions.......................................................................... 6, vs. Army, 11/14/20 Recceiving yards................................................................ 85, vs. Army, 11/14/20

3 PHAT WATTS WR • Jr. • 6-0 • 190 Richton, Miss. (Petal HS) WATTS’ CAREER RUSHING STATISTICS

YEAR G ATT YDS TD LG YD/C YD/G 2020 11 5 19 1 14 3.8 1.7 TOTAL 11 5 19 1 14 3.8 1.7

WATTS’ CAREER RECEIVING STATISTICS

YEAR G REC YDS TD LG REC/G AVG/C AVG/G 2020 11 16 216 0 38 1.5 13.5 19.6 TOTAL 11 16 216 0 38 1.5 13.5 19.6

27

CAREER STATISTICS WATTS’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Rushing Receiving Date Opponent Att Yds TD LG Rec Yds TD LG

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

0 0 0 0 1 3 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 13 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 2

2 2 1 1 3 2 1 0 1 0 3

15 22 11 13 51 30 6 0 13 0 55

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

11 16 11 13 20 18 6 0 13 0 38

WATTS’ CAREER HIGHS

Long reception..............................................................38 vs. Memphis 12/5/20 Touchdowns............................................................................1 vs. Navy 9/19/20

WILLIAMS’ CAREER STATISTICS

TOTAL 47 40 37 77 8.0 26 0 0 2 0 0

WILLIAMS’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS Opp.

Sep 02, 2017 GRAMBLING Sep 09, 2017 at Navy Sep 16, 2017 at Oklahoma Sep 23, 2017 ARMY WEST POINT Oct 07, 2017 TULSA Oct 14, 2017 at FIU Oct 21, 2017 USF Oct 27, 2017 at Memphis Nov 04, 2017 CINCINNATI Nov 11, 2017 at ECU Nov 18, 2017 HOUSTON Nov 25, 2017 at SMU

2018

Aug. 30 2018 WAKE FOREST Sep 8, 2018 NICHOLLS Sep 15, 2018 at UAB Sep 22, 2018 at Ohio State Sep 28, 2018 MEMPHIS Oct 6, 2018 at Cincinnati Oct 20, 2018 SMU Oct 27, 2018 at Tulsa Nov 03, 2018 at USF Nov 10, 2018 ECU Nov 15, 2018 at Houston Nov 24, 2018 NAVY Dec 15, 2018 ULL

2019

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0 1 5 2 0 0 0 1 1 3 4 3 1

2 2 2 3 0 2 0 1 4 0 0 2 0

2 3 7 5 0 2 0 2 5 3 4 5 1

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-8 1.0-7 1.0-2 0.0-0 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-8 1.0-7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU 2 Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn 4 Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE 0

3 5 0.0-0 2 6 0.0-0 2 2 0.0-0

0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0

WILLIAMS’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date Opp. UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON 3 0 3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0 Oct. 5, 2019 at Army 1 9 10 0.0-0 0.0-0 0 0-0 0-0

28

Sept. 12, 2020 South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

0 0 7 1 2 2 2 3

4 2 11 5 6 5 5 4

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-7 1.0-3 1.0-1 0.5-1 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0 6 0 1 1 0 0 2 6 0 0

1 1 1 3 1 1 0 0 0 2 0

1 7 1 4 2 1 0 2 6 2 0

0.0-0 1.0-2 0.0-0 1.0-1 1.0-5 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.0-2 0.0-0 0.5-1 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0.0 0.0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Tackles.................................................................................11 at Navy, 10/26/19 Tackles for loss........................................................................1.5 at USF, 11/3/18 Sacks.......................................................................................1.5 at USF, 11/3/18 Fumbles Recovered...................................1 (2x, last) at South Alabama, 9/12/20

YR G UA A TTL TFL YDS PD FF FR BLK QBH 2017 12 2 4 6 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2018 13 21 17 38 3.5 15 0 0 0 0 0 2019 11 4 33 9 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2020 11 13 11 24 4.5 11 0 0 1 0 0

2017

2020

4 2 4 4 4 3 3 1

WILLIAMS’ CAREER HIGHS

48 DE’ANDRE WILLIAMS NT • R-Sr. • 6-3 • 290 Baton Rouge, La. (Scotlandville Magnet)

Date

Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss

24 DORIAN WILLIAMS LB • So. • 6-1 • 220 Fort Mill, S.C. (Indian Land) WILLIAMS’ CAREER STATISTICS

YR G UA A TTL TFL 2019 13 31 31 62 4.0 2020 11 55 29 84 14.5 TOTAL 24 86 59 146 18.5

YDS PD 12 0 42 3 54 3

Opp.

2019

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MSU Sept. 19, 2019 Houston Oct. 5, 2019 at Army Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN Oct. 18, 2019 at Memphis Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy Nov. 2, 2019 Tulsa Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple Nov. 23, 2019 UCF Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU Jan, 4, 2020 Southern Miss

2020

Sept. 12, 2020 at South Alabama Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

FF FR BLK QBH 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2

UT AT TT TFL-Yds Sk-Yds FF FR Int 2 0 0 3 1 4 2 4 4 4 3 3 1

3 0 2 0 9 0 0 7 1 2 2 2 3

5 0 2 3 10 4 2 11 5 6 5 5 4

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-7 1.0-3 1.0-1 0.5-1 0.0-0

0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 1.5-7 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

5 2 3 7 3 11 3 2 5 6 8

2 1 7 5 1 1 3 1 2 5 1

7 3 10 12 4 12 6 3 7 11 9

1.0-3 1.0-1 1.0-7 3.0-4 2.0-2 0.0-0 1.5-3 1.5-11 1.5-3 2.0-8 0.0-0

0.0-0 1.0-1 0.0-0 1.0-1 0.0-0 0.0-0 0.5-2 1.0-10 0.0-0 1.0-7 0.0-0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

WILLIAMS’ CAREER HIGHS

WRIGHT’S CAREER STATISTICS

YEAR G NO. 2018 11 45 2019 13 52 2020 10 49 TOTAL 34 146

YARDS LG 1978 64 2155 66 2243 65 6376 66

AVG 44.0 40.2 45.8 43.7

WRIGHT’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date

2018

Opponent

No Yds Avg Long Blkd TB FC 50+ I20

Sep 22, 2018 at Ohio State Sep 28, 2018 MEMPHIS Oct 6, 2018 at Cincinnati Oct 20, 2018 SMU Oct 27, 2018 at Tulsa Nov 03, 2018 at USF Nov 10, 2018 ECU Nov 15, 2018 at Houston Nov 24, 2018 NAVY Dec 15, 2018 ULL

5 2 3 8 4 3 9 5 4 2

196 39.2 95 47.5 151 50.3 386 48.2 171 42.8 113 37.7 386 42.9 238 47.6 159 39.8 83 41.5

43 57 64 60 53 43 59 55 53 44

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0

1 1 1 3 0 1 7 3 1 0

0 1 1 3 1 0 2 2 1 0

0 1 2 3 1 0 3 1 1 0

Aug. 29, 2019 FIU Sept. 7, 2019 at Auburn Sept. 14, 2019 MISSOURI STATE Sept. 19, 2019 HOUSTON

4 8 2 5

180 321 60 208

58 49 47 61

0 0 0 0

1 0 0 0

1 1 0 0

2 0 0 2

2 3 1 2

2019

45.0 40.1 30.0 41.6

WRIGHT’S CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

WILLIAMS’ CAREER GAME-BY-GAME STATS

Date

97 RYAN WRIGHT P/K • So. • 6-3 • 245 San Ramon, Calif. (California HS)

Tackles...................................................................................12 at UCF, 10/24/20 Tackles for loss................................................................ 3.0 at Houston, 10/8/20 Sacks...................................................................1.5, 2x, last vs. Temple, 10/31/2

Date Opponent No Yds Avg Oct. 5, 2019 at Army 4 133 33.3 Oct. 12, 2019 UCONN 2 61 30.5 Oct. 19, 2019 at Memphis 5 196 39.2 Oct. 26, 2019 at Navy 3 144 48.0 Nov. 2, 2019 TULSA 2 64 32.0 Nov. 16, 2019 at Temple 4 146 36.5 Nov. 23, 2019 UCF 5 263 52.6 Nov. 30, 2019 at SMU 2 90 45.0 Jan. 4, 2020 Southern Miss 6 289 48.2

2020

Sept. 19, 2020 Navy Sept. 26, 2020 at Southern Miss Oct. 8, 2020 at Houston Oct. 16, 2020 SMU Oct. 24, 2020 at UCF Oct. 31, 2020 Temple Nov. 7, 2020 at East Carolina Nov. 14, 2020 Army Nov. 19, 2020 at Tulsa Dec. 5, 2020 Memphis

5 3 8 6 5 2 4 5 6 5

182 104 410 286 238 111 177 230 253 216

WRIGHT’S CAREER HIGHS

36.4 34.7 51.2 47.7 47.6 55.5 44.3 46.0 42.2 43.2

Long Blkd TB FC 50+ I20 40 0 1 1 0 1 39 0 0 1 0 0 51 0 1 2 1 1 51 0 0 3 1 2 37 0 0 0 0 0 47 0 1 1 0 0 66 0 1 1 2 1 48 0 0 0 1 0 55 0 2 2 3 1 41 45 63 65 62 62 46 63 62 52

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0

2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0

0 0 5 3 2 1 0 2 1 1

1 1 1 0 3 1 2 2 3 0

Punts...................................................................................... 9 vs. ECU, 11/10/18 Punt yards..................................................................... 410 at Houston, 10/8/20 Long punt.............................................................................66 vs. UCF, 11/23/19

2020 Tulane Football Tulane Game Results (as of Dec 05, 2020) All games Date

Sep 12, 2020 * Sep 19, 2020 Sep 26, 2020 * Oct 8, 2020 * Oct 16, 2020 * Oct 24, 2020 * Oct 31, 2020 * Nov 07, 2020 Nov 14, 2020 * Nov 19, 2020 * Dec 05, 2020

Opponent

Score

Overall

Conference

at South Alabama W 27-24 1-0 NAVY L 24-27 1-1 at Southern Miss W 66-24 2-1 at Houston L 31-49 2-2 #17 SMU Lo 34-37 2-3 at UCF L 34-51 2-4 TEMPLE W 38-3 3-4 at East Carolina W 38-21 4-4 #25 ARMY W Football 38-12 5-4 2020 Tulane Tulane Overall Team Statistics (as of Dec 5-5 05, 2020) at #25 Tulsa Lo 24-30 All games MEMPHIS W 35-21 6-5

Team Statistics

TULANE

SCORING Points Per Game Points Off Turnovers FIRST DOWNS Rushing Passing Penalty RUSHING YARDAGE Yards gained rushing Yards lost rushing Rushing Attempts Average Per Rush Average Per Game TDs Rushing PASSING YARDAGE Comp-Att-Int Average Per Pass Average Per Catch Average Per Game TDs Passing TOTAL OFFENSE Total Plays Average Per Play Average Per Game KICK RETURNS: #-Yards PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards INT RETURNS: #-Yards KICK RETURN AVERAGE PUNT RETURN AVERAGE INT RETURN AVERAGE FUMBLES-LOST PENALTIES-Yards Average Per Game PUNTS-Yards Average Per Punt Net punt average KICKOFFS-Yards Average Per Kick Net kick average TIME OF POSSESSION/Game 3RD-DOWN Conversions 3rd-Down Pct 4TH-DOWN Conversions 4th-Down Pct SACKS BY-Yards MISC YARDS TOUCHDOWNS SCORED FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS ON-SIDE KICKS RED-ZONE SCORES RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS PAT-ATTEMPTS ATTENDANCE Games/Avg Per Game Neutral Site Games Score by Quarters Tulane Opponents

1st 2nd

90 58

389 35.4 59 240 128 96 16 2408 2699 291 478 5.0 218.9 30 1952 153-288-7 6.8 12.8 177.5 19 4360 766 5.7 396.4 23-574 19-226 9-142 25.0 11.9 15.8 17-4 70-598 54.4 54-2467 45.7 41.5 72-4176 58.0 38.8 29: 04 47/137 34% 10/18 56% 37-241 0 52 9-14 0-0 (39-45) 87% (33-45) 73% (48-49) 98% 4800 5/960 3rd

92 111 88 81

4th

93 60

OT

3 12

0-0 0-1 0-1 0-2 0-3 0-4 1-4 2-4 2-4 2-5 3-5

Time

Attend

3:36 3:20 3:44 3:58 3:45 3:40 3:00 3:11 3:14 3:57 3:24

6000

8164 9148 1200 3500 1200 2400

OPP

299 27.2 17 234 99 116 19 1516 1884 368 461 3.3 137.8 15 3078 217-367-9 8.4 14.2 279.8 22 4594 828 5.5 417.6 26-529 21-147 7-144 20.3 7.0 20.6 17-10 61-499 45.4 54-2212 41.0 35.3 53-3219 60.7 37.6 30: 56 74/182 41% 13/28 46% 27-173 0 39 9-17 1-1 (29-36) 81% (23-36) 64% (32-34) 94% 26812 6/4469 0/0

Total 389 299

29

2020 Tulane Football Tulane Passing Game-by-Game (as of Dec 05, 2020) All games #7B Pratt,M. Southern Miss Houston SMU UCF TEMPLE East Carolina ARMY Tulsa Memphis TOTALS

Sacked 0-0 6-44 4-23 5-25 2-14 2-8 1-3 2-7 3-26 25-150

Effic 144.88 104.58 101.48 166.50 161.05 141.31 156.10 111.67 148.29 137.55

#9 Howard,K. Comp Att Int Pct Yards TD Long Sacked South Alabama 14 30 0 46.7 191 0 32 1-11 NAVY 10 25 1 40.0 108 0 29 1-12 2020 Tulane Football Southern Miss 0 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0-0 Tulane Rushing/Receiving Game-by-Game (as TEMPLE 1 1 0 100.0 15of Dec 1 05, 152020) 0-0 All1 games TOTALS 25 58 43.1 314 1 32 2-23

Effic 100.15 68.29 0.00 556.00 90.82

RUSHING #11 Jones,Am. Huderson,S. Memphis Carroll,C. TOTALS Jones,Am.

30

Comp 9 11 12 14 12 22 19 8 21 128

Att 19 25 29 24 21 34 27 17 33 229

Spears,T. Pratt,M. Howard,K. Booker,Y. Jackson,Jh. Ibieta,J. Watts,P. Ammons,L. Coltrin,J. Watts,D. TEAM

No-Yds/TD Comp USA NAVY Att 118-721/4 4-15/00 3-14/0 1 112-621/11 10-26/2 11-62/2 67-389/2 4-29/10 6-41/0 1 37-274/2 11-105/0 18-119/0 97-204/7 DNP DNP 15-73/1 8-31/1 5-26/0 9-41/0 2-31/1 3-29/0 DNP DNP 5-19/1 1-3/1 1-7/0 DNP DNP 2-7/0 DNP DNP 1-2/0 9--10/0 3--3/0 DNP

RECEIVING Watts,D. Jackson,Jh. Watts,P. James,T. Jones,My. Jones,Am. Huderson,S. Brown,S. Daniels,C. Robertson,J. Toles,J. Wallace,W. Carroll,C. Spears,T. Booker,Y.

No-Yds/TD 31-512/6 29-356/6 16-216/0 16-171/3 11-154/1 14-101/0 7-87/0 4-57/0 5-57/0 5-56/0 4-55/1 4-54/1 4-49/1 2-30/0 1--3/0

Int 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 5

Pct 47.4 44.0 41.4 58.3 57.1 64.7 70.4 47.1 63.6 55.9

Yards 142 141 192 215 205 216 197 76 254 1638

TD Long 2 42 1 40 1 42 3 28 2 52 3 35 2 26 2 27 2 42 18 52

USMInt HOU Pct SMU UCF TEMPLE Yards TD 11-117/1 1 7-31/0 19-132/1 14-88/1 0.0 0 3-35/0 0 15-163/3 18-34/0 6-12/0 11-44/0 13-63/1 8-36/0 1 7-14/0 0.0 5-12/0 DNP 0 12-92/00 8-50/2 DNP DNP DNP DNP 7-40/1 13--9/1 16-26/2 12--5/0 12-56/1 DNP DNP 2-16/0 5-21/0 DNP DNP 4-20/0 DNP DNP DNP DNP 2-13/0 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 1-2/0 DNP DNP 1--2/0 DNP

USA NAVY 3-44/0 1-6/0 2-15/0 2-22/0 1-23/0 2-38/0 1-21/0 2-7/0 1-16/0 1-14/0 1-17/0 1-33/0 1-2/0 1-4/0 1-10/0 DNP DNP 2-30/0 Tulane 1--3/0

ECU ARMY TLS Long Sacked 15-89/00 7-27/0 25-106/1 0-0 6-129/2 7-9/0 6-41/0 6-30/00 5-60/1 0-0 10-57/0 DNP DNP DNP 5-31/0 5-19/0 10-22/0 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 1-14/1 DNP 3-29/0 DNP DNP 1-7/0 DNP DNP 2-7/0 DNP 2--2/0 1--1/0 DNP

MEM Effic 10-67/0 -200.00 9-38/1 -200.00 4-18/0 DNP 17-24/2 DNP DNP 1-17/0 DNP 2-3/0 DNP 2--2/0

USM HOU SMU UCF TEMPLE ECU ARMY TLS MEM 2-38/0 2-50/0 3-56/0 3-48/1 5-114/2 5-57/2 6-85/0 1-18/0 4-46/1 1-42/1 1-8/1 4-59/2 3-45/0 7-57/0 5-37/1 1-1/0 3-57/1 1-11/0 1-13/0 3-51/0 2-30/0 1-6/0 1-13/0 3-55/0 1-8/0 2-19/0 1-4/0 2-18/1 2-12/1 2-19/1 3-30/0 2-38/1 2-31/0 4-48/0 1-8/0 1-8/0 3-11/0 2-19/0 2-28/0 DNP 1-6/0 3-14/0 1-8/0 2-20/0 2-44/0 1-10/0 1-5/0 DNP DNP 1-18/0 DNP DNP DNP DNP 1-8/0 1-9/0 2-13/0 1-14/0 DNP DNP 1-5/0 1-23/0 DNP 1-12/0 1-15/1 1-10/0 1-18/0 DNP 1-9/0 1-11/0 2-34/1 DNP 1-32/1 2-4/0 1-13/0 2020 Tulane Football DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP Return Stats Game-by-Game (as of Dec 05, 2020) DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP

All games

PUNT RETURNS Jackson,Jh. Jones,Am.

No-Yds 15-195 4-31

USA 2-23

NAVY 1-0

USM 1-15 -

HOU -

SMU 1-8

UCF 1-54 DNP

TEMPLE 5-55 -

ECU 3-11 -

ARMY 1-7 -

TLS 2-38 -

MEM 2-15 -

KICK RETURNS Jones,Am. Jackson,Jh. Huderson,S. Seiden,N.

No-Yds 15-439 5-110 2-23 1-2

USA 2-65 -

NAVY -

USM 3-133 1-2

HOU 2-57 -

SMU 4-62 -

UCF DNP 3-67 -

TEMPLE 2-23 -

ECU 1-17 -

ARMY 1-14 -

TLS 2-91 -

MEM 2-43 -

INT. RETURNS Brooks,L. Langham,W. Clark,M. Hall,K. Dyson,C.

No-Yds 3-0 2-14 2-73 1-52 1-3

USA DNP

NAVY DNP

USM 1-52 -

HOU 2-73 -

SMU -

UCF -

TEMPLE 1-14 -

ECU -

ARMY 1-0 1-0 DNP -

TLS 1-0 -

MEM 1-0 DNP 1-3

FUMBLE RETURNS Toles,J. Johnson,J.

No-Yds 1-8 2--1

USA -

NAVY -

USM -

HOU 1-1

SMU -

UCF -

TEMPLE -

ECU 1--2

ARMY 1-8 -

TLS -

MEM -

2020 Tulane Football Tulane Fumbles Game-by-Game (as of Dec 05, 2020) All games FUMBLES Huderson,S. Jones,Am. Pratt,M. Carroll,C. Watts,D. Booker,Y. Daniels,C. James,T. Howard,K. Watts,P. Langham,W.

No-Lost 4-1 2-1 2-0 2-0 1-1 1-0 1-0 1-0 1-1 1-0 1-0

USA DNP 1-0 1-0 1-1 -

NAVY DNP -

USM 2-1 -

HOU 1-0 DNP -

SMU DNP DNP -

UCF 1-0 DNP 1-0 DNP -

TEMPLE 1-1 1-0 1-1 1-0 1-0

ECU 1-0 DNP DNP -

ARMY 1-0 DNP -

TLS DNP DNP -

MEM 1-0 DNP DNP 1-0 -

FUMBLES FORCED Johnson,Pa. Henry,K. Sample,C. Clark,M. Toles,J. Brooks,L.

Number 2 1 1 1 1 1

USA 1 -

NAVY -

USM 1 -

HOU 1 -

SMU -

UCF -

TEMPLE -

ECU 2 -

ARMY -

TLS DNP 1 1

MEM -

FUMBLES RECOVERED Brooks,L. Johnson,J. Toles,J. Kuerschen,C. Williams,De. Clark,M. Hodges,D.

Number 2 2 2 1 1 1 1

USA 1 DNP

NAVY DNP

USM 1 -

HOU 1 1 1

SMU 1 -

UCF -

TEMPLE -

ECU 1 -

ARMY 1 DNP

TLS 1 DNP 1 -

MEM -

2020 Tulane Football Tulane Overall Defensive Statistics (as of Dec 05, 2020) All games

# 24 40 28 36 31 5 33 7 37 9B 8 77 48 17 95 94 21 91 41 54 25 10 23 99 35 59 46 14 57 16 93 26 80 3B 27 86 58 TM

ua

Tackles a tot

Defensive Leaders

gp

Williams,Do. Anderson,N. Moody,M. Kuerschen,C. Brooks,L. Sample,C. Henry,K. Johnson,Pa. Clark,M. Monroe,J. Langham,W. Johnson,J. Williams,De. Dyson,C. Friloux,A. Hicks,E. Kerr,A. Seiden,N. Hodges,D. Hatcher,C. Hall,K. Meyers,K. Toles,J. Thomas,Al. Machado,J. Bruchhaus,S. Jones,K. Daniels,C. Hudak,E. Williams,Le. Brown,Br. Laister,S. James,T. Mestayer,J. Booker,Y. Brown,S. Thomas,C. TEAM Total Opponents

11 55 29 11 51 28 9 37 31 10 49 15 11 44 10 11 27 24 10 29 16 11 28 11 11 27 12 11 24 6 11 23 5 11 12 15 11 13 11 9 18 5 9 11 8 11 8 10 11 9 7 11 8 4 8 5 6 6 6 4 9 6 1 6 4 2 11 4 1 4 .

4 6 2 1 8 1 1 9 1 1 11 1 1 11 1 1 2 1 .

1 1 .

2 1 .

11 1 .

5 1 .

5 1 .

5 1 .

5 1 .

6 . .

11 512 270 11 456 272

84 79 68 64 54 51 45 39 39 30 28 27 24 23 19 18 16 12 11 10 7 6 5 4 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 .

782 728

tfl/yds

Sacks no-yds

14.5-42 10.5-35 6.5-20 .

1.0-5 7.5-58 6.0-22 14.5-82 4.5-16 1.0-2 .

6.0-23 4.5-11 2.0-4 3.5-16 4.5-10 .

1.0-7 2.0-7 1.5-9 1.0-10 1.5-3 . .

0.5-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . .

94-383 75-271

4.5-21 3.5-19 0.5-6 . .

5.0-46 1.0-12 10.0-67 3.0-9 . .

3.5-18 . .

2.5-15 0.5-0 .

1.0-7 1.0-4 1.0-9 1.0-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

37-241 27-173

Pass defense Fumbles blkd int-yds brup qbh rcv-yds ff kick

. . . .

3-0 . . .

2-73 .

2-14 . .

1-3 . . . . . .

1-52 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9-142 7-144

3 . .

3 3 1 1 2 4 9 5 . .

5 . .

2 .

3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

41 34

2 . . . .

3 2 4 . . . . . .

1 . .

2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14 11

. . .

1-0 2-0 . . .

1-0 . .

2--1 1-0 . . . . .

1-0 . . .

2-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10-7 4-0

. . . .

1 1 1 2 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7 12

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1 2 .

saf

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1

31

2020 Tulane Football Tulane Overall Individual Statistics (as of Dec 05, 2020) All games Rushing

11 11 10 3 9 6 5 11 2 11 2 1 11 11 6 11 11

Passing

gp

Pratt,M. Howard,K. Jones,Am. Total Opponents Receiving

Watts,D. Jackson,Jh. Watts,P. James,T. Jones,Am. Jones,My. Huderson,S. Daniels,C. Robertson,J. Brown,S. Toles,J. Wallace,W. Carroll,C. Spears,T. Booker,Y. Total Opponents

32

gp

Huderson,S. Carroll,C. Jones,Am. Spears,T. Pratt,M. Howard,K. Booker,Y. Jackson,Jh. Ibieta,J. Watts,P. Ammons,L. Coltrin,J. Watts,D. James,T. TEAM Total Opponents

9 6 10 11 11

gp

att

gain loss

net avg td

118 735 14 721 6.1 4 112 669 48 621 5.5 11 67 409 20 389 5.8 2 37 279 5 274 7.4 2 97 367 163 204 2.1 7 15 100 27 73 4.9 1 9 41 0 41 4.6 0 2 31 0 31 15.5 1 3 32 3 29 9.7 0 5 20 1 19 3.8 1 1 7 0 7 7.0 0 2 7 0 7 3.5 0 1 2 0 2 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 1 9 0 10 -10 -1.1 0 478 2699 291 2408 5.0 30 461 1884 368 1516 3.3 15 effic comp-att-int

137.55 128-229-5 90.82 25-58-1 -200.00 0-1-1 126.97 153-288-7 144.46 217-367-9 no.

yds

11 31 512 11 29 356 11 16 216 11 16 171 10 14 101 11 11 154 11 7 87 11 5 57 8 5 56 5 4 57 11 4 55 7 4 54 11 4 49 3 2 30 5 1 -3 11 153 1952 11 217 3078

avg

16.5 12.3 13.5 10.7 7.2 14.0 12.4 11.4 11.2 14.2 13.8 13.5 12.2 15.0 -3.0 12.8 14.2

pct

lg avg/g

47 52 50 42 21 24 9 17 29 14 7 6 1 0 0 52 54

yds td

55.9 1638 18 43.1 314 1 0.0 0 0 53.1 1952 19 59.1 3078 22 td

6 6 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 19 22

lg avg/g

52 42 38 29 26 31 26 32 23 18 18 27 32 16 0 52 88

46.5 32.4 19.6 15.5 10.1 14.0 7.9 5.2 7.0 11.4 5.0 7.7 4.5 10.0 -0.6 177.5 279.8

65.5 56.5 38.9 91.3 22.7 12.2 8.2 2.8 14.5 1.7 3.5 7.0 0.2 0.0 -1.7 218.9 137.8

lg avg/g

52 32 0 52 88

182.0 52.3 0.0 177.5 279.8

Punt Returns

no.

15 4 19 21

195 31 226 147

0 0 0 0

54 19 54 34

Interceptions

no.

yds avg td

lg

Kick Returns

no.

15 5 2 1 23 26

439 110 23 2 574 529

0 0 0 0 0 1

71 43 12 2 71 97

Fumble Returns

no.

yds avg td

lg

Jackson,Jh. Jones,Am. Total Opponents

Brooks,L. Clark,M. Langham,W. Hall,K. Dyson,C. Total Opponents Jones,Am. Jackson,Jh. Huderson,S. Seiden,N. Total Opponents Johnson,J. Toles,J. Total Opponents

3 2 2 1 1 9 7

2 1 3 0

yds avg td

0 73 14 52 3 142 144

13.0 7.8 11.9 7.0

0.0 36.5 7.0 52.0 3.0 15.8 20.6

0 1 0 0 0 1 1

yds avg td

-1 8 7 0

29.3 22.0 11.5 2.0 25.0 20.3 -0.5 8.0 2.3 0.0

1 1 2 0

lg

0 64 14 52 3 64 96

lg

1 8 8 0

2020 Tulane Football Tulane Team Game-by-Game (as of Dec 05, 2020) All games TEAM STATISTICS Date

Sep 12 Sep 19 Sep 26 Oct 8 Oct 16 Oct 24 Oct 31 Nov 07 Nov 14 Nov 19 Dec 05 Tulane Opponents

Opponent

no.

at South Alabama NAVY at Southern Miss at Houston SMU at UCF TEMPLE at East Carolina ARMY at Tulsa MEMPHIS

Rushing yds td

40 203 4 44 265 3 54 427 7 45 70 1 48 195 3 38 125 2 47 284 2 34 277 2 32 171 2 51 226 1 45 165 3 478 2408 30 461 1516 15

lg

no.

Receiving yds td

lg

36 14 191 0 32 42 10 108 0 29 52 9 142 2 42 20 11 141 1 40 25 12 192 1 42 20 14 215 3 28 22 13 220 3 52 48 22 216 3 35 50 19 197 2 26 26 8 76 2 27 21 21 254 2 42 52 153 1952 19 52 54 217 3078 22 88

Passing cmp-att-int yds

td

lg

14-30-0 191 0 10-25-1 108 0 9-21-0 142 2 11-25-0 141 1 12-29-1 192 1 14-24-1 215 3 13-22-1 220 3 22-34-1 216 3 19-27-0 197 2 8-17-1 76 2 21-34-1 254 2 153-288-7 1952 19 217-367-9 3078 22

32 29 42 40 42 28 52 35 26 27 42 52 88

Kick Returns no. yds td lg

2 65 0 0 4 135 2 57 4 62 3 67 2 23 1 17 1 14 2 91 2 43 23 574 26 529

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

40 0 62 39 22 23 12 17 14 71 43 71 97

Punt Returns no. yds td lg

2 23 1 0 1 15 0 0 1 8 1 54 5 55 3 11 1 7 2 38 2 15 19 226 21 147

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

tot off

19 394 0 373 15 569 0 211 8 387 54 340 18 504 11 493 7 368 39 302 8 419 54 4360 34 4594

Games: 11 • Avg/rush: 5.0 • Avg/catch: 12.8 • Pass effic: 126.97 • KR avg: 25.0 • PR avg: 11.9 • All purpose avg/game: 482.0 • Total offense avg/gm: 396.4 Date

Opponent

Date

Opponent

Sep 12 at South Alabama Sep 19 NAVY Sep 26 at Southern Miss Oct 8 at Houston Oct 16 SMU Oct 24 at UCF Oct 31 TEMPLE Nov 07 at East Carolina Nov 14 ARMY Nov 19 at Tulsa Dec 05 MEMPHIS Tulane Opponents

Sep 12 at South Alabama Sep 19 NAVY Sep 26 at Southern Miss Oct 8 at Houston Oct 16 SMU Oct 24 at UCF Oct 31 TEMPLE Nov 07 at East Carolina Nov 14 ARMY Nov 19 at Tulsa Dec 05 MEMPHIS Tulane Opponents

ua

38 50 31 43 61 58 47 35 55 47 47 512 456 no.

5 5 3 8 6 5 2 4 5 6 5 54 54

Tackles a total

22 26 38 34 18 38 14 28 16 30 6 270 272

yds

224 182 145 410 281 238 111 177 230 253 216 2467 2212

60 76 69 77 79 96 61 63 71 77 53 782 728

avg

44.8 36.4 48.3 51.2 46.8 47.6 55.5 44.2 46.0 42.2 43.2 45.7 41.0

tfl-yds

12.0-68 7.0-17 12.0-57 7.0-21 11.0-40 4.0-28 9.0-26 10.0-40 6.0-16 8.0-35 8.0-35 94.0-383 75.0-271

Sacks no-yds

5.0-45 1.0-1 5.0-34 4.0-17 3.0-24 3.0-27 3.0-13 5.0-32 1.0-4 4.0-27 3.0-19 38.0-243 26.0-162

Punting

long

51 41 58 63 65 62 62 46 63 62 52 65 63

Fumble ff fr-yds

blkd

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 7 12 tb

1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 4

Pass Defense blkd int-yds qbh brup kick

1-0 0-0 1-0 3-1 1-0 0-0 0-0 1--2 1-8 2-0 0-0 10-7 4-0

fc

0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 6 18

0-0 0-0 1-52 2-73 0-0 0-0 1-14 0-0 2-0 1-0 2-3 9-142 7-144

50+

2 0 1 5 3 2 1 0 2 1 1 18 9

i20

2 1 1 1 1 3 1 2 2 3 0 17 13

3 0 0 3 0 1 0 4 1 2 0 14 11

2 1 3 1 6 2 4 8 1 7 6 41 34

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 0

PAT Attempts kick rush rcv saf

1-2 3-3 9-9 4-4 4-4 4-4 5-5 5-5 5-5 3-3 5-5 48-49 32-34

Field Goals

md-att

0-0 1-1 1-2 1-1 2-2 0-0 1-2 1-2 1-1 1-3 0-0 9-14 9-17

long blkd

0 22 41 39 34 0 40 42 26 39 0 42 49

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

no.

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Kickoffs

yds

5 300 6 326 11 649 6 387 7 447 6 225 7 427 7 405 7 445 4 231 6 334 72 4176 53 3219

avg

60.0 54.3 59.0 64.5 63.9 37.5 61.0 57.9 63.6 57.8 55.7 58.0 60.7

off t/o

0 0 14 21 7 0 7 0 10 0 0 59 17

tb

4 2 5 5 4 2 2 4 4 2 0 34 26

pts

27 24 66 31 34 34 38 38 38 24 35 389 299 ob

0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0

33

TULANE INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHS Rushes........................................... 25................................................ HUDERSON, Stephon at Tulsa (Nov 19, 2020) Yards Rushing............................... 163.................................... CARROLL, Cameron at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) TD Rushes........................................ 3.................................... CARROLL, Cameron at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Long Rush...................................... 52.................................... CARROLL, Cameron at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Pass attempts................................. 34.............................................PRATT, Michael at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) Pass completions........................... 22.............................................PRATT, Michael at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) Yards Passing................................ 254................................................. PRATT, Michael vs. Memphis (Dec 05, 2020) TD Passes......................................... 3.............................................PRATT, Michael at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) .................................................................................................................PRATT, Michael at at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Long Pass....................................... 52......................................................PRATT, Michael vs. Temple (Oct 31, 2020) Receptions....................................... 7...................................... JACKSON, Jha’Quan at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) Yards Receiving............................ 114....................................................... WATTS, Duece vs. Temple (Oct 31, 2020) TD Receptions.................................. 2.............................................. WATTS, Duece at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) ................................................................................................................. WATTS, Duece vs. Temple (Oct 31, 2020) .............................................................................................................. JACKSON, Jha’Quan at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Long Reception.............................. 52....................................................... WATTS, Duece vs. Temple (Oct 31, 2020) Field Goals........................................ 2......................................................... GLOVER, Merek vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) Long Field Goal.............................. 42.............................................GLOVER, Merek at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) Punts................................................ 8....................................................... WRIGHT, Ryan at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) Punting Avg................................ 55.5.......................................................WRIGHT, Ryan vs. Temple (Oct 31, 2020) Long Punt...................................... 65...........................................................WRIGHT, Ryan vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) Punts inside 20................................. 3...........................................................WRIGHT, Ryan at Tulsa (Nov 19, 2020) .......................................................................................................................WRIGHT, Ryan at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Long Punt Return........................... 54.................................................... JACKSON, Jha’Quan at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Long Kickoff Return........................ 71...........................................................JONES, Amare at Tulsa (Nov 19, 2020) Tackles........................................... 12...................................................... WILLIAMS, Dorian at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) ............................................................................................................WILLIAMS, Dorian at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) ...........................................................................................................KUERSCHEN, Chase at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) Sacks............................................. 3.0.........................................JOHNSON, Patrick at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) Tackles For Loss............................. 3.5....................................SAMPLE, Cameron at South Alabama (Sep 12, 2020) Interceptions.................................... 2........................................................CLARK, Macon at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) TULANE TEAM GAME HIGHS Rushes........................................... 54..................................................................at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Yards Rushing............................... 427..................................................................at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Yards Per Rush............................... 8.1....................................................................at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) TD Rushes........................................ 7..................................................................at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Pass attempts................................. 34.........................................................................vs. Memphis (Dec 05, 2020) ..............................................................................................................................at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) Pass completions........................... 22....................................................................at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) Yards Passing................................ 254.........................................................................vs. Memphis (Dec 05, 2020) Yards Per Pass.............................. 10.0.............................................................................vs. Temple (Oct 31, 2020) TD Passes......................................... 3....................................................................at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) .......................................................................................................................................vs. Temple (Oct 31, 2020) ............................................................................................................................................ at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Total Plays...................................... 79.........................................................................vs. Memphis (Dec 05, 2020) Total Offense................................ 569..................................................................at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Yards Per Play................................ 7.6..................................................................at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Points............................................. 66..................................................................at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Sacks By........................................... 5....................................................................at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) ............................................................................................................................at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) .......................................................................................................................... at South Alabama (Sep 12, 2020) First Downs.................................... 28.............................................................................vs. Temple (Oct 31, 2020) Penalties........................................ 11.................................................................................vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) Penalty Yards.................................. 86.................................................................................vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) Turnovers......................................... 3.............................................................................vs. Temple (Oct 31, 2020) Interceptions By............................... 2.........................................................................vs. Memphis (Dec 05, 2020) .........................................................................................................................................vs. Army (Nov 14, 2020) ........................................................................................................................................at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) Punts................................................ 8..............................................................................at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) Punting Avg................................ 55.5.............................................................................vs. Temple (Oct 31, 2020) Long Punt...................................... 65.................................................................................vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) Punts inside 20................................. 3................................................................................ at Tulsa (Nov 19, 2020) ............................................................................................................................................ at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Long Punt Return........................... 54.................................................................................. at UCF (Oct 24, 2020)

34

OPPONENT INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHS Rushes........................................... 25........................................................... MCCRAE, Greg at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) ........................................................................................................... BENTLEY IV, Ulysses vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) ........................................................................................................ CAROTHERS, Jamale, vs. Navy (Sep 19, 2020) Yards Rushing............................... 162........................................................... MCCRAE, Greg at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) TD Rushes........................................ 2.........................................................CAR, Mulbah at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) .................................................................................................................SMITH, Nelson, vs. Navy (Sep 19, 2020) Long Rush...................................... 54........................................................... MCCRAE, Greg at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Pass attempts................................. 43...........................................AHLERS, Holton at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) Pass completions........................... 27...........................................AHLERS, Holton at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) Yards Passing................................ 422.........................................................GABRIEL, Dillon at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) TD Passes......................................... 5.........................................................GABRIEL, Dillon at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Long Pass....................................... 88........................................ ABRAHAM, Jack at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Receptions..................................... 13............................................ PROEHL, Blake at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) Yards Receiving............................ 182............................................ PROEHL, Blake at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) TD Receptions.................................. 3.................................................... WILLIAMS, Marlon at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Long Reception.............................. 88.....................................BROWNLEE, Jason at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Field Goals........................................ 3.........................................................NAGGAR, Chris vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) Long Field Goal.............................. 49................................... BOURGEOIS, Briggs at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) .............................................................................................GUAJARDO, Diego, at South Alabama (Sep 12, 2020) Punts................................................ 8....................................... FLEMING, Griffin at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Punting Avg................................ 56.0....................................................... OSTEEN, Andrew at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Long Punt...................................... 63.......................................................DAVIES, Daniel, vs. Navy (Sep 19, 2020) Punts inside 20................................. 2......................................................HARDING, Zach vs. Army (Nov 14, 2020) ............................................................................................................... WILKINS, Laine at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) .................................................................................................................DAVIES, Daniel, vs. Navy (Sep 19, 2020) ................................................................................................... BROOKS, Jack, at South Alabama (Sep 12, 2020) Long Punt Return........................... 34...................................................... JONES, Marcus at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) Long Kickoff Return........................ 97...........................................STEVENSON, Marquez at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) Tackles........................................... 15........................................................COLLINS, Zaven at Tulsa (Nov 19, 2020) ................................................................................................... MAPLES, Hayes at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Sacks............................................. 2.0........................................................ TURNIER, Kenny at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) ............................................................................................................... CHARLTON, Randy at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) ............................................................................................................ ROBINSON, Delano vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) ..............................................................................................................TURNER, Payton at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) Tackles For Loss............................. 4.5....................................................TURNER, Payton at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) Interceptions.................................... 1..........................................JOHNSON, Quindell vs. Memphis (Dec 05, 2020) ..................................................................................................................COLLINS, Zaven at Tulsa (Nov 19, 2020) .............................................................................................. McMILLAN, Ja’Quan at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) .....................................................................................................BRASWELL, Christian vs. Temple (Oct 31, 2020) ..................................................................................................................GAINOUS, Derek at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) ...........................................................................................................CROSSLEY, Brandon vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) .............................................................................................................KINLEY, Cameron, vs. Navy (Sep 19, 2020) OPPONENT TEAM GAME HIGHS Rushes........................................... 59.................................................................................. at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Yards Rushing............................... 270...............................................................................vs. Army (Nov 14, 2020) Yards Per Rush............................... 4.7...............................................................................vs. Army (Nov 14, 2020) TD Rushes........................................ 4..............................................................................at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) Pass attempts................................. 48................................................................................ at Tulsa (Nov 19, 2020) Pass completions........................... 27................................................................................ at Tulsa (Nov 19, 2020) ..............................................................................................................................at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) Yards Passing................................ 439.................................................................................vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) Yards Per Pass.............................. 12.2................................................................................vs. Navy (Sep 19, 2020) TD Passes......................................... 5.................................................................................. at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Total Plays...................................... 99.................................................................................. at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Total Offense................................ 689.................................................................................. at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Yards Per Play................................ 7.2.................................................................................vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) Points............................................. 51.................................................................................. at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Sacks By........................................... 6..............................................................................at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) First Downs.................................... 36.................................................................................. at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Penalties........................................ 10................................................................................ at Tulsa (Nov 19, 2020) ...........................................................................................................................................vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) ........................................................................................................................................at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) Penalty Yards.................................. 92.................................................................................vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) Turnovers......................................... 5..............................................................................at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) Interceptions By............................... 1.........................................................................vs. Memphis (Dec 05, 2020) .......................................................................................................................................... at Tulsa (Nov 19, 2020) ..............................................................................................................................at East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020) .......................................................................................................................................vs. Temple (Oct 31, 2020) ............................................................................................................................................ at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) ...........................................................................................................................................vs. SMU (Oct 16, 2020) ..........................................................................................................................................vs. Navy (Sep 19, 2020) Punts................................................ 8..................................................................at Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020) Punting Avg................................ 56.0.................................................................................. at UCF (Oct 24, 2020) Long Punt...................................... 63................................................................................vs. Navy (Sep 19, 2020) Punts inside 20................................. 2...............................................................................vs. Army (Nov 14, 2020) ........................................................................................................................................at Houston (Oct 8, 2020) ..........................................................................................................................................vs. Navy (Sep 19, 2020) .......................................................................................................................... at South Alabama (Sep 12, 2020) Long Punt Return........................... 34..............................................................................at Houston (Oct 8, 2020)

BIG PLAYS

(SCRIMMAGE PLAYS THAT GAINED AT LEAST 20 YARDS)

TEAM TOTALS

RUSH (TDS)

PASS (TDS)

Tulane

24 (8)

29 (10)

Opponents

13 (1)

48 (13)

TULANE

YARDS PLAY OPP. 32 Pass South Alabama 23 Pass South Alabama 36 Rush South Alabama 24 Rush South Alabama 22 Rush South Alabama 21 Pass South Alabama 21 Pass South Alabama 42 Rush Navy 29 Pass Navy 24 Rush Navy 28 Rush Navy 23 Pass Southern Miss 23 Pass Southern Miss 32 Pass Southern Miss 30 Rush Southern Miss 52 Rush Southern Miss 23 Rush Southern Miss 42 Pass Southern Miss 47 Rush Southern Miss 20 Pass Houston 40 Pass Houston 31 Pass SMU 26 Pass SMU 25 Rush SMU 22 Rush SMU 42 Pass SMU 20 Pass SMU 21 Rush SMU 28 Pass UCF 20 Pass UCF 26 Pass UCF 20 Rush UCF 52 Pass Temple 22 Rush Temple 31 Pass Temple 26 Pass Temple 20 Rush Temple 35 Pass ECU 44 Rush ECU 48 Rush ECU 20 Rush ECU 20 Pass ECU 28 Rush ECU 50 Rush Army 26 Pass Army 21 Pass Army 23 Pass Army 29 Rush Army 26 Rush Tulsa 27 Pass Tulsa 42 Pass Memphis 38 Pass Memphis 21 Rush Memphis

QTR 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 2nd 4th 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 1st 3rd 1st 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 4th 4th 1st 1st 3rd 3rd 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 4th 1st 3rd 3rd 3rd 4th 1st 3rd 1st 1st 3rd

DESCRIPTION Howard pass to Daniels Howard pass to James Spears run Howard run Spears run Howard pass to Jones Howard pass to Jackson Spears run Howard pass to James Carroll run for TD Spears run Pratt pass to Watts, D. Pratt pass to Jones Pratt pass to Carroll for TD Carroll rush for TD Carroll rush for TD Huderson rush Pratt pass to Jackson for TD Huderson rush for TD Pratt run Pratt pass to Watts, D. Pratt pass to Jones for TD Pratt pass to Jones Huderson run Huderson run for TD Pratt pass to Watts, D. Pratt pass to Watts, P. Pratt run Pratt pass to Watts, D. for TD Pratt pass to Jackson for TD Pratt pass to Huderson Carroll run Pratt pass to Watts, D. A. Jones run Pratt pass to Watts, D. for TD Pratt pass to Jackson Huderson run Pratt pass to Watts, D. for TD Carroll run Carroll run for TD Jones, A. run Pratt pass to Jackson Carroll run for TD Jones, A. run for TD Pratt pass to Watts, D. Pratt pass to Jackson for TD Pratt pass to Robertson Ibieta run Carroll run Pratt pass to Wallace for TD Pratt pass to Jackson for TD Pratt pass to Watts, P. Huderson run

OPPONENTS

YARDS PLAY OPP. 34 Pass South Alabama 32 Pass South Alabama 23 Pass South Alabama 34 Pass South Alabama 26 Pass South Alabama 27 Pass South Alabama 25 Rush South Alabama 22 Rush South Alabama 24 Pass Navy 44 Pass Navy 48 Rush Navy 32 Pass Navy 20 Rush Navy 36 Rush Southern Miss 88 Pass Southern Miss 22 Pass Southern Miss 61 Pass Southern Miss 30 Pass Houston 24 Rush Houston 39 Pass Houston 22 Pass Houston 23 Pass Houston 26 Pass Houston 41 Pass Houston 42 Pass SMU 32 Rush SMU 31 Pass SMU 23 Pass SMU 41 Pass SMU 37 Pass SMU 55 Pass SMU 61 Pass SMU 22 Pass SMU 40 Pass SMU 54 Rush UCF 54 Pass UCF 23 Pass UCF 28 Pass UCF 55 Pass UCF 20 Rush UCF 23 Pass UCF 23 Pass UCF 35 Pass UCF 41 Pass UCF 20 Rush UCF 41 Pass Temple 22 Pass Temple 35 Pass Temple 25 Pass ECU 31 Pass ECU 30 Pass ECU 75 Pass ECU 28 Pass ECU 35 Rush Army 31 Rush Tulsa 28 Rush Tulsa 20 Pass Tulsa 29 Pass Tulsa 37 Pass Tulsa 23 Pass Tulsa 37 Pass Tulsa 59 Pass Memphis 21 Pass Memphis 28 Pass Memphis

QTR 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 4th 4th 1st 1stt 1st 2nd 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 4th 4th 1st 1st 1st 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 3rd 3rd 3rd 1st 1st 3rd 1st 2nd 4th 4th 4th 2nd 1st 3rd 3rd 3rd 4th 4th 4th 1st 3rd 4th

DESCRIPTION Trotter pass to Baker Trotter pass to Davis Lovertich pass to Tolbert Lovertich pass to Baker for TD Lovertich pass to Tolbert Lovertich pass to Baker Davis run Lovertich pass to Tolbert Morris pass to Cooper Morris pass to Walker Carothers run Morris pass to Cooper for TD Warren run Baker run Abraham pass to Brownlee for TD Abraham pass to Robinson Abraham pass to Driver for TD Tune pass to Stevenson Car run Tune pass to Bradley Tune pass to Stevenson Tune pass to Street for TD Tune pass to Dell Tune pass to Stevenson for TD Buechele pass to Granson Gray run for TD Buechele pass to Gray Buechele pass to Gray Buechele pass to Page Buechele pass to Rice Page pass to Rice Buechele pass to Gray Buechele pass to Rice Buechele pass to Page Greg run Gabriel pass to Williams for TD Gabriel pass to Robinson Gabriel pass to Williams Gabriel pass to Harris Thompson run Gabriel pass to Williams Gabriel pass to Robinson Gabriel pass to Williams for TD Gabriel pass to Harris for TD McCrae run Beatty pass to Mack Beatty pass to Jones Beatty pass to Blue Ahlers pass to Johnson Ahlers pass to Johnson Ahlers pass to Proehl for TD Ahlers pass to Proehl for TD Ahlers pass to Burnette Tyhier run Taylor II run Taylor II run Brin pass to Johnson Brin pass to Rodgers Brin pass to Santana Brin pass to Johnson Brin pass to Santana for TD White pass to Austin for TD White pass to Washington White pass to Washington

35

GAME-BY-GAME STARTERS

OFFENSE USA

NAVY

USM

HOU

SMU

UCF

TEM

QB Howard, K. Howard, K. Howard, K. Pratt, M.

Pratt, M.

Pratt, M.

Pratt, M.

ECU ARMY Pratt, M.

Pratt, M.

TUL

MEM

Pratt, M.

Pratt, M.

RB Spears, T.

Spears, T. Spears, T.

Carroll, C. Huderson, S. Huderson, S. Huderson, S. Huderson, S. Huderson, S. Huderson, S. Huderson, S.

WR Watts, D.

Watts, D. Watts, D.

Watts, D.

Watts, D.

Watts, D.

Watts, D.

Watts, D.

Jackson, J. Jackson, J.

Jackson, J.

Jackson, J.

Watts, P. Anderson, A. Jones, M.

Jones, M.

Jones, M.

Jones, M.

Jones, M.

James, T.

James, T.

James, T.

James, T.

James, T.

WR Robertson, J. Robertson, J. Robertson,J. Robertson J. Jones, M.

Watts, D.

Watts, D.

Jones, M. Jackson, J.

WR Jones, A.

Watts, P.

TE

James, T.

James, T. James, T.

LT

Claybrook, J. Claybrook, J. Claybrook, J. Claybrook, J. Thomas, C. Thomas, C. Knutson, B.

LG Dublin, C. C

Watts, P. Anderson, A. James, T.

Dublin, C. Dublin, C. Dublin, C.

James, T.

James, T.

Dublin, C. Dublin, C. Dublin, C.

Watts, D.

Claybrook, J. Claybrook, J. Dublin, C.

Dublin, C.

Claybrook, J. Claybrook, J. Dublin, C.

Remetich, J.

Haynesworth, S. Haynesworth, S. Haynesworth, S. Haynesworth, S. Haynesworth, S. Haynesworth, S. Haynesworth, S. Haynesworth, S. Haynesworth, S. Haynesworth, S. Haynesworth, S.

RG Remetich, J. Remetich, J. Remetich, J. Remetich, J. Knutson, B. Knutson, B. Thomas, C.

Shafter, T.

Shafter, T.

Shafter, T.

Thomas, C.

RT Tuggle, T.

Knutson, B. Knutson, B.

Knutson, B.

Tuggle, T.

Tuggle, T. Tuggle, T.

Tuggle, T.

Tuggle, T.

Tuggle, T.

Tuggle, T.

DEFENSE USA

NAVY

USM

HOU

SMU

UCF

TEM

ECU ARMY

TUL

MEM

Joker

Johnson, P. Johnson, P. Johnson, P.

Johnson, P. Johnson, P.

Johnson, P. Johnson, P. Johnson, P. Johnson, P. Johnson, P. Johnson, P.

DE

Sample, C.

Sample, C. Sample, C.

Sample, C. Sample, C.

Sample, C. Sample, C, Sample, C. Sample, C.

NT Johnson, J. Johnson, J. Johnson, J.

Johnson, J. Johnson, J.

Johnson, J. Johnson, J. Johnson, J. Johnson, J. Johnson, J. Johnson, J.

Sample, C.

Sample, C.

DE

Williams, De. Williams, De. Williams, De. Williams, De. Williams, De. Clark, M. (S) Clark, M. (S) Clark, M. (S) Seiden, N. Clark, M. (S) Friloux, A.

LB

Moody, M.

Moody, M. Moody, M.

Moody, M. Moody, M.

Moody, M. Anderson, N. Anderson, N. Moody, M.

LB

Henry, K.

Henry, K.

Henry, K.

Henry, K.

Henry, K.

Henry, K. Henry, K.

Henry, K.

Henry, K. Williams, De. Williams, Do.

LB

Kerr, A.

Seiden, N.

Kerr, A.

Clark, M.

Clark, M.

Williams, Do. Hicks, E.

Hicks, E.

Hicks, E. Williams, Do. Seiden, N.

Moody, M.

Moody, M.

CB Langham, W. Meyers, K. Meyers, K. Langham, W. Langham, W. Langham, W. Langham, W. Langham, W. Langham, W. Langham, W. Langham, W. CB Monroe, J.

Monroe, J. Monroe, J.

Monroe, J. Monroe, J.

Monroe, J. Monroe, J. Monroe, J. Monroe, J.

Monroe, J.

Monroe, J.

S

Brooks, L.

Brooks, L.

Brooks, L.

Brooks, L. Brooks, L.

Brooks, L.

Brooks, L.

S

Kuerschen, C. Kuerschen, C. Kuerschen, C. Kuerschen, C. Kuerschen, C. Kuerschen, C. Kuerschen, C. Kuerschen, C. Kuerschen, C. Kuerschen, C. Kuerschen, C.

Clark, M.

Brooks, L.

Brooks, L.

Brooks, L.

GAME CAPTAINS USA

NAVY

USM

Moody, M. Kuerschen, C. Monroe, J.

HOU

SMU

Kerr, A.

Johnson, P.

UCF

TEM

TUL

MEM

Sample, C.

Wallace, W. Seniors (17)

Sample, C. Huderson, S. Henry, K.

Meyers, K. Williams, Do. Jones, M. Haynesworth, S. Pratt, M.

Johnson, J.

Jackson, J.

Dublin, C.

Glover, M.

Dublin, C. Huderson, S. Sample, C. Anderson, N. Claybrook, J.

Sample, C.

Robertson, J. Miller, J. Toles, J.

Johnson, P. James, T.

ECU ARMY Dublin, C.

Howard, K.

Knutson, B. Haynesworth, S. Huderson, S. Anderson, N. Henry, K. Johnson, P. Knutson, B.

Williams, D. Jones, M.

Anderson, N.

James, T.

FLAG CARRIERS USA 18

NAVY

USM

HOU

SMU

UCF

TEM

ECU ARMY

Langham, W Claybrook, J. Huderson, S. Sample, C. Anderson, N. Carroll, C. Jackson, J. Knutson, B. Glover, M.

Wave of Change

36

Williams, De. Henry, K.

Johnson, J. Williams, De. Williams, De. Jones, M.

TUL

MEM

Howard, K. Kuerschen, C. Williams, De. Williams, De.

SCORING DRIVES TULANE OPP. PLAYS USA 4 USA 6 USA 5 USA 6 Navy 5 Navy 14 Navy 11 Navy 7 USM 3 USM 12 USM 3 USM 10 USM 3 USM 2 USM 5 USM 2 USM 13 USM 6 HOU 5 HOU 2 HOU 10 HOU 9 HOU 6 SMU 4 SMU 11 SMU 10 SMU 6 SMU 6 SMU 13 UCF 7 UCF 8 UCF 12 UCF 8 UCF 2 TEM 10 TEM 6 TEM 6 TEM 5 TEM 3 TEM 10 ECU 9 ECU 4 ECU 7 ECU 4 ECU 7 ECU 1 ARMY 10 ARMY 1 ARMY 9 ARMY 8 ARMY 2 ARMY - TLS 7 TLS 2 TLS 5 TLS 4 MEM 10 MEM 7 MEM 9 MEM 7 MEM 11

YDS 75 60 42 67 66 54 63 93 8 77 35 36 52 65 75 47 59 40 36 -13 36 50 75 45 72 63 49 37 65 69 79 75 75 9 67 93 65 30 40 55 78 54 65 65 37 28 53 50 75 45 17 - 50 27 28 3 75 65 83 57 80

TIME 1:24 2:31 1:48 1:48 1:49 5:55 3:31 3:01 0:41 5:46 1:00 3:35 0:25 0:19 1:15 0:15 6:50 3:02 1:18 0:38 4:43 4:26 2:00 1:35 5:29 1:54 1:38 2:21 5:42 2:05 3:43 5:38 3:51 0:47 4:12 2:27 2:27 2:32 1:15 6:05 3:51 1:58 2:58 1:57 3:15 0:06 4:48 0:11 4:37 3:27 0:58 - 2:47 0:44 1:27 0:00 4:02 3:20 3:55 3:09 4:13

TYPE TD TD TD TD TD FG TD TD TD TD TD FG TD TD TD TD TD TD TD TD FG TD TD TD TD FG TD TD FG TD TD TD TD TD FG TD TD TD TD TD TD TD TD TD FG TD TD TD TD FG TD TD TD TD TD FG TD TD TD TD TD

QTR/TIME 2nd/9:27 3rd/5:07 4th/14:42 4th/3:18 1st/9:59 1st/2:04 2nd/11:43 2nd/3:03 1st/6:58 2nd/14:01 2nd/6:14 2nd/1:41 2nd/0:41 3rd/14:36 2rd/4:49 3rd/1:57 4th/8:03 4th/3:03 1st/13:42 1st/9:23 1st/3:50 2nd/13:50 3rd/5:53 1st/11:32 2nd/6:26 2nd/0:44 3rd/11:38 4th/12:59 4th/1:30 1st/9:22 1st/4:15 3rd/9:22 3rd/3:56 4th/8:30 2nd/11:55 2nd/6:50 3rd/5:36 3rd/1:43 4th/12:01 4th/3:53 1st/11:09 2nd/7:28 2nd/0:38 3rd/5:49 3rd/0:38 4th/5:17 1st/8:55 1st/0:47 3rd/10:23 3rd/5:38 4th/4:26 4th/4:20 3rd/5:25 3rd/3:07 4th/1:27 OT/15:00 1st/10:58 1st/4:00 2nd/11:09 3rd/8:59 4th/11:34

START T25 T40 U42 T33 T34 T41 T38 T07 U08 U33 U35 T40 T48 T35 T25 U47 T41 U40 H25 H14 T42 T50 T25 S45 T28 T20 S49 S37 T25 T31 T21 T25 T25 U09 TLN34 TLN07 TLN35 TEM22 TEM40 TUL45 T22 T46 T35 T35 T38 E28 T47 T50 T25 T46 A17 A17 TLN50 TLS27 TLS28 TLS25 T25 T35 T17 T43 T20

SCORING PLAY Carroll 6-yd run Carroll 12-yd run Howard 1-yd run Jones 16-yd run Carroll 3-yd run Glover 22-yd FG Watts, P. 3-yd run Carroll 24-yd run Spears 2-yd run Spears 15-yd run Carroll 32-yd catch Glover 41-yd FG Carroll 30-yd run Carroll 52-yd run Jackson 42-yd catch Huderson 47-yd run Pratt 1-yd run Carroll 19-yd run Clark 64-yd interception Johnson, J. 1-yd fumble recovery Glover, M. 39-yd FG Pratt 1-yd run Jackson 8-yd catch Jones, M. 31-yd catch Pratt 1-yd run Glover 34-yd FG Huderson 22-yd run Pratt 7-yd run Glover, M. 27-yd FG Watts, D. 28-yd catch Jackson 20-yd catch James 0-yd fumble recovery Jackson 8-yd catch Huderson 9-yd run Glover 40-yd FG Carroll 13-yd run Watts, D. 31-yd catch Watts, D. 5-yd catch Pratt 9-yd run Toles 15-yd catch Watts, D. 35-yd catch James 5-yd catch Watts, D. 5-yd catch Carroll 48-yd run Glover, M. 42-yd FG Carroll 28-yd run James 4-yd catch Jones, A. 50-yd run Jackson 21-yd catch Glover 26-yd FG Jackson 14-yd run Toles 8-yd fumble recovery Huderson 5-yd run Wallace 27-yd catch James 19-yd catch Glover, M. 39-yd FG Watts, D. 15-yd catch Jackson 42-yd catch Pratt 3-yd run Pratt 10-yd run Carroll 9-yd run

OPPONENTS OPP. PLAYS USA 9 USA 5 USA 6 USA 7 Navy 3 Navy 6 Navy 1 Navy 6 Navy 10 USM 9 USM 1 USM 3 USM 10 HOU 6 HOU 10 HOU 11 HOU 10 HOU 0 HOU 8 HOU 2 SMU 5 SMU 7 SMU 9 SMU 3 SMU 11 SMU 14 SMU 4 UCF 8 UCF 5 UCF 5 UCF 10 UCF 14 UCF 8 UCF 6 UCF 3 TEM 8 ECU 10 ECU 4 ECU 1 ARMY 10 ARMY 8 TLS 10 TLS 11 TLS 9 TLS 6 TLS 0 MEM 4 MEM 13 MEM 9

YDS 80 75 75 24 69 61 -1 57 52 75 88 75 52 75 75 68 57 0 60 43 91 43 75 75 74 81 8 69 79 89 71 83 67 49 43 54 75 35 75 75 59 84 71 75 16 0 75 67 70

TIME 2:46 2:41 2:45 2:54 0:53 2:23 0:06 2:01 4:41 3:34 0:14 1:04 4:13 2:35 4:03 3:48 5:09 0:00 3:21 0:38 1:29 2:00 3:43 1:12 6:02 5:41 0:00 3:25 1:12 1:12 2:30 3:58 1:21 1:33 0:29 3:17 4:21 1:53 0:10 5:22 4:36 3:01 3:18 1:38 0:00 0:00 0:53 4:38 3:38

TYPE TD TD TD FG TD TD Safety TD FG TD TD TD FG TD TD TD TD TD TD TD TD FG TD TD FG TD FG FG TD TD TD TD TD TD TD FG TD TD TD TD TD TD TD TD FG TD TD TD TD

QTR/TIME 2nd/10:51 2nd/6:46 3rd/12:15 3rd/7:38 3rd/6:43 3rd/2:46 3rd/0:32 4th/13:22 4th/0:00 1st/11:26 1st/10:31 2nd/12:57 3rd/10:18 1st/11:07 2nd/9:47 2nd/3:53 3rd/7:53 3rd/5:63 3rd/0:46 4th/14:03 1st/9:59 1st/5:32 2nd/2:43 3rd/10:26 3rd/3:17 4th/7:12 OT/15:00 1st/11:35 1st/8:04 2nd/13:41 2nd/9:20 2nd/3:13 2nd/0:05 3rd/7:47 3rd/3:26 1st/10:37 1st/6:48 4th/10:37 4th/5:07 2nd/10:25 2nd/4:12 4th/9:17 4th/6:34 4th/0:00 OT/15:00 OT/15:00 1st/10:05 2nd/1:18 3rd/5:13

START U20 U25 U25 U45 N31 N39 T01 T44 N32 U25 U12 U25 U16 H25 H25 H32 H43 T03 H40 T43 S09 S26 S25 S25 S10 S19 S33 U25 U21 U11 U29 U17 U33 T49 T43 TEM41 E25 T35 T03 A29 A41 TLS16 TLS29 TLS25 TLS22 TLN00 M25 M33 M30

SCORING PLAY Baker 34-yd catch Wayne 13-yd catch Davis 2-yd run Guajardo 49-yd FG Smith 1-yd run Smith 1-yd run Fochtman 1-yd safety Morris 32-yd catch Nichols 33-yd FG Perkins 2-yd run Brownlee 88-yd catch Driver 61-yd catch Bourgeois 49-yd FG Car 5-yd run Tune 1-yd run Street 23-yd catch Car 3-yd run Stevenson 97-yd return Porter 1-yd run Stevenson 41-yd catch Gray 32-yd run Naggar 48-yd FG Rice 10-yd catch Bentley IV 2-yd run Naggar 33-yd FG Gray 10-yd catch Naggar 34-yd FG Obarski 23-yd FG Williams 54-yd catch McCrae 3-yd run Thompson 2-yd run Hescock 4-yd catch Williams 7-yd catch Williams 35-yd catch Harris 41-yd catch Bell 22-yd FG Snead 10-yd catch Proehl 30-yd catch Proehl 75-yd catch Robinson 10-yd catch Anderson 19-yd run Brin 18-yd run Johnson 19-yd catch Santana 37-yd catch Long 27-yd FG Collins 96-yd interception Austin 59-yd catch Washington 2-yd run Dykes 6-yd catch

37

Game 1 • Tulane 27, South Alabama 24

Game 2 • Navy 27, Tulane 24

Hancock Whitney Stadium • Mobile, Alabama Sept. 12, 2020 • 6,000 Attendance

MOBILE, Ala. - The Tulane football team scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to complete a 27-24 comeback road win over South Alabama in its 2020 season opener.

Redshirt sophomore running back Cameron Carroll scored two rushing touchdowns and redshirt freshman Tyjae Spears ran for 105 yards on 11 carries, as the Green Wave ran for 203 yards as a team.

Making his first career start, redshirt senior quarterback Keon Howard threw for 191 yards and ran for 31 more with one score.

Tulane forced South Alabama to punt on each of its last five possessions in the game and held the Jaguars to just 96 yards of total offense in the second half.

Both teams got off to slow starts offensively, committing turnovers on their first possessions of the evening respectively, as the first quarter elapsed without any scoring plays.

South Alabama (1-1) got on the scoreboard first with a 34-yard touchdown strike just over four minutes into the second quarter, but the Green Wave countered less than 90 seconds later on a six-yard rushing score by Carroll. The Wave were unable to convert their extra point attempt and trailed, 7-6, with 9:27 left in the first half.

The Jaguars scored another touchdown to take a 14-6 advantage into halftime, and that began a streak of 17 unanswered points as they extended their lead to 24-6 on a 49-yard field goal halfway through the third quarter.

Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, La. Sept. 19, 2020 • 0 Attendance

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane football team suffered its first loss of the 2020 season, as Navy kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to complete a 27-24 comeback win in an American Athletic Conference matchup Saturday afternoon at Yulman Stadium.

Tulane (1-1, 0-1 AAC) freshman running back Tyjae Spears rushed 18 times for 119 yards, eclipsing the century mark for the second straight game. Redshirt sophomore running back Cameron Carroll ran for 62 yards and two touchdowns and now has multiple scores in back-to-back games after scoring twice in the win at South Alabama.

Navy (1-1, 1-0 AAC) did all the scoring in the second half of the game with 27 unanswered points despite being held scoreless in the first half.

The Green Wave jumped in front early with a five-play, 66-yard drive on its first possession of the day. Spears broke a 42-yard run down the sideline which set up a three-yard touchdown run

by Carroll for his third score of the year.

Tulane’s defense was stout for the entire first half, holding Navy to just 59 total yards and two first downs while forcing the Midshipmen into punts on each of their first five possessions.

Following a 14-play drive on the Wave’s second possession of the game that resulted in a 22yard field goal by Merek Glover, Tulane pieced together an 11-play drive that covered 63 yards and ended with a 3-yard rushing touchdown by Phat Watts to extend the lead to 17-0 with 8:12 remaining in the first half.

Box Score (Final) 2020 Tulane Football Tulane vs South Alabama (Sep 12, 2020 at Mobile, Ala.) Score by Quarters Tulane South Alabama Qtr Time 2nd 10:51 09:27 06:46 3rd 12:15 07:38 05:07 4th 14:42 03:18

1

0 0

2

6 14

3

7 10

4

14 0

Total

27 24

Scoring play USA - Baker, Kawaan 34 yd pass from Lovertich,Chnce (Guajardo, Diego kick), 9-80 2:46 TULANE - Carroll,C. 6 yd run (Glover,M. kick failed), 4-75 1:24 USA - Wayne, Jalen 13 yd pass from Lovertich,Chnce (Guajardo, Diego kick), 5-75 2:41 USA - Davis, Carlos 2 yd run (Guajardo, Diego kick), 6-75 2:45 USA - Guajardo, Diego 49 yd field goal, 7-24 2:54 TULANE - Carroll,C. 12 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 6-60 2:31 TULANE - Howard,K. 1 yd run (Howard,K. rush failed), 5-42 1:48 TULANE - Jones,Am. 16 yd run (James,T. pass from), 6-67 1:48

FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards

TULANE 22 40-203 191 30-14-0 70-394 0-0 2-23 2-65 0-0 5-44.8 3-1 5-60 26:02 1 of 11 1 of 3 4-4 5-45

USA 21 35-65 321 37-22-0 72-386 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 7-38.0 1-1 8-65 33:58 8 of 17 0 of 1 2-3 1-11

RUSHING: Tulane-Spears,T. 11-105; Howard,K. 8-31; Jones,Am. 4-29; Carroll,C. 10-26; Huderson,S. 4-15; TEAM 3-minus 3. South Alabama-Davis, Carlos 16-82; Lacy, Caullin 4-18; Phillips, AJ 1-11; Trotter,Desmond 4-4; Wilson, Jared 1-0; Miller,JohnTank 1-0; TEAM 1-minus 7; Lovertich,Chnce 7-minus 43.

PASSING: Tulane-Howard,K. 14-30-0-191. South Alabama-Lovertich,Chnce 18-29-0-247; Trotter,Desmond 4-8-0-74.

RECEIVING: Tulane-Jackson,Jh. 3-44; Spears,T. 2-30; Watts,P. 2-15; Jones,Am. 2-7; Daniels,C. 1-33; James,T. 1-23; Jones,My. 1-21; Brown,S. 1-14; Robertson,J. 1-4. South Alabama-Baker, Kawaan 7-129; Tolbert, Jalen 6-99; Davis, Carlos 4-46; Wayne, Jalen 3-33; Crum, Brandon 1-15; Avery, Terrion 1-minus 1.

38

Box Score (Final) 2020 Tulane Football NAVY vs Tulane (Sep 19, 2020 at New Orleans, LA) Score by Quarters NAVY Tulane Qtr 1st

Time 09:59 02:04 2nd 11:43 03:03 3rd 06:43 02:46 00:32 4th 13:22 00:00

1

0 10

2

0 14

3

16 0

4

11 0

Total

27 24

Scoring play TULANE - Carroll,C. 3 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 5-66 1:49 TULANE - Glover,M. 22 yd field goal, 14-54 5:55 TULANE - Watts,P. 3 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 11-63 3:31 TULANE - Carroll,C. 24 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 7-93 3:01 NAVY - SMITH, Nelson 1 yd run (NICHOLS, Bijan kick), 3-69 0:53 NAVY - SMITH, Nelson 1 yd run (NICHOLS, Bijan kick), 6-61 2:23 NAVY - FOCHTMAN, Evan safety NAVY - COOPER, Mychal 32 yd pass from MORRIS, Dalen (MATHEWS, Devin pass from MORRIS, Dale NAVY - NICHOLS, Bijan 33 yd field goal, 10-52 4:41

FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards

NAVY 17 56-204 146 12-7-0 68-350 0-0 1-2 2-36 1-4 7-41.1 0-0 3-45 32:35 5 of 16 1 of 2 3-3 1-12

TULANE 18 44-265 108 25-10-1 69-373 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 5-36.4 0-0 5-50 27:25 2 of 12 2 of 4 3-4 0-0

RUSHING: NAVY-CAROTHERS, J 25-127; MORRIS, Dalen 13-23; SMITH, Nelson 6-22; WARREN, Chance 3-16; ARLINE, Xavier 7-13; FELLS, Myles 1-3; WILLIAMS, CJ 1-0. Tulane-Spears,T. 18-119; Carroll,C. 11-62; Jones,Am. 6-41; Howard,K. 5-26; Huderson,S. 3-14; Watts,P. 1-3.

PASSING: NAVY-MORRIS, Dalen 6-11-0-139; FELLS, Myles 1-1-0-7. Tulane-Howard,K. 10-25-1-108.

RECEIVING: NAVY-COOPER, Mychal 3-71; WALKER, Mark 2-58; WARREN, Chance 1-10; MORRIS, Dalen 1-7.

Tulane-James,T. 2-38; Watts,P. 2-22; Brown,S. 1-17; Jones,Am. 1-16; Robertson,J. 1-10; Jackson,Jh. 1-6; Daniels,C. 1-2; Booker,Y. 1-minus 3.

INTERCEPTIONS: Tulane-None. South Alabama-None.

INTERCEPTIONS: NAVY-KINLEY, Cameron 1-4. Tulane-None.

FUMBLES: Tulane-Howard,K. 1-1; James,T. 1-0; Daniels,C. 1-0. South Alabama-Trotter,Desmond 1-1.

FUMBLES: NAVY-None. Tulane-None.

Tulane (1-0) vs. South Alabama (1-1) Date: Sep 12, 2020 • Site: Mobile, Ala. • Stadium: Hancock Whitney Attendance: 6000

NAVY (1-1,1-0) vs. Tulane (1-1,0-1) Date: Sep 19, 2020 • Site: New Orleans, LA • Stadium: Yulman Stadium Attendance:

Kickoff time: 6:30 pm • End of Game: 10:06 pm • Total elapsed time: 3:36 Officials: Referee: Marshall Lewis; Umpire: Ryan Aulds; Linesman: Seth Bussey; Line judge: Terry Allgeier; Back judge: Kevin Mitchell; Field judge: Clay Brownlee; Side judge: Brett Toney; Center judge: Greg LeFils Jr.; Temperature: 85 • Wind: none • Weather: partly cloudy

Kickoff time: 11:07 am • End of Game: 2:27 pm • Total elapsed time: 3:20 Officials: Referee: Hank Johns; Umpire: Bill Lamkin; Linesman: Todd Riddick; Line judge: Stephen Ray; Back judge: Peter Buchanan; Field judge: Glenn Crowther; Side judge: Eric Hartman; Center judge: Steve Anderson; Temperature: 72 • Wind: NE 16 • Weather: Rain

Game 3 • Tulane 66, Southern Miss 24

Game 4 • Houston 49, Tulane 31

The Rock • Hattiesburg, Miss.

Sep. 26, 2020 • 0 Attendance

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Tulane football team displayed impressive resilience and compiled 572 total yards en route to its second road win of the season, 66-24, at Southern Miss on Saturday afternoon at M.M. Roberts Stadium.

The Green Wave’s rushing attack was unstoppable for most of the day, as they racked up 430 yards and seven touchdowns on eight yards per carry as a team. Redshirt sophomore running back Cameron Carroll led the way with four touchdowns on the day, including 163 yards and three scores on 15 carries to go with a 16-yard receiving touchdown. Senior Stephon Huderson also eclipsed the century mark with 120 yards and one score on 11 carries, while redshirt freshman Tyjae Spears tallied 50 yards and two touchdowns on eight totes.

Making his collegiate debut, freshman quarterback Michael Pratt tallied three touchdowns after taking over under center late in the first quarter. He passed for 142 yards and two scores while adding one more on the ground.

Southern Miss (0-3) seized the early momentum by racing out to a 14-0 lead less than five minutes after the opening kickoff and recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff to pin Tulane’s (2-1) back against the wall early in the first quarter.

The Green Wave tied the game at 14-all just one minute into the second quarter on Spears’ second score of the game from 15 yards out, but the Golden Eagles reclaimed the lead just over one minute later on a 61-yard touchdown pass.

Trailing 21-14, Tulane took control of the game every step of the way from that moment by outscoring Southern Miss, 52-3, until the final whistle.

TDECU Stadium • Houston, Texas Oct. 8, 2020 • 8,164 Attendance

HOUSTON – The Tulane football team suffered its first road loss of the season, 49-31, at Houston in American Athletic Conference action Thursday evening at TDECU Stadium.

Making his first career start, freshman quarterback Michael Pratt accounted for two touchdowns and threw for 141 yards, but Houston (1-0, 1-0 AAC) racked up 476 total yards in the game and held the Green Wave to just 211.

Tulane (2-2, 0-2 AAC) forced five turnovers on the night by way of two interceptions by junior safety Macon Clark and three fumble recoveries. The defensive unit also racked up seven tackles for loss and three sacks.

The Green Wave defense seized early momentum from the Cougars by producing two touchdowns in the first six minutes of the game. Clark returned an interception 64 yards to the end zone on Houston’s first possession to draw first blood despite the Cougars responding with a touchdown drive on their subsequent possession.

However, Tulane created another turnover less than two minutes after Houston’s score when graduate linebacker Kevin Henry forced a fumble on a strip of Houston quarterback Clayton Tune deep in his own territory. Junior nose tackle Jeffery Johnson scooped the ball off the ground and carried it into the end zone to give the Green Wave a 14-7 advantage.

The Wave created their third turnover of the first quarter and continued the scoring run with a field goal, followed by a one-yard rushing score by Pratt, to give Tulane a 24-7 lead just over one minute into the second quarter.

Box Score (Final) 2020 Tulane Football Tulane vs Southern Miss (Sep 26, 2020 at Hattiesburg, Miss.)

Score by Quarters Tulane Southern Miss Qtr 1st

Time 11:26 10:31 06:58 2nd 14:01 12:57 06:14 01:41 00:41 3rd 14:36 10:18 04:49 01:57 4th 08:03 03:03

1

7 14

2

24 7

3

21 3

4

14 0

Total

66 24

Scoring play USM - PERKINS, Kevin 2 yd run (BOURGEOIS, B. kick), 9-75 3:34 USM - BROWNLEE, Jason 88 yd pass from ABRAHAM, Jack (BOURGEOIS, B. kick), 1-88 0:14 TULANE - Spears,T. 2 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 3-8 0:41 TULANE - Spears,T. 15 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 12-77 5:46 USM - DRIVER, N. 61 yd pass from ABRAHAM, Jack (BOURGEOIS, B. kick), 3-75 1:04 TULANE - Carroll,C. 32 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 3-35 1:00 TULANE - Glover,M. 41 yd field goal, 10-36 3:35 TULANE - Carroll,C. 30 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 3-52 0:25 TULANE - Carroll,C. 52 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 2-65 0:19 USM - BOURGEOIS, B. 49 yd field goal, 10-52 4:13 TULANE - Jackson,Jh. 42 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 5-75 1:15 TULANE - Huderson,S. 47 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 2-47 0:15 TULANE - Pratt,M. 1 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 13-59 6:50 TULANE - Carroll,C. 19 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 6-40 3:02

FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards

TULANE 27 54-427 142 21-9-0 75-569 0-0 1-15 4-135 1-52 3-48.3 2-1 7-47 29:08 7 of 14 2 of 2 4-4 5-34

USM 19 34-70 299 38-23-1 72-369 0-0 1-0 4-58 0-0 8-37.6 1-1 2-13 30:52 6 of 17 1 of 1 1-1 0-0

RUSHING: Tulane-Carroll,C. 15-163; Huderson,S. 11-117; Spears,T. 8-50; Pratt,M. 7-40; Jones,Am. 8-36; Booker,Y. 5-21. Southern Miss-BAKER, Dee 6-44; RAGSDALE, D. 6-18; PERKINS, Kevin 8-17; JONES, Demarcus 1-11; GORE, Frank 5-7; ABRAHAM, Jack 8-minus 27.

PASSING: Tulane-Pratt,M. 9-19-0-142; Howard,K. 0-2-0-0. Southern Miss-ABRAHAM, Jack 23-38-1-299.

RECEIVING: Tulane-Jones,Am. 3-11; Watts,D. 2-38; Jackson,Jh. 1-42; Carroll,C. 1-32; Watts,P. 1-11; Huderson,S. 1-8. Southern Miss-JONES, Demarcus 11-77; BROWNLEE, Jason 3-110; ROBINSON, A. 3-30; DRIVER, N. 2-62; CAVALLO, Cole 1-12; BAKER, Dee 1-5; GORE, Frank 1-2; PERKINS, Kevin 1-1.

INTERCEPTIONS: Tulane-Hall,K. 1-52. Southern Miss-None.

FUMBLES: Tulane-Jones,Am. 2-1. Southern Miss-BROOKS, Natrone 1-1.

Tulane (2-1,0-1) vs. Southern Miss (0-3,0-1) Date: Sep 26, 2020 • Site: Hattiesburg, Miss. • Stadium: The Rock Attendance: Kickoff time: 1:36 pm • End of Game: 5:14pm • Total elapsed time: 3:44 Officials: Referee: Joe Lehring; Umpire: Chad Craig; Linesman: Derrick Ralser; Line judge: Jordan Whitting; Back judge: Michael Bailey; Field judge: Clarence Cotten; Side judge: Jonathan Bulloc; Center judge: Tobian Johnson; Temperature: 74 • Wind: • Weather: Partly sunny

Box Score (Final) 2020 Tulane Football Tulane vs Houston (Oct 8, 2020 at Houston, Texas) Score by Quarters Tulane Houston Qtr 1st

Time 13:42 11:07 09:23 03:50 2nd 13:50 09:47 03:53 3rd 07:53 05:53 05:36 00:46 4th 14:03

1

17 7

2

7 14

3

4

7 21

0 7

Total

31 49

Scoring play TULANE - Clark,M. 64 yd interception return (Glover,M. kick) HOU - CAR, Mulbah 5 yd run (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 6-75 2:35 TULANE - Johnson,J. 1 yd fumble recovery (Glover,M. kick) TULANE - Glover,M. 39 yd field goal, 10-36 4:43 TULANE - Pratt,M. 1 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 9-50 4:26 HOU - TUNE, Clayton 1 yd run (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 10-75 4:03 HOU - STREET, Ke'Andr 23 yd pass from TUNE, Clayton (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 11-68 3:48 HOU - CAR, Mulbah 3 yd run (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 10-57 5:09 TULANE - Jackson,Jh. 8 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 6-75 2:00 HOU - STEVENSON, Marq 97 yd kickoff return (WITHERSPOON, Da kick) HOU - PORTER, Kyle 1 yd run (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 8-60 3:21 HOU - STEVENSON, Marq 41 yd pass from TUNE, Clayton (WITHERSPOON, Da kick), 2-43 0:38

FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards

TULANE 16 45-70 141 25-11-0 70-211 1-1 0-0 2-57 2-73 8-51.2 1-0 8-66 28:47 4 of 16 0 of 3 3-3 3-15

HOU 22 43-157 319 33-20-2 76-476 0-0 7-108 1-97 0-0 3-41.7 3-3 10-84 31:13 6 of 13 2 of 3 4-4 6-44

RUSHING: Tulane-Carroll,C. 18-34; Huderson,S. 7-31; Jones,Am. 7-14; Pratt,M. 13-minus 9.

Houston-PORTER, Kyle 11-57; WALKER, Kelan 6-32; CAR, Mulbah 7-30; TUNE, Clayton 12-15; STEVENSON, Marq 1-8; FULLBRIGHT III 1-7; BROWN, Terrell 3-5; SMITH, Chandler 2-3.

PASSING: Tulane-Pratt,M. 11-25-0-141. Houston-TUNE, Clayton 20-33-2-319.

RECEIVING: Tulane-Watts,D. 2-50; Huderson,S. 2-20; Jones,Am. 2-19; Robertson,J. 1-14; Watts,P. 1-13; Daniels,C. 1-9; Jackson,Jh. 1-8; James,T. 1-8. Houston-STEVENSON, Marq 5-118; CORBIN, Keith 4-46; BRADLEY, Tre'Vo 2-45; SINGLETON, Jere 2-23; CAR, Mulbah 2-21; DELL, Nathaniel 1-26; STREET, Ke'Andr 1-23; SMITH, Chandler 1-8; SMITH, Bryson 1-6; TRAHAN, Christi 1-3.

INTERCEPTIONS: Tulane-Clark,M. 2-73. Houston-None.

FUMBLES: Tulane-Carroll,C. 1-0. Houston-STEVENSON, Marq 1-1; TUNE, Clayton 1-1; JONES, Marcus 1-1.

Tulane (2-2,0-2) vs. Houston (1-0,1-0) Date: Oct 8, 2020 • Site: Houston, Texas • Stadium: TDECU Stadium Attendance: 8164 Kickoff time: 6:30 pm • End of Game: 10:22 pm • Total elapsed time: 3:58 Officials: Referee: Edwin Lee; Umpire: Hilbert Byers; Linesman: Jeff Pruitt; Line judge: Colin Gaynor; Back judge: Chris Bikowski; Field judge: Sean McKinnie; Side judge: Matt Waldron; Center judge: Mark Mobra; Temperature: 78 deg. • Wind: NE 10mph • Weather: Cloudy, humid

39

Game 6 • UCF 51, Tulane 34

Game 5 • No. 17 SMU 37, Tulane 34

Bounce House • Orlando, Fla. Oct. 24, 2020 • 9,148 Attendance

Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, La. Oct. 16, 2020 • 0 Attendance

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane football team fell just short, 37-34, in a back-and-forth affair to 17th-ranked SMU in American Athletic Conference action Friday evening at Yulman Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Michael Pratt threw for 192 yards and one touchdown while rushing for two more scores. Senior running back Stephon Huderson rushed 19 times for a game-high 132 yards.

Tulane (2-3, 0-3 AAC) was first to light up the scoreboard with a scoring play when Pratt connected with graduate wide receiver Mykel Jones for a 31-yard touchdown strike with just under four minutes into the action.

SMU (5-0, 2-0 AAC) responded quickly on its next possession by going 91 yards on just five plays, capped by a 32-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game, 7-7.

The Mustangs took their first lead of the night on a 48-yard field goal with 5:32 left in the first quarter, but the Green Wave pulled back in front, 14-10, just over midway through the second quarter when Pratt ran it in from one yard out to finish off an 11-play, 72-yard drive.

SMU used nearly the next four minutes to construct a nine-play scoring drive that ended with a 10-yard passing touchdown to reclaim the lead, 17-14. The Wave used the next two minutes of game clock to hurry down the field on 10 plays to set up a 34-yard field goal by Merek Glover, tying the game at 17-all in the final minute before halftime.

ORLANDO – The Tulane football team suffered an American Athletic Conference road setback in a 51-34 defeat at UCF on Saturday afternoon at Bright House Networks Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Michael Pratt threw for 215 yards and a season-high three touchdowns, while senior running back Stephon Huderson ran for 88 yards and one score on 14 carries.

Sophomore wideout Jha’Quan Jackson accounted for 180 all-purpose yards and caught two touchdown passes. He registered 59 receiving yards, 67 more on kickoff returns and 54 on one punt return.

The first quarter offered back-and-forth attacks from the offenses, as UCF (3-2, 2-2 AAC) connected on a field goal on its opening possession. The Green Wave responded with a quick, seven-play scoring drive highlighted by a 28-yard touchdown reception by Duece Watts.

The Knights got into the end zone for the first time just over one minute later on a 54-yard touchdown pass, but Tulane countered once more and reclaimed the lead on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Pratt to Jackson with 4:15 left in the first quarter.

UCF took control of the game from that point however with 27 unanswered points by way of touchdowns on four consecutive possessions to take a 37-14 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

Tulane (2-4, 0-4 AAC) broke its offensive slump with a long drive to start the second half that went 75 yards on 12 plays and chewed up nearly six minutes of game clock and ended with a fumble recovery in the end zone.

Box Score (Final) 2020 Tulane Football Tulane vs UCF (Oct 24, 2020 at Orlando, Fla.)

Box Score (Final) 2020 Tulane Football #17 SMU vs Tulane (Oct 16, 2020 at New Orleans, La.) Score by Quarters SMU Tulane Qtr 1st

Time 11:32 09:59 05:32 2nd 06:26 02:43 00:44 3rd 11:38 10:26 03:17 4th 12:59 07:12 01:30 OT 15:00

1

10 7

2

7 10

3

10 7

4

7 10

OT

3 0

Total

37 34

Scoring play TULANE - Jones,My. 31 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 4-45 1:35 SMU - GRAY, Danny 32 yd run (NAGGAR, Chris kick), 5-91 1:29 SMU - NAGGAR, Chris 48 yd field goal, 7-43 2:00 TULANE - Pratt,M. 1 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 11-72 5:29 SMU - RICE, Rashee 10 yd pass from BUECHELE, Shane (NAGGAR, Chris kick), 9-75 3:43 TULANE - Glover,M. 34 yd field goal, 10-63 1:54 TULANE - Huderson,S. 22 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 6-49 1:38 SMU - BENTLEY IV, U. 2 yd run (NAGGAR, Chris kick), 3-75 1:12 SMU - NAGGAR, Chris 33 yd field goal, 11-74 6:02 TULANE - Pratt,M. 7 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 6-37 2:21 SMU - GRAY, Danny 10 yd pass from BUECHELE, Shane (NAGGAR, Chris kick), 14-81 5:41 TULANE - Glover,M. 27 yd field goal, 13-65 5:42 SMU - NAGGAR, Chris 34 yd field goal, 4-8 0:00

FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards

SMU 25 43-142 439 38-24-0 81-581 0-0 4-9 3-43 1-13 3-35.7 3-1 10-92 31:01 10 of 18 0 of 0 5-5 4-23

TULANE 23 48-195 192 29-12-1 77-387 0-0 1-8 4-62 0-0 6-47.7 0-0 11-86 28:59 5 of 14 0 of 0 4-4 3-24

RUSHING: SMU-BENTLEY IV, U. 25-94; GRAY, Danny 1-32; LAVINE, Tyler 9-25; BUECHELE, Shane 8-minus 9.

Tulane-Huderson,S. 19-132; Pratt,M. 16-26; Watts,P. 2-13; Jones,Am. 5-12; Carroll,C. 6-12.

PASSING: SMU-BUECHELE, Shane 23-37-0-384; PAGE, Tyler 1-1-0-55. Tulane-Pratt,M. 12-29-1-192.

RECEIVING: SMU-RICE, Rashee 7-139; GRAY, Danny 5-133; PAGE, Tyler 4-101; GRANSON, Kylen 4-61; BENTLEY IV, U. 3-minus 1; WILLIAMS, T. 1-6. Tulane-Watts,D. 3-56; Watts,P. 3-51; Jones,My. 2-38; Jones,Am. 2-28; James,T. 2-19.

INTERCEPTIONS: SMU-CROSSLEY, B. 1-13. Tulane-None.

Qtr 1st

Time 11:35 09:22 08:04 04:15 2nd 13:41 09:20 03:13 00:05 3rd 09:22 07:47 03:56 03:26 4th 08:30

1

14 10

2

0 27

3

14 14

4

6 0

Total

34 51

Scoring play UCF - OBARSKI, Daniel 23 yd field goal, 8-69 3:25 TULANE - Watts,D. 28 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 7-69 2:05 UCF - WILLIAMS, Mar. 54 yd pass from GABRIEL, Dillon (OBARSKI, Daniel kick), 5-79 1:12 TULANE - Jackson,Jh. 20 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 8-79 3:43 UCF - MCCRAE, Greg 3 yd run (OBARSKI, Daniel kick), 5-89 1:12 UCF - THOMPSON, Ben. 2 yd run (OBARSKI, Daniel kick), 10-71 2:30 UCF - HESCOCK, Jake 4 yd pass from GABRIEL, Dillon (OBARSKI, Daniel kick), 14-83 3:58 UCF - WILLIAMS, Mar. 7 yd pass from GABRIEL, Dillon (OBARSKI, Daniel kick failed), 8-67 1:21 TULANE - James,T. 0 yd fumble recovery (Glover,M. kick), 12-75 5:38 UCF - WILLIAMS, Mar. 35 yd pass from GABRIEL, Dillon (OBARSKI, Daniel kick), 6-49 1:33 TULANE - Jackson,Jh. 8 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 8-75 3:51 UCF - HARRIS, Jacob 41 yd pass from GABRIEL, Dillon (OBARSKI, Daniel kick), 3-43 0:29 TULANE - Huderson,S. 9 yd run (Pratt,M. rush failed), 2-9 0:47

FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards

TULANE 21 38-125 215 24-14-1 62-340 0-0 1-54 3-67 0-0 5-47.6 2-0 2-10 25:46 3 of 9 1 of 1 4-4 3-27

UCF 36 59-267 422 40-26-0 99-689 0-0 1-0 1-21 1-0 1-56.0 0-0 4-20 34:14 10 of 17 3 of 4 5-6 5-25

RUSHING: Tulane-Huderson,S. 14-88; Carroll,C. 11-44; TEAM 1-minus 2; Pratt,M. 12-minus 5; James,T. 0-0. UCF-MCCRAE, Greg 25-162; ANDERSON, O. 11-46; THOMPSON, Ben. 10-42; GABRIEL, Dillon 12-19; TEAM 1-minus 2.

PASSING: Tulane-Pratt,M. 14-24-1-215. UCF-GABRIEL, Dillon 26-40-0-422.

RECEIVING: Tulane-Jackson,Jh. 4-59; Watts,D. 3-48; Huderson,S. 2-44; Watts,P. 2-30; Brown,S. 1-18; Toles,J. 1-12; James,T. 1-4. UCF-WILLIAMS, Mar. 9-174; ROBINSON, J. 4-63; O'KEEFE, Ryan 3-35; HARRIS, Jacob 2-96; ANDERSON, O. 2-16; HESCOCK, Jake 2-14; MCCRAE, Greg 1-15; CREDLE, J. 1-8; JOHNSON, Amari 1-2; THOMPSON, Ben. 1-minus 1.

FUMBLES: SMU-JACKSON, T.Q. 2-1; GRAY, Danny 1-0. Tulane-None.

INTERCEPTIONS: Tulane-None. UCF-GAINOUS, Derek 1-0.

SMU (5-0,2-0) vs. Tulane (2-3,0-3) Date: Oct 16, 2020 • Site: New Orleans, La. • Stadium: Yulman Stadium Attendance:

FUMBLES: Tulane-Huderson,S. 1-0; Pratt,M. 1-0. UCF-None.

Kickoff time: 5:05 pm • End of Game: 8:50 pm • Total elapsed time: 3:45 Officials: Referee: Anthony Calabre; Umpire: Jeff Akers; Linesman: Baron Ballester; Line judge: Dan Bush; Back judge: James Sima; Field judge: James Reif; Side judge: William Lug; Center judge: Nathan Umberger; Temperature: 70 • Wind: N 14 • Weather: Mostly Cloudy

40

Score by Quarters Tulane UCF

Tulane (2-4,0-4) vs. UCF (3-2,2-2) Date: Oct 24, 2020 • Site: Orlando, Fla. • Stadium: Bounce House Attendance: 9148 Kickoff time: 2:05 PM • End of Game: 5:45 PM • Total elapsed time: 3:40 Officials: Temperature: 84 • Wind: W 7 mph • Weather: mostly cloudy

Game 7 • Tulane 38, Temple 3

Game 8 • Tulane 38, East Carolina 21

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane football team picked up its first American Athletic Conference win of the 2020 season in a 38-3 rout over Temple at Yulman Stadium.

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Behind a record-setting day for senior defensive end Patrick Johnson and freshman quarterback Michael Pratt’s three touchdown passes, the Tulane football team collected its second American Athletic Conference win in as many weeks with a 38-21 road victory at East Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, N.C. Nov. 7, 2020 • 3,500 Attendance

Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, La. Oct. 31, 2020 • 1,200 Attendance

The Green Wave’s defense allowed just 222 total yards in the game and only 84 in the second half, while the offense outscored the Owls, 28-0, in the second half.

Freshman quarterback Michael Pratt accounted for three touchdowns while passing for 205 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 56 yards and one more score. Junior wide receiver Duece Watts hauled in both of Pratt’s scores through the air and finished the day with five catches for 114 yards.

Junior running back Amare Jones rushed for a game-high 92 yards on 12 carries, while junior Cameron Carroll totaled 63 yards on 13 carries with one touchdown.

Temple (1-3, 1-3 AAC) got on the scoreboard first with a 22-yard field goal on its first possession of the game at the 10:37 mark of the first quarter. Tulane was unable to punch back immediately, as the offense committed turnovers on back-to-back possessions, but the defense remained stout to hold the deficit at three points for the remainder of the quarter.

Tulane (3-4, 1-4 AAC) tied the game, 3-3, on a 40-yard field goal by Merek Glover with 11:55 left in the second quarter after a 10-play drive that covered 67 yards in over four minutes.

The Green Wave got the ball back after a defensive stop around midfield but were forced to start the next possession at their own seven yard-line after an Owls punt. On the second play of the drive, Pratt connected with Watts on a 52-yard pass completion down the right sideline.

The win was Tulane’s (4-4, 2-4 AAC) third on the road this season – a feat the program last achieved in 1998.

Defensively, Johnson posted a monster performance by matching a career-high three sacks to complement six tackles, two forced fumbles and one pass deflection. The American’s leader in sacks this season now has 23.5 career sacks and became the program’s all-time leader in the category, passing Kenan Blackmon (22.5) and Floyd Dorsey (21.5) for the top spot.

Pratt completed 22 of his 34 pass attempts for 216 yards, while junior wide receiver Duece Watts caught five passes for 57 yards and two scores. Redshirt sophomore Cameron Caroll rushed six times for 126 yards and two touchdowns to lead the ground attack.

Pratt has now thrown for multiple touchdown passes in three straight games and for three scores in two of the last three contests. Watts caught multiple touchdown passes for the second week in a row and now has five scoring receptions in the last three games. Carroll’s two rushing touchdowns give him 10 for the season.

Tulane assumed the first possession of the game and put together a nine-play, 78-yard drive that was capped by a 35-yard touchdown pass from Pratt to Watts.

Box Score (Final) 2020 Tulane Football Tulane vs East Carolina (Nov 07, 2020 at Greenville, N.C.)

Box Score (Final) 2020 Tulane Football TEMPLE vs Tulane (Oct 31, 2020 at New Orleans, La.) Score by Quarters TEMPLE Tulane Qtr Time 1st 10:37 2nd 11:55 06:50 3rd 05:36 01:43 4th 12:01 03:53

1

3 0

2

0 10

3

0 14

4

0 14

Total

3 38

Scoring play TEMPLE - BELL,Rory 22 yd field goal, 8-54 3:17 TULANE - Glover,M. 40 yd field goal, 10-67 4:12 TULANE - Carroll,C. 13 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 6-93 2:27 TULANE - Watts,D. 31 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 7-65 2:27 TULANE - Watts,D. 5 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 5-30 2:32 TULANE - Pratt,M. 9 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 3-40 1:15 TULANE - Toles,J. 15 yd pass from Howard,K. (Glover,M. kick), 10-55 6:05

FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards

TEMPLE 11 36-77 145 26-16-1 62-222 0-0 0-0 5-76 1-0 7-42.3 1-0 5-38 24:22 4 of 16 0 of 2 1-1 2-14

TULANE 28 47-284 220 23-13-1 70-504 0-0 5-55 2-23 1-14 2-55.5 5-2 6-47 31:45 6 of 11 1 of 1 4-5 3-11

RUSHING: TEMPLE-MITCHELL,Re-al 7-37; SAYDEE,Edward 4-15; DAVIS,Re'Mahn 10-15; RULEY,Tayvon 6-12; JONES,Randle 1-4; BEATTY,Trad 8-minus 6. Tulane-Jones,Am. 12-92; Carroll,C. 13-63; Pratt,M. 12-56; Huderson,S. 3-35; Booker,Y. 4-20; Howard,K. 2-16; Watts,D. 1-2.

PASSING: TEMPLE-BEATTY,Trad 11-18-1-122; MITCHELL,Re-al 5-8-0-23. Tulane-Pratt,M. 12-21-1-205; Howard,K. 1-1-0-15; 1A 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING: TEMPLE-JONES,Randle 5-37; BLUE,Jadan 4-51; MACK,Branden 3-54; DAVIS,Re'Mahn 2-0; STEVENSON,R. 1-4; RULEY,Tayvon 1-minus 1. Tulane-Watts,D. 5-114; Jackson,Jh. 3-45; Jones,My. 2-31; Toles,J. 1-15; Wallace,W. 1-9; Watts,P. 1-6.

INTERCEPTIONS: TEMPLE-BRASWELL,C. 1-0. Tulane-Langham,W. 1-14.

FUMBLES: TEMPLE-MITCHELL,Re-al 1-0. Tulane-Langham,W. 1-0; Booker,Y. 1-0; Carroll,C. 1-0; Huderson,S. 1-1; Watts,D. 1-1.

TEMPLE (1-3,1-3) vs. Tulane (3-4,1-4) Date: Oct 31, 2020 • Site: New Orleans, La. • Stadium: Yulman Stadium Attendance: 1200 Kickoff time: 11:05 am • End of Game: 2:05 pm • Total elapsed time: 3:00 Officials: Referee: Henry Johns; Umpire: Bill Lamkin; Linesman: Todd Riddick; Line judge: Colin Gaynor; Back judge: Peter Buchanan; Field judge: Glenn Crowther; Side judge: Eric Hartman; Center judge: Steve Anderson; Temperature: 61 • Wind: NE 5 mph • Weather: Fair

Score by Quarters Tulane East Carolina Qtr 1st

Time 11:09 06:48 2nd 07:28 00:38 3rd 05:49 00:38 4th 10:37 05:17 05:07

1

7 7

2

14 0

3

10 0

4

7 14

Total

38 21

Scoring play TULANE - Watts,D. 35 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 9-78 3:51 ECU - SNEAD, Tyler 10 yd pass from AHLERS, Holton (VERITY, Jake kick), 10-75 4:21 TULANE - James,T. 5 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 4-54 1:58 TULANE - Watts,D. 5 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 7-65 2:58 TULANE - Carroll,C. 48 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 4-65 1:57 TULANE - Glover,M. 42 yd field goal, 7-37 3:15 ECU - PROEHL, Blake 30 yd pass from AHLERS, Holton (SNEAD, Tyler pass from AHLERS, Holton), 4TULANE - Carroll,C. 28 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 1-28 0:06 ECU - PROEHL, Blake 75 yd pass from AHLERS, Holton (AHLERS, Holton pass failed), 1-75 0:10

FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards

TULANE 24 34-277 216 34-22-1 68-493 1--2 3-11 1-17 0-0 4-44.2 1-0 8-65 30:59 5 of 12 0 of 1 3-4 5-32

ECU 20 29-35 351 43-27-0 72-386 0-0 0-0 1-30 1-0 6-43.7 2-1 4-23 29:01 3 of 15 1 of 4 1-2 2-8

RUSHING: Tulane-Carroll,C. 6-129; Huderson,S. 15-89; Pratt,M. 5-31; Jones,Am. 6-30; TEAM 2-minus 2.

East Carolina-HARRIS, Rahjai 13-27; SNEAD, Tyler 1-17; MITCHELL, Ktn 7-17; AHLERS, Holton 8-minus 26.

PASSING: Tulane-Pratt,M. 22-34-1-216. East Carolina-AHLERS, Holton 27-43-0-351.

RECEIVING: Tulane-Jackson,Jh. 7-57; Watts,D. 5-57; Jones,My. 4-48; James,T. 2-18; Wallace,W. 1-11; Toles,J. 1-10; Huderson,S. 1-10; Robertson,J. 1-5. East Carolina-PROEHL, Blake 13-182; SNEAD, Tyler 5-46; JOHNSON, C.J. 4-79; OMOTOSHO, Audie 2-13; MITCHELL, Ktn 2-3; BURNETTE, Cam 1-28.

INTERCEPTIONS: Tulane-None. East Carolina-McMILLIAN, Ja'Q 1-0.

FUMBLES: Tulane-Huderson,S. 1-0. East Carolina-AHLERS, Holton 2-1.

Tulane (4-4,2-4) vs. East Carolina (1-5,1-4) Date: Nov 07, 2020 • Site: Greenville, N.C. • Stadium: Dowdy-Ficklen Attendance: 3500 Kickoff time: 12:05 PM • End of Game: 3:16 PM • Total elapsed time: 3:11 Officials: Referee: Luke Richmond; Umpire: Danny Worrell; Linesman: Dan harrington; Line judge: Tracy Jones; Back judge: Ben Bushey; Field judge: Ben Vasconcells; Side judge: Jake Dishaw; Center judge: Alex Amaya; Temperature: 75 F • Wind: E @ 5mph • Weather: Mostly Clear

41

Game 9 • Tulane 38, No. 25 Army 12 Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, La. Nov. 14, 2020 • 1,200 Attendance

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane football team picked up its third straight victory in dominant fashion with a 38-12 win over Army West Point on Saturday afternoon at Yulman Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Michael Pratt threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore wideout Jha’Quan Jackson scored one receiving and one rushing touchdown, respectively.

The Green Wave (5-4) were dominant on both sides of the ball for the duration of the first quarter by getting multiple stops on defense and turning them into touchdowns. Tulane’s first possession went for a 10-play drive that used almost five minutes of game clock and resulted in a four-yard touchdown pass from Pratt to sophomore tight end Tyrick James.

After getting a fourth-down stop at midfield, the Wave continued their surge when junior running back Amare Jones took the first play of the drive 50 yards to the end zone to push the lead to 14-0 with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter.

Ranked 25th nationally in the Coaches Poll, Army (6-2) seized momentum in the second quarter however, turning its next possession into a 10-play, 75-yard drive covering nearly five-and-ahalf minutes and a trip to the end zone. Despite missing the extra point, the Black Knights got the ball right back and used up nearly five more minutes to complete a touchdown drive, but failed on a two-point conversion attempt, as the deficit remained 14-12.

That would be all the scoring in the first half where the Black Knights dominated the time of possession by using 19:38 of game clock opposed to the Green Wave’s 10:22.

Game 10 • No. 25/RV Tulsa 30, Tulane 24 Skelley Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium • Tulsa, Okla.

Nov. 19, 2020 • 0 Attendance

TULSA, Okla. – The Tulane football team had its three-game winning streak snapped in heartbreaking fashion in a 30-24 defeat in double overtime at Tulsa in American Athletic Conference action Thursday evening at H.A. Chapman Stadium.

Senior running back Stephon Huderson crossed the century mark on the ground for the third time this season with 106 rushing yards and one touchdown, while freshman quarterback Michael Pratt completed a pair of touchdown passes to lead Tulane’s (5-5, 2-5 AAC) offensive attack.

Defensively, the Green Wave were led by junior linebacker Nick Anderson and sophomore linebacker Dorian Williams’ 11 tackles respectively. Williams also produced two tackles for loss and one sack, as the Wave won the turnover battle, 3-1.

The first half featured a defensive battle between both squads where first downs were hard to earn, and red zone trips were infrequent. Tulane’s best chance at points came early in the second quarter after an 11-play drive traveled just 35 yards in more than five and a half minutes but set up the Green Wave for a 54-yard field goal attempt that went just right of the upright to keep the game scoreless.

Tulsa (5-1, 5-0 AAC) made two trips to the red zone in the first half, and their second appeared destined to be rewarded with points. It was their final possession of the half, and the Golden Hurricane mustered a 15-play drive that went 69 yards and used nearly seven minutes of game clock. After converting a fourth down play, Tulsa took a shot at the end zone on a throw across the middle, but junior safety Larry Brooks made a diving catch to intercept the pass at the one yard-line to end the threat with 21 seconds remaining before halftime.

Box Score (Final) 2020 Tulane Football #25 ARMY vs Tulane (Nov 14, 2020 at New Orleans, La.) Score by Quarters ARMY Tulane Qtr 1st

Time 08:55 00:47 2nd 10:25 04:12 3rd 10:23 05:38 4th 04:26 04:20

1

0 14

2

12 0

3

0 10

4

0 14

Total

12 38

Scoring play TULANE - James,T. 4 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 10-53 4:48 TULANE - Jones,Am. 50 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 1-50 0:11 ARMY - Robinson, T. 10 yd pass from Anderson, C. (Salyers, Landon kick blockd), 10-75 5:22 ARMY - Anderson, C. 19 yd run (Anderson, C. rush failed), 8-59 4:36 TULANE - Jackson,Jh. 21 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 9-75 4:37 TULANE - Glover,M. 26 yd field goal, 8-45 3:27 TULANE - Jackson,Jh. 14 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 2-17 0:58 TULANE - Toles,J. 8 yd fumble recovery (Glover,M. kick)

FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards

ARMY 17 57-270 33 13-5-2 70-303 0-0 2-8 3-45 0-0 4-40.0 2-1 1-5 32:27 6 of 17 2 of 5 2-3 1-3

TULANE 17 32-171 197 27-19-0 59-368 1-8 1-7 1-14 2-0 5-46.0 1-0 2-20 27:33 6 of 13 1 of 1 4-5 1-4

Score by Quarters Tulane Tulsa Qtr 3rd 4th

OT

Time 05:25 03:07 09:17 03:16 01:38 00:00 15:00 15:00 15:00

1

0 0

2

0 0

3

14 0

4

7 21

OT

3 9

O1 3 3

O2 0 6

Total

24 30

Scoring play TULANE - Huderson,S. 5 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 7-50 2:47 TULANE - Wallace,W. 27 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 2-27 0:44 TLS - BRIN, D. 18 yd run (LONG, Z. kick), 10-84 3:01 TLS - JOHNSON, J. 19 yd pass from BRIN, D. (LONG, Z. kick), 11-71 3:18 TULANE - James,T. 19 yd pass from Pratt,M. (Glover,M. kick), 5-28 1:27 TLS - SANTANA, J. 37 yd pass from BRIN, D. (LONG, Z. kick), 9-75 1:38 TLS - LONG, Z. 27 yd field goal, 6-16 0:00 TULANE - Glover,M. 39 yd field goal, 4-3 0:00 TLS - COLLINS, Z. 96 yd interception return

FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards

TULANE 18 51-226 76 17-8-1 68-302 0-0 2-38 2-91 1-0 6-42.2 0-0 7-63 29:20 5 of 15 0 of 0 2-4 4-27

TLS 26 41-179 343 48-27-1 89-522 0-0 2-7 1-16 1-96 4-43.2 2-2 10-85 30:40 10 of 21 3 of 4 3-5 2-7

RUSHING: ARMY-Anderson, C. 17-77; Buchanan, J. 10-60; Tyler, Tyhier 9-51; Adkins, Anthony 6-32; McCoy, Sandon 7-24; Robinson, T. 5-22; Barnard, Cade 1-4; Howard, A.J. 1-2; Smith, Arik 1-minus 2.

Tulane-Jones,Am. 5-60; Ibieta,J. 3-29; Huderson,S. 7-27; Pratt,M. 5-19; Jackson,Jh. 1-14; Carroll,C. 7-9; Coltrin,J. 2-7; Ammons,L. 1-7; TEAM 1-minus 1.

RUSHING: Tulane-Huderson,S. 25-106; Jones,Am. 10-57; Carroll,C. 6-41; Pratt,M. 10-22. Tulsa-TAYLOR II, C. 19-132; PRINCE, D. 8-20; BOOMER, S. 4-15; BRIN, D. 4-11; WILKERSON, T. 3-9; JOHNSON, J. 1-3; SMITH, Z. 2-minus 11.

PASSING: ARMY-Anderson, C. 4-12-2-36; Riley, Tyson 1-1-0-minus 3. Tulane-Pratt,M. 19-27-0-197.

PASSING: Tulane-Pratt,M. 8-17-1-76. Tulsa-BRIN, D. 18-28-0-266; BOOMER, S. 7-13-1-60; SMITH, Z. 2-6-0-17; TEAM 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING: ARMY-Walters, B. 3-11; Roberts, M. 1-12; Robinson, T. 1-10. Tulane-Watts,D. 6-85; Jackson,Jh. 5-37; Daniels,C. 2-13; James,T. 2-12; Robertson,J. 1-23; Watts,P. 1-13; Jones,My. 1-8; Jones,Am. 1-6.

INTERCEPTIONS: ARMY-None. Tulane-Langham,W. 1-0; Brooks,L. 1-0.

FUMBLES: ARMY-Robinson, T. 1-1; Anderson, C. 1-0. Tulane-Huderson,S. 1-0.

ARMY (6-2) vs. Tulane (5-4,2-4) Date: Nov 14, 2020 • Site: New Orleans, La. • Stadium: Yulman Stadium Attendance: 1200 Kickoff time: 11:01 am • End of Game: 2:15 pm • Total elapsed time: 3:14 Officials: Referee: Marcus Woods; Umpire: Tom Laverty; Linesman: Josiah Ford; Line judge: Hugh Campbell; Back judge: Scott Prewitt; Field judge: Michael Culin; Side judge: Richard Wilborn; Center judge: Jeff Maconaghy; Temperature: 78 • Wind: SE 11 • Weather: Sunny and warm

42

Box Score (Final) 2020 Tulane Football Tulane vs #25 Tulsa (Nov 19, 2020 at Tulsa, Okla.)

RECEIVING: Tulane-Wallace,W. 2-34; James,T. 2-19; Carroll,C. 2-4; Watts,D. 1-18; Jackson,Jh. 1-1.

Tulsa-SANTANA, J. 8-138; JOHNSON, J. 7-95; CRAWFORD JR, S. 4-29; STEWART, J. 3-29; STOKES, K. 3-18; RODGERS, M. 2-34.

INTERCEPTIONS: Tulane-Brooks,L. 1-0. Tulsa-COLLINS, Z. 1-96.

FUMBLES: Tulane-None. Tulsa-PRINCE, D. 1-1; RODGERS, M. 1-1.

Tulane (5-5,2-5) vs. Tulsa (5-1,5-0) Date: Nov 19, 2020 • Site: Tulsa, Okla. • Stadium: Chapman Stadium Attendance: Kickoff time: 6:30 PM • End of Game: 10:27 PM • Total elapsed time: 3:57 Officials: Referee: Edwin Lee; Umpire: Hilbert Byers; Linesman: Todd Riddick; Line judge: Colin Gaynor; Back judge: Chris Bikowski; Field judge: Sean McKinnie; Side judge: Matt Waldron; Center judge: Mark Mobra; Temperature: 69degree • Wind: S 14 • Weather: Clear

Game 11 • Tulane 35, Memphis 21 Yulman Stadium • New Orleans, La. Dec. 5, 2020 • 2,400 Attendance

NEW ORLEANS – The Tulane football team closed its 2020 regular season with a 35-21 American Athletic Conference home victory over Memphis on Senior Day at Yulman Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Michael Pratt accounted for four total touchdowns, including two passing and two rushing, while throwing for 254 yards.

Senior running back Stephon Huderson ran for a game-high 67 yards on just 10 carries, as Tulane outgained Memphis, 165-45, on the ground in the ballgame.

Junior wide receiver Duece Watts and sophomore wideout Jha’Quan Jackson each hauled in one touchdown reception, respectively.

The Green Wave (6-5, 3-5 AAC) used their first possession to muster a 10-play drive that started at their own 25 yard-line and ended on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Pratt to Watts on an over-the-shoulder catch in the left corner of the end zone. The Tigers (6-3, 4-3 AAC) were quick to respond however, connecting a 59-yard touchdown strike over the top of the Wave’s defense to tie the game at seven just 53 seconds later.

Two possessions later, Tulane lit up the scoreboard on Pratt’s second touchdown pass of the first quarter – a 42-yard connection with Jackson – to reclaim the lead with four minutes remaining.

Pratt found the end zone for a third time in the first half when he capped a nine-play, 83-yard drive by running it in from three yards out with 11:09 left in the second quarter to extend the advantage 21-7. The Tigers cut their two-score deficit in half with 1:18 remaining by finishing off a 13-yard drive with a short touchdown rush.

Box Score (Final) 2020 Tulane Football Tulane vs South Alabama (Sep 12, 2020 at Mobile, Ala.) Score by Quarters Tulane South Alabama Qtr Time 2nd 10:51 09:27 06:46 3rd 12:15 07:38 05:07 4th 14:42 03:18

1

0 0

2

6 14

3

7 10

4

14 0

Total

27 24

Scoring play USA - Baker, Kawaan 34 yd pass from Lovertich,Chnce (Guajardo, Diego kick), 9-80 2:46 TULANE - Carroll,C. 6 yd run (Glover,M. kick failed), 4-75 1:24 USA - Wayne, Jalen 13 yd pass from Lovertich,Chnce (Guajardo, Diego kick), 5-75 2:41 USA - Davis, Carlos 2 yd run (Guajardo, Diego kick), 6-75 2:45 USA - Guajardo, Diego 49 yd field goal, 7-24 2:54 TULANE - Carroll,C. 12 yd run (Glover,M. kick), 6-60 2:31 TULANE - Howard,K. 1 yd run (Howard,K. rush failed), 5-42 1:48 TULANE - Jones,Am. 16 yd run (James,T. pass from), 6-67 1:48

FIRST DOWNS RUSHES-YARDS (NET) PASSING YDS (NET) Passes Att-Comp-Int TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS Fumble Returns-Yards Punt Returns-Yards Kickoff Returns-Yards Interception Returns-Yards Punts (Number-Avg) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Possession Time Third-Down Conversions Fourth-Down Conversions Red-Zone Scores-Chances Sacks By: Number-Yards

TULANE 22 40-203 191 30-14-0 70-394 0-0 2-23 2-65 0-0 5-44.8 3-1 5-60 26:02 1 of 11 1 of 3 4-4 5-45

USA 21 35-65 321 37-22-0 72-386 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 7-38.0 1-1 8-65 33:58 8 of 17 0 of 1 2-3 1-11

RUSHING: Tulane-Spears,T. 11-105; Howard,K. 8-31; Jones,Am. 4-29; Carroll,C. 10-26; Huderson,S. 4-15; TEAM 3-minus 3. South Alabama-Davis, Carlos 16-82; Lacy, Caullin 4-18; Phillips, AJ 1-11; Trotter,Desmond 4-4; Wilson, Jared 1-0; Miller,JohnTank 1-0; TEAM 1-minus 7; Lovertich,Chnce 7-minus 43.

PASSING: Tulane-Howard,K. 14-30-0-191. South Alabama-Lovertich,Chnce 18-29-0-247; Trotter,Desmond 4-8-0-74.

RECEIVING: Tulane-Jackson,Jh. 3-44; Spears,T. 2-30; Watts,P. 2-15; Jones,Am. 2-7; Daniels,C. 1-33; James,T. 1-23; Jones,My. 1-21; Brown,S. 1-14; Robertson,J. 1-4. South Alabama-Baker, Kawaan 7-129; Tolbert, Jalen 6-99; Davis, Carlos 4-46; Wayne, Jalen 3-33; Crum, Brandon 1-15; Avery, Terrion 1-minus 1.

INTERCEPTIONS: Tulane-None. South Alabama-None.

FUMBLES: Tulane-Howard,K. 1-1; James,T. 1-0; Daniels,C. 1-0. South Alabama-Trotter,Desmond 1-1.

Tulane (1-0) vs. South Alabama (1-1) Date: Sep 12, 2020 • Site: Mobile, Ala. • Stadium: Hancock Whitney Attendance: 6000 Kickoff time: 6:30 pm • End of Game: 10:06 pm • Total elapsed time: 3:36 Officials: Referee: Marshall Lewis; Umpire: Ryan Aulds; Linesman: Seth Bussey; Line judge: Terry Allgeier; Back judge: Kevin Mitchell; Field judge: Clay Brownlee; Side judge: Brett Toney; Center judge: Greg LeFils Jr.; Temperature: 85 • Wind: none • Weather: partly cloudy

43

BOWL HISTORY 1932 Rose Bowl

1935 Sugar Bowl

SOUTHERN CAL 21 TULANE 12

TULANE 20 TEMPLE 14

Jan. 1, 1932 • 75,562 Rose Bowl • Pasadena, Calif.

Jan. 1, 1935 • 22,026 Tulane Stadium • New Orleans, La.

Coach Bernie Bierman’s fabulous 1931 team took an 11-0 record and an 18-game winning streak to Pasadena for the battle between the nation’s two top-ranked teams.

USC scored first, as Ray Sparling went in on a six-yard reverse. Johnny Baker converted, and the Trojans led 7-0 at halftime.

Ernie Pinckert broke the Green Wave’s heart in the third quarter when he raced 28 yards to paydirt on the reverse and less than a minute later, after a Tulane fumble, Pinckert again went 28 yards on the reverse to make it 21-0, Southern Cal. Tulane came right back with a 75-yard drive capped by a pass from Don Zimmerman to Vernon Haynes to make it 21-6. The Wave missed two more scoring opportunities until Jerry Dalrymple recovered a fumble on the USC 35.

Five plays later, bare-headed Wop Glover, who gained 139 yards that day, plunged three yards for the TD. The count stood at 21-12 with the Trojans hanging on for dear life, but time ran out on Tulane.

The first Sugar Bowl game in history matched Coach Ted Cox’s SEC co-champions with Pop Warner’s Temple team. Warner’s club came out roaring with two first-half touchdowns to throw a scare into the hometown folks. In the first quarter, fullback Dave Smukler passed to Daniel Testa, and in the second stanza, Smuckler ran it in himself as the Owls went on top, 14-0.

But after the second Temple TD, lightning struck. The ensuing kickoff floated down to Johnny McDaniel at the 10. McDaniel, moving laterally, crossed paths with Monk Simons at the 15, and “Little Monk” took off 85 yards down the sidelines to ignite Tulane’s comeback.

Barney Mintz kicked the point to make it 14-7 at halftime.

Dick Hardy made a great catch of Bucky Bryan’s TD pass in the third quarter to tie the score, and in the final quarter, Hardy gathered in a deflected pass from Mintz and went 25 yards to sew it up.

Tulane had won the inaugural Sugar Bowl Classic to send 22,026 fans home happy.

Game Summary

Game Summary

USC - Ray Sparling 5 run (Johnny Baker kick) USC - Ernie Pinckert 28 run (Baker kick) USC - Pinckert 28 run (Baker kick) TU - Vernon Haynes 7 pass from Don Zimmerman (kick blocked) TU - Wop Glover 3 run (pass failed)

Tem - Daniel Tester 7 pass from Dave Smukler (Smukler kick) Tem - Smukler 3 run (Smukler kick) TU - Monk Simons 85 kickoff return (Barney Mintz kick) TU - Dick Hardy 11 pass from Bucky Bryan (Mintz kick) TU - Hardy 25 pass from Mintz (kick failed)

Tulane Southern Cal

First Downs

Rushing Yards

Passing Yards

Total Offense

Passing (Comp-Att-Int) Fumbles-Lost

Penalty Yards

0 0 6 6 — 12 0 7 14 0 — 21

Tulane 17 290 51 341 5-21-0 3-2 30

USC 9 198 20 218 1-6-0 2-2 20

Temple Tulane

7 7 0 0 — 14 0 7 13 0 — 20

Temple 13 60-182 19 201 3-13-1 2-1 2-7

First Downs

Rushing (Att-Yards)

Passing Yards

Total Offense

Passing (Comp-Att-Int) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards

Tulane 10 42-140 88 228 8-16-1 3-2 2-20

ALL-TIME BOWL RESULTS (6-7) YR 1931 1934 1939 1970 1973 1979 1980

44

BOWL Rose Sugar Sugar Liberty Astro-Bluebonnet Liberty Hall of Fame

SITE Pasadena, Calif.

New Orleans, La. New Orleans, La. Memphis, Tenn.

Houston, Texas Memphis, Tenn.

Birmingham, Ala.

OPP. USC Temple Texas A&M Colorado Houston Penn State Arkansas

SCORE L, 21-12 W, 20-14 L, 14-13 W, 17-3 L, 47-7 L, 9-6 L, 34-15

YR 1987 1998 2002 2013 2018 2019

BOWL Independence Liberty Hawaii New Orleans Cure Bowl Armed Forces

SITE Shreveport, La. Memphis, Tenn.

Honolulu, Hawaii New Orleans, La. Orlando, Fla. Fort Worth, Texas

OPP. Washington BYU Hawaii ULL ULL Southern Miss

SCORE L, 24-12 W, 41-27 W, 36-28 L, 24-21 W, 41-24 W, 30-13

1940 Sugar Bowl

1970 Liberty Bowl

TEXAS A&M 14 TULANE 13

TULANE 17 COLORADO 3

Jan. 1, 1940 • 73,000 Tulane Stadium • New Orleans

Dec. 12, 1970 • 44,640 Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, Tenn.

Coach Red Dawson’s 1939 team came within a point of upending Texas A&M’s national champions.

A&M drove to the Tulane one-yard line early in the game, but the Wave held. After Tulane punted out, the Aggies drove again, and this time John Kimbrough plunged one yard for the score.

Tulane bounced back in the third quarter when Bobby Kellogg grabbed a quick kick and raced 75 yards to tie it, 7-7. In the fourth period, Tulane’s Pete Mandich recovered an Aggie fumble on the A&M 32. Monette Butler, Fred Cassibry, and Harry Hays worked it into the two. Butler went in from there and Tulane was on top 13-7, but Herbie Smith blocked the extra point.

Late in the game, A&M drove 69 yards to cut short Tulane’s hopes for an upset. Walemon Price passed to Smith, who lateraled to Kimbrough. The big fullback went in for an 18-yard scoring play.

Price then kicked the decisive extra point.

A two-touchdown underdog to mighty Colorado, Tulane celebrated its first bowl trip in 31 years by pulling off the biggest upset of the 1970 bowl season.

Coach Jim Pittman’s fired-up Green Wave drew first blood when linebacker Rick Kingrea’s 44yard interception return set up a 19-yard field goal by Lee Gibson. Colorado countered with a 32-yard field goal in the second period to tie it 3-3 at halftime.

David Abercrombie raced the second half kickoff back 66 yards to the Colorado 30 as some 8,000 Tulane fans who made the trip went wild.

Runs of 16 and 13 yards by fullback Bob Marshall brought the football to the one, and Abercrombie took it over on a short plunge.

Quarterback Mike Walker guided a 57-yard drive on Tulane’s first possession of the fourth quarter, and a tough defense made that 17-3 advantage stand up. The Colorado offense that averaged 422.9 yards and 30.6 points in the regular season was held to 175 yards and three points.

Game Summary Game Summary Texas A&M Tulane

7 0 0 7 — 14 0 0 7 6 — 13

A&M - John Kimbrough 1 run (Walemon Price kick) TU - Bobby Kellogg 75 punt return (James Thibaut kick) TU - Monette Butler 2 run (kick blocked) A&M - Kimbrough 18 lateral from Herbie Smith (Price kick)

First Downs

Rushing (Att-Yards)

Passing Yards

Total Offense

Pass (Comp-Att-Int) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards

Texas A&M 18 48-244 62 308 8-15-1 2-2 2-30

Colorado Tulane

0 3 0 0 — 3 3 0 7 7 — 17

TU - Lee Gibson 19 FG CU - Haney 32 FG TU - David Abercrombie 2 run (Gibson kick) TU - Abercrombie 4 run (Gibson kick) Tulane 8 53-193 0 193 0-4-0 1-0 2-20

Rushing: (A&M) Kimbrough 25-159 2TD, Price 5-13, Moser 7-33, Pugh 2-8, Connatser 9-31. (TU) Kellogg 8-36, Gloden 8-19, Banker 9-18, Hays 2-23, Butler 10-55 TD, Cassibry 11-42.

Passing: (A&M) Price 8-15-1-62. (TU) Kellogg 0-2-0-0, Butler 0-1-0-0, Hays 0-1-0-0.

Receiving: (AM) Moser 2-17, Connaster 2-12, Smith 2-14, Thomason 1-14, Sterling 1-5. (TU) None.

First Downs

Rushing (Att-Yards)

Passing Yards

Total Offense

Passing (Comp-Att-Int) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards

Colorado 13 57-155 20 175 3-7-1 2-1 52

Tulane 15 52-213 28 241 3-9-1 2-0 39

Rushing: (CU) Arendt 29-65, Tarver 11-54, Walsh 8-26, Keyworth 6-16, Branch 1-4, Brunson 1-(-8), Stearns 1-(-2). (TU) Abercrombie 25-128 2TD, Marshall 13-87, M. Walker 10-(-10), LeBlanc 1-2, Corn 1-4, Lachaussee 2-3.

Passing: (CU) Arendt 3-7-1-20. (TU) M. Walker 3-8-1-28, Lachaussee 0-1-0-0.

Receiving: (CU) Portos 2-17, Masten 1-3. (TU) Barrios 2-31, Abercrombie 1-(-3).

45

1973 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl

1979 Liberty Bowl

HOUSTON 47 TULANE 7

PENN STATE 9 TULANE 6

Dec. 29, 1973 • 44,358 Houston Astrodome • Houston, Texas

Dec. 22, 1979 • 50,021 Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, Tenn.

On the heels of a 9-2 season, Tulane headed for Houston to lock horns with a highly-touted 10-1 Cougar team.

When the Green Wave failed to score after recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff at the Houston 25, the Cougar veer offense went to work. A 75-yard run by Marshall Johnson and short plunges by Leonard Parker gave Houston a 21-0 lead late in the first half. Martin Mitchell then raced back 66 yards with a kickoff for Tulane, and Buddy Gilbert hit Tom Forner with a 32-yard pass to put the Wave back in the game, 21-7.

But Houston erupted in the second half, as Donnie McGraw ran for two TDs, quarterback D.C. Nobles ran for one, and David Husmann added one more to make the final count 47-7.

A driving rainstorm throughout the contest quickly turned the game into a defensive struggle.

Penn State took the lead 3-0 in the second quarter on a 33-yard field goal by Herb Menhardt. Menhardt added a 27-yard field goal late in the second quarter to push the margin to 6-0 at halftime.

That score held throughout the third quarter, but late in the period Tulane quarterback Roch Hontas began to find the passing touch he had displayed all season. He drove the Wave to the PSU eight-yard line where Ed Murray kicked a 26-yard field goal.

With time running down Hontas cranked another drive from the TU 27 to the Lion 8, from where Murray tied the score with another 26-yard field goal with 2:40 remaining.

The Nittany Lions faced a third-and-two from midfield with less than a minute to play, but converted with a halfback pass to the Tulane 11, and Menhardt kicked a 20-yard field goal for the victory.

Game Summary Game Summary Tulane Houston

0 7 0 0 — 7 7 14 14 12 — 47

UH - Marshall Johnson 75 run (Terrell kick) UH - Leonard Parker 1 run (Terrell kick) UH - Parker 3 run (Terrell kick) TU - Tom Forner 32 pass from Buddy Gilbert (David Falgoust kick) UH - D.C. Nobles 3 run (Terrell kick) UH - Donnie McGraw 1 run (Terrell kick) UH - McGraw 32 run (kick failed) UH - David Husmann 7 run (kick failed)

First Downs

Rushing (Yards)

Passing Yards

Total Offense

Pass (Comp-Att-Int) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards

Tulane 10 43-102 71 173 6-24-4 2-1 4-26

0 0 0 6 — 6 0 6 0 3 — 9

PSU - Herb Menhardt 33 FG PSU - Menhardt 27 FG TU - Eddie Murray 26 FG TU - Murray 26 FG PSU - Menhardt 20 FG

Houston 26 58-402 253 655 12-29-1 6-4 5-55

Rushing: (UH) Johnson 5-114 1TD, McGraw 13-108 2TD, Parker 12-47 2TD. (TU) Bynum 12-40, Treuting 2-27, Hebert 4-24.

Passing: (UH) Nobles 8-13-0-201, Husman 4-6-1-52. (TU) S. Foley 4-16-4-32, Gilbert 2-5-0-39.

Receiving: (UH) Willingham 3-25, Bassler 1-60, Bogan 1-33. (TU) Forner 1-32 TD, Thibodeaux 2-19 , Garza 1-17 .

46

Tulane Penn State

First Downs

Rushing (Att-Yards)

Passing Yards

Total Offense

Pass (Comp-Att-Int) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards

Tulane 10 20-(-8) 210 202 21-39-0 1-0 5-40

Penn State 17 58-242 95 337 6-11-2 2-2 1-5

Rushing: (PSU) Rocco 8-11, Guman 3-11, Suhey 19-112, Moore 13-49, Warner 14-57, Coles 1-2. (TU) Hontas 8-(-31), Christian 6-12, Reginelli 4-6, Jones 1-1, Harris 1-4.

Passing: (PSU) Rocco 5-10-2-56, Coles 1-1-0-39. (TU) Hontas 21-39-0-210.

Receiving: (PSU) Scovill 3-34, Donovan 2-53, Guman 1-8. (TU) Alexis 7-77, Holman 4-47, Anderson 2-29, Reginelli 1-5, Christian 2-(-7), Griffin 3-50, Jones 2-9.

1980 Hall Of Fame Bowl

1987 Independence Bowl

ARKANSAS 34 TULANE 15

WASHINGTON 24 TULANE 12

Dec. 27, 1980 • 30,000 Legion Field • Birmingham, Ala.

Dec. 19, 1987 • 41,683 Independence Stadium • Shreveport, La.

Tulane carried a 7-4 record into the Hall of Fame Bowl against an Arkansas team that had been decimated by injuries during the year.

However, the walking wounded returned by game time and the Razorbacks were as good as everyone thought they would be before the season.

Arkansas jumped to a 28-0 halftime lead.

The Wave defense stood tall in the second half and held the Razorbacks to two field goals, and the offense finally got on track in the final period.

The first score by the Wave came on a 62yard pass from Nickie Hall to Marcus Anderson.

It marked the first time in school history that the football team went to bowl games in consecutive years.

Tulane carried a 6-5 record into its first bowl appearance in seven years against a 6-4-1 Washington squad.

Washington jumped to an early 7-0 lead, but Mitchell Price raced 44 yards on a punt return to tie the score. After the Huskies scored again, Todd Wiggins connected on a 21-yard field goal to make the score 14-10. Washington went on to lead 21-10 at the half, and the only scoring in the second half came on a Husky field goal and a Tulane safety.

The game saw Terrence Jones throw for 248 yards and rush for 91. All-America receiver Marc Zeno caught seven passes for 116 yards.

Game Summary Game Summary Arkansas Tulane

14 14 3 3 — 34 0 0 0 15 — 15

UA - Tolbert 1 run (Ordonez kick) UA - Anderson 80 punt return (Ordonez kick) UA - Clyde 9 pass from Jones (Ordonez kick) UA - Anderson 46 run (Ordonez kick) UA - Ordonez 40 FG TU - Marcus Anderson 62 pass from Nickie Hall (Vince Manalla kick) UA - Ordonez 27 FG TU - Robinson 1 run (Hall run)

First Downs

Rushing (Att-Yards)

Passing Yards

Total Offense

Pass (Comp-Att-Int) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards

Arkansas 22 64-383 83 466 5-13-1 0-0 1-19

Washington Tulane

7 14 0 3 — 24 0 10 0 2 — 12

UW - Covington 3 run (Brownlee kick) TU - Mitchell Price 44 punt return (Todd Wiggins kick) UW - Ames 5 pass from Chandler (Brownlee kick) TU - Wiggins 21 FG UW - Franklin 5 pass from Chandler (Brownlee kick) UW - Wyles 41 FG TU - Safety (Conklin kneels in end zone) Tulane 18 31-157 241 398 16-37-2 3-2 3-15

Rushing: (UA) Tolbert 17-73 1TD, Anderson 11-156 1TD, Jones 14-36, Douglas 10-83, Pierce 4-23, Holloway 1-13, Walters 3-21, Mistler 1-1, Rudisall 1-1, Brewer 2-1. (TU) Lewis 5-45, Reginelli 5-8, K. Robinson 6-44 1TD, J. Jones 5-38, Hall 8-4, McCray 2-18.

Passing: (UA) Jones 5-13-1-83 1TD. (TU) Hall 16-37-2-241 1TD. Receiving: (UA) Mason 2-15, Clyde 1-9 1TD, Walters 1-36, Holloway 1-23.

(TU) Lewis 3-22, Reginelli 3-31, J. Jones 1-8, Holman 4-19, Griffin 2-59, Anderson 2-88 1TD, Franz 1-14.

First Downs

Rushing (Att-Yards)

Passing Yards

Total Offense

Pass (Comp-Att-Int) Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards

Washington 22 39-147 249 396 16-32-3 1-0 10-67

Tulane 21 33-131 248 379 17-40-1 2-1 7-73

Rushing: (UW) Weathersby 14-84, Jenkins 11-44, Chandler 5-23, Covington 4-12 1 TD, Conklin 2-(-3), Lewis 2-(-3), Franklin 1-(-10).

(TU) Jones 18-91, Allen 4-26, Pierce 5-13, Hunter 2-5, Adams 3-13, Toney 1-(-17).

Passing: (UW) Chandler 15-30-3-234 2TD, Conklin 1-2-0-15.

(TU) Jones 17-40-1-246.

Receiving: (UW) Weathersby 5-64, Franklin 4-61 1 TD, Slater 2-59, Ames 3-35 1TD, Jenkins 1-15, Lewis 1-15. (TU) Zeno 7-116, Pierce 2-58, McIntosh 3-17, Hunter 2-17, Adams 1-11, Nelson 1-17, Allen 1-18.

47

1998 Liberty Bowl

2002 Hawai’i Bowl

TULANE 41 BYU 27

TULANE 36 HAWAI’I 28

Dec. 31, 1998 • 52,197 Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, Tenn.

Dec. 25, 2002 • 35,513 Aloha Stadium • Honolulu, Hawai’i

Tulane capped its first 12-win season in school history with a surprisingly easy 41-27 win over WAC foe BYU in the 40th Anniversary Liberty Bowl.

In winning its first bowl game since the 1970 Liberty Bowl, the Green Wave built a 34-6 lead after three quarters against a BYU defense that was fifth nationally during the regular season.

QB Shaun King rushed for a game-high 109 yards, mostly on draw plays. King also passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard scoring strike to Kerwin Cook early in the second half to stake Tulane to a 27-6 lead.

BYU took an early 6-0 lead when Kevin Feterik found Ben Horton in the corner of the endzone for an 11-yard scoring toss. Tulane cut that lead to 6-3 on Brad Palazzo’s 31-yard field goal.

On BYU’s next possession, cornerback Michael Jordan stepped in front of a Feterik pass and raced 79 yards untouched down the sideline to give the Green Wave a 10-6 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Tulane stunned the homestanding Hawai’i Warriors by scoring 26 straight points in the second and third quarters to win the inaugural Hawai’i Bowl, 36-28.

Trailing 14-6 at the half, the Green Wave put 20 points on the board to take a 26-14 lead.

Return specialist Lynaris Elpheage quickly turned things around for the Wave, taking a punt back 60 yards for Tulane’s first touchdown of the day.

After Hawai’i’s next drive stalled, the Warriors again punted to Elpheage. This time, he brought the ball back 56 yards to the 17-yard line. From there, J.P. Losman scored on a oneyard run and added the two-pointer, this time on a rush, to give the Wave a 20-14 lead.

The Tulane defense posted eight sacks while holding UH to 66 rushing yards and forcing three turnovers. Losman scored a pair of rushing TDs in addition to his 240 passing yards while Mewelde Moore netted 116 rushing yards.

Elpheage was named the game’s MVP after totaling four punt returns for 143 yards and a pair of kickoff returns for 57 yards in addition to six tackles and a pass break-up.

Game Summary Game Summary BYU Tulane

6 0 0 21 — 27 10 10 14 7 — 41

BYU - Horton 11 pass from Feterik (kick failed), 8:49, 1st TU - Brad Palazzo 31 FG, 4:23, 1st TU - Michael Jordan 79 interception return (Palazzo kick), 1:35, 1st TU - Shaun King 3 run (Palazzo kick), 10:18, 2nd TU - Palazzo 23 FG, 0:41, 2nd TU - Kerwin Cook 60 pass from King (Palazzo kick), 13:48, 3rd TU - Jamaican Dartez 13 pass from King (Palazzo kick), 7:27, 3rd BYU - Cupp 3 run (Pochman kick), 11:38, 4th TU - Toney Converse 5 run (Palazzo kick), 9:24, 4th BYU - Cupp 18 pass from Feterik (Pochman kick), 8:06, 4th BYU - Mahe 3 run (Pochman kick), 1:30, 4th

First Downs

Rushing Att.-Yards

Passing Yards

Passing (C-A-I)

Total Offense Punts-Avg. Fumbles/Lost Penalty-Yards

Time of Possession

BYU 20 25-54 267 27-44-1 321 7-33.6 3/0 10-110 28:45

Tulane 28 41-252 276 23-38-0 528 4-41.5 2/0 8-59 31:15

Rushing: (BYU) Mahe 16-70 1TD, Cupp 3-4 1TD, Snowden 1-2, Feterik 5-(-22). (TU) King 16-109 1TD, Converse 18-103 1TD, Dartez 6-28, Franklin 1-12.

Passing: (BYU) Feterik 27-44-1-267 2TD; (TU) King 23-38-0-276 2TD. Receiving: (BYU) Horton 6-67 1TD, Sitake 5-77, Mahe 5-30, Cupp 4-30 1TD, Ofahengaue 3-42, Nuno 2-12, Rigell 1-5, Hooks 1-4; (TU) Dawson 6-83, Franklin 6-47, Cook 4-123 1TD, Burnette 3-12, Converse 3-(-2), Dartez 1-13 1TD.

48

Hawai’i Tulane

7 7 0 14 — 28 0 6 20 10 — 36

UH- Thero Mitchell 1 run (Justin Ayat kick), 10:34, 1st UH- Josh Galeai 2 run (Ayat kick), 8:35, 2nd TU- Seth Marler 22 FG, 5:01, 2nd TU- Marler 37 FG, 2:28, 2nd TU- Lynaris Elpheage 60 punt return (J.P. Losman pass failed), 10:44, 3rd TU- Losman 1 run (Losman rush), 6:17, 3rd TU- Mewelde Moore 25 run (Losman pass failed), 2:16, 3rd UH- Justin Colbert 57 pass from Shawn Withy-Allen (Ayat kick), 13:26, 4th TU- Losman 3 run (D. Davis pass from Losman), 8:54, 4th UH- Colbert 31 pass from Withy-Allen (Ayat kick), 5:12, 4th TU- Team safety, 3:02, 4th

Hawai’i

First Downs (R-P-Pen) 23 (4-18-1)

Rushing Att.-Yards 22-66

Passing Yards 363

Passing (C-A-I) 32-52-1

Plays-Total Offense 74-429 Punts-Avg. 5-53.8 Fumbles/Lost 5/2 Penalty-Yards 12-88

3rd Down Conv.

7-of-16

4th Down Conv.

2-of-2

Time of Possession 28:11

Tulane 25 (8-13-4) 44-144 240 20-39-0 83-384 4-47.0 3/1 6-64 6-of-18 0-of-0 31:49

Rushing: (UH) Mitchell 5-38 TD, Withy-Allen 9-21, West 2-9, Galeai 1-2 TD, Owens 1-0, Chang 4-(-4); (TU) Moore 30-116 TD, Losman 12-21 2TD, Joseph 1-6, Coleman 1-1.

Passing: (UH) Withy-Allen 18-31-1-239 2TD, Chang 14-21-0-124; (TU) Losman 20-39-0-240.

Receiving: (UH) Colbert 9-158 2TD, Cockheran 9-87, Ilaoa 4-34, Owens 3-12, Komine 2-36, Herbert 2-20, West 1-14, Jackson 1-4, Mitchell 1-(-2); (TU) Moore 6-80, Narcisse 5-64, Bush 3-43, C. Davis 2-28, Hoover 1-20, D. Davis 1-6, Smith 1-0.

2013 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

2018 AutoNation Cure Bowl

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 24 TULANE 21

TULANE 41 LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE 24

Dec. 21, 2013 • 54,728 Mercedes-Benz Superdome • New Orleans, La.

Dec. 15, 2018 • 19,066 Camping World Stadium • Orlando, Fla.

Tulane senior running back Orleans Darkwa scored three touchdowns and was named game MVP, but the Green Wave came up short in its comeback bid and fell 24-21 to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette before a record crowd of 54,728 in the 2013 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Darkwa finished the game with 83 yards on 16 carries and became the first player on a losing team to receive the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl MVP award.

Ryan Grant grabbed seven receptions for 113 yards, while Powell was 10-of-21 for 223 yards and one interception. Junior safety Sam Scofield finished with 10 tackles to lead the Wave, while senior defensive tackle Julius Warmsley and sophomore defensive back Jordan Batiste each recorded a pair of quarterback sacks.

Back in a bowl game for the first time in five years, the Tulane football team reintroduced itself to the postseason in style.

Tulane scored on its first four possessions, set a season high with 28 first downs and pulled away late for a 41-24 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette in the AutoNation Cure Bowl at Camping World Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The victory gives Tulane (7-6) its first winning season since 2013 and just the program’s fourth winning season since 2000. The bowl victory was Tulane’s first since the 2002 Hawaii Bowl, and the team is now 5-7 all-time in bowl games.

Darius Bradwell was named the game’s MVP, rushing for 150 yards to set a new Cure Bowl record and scoring two touchdowns on the ground. His 150 rushing yards and 35 carries were career highs as well as the largest totals in those categories in Green Wave bowl history. He reached 1,000 yards on the season as well, marking just the eighth time a Tulane player reached 1,000 yards in a single year.

Game Summary

Game Summary

ULL - Elijah McGuire 27 run (Hunter Stover kick), 10:57, 1st ULL - Alonzo Harris 15 run (S. Brauchle kick), 2:10, 1st ULL - Corey Trim 82 inception return (Stover kick(, 12:31, 2nd TU - Orleans Darwka 1 run (Cairo Santos kick), 3:55, 2nd TU - Darkwa 7 run (Santos kick), 1:58, 2nd TU - Darkwa 22 run (Santos kick), 2:34, 3rd ULL - Stover 27 FG, 9:56, 4th

ULL - Raymond Calais 38 run (Kyle Pfau kick), 2:35 1st TLN - Darius Bradwell 15 run (Merek Glover kick), 2:36 1st TLN - Terren Encalade 38 pass from Justin McMillan (Merek Glover kick), 2:59 1st TLN - Amare Jones 1 run (Merek Glover kick), 2:36 1st TLN - Merek Glover 38 FG, 4:32 2nd ULL - Kyle Pfau 43 FG, 0:23 2nd ULL - Elijah Mitchell 3 run (Kyle Pfau kick), 1:50, 3rd TLN - Merek Glover 26 FG, 4:51 3rd ULL - Jarrod Jackson 13 pass from Andre Nunez (Kyle Pfau kick), 1:04 4th TLN - Darius Bradwell 4 run (Merek Glover kick), 6:27 4th TLN - Justin McMillan 16 run (Merek Glover kick), 0:22 4th

Tulane Louisiana-Lafayette

First Downs

Rushing Att.-Yards

Passing Yards

Passing (C-A-I)

Total Offense Punts-Avg. Fumbles/Lost Penalty-Yards

Time of Possession

0 14 7 0 — 21 14 7 0 3 — 24

Tulane 15 28-102 286 15-30-3 388 7-42.1 2-0 10-85 23:42

ULL 19 46-168 157 14-21-2 325 7-39.4 0-0 7-73 36:18

Rushing: (TU) Darkwa 16-83, Powell 5-14, Butler 3-7, Rounds 1-5, Montana 1-4, Kelley 1-(-2); (ULL) Harris 13-74, McGuire 11-45, Nixon 7-29, Broadway 14-21.

Passing: (TU) Powell 10-21-1-223, Montana 5-8-1-63, Grant 0-1-1-0; (ULL) Broadway 12-19-2-143, Nixon 2-2-0-14.

Receiving: (TU) Grant 7-113, Shackleford 2-63, Banks 2-19, Breaux 1-42, Kelley 1-28, Butler 1-11, Marfisi 1-10; (ULL) McGuire 7-94, Robinson 4-50, Surgent 2-2, Harris 1-11.

Tulane Louisiana-Lafayette

First Downs

Rushing Att.-Yards

Passing Yards

Passing (C-A-I)

Total Offense Punts-Avg. Fumbles/Lost Penalty-Yards

Time of Possession

21 3 3 14 — 41 7 3 7 7 — 24

Tulane 28 69-337 145 11-18-1 482 2-41.5 1-1 1-5 40:31

ULL 11 30-84 174 11-25-1 258 7-40.1 0-0 1-15 19:29

Rushing: (TU) Bradwell 35-150, McMillan 10-72, Jones 6-63, Dauphine 8-31, Huderson 6-26; (ULL) Calais 3-41, Ragas 10-40, Mitchell 6-26, Lewis 2-(-5), Nunez 9-(-18).

Passing: (TU) McMillan 11-18-1-145; (ULL) Nunez 8-17-0-136, Lewis 3-7-1-38.

Receiving: (TU) Encalade 5-93, Clewis 2-17, Wallace 2-14, Jones 1-15, Mooney 1-6; (ULL) Malone 3-59, Barnes 3-29, Bradley 2-51, Ragas 1-15, Jackson 1-13, Mitchell 1-7.

49

2020 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

TULANE 30 SOUTHERN MISS 13 Jan. 24, 2020 • 38,513 Amon G. Carter Stadium • Fort Worth, Tx.

Tulane senior quarterback Justin McMillan threw three touchdowns and was named game MVP as the Green Wave won their second straight bowl game for the first time in program history. Tulane topped Southern Miss, 30-13, in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

McMillan set Tulane bowl game records in passing yards with 215 and completion percentage at .722.

SeniorwidereceiverJalenMcCleskey grabbed two receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown, while freshman running back Cameron Carrol had a team-high 48 yards and on the ground.

Junior safeties Larry Brooks and Chase Kuerschen finished the game with an interception for the Green Wave.

After Southern Miss jumped out to an early lead, Tulane responded with two field goals from junior Merek Glover before the half. The Green Wave added three touchdowns and another field goal in the third, all while holding the Golden Eagles scorless in the final three quarters.

Game Summary Tulane Southern Miss

0 6 24 0 — 30 13 0 0 0 — 13

USM - Quez Watkins 44 pass from Jack Abraham (Andrew Stein kick failed), 12:07, 1st USM - Jack Abraham 3 run (Andrew Stein kick), 5:23, 1st TU - Merek Glover 31 FG, 12:41, 2nd TU - Glover 31 FG, 4:37, 2nd TU - Jalen McCleskey 52 pass from Justin McMillan (Glover kick), 13:20, 3rd TU - Glover 36 FG, 6:16, 3rd TU - Josh Robertson 7 pass from McMillan (Glover kick), 5:37, 3rd TU - Amare Jones 20 pass from McMillan (Glover kick), 1:54, 3rd

First Downs

Rushing Att.-Yards

Passing Yards

Passing (C-A-I)

Total Offense Punts-Avg. Fumbles/Lost Penalty-Yards

Time of Possession

Tulane 19 23-58 215 13-18-0 379 6-48.2 0-0 6-50 33:53

USM 15 48-164 301 26-45-2 359 8-39.8 0-0 10-82 26:07

Rushing: (TU) Carroll 9-48, McMillan 17-41, Bradwell 10-36, Jones 3-18, Huderson 4-11, Dauphine 2-6, Booker 1-1; (USM) Mosley 7-43, Baker 2-6, Anderson 2-5, Whatley 7-3, Abraham 4-2, Perkins 1-(-1).

Passing: (TU) McMillan 13-18-0-215; (USM) Abraham 17-23-0-167, Whatley 9-22-2-134.

Receiving: (TU) McCleskey 2-87, Jones 5-57, Mooney 3-43, Toles 1-15, Robertson 1-7, Dauphine 1-6; (USM) Watkins 8-121, Jones 7-62, Harris 4-49, Whatley 1-33, Mosley 3-17, McLaurin 1-8, Mitchell 1-7, Ladner 1-4.

50

BOWL RECORDS INDIVIDUAL RECORDS

TEAM RECORDS

TOTAL OFFENSE

TOTAL OFFENSE

Plays Yards

RUSHING

Attempts Yards Avg. (min. 10 att.)

Touchdowns

PASSING

Attempts Completions Percentage Yards Touchdowns

RECEIVING Receptions

Yards Touchdowns

SCORING

Touchdowns

PATs Made

PAT Attempts

2-Pt PATs Att. 2-Pt PATs Made FG Attempts FG Made

PUNTING

Punts Yards Avg. (Min. 5)

INTERCEPTIONS Interceptions Yards

KICKOFF RETURNS Returns Yards: Avg. (Min. 2) Touchdowns

PUNT RETURNS Returns Yards Avg. (Min. 2) Touchdowns

LONGEST PLAY Rush Pass Punt Kickoff Return Int. Return Punt Return

58 385

Terrence Jones................................................... 1987 Independence Shaun King....................................................................1998 Liberty

35 160 8.3 3

Darius Bradwell.................................................................2018 Cure Darius Bradwell.................................................................2018 Cure Wop Glover (14-117)........................................................ 1932 Rose Orleans Darkwa....................................................2013 New Orleans

Plays Yards

86 528

vs. Louisiana-Lafayette......................................................2018 Cure vs. BYU..........................................................................1998 Liberty

68 365 6.1 yds.

4

vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.....................................................2018 Cure vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.....................................................2018 Cure vs. BYU..........................................................................1998 Liberty vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.....................................................2018 Cure

40 23 .722 276 0 4 3

vs. Washington.................................................. 1987 Independence vs. BYU..........................................................................1998 Liberty vs. Southern Miss................................................ .2020 Armed Forces vs. BYU..........................................................................1998 Liberty vs. four teams vs. Houston...................................................1973 Astro-Bluebonnet vs. Southern Miss................................................2019 Armed Forces

Total 28

Rushing 19 Passing 13 Penalty 4

vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.....................................................2018 Cure vs. BYU..........................................................................1998 Liberty vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.....................................................2018 Cure vs. Hawai’i.................................................................... 2002 Hawai’i vs. Hawai’i.................................................................... 2002 Hawai’i

RUSHING

Attempts Yards Average Touchdowns

PASSING 40 23 .722 276 3

Terrence Jones................................................... 1987 Independence Shaun King....................................................................1998 Liberty Justin McMillan (13 of 18)..................................2020 Armed Forces Shaun King....................................................................1998 Liberty Justin McMillan..................................................2020 Armed Forces

7 7 7 123 2

Ryan Grant............................................................2013 New Orleans Marc Zeno.......................................................... 1987 Independence Alton Alexis...................................................................1979 Liberty Kerwin Cook..................................................................1998 Liberty Dick Hardy.......................................................................1935 Sugar

3 3 5 5 5 5 4 1 5 3

Orleans Darkwa....................................................2013 New Orleans Justin McMillan..................................................2020 Armed Forces Merek Glover.....................................................................2018 Cure Brad Palazzo..................................................................1998 Liberty Merek Glover.....................................................................2018 Cure Brad Palazzo..................................................................1998 Liberty J.P. Losman................................................................... 2002 Hawai’i by three players Seth Marler................................................................... 2002 Hawai’i Merek Glover.......................................................2020 Armed Forces

9 353 48.4

Howard McNeill............................................1973 Astro-Bluebonnet Howard McNeill............................................1973 Astro-Bluebonnet Peter Picerelli........................................................2013 New Orleans

Attempts Completions Percentage Yards Fewest Ints.

Interceptions Touchdowns

FIRST DOWNS

PUNTING Total Fewest Yards Average

11 2 374 47.0

vs. Texas A&M.................................................................1940 Sugar vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.....................................................2018 Cure vs. Texas A&M..................................................................1940 Sugar vs. Hawai’i.................................................................... 2002 Hawai’i

10 10 1

vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.........................................2013 New Orleans vs. Southern Miss................................................2020 Armed Forces vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.....................................................2018 Cure

8 225

vs. Houston...................................................1973 Astro-Bluebonnet vs. Houston...................................................1973 Astro-Bluebonnet

6 6 6 143

vs. Southern Cal................................................................ 1932 Rose vs. Temple........................................................................1935 Sugar vs. Texas A&M..................................................................1940 Sugar vs. Hawai’i.................................................................... 2002 Hawai’i

Most Points 41

Fewest Points 6

vs. Louisiana-Lafayette.....................................................2018 Cure vs. BYU..........................................................................1998 Liberty vs. Penn State................................................................1979 Liberty

PENALTIES Most

Fewest

KICKOFF RETURNS

2 79

James McKinley................................................. 1987 Independence Michael Jordan..............................................................1998 Liberty

5 154 35 1

Martin Mitchell.............................................1973 Astro-Bluebonnet Martin Mitchell.............................................1973 Astro-Bluebonnet Amare Jones (2-70)...........................................................2018 Cure Monk Simons..........................................................1935 Sugar Bowl

6 143 35.8 1 1 1

Don Zimmerman.............................................................. 1932 Rose Lynaris Elpheage.......................................................... 2002 Hawai’i Lynaris Elpheage (4-143).............................................. 2002 Hawai’i Bobby Kellogg.................................................................1940 Sugar Mitchell Price..................................................... 1987 Independence Lynaris Elpheage.......................................................... 2002 Hawai’i

58 62 61 85 79 76

Wop Glover....................................................................... 1932 Rose N. Hall to M. Anderson.......................................... 1980 Hall of Fame Deron Smith (twice).......................................... 1987 Independence Monk Simons...................................................................1935 Sugar Michael Jordan..............................................................1998 Liberty Bobby Kellogg.................................................................1940 Sugar

Number Yards

PUNT RETURNS Punt Returns

Yards

SCORING

INTERCEPTIONS Number Yards

DEFENSE*

Total Yards Rushing Yards Passing Yards First Downs

3 79 175 54 19 9

vs. Washington.................................................. 1987 Independence vs. BYU..........................................................................1998 Liberty

by Colorado........................................................1970 Liberty

by BYU................................................................1998 Liberty

by Temple.............................................................1935 Sugar

by Southern Cal......................................................1932 Rose

*denotes fewest allowed

51

Playing in the middle of a pandemic, the best number for Tulane football was 11 By: Guerry Smith Dec. 6, 2020 Right after Tulane improved to 6-5 by beating Memphis 35-21 on Saturday, Tulane coach Willie Fritz addressed maybe the most significant, hidden number in the bunch.

Six plus five equals 11 games, a truly amazing accomplishment in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Green Wave played every game on its revised schedule and is one of only 10 FBS teams with 11 or more results at the traditional end to the regular season, joining Syracuse, Boston College, North Carolina State, Georgia Southern, South Alabama, Arkansas State, Texas-San Antonio and Texas State (which managed to squeeze in 12).

“It’s been a tough, tough season,” Fritz said, referring in part to all the changes in protocol caused by COVID-19. “The first thing I told them in the locker room was who thought we were going to play 11 games this year? We were one of the few teams in the country that actually stayed on schedule. The only game that was changed had nothing to do with us. We’ve got really good, young men and good people surrounding them in our program, and it allowed us to play 11 games this year.”

The unprecedented sacrifices players and coaches had to make cannot be overlooked when assessing any team’s performance in 2020.

Memphis, which saw its three-year streak of reaching the American Athletic Conference championship game end Saturday, played the entire season without 1,000yard rusher Kenneth Gainwell, who opted out in August, and all but two games without 1,000-yard receiver Damonte Coxie, who opted out in September. Because of COVID issues, the Tigers went nearly a month between their opener against Arkansas State (Sept. 5) and their second game against SMU (Oct. 3). Dates with Houston and Navy were postponed, prompting a one-week delay against Tulane to fit in the rescheduled game with the Midshipmen.

Tulane had no one opt out and much fewer issues, but it still missed playing its original opener against Southeastern Louisiana when the Southland Conference elected not to play in the fall. In August, it had to add road games against South Alabama and Southern Miss to replace lost dates with Northwestern and Mississippi State.

Coaches are creatures of habit, so the adjustments were hard to handle for them.

Players had to cut out almost all social life for fear of becoming super spreaders of coronavirus, an issue that caused disruptions to sports across the country. The latest example came Saturday, when the basketball game between No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 2 Baylor set to begin while Tulane and Memphis were in the second half was canceled due to positive tests for the Zags.

Tulane’s players have essentially lived in a bubble since returning to campus in June, focusing entirely on football and classes.

“It’s been a very, very, very, very strange year without question,” Fritz said. “But to be honest with you, I am going to use this in recruiting. I’m going to tell kids, all right, here are the guys you are going to be around. They’ve handled it an adult matter, and it’s day after day after day.”

Fritz credited Tulane’s medical staff, the athletic trainers and the coaches for staying on top of the pandemic, but he heaped his biggest praise on the players. Several missed the opener against South Alabama due to the virus or contact tracing, with a few more sprinkled throughout the season and a couple against Memphis, but no position group was decimated at any time, and the Wave had a huge percentage of

the roster available for every game.

Chip Long, who likely will be Tulane’s next offensive coordinator according to a source with knowledge of the situation, picked the perfect time to sit out a year of heavy coaching duties. After agreeing to step down as offensive coordinator of Notre Dame at the end of 2019, he hooked on with Tennessee as an offensive analyst and avoided the massive, necessary headaches of coaching in the coronavirus era.

If he is hired to replace close friend and college roommate Will Hall, he should have no worries about the dedication of the players he inherits. The Wave lost some heartbreaking games this season, but it never lost focus on what it took to play through a pandemic.

“We still have 18- to 22-year olds, and they’ve done a very nice job,” Fritz said.

“We’re walking into the Superdome (for Thursday’s practice in preparation for Memphis) and I’m saying, ‘Mask, mask,’ and I only have to say it to a couple of guys who forgot for a second.”

It’s official: Chip Long replaces close friend Will Hall as Tulane offensive coordinator By: Guerry Smith Dec. 8, 2020 Tulane posted the second- and fourth-highest scoring averages in school history in two years under offensive coordinator Will Hall.

His replacement and best friend, Chip Long, will try to take the Green Wave to even greater heights.

Tulane coach Willie Fritz officially tabbed Long, 37, as his new offensive coordinator on Tuesday afternoon.

“We could not be more thrilled to welcome Chip Long to our staff,” Fritz said.

“Chip is one of the best offensive minds in college football today, and his track record as a coordinator at some of the nation’s top collegiate programs speaks for itself.”

good foundation.”

Although he has not been listed as a quarterbacks coach since he was graduate assistant at Louisville under Bobby Petrino in 2006-07, Long said he would handle that role at Tulane, giving up his 10-year role as a tight ends coach. He played tight end and wide receiver at North Alabama.

“I’ve always been absolutely involved with the quarterbacks, but I’ve just coached another position because it was so important that I could touch every piece of the offense,” he said. “I would meet with the quarterbacks all the time and then I’d have the tight ends later. Tulane has a great tight ends coach (Slade Nagel) who I know really well. I feel really comfortable with him.”

Long did not want to discuss the details of his break-up with Notre Dame, which came after the Irish lost fewer games in his three years than in the season before he arrived (4-8 in 2016).

Long, a Birmingham, Alabama native, was the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame from 2017 to 2019, helping the Fighting Irish go 32-6. He was one of five finalists for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant in 2018, when Notre Dame reached the college football playoff. The other two years his offense averaged the most points in Kelley’s first 10 seasons as coach of the Irish.

“We had a great run and I left it in much better shape than I found it,” he said. “We recruited really well, too, and obviously that’s coming through (Notre Dame is undefeated and appears headed for the college football playoff). I’m proud of what they are doing. I loved those kids and loved Notre Dame, but it was time to move on.”

After agreeing mutually to part ways after the 2019 regular season, Long ended up at Tennessee as an offensive analyst this year.

He added he felt fortunate for his year at Tennessee even though the Vols have struggled, losing six straight after a 2-0 start.

Before coaching at Notre Dame, he spent two years at Illinois under Ron Zook (2010-11), four years at Arizona State under Todd Graham (2012-15) and one year at Memphis under Mike Norvell (2016).

“It’s been a good time to sit back and recharge, but the itch to call plays and run an offense obviously was overbearing,” he said. “It was really good for me and my family, and if there was a year to do it, it would have been this year with the COVID disaster.”

Long shares much more with Hall than just four-letter first and last names. The two were roommates and teammates for two years at Division II North Alabama and have been very close ever since.

“They are very similar,” Long said of his and Hall’s philosophies. “We are very aggressive and run the same concepts. There won’t be a huge transition. Everything they did at Tulane, we ran at Notre Dame and Memphis and Arizona State. It’s an NFL offense that goes fast. We want to showcase all the playmakers we have and get them the ball.”

He listed his mentors as Bobby and Paul Petrino, who were at Louisville and Arkansas when he was a grad assistant at both schools, Purdue coach Jeff Brohm, who was an assistant at Louisville when he was a grad assistant there, Graham, his coach at Arizona State, and Ron Zook, who hired him for his first full-time job at Illinois.

Because of his friendship with Hall, Long already was familiar with Tulane’s players before he arrived Sunday, driving from Knoxville to New Orleans the day after Tennessee played Florida. He will inherit quarterback Michael Pratt, who threw more touchdowns passes (18) than any other FBS freshman this season, a deep offensive line, talented running backs and a group of young wide receivers who gained plenty of experience this season.

He said the entire set of circumstances made his choice easy when Hall agreed to become coach at Southern Miss last week.

“Obviously, me and Will talk just about every day, and he said (the Tulane opening) would be a possibility,” Long said. “He wanted to make sure his quarterback was taken care of, and he wondered if I was interested, and I said absolutely. I know their personnel so well just through Will and watching their games. Me and my wife love New Orleans, and I’ve known coach Fritz through Will. He’s a great man. I wanted to go to a place that I knew had a great leader and already has a

Walker: Tulane QB Michael Pratt should make job easier for coordinator Will Hall’s replacement By: Guerry Smith Dec. 5, 2020 Will Hall is leaving.

Michael Pratt isn’t.

There’s your silver lining if you’re a Tulane fan regretting to see Hall leave to take over as coach at Southern Miss.

Whoever Willie Fritz hires to replace Hall should be more than thrilled with the tough-as-nails-quarterback he will inherit to run the offense.

Pratt, just a freshman, just continues to get better and better, as anyone at Yulman Stadium on Saturday can attest.

Pratt completed 21 of 33 passes for a career-best 254 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s 35-21 victory over Memphis. The victory made Tulane bowl-eligible for an unprecedented third straight season, which means Pratt will get some more practices and one more game in to help with his ascent. One of Pratt’s completions was a perfectly thrown dime to Jha’Quan Jackson for a 42-yard touchdown. There was also a completion that converted a fourth and 1. Oh, and Pratt also rushed for two touchdowns.

He took his share of big hits in the game, but kept getting back up and moving the offense.

Pratt has a simple explanation for where that toughness comes from.

“It’s just natural for me,” Pratt said. “I’m a competitor, the youngest of four children. I’ve been getting knocked down my whole life by my older siblings so I have no choice but to get back up.”

Pratt’s toughness goes beyond being physically tough.

He’s mentally tough too, which is why Saturday’s game was so important to him.

In the Green Wave’s last game two weeks ago, he threw a game-sealing pick-six in overtime moments after the Tulane defense gave up a Hail Mary on the final play of regulation in a heart crushing loss to Tulsa.

“That really wore on him,” Fritz said. “I remember him saying ‘If one more person tells me to keep my head up, I’m going to hit them in the head.’ He’s very competitive.”

How did Pratt respond on Saturday?

By marching Tulane down the field 75 yards down the field on its opening drive and capping it off with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Duece Watts. He had clearly put the Tulsa loss behind him.

“I knew I had to keep my head up,” Pratt said. “I needed one day just to let it hurt for a little. Coming back that next day, everybody was positive moving forward and that what we did. We got better and fixed it.”

The Tulane offense has been pretty much fixed ever since Pratt took over in Week 3 against Southern Miss. He replaced Keon Howard that day in September and Tulane scored 66 points, which surely had to make Southern Miss’ decision to hire Hall an easy one. Pratt completed 9 of 19 passes for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns in that game, but just continues to improve from week to week.

“Confidence had been a huge thing going into every week,” Pratt said. “I think the biggest thing in terms of that is just how much the game slows down. Those first snaps, everything felt really fast. Each week going forward, the more knowledge I gained and the more film I watched and the more times we run the same stuff, it all helps out.”

If the game keeps slowing down for him the way it has, there is a good chance the Sports Information Department will spend some time having to update the school record books. He’s proved to be a quick study. Not bad considering this time a year ago he was leading Deerfield Beach High School to the Class 8A semifinals of the playoffs in Florida. Twelve months later, he has the keys to the Tulane offense that has averaged 37.5 points since he took over.

“He’s a captain on this team now whether he believes it or not,” said running back Stephon Huderson. “He’s a young guy, but people look up to him ... From play one at Southern Miss, he was playing with swagger and playing like he’s been there before. He came in on a high note and he’s only going higher every week.”

Pratt admits he was emotional as he and Hall hugged after the game.

Pratt will have a new offensive coordinator someday soon.

The good news?

That new coordinator will have Pratt.

Hall ball: Tulane handles Memphis 35-21 in offensive coordinator’s final game with the Wave By: Guerry Smith Dec. 5, 2020

Tulane turned that sack into points, too, never facing a third down on an 80-yard drive that ended on Carroll’s 11th touchdown run of the year.

Offensive coordinator Will Hall received a Gatorade bath at the end of Tulane’s game with Memphis on Saturday. He had given the Green Wave the gift it wanted the most on his way out of town.

End Cameron Sample provided the biggest defensive play, sacking White on fourth down from the Wave 12 with 7:02 left after a topsy-turvy drive that featured a questionable incomplete-pass call on what appeared to be fumble return for a touchdown by cornerback Jaylon Monroe and the ejection of starting cornerback Willie Langham for targeting.

While he heads to Southern Miss to be the Golden Eagles new coach, Tulane will head somewhere to play in a bowl game — COVID-19 permitting — after its five-touchdown outburst in a comprehensive 35-21 win against the Tigers on Saturday at Yulman Stadium.

After news of Hall’s imminent departure broke earlier in the week, the Wave turned it into a galvanizing force rather than a distraction, setting the tone with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive on the opening possession. That series ended with a beautiful throw and catch involving quarterback Michael Pratt and wide receiver Duece Watts on a well-covered fade.

“They were getting a little bit of momentum,” Sample said. “We knew as a defense, look, if we keep them out of the end zone and get a stop on fourth down here, that’s probably going to be the game. I just went for it.”

Safety Larry Brooks’ interception off a deflection three minutes later totally sealed the deal, and Tulane ran out the clock.

Tulane held Memphis to 45 yards on 28 carries and sacked quarterback Brady White three times, limiting the Tigers to 300 total yards.

“It was awesome,” Pratt said. “I know I was just really excited to get him (Hall) to go out with a bang. He continued to motivate us and didn’t let off the gas. He could have taken a step down and not coached us to the best of his ability, but he went above and beyond and got us to play like this for him this last time.”

The Memphis defense was not nearly as successful. Pratt threw for 186 yards in the first half, finishing 21 of 33 for 254 yards with two touchdowns passing and running.

The rest of Senior Day was almost as pretty for the Wave, which passed all over Memphis in the first half, ran effectively after the break and made the Tigers one-dimensional offensively by shutting down their ground game.

It was the quintessential performance under Hall. The Wave hurt the Tigers early in the air when they played to stop the run and did most of its damage in the second half on the ground when the Tigers began focusing on the pass.

Memphis (6-3, 4-3 American Athletic Conference) entered with an outside chance to reach the league championship game for the fourth year in a row, but Tulane (6-5, 3-5) snuffed out those hopes, beating the Tigers by double digits at home for the second consecutive time.

“Will called a great game and did a super job managing the clock there at the end,” Fritz said. “There are not a whole lot of coordinators who can play fast and slow, but we did a good job of mixing up our tempo throughout the game.”

“Memphis has a very storied program,” coach Willie Fritz said. “It was good to get them in here and get this win.”

Showing no signs of a hangover from its excruciating double-overtime loss to Tulsa its last time out, Tulane never trailed, went ahead for good on Pratt’s 42-yard touchdown pass to Jha’Quan Jackson with 4:00 left in the first quarter and kept applying pressure.

“That (Tulsa) was a devastating loss for all of us, but you have to move on,” Fritz said. “We showed a lot of maturity.”

Phat Watts made a diving catch for a 38-yard gain on the last play of the first quarter, kick-starting a nine-play, 83-yard drive as Tulane went ahead 21-7. The Wave kept the series alive with a 13-yard pass from Pratt to wide open running back Cameron Carroll off a play fake on fourth-and-1 — the perfect follow-up to Carroll’s second-effort run on fourth-and-1 that set up the Wave’s previous touchdown.

The defense, which could not get off the field in critical situations during the fourth quarter against Tulsa, came up huge in similar circumstances. Defensive tackle Eric Hicks stuffed running back Asa Martin for a 5-yard loss at the Tulane 43 when the Tigers went for it on fourth-and-1 to start the second half.

The offense responded with a touchdown, getting an 8-yard scramble by Pratt on third-and-7 before he scrambled again for a 10-yard score as Tulane went ahead 28-14.

Safety Macon Clark atoned for two special-teams penalties with a third-down sack on a blitz after the Tigers cut the deficit to 28-21 and picked off a pass from running back Amare Jones on a trick play that backfired.

Tulane, which averaged 35.4 points in its first 10 games, virtually nailed that total against a defense that has not allowed more than 330 yards in its last three contests.

Pratt embraced Hall after the final seconds ticked off the clock. He said he’s sad to see him leave but understands totally the lure of returning to his home state of Mississippi as a head coach.

“I’m super stoked for him,” Pratt said. “Of anybody I know, he deserves it. I’m so thankful for what he’s taught me.”

Focused on Memphis: Tulane’s Willie Fritz not interested in talking about next offensive coordinator By: Guerry Smith Dec. 3, 2020 Tulane coach Willie Fritz put the kibosh on any discussion about the replacement for Will Hall on Thursday, but all signs point to former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long.

A source close to the situation confirmed reports by FootballScoop.com and Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports late Wednesday night that the Wave was expected to hire Long, saying it was “trending in that direction.”

Long, 37, and Hall were college roommates and teammates at North Alabama, and Hall described their relations as “like brothers.” Long certainly would bring topnotch credentials.

Notre Dame went 32-6 in his three seasons there, boasting the two highest scoring offenses in the first 11 years of coach Brian Kelly’s tenure. The Fighting Irish averaged 34.2 points in 2017, 36.8 points in 2019 and reached the college football playoff in 2018, averaging 31.4 points. That season, Long was one of five finalists for the Broyles Award, which goes to the nation’s top assistant.

Kelly and Long parted ways last December for undisclosed reasons, and Long landed at Tennessee as an offensive analyst.

Before going to Notre Dame, he was the offensive coordinator at Memphis in 2016 under Mike Norvell, with the Tigers averaging 38.8 points. He was the tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator at Arizona State from 2011 to 2015.

Fritz, though, preferred to concentrate on Saturday’s game between Tulane (5-5, 2-5 American Athletic Conference) and Memphis (6-2, 4-2) after the Wave’s Thursday morning practice at the Superdome.

“Everything is premature,” he said when asked about the reports about Long. “I had a lot of interesting phone calls from friends last evening who called me about different deals, so I finally just quit answering the phone and put it on mute. All our focus is on Memphis.”

He added Hall’s hiring as Southern Miss coach, which was first reported on Tuesday afternoon and became official on Wednesday, would not be a distraction as Tulane tries to finish with six wins in the regular season for the third consecutive year. Hall will coach the Wave offense for the final time on Saturday.

“One of the things I did when we announced it to the players Wednesday morning prior to practice was get all the seniors up there because this was going to be the last game for a lot of those guys,” Fritz said. “I said Will has given his blood, sweat and tears for two years at Tulane University, and some of these guys have done it for five, so let’s send them all out on a good note.”

Fritz praised Hall’s communication with him about the Southern Miss job, which came open when Jay Hopson resigned after one game this season. Hall, an Amory, Mississippi native and the son of Mississippi high school coaching legend Bobby Hall, was an immediate frontrunner.

He helped his case when Tulane tramped Southern Miss 66-24 in September, rushing for 427 yards.

“He’s a natural fit,” Fritz said. “Everybody’s concerned about getting a name when they are hiring someone, but Will knows about every third person in the state.

I commend their athletic director (Jeremy McClain). I’m sure he vetted a lot of people, but it’s got to be a fit. He (Hall) has the experience, and it was a great hire.”

Aside from Hall’s obvious attributes — Tulane had the third-highest scoring average in school history last year and is topping that number this season — Fritz mentioned his willingness to seek advice.

“He’s one of the few assistant coaches I’ve had who would pick my brain about things and ask me questions,” Fritz said. “I imagine this is the first time in the history of Tulane that an assistant coach has taken an FBS coaching job. I’m happy for him.”

Fritz said it was not a certainty that offensive line coach Cody Kennedy would follow Hall to Southern Miss. Kennedy, Hall’s hand-picked helper, arrived at Tulane with Hall for the 2019 season.

“I always want everybody to do what they feel is best for them and their career and their families,” Fritz said. “Cody’s done a tremendous job for us as well. We’re not going to broach that with anybody until after we get done with this game, and I told Will that also.”

Freshman factor: Kentwood product Cornelius Dyson impressive in first start By: Guerry Smith Dec. 2, 2020 Just before warm-ups against Tulsa, Tulane free safety Cornelius Dyson learned he was starting for the first time in his career.

He was a little late to react on a fourth-and-15 play as Tulsa tied the score at 14, allowing quarterback Davis Brin to zip a pass between him and cornerback Jaylon Monroe to the back of the end zone, but it was the accumulation of events rather than one moment that affected him the most.

It was a heady assignment for a freshman who never played the position at tiny Kentwood High, and one he had pointed to from the moment he arrived on campus.

“I was disappointed with all the touchdowns, not just that one,” he said. “I feel like I just have to trust myself and trust my teammates more and we just have to execute and do our jobs.”

“To be honest, it was a lot of prayer,” he said. “I came to fall camp and I worked hard, got in the playbook and did all I could. You have to have that want-to. My effort and my tenacity to get on the field early allowed me to play.”

Slated to play meaningful downs at the beginning of the year, Dyson missed the first two games because of coronavirus protocol. His role increased every week since then, culminating in his surprise start against Tulsa.

He did more than just play. Subbing for banged-up regular starter Chase Kuerschen, he made seven tackles, broke up two passes and had two stops for loss.

Although Tulane suffered an excruciating defeat in double overtime, he factored significantly in the Green Wave building a 14-0 lead in the first 50 minutes.

Next season, he plans to be a permanent fixture in the lineup.

When the Golden Hurricane gambled on fourth-and-1 from its own 29 in the third quarter, Dyson corralled running back T.K. Wilkerson two yards behind the line of scrimmage after he bounced off a hit from linebacker Nick Anderson, leading to an insurance touchdown.

“He has a tremendous future here,” coach Willie Fritz said. “He’s got good size, speed, movement, change of direction, balance and instincts. He was going to probably play 40 to 50 snaps, but because of Chase not being able to go, he ended up playing the whole game and did a very nice job.”

Dyson was a jack of all trades at Kentwood, starring in basketball, track and football while helping the school to one Class 2A state championship, two runner-up finishes and a semifinal in his four years there. About the only thing he did not do was line up at the back end of the defense, but he has been a quick learner at Tulane.

Fritz loved his size (6-foot-1, 205 pounds) when he signed, pointing out the Wave needed to get bigger in the secondary to match up with its American Athletic Conference opponents. The coaches have learned he has the mind to go with his natural skills.

“He’s learning every game,” Fritz said. “This is much more complex than what he did in high school, but if you throw something new at him, it doesn’t weight him down and not allow him to play fast.”

Dyson took the loss to Tulsa very hard, dwelling on what he could have done to prevent the collapse when the Golden Hurricanes scored three touchdowns in the final 10 minutes of regulation.

“I feel like I don’t do anything to the best of my ability now,” he said. “I still have to work on my game and improve in so many ways.”

It’s official: Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall leaving to become Southern Miss coach By: Guerry Smith Dec. 2, 2020 Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall was officially hired as Southern Miss coach on Wednesday, but he will stay with the Green Wave through Saturday’s regular-season finale against Memphis.

Hall, an Amory, Mississippi native returning to his home state, has been at practice all week as the Wave (5-5) prepares for a game that will determine whether or not it finishes above .500 in the regular season and solidifies its chance to go to a bowl for an unprecedented third straight year. He is expected to take offensive line coach Cody Kennedy, whom he handpicked when he arrived at Tulane, with him to Southern Miss.

Tulane closed its Wednesday practice to reporters and canceled all interviews, but coach Willie Fritz tweeted about Hall’s decision after Southern Miss announced it.

Hall’s introductory news conference in Hattiesburg will be Monday.

“Will Hall has done a fabulous job as our offensive coordinator the past two seasons,” Fritz wrote. “Will has been a great asset to our football program and he will be missed. Our players, coaches and staff are all thrilled for him and this incredible opportunity he has as the head football coach at the University of Southern Mississippi. We wish him and his family all the best as he returns to his home state of Mississippi.”

Whether or not Tulane earns a bowl bid, Fritz has plenty to do in the next couple of weeks as he looks for a replacement for Hall and tries to hold together the Wave’s recruiting class for the Dec. 16 early signing day. Eight of Tulane’s 18 commitments are on offense, including quarterback Ty Keyes, who was downgraded to three stars from four stars by the recruiting services after choosing Tulane but was named Mr. Football for Class 2A in Mississippi for the third year in a row and has propelled Taylorsville High to the state championship game.

Another highly rated recruit, wide receiver Kanarius Johnson of Laurel (Mississippi), de-committed Monday, a day before news broke about Hall’s departure.

Hall is leaving an impressive two-year legacy. Last season, his first in New Orleans, Tulane averaged 33.1 points and 444.9 yards, its third highest totals in both categories and nearly a touchdown more than it managed in 2018.

This season, the Wave has increased its scoring average to 35.4 while turning to true freshman quarterback Michael Pratt as a starter for the past seven games. The Wave scored 30 or more points in seven consecutive games for the first time since doing it in the final seven games of the undefeated 1998 season. The string ended Nov. 19 in a heartbreaking 30-24 double-overtime loss to Tulsa when the Golden Hurricane returned an interception for a touchdown on the final play.

By coaching Saturday, Hall will ensure that play will not be his last with the Wave.

Report: Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall to be named Southern Miss coach on Wednesday By: Guerry Smith Dec. 1, 2020 Second-year Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall is expected to be named Southern Miss coach on Wednesday, although he refused to confirm the news.

“It’s all rumor as of now,” Hall texted after Jeff Haeger of television station WXXV in Gulfport, Mississippi tweeted Tuesday afternoon that sources said the Golden Eagles would make an official announcement of Hall’s hiring on Wednesday.

Other outlets, including ESPN and FootballScoop.com, had reported Hall was the frontrunner there.

Neither Tulane nor Southern Miss officials had confirmed the hiring as of Tuesday night.

Hall, from Amory, Mississippi and the son of Mississippi high school coaching legend Bobby Hall, was considered a leading candidate for the Southern Miss job since Golden Eagles coach Jay Hopson resigned after the season opener. The question was whether or not he would be willing to leave Tulane, which he said had enormous potential in a city he and his family loved, for a Conference USA program in his home state.

Hall, 40, already has produced some of the most prolific offensive numbers in school history during his stint with the Green Wave. Last year, Tulane (7-6) averaged 33.1 points and 444.9 yards, its third highest totals in both categories and nearly a touchdown more than it managed in 2018.

This season, the Wave (5-5) has upped its scoring average to 35.4 entering Saturday’s regular-season finale against Memphis while playing most of the way with true freshman starting quarterback Michael Pratt. The Wave scored 30 or more points in seven consecutive games for the first time since doing it in the final seven games of its undefeated 1998 season. The string ended Nov. 19 in a 30-24 double-overtime loss to Tulsa, which may turn out to be Hall’s final game in New Orleans.

The streak started with a 66-24 demolition of Southern Miss in Hattiesburg when Tulane ran for 426 yards. Under Hall, the Wave also beat the Golden Eagles 30-13 in the Armed Forces Bowl last January, with quarterback Justin McMillan throwing for three touchdowns.

Hall has head coaching experience, leading West Alabama (2011-13) and West Georgia (2014-16) to three Gulf South Conference titles and the Division II playoffs four times in six years.

Before arriving at Tulane, he was the tight ends coach and associate head coach at Memphis under Mike Norvell in 2018 and the offensive coordinator at UL in 2017.

Southern Miss has plummeted to 2-7 in a nightmarish season, cycling through three coaches. After Hopson’s resignation, interim coach Scotty Walden stuck around for four games, then left to become coach at Austin Peay. Defensive coordinator Tim Billings has been the interim since then, going 1-4 with the lone victory against North Alabama.

The Golden Eagles have a long history of success, though, winning seven, eight or nine games 18 times in the 24 previous years and finishing 12-2 in 2011.

Bobby Collins (SMU), Curley Hallman (LSU) and Larry Fedora (North Carolina) have used Southern Miss as stepping stones to more prestigious jobs in the past.

If Hall takes the Southern Miss job, he will be the first active Tulane assistant coach hired as a head coach somewhere else since offensive tackles/tight ends coach Phil Greco left for Nicholls State after the 1986 season.

Another gut punch: Tulane loses to Tulsa in double OT after incredible sequence of events By: Guerry Smith Nov. 20, 2020 It was hard to beat the pain of blowing a huge second-half lead to Navy, but Tulane found a way.

After shutting out 25th-ranked Tulsa through three quarters on Thursday night, the Green Wave lost 30-24 in overtime, giving up 21 points in the last 9:17 to a third-string quarterback, allowing a Hail Mary scoring toss on the final play of regulation and losing on a 96-yard interception return for a touchdown.

In the annals of soul-crushing moments, Tulane’s double-overtime defeat at Tulsa was at or near the top of the list. Playing on ESPN in the only college game of the night, the Wave did everything but win.

“This one hurts bad,” linebacker Nick Anderson said. “We had our foot on their necks, and we let it slip. It’s not on the coaches. It’s on the players. We were in position to make plays. We just didn’t make them. We have to execute better, and we have to finish.”

That the Wave (5-5, 2-5 American Athletic Conference) most definitely did not do, missing a seemingly endless number of opportunities to close out the Golden Hurricane (5-1, 5-0) and win in back-to-back weeks against ranked teams for the first time since 1956.

Somehow, three defensive backs in the end zone let wide receiver JuanCarlos Santana get behind them for a relatively easy 37-yard touchdown catch on the final play of regulation as Tulsa tied the score at 21.

Uncharacteristically to that point, Tulane failed to make a tackle on a throw short of the sticks on fourth-and-13 as Tulsa drove to tie the score at 14. That mistake led to an improbable touchdown pass on fourth-and-15 from the 19 with 3:22 left.

In between those calamities, Tulane defensive end Patrick Johnson dropped an interception with nothing but green turf in front of him after batting a pass into the air.

In overtime, no one made a play on the ball when Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin chucked a duck into the end zone as he was being tackled on third down. It fell harmlessly to the ground, allowing the Golden Hurricane to kick a field goal that Tulane matched after failing to pick up a first down on its overtime possession when a touchdown would have won it.

Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins did not make the same mistake a little later, reading freshman quarterback Michael Pratt’s eyes and snagging his pass on third-and-goal from the 3. Collins outran Pratt and everyone else to the end zone.

Game over.

“There’s plenty of blame to go around — coaches and players,” Tulane coach Willie Fritz said. “It’s disappointing. This is a game we should have won.”

The tipping point was the answered Hail Mary that turned into a routine throw and catch. After Tulane called a timeout to set the defense, Brin, a redshirt sophomore who had thrown one pass in his career before Thursday night, escaped containment against a three-man rush and had plenty of time to launch the ball toward the back of the end zone.

Two of the Wave defenders appeared to be playing for an interception and watched it sail over their heads. No one but Santos touched it.

“Poor coaching, poor execution,” Fritz said. “That was a big play. The game would have been over, and we’d be feeling good about things right now.”

Fritz defended the decision to rush only three after Tulane registered four sacks.

“We just didn’t do a very good job of leverage over on the left side,” he said. “It appeared to me the guys were hoping someone else was gong to make the play rather than going up after it and making the play.”

The Wave rebounded from that gut kick to stop Tulsa on the first series of overtime, forcing a 27-yard field goal. It was the first time the Golden Hurricane did not score a touchdown in four possessions.

Brin, who entered when backup quarterback Seth Boomer got hurt near the end of the third quarter, converted six third and fourth downs of 7 yards or longer and finished 18 of 28 for 266 yards with two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown. Boomer and starter Zach Smith, who left with a rib injury in the first quarter, combined for 77 yards passing.

“It was a gray area simply because when you knock the first-string quarterback out and the second-string quarterback out, you are not prepared for the third-string quarterback,” Anderson said. “But I still feel like it comes back to us and execution.

No matter who they play at quarterback, we have to play our type of football.”

It was winning football for more than three quarters, setting up a series of positive landmarks. The Wave was on the verge of posting its first shutout on the road since beating Boston College 10-0 in its 1972 season opener. The Wave was close to having its second four-game win streak in the past two years after doing it twice in the previous 20 seasons. The Wave appeared ready to clinch a winning regular-season record for the first time since 2013.

None of it happened.

“Unbelievable, man,” said running back Stephon Huderson, who rushed for 106 yards on 25 carries and scored the touchdown that put Tulane ahead 14-0 after an ugly, scoreless first half for both teams. “We still have yet to play a full game. We are getting tired of these ‘almost’ games.”

The story almost was about a dominant defense until the late collapse. It almost was about Tulane responding to Tulsa’s tying the score at 14 with a 71-yard kickoff return by Amare Jones and Pratt’s 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyrick James off a play fake to Huderson on third-and-11 with 1:38 left.

Instead, it was about the sickening feeling of letting another one get away in nearly impossible fashion.

The slide started when freshman offensive tackle Josh Remetich was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for shoving a player to the ground after an 8-yard gain by running back Amare Jones to the Tulsa 39 early in the fourth quarter. The penalty turned what would have been a second-and-2 into a second-and-17, leading to a punt when the Wave was close to going up by three scores and finishing off Tulsa.

“The Wave can’t beat the Wave,” Huderson said. “We can’t put ourselves in situations playing behind the chains. We should have kept cool heads and just moved on with it.”

Moving on from this one will be difficult. Tulane recovered from its mind-blowing collapse against Navy, which the Wave led 24-0 in the second half, in its conference opener.

The task will be even tougher before Tulane faces Memphis in a home finale that has been moved to Dec. 5 to accommodate the re-scheduling of a Memphis-Navy game postponed by coronavirus concerns.

“I’m lost for words honestly, but this one hurts a lot worse than the Navy game,” Anderson said. “It’s worse now simply because of the standards of this game. It was an ESPN game against a Top 25 team.”

Notebook: Tulane preparing to face vastly improved Tulsa defense on Thursday By: Guerry Smith Nov. 16, 2020 It is not hard to figure out why 25th-ranked Tulsa is exceeding preseason expectations entering Thursday night’s home game with Tulane.

to the car to be able to do that in that situation,” right tackle Ben Knutson said. “It shows how much trust the coaching staff has put in him. On fourth-and-1 we want to run the ball, but we trust what he is seeing is correct.”

Smooth adjustment

Defense, long a liability under sixth-year coach Philip Montgomery, has become an unlikely team strength in a year when offenses are putting up huge numbers across the country.

Starting three times at left tackle in favor of injured Joey Claybrook, graduate transfer Knutson played well enough to take over at right tackle when Claybrook returned for the past two games.

To hand Tulsa (4-1, 4-0) its first American Athletic Conference loss, Tulane (5-4, 2-4) will have to solve a unit that stoned high-powered Central Florida and SMU in dominant second halves.

Knutson, a former backup guard, is acing that assignment, too.

The Knights, who lead the FBS with 619.1 yards per game, managed 154 while scoring zero points on their last five series in a 34-26 loss to the Golden Hurricane on Oct. 3.

After averaging 526.3 yards through their first eight games, the Mustangs produced 351 against Tulsa on Saturday and did not score in the second half as an early 21-0 lead dissolved into a 28-24 defeat.

The Golden Hurricane has held its opponents to 370.2 yards and 21.8 points per game, easily the lowest in Montgomery’s tenure. Tulsa is allowing 4.88 yards per play, nearly a yard better than their previous best under Montgomery and tied for the 19th-lowest total in the nation.

Tulane gives up 5.6 yards per play.

No. 14 Oklahoma State scored three points through three quarters before beating Tulsa 16-7 in the opener for both teams. A coronavirus-disrupted season has not affected the defense since then.

“They are a three-man odd front and will mix it up playing some man and some zone,” Tulane coach Willie Fritz said. “The thing I’ve been impressed with is when you run, they really fit it up where they will have one more guy at the point of attack than you either at linebacker or safety.”

Among AAC teams, Tulsa is second to seventh-ranked Cincinnati in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and pass efficiency defense. Versatile junior linebacker Zaven Collins has 10 tackles for loss, four sacks and three interceptions.

“They are a physical team,” Fritz said. “We are going to have to play great Thursday night, there’s no question about that.”

Key decision Offensive coordinator Will Hall received plenty of credit for calling for a pass on fourth-and-1 from the Tulane 27 in the fourth quarter in Saturday’s win against Army. Freshman Michael Pratt threw a quick hitch to Jha’Quan Jackson, who picked up the first down easily as the Wave protected a 24-12 lead.

It turns out that is not exactly what Hall did. As on many plays, he gave Pratt an option, and Pratt liked the matchup outside.

“It was an RPO (run-pass option),” Jackson said. “I did not know the ball was coming to me at the snap, but I just did my job and got north and south.”

The confidence factor was still immense with Pratt, who was named to the AAC weekly honor roll on Monday.

“He was smart enough to see what was available, and he has been given the keys

“It’s a little bit less of an adjustment than it was from guard to tackle,” he said. “A lot of it is just flipping in your head. I know we made the switch in the middle of the Temple game, and that was the bigger adjustment, being able to do it on the fly without having any reps at practice that week.”

Tulane’s line play has stabilized after a rough night at Houston earlier in the season when starting right guard Josh Remetich departed because of mononucleosis, Claybrook separated his kneecap in the first half and the Wave was down three starters after two series.

Pratt, sacked 15 times in his first three starts, has been sacked five times in the last three.

“We’ve gotten our O-linemen back and we’ve been able to maintain leads early in the game where we can control the tempo of the game with run and pass,” Hall said. “That’s why the sack total went astronomical for a few games and why it’s gone back down.”

Lagniappe Tulane nose tackle Jeffery Johnson, who left the Army game in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a hand or wrist injury, did not practice Monday, but Fritz said he would play against Tulsa. … Army was minus-3 in turnover margin for the first time in any game since its last visit to Yulman Stadium in 2017. Both times the Black Knights had three turnovers to the Wave’s zero.

Taking the next step: Tulane ends 36-year losing streak to ranked team By: Guerry Smith Nov. 14, 2020 In a pre-game radio interview, Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall said he and players like freshman quarterback Michael Pratt and wide receiver Jha’Quan Jackson came to New Orleans to change the trajectory of the program.

Beating a ranked team for the first time in 36 years certainly qualifies.

Pratt threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns, Jackson scored on a reception and an end around and the Green Wave rolled past No. 25 Army 38-12 on Saturday at Yulman Stadium.

That ranking came only from the coaches’ poll, but Tulane (5-4) will accept the end of its excruciatingly long skid against top-25 foes any way it can get it.

“It took me four years to finally beat one,” said senior defensive end Patrick Johnson, who had six tackles and added another sack to his Tulane-career-record-holding total (24 1/2). “We’ve had some tough losses, and this really gives us momentum to finish the year.”

The Wave handled Army (6-2) much more easily than seventh-ranked Cincinnati did in a 24-10 victory in September. It was Army’s most lopsided margin of defeat since a 38-7 pasting by No. 8 Ohio State in September of 2017.

“They don’t get beat like that very often,” Tulane coach Willie Fritz said. “If you beat them by 10, that’s really dominating them. It was a super job by our guys.

Thirty-six years is a long time.”

Tulane has won three in a row after a 2-4 start, outscoring Temple, East Carolina and Army 114-36. The Wave, which plays at Tulsa on Thursday night, moved within one victory from guaranteeing its first above-.500 finish in the regular season since 2013.

Fast starts in both halves were pivotal. In between back-to-back three-and-outs for Army, Pratt completed a 14-yard pass to Duece Watts near the sideline to convert a third-and-11 on Tulane’s opening drive, setting up his 4-yard scoring toss to tight end Tyrick James.

One play after Army turned the ball over after an errant option pitch on fourth down, running back Amare Jones streaked up the middle for a 50-yard touchdown run as the Wave went ahead 14-0.

“I saw open grass,” he said. “When you are playing a team like Army and Navy, you get limited possessions. For us to score fast and start off fast was good for us, especially with the defense getting stops at the beginning.”

Army outgained Tulane 162-22 in the second quarter, cutting its deficit to 14-12 with back-to-back touchdown drives, but the third quarter started the same way as the first.

Pratt went 5 for 5 for 64 yards on the opening series, adding a 7-yard scramble before connecting with Jackson for a 21-yard touchdown that put the Wave ahead 21-12. Jackson caught it inside the 5 and juked two defenders.

Pratt was 4 of 5 for 56 yards the next time Tulane had the ball, leading to Merek Glover’s 26-yard field goal and a 24-12 advantage.

Relying on simple outs and slants against soft coverage, Pratt finished 19 of 27 for his highest completion percentage in six starts, getting sacked only once. Watts had a season-high six catches for 85 yards.

“The game plan made it really easy for me to identify what defense they were going to be in,” Pratt said. “I was just moving my eyes really quick and getting to my reads. The offensive line and running backs picking up blocks was huge for us.”

Army’s hopes ended because Tulane’s defense stuffed almost every gamble coach Jeff Monken took. He chased a blocked extra point with a 2-point conversion attempt in the second quarter, but quarterback Christian Anderson could not find anyone open and was tackled in the backfield, leaving the Wave with a 14-12 lead.

The Black Knights needed that extra point when they faced a fourth-and-8 at the 11 on an eight-minute, 17-play drive bridging the third and fourth quarters.

Instead of being in position to kick a field goal to pull within 24-16, they tried a pass-back to Anderson on a trick play. Anderson was blanketed, and fullback Riley Thompson’s deflected toss ricocheted to running back Brandon Walters, whom nose guard Jeffery Johnson smothered for a loss.

“That was the biggest play defensively,” Fritz said. “When they run a lot of time off the clock and don’t score, that’s a big win for us.”

A little later, Patrick Johnson and linebacker Dorian Williams foiled a desperation fake punt on fourth-and-11 from the Army 19.

“We actually talked about that all week long,” Johnson said. “We were prepared at any time for a fake. It didn’t seem right. They were a little confused about the play call, so we sniffed it out then and there.”

Jackson then broke two tackles on his clinching, 14-yard touchdown run.

Specials teams ace Jaetavian Toles scored the final touchdown, picking off a lateral on the ensuing kickoff and returning it 8 yards to the end zone.

“I might have seen one on maybe ESPN or something like that,” Johnson said. “I’d never seen one live.”

Army threw for only 33 yards despite the return of starting quarterback Christian Anderson, who missed the previous four games with an unspecified injury, The Black Knights’ 270 rushing yards were under their average, too.

“A bugaboo against them has been them throwing the ball over the top against us,” Fritz said. “They didn’t get an opportunity to do that this week. We stayed over the top of routes.”

Tragedy for high school teammate helps shape Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt By: Guerry Smith Nov. 13, 2020 Tulane true freshman quarterback Michael Pratt never played football or attended school until the ninth grade.

Stop there and any assumption you make would probably be wrong.

Despite his limited experience, he is wise beyond his years on the field.

Even though he was home-schooled through the end of eighth grade, he is anything but sheltered, making friends easily from multiple backgrounds.

It is why he has a tattoo on his right arm. *** Pratt was in Nashville, Tennessee, last Dec. 30 when he heard the horrible news.

Watching one of his two older sisters, Hannah, play basketball for Columbia University in a tournament at Vanderbilt, he learned that Deerfield Beach High School teammate Bryce Gowdy had died in Florida after being hit by a freight train.

Gowdy, a wide receiver who had signed with Georgia Tech and was supposed to be there a week later to begin classes, was not just any teammate. He was Pratt’s closest practice buddy in his one semester at Deerfield Beach after transferring from Boca Raton High.

“It was devastating,” he said. “He was my guy when I was at Deerfield. He pushed me the most out of anybody after practice. Even the days I was exhausted or not in a good mood, he was always making sure that me and him were getting five extra fade balls before I went home, stuff like that.”

The new tattoo on his arm is an ever-lasting tribute, one he acquired soon after arriving in New Orleans for Tulane’s spring semester last January. The word “Believe” is written in black.

The number 7 intersects it down the middle, serving as the l.

Gowdy wore No. 7 at Deerfield Beach and used “believe” as his unofficial motto.

Pratt, who wore No. 13 in high school, asked Tulane’s coaches for No. 7, and they acquiesced.

Gowdy’s death was ruled a suicide. His family had been homeless for a couple of months, creating unfathomable hardships. According to relatives who talked to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, he had the added anxiety about leaving his mom and two younger brothers behind to go to Georgia Tech.

His mother checked them into a motel the night he walked in front of the train. He left the room and never returned when she asked him to retrieve her favorite blanket from her car in the parking lot.

Word of the tragedy reached the Pratt family in Nashville the next day.

“I’ve never seen my son like that,” said Rori Pratt, Michael’s mom. “It was just horrible. He was beyond inconsolable.”

Ninety-nine percent of the time, Pratt, the youngest of four children, is just the opposite.

Upbeat to the nth degree, he bounced around the field after every big touchown when he came off the bench in his first game against Southern Miss in September. A photo of one of his celebratory moments earned a spot on the family refrigerator in Boca Raton — it is a picture of him running with a huge smile that “says it all” to his mom.

There was no putting a happy face on what happened to Gowdy. Despite their massive life-experience differences, Pratt developed a close bond with him. Rori says she and her husband taught their kids to love and administer to anyone God put in their path.

The pain is still there.

“What I do is really for him,” Pratt said. “Just trying to honor him, I’ve got a chip on my shoulder.”

From the time he reached high school, Pratt has put all of his chips in the right place.

First, he finally convinced his parents to let him play football. Baseball had consumed his life to that point — he insists he was a better baseball player (pitcher, shortstop) than he will ever be in any other sport — but he grew weary of it and wanted a change of scenery.

“He kind of broke our hearts when he said I’m not playing baseball anymore,” his mom said.

“We were a baseball family.”

The chance for the switch came when his father, Wayne, a general contractor who had kept him away from football for injury concerns, moved to Virginia to go to law school at age 54.

After home-schooling her kids since her eldest daughter was in the third grade, Rori went back to work full-time — first as a teacher and then as the principal of a private Christian middle school.

Although she continued to tutor Michael and Hannah for a year in addition to her work responsibilities, she stopped when he entered ninth grade.

He jumped at the chance to attend Boca Raton High and join the football team even though he loved the freedom of being home-schooled.

“I got to wake up whenever and then really I just had a list of stuff I had to do,” he said. “As soon as I got those things done, I’d go to the beach, go fishing and do stuff like that every day.”

Stuck on the junior varsity as a ninth grader, he still knew he made the right choice.

“Since the first day I played, I kind of just fell in love with it,” he said. “I had a major passion for the game.”

He was equally passionate about making himself better. Recognizing his release was too long because of his baseball background, he shortened it, developing the good mechanics that Tulane coach Willie Fritz praises today.

After starting for two years at Boca Raton and committing to Tulane in the summer of 2019, he decided he needed better competition, transferring to powerhouse program Deerfield Beach right before his senior season, even though the school returned a quarterback who had committed to Southern Miss.

Pratt won the job.

“I wanted to go somewhere I wasn’t necessarily the guy and be surrounded by people who would make me go 110% every day, so I could get better and prepare for college,” he said. “It was a huge benefit.”

Gowdy was not the only player who pushed him. Deerfield Beach reached the Class 8A semifinals with four receivers plus a running back who all signed with FBS schools.

After choosing Tulane on an unofficial trip to campus, Pratt made a believer out of linebacker Nick Anderson on his official visit.

“I met Mike and I could see that fire in his eyes,” Anderson said. “He was ready to come in, compete and battle with toughness.”

He has done that and more in one relief appearance and five starts since replacing senior Keon Howard against Southern Miss. His middling numbers (80 of 152 for 1,111 yards, 12 touchdowns, four interceptions) do not do justice to how much he has improved each week, capped off with a tremendous performance in Tulane’s 38-21 win against East Carolina last Saturday.

He throws a beautiful deep ball. Most of his other passes are unerring, too.

Fritz said video revealed Pratt was on target with 31 of his 34 throws at East Carolina.

“That’s a pretty darn good percentage,” Fritz said. “The accuracy is just so important. If guys are going right, let them continue going right in stride. If they are going left, let them continue going left in stride. If you are throwing a bubble, hit them right in the chest and allow them to get vertical up the field.”

Fritz added Pratt’s development was allowing offensive coordinator Will Hall to run the style of offense he envisioned.

It is a role Pratt set his sights on from the moment he arrived.

“To be honest, yeah,” he said. “I didn’t necessarily know it was going to happen this year, next year or whatnot, but that’s the goal I set for myself and I worked my way towards that goal and achieved it.”

Notebook: Tulane DE Patrick Johnson knew sack record was attainable By: Guerry Smith Nov. 12, 2020 When Patrick Johnson learned he was 8½ sacks away from becoming Tulane’s career record-holder at the end of 2019, he knew what he had to do as a senior.

Hampered by a labrum injury in the second half of his junior season, he looked forward to breaking the mark once he got healthy.

“I was like, shoot, that’s reachable,” he said. “I’ve always wanted it since I’ve been here, and if I didn’t get hurt last year, I feel like I would have gotten closer. It definitely was a goal of mine.”

After registering four sacks as a junior, he needed only eight games to get to nine with a game-clinching strip sack in the fourth quarter of Tulane’s 38-21 win against East Carolina.

His third sack of the day gave him 23½ in four seasons, and he was mobbed on the sideline seconds later.

“It shows how much my teammates love me and how much I love them,” he said. “They are excited for me. It just made me feel good.”

Johnson leads the nation in sacks, putting Tulane’s seemingly unattainable single-season record of 14 by Mark Olivari in 1973 within reach, too. At the least, Johnson figures to fly by his personal best of 10½ as a sophomore — the third highest total in school history.

Brian Douglas’ 11 sacks in 1981 rank second.

Although Johnson does not shy away from talking about or pursuing individual goals, he already has missed out on his ultimate objective. “(The sack record) was exciting, but it was not what was on my mind,” he said. “What was on mind when I came back was to win a championship here and get another ring.”

Tulane (4-4), which lost its first four American Athletic Conference games, can put itself in position to finish strong by beating Army (6-1) on Saturday at Yulman Stadium.

Johnson’s dominant performance against East Carolina bodes well. Although he likely will not get many opportunities to pad his sack total against the ground-bound Black Knights, his impact last Saturday went far beyond his three sacks.

“He does a super job of rushing the passer, but he had a really nice overall game,” coach Willie Fritz said. “He played the run well and it really was one of his better games. We’re really proud of him.”

Walk-on success Following defensive tackle Noah Seiden’s path, a second former walk-on made his first career start at East Carolina.

Redshirt junior Tim Shafter, who like Seiden was awarded a scholarship right before the season, played right guard against the Pirates and is set to start against Army as well.

Shafter, from Hingham, Massachusetts, arrived as a preferred walk-on in 2017, worked his way up the depth chart for two years and played in six games last season.

“Every day he was trying to get a little bit better,” Fritz said. “He went from a guy that hey, this is a really good walk-on, to this guy might be able to play for us some day to hey, this guy might start. We got a few guys banged up and he jumped in there. He was completely prepared.”

Fritz joked that about three of his assistant coaches claimed credit for recruiting Shafter given his surprising development.

The opening came when redshirt freshman Caleb Thomas, filling in for sidelined true freshman Josh Remetich, was injured against Temple. Thomas remains out. Remetich, a Holy Cross product who started the first four games at right guard, practiced as the No. 2 left guard this week while working his way back into shape after missed four consecutive games with mononucleosis.

“He’s getting much closer,” Fritz said. “That was a significant illness he endured. He lost quite a bit of weight. He’s put a lot of it back on, but he’s really handled this with class. A lot of guys would have been, ‘Woe is me.’ He’s going to play a little bit Saturday and then I think he’ll be full go.”

Seiden started against Houston.

Reduction in penalties not enough for Tulane coach Willie Fritz By: Guerry Smith Nov. 11, 2020 Tulane’s penalty numbers are down this year, but coach Willie Fritz is not too pumped up about the improvement.

other seven games.

The most common mistake on offense has been holding, with 12 flags. The guilty party was not identified on two of them. Left tackle Joey Claybrook and left guard Corey Dublin were the only multiple offenders (twice each) on the rest.

Preparing for Saturday’s game with discipline-oriented Army (6-1), it was hard for him to offer much praise after watching the Green Wave (4-4) get called for three false starts, two personal fouls, one offside and an unsportsmanlike conduct against East Carolina—the type of unforced errors he abhors.

Center Sincere Haynesworth’s only flag was for being an ineligible man downfield.

“I’d really like to eliminate the pre-snap and post-play penalties, and we had far too many of them last week,” he said. “It’s difficult. You put yourself behind the 8-ball.

Sometimes it’s lack of focus or trying too hard or getting in the moment and not doing what you should do, but we have to do a better job of that. Sometimes you overcome it and sometimes you don’t.”

Far from perfect, the Wave no longer is hurting itself on a regular basis.

The performance against East Carolina was a bit of an outlier, though. A year after ranking 123rd out of 130 FBS teams in penalties (7.92 per game) and 118th in penalty yards (67.92 per game), Tulane has reduced those totals to an average of 6.5 penalties (71st) and 53.88 yards (58th).

Those numbers are more in line with Fritz’s first two years, when Tulane was in the middle of the pack nationally, than his last two, when the Wave reached bowl games despite not cracking the top 90 in penalties or penalty yards. They also are pretty similar to the stats for Army, which averages 5.7 penalties and 49.14 penalty yards.

The Wave beat the Black Knights 42-33 on the road last season despite getting flagged nine times for 79 yards while Army was called for three penalties for 34 yards. Fritz is not banking on a repeat.

“We want to win that penalty battle,” he said. “They don’t lose very often in those kind of situations.”

The Wave has avoided those issues for the most part this season, racking up double-digit penalties only once (11 for 86 yards against SMU) after doing it four times in 2019. The defense in particular has been fairly clean, drawing 17 flags compared to 25 for the offense and 10 for the special teams. The total includes only four defensive miscues in the past three games.

End Cameron Sample has not drawn a flag all year. Fellow end Patrick Johnson is penalty free since getting a roughing-the-passer call in the opener against South Alabama.

“That’s something coach Fritz was pretty mad about last year,” Johnson said. “He took it personal and really drove it to us like we’ve got to fix this because we would have won a lot more games if we didn’t have a lot of stupid penalties. This year we’ve done a great job, but I feel like we can do a whole lot better than we are.”

When the defense draws flags, the difference is startling. In the first five games, 10 of its 12 penalties led to touchdowns, including all seven interference calls (six on cornerback Jaylon Monroe, one on cornerback Willie Langham). Johnson’s flag for roughing set up a field goal. Only once did the Green Wave force a punt.

“It has been better since last year, but we still have a good amount of penalties that we shouldn’t have,” said linebacker Nick Anderson, another player who has yet to be flagged. “It’s little small mistakes and mental errors that we need to eliminate because those are in our control. We’re not happy until we have zero penalties.”

Tulane came the closest against Central Florida, when nose guard Jeffery Johnson jumping offside twice were the only infractions. It had at least five penalties in the

Of the 10 false starts, tight end Tyrick James (two) is the lone player with more than one.

“We definitely had to eliminate penalties, and I feel like we’re doing a good job as a whole team,” Dublin said. It’s a very important part of the game, and it’s giving us an advantage.”

Lagniappe Senior linebacker Marvin Moody, the team leader in tackles before missing the past two games, is practicing this week and will play against Army. … Wide receiver Sorrell Brown (three catches, 49 yards), who practiced Wednesday, may be available, too. A chronic knee issue forced him to miss four of the Wave’s eight games in a two-on, two-off pattern.

Streak-buster? Tulane is a rare favorite against a ranked team By: Guerry Smith Nov. 10, 2020 Tulane has an excellent opportunity to scratch its 36-year itch on Saturday.

Army (6-1), which plays at Yulman Stadium for the Green Wave’s third consecutive 11 a.m. kickoff, clung to the No. 25 spot in the coaches’ poll this week after its game at Air Force was postponed due to an outbreak of coronavirus on the Falcons’ campus.

Although the Tulane media guide tracks only the Associated Press poll, it is a safe bet the Green Wave (4-4) has not beaten a ranked team in the coaches’ tabulation for just as long as the one by the media, dating to a win at Vanderbilt in 1984.

It likely has been even longer since the Wave was expected to beat a top-25 opponent. Tulane, coming off lopsided wins against Temple and East Carolina, is favored by 5½ points after going 0-6 as an underdog against top-25 opponents during coach Willie Fritz’s tenure.

“It (the chance) is big for us,” Fritz said. “We’ve had some opportunities in the past, but in order to beat a ranked team such as Army, you have to play real well in all three phases.”

Army, which already has accepted a bid to the Independence Bowl, is 27th according to AP. The Black Knights’ only loss—24-10 at currently seventh-ranked Cincinnati in September—signifies more quality than their six victories (against three FCS opponents plus three FBS opponents with a composite record of 6-17) in a season that has been altered dramatically by COVID-19.

Army held Cincinnati to 6 rushing yards in the first half and 69 for the day. The Bearcats have gained at least 189 yards on the ground against everyone else, stomping SMU, Memphis and Houston by the average score of 43-11 in their past three games.

The Black Knights allow an average of 103.6 rushing yards, the 16th lowest total in the FBS. Their triple-option offense averages 308.1 yards on the ground, the third most in the country.

It is a return to form after Army plummeted to 5-8 last season following backto-back seasons with double-digit victories under coach Jeff Monken. The Wave outgained the Black Knights 535-363 in a 42-33 victory it led 42-21 with three minutes left.

“They are a very physical team,” said Tulane’s Patrick Johnson, who was named American Athletic Conference defensive player of the week after registering three sacks and forcing two fumbles against East Carolina. “I know they are a lot more physical this year than they were last year. They have some really good talent. We have to go out there and make them earn every single thing they get.”

Fashioning a schedule has been an accomplishment in itself for Army, an independent in a world where most leagues eliminated non-conference games. Tulane is the first team the Black Knights will play from their pre-pandemic schedule and the only opponent they will face with the same date and location as originally listed.

Gone are matchups with Bucknell, Rice, Oklahoma, Miami (Ohio), Princeton, Eastern Michigan, Buffalo, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The replacements were Middle Tennessee State, Louisiana-Monroe, Cincinnati, Abilene Christian, The Citadel, Texas-San Antonio, Mercer and a Nov. 21 date with Georgia Southern.

The Air Force game may or may not be rescheduled. Army’s annual matchup with Navy has been moved to its home field in West Point, New York for the first time since World War II. Yet, the Black Knights have thrived through all of the challenges.

“Those are the type of kids who storm Normandy, so I don’t think they really care about who they are getting ready to play,” said Tulane defensive backs coach Joshua Christian-Young, who held the same position at Army the past four years. “They play really hard and really tough.”

The last time Army played at Yulman Stadium, Tulane needed a length-of-the-field drive before a last-minute touchdown from quarterback Jonathan Banks to win 21-17 in 2017. Despite the Wave’s familiarity with the triple option, having faced either Army and Navy six times since the start of 2017, Fritz knows it will present a challenge.

No one is expecting an easy time in the potential streak-buster.

“You work on it all week in practice, and then you get out there and the speed of how they operate is a lot different than what your scout team was operating,” Fritz said. “Often times they’ll get scores early in the game while teams are adapting to the speed of how they do things.

“They have a team game plan every week—control the ball offensively, dominate the clock, not give up big plays defensively and play good field position in the kicking game. We have to match all that.”

Tulane playing complementary football heading into season-ending stretch By: Guerry Smith Nov. 8, 2020 Willie Fritz looked no farther than the upcoming home contest against Army after Tulane’s easy 38-21 win against East Carolina on Saturday.

Of course, the next coach who talks about a string of games at once will be the first.

“We’ve got a tough one this week,” Fritz said. “Army is very good. Air Force (the Black Knights’ scheduled opponent for Saturday) wasn’t able to play this week, so Army got a couple more days to prepare for us. I’m glad it’s at home, and we just need to flip the page and get ready for that tough triple option they have.”

The way Tulane (4-4, 2-4 AAC) has played the past two weeks, Army will have a tough assignment, too, as will Tulsa and Memphis when they face Tulane in the following two weeks as the Green Wave tries to get on a real roll.

Without question, the competition will be steeper. Temple and East Carolina, Tulane’s victims the past two weeks, have combined to win two games this season, with each getting their lone victory against American Athletic Conference doormat South Florida (1-6, 0-5). Army (6-1), Tulsa and Memphis (4-2) are a combined 13-4, with the latter two beating preseason AAC favorite Central Florida.

Regardless of the caliber of opponent, Tulane knows it has improved significantly after stumbling to a 2-4 start.

“I like where we are right now,” Fritz said. “It sure looks a lot better than it did two weeks ago, but it’s a tough league. You’ve got to be on point and ready to play every single week and you have to play four quarters. Our goal to at the end of the season is to be better than we are now. The guys did a good job fighting through a lot of adversity and getting back to even.”

Aside from a 75-yard touchdown pass cornerback Jaylon Monroe gave up against East Carolina when the outcome already had been decided late in the fourth quarter, there were few signs of the shoddy secondary play that plagued the Wave earlier in the year. Monroe was rock-solid the rest of the time, and the big plays cornerback Willie Langham gave up (a 25-yard completion on ECU’s first snap and touchdown passes and 30 yards) were forgivable.

“There were probably five or six really contested catches they had in the first half where our guys were all over them,” Fritz said. “You’ve got to live with that, just as long as you get them down and don’t give up a big one. For the most part we matched up favorably against them out on the perimeter with our DBs.” The safeties missed few tackles, making quarterback Holton Ahlers work for his yards. Freshman Cornelius Ingram broke up a pass in the fourth quarter when the Pirates gambled on fourth down from their 28.

The defensive line has been dominant the past two weeks, helping limit Temple to 82 yards rushing on 36 carries and East Carolina to 35 yards on 29 carries while accounting for 5½ of the Wave’s nine sacks.

The offensive line has opened up huge holes and protected quarterback Michael Pratt. Cameron Carroll ran untouched on his touchdowns of 48 and 28 yards against East Carolina, and the running backs gained 210 yards on 32 carries against Temple. Pratt was sacked twice early against East Carolina — Fritz said he held the ball too long on both of them — and not again.

“Most of the time he had a really clean pocket back in there,” Fritz said. “You see what happens if he has a nice, clean pocket. He’s very accurate. He did a great job throwing the ball downfield.”

That is where Tulane’s potential appears far greater than earlier in the season. Of several pretty passes, Pratt’s best against East Carolina might have been his last, when he threw a deep dart down the sideline to Duece Watts with a blitzer in his face. Watts, blanketed on the play, did not hold on to the ball, but Pratt placed it in the only spot it could have been caught.

Combine his prowess with the Wave’s powerful running game, which ranks second in the AAC at 230.8 yards, and the offense presents multiple problems for opponents.

“The defense has to choose one,” Pratt said. “If they are going to load the box, we are going to spread the field out. No matter what they do we are able to execute.”

Game notebook: Patrick Johnson gets chills thinking about sacks record By: Guerry Smith Nov. 8, 2020 Maybe Tulane’s botched onside-kick recovery in the fourth quarter against East Carolina was part of a master plan.

OK, it wasn’t. But the mistake allowed senior Patrick Johnson to set the school record for career sacks on the next play.

He blew around the right tackle and stripped quarterback Holton Ahlers, allowing the Green Wave to preserve its 38-21 victory when nose tackle Jeffery Johnson picked up the loose ball with 4:53 left.

“It was really important for us to get the ball back because we didn’t want them to have any momentum,” Johnson said. “Going out there I was talking to the guys we’ve got to put our foot on their neck and end this game right now.”

Sack No. 3 on the day gave him 23½ in four years, breaking a tie with Kenan Blackmon (1999-2002).

“I have chills hearing that for the first time,” Johnson said. “It’s something that when I started getting closer to it, I’m like that would be pretty cool to have. Never in my mind would I have ever thought I would hold the school record. I’ve never been a record guy. I’ve never held one before. It’s most definitely a cool experience.”

Johnson has nine sacks for the season and is closing in on his single-season high of 10½ from 2018. His first and last on Saturday were nearly identical. The only difference was Tulane failed to recover his strip sack in the third quarter.

All three led to changes of possession, though, because the other two were on third downs, forcing punts.

“Him being the all-time sack leader is a heck of a deal,” coach Willie Fritz said.

“We’ve been playing football here at Tulane for over 127 years.”

TD machine Sophomore running back Cameron Carroll added his 10th and 11th touchdowns to his season total after entering the week in the top 10 nationally.

“It’s a blessing to say the least,” he said. “I’m very proud of where I am, but there’s always room to improve. I’m happy but I’m not satisfied.”

Neither touchdown was cheap. He scored from 48 yards out in the third quarter and from 28 yards out on the fourth quarter, proving he is much more than a 225-pound bruiser.

“He hit the hole hard, and he’s got great speed,” Fritz said. “Everybody knows he’s got great size, but he’s one of the fastest guys on our team.”

Carroll also had a 44-yard run to set up Tulane’s second touchdown, giving him an eye-popping average of 21.5 yards on six carries.

“I love to run track,” he said. “If you think for one second I’m going down, as soon as I break through, you are going to have a tough time catching me in the open field.”

Brief scare Sophomore center Sincere Haynesworth, an ironman whom Fritz said would play every meaningful down this season, left briefly in the fourth quarter with a right leg injury.

Former starting center Corey Dublin slid over from left guard to replace him for

the rest of the series, with true freshman Rashad Green taking over Dublin’s spot.

Haynesworth returned for the next series.

“I got a little nervous for a second,” Pratt said. “But he’s a tough guy.”

Lagniappe Tulane had five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. … Former walk-on Tim Shafter made his first career start at right offensive guard. … Duece Watts had two scoring receptions for the second straight game. … Jha’Quan Jackson had a career-high seven catches.

‘The game is on us’: Tulane cornerback Jaylon Monroe says secondary play pivotal to beating ECU By: Guerry Smith Nov. 5, 2020 The last time it faced East Carolina and quarterback Holton Ahlers, Tulane set an NCAA record with 20 pass break-ups.

Two years later, both Ahlers and the Green Wave secondary are in much different headspaces than they were on that strange November night at Yulman Stadium.

Ahlers, a junior, has completed 62.2% of his passes — a far cry from his dismal 21-of-67 performance as a true freshman in a 24-18 loss to Tulane. He just went 38 of 50 for 330 yards and three touchdowns against Tulsa, which ranks second in the American Athletic Conference in pass efficiency defense.

Tulane is allowing a 61.6% completion rate, its highest total since giving up 67.6% in 2009 under former coach Bob Toledo. Opponents are averaging 298.7 yards passing, including back-to-back 400-plus outings by SMU’s Shane Buechele and Central Florida’s Dillon Gabriel. The Wave has given up 38 passes of 20 or more yards, 23 of 30 or more yards and 12 of 40 or more yards.

The defensive backs will have a huge opportunity to make amends for their early-season struggles when Tulane (3-4, 1-4 AAC) kicks off against East Carolina (1-4, 1-3) at 11 a.m. Saturday in Greenville, North Carolina.

“I feel like the game is on us,” junior cornerback Jaylon Monroe said. “We’ve got to get the job done, slow down their offense, break passes up and get turnovers. This is the type of game we like to play.”

Monroe started at nickelback in the 2018 meeting and was responsible for four of Tulane’s 20 deflections. The Wave has failed to match that total through seven games this season, stopping at 19.

Monroe’s four break-ups for the year are twice as many as anyone else, but he believes Saturday’s 38-3 demolition of Temple was a true turnaround.

“We were playing much faster and communicating as a whole on the defense,” he said. “We trusted each other more and we trusted the game plan. We had never lost confidence, but we definitely needed that win to get a good taste back in our mouth.”

Temple’s Trad Beatty and Re-al Mitchell, neither of whom had taken a snap this season, managed only 146 yards in the air while filling in for injured starter Anthony Russo. Acknowledging their inexperience, Tulane coach Willie Fritz still liked what he saw.

“We did a much better job of tackling,” he said. “We did a much better job of playing with leverage. That’s the key no matter who you play.”

Containing Ahlers will be a much more difficult proposition.

“He is really accurate,” Fritz said. “He can buy time in the pocket. He has a strong arm. He’s an excellent quarterback. ECU really gets the ball out in space quickly, and then they have the guts on third-and-long to run the ball if you’re not over-populating them in the box.”

The Pirates have improved significantly after losing their coronavirus-delayed season opener 51-28 to Central Florida on Sept. 26 and getting embarrassed at Georgia State 49-29.

Since then, they rushed and threw for more than 200 yards in a 44-24 rout of South Florida, lost to Navy 27-23 when Ahlers sat out because of a false positive on a coronavirus test and led AAC co-leader Tulsa most of the way last Friday on the road.

Tulsa won 34-30 on a touchdown with 29 seconds left, converting two fourth downs on its final drive and receiving massive help from a replay booth official who overruled a fumble call and refused to overrule a questionable reception on the next fourth down.

Second-year ECU coach Mike Houston said he had no idea what to say to his players after a loss he felt was stolen from them.

Fritz said he felt a kinship with Houston because both of them moved up from Division II coaching to the FCS before getting their shot in the FBS. Houston reached the Division II national championship game with Lenoir-Rhyne in 2013 and won back-to-back FCS titles at James Madison in 2016-17. In year No. 2 at East Carolina, he is rebuilding a formerly successful program that has endured five consecutive losing seasons.

“They’ve got a lot of weapons on offense and force a bunch of takeaways on defense,” Fritz said. “We’re going to have to play great, and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

While the Pirates are trying to reach respectability, Tulane is searching for its third straight bowl bid and winning record. To accomplish either goal, beating East Carolina is paramount.

“You’ve got a team coming off a tough loss at the end of the game and they are going to be at home, so I expect them to come out being fierce competitors,” said linebacker Nick Anderson, who was named to the AAC honor roll this week after making a career-high 14 tackles against Temple. “We just have to play our role, come out hitting and do our job.”

The Tulane offense will try to pick up where it left off against Temple, when it scored touchdowns the last four times it had the ball. The Wave rushed for 284 yards, and freshman Michael Pratt threw for 220.

East Carolina, yielding an AAC-high 469.3 yards per game and 33.7 points per game, is an inviting target.

“The biggest thing is just knowing our assignments,” sophomore center Sincere Haynesworth said. “We had gotten a little lackadaisical on that, and we really began harping on it in practice and being able to execute with confidence. Confidence leads to speed and speed leads to power.”

The defensive backs are taking the same approach.

“We just have to put our heads down, be positive and go out there and execute the game plan, and we should be in great shape,” Monroe said. “We still can accomplish some great things, so we have to keep going.”

Lighter but longer: weight loss leads to huge improvement for Tulane punter Ryan Wright By: Guerry Smith Nov. 5, 2020

was a little raw when he arrived at Tulane despite being rated the No. 4 punting prospect in the country by Kohl’s Kicking Camp.

Tulane junior Ryan Wright believes his substantial gain in distance on punts is directly correlated to his significant weight loss in the offseason.

His potential is unlimited.

Pushing 260 pounds when the coronavirus pandemic started, he returned in the summer at about 235. Although the body of a kicker is one of the last things anyone looks at, the slimmed down version of Wright is leading the American Athletic Conference in punting by a wide margin.

Added to the Ray Guy award watch list this week as Tulane (3-4, 1-4 AAC) prepares for Saturday’s game at East Carolina (1-4, 1-3), he ranks second nationally with an average of 47.1 yards and is on pace to break the school’s single-season record (46.2 by Brad Hill in 1997).

“I feel a lot more explosive,” Wright said. “Last year I just felt really slow. Running was hard on me and my leg swing was not exactly where I wanted it to be speed wise. Now I’m able to swing my leg all the way through the ball.”

The difference is nearly six yards per punt from his 2019 average of 41.4, which ranked in the bottom half of the AAC. Constant chatter from Tulane coaches about him getting in shape finally seeped into his conscience.

“I told him it’s not going to happen until you want it to happen, and he decided he wanted to have it happen,” coach Willie Fritz said. “You can see the difference in his flexibility.”

Wright’s lifestyle changes ran the gamut. He stopped snacking as much. He ran almost every day. HIs personal trainer from his hometown in California encouraged him to stay away from fatty foods, emphasizing lean meats, greens and the right carbohydrates, including red potatoes and cauliflower.

The changes helped him lower his off time (the elapsed time from receiving the ball from long snapper Ethan Hudak to kicking it) to 1.95 seconds from 2.5.

“He does a great job of getting the ball off quickly,” Fritz said. “If we just had the snapper and the shield (three-man blocking wall in front of the punter), it’s going to be tough for anyone to have a chance to block a punt.”

Still, the payoff did not come immediately. Wright missed Tulane’s opener at South Alabama because of a COVID-19 contact tracing issue. He struggled against Navy when he returned, beginning with a 30-yarder off the side of his foot and averaging a paltry 36.4 yards on five attempts.

The slow start makes his current numbers even more impressive. Of his last 10 punts, nine traveled at least 47 yards. He unleashed a 62-yarder against Central Florida that landed 56 yards past the line of scrimmage as the returner fell down trying to get back to it.

He topped that effort with another 62-yarder that went out of bounds at the 1 against Temple at Yulman Stadium.

“The funny thing about that one is I thought it was going to the end zone,” he said.

“I didn’t really know what was going on until I heard those cheers.”

His next step is avoiding the clunkers that show up a little too often. He had a 26-yarder against UCF. His hang time hurt him at Houston, when the Cougars had returns of 15, 16, 19, 24 and 34.

Wright, a starting quarterback for his final two years of high school in San Ramon, California, did not decide to become a college punter until his senior season. He

“He’s got as strong a leg as anybody in the country, but the distance, the location and the hang time, we want all those things to match,” Fritz said. “He’s taken tremendous strides, and if he improves on his consistency, he can be one of the top punters in the country.”

Lagniappe Redshirt sophomore running back Ygenio Booker (nine carries, 41 yards) had surgery to repair a torn medial collateral ligament on Thursday. Fritz said he might return for the finale against Memphis. The Wave is down to three healthy scholarship running backs—Stephon Huderson, Cameron Carroll and Amare Jones. …

Fritz said linebacker Marvin Moody, who was held out of the Temple game with an unspecified injury, would be a game-time decision after doing little in practice this week.

Finally, a spark: Tulane running back Amare Jones breaks out in return from ankle injury By: Guerry Smith Nov. 3, 2020 For a player who was on multiple preseason national watch lists, running back Amare Jones did not provide many viewable moments in Tulane’s first six games.

After a breakout performance in game No. 7, he could be the huge factor everyone envisioned the rest of the way.

Jones, a junior from Frisco, Texas, produced career highs for yards rushing (92) and carries (12) against Temple despite not practicing after an ankle injury shelved him against Central Florida the previous week. He picked up 10, 7, 10, 12 and 11 yards on his first five touches as the Green Wave (3-4, 1-4 American Athletic Conference) ended a three-game skid emphatically 38-3.

“He’s a darn good player,” coach Willie Fritz said. “He had some excellent runs.

He’s more physical than probably people give him credit for. They had a few times when tacklers kind of bounced off him. We want him to have a big end of the season. He’s certainly capable of doing that.”

Jones had fallen short of expectations even before hurting his right ankle on Oct. 23 against SMU. He gained 132 yards on 30 carries (4.4 average) and caught 10 passes for 81 yards through five games. He also had what turned out to be a crucial third-down drop with plenty of open field in front of him against Navy, forcing a punt when Tulane led 24-0 in a game it lost 27-24.

This, from a guy named to the watch lists for the Doak Walker Award (nation’s best running back) and the Paul Hornung Award (most versatile player) after finishing 2019 with 1,611 all-purpose yards, the fifth best total in the American Athletic Conference.

Earlier in the year, Pro Football Focus named him the No. 4 returning running back in all of college football.

“I haven’t even reached my peak or really even gotten started yet,” he said. “It (his slow start) was disappointing at first, but I’m a team guy. If we’re winning, I’m not really too pressed about the situation. I just want to win. That’s what I came here to do.”

Until facing Temple, Jones had gone more than a year without being much of a factor out of the backfield. It was his first game with at least 60 yards from scrimmage since his signature performance at Army on Oct. 5, 2019, when he rushed for 65 yards and caught 10 passes for 102 yards.

That dynamic day came one game after his most famous moment — his 18yard run on a fake kneel-down trick play that set up Jalen McCleskey’s 53-yard tie-breaking touchdown against Houston with three seconds left.

Playing a hybrid running/receiving role at the super back position offensive coordinator Will Hall tailored for him a year ago, Jones did not receive as many touches as his backfield mates this season. The bellwether guys were first redshirt freshman phenom Tyjae Spears, who tore an ACL against Southern Miss, and then Cameron Carroll and Stephon Huderson.

Against Temple, though, Jones was used strictly as a traditional back.

“It felt good to get back in a running back rhythm,” he said. “It feels good to show people what I could do as a running back and not just outside of the box.”

His only negative was a fumble that may not have been a fumble on Tulane’s opening drive of the second half. He lost the ball either right before or right after it crossed the goal line.

“I thought it was a touchdown, but I wasn’t really surprised they called it a fumble because you can’t ever give the referees a chance to make the call,” he said. “It was just a good play by the defender. I had one hand on the ball and it came out. I’ve got to do better.”

Fritz said stamina was an issue, too, after Jones’ injury-enforced time off. He anticipates Jones returning to his super back spot and returning kickoffs this Saturday against East Carolina, although Jha’Quan Jackson will continue to return punts after excelling in that role the past two games.

Either way, Jones figures to be more of a focus than in the first half of the season.

“Amare is one of the most elite players on our team,” linebacker Nick Anderson said. “It was tough not having him back there when he was injured. To see him come in and be able to make those cuts and those plays, I’m proud of him.”

Jones danced around a question about whether or not he was 100% healthy, saying he did not have a full answer yet.

He was much more definitive about Tulane’s healthy outlook for November.

“This was definitely a starting point for a turnaround to the season,” he said. “We all came together and finally got the job done. Once we start, it’s hard to stop.”

Walker: Tulane defense ‘looks in mirror,’ bounces back from 3 woeful outings to stuff Temple By: Rod Walker Oct. 31, 2020

cause they were among the Owls’ 13 players in COVID-19 protocol.

Who knows if Tulane defensive coordinator Jack Curtis is on the hot seat or not?

Still, the Tulane defense handled its business in a game when they desperately needed to if it wanted to salvage this season.

Willie Fritz has a reputation for being loyal to his assistants, so it’s hard to tell.

“We played lights out and I’m proud of this team,” Anderson said.

But after the past few dismal Green Wave defensive performances, you had to think Curtis’ chair was at least getting a little warm.

Now Curtis’ bunch hopes to carry the momentum over to the final four games of the regular season against East Carolina, Army, Tulsa and Memphis.

So a performance like the one in Saturday’s 38-3 victory over Temple was much-needed for Curtis and his Green Wave defense, which had struggled during Tulane’s three-game losing streak.

“This is a great confidence boost,” Anderson said. “It’s bringing back our momentum, back our dedication and the way we play and our identity, and I’m glad we had this type of performance today. It’s showing what Green Wave football is about.”

The total yards allowed over the past three games — losses to Houston, SMU and UCF — had to make Fritz cringe.

—476 yards against Houston.

—581 yards against SMU. —689 yards against UCF. Tulane gave up 222 yards to the Owls on Saturday. That provided a sigh of relief for a team whose veteran defense was supposed to play much better than it has so far. And even more impressive than the yards allowed was the number on proud display on the visitor’s side of the Yulman Stadium scoreboard on this picture-perfect Saturday.

It was the first time in the Fritz era Tulane didn’t allow a touchdown. Curtis has been Fritz’s coordinator the whole time, plus the two seasons before when they were at Georgia Southern.

Credit what Green Wave linebacker Nick Anderson called a “look-in-the-mirror meeting” during the week for the about face.

“It was a meeting to basically say as a defense, we have got to play better,” said Anderson, who finished with a career-high 14 tackles. “It was one of those meetings where we just had to be real with each other. The offense has been carrying us these last couple weeks. It’s time for us to step up and lead this team and take over and over and do our part. “ It was the fewest points Tulane has given up since 2014, when the Wave beat UConn 12-3. Curtis Johnson was still the coach, and the Wave was in its first season in the American Athletic Conference.

“It was very refreshing,” Fritz said. “It’s hard to hold anyone to three points, especially in college football.”

Temple’s lone score came on its opening possession but the Wave held them in check the rest of the way in a game that could have been even more lopsided if it weren’t for some dropped passes and turnovers.

In fact, Fritz said he thought his team could have scored 60 if it hadn’t been for the miscues. Not that Tulane would have needed that many, the way the defense played.

Temple, of course, isn’t to be confused with Tulane’s past three opponents. The Owls, after all, were without three-year starting quarterback Anthony Russo because of a shoulder injury, forcing Tulane to have to prepare for three different quarterbacks in practice this week.

Temple was also missing three key offensive weapons who sat out the game be-

Walker: Remember Darnell Mooney? This ex-Tulane star, now a Bears rookie, faces the Saints on Sunday By: Rod Walker Oct. 31, 2020 Darnell Mooney didn’t go out and buy himself a fancy new car or a lavish home after the Chicago Bears drafted him in April.

Instead, the former Tulane standout bought a JUGS machine to catch passes in his living room.

That’s how dedicated Mooney is to proving people wrong.

Darnell Mooney, you see, believes in Darnell Mooney, even when nobody else does.

The rookie from Gadsden, Alabama, was lightly recruited before he ended up signing with Tulane.

And he thought he should have had his name called before the fifth round, when the Bears finally took him.

“Same thing over and over, I just have to prove myself,” Mooney said the day he was drafted. “I’ve been living through hard all my life so I don’t expect it to change.

As soon as I get in (to Chicago), I’m going to make a lot of noise, and it’s going to be some things to talk about in the future.”

So far, he’s made more noise than folks in the Windy City ever imagined.

Heck, even Bears coach Matt Nagy admits he wasn’t so certain if Mooney would have an immediate impact.

“We weren’t sure how it was going to go on the front end, but he started out in the Detroit game in Week 1 and the lights were not too big,” Nagy said on Friday. “He has done nothing but every single week got better and better and better.”

Mooney caught three passes for 38 yards in his NFL debut, then had a touchdown reception in his second game against the New York Giants. He quickly climbed the depth chart, and his 21 catches for 236 yards rank second on the team. Yeah, that’s more than teammates Jimmy Graham and Ted Ginn Jr., both familiar names to New Orleans Saints fans.

So slowing down Mooney figures to be key if the New Orleans Saints want to extend their winning streak to four games Sunday at Soldier Field.

The once-unheralded Mooney could possibly be the Bears’ go-to guy on Sunday, even though the team’s top receiver, Allen Robinson cleared concussion protocol Saturday.

Robinson suffered the injury in Monday’s game against the Rams. That was the same game that Mooney showed his route-running skills, burning Jalen Ramsey, one the NFL’s best veteran cornerbacks, on a play that would have resulted in a 95-yard touchdown pass if Nick Foles hadn’t overthrown it.

A Saints secondary that has struggled this season will have to keep the speedy Mooney in check. His 4.38-second 40 time at the combine was the fifth-fastest time there. His stats so far won’t blow you away, but he’s shown enough flashes that some consider him one of the steals of the 2020 draft.

NFL analyst Louis Riddick called Mooney a “young DeSean Jackson.”

Making Mooney’s start even more impressive is that he has done so in a season with limited offseason workouts and no preseason games, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He did a great job, No. 1, in college for us to be able to see him,” Nagy said. “You

could really feel what type of player he was. And then what he did he came into these crazy times over the Zoom meetings and just literally was so locked in to what we were doing schematically and how he could get better. Every single day he was asking great questions and spending extra time with the coaches. Then he came into training camp and right away was awesome.”

Mooney’s work ethic was often praised during his time reeling in passes at Tulane.

Green Wave offensive coordinator Will Hall called him a “relentless practice player.”

That probably explains why Mooney’s first major purchase when signing his contract was a JUGS machine that is set up in his living room. He catches passes from it when he’s not catching passes at the Bears’ practice facility. As impressive as the Bears have been with him on the field, Nagy is just as impressive with him off the field.

“I’m not sure if people don’t understand how good of a dude this guy is,” Nagy said. “This is a good human being. I’m talking about salt-of-the-earth good people that does things the right way. I can’t say enough good things about him.”

First win but not his last: freshman QB Michael Pratt guides Tulane to 38-3 rout of Temple By: Guerry Smith Oct. 31, 2020 Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt threw a gorgeous ball to wide receiver Mykel Jones early in the first quarter Saturday against Temple, hitting him in stride on a deep pattern for what could have been a 60-yard touchdown.

Jones grabbed it, tumbled to the ground and let it squirt out of his hands for an incomplete pass.

Unruffled, Pratt kept putting his receivers in position to make plays, and the Green Wave overcame a multitude of early mistakes to run away from the Owls 38-3 at Yulman Stadium for a much-needed feel-good win. The victory ended a seven-game American Athletic Conference losing streak for Tulane (3-4, 1-4) dating to last Nov. 2, and it was only the Wave’s second in 10 league games.

Temple (1-3, 1-3) missed senior three-year starting quarterback Anthony Russo, who sat out with a shoulder injury after throwing 63 times last Saturday at Memphis. Tulane limited the sophomore tandem of Trad Beatty and Re-al Mitchell, both playing for the first time this season, to 145 passing yards.

They were no match for Pratt, who went 12 of 21 for 201 yards and two touchdowns, adding 54 yards and another score on 12 rushes. He led three consecutive touchdown drives in the second half before leaving in favor of backup Keon Howard midway through the fourth quarter.

When Pratt finished off the Owls with a 9-yard keeper for a score and a 31-3 lead in the fourth quarter, it was apropos. The true freshman from Boca Raton, Florida, is a keeper himself, giving the Wave its best potential at quarterback in a long time.

“He has tremendous poise, way beyond his years,” coach Willie Fritz said. “He’s into the game. He prepares all week, so it doesn’t surprise when he plays extremely well.”

In his fourth attempt, Pratt became the first Tulane true freshman starting quarterback to win since Terrence Jones in 1985.

“Every week, the biggest thing is that the game just slows down,” he said. “I’m building experience and getting in the film room and seeing things I could have done better.”

The Owls never built anything on offense. Their three points, acquired on a 22yard field goal when their opening drive stalled after a first-and-goal a the 4, were the fewest the Wave has allowed since a 12-3 win against Connecticut in 2014, the year before Fritz arrived.

Torched in losses to high-octane SMU and Central Florida, Tulane held Temple to 4 of 16 on third-down conversions and 0 of 2 on fourth downs. Linebacker Nick Anderson, who had a career-high 14 tackles, credited a players-led meeting during the week.

“We looked at ourselves in the mirror to see what we were doing wrong,” he said.

“For us to hold them to three points and have multiple three-and-outs is amazing.

From the D-line to the DBs to the linebackers, we played lights-out.”

Temple hung around for a half only because of Tulane’s mistakes.

Two plays after Mykel Jones’ drop, running back Stephon Huderson lost a fumble.

On Tulane’s next series, tight end Will Wallace waited for a Pratt deep floater to arrive inside the Temple 10 rather than aggressively going after it. Cornerback Christian Braswell outfought him for the ball, getting an interception near the sideline that was only partly Pratt’s fault.

But he kept plugging away. With the score tied at 3 in the second quarter, he launched another perfect deep strike down the sideline to wideout Duece Watts.

Watts held on for a 52-yard gain, leading to Cameron Carroll’s go-ahead 13-yard touchdown run on a six-play, 93-yard drive.

“I’m not going to complete every ball that’s open, and receivers aren’t going to catch every single ball, but you just have to keep your composure,” Pratt said. “We got a lot of opportunities and started capitalizing on them.”

After one final mistake early in the third quarter — Amare Jones fumbled into the end zone as he crossed the goal line — Tulane scored touchdowns on its last four possessions.

Pratt hooked up with Watts for a 30-yard catch and run as the Wave went ahead 17-3, sparking Watts to a team season high of 114 receiving yards with two touchdowns on five receptions.

A little later, Pratt threw to Jha’Quan Jackson for 26 yards, setting up Watts’ 5-yard score on a corner route.

Anderson then snuffed out an option on fourth-and-1, tackling running back Tayvon Ruley for a 5-yard loss at the Temple 40 to set up Pratt’s final touchdown drive.

“We built a lot of confidence,” Pratt said. “The defenses was getting stops and we’d score. Once we get in our groove, we have a lot of fun out there and the game takes care of itself.”

Howard, who started the first three games before giving way to Pratt, finished off the scoring with a 15-yard scoring toss to Jaetavian Toles.

The final margin was Tulane’s largest against a current AAC member and the first time it held any opponent without a touchdown under Fritz.

The Owls never got past the Wave 35 after their opening possession.

“We didn’t play great,” Fritz said. “But any time you hold anybody to 3 points, I don’t care if the quarterback’s out or not, you’re doing a good job.”

Notebook: Hurricane Zeta alters Tulane practice schedule but does not cancel it By: Guerry Smith Oct. 29, 2020 Zeta turned out to be a disruption rather than a devastator for the Tulane football team.

The hurricane knocked out power on the Tulane campus when it blew through New Orleans on Wednesday evening, but it did not prevent the football team from practicing Thursday.

With classes canceled, the workout was moved to the afternoon from the morning, finishing at 4:15 p.m. The Green Wave (2-4, 0-4 American Athletic Conference) hosts Temple (1-2, 1-1) at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

“Luckily they allowed us to come out here,” coach Willie Fritz said. “We still don’t have power in the building, so we had to come out there in the daylight so there would be a little light in the locker room for guys to get their stuff.”

Fritz said Saturday’s game was not in jeopardy. The Wave has a big generator that will power Yulman Stadium and the adjacent Wilson Center, which houses the football offices.

“We couldn’t do anything as coaches because we didn’t have power up in the offices, so everyone was at home,” he said. “I’ve been here five years and this is really the first one (hurricane) I’ve experienced.”

Fritz added he lost power at his home in English Turn, but a generator that came with the house kicked on immediately.

The inconveniences for the team proved relatively minor.

“We had stinky clothes today,” Fritz said. “We didn’t get a chance to do wash yesterday because they turned the power off. It just changed us up in that regard, but thank goodness it wasn’t too bad.”

Tulane is looking to end a three-game skid.

“We need to get that good taste back in our mouths,” Fritz said. “We’ve had a tough year. A break here or there and things would look a little bit different, but they don’t. We’re excited about going out, improving and playing to the best of our ability.”

Notebook: Ben Knutson validated Tulane coaches’ choice to move him to offensive tackle By: Guerry Smith Oct. 22, 2020 Tulane had multiple options to replace injured left offensive tackle Joey Claybrook (right leg) when it began preparing for SMU, but the decision to plug in graduate transfer Ben Knutson worked well.

Knutson, who had played almost exclusively at guard for the Green Wave (2-3, 0-3 American Athletic Conference) since arriving from Virginia before last season, helped pave the way for 194 yards rushing in the final three quarters after a slow start. Several of running back Stephon Huderson’s big gains went through Knutson’s side of the line.

Barring a quick recovery from Claybrook, who has not practiced this week, Knutson will start his second consecutive game against Central Florida (2-2, 1-2) on Saturday.

The coaches relied on his experience at Virginia, where he played a little bit at backup tackle although his only two starts were at guard. He started six times at right guard for Tulane last year and was the top backup there in the first four games this year.

At 6-foot-9, 310 pounds, Knutson has a prototypical tackle’s height if not the footwork.

“Center is a unique position, but otherwise if you give a guy a week’s preparation when you move him from right guard to left tackle, that’s usually enough,” coach Willie Fritz said. “Obviously some guys are tailor made for tackle and some guys for guard, but the main objective for us is to get the best five out there on the field.”

Knutson earned the promotion ahead of backup left tackle Cameron Jackel and backup right tackle Jaylen Miller, who both struggled at the position after taking turns replacing Claybrook during the Houston game.

Redshirt freshman Caleb Thomas, who likely will start for the second consecutive time at right guard in place of injured true freshman Josh Remetich, also graded out well against SMU. Thomas’ development made it easier for Knutson to move to tackle.

“When 40% (of the line) is brand new, I was pleased with how those guys handled themselves,” Fritz said. “They did a good job.”

Freshman factor Cornelius Dyson will not start against UCF, but the freshman safety from Kentwood has impressed Fritz.

Despite never playing safety at Kentwood High, he has adapted quickly to his new position.

“He played linebacker, a little bit of corner, tight end, running back and wide receiver in high school,” Fritz said. “We recruited him really based on projecting him through his athletic ability and what we saw on film that he could be a safety.”

After missing the first two games due to coronavirus contact tracing issues, Dyson has three tackles and rotated in more frequently against SMU. With Tulane’s frontline safeties missing too many tackles against Houston and SMU, he may be in line for increased time against UCF. “We thought there would be a learning curve for him, and there hasn’t been,” Fritz said. “He’s going to play more and more. He rolled last week and he’s going to roll this week. He plays in the kicking game, is very competitive and has an excellent demeanor for practice and for games.”

Finally his time: Senior running back Stephon Huderson carrying the load for Tulane By: Guerry Smith Oct. 22, 2020 From fifth option to first string, Tulane running back Stephon Huderson is enjoying a heck of a ride in his senior year.

Coming off a career-high 132 yards on 19 carries against SMU, he might be the most important player on the field when the Green Wave (2-3, 0-3 American Athletic Conference) faces high-octane Central Florida (2-2, 1-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Spectrum Stadium.

The No. 1 priority is to keep the Knights’ record-breaking offense on the sideline as much as possible, and Huderson, who leads the Wave with 309 yards on 44 carries, can do it if he maintains his recent form. It is heady space to be in for a guy who was a footnote to Tyjae Spears, Corey Dauphine, Amare Jones and Cameron Carroll as spring practice ended prematurely in March.

“I just needed a chance,” he said. “Now that the opportunity’s there, I’m taking full advantage of it.”

Huderson, from Petal, Mississippi, had to wait four years for this spotlight. After enrolling early so he could participate in spring ball in 2017, he played sparingly as a freshman, finishing with 70 yards and one touchdown on 19 attempts. His numbers improved to 68 carries for 281 yards (4.1 average) in his sophomore season, but he was a distant third to Darius Bradwell and Corey Dauphine in the pecking order.

Last year, his productivity increased (5.8 average) while his usage declined, with Bradwell, Dauphine, Carroll and Jones all getting more touches than his 61 (51 rushes, three receptions, six kickoff returns, one punt return). Spears would have passed him, too, if he had not been limited to four games so he could redshirt.

Through it all, Huderson didn’t sulk, nor did he give the coaches reason to doubt his commitment.

“I tell these guys all the time football doesn’t expose character,” coach Willie Fritz said. “It exposes lack of character, and he never gets that exposed. He’s a good young man, a hard worker and a very good student. You just have to keep fighting through it and plugging away. Some people have that ability and some don’t.

Obviously he does.”

Huderson could have transferred, looking for more of a sure thing, but he trusted his ability and his work ethic.

“I told myself to keep going,” he said. “I was treating practice like it’s a game, going 100 percent every day.”

His big breaks came because of injuries. First, breakaway threat Corey Dauphine (1,385 career yards, 15 touchdowns) tore his Achilles tendon during the summer after the NCAA granted him a sixth year of eligibility. Then Spears tore an ACL on a touchdown run against Southern Miss, ending a spectacular start to the season (279 yards, 7.4 average in a little more than nine quarters).

The Huderson who played in Spears’ absence was a different player than in the past. Two years ago, fans grumbled every time he had a carry, feeling he was a halfstep slow and taking snaps away from the turbo-charged Dauphine.

Not any longer. Huderson raced for a 47-yard touchdown against Southern Miss on his way to a then-career-best 117 yards on 11 attempts.

After playing a secondary role to Carroll in Tulane’s 49-31 loss to Houston, he took over against SMU, when he had consecutive carries of 25, 9, 6, 16, 12, 2 and 22

yards spanning the second and third quarters.

The first two illustrated his newfound versatility. Huderson began by accelerating through a hole on the left side, leaving multiple defenders grasping air. On his next touch, he absorbed contact at the SMU 10, kept going and drove his tacklers backward all the way to the 3.

At 5-foot-9, 200 pounds, his low center of gravity makes him hard to bring down.

His strength helps, too. He squats in the 550- to 570-pound range, power-cleans about 330 to 340 pounds and can bench-press about 350 pounds.

“Pound for pound, he’s probably pretty close to being our strongest guy,” Fritz said. “If he were six feet, he’s probably weigh 235, 240 pounds. It’s just hard to get a good, clean shot on him.”

Huderson proceeded to cut back to his right on a run to the left, wait patiently for his blocks on another run around right end and make a subtle move to find a hole up the middle. He capped off his highlight reel with a 22-yard touchdown, starting up the middle before cutting sharply to the right to find an open path to the end zone.

“I just play with speed and read the second-level defender, so if they overrun, I cut back,” he said. “It’s all a feel thing. It’s not too much I can explain.”

He had his moments last year — a 100-yard game with a 32-yard touchdown catch against Tulsa; a 98-yard kickoff return for a score against UCF — but those outliers are becoming normal now.

“It’s just me playing with more confidence and knowing what’s going on,” he said.

“It comes with time. I just developed a little sense of urgency.”

Teammates are happy for him, from fellow class of 2017 members like defensive end Cameron Sample and cornerback Jaylon Monroe, who have watched his progress from the beginning, to sophomore center Sincere Hayneworth, who has the pleasure of blocking for him.

“He’s just a stud,” Haynesworth said. “He knows where to find the open spaces and once he gets there, he puts his head down and goes. He doesn’t ever complain. He’s always trusting the O-line. No matter what’s going on and how the game’s going, he just puts his head down and runs.”

He performs without even a hint of chutzpah.

“He’s a laid back, cool, calm kid,” running backs coach Jamaal Fobbs said. “He doesn’t have to be out front and he doesn’t have to be the life of the party or everybody look at me. He’s comfortable sitting in a chair and just kicking back. But when it’s time to be competitive, he definitely has that gene in him.”

His competitiveness has tempered his happiness. For all of his nice runs against SMU, Tulane still lost in overtime, remaining winless in the AAC. He wants to contribute to a turnaround victory, starting with what would be a nearly three-touchdown upset of heavily favored UCF. “To play so well and lose, it stinks,” he said. “It just shows you that we still have more work to do. It’s nothing if we’re not all on the same page. We have yet to play four full quarters, so that’s our biggest challenge right now.”

Fearsome foursome: Tulane linebackers excelling as team tries to follow their lead By: Guerry Smith Oct. 13, 2020 Before Tulane played Southern Miss last month, linebackers Marvin Moody, Kevin Henry, Nick Anderson and Dorian Williams made a pact they intend to live up to for the rest of the season.

“We told each other we’re the heartbeat of the team,” said Anderson, a junior college transfer who arrived as a sophomore in 2019. “The team is going to move off our moves. We have to keep everybody positive and focused. We have to have good energy because our energy is going to spread.”

They certainly have led by example even though Tulane (2-2, 0-2 American Athletic Conference) is not where it expected to be entering Friday evening’s home game with SMU (4-0, 1-0). Moody, a senior, and Henry, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma State, are the starters, but it is hard to differentiate between them and their backups.

Williams, a sophomore who comes off the bench, has team highs for tackles (32) and tackles for loss (six).

Anderson paced the Wave with eight tackles in the opener against South Alabama and matched that total against Southern Miss.

As well as Henry and Moody have played, the Wave experiences zero drop-off when Anderson and Williams replace them.

“They add a lot,” Moody said. “Dorian has speed and toughness, and Nick is a thumper. He’s a head hunter.”

Anderson, a squat 5-foot-10, 230 pounds, revels in leveling opponents. After he needed time to adjust from junior college ball to the FBS level, Mutz labeled his improvement to year No. 2 from year No. 1, when he had to adjust from junior college to the FBS, as off the charts. Henry described him as a ball of fire.

“I try to be the most physically dominant player on the field,” Anderson said. “But I also use my intelligence, getting in to watch film so I can react fast and take the right steps and play physical the whole game.”

Williams (6-1, 210) is a smaller version of Moody with more versatility, adept at blitzing and downfield coverage if necessary after playing a similar nickel/safety role in high school. He excelled on special teams but was not ready to play significant downs at inside linebacker as a true freshman.

His talent has taken over as a sophomore.

Moody is one tackle shy of Williams’ total and led the Wave with 11 stops against Navy.

“He’s come such a long way,” Mutz said. “His growth with his footwork and his understanding has been tremendous.”

Henry is behind his fellow ‘backers with 20 tackles, but his pressure helped the defense score two touchdowns against Houston. He harassed quarterback Clayton Tune into a bad throw that safety Macon Clark returned for a touchdown, and his strip sack near the goal line set up nose guard Jeffery Johnson for a fall-down score.

Since the linebacker depth allows them to take breathers, all four are fresh enough to play pivotal roles on special teams. Coach Willie Fritz said they acquitted themselves well there, too.

“If we had to rip up the turf and play on concrete Friday night (against SMU), these guys wouldn’t bat an eyelash,” linebacker coach Mike Mutz said. ”They just love playing. They are easy to coach.”

“They have a lot of pride in trying to play the style that we want in that room, with relentless effort, unbreakable toughness, energy and enthusiasm and intelligence,” Mutz said. “My goal is to get them to play with those four pillars every day, every play.”

Each of the four is from a different state—Arkansas (Moody), Louisiana (Baton Rouge Central product Henry), Mississippi (Anderson) and South Carolina (Williams)—but their state of mind is remarkably similar.

“All of us have the same fun personality,” Anderson said. “Nobody is really uptight.

We’re out there having fun and being leaders.”

Their playing styles are different, though.

Henry (6-foot-0, 245 pounds) is the savvy veteran, studying tendencies and applying what he learned in four years in the Big 12. Mutz said Henry was liable to text him at 8 p.m. with a question about coverage.

“I’m feeling a lot more comfortable now,” Henry said. “With me being a first-year guy (at Tulane) I had to develop chemistry with the other players. Each week I find little things I can work on that can help us.”

Moody (6-2, 230), an excellent athlete who played a nickel/safety role in high school, moved to Mike (middle linebacker) in the spring after starting at Will (weakside linebacker) in 2019. In his first three years he ran his way into 132 tackles but right out of the proper gaps at times, so Mutz challenged him to become more disciplined entering his final season.

“His understanding of being an inside linebacker has really grown,” Mutz said.

“He always had a good work ethic and was coachable, but the nuances of the game were trial by fire. He runs extremely well, and his confidence has grown.”

Just about everything they have done is positive.

Going the wrong way: Tulane looks to end conference slump against SMU By: Guerry Smith Oct. 12, 2020 A loser of seven of its past eight in the American Athletic Conference, Tulane is searching for answers ahead of its Friday evening matchup with 17th-ranked SMU at Yulman Stadium (5 p.m. kickoff, ESPN).

The primary question at the moment is what keeps causing dramatic swings within games. The Green Wave (2-2, 0-2 AAC) outscored South Alabama 21-0 and Southern Miss 52-3 at the end of non-conference victories after falling behind 24-6 and 14-0, respectively. It jumped ahead of Navy 24-0 and Houston 24-7 early and was outscored 27-0 by the Midshipmen and 42-7 by the Cougars late.

“I’ve had people ask me about it, and if I had a god-dang answer, we’d be doing it,” coach Willie Fritz said. “It’s keeping your focus, keeping your energy high and doing a good job of executing.”

Since starting 5-1 a year ago, Tulane is 4-7 and has been unable to string together four quarters in AAC play. Aside from a 38-26 victory against Tulsa last November, the Wave never led in its final six conference games of 2019, falling behind by at least two scores early in all of the defeats.

The issues have come in the second half this year, dropping Tulane to 0-2 in the league for the first time since Fritz’s debut in 2016. To avoid falling to 0-3, the Wave will need to beat its first ranked opponent in 36 years (Vanderbilt, 1984) and first Top 25 team at home since 1983 (Florida State, in a game the Wave later forfeited for using ineligible quarterback Jon English).

SMU (4-0, 1-0), which went 10-3 in 2019, jumped into the polls after a 30-27 home win against reigning AAC champion Memphis on Oct. 3. Senior quarterback Shane Buechele threw for 474 yards, but the Mustangs lost leading wide receiver Reggie Roberson (22 catches, second-in-the-nation 474 yards, five touchdowns) and starting running back TJ McDaniel (60 carries, 297 yards) to season-ending injuries.

Tulane, which already had lost leading running back Tyjae Spears for the year against Southern Miss, experienced injury problems of its own at Houston. Left offensive tackle Joey Claybrook exited with a leg injury on the opening series of the second half, and right guard Josh Remetich did not finish, either.

Graduate transfer Ben Knutson, normally a backup guard, took over for Claybrook in Monday’s practice after junior Cameron Jackel and graduate transfer Jaylen Miller struggled in that role against Houston. Redshirt freshman Caleb Thomas, previously the second-team center, replaced Remetich, but Fritz remained hopeful both starters would be ready for SMU. Claybrook, a three-year starter, watched practice Monday and appeared to be moving OK. “Luckily, he’s a vet,” Fritz said. “He’s played a lot of games. We’ll just have to see later in the week.”

Despite the setback at Houston, the Wave insisted its mindset remains positive.

“It was quite frustrating not being able to carry that energy to the second half, but I saw a lot of good things within the team and within the defense specifically coming together,” said linebacker Kevin Henry, whose pressure on Houston’s opening series and strip-sack on the third both led to defensive touchdowns. “Even though we got down a bit, we still kept fighting and kept giving it our all. That’s a sign you like to see. It gives us a lot of motivation for the following game.”

A huge priority will be stopping the big passes that have hurt the Wave every week.

Opponents have 13 completions for 25 yards or more, including 10 of least 30 yards and touchdown strikes of 88, 61, 41, 34 and 32 yards.

Buechele is second nationally with 1,326 passing yards a year after throwing for 3,929 and 34 touchdowns.

“With our style of play (primarily man-to-man coverage) you are going to get a lot of throws outside the numbers on fade routes,” Fritz said. “We probably had a little higher percentage of wins than losses last week, but those are big plays when they are completed. It’s a double-edged sword. You have to do a good job of covering and a great job of getting pressure and making sure the quarterback doesn’t get into a rhythm.”

Meet Michael Pratt, who is joining a heady list of Tulane freshman starting QBs By: Guerry Smith Oct. 7, 2020

once he figured that out, he was able to elevate his game.”

Tulane freshman quarterback Michael Pratt was not allowed to talk to reporters this week so he could focus exclusively on preparing for his first career start against Houston.

The attribute that stuck out against Southern Miss was composure. Entering with a 14-7 deficit, Pratt played as if he had been doing it for ages.

His performance at Southern Miss on Sept. 26 had already spoken volumes.

Relieving struggling senior Keon Howard in the first quarter, he led the Green Wave (2-1, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) to its most points against a Division I opponent this century in a 66-24 destruction. Although his numbers were fairly routine — 9 of 19 passing for 142 yards and two scores plus seven carries for 40 yards and another touchdown — the way he threw darts against the Golden Eagles and bounced up immediately from huge hits let everyone know he was ready for the big stage.

How big? According to Tulane’s sports information department, when Tulane faces Houston on Thursday night at TDECU Stadium (ESPN, 6 p.m.), Pratt will be the seventh true freshman quarterback to start a game since 1975, joining a heady list that includes Roch Hontas, Terrence Jones and Shaun King.

The key for Pratt is not getting ahead of himself.

“He’s got to be Michael,” offensive coordinator Will Hall said. “He’s a great leader.

He’s a tremendous talent. He’s a really good passer, and he plays better in games than he does in practice. There are going to be growing pains, but his future’s really bright.”

This is the second time in as many years Pratt has unseated a starter. Right before his senior year of high school, he transferred to powerhouse south Florida program Deerfield Beach from Boca Raton even though he had to compete with returning senior quarterback Derohn King, a second-team All-County selection in 2018 who had committed to Southern Miss.

After dealing with an abductor injury, Pratt replaced King and led Deerfield Beach’s star-studded lineup (four receivers and a running back were FBS signees) to the Class 8A semifinals. The run included a stretch of eight 40-plus-point games out of nine.

“I wanted to go somewhere there was another good quarterback,” he told the Florida-Times Union. “Where I’d have to go 110% each and every single practice, every rep. … Honestly, it’s played out really well.”

Choosing Tulane — he also had offers from Florida Atlantic and Toledo -has worked out well, too. Pratt enrolled in January and threw beautifully in his first spring practice, commanding the field as if he had been around a long time.

“I knew something was different about him by the way he carried himself,” said sophomore running back Cameron Carroll, who counts a 32-yard touchdown pass from Pratt as one of his FBS-leading eight scores. “You know how coaches say you can kind of tell that swagger about somebody. He definitely has it. When he got in a game, I was completely confident in him.”

Pratt supplemented his swagger with hard work. After his initial strong impression, he endured some rough days in the COVID-19-abbreviated spring drills. The defense began confusing him with more complex looks, letting him know how much he needed to learn.

When preseason practice began, he took fewer risks.

“I definitely feel like the defense humbled him because he came in and he was hot,” Carroll said. “He had an ego, and the defense saw they could pick at his attitude and use it as a weakness. As time went on he became more and more humble, and

The only time he showed his youth was in his touchdown celebrations, when he raced down the field with frenetic energy to congratulate teammates.

“I was super excited and a little nervous, but we just stuck to our game plan,” he said after the game. “We did everything coach Hall has taught us to do and we just executed. It feels great, but we have to move past this, go on to the next week and have plans to do the same things for the rest of the year.”

That is what coaches want to hear.

“He’s very calm during the game,” Tulane’s Willie Fritz said. “He played a high level of high school football in Florida with some big-time players. He’s been around the game all his life.”

It is anyone’s guess as to how he will react to his first start in a road conference game, but no one looked at his Southern Miss performance as a fluke. Teammates who had watched his ups and downs since January thought he could handle the spotlight.

“It definitely looked like he’s ready,” junior running back Amare Jones said. “I knew when he had the chance, he was going to make the best of it. When he touches the field, he’s just bouncing around. He always keeps the guys up. It’s always a good day.”

Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall working to maximize young talent ASAP By: Guerry Smith Oct. 6, 2020 The last time Tulane played Houston, new offensive coordinator Will Hall became famous for 24 hours when the fake kneel-down play he created worked to perfection in the final seconds.

While every defender on the field thought the Green Wave was playing for overtime, Amare Jones raced around the left end for 18 yards, leading to Jalen McCleskey’s 53-yard touchdown with three seconds left on a wild Thursday night at Yulman Stadium.

A year later, Hall is doing the much less glamorous work of preparing true freshman quarterback Michael Pratt for his first start, with a receiving corps that was almost totally untested entering the season, two true freshman starters on the offensive line and top running back Tyjae Spears sidelined by an ACL injury.

And oh, by the way, if Tulane (2-1, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) loses at Houston (0-0) on Thursday night, its goal of playing in the league title game will be all but gutted thanks to a scoreless second half against Navy three weeks ago as a 24-0 lead dissolved into a 27-24 defeat.

he considered his best receiver during preseason camp, likely would miss his second consecutive game with recurring knee pain after having major surgery in each of the past two years.

“They’ve had opportunities at plays where they needed to catch the ball, but they are young guys that are talented and are coming on,” Hall said. “They haven’t played a lot of ball, and they’re getting better every week. We’re coaching them as hard as we can coach.”

When Hall looks at the future, he cannot help but smile. With the NCAA handing out a free eligibility year because of COVID-19, he pointed out every offensive player who will take a snap against Houston outside of senior guard Corey Dublin and senior receivers Jacob Robertson and Mykel Jones could still be at Tulane in 2022.

The trick is moving that future as close to the present as possible.

“We’re just young,” Hall said. “I’d rather be talented but young than experienced but not talented.”

This is when a coordinator really earns his keep.

When that talent matures just a bit, Hall expects to have many more signature moments at Tulane other than the deceptive trick play that put him in the spotlight a year ago.

“We’re a work in progress, but we’re gonna be a great offense,” Hall said. “We’re getting better every day and have to continue to improve every day during the season.

It will be a tremendous assignment to go there and get a win, but we think we’re on the verge of doing something really special here.”

“It was a big deal for a little while, but I hope one play doesn’t define me as a man or as a human,” he said. “Lord knows I’ve had a lot of other ones in my career. I’ve only been here for a year and a half. I’ve got 17 other years of doing things and impacting people that I hope shine through, too.”

Hall always speaks his mind. After Tulane’s 24-6 loss to Auburn last September, he said he was the most embarrassed he had ever been in his 16 years of coaching offense. Tulane recovered to post the third-highest averages for yards (449.3) and points (33.1) in program history, but he noted Tuesday how quickly public sentiment changes from game to game.

The Wave followed its second-half meltdown against Navy by hanging 66 points on Southern Miss, with 59 of them coming after Pratt entered at quarterback late in the first quarter.

“I was national offensive coordinator of the week last week and the week before everybody wanted to fire me, but that’s how it goes,” Hall said. “We’re going to be great on offense here. I don’t think it’s going to happen quickly, but it’s going to happen.”

Tulane is fourth nationally in yards rushing (298.3 per game). The key is finding a consistent passing game. Pratt made some beautiful throws in his debut, but he finished 9 of 19, and the Wave likely will not face any defenses as weak as Southern Miss’s in the AAC. “Quarterback’s a unique position because the success of the team depends so much on the quarterback, but the success of the quarterback depends so much on the team,” Hall said. “The big thing for us is we have to play well around him and he has to play within the offense.”

In particular, the receivers need to be better. Tulane entered the year with zero proven players at the position, and the growing pains of a young, inexperienced group were predictable.

Sophomore Jha’Quan Jackson, who had a 42-yard touchdown catch against Southern Miss, barely played last season. Duece and Phat Watts, both starting, were in junior college.

Plus, Hall said sophomore wideout Sorrell Brown (two catches, 31 yards), whom

From scout team to significant contributor: meet Tulane D-lineman Noah Seiden By: Guerry Smith Oct. 5, 2020

undersized guy most of the time, I rely on technique to make plays. It’s technique, effort and a little bit of scrap here and there.”

Redshirt sophomore Noah Seiden made history he doubted would ever happen in Tulane’s home opener against Navy.

Senior Patrick Johnson noted Dawson used Seiden’s technique as an example for the rest of the linemen in video sessions.

Less than two weeks after getting a scholarship, he became the first original walk-on to start on defense in coach Willie Fritz’s five-year tenure, completing an unlikely journey from scout-team player to significant game-day contributor.

“He doesn’t play to his size,” Johnson said. “He’s a very strong kid. He’s very disciplined in his craft, and that’s what he takes pride on.”

“Really until this year I didn’t think I’d get much playing time,” he said. “The first play against Navy was the moment where I really thought, wow, I’ve made it to the point where I can start on a Division I team. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”

It is not the only memorable moment he will have, though.

Listed at linebacker on the official log, Seiden actually was on the interior of a five-man front, sacrificing his undersized body (6-foot-3, 265 pounds) play after play against the ground-bound Midshipmen. Although Tulane lost a 24-0 lead in the second half, he acquitted himself well, making two tackles and earning more playing time as a reserve in the Green Wave’s 66-24 trouncing of Southern Miss.

He will be part of a five-man rotation on the interior when Tulane (2-1, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) plays at Houston (0-0) on Thursday night.

“He’s a very good technique, fundamental guy,” Fritz said. “He does a good job of hand placement and playing with good pad level and getting off of blocks. He’s just gotten better and better the whole time that he’s been here.”

Seiden benefited from injuries to Davon Wright and Alfred Thomas, but he has held his own on the depth chart despite Thomas’ return. It is a heady role for a player who had zero Division I scholarship offers after a stellar career at St. Paul’s in Covington.

He arrived at Tulane in 2018 as a preferred walk-on, picking the Wave over a similar opportunity at Vanderbilt because of its proximity and his relationship with assistant coach J.J. McCleskey, who trained him in high school through his former company, Mental Edge Sports.

With hard work, Seiden far exceeded the typical ceiling for a walk-on. After playing in seven games last year, registering his first career tackle against Missouri State, he earned his scholarship at the end of preseason camp.

Fritz broke the news right before the team left town for its opener against South Alabama.

“It was very emotional,” Seiden said. “I’ve been working for a while and really wanted to help my family out. They’d been supporting me through everything and really investing everything into me, and so to finally have heard those words come out of coach’s mouth and be able to call my parents was really a dream come true.”

He stands out among his fellow defensive tackles because he is so much lighter.

The next smallest in Tulane’s rotation, Eric Hicks, weighs 285 pounds. Starter De’Andre Williams and backup Eric Hicks are listed at 290. Freshman Adonis Frlloux weighs 300. Nose tackle Jeffery Johnson is 330.

The offensive linemen Seiden faces are almost all 300 pounds or above. Topping it off, he is playing an unfamiliar position. St. Paul’s used him almost exclusively at defensive end, where he was first-team all-district and honorable mention all-state (Class 5A) as a senior.

“It’s not easy being about 50 or 60 pounds lighter than the guys I’ve gone against,” he said. “(Defensive line) coach (Byron) Dawson is a technician, and being such an

Seiden is working just as hard in the classroom. Majoring in business management, he is taking 18 credit hours this semester and plans to attend law school when he graduates.

The oldest of four brothers, he credits his toughness to growing up in an environment his parents’ friends affectionately dubbed the Seiden Zoo. “It’s definitely helped me become the man I am today, having people look up to me,” he said. “My family is everything to me. I just go out there every day and try to make them proud.”

Carrying on: Tyjae Spears out for year with torn ACL, but Tulane is deep at running back By: Guerry Smith Oct. 1, 2020

do it. I definitely can’t wait for this opportunity, but I’m sad it happened this way.

Tyjae is a great player.

Tulane coach Willie Fritz confirmed Thursday what everyone feared when Tyjae Spears went down early in the second quarter against Southern Miss — his star running back will be out for the rest of the season.

Huderson enjoyed setting his personal bests against Southern Miss, which did not recruit him until Tulane offered him a scholarship even though his hometown of Petal is about 10 minutes from Hattiesburg.

Fritz said Spears, a redshirt freshman from Ponchatoula, had surgery Thursday morning to repair a probable anterior cruciate ligament tear in his right knee. Off to a tremendous start in the Green Wave’s first three games, he was hurt at the end of his second touchdown run against the Golden Eagles, appearing to take a wrong step after being hit as he crossed the goal line.

“I know he had a little chip on his shoulder, but he just does everything well,” Fritz said. “He does a lot of stuff that’s not publicized, and he has excellent vision. One time we ran a stretch play outside zone, and he hit it in the backside A gap. You have to great vision in order to do that.”

That 15-yard score gave Spears 274 yards on 37 carries (7.4 average) in barely more than nine quarters, including back-to-back 100-yard games against South Alabama and Navy. An electric, big-play threat every time he touched the ball, he already was halfway to becoming the first player with three straight 100-yard games during Fritz’s tenure when his year ended abruptly.

“We’re losing a great, great, great player for this season,” Fritz said. “He brings so much to the team besides his level of play. He’s an example about how to practice and about how to prepare for a game. He does as good a job of that as anybody I’ve ever coached, and I’ve been doing this a long time. Guys are going to have to pick up the slack obviously.”

Spears appeared to know the extent of his injury immediately, crawling in pain at the back of the end zone and throwing his helmet off in frustration right before trainers arrived to look at the knee.

“When it happened, it definitely hit hard,” redshirt sophomore Cam Carroll said.

“Tyjae worked his butt off all spring, all summer and all fall camp. In our running back room we’re real tight, so that’s like my brother right there. I definitely hate it for him, but the good thing about it is he’s young. Tyjae’s a fighter and he’s a workhorse, so I know he’s going to bounce back.”

Tulane (2-1, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) is deeper at running back than anywhere else. Already having overcome the season-ending torn Achilles tendon Corey Dauphine sustained during the summer, the Green Wave still boasts a proven trio in Carroll, Amare Jones and Stephon Huderson (plus less tested sophomore Ygenio Booker) heading into next Thursday’s crucial game at Houston.

Even without Spears for essentially the last three quarters, the Wave rushed for 427 yards against Southern Miss, the seventh-highest total in school history.

“To see him go down the third game of the season is tough, but we have to push through and keep his head up high,” Jones said. “We’ll let him know we have his back the whole way. I’m very confident in the group we have. It’s a bunch of guys that are willing to do whatever it takes.”

Carroll already leads the nation with eight touchdowns. He wears down opponents with his 225-pound frame but is fast enough to outrun them, too. He scored four times against Southern Miss on runs of 52, 20 and 19 yards and a reception of 32 yards.

His 251 yards on 26 carries (7.0 average) are close to Spears’ numbers.

Huderson, a senior, rushed for a career-high 117 yards on a career-best 11 carries at Southern Miss, including a 47-yard touchdown.

“We all are capable of getting the job done,” he said. “We kill ourselves in practice to get ready for situations like this. Whatever coach asks me to do, I’m prepared to

Jones (18 carries, 106 yards; team-high six catches for 34 yards) figures to play a bigger role, too. His longest run and reception are for 16 yards through three games, but he proved he was a versatile big-play specialist last year as a sophomore, combining for 169 rushing and receiving yards against Army.

“I definitely do (have more to give), but it’s not really about me,” he said. “I’m just here to help the team win.”

Friday night message from D-line coach galvanizes Green Wave on Saturday By: Guerry Smith Sept. 26, 2020 HATTIESBURG, Miss. — First-year defensive line coach Byron Dawson delivered a message to the entire team Friday night as Tulane tried to bounce back from its gut-wrenching loss to Navy the week before.

“He gave us a beautiful scripture that really spoke to me,” running back Cameron Carroll said. “We can’t dictate our lives by being connected to the past, because then that will mess up our future. All week the coaches preached it’s the past and we have to come back stronger. That’s what we did.”

Carroll rushed for a career-high 163 yards and scored four touchdowns while Tulane recovered from a terrible to start to crush Southern Miss 66-24, marking the third time it has put up 60 points or more under coach Willie Fritz. Before Fritz arrived in 2016, the Wave had not reached that total since its perfect season in 1998.

The Wave brushed off its early 14-0 deficit quickly.

“It surprised us, but it didn’t really faze us,” Carroll said. “We had a great game plan coming into this week, and I was ready for anything that happened. We stayed consistent and kept fighting.”

The last time Tulane scored more than 66 points was in a 72-20 victory against UL-Lafayette in 1998.

Key injury Tulane redshirt freshman Tyjae Spears, whose 224 yards rushing through two games placed him fifth nationally, added 50 yards and a pair of touchdowns to his total before crumpling to the ground untouched at the end of his second scoring run.

He could not put weight on his leg when two trainers assisted him to the locker room a few minutes later, missing the rest of the game.

“I don’t know yet,” Fritz said when asked about Spears’ status. “I always wait until I get somebody that can really look at it and see. I’ve been in some situations where you thought it was real bad and it wasn’t, and I’ve thought it was nothing and it was.”

Without Spears, Tulane still rushed for 430 yards. Carroll and Stephon Huderson became Tulane’s first duo to gain more than 100 yards in the same game since Darius Bradwell and Corey Dauphine did it against South Florida in 2018.

“That’s one position we’ve got a lot of guys,” Fritz said.

Masked up Fritz admitted Thursday it was a significant adjustment getting used to wearing a mask during games in the coronavirus era.

The American Athletic Conference has not levied out any punishment for coaches who do not adhere to COVID-19 policy. The NFL fined Saints coach Sean Payton $100,000 and the team another $250,000 for his breaking the mask-wearing rules at times against Las Vegas on Monday night.

Finding the right mask has been a challenge for Fritz, who joked he considered wearing a face shield until he saw how it looked on Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid.

“I’ve tried I don’t know how many different masks,” Fritz said. “I broke my nose so many times I have a hard time breathing through my nose. I breathe through

my mouth and just have to do a better job of yelling and screaming and taking a breath every now and then and keeping that mask on.”

Tulane QB Michael Pratt cements his status as starter in win vs. Southern Miss: ‘It was a blast’ By: Guerry Smith Sept. 26, 2020 HATTIESBURG, Miss. — The second pass of Michael Pratt’s college career was a dangerous throw to the sideline against tight coverage.

Zing. The ball eluded a Southern Miss defensive back’s hands and went right to receiver Duece Watts, springing him for a 23-yard gain.

Just that quickly, Pratt proved he was ready to take over as Tulane’s starting quarterback, galvanizing an offense that had been stuck in reverse under inaccurate senior Keon Howard.

“That definitely gave me some confidence,” Pratt said. “I was really excited to get Duece the ball and let him show what he could do on the field.”

Pratt did not have another completion on the 13-play, 77-yard touchdown drive that tied the score at 14, but the threat of the pass opened up lanes for what turned into a dominant rushing attack the rest of the way in Tulane’s 66-24 bashing of Southern Miss on Saturday.

Never mind Pratt’s final numbers — he was just 8 of 18 for 142 yards. His ability to make big plays, which included a pretty 16-yard pass to running back Cameron Carroll in the back of the end zone and a perfect rainbow to Jha’Quan Jackson for a 42-yard score, changed everything.

“I was joking around with him saying you are going to make the fans forget about my number,” said senior defensive end Patrick Johnson, who shared jersey No. 7 with Pratt. “I’m proud of him, though. He did a good job. He’s been ready.”

Fritz’s plan was for Pratt to play the third possession and make judgements on the quarterbacks from there. He ensured he would stay in the rest of the way, giving the Wave the competence Howard could not provide in a rough three-game stretch as the starter.

After arriving in January from Boca Raton, Florida, Pratt built for this moment in five spring practices before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports and again with all the repetitions he received in preseason camp.

His burgeoning confidence showed in his signature moment — the gorgeous touchdown pass to Jackson that gave the Wave a 45-24 lead in the third quarter.

“That was actually a RPO (run-pass option) play,” Pratt said. “The majority of the time we are going to run that ball. When I looked out there, I saw the corner pressed on Jha’Quan. I kind of looked over and gave him the nod, if you do your job I’ll get you the ball. He just ran a great route and it all came together.”

Pratt proved his versatility with some keepers on read option and regular options with a pitch man, adding 40 rushing yards on seven attempts.

That dimension will be another threat Tulane’s next opponent, Houston, will have to contend with in his first career start.

“It was a blast,” Pratt said. “It was great team win, and I’m really grateful to my teammates for having trust in me coming in that situation and just playing their hearts out.”

Monroe ready for another tough challenge By: Guerry Smith Sept. 24, 2020 After shutting down white-hot receiver Jalon Tolbert of South Alabama in Tulane’s opener, senior cornerback Jaylon Monroe may get a similar challenge this Saturday against Southern Miss’ Tim Jones.

Jones has 14 catches for a nations’ best 299 yards through two games, accounting for more than half of the Golden Eagles’ total of 578. He scored from 74 and 20 yards out on a pair of one-play drives in last Saturday’s 31-30 loss to Louisiana Tech.

At 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, Monroe gives up three inches and plenty of bulk to the 6-1, 202-pound Jones, but he is used to compensating for his size. South Alabama’s Tolbert, who is 6-3, could not bring down jump balls as the two of them battled on Sept. 12.

Following Tolbert all over the field in the second half, Monroe limited him to one catch for seven yards after he burned the Wave for 107 on five receptions in the first half.

“I’ll just go out there and be confident and play with whoever the coaches match me up with,” Monroe said. “I feel like there’s a pretty good chance that I will be following him. We’re still game planning, but it will be a pretty good matchup. I know they are going to try me because of my size, but that’s fine. Just keep doing it.”

Monroe praised Tolbert’s route running, particularly his ability to come out of his breaks hard. Monroe will counter with his own special skill set.

“He’s got as quick feet as any kid I’ve had,” Tulane coach Willie Fritz said. “He’s doing a good job getting hands on when he does press on the line of scrimmage.

That really throws the timing off between the receiver and the quarterback, and the thing he’s doing a nice job of is playing the deep ball. You do a good enough job of that and you get an opportunity to keep playing (in the NFL).”

Monroe, in his second year as a full-time starter, hopes to follow in the footsteps of former Tulane cornerbacks Parry Nickerson, Donnie Lewis and Thakarius Keyes, who were selected in the past three NFL drafts. After an up-and-down junior season, the coaches’ trust in him against South Alabama spoke volumes.

“It was exciting and something I’ve always been waiting for,” he said. “In previous years I’ve always been behind some NFL guys. Now it’s my turn. I just went up and did the job. I definitely want to keep the little streak going.”

Quiet game For the first time in 28 career starts, defensive end Patrick Johnson was not credited with a tackle against Navy, but Fritz saw little significance in that stat. Johnson played the wide side of the field, and the Midshipmen kept running toward the boundary and fellow end Cameron Sample.

“The plays weren’t coming (Johnson’s) way,” Fritz said. “When you play a true under-center triple option team, you kind of change what you do for that week.

Cam had a ton of production (eight tackles). Patrick didn’t have as much, but it was based on the scheme we were playing more than anything else.

Johnson, who had two sacks against South Alabama, will be more in his element this Saturday. Southern Miss has thrown 64 times through two games.

Still learning Junior-college transfer Duece Watts, arguably Tulane’s best wide receiver in preseason camp, has caught zero passes despite starting both games.

Fritz attributed his lack of productivity to a few errant throws from quarterback

Keon Howard and Watts’ adjustment to Division I football.

“It’s a huge difference,” he said. “I know that as well as anybody. I was surprised how big a vault it was going from junior college football to Division II football going from Blinn College to Central Missouri (as coach). He is catching up every single day.”

At the moment, he is behind his twin brother. Phat Watts, who has four catches for 37 yards plus a 3-yard touchdown run on an end around.

Lagniappe The postponement of this Saturday’s Temple-Navy game means eight of 11 AAC teams have had at least one game canceled or delayed since the start of the season.

SMU, East Carolina, Tulsa, Houston, Memphis, South Florida, Temple and Navy have been affected. Tulane, Central Florida and Cincinnati are the exceptions. …

Tulane’s Oct. 8 game at Houston will be the Cougars’ opener. Planned openers against Rice, Memphis, Baylor and North Texas have been canceled or postponed because of opponents’ issues with coronavirus.

Walker: Tulane falls short of 2-0 start that would’ve made No. 1 fan, the late “Big Mike” Johnston proud By: Rod Walker Sept. 19, 2020 This one, if the Tulane football team had done what it was supposed to do, would’ve been for “Big Mike.”

Mike Johnston, one of Tulane’s most loyal fans, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer Wednesday, three days before Saturday’s season opener against Navy. He was 66.

A bouquet of flowers took the spot where Johnston normally sat in Seat 19 on Row I of Section 211 in the upper deck of Yulman Stadium.

“good to great,” the team’s motto this season.

Their No. 1 fan was indeed tough.

Although he battled cancer for 2½ years, he still attended games and fan club meetings when he could.

“He was the driving force behind the Greenbackers,” fan club member Darryl Failla said. “We don’t have that force anymore and we’re going to have to find it. If it was possible to give more than 100%, he would.”

Johnston, longtime president of the Greenbackers Fan Club, was a staple at Tulane games, no matter the sport.

“Big Mike” leaves to mourn his wife Jacklyn, a son Christopher and a daughter Kimberly. He also leaves to mourn the Tulane family that will miss seeing their No. 1 fan at games. It’s why they made sure to reserve him a seat Saturday. Despite the way this game turned out, Big Mike would’ve no doubt been back for the next one.

“Mike meant everything to this program,” said Jena Woodson, Tulane’s senior associate athletic director for external relations. “He was super-welcoming to any new staff or coach and every player that came here. He just wanted everyone to love Tulane as much as he did. He was the No. 1 fan and supporter and just very passionate about Tulane.”

“He was the most loyal person to his team that I’ve ever run across at any place I’ve been,” Tulane athletic director Troy Dannen said. “There was nothing he wouldn’t do for anyone in the department, particularly the student athletes. Those type of guys don’t come around often. And he didn’t want anything in return. He did it for his love for Tulane.”

Johnston, who graduated from Tulane in the early ’70s, had been there for the highs.

And he’d been there for the lows.

Saturday began as the former and ended up the latter, one of the lowest of the lows as Tulane let a 24-point halftime lead slip through its fingertips and lost 27-24 on a Midshipmen field goal as time expired.

Those who were close to Johnston know he would have been just as devastated about Saturday’s collapse as the Wave players were as they headed to their locker room.

“I guarantee you Mike is up there screaming right now,” said Al Horn, a fellow member of the Greenbackers. “He’s giving them hell. He bled olive green and blue.”

And on this day, the Green Wave surely deserved all the hell any fan wanted to give.

It was a gloomy afternoon, but this was supposed to be Tulane’s day to shine.

It was their first time playing on ABC in 40 years.

This was supposed to be the day Tulane showed the rest of the country that the program was on the rise. This was supposed to be the Wave’s first 2-0 start since 2002, back when the players on their roster were toddlers.

Instead, Willie Fritz and his team were left scratching their heads after blowing a lead over a Navy team that picked up just one first down the entire first half.

“One of the toughest (losses) I’ve ever had,” said Fritz, who has been in the coaching business since 1981.

Tulane looked to be in control of this one, sprinting out to a 24-0 lead before Navy scored 27 unanswered second half points to snatch this one away.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” Tulane linebacker Nick Anderson said.

“That’s the Naval Academy. They are built on toughness and adversity.”

It’s the type of toughness Tulane will have to develop if it truly wants to get from

Walker: Tulane needs to make most of spotlight in Green Wave’s first ABC game in 40 years By: Rod Walker Sept. 18, 2020 Willie Fritz, 60, was a defensive back at Pittsburg (Kan.) State the last time the team he now coaches played a game on ABC. So yeah, it’s been a while.

Forty long years to be exact.

That drought ends Saturday morning when Tulane hosts Navy at Yulman Stadium on ABC, the Green Wave’s first game on the network since 1980.

Reggie Reginelli was a sophomore running back on that Tulane team that lost 1714 to Southern Miss in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in the season opener. He remembers two things in particular about that game.

First.

“That was the nation’s introduction to Reggie Collier,” Reginelli said, referring to the former Southern Miss great who made his first collegiate start that day and went on to become the first quarterback in NCAA history to run and pass for 1,000 yards in the same season. “Best college football quarterback running and passing in history in my book. Reggie just put on a show.”

Second, and more important, Reginelli remembers what it meant to be playing on ABC during a time when playing on television wasn’t nearly as common as it is now that ESPN and all the other cable networks have come along.

“It was a big deal,” Reginelli said. “Everybody wanted to be on TV for sure. Back then there were just a handful of games, so just to be a part of that was huge. You didn’t have a lot of chances to be on TV back then.”

Tulane dropped that season opener and haven’t been back on ABC since.

With far fewer games for networks to choose from this season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tulane returns to the spotlight for Saturday’s 11 a.m. kickoff. WGNO, the local ABC affiliate, will also air a pre-game show at 10:30.

For Tulane, it’s a time to shine and show the rest of the country that this isn’t the same Green Wave program that suffered through losing records in 15 of 18 seasons before Fritz began turning things around in his third year two seasons ago. This is a chance to improve to 2-0 and pick up some more votes from those who vote in the coaches’ poll. The Green Wave earned 20 votes in the coaches’ poll this week, seven spots outside of the Top 25. Tulane didn’t get any votes in the writers’ poll.

Linebacker Nick Anderson calls the chance to play on ABC a “phenomenal experience.” He expects all of his former teammates at Jones (Miss.) Junior College to tune in. “(We’ll) be able to get that exposure all across the country to show that we are one of the best teams in the nation,” Anderson said.

Tulane was unable to take advantage of their time in the spotlight last season. The Wave was on the brink of breaking into the Top 25 in 2019, but got manhandled

by Memphis on ESPN2.

A win Saturday over a Navy team that opened as a 7-point underdog won’t put Tulane in the Top 25, especially after Navy’s awful showing in its season-opening 55-3 beatdown to BYU. But a 2-0 start could be a sign of bigger things to come for Tulane, especially with winnable games against Southern Miss and Houston looming.

For Tulane, this is a chance to handle business and open some eyes around the country, just like Fritz preaches every time he steps into the living rooms of those high school players he is trying to get to come to Tulane.

“It’s a big deal,” Fritz said. “When I recruited them I told them how we wanted to be a national program. We are going to have a great audience. It’s a chance for guys to show what they can do. It’s a big deal for our university and a big deal for our football program.”

While the Wave has played plenty of games on television over the years, this is a chance to be seen by a bigger audience, not just ones with cable. It’s been four decades since it last happened.

“I can’t believe it’s been that long,” Reginelli said. “To start off 2-0 would be huge.

When you’re a school trying to take that jump to the next level. you’ve got to start fast. It makes a world of difference. Hopefully Tulane will make a good impression on national TV. When you get those opportunities, you want to make the most of them.”

A win would be a good start. And if Tulane gets to where Fritz believes it can, it won’t have to wait another 40 years to play on ABC.

Special gifts: Tulane running back Tyjae Spears broke out in his first start By: Guerry Smith Sept. 16, 2020 The first time running back Tyjae Spears touched the ball against South Alabama, he was tripped up for a short gain just as he headed into open field.

He punched the Jaguars in the mouth for the rest of the night.

Spears, a redshirt freshman from Ponchatoula, broke out in his first career start, finishing with 105 yards on 11 carries and adding two catches for 30 yards as Tulane rallied for a 27-24 victory in its opener. Even on a team loaded at running back, the worst-kept secret of preseason camp was how big of a difference-maker he could be.

“From the time he got here, you knew he had some type of special gift within him,” senior quarterback Keon Howard said. “He has a tremendous work ethic, and he pushes the guys in that running back room to be the best they can be as well.”

The ball went to Spears on three of Tulane’s first four snaps, indicating his value, and he kept delivering.

His 41-yard burst set up the Wave’s lone touchdown in the first half. Streaking through the middle, he made a sharp cut to the outside that left a defensive back grasping air.

On his 22-yard run with his first carry of the second half, five Jaguars touched him before a sixth finally brought him down as he juked his way down the field.

A little later, he beat a defender near the sideline with a hesitation move after catching a pass in the flat and nearly turned it into a 30-plus-yard gain, settling for 16 because he barely stepped out of bounds. He got those yards right back with a 14-yard run up the middle, breaking another tackle.

“I’m unique,” said Spears, who needed prodding to praise himself. “I can do it all from pass blocking to running hard downhill to outside zone to inside zone, catching the ball out of the backfield, making a guy miss and winning one-on- ones. I feel like I’m very rare.”

Tulane coach Willie Fritz agreed, labeling him one of the best practice players he had seen. One of the first things he noticed about Spears was his physical nature without the ball. Three or four times during preseason camp, he sacrificed his body and stoned blitzing linebackers rather than just trying to get a tiny piece of them, belying his 5-foot-10, 190-pound size.

“He’s as good a blocker as we’ve got,” Fritz said. “He’s a tough, hard-nosed competitor. I love everything about him, and he’s only going to get better.”

The skill came with hard work.

“This may sound crazy, but I want to be a better blocker than a runner,” Spears said. “This offseason I really took pride in it.”

Fritz knew what he had in Spears immediately, but with the Wave’s depth at running back, he elected to redshirt him last season. Spears played in the maximum four games the NCAA allows to retain four years of eligibility, rushing for 89 yards on eight carries against Missouri State and 60 yards on 12 attempts at Navy.

The high mark for a running back at Tulane under Fritz was Darius Bradwell’s 1,134 yards in 2018. If Spears stays healthy, that number should be in jeopardy even though he shares carries with Amare Jones, Cameron Carroll and Stephon Huderson.

“He’s a true dog at running back,” Tulane linebacker Nick Anderson said. “It’s almost like he has a defensive mindset in the backfield where he’s not afraid of contact. One play he’ll try to run you over, and the next play you ‘ll think he’ll try to run you over again and he’ll hit you with a move. He has a lot of tools in his tool box.”

Fritz says Spears’ only weakness might be the way he hammers himself for mistakes, letting a disappointing play bleed into the next one, but the more touches he gets, the more likely he will move on. He felt as if he were overlooked coming out of Ponchatoula, where he had 920 rushing yards and 880 receiving yards as a senior, but he already has put that frustration behind him.

Tulane was his only major offer before a late flirtation with Kansas State.

“I don’t really play with a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “A lot of people know I was under-recruited, but I’m here now. I’m going to make the best out of my opportunity.”

Lagniappe Fritz said punter Ryan Wright, who missed the Southern Miss game for unspecified reasons, would return for Saturday’s home opener against Navy. … Freshman defensive end Angelo Anderson is out until mid-October after having knee surgery a few weeks ago and then being unable to rehabilitate it for 14 days because he was quarantined in a hotel because of contact tracing for coronavirus. … Other than practicing in the afternoon Tuesday rather than the morning, the Wave’s preparation for Navy was not disrupted by Hurricane Sally.

Tulane football coach Willie Fritz confirms contract extension through 2027 By: Guerry Smith Sept. 14, 2020 Back-to-back bowl victories and the anticipation of even better days to come earned fifth-year Tulane football coach Willie Fritz a contract extension through 2027.

After the Green Wave’s Monday morning practice, Fritz, 60, confirmed what was first reported by Yahoo Sports, although he added the deal was for an extra year and had been signed a while ago without being publicized. His last contract ran through 2023.

“I’m fired up,” he said. “My wife and I are excited about it. We love New Orleans.

We love Tulane. It’s a great school. We have a great group of young men playing for us. I think the future is extremely bright. We signed a great class last year and feel like we’ve got a great group committed.”

Tulane is coming off two consecutive 7-6 seasons after averaging fewer than four wins from 1999 to 2015, going 66-137 in that span. The Wave had not finished above .500 two years in a row since Tommy Bowden’s tenure in 1997-98 and is aiming for a third consecutive winning record for the first time since 1979-81.

Fritz can become the first Tulane coach with three straight winning records since Henry Frnka from 1948 to 1950. Still, he has joked about coaches coming up to congratulate him for his success at coaches’ conventions when he wants to set the bar higher.

After tying for the AAC West division title with a 5-3 mark in 2018, Tulane slipped to 3-5 last season. With divisions eliminated, the next step is contending for the overall league title.

“I really think the sky is the limit with the academics we can sell the student-athletes, the great league we play in and our location,” Fritz said. “All those things are pluses. There’s no reason why we can’t have high-end academics and be a football powerhouse. That’s what our goal is.”

The Wave rallied from a 24-6 third-quarter deficit to beat South Alabama 27-24 in its opener on Saturday and picked up 20 votes in the coaches’ top 25. It is favored by a touchdown to beat American Athletic Conference foe Navy in its home opener at 11 a.m. Saturday on ABC. Praising athletic director Troy Dannen, school president Michael Fitts and his assistant coaches, Fritz believes the continuity is there for sustained success.

“They’ve had great teams here, but it just hasn’t happened consistently,” Fritz said.

“Obviously we made the big move up conference-wise to the AAC, and people are starting to understand what a great conference the AAC is. There’s no reason why we you can’t do it big here at Tulane.”

Fritz went 3-9 and 5-7 in his first two years with Tulane after posting 21 winning records in his first 23 years as a coach, including a pair of National Junior College Athletic Association national championships at Blinn College, a pair of runner-up finishes in the FCS playoffs at Sam Houston State and a Sun Belt Conference championship at Georgia Southern in that school’s first year of Division I play.

His career record is 217-101-1.

“He’s a great leader,” senior defensive end Cameron Sample said. “He sets his expectations and pushes us to get there and go past them every day. This program is definitely in great hands with coach Fritz, and I’m excited to see what we do next year and the years going forward with him being here.”

Honor for Sample Sample was named AAC defensive player of the week for his performance against South Alabama, when he had seven tackles, a career-high 3½ tackles or loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. He helped the Wave force four three-and-outs on the Jaguars’ last five possessions while limiting them to 13 yards rushing in the second half.

“It’s a good starting point,” he said. “I’m beginning to let loose.”

Lagniappe Redshirt freshman running back Tyjae Spears made the AAC honor roll, rushing for 105 yards on 11 carries and adding two catches for 30 yards. … Fritz said Tulane’s Monday morning practice was more strenuous than usual because of the uncertainty ahead with Hurricane Sally. The players will stay in a hotel Tuesday and Wednesday as a precaution to keep them safe.

Tulane adjustments fuel opening win in game that would have been lost in the past By: Guerry Smith Sept. 13, 2020 Trailing South Alabama 24-6 midway through the third quarter on Saturday night, Tulane needed a major momentum change to avoid a dispiriting opening-game loss.

Mission accomplished. With one key tweak defensively and better attention to detail all the way around, the Green Wave out-gained the Jaguars 152-23 the rest of the way and outscored them 21-0 while providing another example of how coach Willie Fritz has changed the losing culture he inherited from several predecessors.

In the past, Tulane had a nasty habit of pratfalls every time it generated positive publicity, the position it found itself in after receiving preseason votes in the coaches’ top 25 poll. This time, the Wave blasted out of the hole it created.

The tweak was shadowing South Alabama star receiver Jalen Tolbert with cornerback Jaylon Monroe instead of keeping Monroe on one side of the field. Tolbert, who had five catches for 107 yards before the switch to go along with six receptions for 169 yards in an opening-game victory against Southern Miss, managed one catch for 7 yards in the final 27 minutes.

“Jaylon Monroe did a nice job in the second half,” Fritz said. “We put him on (Tolbert) every play and he went with that guy and nullified his effectiveness.”

The other issues may simply have been a matter of Tulane playing its first game while South Alabama was in its second. Fritz lamented running backs going outside when the cut lane was inside. He said an offensive lineman blocked the wrong man on a fourth-and-short handoff to power back Cameron Carroll while the player he was supposed to block tackled Carroll unimpeded. He noticed defenders trying to make plays instead of carrying out their assignments.

“The majority of our guys did a good job of fighting and scratching and clawing the whole game, but we just have to have everybody doing it from the first quarter on,” Fritz said. “We were self-destructing. One guy was doing the wrong thing on offense and defense. You have to do your one-eleventh.”

When the Wave begin practicing what he was preaching, the offense scored three touchdowns in a span of four possessions and the defense forced four three-andouts in five series. Even on the exception, South Alabama had to convert three consecutive third downs.

“We had to refocus,” said defensive end Cameron Sample, who had seven tackles, 3½ stops for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. “It’s a four-quarter game. As a defensive line, we knew we were getting good pressure but we just hadn’t gotten home. We said keep playing hard and the plays will start to come. This year we have a stronger bond with everyone in the locker room.”

Senior quarterback Keon Howard, starting for the first time at Tulane and the first time anywhere since 2017 with Southern Miss, was 11 for 26 passing entering the Wave’s penultimate possession. Finally settling down, he went 3 for 4 on that drive, setting up the winning touchdown before connecting on a 2-point conversion.

“It was a great team win,” he said. “It just shows the maturity of our team this season. Everyone bought into the system. Tonight wasn’t a good night, but we showed unity. That’s the most important thing I took away.”

Fritz blamed himself for the slow start because his practices were not physical enough leading up to the game, but he did so with a smile because of the strong finish. Like other teams across the country, Tulane was not quite ready for live tackling.

“I wish I would have scrimmaged last week,” he said. “I wish a week ago Saturday we would have gone 50 to 60 plays. It’s hard to replicate a real game when you’re practicing. I’ve been doing this a long time. Live and learn.”

Tulane AD Troy Dannen Q&A: Willie Fritz’s new contract, Navy game precautions By: Larry Holder Sep. 12, 2020 Tulane football continues to ride the momentum of positivity as much as a program can be while fighting through a pandemic as well as multiple other potential disruptions thanks to hurricanes.

Green Wave athletic director Troy Dannen joked (maybe) Monday afternoon, “Well I think if it was normal (times), then I would be going insane right now. I’ve gotten so used to so many things like this in the last six months of preparing in the moment and reacting in the moment that this just feels like it’s supposed to.”

Despite everything, Tulane remains on course to host Navy on Saturday morning for its American Conference opener at Yulman Stadium. Precautions are being made with Hurricane Sally possibly affecting the New Orleans area in the coming days.

Dannen spoke to The Athletic on Monday to discuss the challenges of today’s climate, the perceived communication issue with the city of New Orleans and the new contract for head coach Willie Fritz that extends him through the 2026 season: Storm preparation: What’s the plan with the team and Saturday’s game home game with Navy?

We’re putting the team in a hotel starting this afternoon just because of power and potential issues with that and the fact that our food service is shut down for the next couple of days on campus. Hopefully they will be back to normal by the middle of the week. But they’ll be in a hotel for the next couple of days. And we’re bringing auxiliary power in for Saturday just in case. Where we’re located, power and potential trees and wires down are the things that’s the biggest concern for us. We’re trying to do all we can to make sure the game gets played. With COVID, if you have an open weekend to get the game played, there’s no certainty beyond tomorrow.

How late in the week would you hold off before maybe canceling a game?

As long as the city isn’t in a state of emergency, we will have enough auxiliary power that we’ll be able to play the game. So I fully anticipate barring some change to the forecast, I fully anticipate playing Saturday.

Just being to get this game off the ground given COVID, how monumental of a feat is this to be at this point?

Well, I felt last week at South Alabama that we felt like the level of accomplishment seems well beyond just playing the game of football. The fact that from certainly the student-athletes to the coaches and equipment managers and trainers, what everybody has done to get us to the point where we can play, it feels like it was a culmination of one of the greatest efforts that I’ve ever been around. Now entering into Week 2, I feel like it’s going to start to be more normal football and not this ‘I can’t believe we’re not playing’ phase.

How about the win over South Alabama?

South Alabama has a lot of talent, particularly at wide receiver and brought in a JUCO All-American quarterback. I think having a quarterback playing really his first meaningful game in three years and having three wide receivers new to the program and a fourth out injured for a while getting most of the snaps, we had a lot of new faces. Add the two freshmen in the offensive line. But as the game went on, I think you saw where our strengths are, the running game and that defensive front started to take over a little bit. Scary moment for a lot of us in that you don’t want to get that far behind too often, but as the game went on we got out sea legs underneath us. Playing a game (South Alabama played the week before) and not playing a game at that point is pretty significant. It took us a while to get caught up.

You’ve told me how you wanted Willie Fritz until he doesn’t want to coach anymore. Having that security with a coach, how gratifying is it to have Fritz under the new contract?

Well, one, I’m happy for the university. Winning at South Alabama was the first time since 1998 that Tulane has won a road game to open the season. There’s just a lot of accomplishments that Willie has achieved for Tulane that you kind of shake your head and think ‘how has this not been done before here?’ Throw in the winning two bowl games in a row. He’s gotten

a lot of things achieved and really has us on a great path. Our recruiting has been in the top third of the league the last couple of years. That’s a strata that Tulane hasn’t been in. I know we’re well-coached and I know he treats the players the way that you want your son treated. I think when there’s a true win-win-win, I think Coach understands and appreciates how much the university thinks of him, both what he’s done as a coach and as a man in how he represents this university. It’s certainly been a great fit for Tulane. It’s not always that those things line up.

Willie will be here really as long as he wants to be here.

That’s so unique. When did you feel that way for Willie?

It was really obvious coming off the goal line play in Year 2 (2017) at SMU … the progress that had been made in Year 2 and then in Year 3 getting that bowl victory. I think at that point in time, you saw the trajectory and where it was going that we hadn’t enjoyed at Tulane for years and years. And when we had enjoyed it like in ’98, we tended to lose the coach and lose that momentum. It was really at that point in time that internally with my administration and talking about how can we make sure that if this is where Willie wants to be that we make sure it works both ways and that we all want a long-term thing. The momentum has just continued.

Obviously, we want to win eight, nine, 10, 11, 12 games. Back-to-back 7-6 seasons is quite a statement at Tulane. We are in a path to have that continued success. At a place that hasn’t won, the idea that you can replace the chef and continue serving great dishes, my New Orleans analogy, that doesn’t hold true. Willie has found the recipe here. There’s no guarantee it can be replicated. It’s one thing for schools like Ohio State or Clemson and Alabama, where maybe it’s next man up and you have such great tradition and so many great resources where great coaches can come in and keep momentum going. But when you built it, you don’t want to take the chance that the next guy is going to continue.

With the city of New Orleans, is there really confusion about being able to play football?

There was no confusion. We had met with the city along the way. Everybody knew what the plans were. We’ve all been in situations where I’ve been in press conferences where the line of questioning devolves into something that you weren’t expecting. But we talked to the mayor’s office right after that press conference. We’re all on the same page. It got corrected that night. Statements were made the following day. We’re in a good place. As the mayor (LaToya Cantrell) said in a press conference the following day, Tulane and the city have been really good partners. We’re very reliant on one another. There was no way we were going down this road with football without the city being involved and understanding what we’re trying to do and having the city sign off on it. Our interest is the same as the city’s and that’s public health in this particular era. So we’ve been well-aligned and will continue to be.

Any sense of when fans might be allowed to come to Yulman Stadium?

It will be on the city’s guidelines. This will be the only September home game we have, with Navy. Our next home game isn’t until mid-October (Oct. 16) with SMU on that Friday night.

And then it’s really Halloween (vs. Temple). I think there will be a lot of time to assess it. I’m making an assumption right now and building a budget, and my plans are that we’re not going to have any fans for any home games. If we’re able to, then that’s great. But we’re not going to do that and take the risk and compromise anybody on the field, in the stands or in the city.

Holder: Initial aesthetics aside, Tulane takes another step forward in comeback By: Larry Holder Sep. 12, 2020 Uneasy and lethargic somehow shifted to confident and explosive in every phase for Tulane on Saturday night. And the Green Wave needed every bit of that sway in appearances to escape South Alabama with a 27-24 win.

Some of the aesthetics surrounding this win for the Green Wave might leave an uneasiness for those with elevated expectations of the program. And yes, Tulane entered this game as a double-digit road favorite by the oddsmakers.

There’s plenty to be said, though, about waking up from a slumber when facing a team you’re supposed to beat. Tulane came to life, putting up 21 unanswered points in the second half and holding the Jaguars scoreless in the same span.

Those heavy favorites still asleep couldn’t say the same, right Iowa State or Florida State?

Offensively, Tulane (1-0) looked the part of a team with a new starting quarterback in the first half. That was to be expected.

It might have been nerves. It might have been sweat. But Keon Howard’s first-quarter fumble rattled the redshirt senior and likely energized the Jaguars defense. The ball slipped backward away from Howard when he attempted a deep ball resulting in a turnover. Howard’s accuracy dipped, going on a 2-of-12 passing span after opening the game completing his first five passes.

Little by little, Tulane reverted to its roots of running the football and then a selective passing game. The tactic aided everyone involved.

I’ve heard from Tulane’s staff for many months how Tyjae Spears could be a star in the making.

His elusiveness led to a game-high 106 rushing yards. Cam Carroll used his big body to plow in for two touchdowns. Then the multifaceted Amare Jones used his fresh legs to dart into the end zone for the game-winning score with about three minutes remaining.

Howard and the Tulane staff will certainly hope for improvement next week at home against Navy. The Tulane passer only went 14-of-30 passing for 190 yards and the lost fumble. But Howard seemed most poised on the game-winning drive, where he completed two straight beauties to Jha’Quan Jackson and then a third to Phat Watts to set up the touchdown.

The veteran defense almost simultaneously found its way, and it leaned on its two most NFL-viable pass rushers to bring South Alabama’s Chance Lovertich, who replaced starter Desmond Trotter in the second quarter, back to earth.

Tulane’s Patrick Johnson sacked Lovertich twice on third down in the second half. Sample added two sacks, finally rolling through the Jaguars’ weary offensive line and added another pressure on the final possession. These types of outings are exactly what Tulane is anticipating from Sample and Johnson. So is Jim Nagy, who runs the Senior Bowl and highlighted both players on his Twitter feed during the game.

We’re beyond the point of saying “the culture has changed at Tulane.” That’s a given with consecutive winning seasons and bowl victories. Losing a game like this would have damaged the program after all the work it’s done. Last season the Wave won all the games they were supposed to win, but lost the games against teams within the American that were either a tossup or against better competition.

Who knows? Maybe South Alabama (1-1) will be a good team this year. It throttled Southern Miss last week, a team also on Tulane’s schedule. Still, South Alabama is a game Tulane was supposed to win. In a year of unbridled uncertainty in college football and beyond, there’s plenty of satisfaction in winning a game you should win.

And Willie Fritz and company made it happen.

Also, why not one more shred of positivity for Tulane, this one from local statistician Drew Porche: The last time Tulane won its season opener on the road was 1998. It went undefeated that year.

Double trouble: freshman O-linemen Josh Remetich, Trey Tuggle earn starts for Tulane opener By: Guerry Smith Sept. 11, 2020 Josh Remetich knows he will be nervous Saturday night, as any freshman would be lining up for the first snap of his first game.

It sure beats the alternative, though, which would be standing on the sideline watching and wondering if he would play at all.

On a team loaded with experienced upperclassmen, the right side of Tulane’s offensive line will be historically young on its initial series at South Alabama (6;30 p.m., ESPN2). Coach Willie Fritz confirmed Thursday that Remetich and fellow freshman Trey Tuggle would start at right guard and tackle, respectively.

The formula worked, reaffirming Remetich’s decision to sign with Tulane. He ad offers from Boston College, Houston and Kansas, which he visited in December close to signing day, but he wanted to stay in New Orleans.

“I really love this town,” he said. “Tulane really just gave me the good opportunity to play for the people that I love and play for the city I love.”

Tuggle’s ascension was less predictable even though he is bigger (6-foot-6, 300 pounds) than Remetich. The issue was his level of competition in high school at Class 2A Mize (Mississippi High), which is not the same as in the Catholic League.

The adjustment to college ball figured to take time. Instead, he needed only a month of preseason practice.

Considering only one Tulane freshman offensive lineman has started an opener in the past 12 years (current senior Corey Dublin at left guard in 2017), doubling that total in one day is a tremendous tribute to the newcomers.

“He was kind of a wild card,” Kennedy said. “We had to get him in camp and see what he could do with the speed. He’s a natural athlete. He’s a bigger, longer guy.

You knew Remetich was going to battle on the inside, but it’s had to find guys that are as big and athletic (as Tuggle).”

“It really means a lot,” said Remetich, a Holy Cross alum who will join Jesuit product Dublin as an all-Catholic League guard combo. “I worked with most of the guys over the offseason, and a lot of the older veterans took me under their wing and helped me become a possible starter. I knew the spot was going to be up for grabs coming in here.”

Tuggle won a high school state championship in the discus. Fritz noted his 300-plus-pound bench press.

Tuggle, another 3-star prospect, will be right next to him. They will not play every down. Second-year graduate transfer and part-time 2019 starter Ben Knutson will rotate with Remetich, and Duke graduate transfer Jaylen Miller will alternate with Tuggle.

But both freshmen performed well enough in the preseason to earn that first down. They herald a brighter future when the Wave can go toe-to-toe up front after surviving in the American Athletic Conference with a physically overmatched offensive line for the past six years.

“They came in with confidence, and that’s key for a lot of freshmen,” offensive line coach Cody Kennedy said. “The moment can’t be too big for you once you get here. Those men came to work every day, and it’s paid dividends for them.”

Remetich’s rise was not unexpected. Rivals.com ranked him the top recruit in Tulane’s highly rated 2020 class, and the right guard spot became open when Sincere Haynesworth, who started the final five games there in 2019, moved to center at the start of spring drills.

Light for a college lineman (6-foot-3, 275 pounds), Remetich practices with a relentlessness unusual for a freshman, augmenting what Fritz labeled excellent feet.

“He is a very physical individual,” Kennedy said. “He enjoys contact. H’s only going to grow more into his body, and his mentality is different than a lot of players. He’s a whoa guy, not a go guy. You’ve got to tell him ‘whoa’ before you tell him ‘go,’ and that’s a big part of playing offensive line.”

Remetich said he soaked up the advice of Dublin, who has started all 38 games in his career, Haynesworth, a talented sophomore who will start every game for the rest of his career barring injury, and left tackle Joey Claybrook, who has started 17 of the last 18 games.

Haynesworth gives him tips about technique from his experience at right guard last year. Dublin and Claybrook worked out with him over the summer.

Dublin stressed the importance of playing with confidence but staying humble at the same time.

“Normally those guys are a little bit behind because they’ve got long levers and haven’t had a chance to develop, but he has good strength right now for a college offensive lineman, which is rare for a freshman,” Fritz said. “He’s got good movement, too.”

Whether or not the two freshmen hold on to their starting status depends on how they play against South Alabama. Knutson and Miller, who have considerably more experience, are nearly even with them.

For the moment, though, the Wave of the future also is the Wave of the present as Tulane’s offensive line remakes its image. Remetich and Tuggle were part of a five-player 2020 line haul that Fritz and Kennedy love, including Matt Lombardi, Joseph Solomon and freshmen Rashad Green from Baton Rouge University Lab. “We’re bringing in the right type of kid in the program to make an impact in the trenches,” Kennedy said. “The whole class, there’s a lot of special players. They are all going to be integral parts of the offense.”

How many games will Tulane win in 2020? The crystal ball says …

By: Jeff Duncan Sep. 11, 2020

be 4-8 bad again. They have talent and a revamped defense thanks to a handful of talented grad transfers, and they hand Tulane its first loss of the season. Houston 30, Tulane 28

The whispers from Willow Street have been consistent and persistent throughout the fall.

Friday, Oct. 16, vs. SMU, 5 p.m.

Motivation should not be a problem for the Green Wave, coming off a loss and facing an SMU team that has been their nemesis in the AAC. The Mustangs have beaten Tulane five consecutive times in conference play. The Green Wave catches SMU at the perfect time, after a bye week and on the heels of a big conference game against Memphis. Tulane treats the home crowd and an ESPN2 audience to a dominant win at Yulman Stadium. Tulane 36, SMU 20

Tulane has a chance to be good this year. Like, sneaky good.

The Green Wave was picked to finish sixth in the American Athletic Conference in the league’s preseason poll. But Green Wave players and coaches, along with others close to the program, are quietly optimistic about the prospects. They believe they are better than outsiders think.

Perhaps that’s why Coach Willie Fritz established a “Good to Great” mantra for the 2020 season.

“Our players match up much better now,” Fritz said. “I really feel like we have the hosses and the depth to be able to compete with teams talent-wise in the AAC.” Their confidence is rooted in a defense that returns seven starters, including a pair of NFL prospects along the line: ends Patrick Johnson and Cam Sample. The offense features a new quarterback — Keon Howard — and a deep, talented backfield, led by all-purpose playmaker Amare Jones. A handful of talented grad transfers — linebacker Kevin Henry (Oklahoma State); receiver Mykel Jones (Oklahoma); cornerbacks Ajani Kerr (Georgia Tech) and Kyle Meyers (Florida State); and offensive lineman Jaylen Miller (Duke) — has bolstered the roster.

Because of the condensed season due to COVID-19, the Green Wave might need to sweep their three non-conference games to ensure another bowl bid. With inexperience at quarterback and receiver, this Tulane team will look different than past iterations. Look for second-year offensive coordinator Will Hall to lean heavily on the Green Wave’s proven rushing attack to win games this season. There’s little experience behind Howard on the depth chart, so Tulane will need him to stay healthy this season to keep alive their hopes for a third consecutive bowl invitation. But I like the Green Wave’s chances of putting it all together in Year 5 of the wily Fritz’s tenure. There are valid reasons to believe Tulane can go from good to at least very good in 2020.

One man’s prediction for how the Tulane Green Wave will fare this season: Saturday, Sept. 12, at South Alabama, 6:30 p.m.

What looked like an easy opener two weeks suddenly has become decidedly more challenging.

After upsetting Southern Miss on the road, South Alabama is 1-0 for the first time in four years and excitement is high in Mobile. What’s more, the game will mark the opening of $76 million Hancock Whitney Stadium and be aired on ESPN2. So the Green Wave will need to be prepared for a hostile environment. The Jaguars have the benefit of a game’s experience. But Tulane has the element of surprise on its side. Moreover, Tulane is simply more talented. I like the Wave, but it won’t be easy. Tulane 26, South Alabama 24 Saturday, Sept. 19, vs. Navy, 11 a.m.

I’m not sure it’s possible for Navy to have played worse in its embarrassing opening loss to BYU. Ken Niumatalolo is an excellent coach. He and his staff will have two weeks to make fixes and prepare for the Green Wave. The game will be broadcast on ABC, marking the first time in four decades that Tulane has appeared on the network. Both teams like to run, so this one shouldn’t take long to finish. No way Tulane loses its home opener on a national platform.

But the Midshipmen won’t roll over. Tulane 34, Navy 20 Saturday, Sept. 26, at Southern Miss, 6 p.m.

The once-proud Golden Eagles program derailed in an ugly 32-21 season-opening loss to South Alabama in Hattiesburg that led Coach Jay Hopson to abruptly resign after five seasons.

Southern Miss will likely be 0-2 by the time this one kicks off. If Tulane hopes to go bowling, this is one it’ll need to get. And there should be plenty of incentive for Howard, going against his former team and playing just 30 minutes from his hometown of Laurel, Miss. Tulane 33, Southern Miss 20 Thursday, Oct. 8, at Houston, 6:30 p.m.

Green Wave fans won’t soon forget Tulane’s dramatic 38-31 win against Houston from a year ago. I’m sure the Cougars won’t either. It was that kind of season for Houston, which was one of the most disappointing teams in the conference in Dana Holgorsen’s first year at the helm.

Houston was decimated by injuries and the defense was a mess. Don’t expect the Cougars to

Saturday, Oct. 24, at UCF, TBD The Knights were ranked No. 21 in the AP’s preseason Top 25 poll and installed as the favorite to win the AAC in the league’s preseason media poll. Even with 10 players opting out because of COVID-19 concerns they remain one of the most talented teams in the league, with 10 NFL prospects in the starting lineup. Tulane has narrowed the gap on the UCF program and catches it at a good time: a week after the Knights play at Memphis, in what many experts believe could be a preview of the AAC Championship Game. But even then, I can’t see the Green Wave winning in Orlando, where the Knights have won 21 consecutive games over the past three seasons. UCF 38, Tulane 30 Saturday, Oct. 31, vs. Temple, TBA The Owls are the AAC’s Jekyll & Hyde team. Last year they beat No. 21 Maryland and No. 23 Memphis, then were blown in back-to-back weeks by SMU (45-21) and Central Florida (6321). Like SMU, Temple has had Tulane’s number. The Owls have beaten Tulane four consecutive times and outscored the Green Wave by 119-34 on those games. On the heels of a tough loss at UCF, Tulane flexes its muscle and extracts some revenge. Tulane 23, Temple 16 Saturday, Nov. 7, at ECU, TBA Trap game time. The Green Wave can’t afford to take ECU lightly in this one. The Pirates showed improvement in their first season under Coach Mike Houston. They lost six of their last seven games and finished 1-7 in the AAC but they were competitive in late-season losses to SMU (59-51) and Cincinnati (46-43). Tulane uses its powerful rushing attack to grind out a tough road win. Tulane 27, East Carolina 26 Saturday, Nov. 14, vs. Army, TBA The Green Wave have won three straight games against the Black Knights and each one has been a grinder. Army dominated Middle Tennessee in its 42-0 season-opening win. With junior Christian Anderson making the start at quarterback, the Black Knights committed no turnovers, converted on 13 of their 15 third-down opportunities and engineered two 19-play drives, one for 99 yards. Tulane’s deep and talented front 7 will be tested but rise to the occasion in a tough street fight at Yulman Stadium. Tulane 31, Army 28 Saturday, Nov. 21, at Tulsa, TBA This could be a make-or-break season for Tulsa Coach Philip Montgomery, who is 25-37 with just one winning campaign in five seasons at Tulsa. If things don’t turn around for him in Year 6, his job could be on the line. The Golden Hurricane were picked ninth out of 11 teams in the preseason AAC media poll and return just four defensive starters. At this point in the season, Tulsa very well could be playing out the string on a fifth consecutive losing season. Tulane 40, Tulsa 27 Friday, Nov. 27, vs. Memphis, TBA If things go as planned, the Green Wave will be a surprising 8-2 and in contention for a berth in the AAC title game with a win here. Who knows what phase New Orleans will be on by this time of the year, but with so much on the line and ESPN on hand to broadcast it, this game shapes up to be one of the biggest in Fritz’s tenure. With a third consecutive bowl berth locked up and the memory of last season’s ugly 47-17 blowout loss in Memphis still fresh in their minds, the Green Wave will let it all loose and give Memphis everything they’ve got in this one. But in the end, the Tigers escape with a victory in a wild shootout that goes deep into the night. Memphis 42, Tulane 41 Tulane’s final record: 8-3, 5-3 in the AAC. Bowl game: Military Bowl vs. Virginia.

Keon Howard becoming the author of his story now as Tulane’s quarterback By: Larry Holder Sep. 10, 2020 Keon Howard holds his own pen now. His football story is back to being written with his own right hand using his own ink.

It’s been a long time since the Tulane quarterback has felt that way.

“I really just had to go through growing pains right at the beginning of my (college) career,” Howard said.

His winding journey nearly took Howard to Memphis, the school he originally committed to as a three-star prospect from perennial Mississippi power Laurel High. Then head coach Justin Fuente left Memphis for Virginia Tech, spurring Howard to stay closer to home at Southern Miss. A potential comfort zone turned sour after prematurely becoming the starting quarterback at the end of his true freshman season.

Howard transferred to Tulane after the 2017 season. That’s when graduate transfer quarterback Justin McMillan guided the Green Wave to consecutive winning seasons and bowl wins. Howard sat back for two years as a transfer and backup quarterback waiting for his turn.

Tulane flirted with other transfer quarterbacks to compete with Howard a couple of months ago. And even when those fell through, the Green Wave carried a legit quarterback competition among Howard and true freshmen Michael Pratt and Justin Ibieta.

“It’s been very unprecedented,” Howard said. “That’s all I can really say. An unprecedented ride. I’m just so grateful to actually have taken the roller-coaster ride, though. So many trials and tribulations. It made me the person I am.”

Hall added: “I’m proud of him because he came here after what went down at Southern Miss and was probably a little down and out. Then he came here and had to sit. He almost had to reinvent himself.”

Not even as a redshirt senior was the starting job going to be handed to Howard, who’s only thrown 18 passes in his Green Wave career. The possibility of a transfer was real. Fritz and Hall also weren’t ready to publicly declare Howard as the starter until last week.

“He was just absolutely phenomenal, specifically in practices 1-12. He’s always been that way off the field with his leadership,” Hall said. “And I’ll be honest with you, he had to play great because these two freshmen (Pratt and Ibieta) played great. It’s really not a knock on the two freshmen as much as it was an accolade for Keon for how great he’s played.

“He had a little bit of a dip in the middle. We had a bunch of guys hurt and rolling through a bunch of different guys being in there. He bounced back, though, with practices 16-20. He was lights out again. Really understands the offense. His leadership is really great. He’s a great Christian leader. And he’s just freaking throwing the ball with great touch and great accuracy.”

So how has Howard reacted with one last ride as a redshirt senior?

Howard and McMillan aren’t necessarily the same style of quarterback. Hall viewed McMillan as a more elusive runner, while the bigger Howard will be better suited running north-south.

McMillan had a strong arm, but Howard’s touch could improve Tulane’s intermediate and deep passing game.

“Man, he just played lights out,” Green Wave offensive coordinator Will Hall said.

But what went into Howard “reinventing” himself?

Head coach Willie Fritz added: “He has taken charge and he has command of the team and the offense.”

Finally, Howard will return to a starting role when Tulane travels to Mobile, Ala., to face South Alabama on Saturday with expectations for the Green Wave as high as they’ve been in many years.

“He was a starter at Laurel and won the state title,” Hall said. “Then all a sudden you come to college and you start as a true freshman. Life’s going good. Now all of a sudden, they make a change at Southern Miss, they change coordinators and now you transfer and you’re not ‘the guy’ anymore. You don’t have all the stars and all of that in front of you anymore. You’ve got to kind of step back a little bit and see what really matters to you and see who you really are as a person. That’s taken him through the last three years now.

Bobby Hall, Will’s father, and “Uncle” Buddy Duke coached together for nearly a decade at Amory (Miss.) High with Bobby as the head coach and Buddy as the offensive line mentor.

Duke eventually became Laurel’s head coach, and the Halls frequented Duke’s practice field and field house. Will and Bobby might visit simply to catch up or Will would be hunting for players during his coaching stints across the Southeast.

“I think he’s learned a lot of things in life along the way that he can lean on other than football.

But it also made him love football even more and dive in the nuances. He was able to step back and figure out what went wrong in his career. Why wasn’t he necessarily ready in some aspects.

And that he never wants that to happen ever again. Usually when you go through the fire, you get torn down and then you can build yourself back up and come out stronger. I think he has.”

That’s where Will Hall first saw Howard.

Howard has earned the respect of his teammates. Wideout Mykel Jones described Howard as “doing everything he has to do to be that guy, that No. 1 guy.” Defensive lineman Cam Sample said, “I consider myself a workaholic coming up here and getting extra film and extra work, and just about every time I am up here I see his car parked outside. He is either in here in the training room or on the field working.”

“So anytime me and my dad would go see Buddy at Laurel, Keon was a little kid running around the fieldhouse,” Hall said. “So I knew of Keon.”

Hall became far more familiar with the teenage Howard when he propelled Laurel to the Class 5A state championship as a junior. Hall figured Southern Miss would be the right place for Howard, especially when Howard became the starting quarterback by the end of his true freshman season.

Howard struggled in his 2016 starts at Old Dominion and North Texas, both ending in Southern Miss losses. Howard found plenty of playing time his sophomore season, but it was clear that Kwadra Diggs was supplanting him during the year, pushing Howard to look elsewhere to play.

“What gets overlooked a lot with Keon, I think, is that he started as a true freshman at Southern Miss,” Hall said. “Look, that’s a program that from 1985 until now has won about as many games as anybody has and has produced some really good quarterbacks. So to start there as a true freshman is something that he should be proud of. I feel like a lot of people look down on it because he started there and then transferred. So he’s not green. He’s played a lot of football.”

Howard admitted even after he left Southern Miss for Tulane that he needed some soul searching.

As for Howard, he’s relishing the opportunity to play in a more-than-familiar offense with a team that truly believes he can succeed.

“I’ve been able to truly learn myself,” Howard said. “I’ve been able to feel myself grow. And I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve enjoyed the ride. Really and truly. You work through these things and now I’ve become the author of my story.

“I write the chapters.”

Wave of Change: Tulane football team closer after canceled practice By: Guerry Smith Sep. 6, 2020 Tulane canceled its football practice last Monday to focus on something players and coaches considered even more important.

Less than two weeks before the season opener at South Alabama, the Green Wave met in position groups to talk not about techniques that would work against the Jaguars but about the Black Lives Matter movement.

“You guys wouldn’t believe how good the conversations went,” senior defensive tackle De’Andre Williams said. “Coach (Willie) Fritz came to us and said let’s take a day that’s supposed to be dedicated to football and dedicate it to a bigger cause, have guys come and share stories.”

This was not just a few people talking and everyone else taking notes. Fritz, who bounced around all of the meetings, said everyone answered questions while comparing life experiences. Williams, a former Scotlandville High standout who earlier this summer helped create a program called Wave of Change to fight social injustice, said the discussions were frank and eye-opening.

“We had set questions, and it’s like we’d ask the first one and the conversations just led us to the second one, to the third one and the fourth one,” he said. “We needed that conversation, which is bringing it all back together as a team and reminding everybody why we’re here.”

Dropping the Monday practice was no light decision. Tuesday already had been scheduled as an off day, and the break extended through Wednesday while the Wave awaited the results from the latest round of coronavirus tests.

But for a team that had been singularly focused — zero players opting out of the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic — the time had come to address the national racial reckoning sparked by multiple videotaped incidents of police brutality toward African-Americans, leaving (among others) George Floyd and Daniel Prude dead and Jacob Blake paralyzed.

“It was really important for us as a team,” senior quarterback Keon Howard said.

“We had a chance to hear our coaches speak on different topics, and they were able to hear our side of the spectrum as well. I think it brought us all together and made us all closer. Now we can have that trust and know our coaches are with us and understand where we’re coming from.”

A goal for Wave of Change, which Fritz promoted heavily in a video-conference call after Thursday’s practice, is to keep the racial issues in the forefront of public consciousness.

“We just want to bring attention and awareness to the situation and don’t let it die down,” Williams said. “Someone Black will die of police brutality and we’ll hear about it for a couple weeks or there will be protests for a couple weeks and you don’t hear about it again until the next incident. … Our charge is to keep everybody knowing this is constantly happening on a day-to-day basis.”

Fritz admitted the topic had not been in his wheelhouse previously and that he normally shied away from attention, pointing out many of his former players had become police officers, some of his current players had fathers who were policemen and he respected the work they did. Still, he vowed to become more vocal after listening to his Black players and assistant coaches talk about their life experiences.

He added that Wave of Change would be a part of the program for as long as he was the coach.

“A lot of these guys are hurting, and they are frustrated,” he said. “I can only imagine how they feel. I’ve never walked in their shoes. I’m just so proud of them that

they are promoting positive change on our campus and in New Orleans. This isn’t something that’s going to happen in a day or two days or three days. It’s something that we’re talking about every day.”

Williams said Wave of Change had gotten everyone on the team registered to vote. Just getting players to listen as teammates recount their life experiences is important, too.

“Our conversation (in the defensive backs’ meeting) was like everybody else — really productive,” said senior safety Chase Kuerschen, the only White defensive back on scholarship at Tulane. “It’s great to talk about it and make the situation more comfortable. It was something we needed, and everybody is definitely on the same page.”

Junior running back Amare Jones, who is Black, agreed.

“That was huge,” he said. “A lot of people in the locker room don’t know everybody’s back story. They only know from what you can tell them, and now everybody understands each other. It creates a bond between you and your brothers.”

Tulane Football Awards Shafter, Smith and Thompson Scholarships Sep. 3, 2020 NEW ORLEANS – Tulane football head coach Willie Fritz announced today that redshirt juniors Timothy Shafter and Matt Smith and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Ryan Thompson have earned scholarships heading into the 2020 season.

Shafter made six appearances last season. He earned a spot on the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team and the Tulane 3.0 Club a year ago. The Hingham, Massachusetts, native is currently majoring in evolutionary biology with a minor in management.

Smith came to Tulane from Garden City Community College where he served as the team’s long snapper. Smith helped Garden City win the 2018 Junior College National Championship. He was rated as a four-star long snapper by Kohl’s Kicking coming out of high school. The Peachtree, Georgia, native earned All-State honors as a linebacker and a long snapper at Trinity Christian High School. Smith is currently majoring in psychology.

Thompson has appeared in five games during his career for the Green Wave. He came to Tulane from St. Louis, Missouri, where he led his high school team to the district finals his junior and senior seasons. The 6-1 wide receiver is majoring in economics.

Tulane is set to kickoff the season in Mobile, Alabama, against South Alabama on Saturday, September 12. The Green Wave are coming off a record setting 2019 campaign that was highlighted by a win in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl to give Tulane back-to-back bowl victories for the first time in program history. The Green Wave captured the AutoNation Cure Bowl in 2018.

Six to start? Influx of impact grad transfers buoys Tulane’s hopes for 2020 By: Guerry Smith Sep. 2, 2020

press-type coverage. There’s a lot of talented guys around me. It’s beneficial seeing these soon-to-be pros around me.”

When the Tulane football team opens at South Alabama on Sept. 12, graduate transfers could be starting at as many as six spots.

Jones admitted he never really considered Tulane when he was at Patterson, but he labeled his change of heart “as a really great decision on and off the field.”

Never has the Green Wave taken advantage of the immediate eligibility rule the NCAA created in 2006 as it will in coach Willie Fritz’s fifth season.

Henry wanted to play in front of his entire family, saying they attended maybe two games when he was at Oklahoma State. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown him a curveball, with no fans allowed at the start of the season, but he mentioned no regrets.

Barring injury or coronavirus quarantine, wide receiver Mykel Jones (Oklahoma), linebacker Kevin Henry (Oklahoma State) and cornerback Kyle Meyers (Florida State) definitely will start. Guard Ben Knutson (Virginia) and tackle Jaylen Miller (Duke) are locked in tight competition for first-team slots on the right side of the offensive line. If the versatile Ajani Kerr (Georgia Tech) is not on the field for the opening play, he will be out there quickly at either nickelback or safety.

Picked sixth out of 11 teams in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll, Tulane is eying a much higher finish in large part because of the graduate influx to an already mature team. The sextet joined a roster with at least seven seniors projected as starters, filling almost all of the holes without proven performers.

“We’ve been so blessed with the (graduate transfers) we’ve gotten in here,” Fritz said. “They’ve fit in. Our upperclassmen and our freshmen appreciate bringing in quality student-athletes.”

The trend began last season when Tulane had three full-time grad transfer starters in quarterback Justin McMillan, wide receiver Jalen McCleskey and center Christian Montano, a sometime starter in Knutson plus defensive contributors Malik Lawal and Mike Hinton. McMillan and offensive tackle Noah Fisher started for part of 2018, but Hunter Knighton’s start against Memphis in 2017 was the Wave’s lone one by a grad transfer in Fritz’s first two years.

The universality among the new batch, as usual, was the quest for more playing time.

Jones, a former 4-star recruit from Patterson, caught two passes in each of his last two years at Oklahoma after reaching double digits as a freshman and sophomore.

Henry, a 3-star recruit from Central High in Baton Rouge, had a career-high 23 tackles for Oklahoma State last season but did not start.

Meyers, a 4-star recruit from Holy Cross, left Florida State’s team after four games in 2019 to preserve another year of eligibility. He had made four tackles as a reserve after starting eight times as a junior.

Miller, a 3-star prospect coming out of high school, came off the bench in all nine games he played last season after starting three games at Duke in 2018.

Knutson, in his second year at Tulane after graduating from Virginia, played primarily on special teams in his last season with the Cavaliers after starting twice in 2017.

Kerr started once in five games for Georgia Tech before sustaining a season-ending ankle injury. He had started three times in 2018.

Jones, Henry and Meyers wanted to return close to home for their final seasons.

Miller, Knutson and Kerr are not from Louisiana, but all of them feel they have found a home.

“Tulane was the best opportunity,” said Kerr, who will play in all of the Wave’s extra-defensive back formations and is pushing redshirt junior Willie Langham at nickelback. "Scheme-wise they do things I like to do. It’s a lot of man-to-man

From Day 1 of preseason camp, he practiced with the first-team defense at inside linebacker along with senior Marvin Moody.

“Everyone welcomed me with open arms and everyone is taking their time with me to make sure I’ve got everything down,” Henry said. “It’s not only the coaches but the players. They’ve been a great support system for me. I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”

Neither could Fritz, who loves Henry’s mobility and aggressiveness. He pointed out the Wave did not make stabs at grad transfers in desperation. The coaches researched each one thoroughly.

Everyone Fritz and his staff talked to at Georgia Tech sold Kerr heavily as a teamfirst guy with plenty of ability. With Miller, the connections were former Tulane secondary coach Chris Hampton, who left for Duke in February, and a specials teams coach for the Blue Devils who was close friends with someone on Fritz’s staff.

“We do a great job of background checking and character checking,” Fritz said.

“Mykel Jones, I talked to a couple of people there at OU and they couldn't say enough great things about him. Plus (defensive backs coach) J.J. McCleskey had worked with him (as a trainer) a few years back, so J.J. knew him personally.”

Lagniappe Tulane did not practice Wednesday for the third consecutive day but is scheduled for a morning workout at Yulman Stadium on Thursday. … After last weekend’s pair of practices at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Fritz said Miller, Knutson, freshman Josh Remetich, junior Cameron Jackel and walk-on Timothy Shafter were battling for the two starting spots on the right side of the offensive line.

Looking up: Tulane banking on big improvement from hungry defense By: Guerry Smith Aug. 29, 2020 Tulane defensive coordinator Jack Curtis did not hesitate when asked about the potential of his group entering coach Willie Fritz’s fifth year.

“It’s the best one we’ve had since we’ve been here,” he said. “We’ve got the talent and the depth.”

Loaded with experience, the defense plans to make amends for last season, when it fell short of its own high expectations despite some decent numbers. The Green Wave gave up fewer yards (377.0 compared to 406.8) and ranked higher in pass defense efficiency (39th compared to 53rd) than a year earlier, but American Athletic Conference opponents scored more than 30 points five times — more than double the total of two in 2018 — while the sack total plummeted to 21 from 41.

“We are a great crew altogether,” he said. “One person’s weakness may be the other one’s strength. It’s going to be a show for sure.”

It is a similar situation for the Wave’s five-man secondary. Curtis sees improvement even with the loss of cornerback Thakarius Keyes, a seventh-round NFL draft pick, Senior Jaylon Monroe (16 career starts) and Florida State grad transfer Kyle Meyers, a former four-star recruit, have drawn praise for their tight coverage as the starting cornerbacks. Senior Chase Kuerschen (23 career starts, team-high 76 tackles in 2019) returns at free safety, with junior Larry Brooks, who made interceptions in Tulane’s last two games, at strong safety.

The first-team nickelback, redshirt junior William Langham, has played in 24 games. The top reserve at nickel and safety, grad transfer Ajani Kerr, played in 29 games with four starts at Georgia Tech.

Tulane slipped to 3-5 in the AAC after finishing 5-3 a year earlier. The defense deserved part of the blame.

“I’m very confident in our group,” Kerr said. “I think we can match up with anybody across the country.”

“We were all right at times,” Fritz said. “We had an excellent year the year before, and people did some things against us to nullify us doing some of the things we had success with in 2018, so we’ve worked on that an awful lot, and I feel good about where we are.”

The experience across the board will allow some talented freshmen to work their way into the lineup rather than feeling pressure immediately. Fritz and Curtis mentioned safety Cornelius Dyson, a Kentwood product, cornerback Kevaris Hall and defensive tackle Adonis Friloux of Hahnville as impactful newcomers.

The optimism starts up front with the same four starters as in the past two years, a luxury few teams have. Cameron Sample and joker Patrick Johnson, a pair of seniors, are the bookends. Redshirt senior De’Andre Williams and junior Jeffery Johnson operate inside.

Curtis loves the blend of proven performers and young potential.

“We felt pretty good about them then (two years ago),” Curtis said. “Nothing’s changed except we feel a little bit better.”

With the exception of Williams (59 tackles), none of them posted the stats they wanted in 2019 considering a preseason billing as maybe the best defensive line in the AAC. Patrick Johnson in particular, playing through a torn labrum for the second half of the year, finished with 35 tackles, 8½ tackles for loss, four sacks and zero forced fumbles after those numbers were 48, 16, 10½ and four in 2018. Teams neutralized him with frequent double teams, and Sample, coming off a knee injury, could not make them pay, registering 1½ sacks.

The way Sample has practiced in preseason camp, opponents will face a much tougher task.

“He’s really picked his game up, and it’s going to help Pat,” Curtis said. “Everybody was turning their protection to where Pat was, but if they do that again, Cam’s going to have a tremendous year. They are going to have to worry about both those guys.”

The Wave boasts four inside linebackers whom Fritz considers starter quality, each with different skill sets. The likely starters are senior Marvin Moody (132 career tackles) and graduate transfer Kevin Henry (Oklahoma State). The top backups are junior Nick Anderson, who made 26 tackles last year in his first year with the team, and sophomore Dorian Williams, who played in 11 games as a freshman.

“The thing we’ve seen more so this season than probably at any other time is the physicality they’re playing with,” Curtis said. “They feel really comfortable in the defense now and understand how they’re taking on blocks. We are further along in in what we’re doing than at any time since I’ve been here.”

Too light for Division I a year ago, Dorian Williams bulked up 20 pounds to 220 while adding speed. He has roamed 40 yards downfield to break up passes in preseason practice.

“We have a great culture,” he said. “They enjoy coming out and practicing every day and are hungry because they can see how good they are. We’ve got something special going on here.”

Lagniappe Fritz said the Wave held an 87-play closed scrimmage at the Superdome on Saturday morning, working on four-minute and two-minute drills along with red zone possessions. … Fritz said safety Macon Clark, a top reserve, has returned to practice after a two-week quarantine because of COVID-19 contact tracing.

The Terminator: Meet Tulane sophomore center and rising star Sincere Haynesworth By: Guerry Smith Aug. 20, 2020 Tulane coach Willie Fritz recently called his starting center “The Terminator.”

It is truly Sincere praise.

After starting at right guard for the final five games of his freshman season, 6-foot-1, 310-pound sophomore Sincere Haynesworth has taken over at center and impressed everyone around him. The next time any other Green Wave center touches the ball might be after his career is over.

“He can go all day, and nothing gets in his way,” Fritz said. “He’s going to play every snap. He’s just a dream to coach. He has unbelievable work habits and unbelievable toughness about him.”

Haynesworth needed little time to make a big impression when the then-freshman arrived from Pearland, Texas, last summer. Defensive end Cameron Sample predicted he would be a “great player” before the Green Wave had finished its second week of preseason drills in 2019, saying he played like a sophomore.

As an actual sophomore now, he is an emerging team leader at a position that requires it.

“Center is like the quarterback of the line, and I get to point and start things up and direct people where to go,” Haynesworth said. “I think that’s the most important part. I like having that weight on my shoulders and being able to carry it.”

He already is good enough to lead by example. Fritz pointed out his 400-pound bench press and 600-plus-pound squat as evidence of his work ethic, adding he translated that weight-room success to the field.

“He has great balance,” Fritz said. “He’s very light on his feet with great strength. A lot of times you get these big guys and you’ve got to really build up their stamina.

He’s had that from Day 1. He’s got an opportunity to be an all-conference guy and a guy that’s going to continue playing after he’s done here. He’s one of the top players in our program.”

Fritz gets no argument from former Ponchatoula High School running back Tyjae Spears, a 2019 classmate of Haynesworth who appears ready to break out as well after excelling in limited opportunities as a true freshman. The strength of the Tulane defense is its front four, but Spears said he sees the interior linemen winning few battles against Haynesworth.

“He’s special,” Spears said. “He can move anywhere on the line and be special. No matter who he goes against, he grinds hard every day, and you are going to see him win the majority of the reps every day. He just has to stay focused and stay humble.”

Despite all the compliments, humility is part of the Haynesworth package. Surrounded by upperclassmen on the offensive line, including four-year starter Corey Dublin at left guard, he knows he still has plenty to learn.

As a first-time starting center, he will look to them for advice.

“I feel very comfortable,” he said. “I trust all the guys around me that even if I make a mistake, I’m not a vet yet and I trust them to correct my mistakes if I make them. I’m just ready to play, ready to learn and want to keep going.”

Whether anyone gets to keep going is the million-dollar question in college football because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although Haynesworth knows the decision is out of his control, he lauded the university’s testing protocols and the

football team’s carefulness.

He has had zero second thoughts.

“I know Tulane is going to keep me safe and do everything they’re supposed to do to allow us to have a season,” he said. “I know if we weren’t safe and capable of doing that, they wouldn’t have us out there.”

Sure, he laments not having fans at early games, a distinct possibility for the Wave’s probable home opener against Navy on Sept. 19. His family wants to come from Pearland and watch him in person.

Still, he is working just as enthusiastically as ever in the anticipation of a full season regardless of the uncertain atmosphere.

“What keeps me going is to be able to be out here and play for my teammates and all my brothers on the field,” he said. “We’re bettering ourselves to win games, and the more we play for each other, the more excited I get.”

Lagniappe Tulane’s starting offensive line around Haynesworth from Day 1 of camp has been junior Joey Claybrook at left tackle, Dublin at left guard, Ben Knutson at right guard and grad transfer Jaylen Miller at right tackle. The group has combined for 71 college starts. … Fritz said the starters on the left side were locked in, but the right side has tighter competition. Freshman Trey Tuggle and junior Cameron Jackel (one career start) were the second-team guys at right guard and right tackle in Tuesday’s practice.

Tulane athletics has handled COVID-19 testing well, now comes critical time as students return By: Rod Walker Aug. 19, 2020 For Tulane, the mission starting Wednesday was a simple one.

Don’t blow the lead.

Midway through August, the Tulane football team seems to be winning in the early, never-ending battle with COVID-19.

The school is testing its athletes twice per week, going above and beyond what most schools across the country are doing.

Coach Willie Fritz and his staff have said all the right things and done all the right things.

Athletic director Troy Dannen gave us a glimpse of the scoreboard Tuesday when he tweeted the school’s testing results thus far.

Tulane has conducted 3,744 COVID-19 tests of its athletes since June 15, with just 20 positive returns. That’s right at 0.50%, an indication that Tulane’s athletes and staff are doing their part in getting this season going.

The school has “put its money where its mouth is” as Fritz said a few weeks ago.

The protocols have been so thorough that offensive coordinator Will Hall had this to say about how comfortable he is with the safety measures in place.

“I have two boys that are 12 and 9,” Hall said. “If they were good enough to play college football and they could play right now, as their father I would feel 100% confident allowing them to play college football right now without any question.”

Tulane’s football players, who returned to campus June 15, conducted their 12th practice Tuesday.

Now things get tougher.

The rest of the students returned to campus Wednesday.

As we have seen on college campuses across the country over the past few days, it’s a time when community spread of the coronavirus can be most rampant.

The University of North Carolina was forced to cancel in-person classes and switch to remote classes after at least 130 students tested positive in the first week of classes. As of Monday, 177 students were put in isolation and another 349 in quarantine.

A similar outbreak occurred at Notre Dame, where in-person classes are moving online for the next two weeks after 80 students tested positive. The outbreak at Notre Dame was linked to off-campus parties, according to reports.

So Fritz said he knows just how important the next few days and weeks are.

“It’s going to be really critical,” he said. “We are going to have to continue to do a super job of what we have been doing.”

Fritz knows how crucial this time is.

His players do too.

“Some of the things nationally are a little concerning to us,” safety Chase Kuerschen said. “Everybody’s being really diligent and keeping to themselves and

wearing the masks. I’m confident as far as Tulane goes.”

With about a month to go before the Sept. 12 season opener at South Alabama, Kuerschen and all of his teammates vow to continue doing what they’ve been doing. They have constantly preached about just how badly they want to play this season.

“We have to count on each other and trust each other to be in the right places and social distancing,” Kuerschen said. “It’ll be interesting. It’s already started all over the country. Some good, some bad. Hopefully everything goes smooth.”

Tulane QB Keon Howard is ready to roll, just as long as the Wave rolls: ‘He’s a gym rat’ By: Guerry Smith Aug. 10, 2020 Tulane football coach Willie Fritz, who says he never misses a day at the office, has found a kindred spirit in senior quarterback Keon Howard.

first guy there, whether it’s meetings or out there on the field. He stretches plays with his feet even when nothing’s open. He’s doing all the little things right to be that No. 1 guy.”

Other teammates are noticing.

Howard — set to start for the first time since late in his sophomore year at Southern Miss, assuming COVID-19 does not shut down the season — has been a constant presence, watching videos in the football offices since players returned to campus in June.

“I consider myself a workaholic,” senior defensive end Cameron Sample said. “I come up here to get extra work and extra film in, and just about every time I’m up here, I see his car parked outside. He’s either in the training room or on the field working.”

When Fritz heads out the door, he often finds himself uttering the same words.

The only thing that can slow down Howard is the pandemic, which is threatening to end the college football season before the first game gets underway. Howard even wore a mask for his video conference with reporters after the second day of practice, preaching the importance of responsibility.

“I just kind of yell at him, ‘Hey, lock up when you leave,’ ” Fritz said. “He’s a gym rat.”

Howard is leaving nothing to chance in his final opportunity after a frustrating stint at Southern Miss in 2016-17, when he started nine games over two years but was benched twice. His diligence is paying off on the practice field. On Monday, he completed his first six passes in 8-on-8 drills, hitting his receivers in stride repeatedly.

“I’m really blessed just going through everything I went through, a lot of unprecedented situations,” he said. “My senior season, I’m super ready to lead the team in a positive and productive way.”

Touch is what Tulane lacked last year. Quarterback Justin McMillan led the team with 745 rushing yards, but in the Wave’s six losses, he completed barely 50% of his passes (91 of 181) with seven interceptions and five scoring tosses. After prospective Texas Tech graduate transfer Jett Duffey was denied admission in January, Howard’s development has negated the need for the coaches to pursue another quick fix.

“The No. 1 ingredient for throwing with a quarterback is accuracy,” Fritz said after Tulane’s second preseason practice. “It doesn’t just mean completing the pass. It means keeping the guy a runner. Drew Brees hits them right in stride and turns a 5-yard gain into a 25-yard gain. Keon had a real accurate day today.”

Reliability was not Howard’s calling card at Southern Miss. He lost four fumbles and threw an interception in his first start against Old Dominion as a true freshman. He fumbled again and threw three interceptions the following week against North Texas.

A year later, he was benched at halftime of Southern Miss’ opener against Kentucky; won three games in a row after regaining the job a month later because of injury; and was sidelined again when he committed two turnovers in a rough second half at Tennessee in early November.

If Tulane gets to play this year, the opener will be his first start since then, assuming he holds off freshmen Michael Pratt and Justin Ibieta as expected. After redshirting as a transfer in 2018, Howard played in the second half of four blowouts last season, completing 13 of 18 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns.

“He’s put a ton of time in it and done a great job of understanding the offense,” offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Will Hall said. “He’s a really good passer. He has great touch on the ball, is running with force and is in great shape.

He’s had a really good camp so far.”

The testimonials are not only coming from coaches. Wide receiver Mykel Jones, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma, has seen it, too.

“He’s just coming out there preparing the right way,” Jones said. “He’s always the

“It’s all about accountability and how bad do you really want it,” he said. “We all have to hold each other accountable. The medical staff is doing a tremendous job to make sure we have several different masks, hand sanitizers and all the stuff we need to be safe on and off campus.”

No place like home for Tulane CB Kyle Meyers, grad transfer from Florida State and former Holy Cross standout By: Rod Walker Aug. 7, 2020 Kyle Meyers was homesick.

So after spending the past four years 400 miles away in Tallahassee, Florida, Meyers decided to return home.

He earned his degree at Florida State, but now he’s going through his first few days of practice at Tulane in the city he was born and raised.

“I never thought I’d be wearing green, but I’m thankful I’m here now,” Meyers said.

“The way life is set up, you never know what’s going to come. I’m just thankful to be here, and I’m ready and I’m excited for the season.”

The season is four weeks away when Tulane hosts Southeastern Louisiana on Sept.

3. For Meyers, who graduated from Holy Cross, it will be his first football game in his hometown since a 13-6 victory over St. Augustine in the first round of the Division I playoffs in 2015.

“I missed home a lot,” Meyers said. “I wanted to come back and play for the Green Wave. A couple coaches reached out that I was pretty close with, and it felt comfortable coming back home.”

Meyers, a four-star recruit out of high school, played in 31 games in his four years at Florida State. He played in four games in 2019 before redshirting. He started eight games for the Seminoles as a junior, recording two interceptions and two sacks. He was one of just three players in the Atlantic Coast Conference to have multiple sacks and interceptions in the 2018 season. He finished his career at Florida State with 76 tackles and three interceptions.

“The great thing about Kyle is he’s got a bunch of experience,” Tulane coach Willie Fritz said. “He’s a taller, longer guy too, which in this league there are a bunch of tall wide receivers. So that’s going to help us tremendously. He’s also an experienced kicking game player.”

If things go the way Meyers hopes, he can keep the school’s recent run of stellar defensive backs going. Tulane has had five defensive backs drafted since 2015, including one each of the past three years: Thakarius “BoPete” Keyes (2020), Donnie Lewis (2019) and Parry Nickerson (2018.) And that doesn’t include former Green Wave safety Rod Teamer, who went undrafted in 2019 but still managed to make the Los Angeles Chargers’ 53-mann roster.

Meyers says he is well aware of the track record of the program’s defensive backs.

“I thought it would be a great fit,” Meyers said.

Meyers played on Florida State teams that suffered losing seasons the past two years. Tulane, meanwhile, is coming off back-to-back 7-6 seasons. Tulane hasn’t had three winning seasons in a row since 1979-1981.

“I want to win,” Meyers said. “I want to help this program get from good to great.

I have a lot of experience, so it’s going to be a pretty great season. I’m looking forward to it.”

So is his family. They can now just drive a few miles to see him, assuming fans are allowed at games this season.

“They are excited, I’m excited,” Meyers said.

And Fritz is too.

“He’s just a very savvy football player,” Fritz said. “We’re pumped about getting him.”

Tulane gets commitment from four-star quarterback Ty Keyes, one of top players in Mississippi By: Rod Walker July 24, 2020 Ty Keyes, a four-star quarterback at Taylorsville (Mississippi) High School, has committed to Tulane.

“Tulane showed me a lot of interest from Day 1,” Keyes said. “They offered and I feel like that’s my home.”

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound pro-style quarterback, rated a four-star recruit by both 247 Sports and Rivals, is Tulane’s highest rated recruit in the history of 247Sports and among the highest two rated players by Rivals since it began ranking players in 2002. If he signs with Tulane, he’ll be the school’s first four-star recruit by Rivals since former East St. John cornerback Darion Monroe in 2012.

According to 247 Sports, Keyes also had scholarship offers from Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Nebraska, Kansas, Southern Miss, and UL. In his first three seasons, Keyes has completed 658 of 978 passes (67.3%) for 12,134 yards. He has thrown for at least 40 touchdowns each season and has 125 career touchdowns with just 22 interceptions. He has compiled a 44-2 record as a starter, leading his team to a state championship as a freshman and a junior. He perhaps would have a 3-peat on his résumé if he hadn’t missed the 2018 state championship game with an ankle injury.

“Simply put, he’s a leader and a winner,” Taylorsville coach Mitch Evans said.

“Hands down, best quarterback in Mississippi in Class of 2021. Tulane is getting not only a great player but a great young man who will make Tulane a better place as soon as he steps foot on campus.”

Keyes was named Mississippi’s Gatorade Player of the Year after his junior season.

He was recently named to The Clarion-Ledger’s Dandy Dozen, a preseason list of the top 12 players in the state.

“My best skill is I can get the ball on time to my receivers,” Keyes said. “I can run or pass and throw on the run. Whatever the coach needs me to do, I’m going to do.”

Tulane now has two commitments from quarterbacks in its 2021 signing class.

Keyes joins Billy Wiles, a three-star recruit from Virginia who committed to the Wave in April.

“With the players they have now, I feel like they are going to win championships, and I’m going to try to lead them to more championships,” Keyes said. “I am going to help them recruit other players to come to Tulane.”

Tulane RB Corey Dauphine suffers torn Achilles, bringing end to college career By: Rod Walker Jul. 5, 2020 For Tulane running back Corey Dauphine, it was the news he didn’t want to hear his doctor say.

Dauphine’s college football career, including the final season he had won an appeal to get, was over before it ever started because of a torn Achilles.

“It killed me hearing those words come out of his mouth,” Dauphine said in an Instagram post Saturday. “I had so much to prove this season, I wanted the world to feel me. I wanted the world to hear my story.”

Tulane athletic department forms ‘Green Wave Justice for All’ program to address social justice, racial equality It is unclear when or where Dauphine suffered the injury.

Dauphine, in what was his fifth college season, led all Tulane running backs in 2019 with 575 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 8.0 yards per carry.

But in March, the NCAA granted him a sixth year of eligibility based on injuries and assistant coaching changes he dealt with in 2016 when he played at Texas Tech. He played in just three games Texas Tech and had just two carries before transferring to Tulane. Dauphine said at the time that he was surprised to get the extra year.

“It’s crazy, because not a lot of people get that sixth year,” Dauphine said in March.

“Coach Fritz told me 1 in 20, but it happened. It went my way. It’s just a blessing that I get an extra year to show what I can do.”

Dauphine won his appeal and joined the Green Wave for the third spring practice after missing the first two practices. Fritz was looking forward to Dauphine returning for another year.

“We’re fired up to have him back,” Fritz said in March. “It’s not very often where you get kind of a free, really good player. It doesn’t count against your 25 scholarships (maximum for newcomers). He wanted to come back, and it made a lot of sense to me. He’s just dynamite. If you get him out in space, he’s going to score.”

That all changed with the latest news.

“I certainly feel badly for Corey that he will not be able to compete with his teammates this year,” Fritz said in a text message. “Corey is an excellent young man and he will continue to be a valuable part of our team throughout his recovery process as we pursue a championship title this season.”

Fortunately for Fritz, the running back cupboard at Tulane is far from bare.

The Green Wave’s depth at running back includes junior Amare Jones (371 rushing yards, 367 receiving yards), senior Stephon Huderson, who had a 100-yard game against Tulsa last season, redshirt sophomore Cameron Carroll (364 yards, four touchdowns), redshirt freshman Tyjae Spears (192 yards, four games) and redshirt sophomore Ygenio Booker.

But Dauphine’s absence means the Wave will be without one of its fastest players.

Dauphine, also a member of Tulane’s track team, had a knack for reeling off big runs. He had seven touchdowns that went for 35 yards or more in his two seasons with the Wave.

The Port Arthur, Texas, native was a 4-star recruit when he came out of high school. He redshirted his first season at Texas Tech in 2015 before playing briefly the following season. He sat out the 2017 season at Tulane due to transfer rules before playing two seasons. His best game was in 2018 when he rushed for 152

yards and scored three touchdowns, including a career-best 69-yarder, against Nicholls State. He rushed twice for 6 yards and caught a pass for 6 yards in Tulane’s 30-13 victory over Southern Miss in the Armed Forces Bowl. Turns out, it was his last game for the Green Wave.

“This will not stop me from chasing my dreams, and accomplishing my goals that I’ve set,” Dauphine said in his Instagram post. “I will come back better than ever.”

‘This is our chance’: Inside Tulane football’s push for season that might not be By: Brody Miller Aug. 19, 2020 NEW ORLEANS — Back home in the center of a football stadium, Willie Fritz pulls down his mask, lifts his megaphone and begins singing “Happy Birthday.” The entire team joins in as the song echoes through the Uptown campus.

It’s Tulane analyst and recruiting coordinator Chris Couch’s birthday on this Monday in the middle of August, and things are starting to feel normal. Or, at least, the new normal. At least while they can. In the two weeks since Tulane kicked off preseason practice, four FBS conferences have canceled their fall football seasons.

Students have returned to campus. Their world is appearing murkier each day, and the Green Wave keep on rolling. Fritz feels like they could play a game this week.

“I’ve taken the attitude from the very beginning: We’re full speed ahead until we’re told otherwise,” he says.

Fritz is a hugger. He loves to embrace his players, so holding back on that’s been hard for him. If you’ve watched any of Tulane’s 12 practices so far, you know Fritz and his staff are always wearing a mask throughout the Louisiana summer heat and humidity. One staffer wore a plastic face shield. Fritz has even made safety into a game or competition. If any player catches him within 6 feet of them without wearing a mask, he’ll buy them a candy bar.

He’s a fifth-year rising star coach who took Tulane from 3-9 before he arrived to back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in 40 years. He and Tulane athletic director Troy Dannen frequently acknowledge the fortunate situations they’re in for dealing with a pandemic. They have job stability. They have one of the best schools of public health in the nation. They have a university giving all the support they could ask for. And they have a talented football team full of players who listen, do the right things and want to play this season.

And all of this could still be for nothing.

They push forward in a world in which it could all end at any given moment. Just like the Big Ten and Pac 12, the American Athletic Conference could easily cancel fall sports tomorrow or the next day. They’re just trying not to be the ones who ruin things for everyone else.

Willie Fritz is entering his fifth season as Tulane head coach and has won bowl games in each of the past two seasons. (Courtesy of Tulane Athletics) “This is what you gotta do in order to play ball,” Fritz said. “It’s a challenge, but we want to show people we can do this.”

Just as Dannen sits in the Yulman Stadium stands last Thursday, wondering aloud the question the entire country wants to know — What is the interceding event that can shut it all down? — he glances at his Apple Watch to see a phone call from a Southeastern Louisiana administrator. Speak of the devil.

“That’s too bad, but I get it,” he says to the administrator. “No, don’t be sorry. … None of us know what tomorrow is gonna look like.”

Dannen talks for a few more seconds, ends the call and looks up. “They’re out.” There goes his Week 1 opponent. There goes the Southland Conference.

Dannen had been hearing in recent days that the Southland might try to play its nonconference games in the fall and play conference football in the spring, so he was holding out hope. Tulane-Southeastern was scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 3, and considering the Big Ten cancellation, Tulane was about to be the biggest game of opening night. That potentially meant a chance for a prime-time ESPN showcase.

Dannen turns to Tulane communications staffer Tom Symonds: “I need to know the other teams the Southland teams were playing.” One in particular he wants? Louisiana Tech.

Tulane drops from 12 games to 11, which aligns it with most of the American Athletic Conference as none have 12 games and some have as few as nine. Still, if Tulane can get to 12, it wants 12. But it’s tricky. Nobody can spend money right now, so Dannen needs an opponent who will play at Yulman Stadium — for free.

Nonconference opponents are scheduled years — sometimes decades — in advance, but this summer when they lost Northwestern and Mississippi State, Dannen and company were able to put contracts together with Southern Miss and South Alabama in under an hour. These are times for the malleable.

While we sit watching Tulane practice, in comes a call from a Louisiana Tech administrator, just minutes after he asked to get in contact with them. The two talk for several minutes, and eventually Dannen ends the call by saying: “Call me after that meeting and let me know. I’m gonna keep calling around, but I’m not gonna commit to anything until I hear back from you.” Then, he looks back up.

“The funny thing is this is like every day,” he says.

(Note: Louisiana Tech announced Tuesday it’s added Houston Baptist to its schedule, and Tulane plans on staying at 11 games for now.)

Dannen often meets with student-athletes to discuss issues, and he starts every single session the same way: “By apologizing, and that’s not a good thing.” He sometimes tries to tell them everything he knows, but the players leave with more questions than they started with. That’s because he doesn’t know half the answers either.

What is he apologizing for? “The lack of communication,” he says. “The fact that nobody’s talking to them.

Nobody’s asking for their input. We’re three weeks away from our first game, and we don’t have answers.

They’re watching the world around them crumble, and we can’t tell them how that impacts them.”

He tells athletes that Tulane is playing football barring three things: The players themselves say they don’t want to play, they run out of teams to play or something happens from a medical standpoint that makes them officially call it. Then again, nobody can really agree on what that something would be.

Still, Fritz and Dannen can’t stop raving about how the players have been through this. Nobody has asked to opt out. They’re all following the protocols, even enforcing them.

All of the Tulane seniors came into his office last week, and Dannen immediately thought, “Oh, no.” But they came in to voice concerns about going into the cafeteria when other students weren’t wearing their masks.

They asked questions about whether it was safe. They wanted some answers about eligibility.

Star outside linebacker Patrick Johnson has emerged as one of the biggest leaders. He has a chance to be an early NFL draft pick — a rarity for Tulane — and he’s the one checking in with teammates about offseason workouts and leading those meetings in Dannen’s office. He definitely wants to play.

“For us, it’s eligibility,” Johnson tells The Athletic about his concerns. He wants to know whether, if they play four games and the season gets canceled, they can keep their eligibility. Dannen is still waiting on that answer from the NCAA. “We’re concerned about being able to play and students having COVID in our classrooms,” Johnson continues.

He asked Dannen at one point: “Do you seriously feel like it’s OK for us to be in class and everything instead of doing Zooms?” Dr. Greg Stewart, a Tulane associate professor who is also the team physician and the American Athletic Conference’s lead medical chief, told Dannen they are safe as long as everybody wears a mask and follows protocol. So the players listened. Dannen tweeted Tuesday that after 3,744 COVID-19 tests of student-athletes and staff, Tulane has just 20 positives.

Patrick Johnson led Tulane in sacks (4.0) and tackles for loss (8.5) last season. (Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images) Tulane is spending $40,000 a week on testing, all with the possibility that it might be spending that money for no season and no TV money. He raves about Tulane’s university leadership, which has made it clear that if there’s a COVID-19 expense, pay it and the school will account for it later. But at the end of the day, Dannen has two budgets: one with football, one without.

“If the one without hits, I’ve got Draconian work to do,” he says.

That could mean heavy cuts and the loss of sports programs, something we’ve already seen at many schools across the country. He’s just trying to make this all work despite understanding it might not. He doesn’t see how spring football could work despite the Big Ten attempting to plan for it. For example, he has nine athletic trainers, and seven work football. He doesn’t see how he can manage all the spring sports and football at the same time. If that happens, he thinks it would be a mistake to put the fall of 2021 at risk.

But if you’re one to try to find positives during this chaotic time, and sometimes that’s the only healthy way to live, he sees an opportunity. He believes he and Tulane have handled this well. He thinks they’ve been doing things the right way for years. That might pay off during a crisis.

“This is our chance,” he says. “We have natural disadvantages versus certain schools in our league. This is our chance to pass them.”

Dr. Stewart is asked how often his opinion has changed about whether it’s OK to play football from one month to another.

“Or day to day,” he jumps in.

He’s operating in a never-ending world of trying to get everything done to keep athletes safe. More importantly, he’s trying to do it right. But the definition of “right” changes seemingly every day. It all moves so fast. Like new buzz about a Yale saliva test that would potentially provide quicker turnarounds at a fraction of the cost.

Stewart acknowledges that could be a game-changer if it turns out to be accurate, but he’s reading about it in articles just like the rest of us. He still hasn’t been shown any science on it.

Or how the Big Ten and Pac-12, among other conferences, shut down fall sports last week. He immediately got on the phone, trying to discover: “What do those two know that’s different? And if they don’t know anything different, then it’s risk tolerance and capacity for testing, and then it becomes the environment around you and the cities.”

He can’t help but wonder: If the Big Ten and Pac-12 knew about this saliva test, would it have changed their decision? He has no idea, but it’s proof that you truly don’t know what the next day will bring.

Myocarditis became the biggest talking point in football last week when it emerged at the center of the conversation around canceling college sports. Stewart kept hearing about some definitive paper from Pac-12 doctors regarding its damages, but then he discovered it was nothing they hadn’t known and been testing for since the spring. Tulane — and many, many other schools — had been checking for it since players reported back to campus, so he wonders, “Where have you been?”

“Most of the people you’re finding it on are people who are coming into the bubble that are getting tested and evaluated and finding it,” Stewart says. “It’s not: ‘We’re banging on each other and somebody gets COVID and now they’ve developed myocarditis.’”

His point is the football structure is what’s allowing them to find these risks, and everything he’s read indicates it’s people coming onto campus with myocarditis, not getting it while there.

“If they’re not competing, we’re not even looking for it,” he continues.

Will there be fall sports? Tulane AD Troy Dannen: ‘We’re doing all that we can’ By: Larry Holder Jul. 14, 2020 Troy Dannen feels like Tulane has and is doing everything it can to make fall sports happen through the COVID-19 pandemic, from semi-weekly testing for student-athletes, coaches and staff to protective measures being followed outside the athletic facility.

Yet the current climate of the recent local and nation-wide upward spike in COVID-19 cases paints a sobering picture for the Green Wave athletic director, who can’t help but carry a sense of pessimism that fall sports will occur at all, much less on time.

“It’s hard to look out there and see a lot of indicators that are positive to having fall sports,” Dannen told The Athletic on Monday morning. “We’re doing all that we can — and I say we as in not Tulane but college football and college athletics in general — we’re doing all we can to be in a position to have fall sports. But that position is going to be decided as much by institutions as it is state and local governments, and the virus itself that is a factor that we have no control over.

“For us getting ourselves into position, I feel like we’re in a great position to be able to play. Now, will that happen? I would tell you that the number of cases in the country and if the trend lines continue in the direction of the last three or four weeks, then I don’t see it happening.”

Tulane and the American Athletic Conference haven’t followed suit, yet, in joining the Big Ten and Pac-12 as only participating in a conference-only football schedule. It lost a much-anticipated road trip to face Northwestern in September as a result of the Big Ten’s decision. Dannen, who was named to the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee last week, said he expects the American to hold off on making a decision on altering the fall sports schedule in the hopes that the next couple of weeks might present more positive results.

I caught up with Dannen to gauge the viability of fall sports and how Tulane has handled maintaining a healthy environment throughout the athletic department.

Where does Tulane as an athletic program stand through the pandemic up to now?

On campus and in the department, I feel really good about what’s in place and how everyone has responded and reacted and how we’ll handle the plans in place for the future. The biggest trouble is that we all rely on one another. We all rely on the communities. We all rely on much more than our departments and our campuses.

So as good as I might feel internally, what’s happening societally doesn’t give me a lot of hope, unfortunately.

Doesn’t give you a lot of hope as far as with athletics this fall?

The plans we’ve put in place, both campus and inside the department, were with the intent of how do we — well, we knew it wasn’t going to be normal — how do we play 12 games. How do we play the schedule that’s in front of us, and not just with football but with all sports. How do we play the schedule that’s in front of us?

With or without fans, but at least play the games. Right now, while it feels like we might be able to do that internally, but so much is going on around the country with the virus that I don’t know that those plans are going to be able to take hold.

How much has the American (Athletic Conference) and the ADs discussed what’s happening with the conferences around them going conference-only? Has the American considered conference-only?

We talk about it twice a week and we have been since March. And you’ve got to be careful not to react to what other conferences are doing. We’re talking to our people and peers in those conferences every day. There aren’t a lot of surprises out there. But knowing what people are doing, most of those things you can’t let impact what you do. But the knowledge of what they’re doing and why is important. I’ve been using the line here lately that in a time of crisis when there is no captain, it’s all men for themselves.

We don’t have a captain in college football. And so I think we’re starting to see every league act in its own interests, which that’s really the way college football is organized, as opposed to college basketball or some other sports. So leagues, just like our league is going to do, between the 12 of us, it’s going to be what’s best for us. Knowing what everyone else is doing but what’s best for us. Unless things change, we’re kind of in wait-and-see mode.

I think the most prudent thing for us is to make the decision, if there is a decision to be made, as late as possible so that when you do have to make it, you have the most recent information. Because as we’ve seen through this whole pandemic, the information cycle changes from day to day sometimes. If indeed we have to do something different than status quo, I want us to make sure we have all of the most recent, accurate information as to what’s going on with the virus and what lies ahead.

How taken aback were you by the decisions of the Big Ten and the Pac-12 (to go conference-only in football) these last couple of days?

Not at all really. We’d heard. We’re talking to our peers and we knew what was being discussed. And certainly with us having a game with Northwestern this year. I think the only surprise maybe was the timing. But as I said, we’re all going to make decisions based on the information once we think we’ve got all the information.

Then it’s time to make a decision. So the Big Ten and the Pac-12 made decisions that I know our league isn’t ready to make yet. But I understood the decisions.

Have you been in touch with Northwestern to reschedule that game? Or will that come later given the bigger priorities in front of you?

Both schools have full intent to reschedule. Jim (Phillips) and I have both left with one another that rescheduling a game for five, six, seven years out is probably not high on our priority list right now. But at some point in time, we’re going to get together and get that rescheduled. Northwestern is scheduled to come here in 2025, and we would just like to find a date where we could return and have that game up in Chicago.

Has there been any discussion about other sports being taken off the table like at other schools while leaving

football on the table?

I don’t think I’ve seen anyone say that they’re committed to football and not the other fall sports. I don’t think anyone would be comfortable in doing that. Now the ACC did come out and say no fall sports prior to Sept. 1.

And given there aren’t football games really until then, I feel like our league may head in that direction as well just because soccer is scheduled for the second week in August. It may be time that we need to give ourselves a little bit more time to make sure we’re ready. Give campuses time to get students back on campus and see how things go when students are back on campus.

Delaying the rest of the fall schedule until Sept. 1, I think, is going to become commonplace. I don’t think anyone will separate football from the rest of the fall sports, however. If we’re going to play football, we’re going to play all of them. If football gets delayed or terminated in the fall, then I expect schools to do the same thing with all sports.

If football is pushed out of the fall, would you think the spring would be in consideration? Or would that be too much to handle? Draft, scheduling, the following season?

My biggest concern with spring football would be the impact it would have on fall 2021. There’s no way to play a full season in the fall if you’re going to do one in the spring. I think even an idea of playing a conference-only season in the spring and trying to get to a full season in the fall is not possible. It would be great if we could go to the spring and play, but we have to think about those ramifications of what does that decision mean for the fall of ’21 when you hope there is total normalcy, and back to fans in the stands and the whole nine yards.

And secondly, the spring decision assumes that everything is going to be good in the spring. I’m not ready to go there. To me, January, February and March right now don’t look any different than September, October, November from anything I’ve seen. So spring is not a panacea here. I would anticipate and I would right now advocate that if we did have to delay, obviously there’s a 10-game conference model, there might be an eight-game conference model. There may be a start in mid-October and play even fewer games than that. But I think we need to look at the fall at all costs and understand that this is going to be tough on everybody from a financial standpoint. But from a health and safety standpoint, we play when we’re able to play. If we’re not able to play and if decide spring compromises the fall of ’21, then we don’t play.

I’m not big on not playing in the spring solely for draft purposes or being worried about players who don’t want to play. The NCAA and its members for a long time have always said that’s about the name in the front and not the name on the back. If we start making decisions about the name on the back or the NFL, then I think we’ve got a lot of other questions to answer as the whole NCAA. As long as we have numbers to play, some players may choose to play and some may not. Same as in the fall. Some players may choose not to play.

As an athletic department, there have been schools that have had to shut down workouts this summer. How has Tulane been able to handle testing and having a healthy environment?

I think our testing regimen has been one of the most aggressive around the country from what I’ve learned.

We’re testing twice a week. All student-athletes, all coaches and support staff and personnel who are in contact with student-athletes on a day-to-day basis. Everybody else is tested one per week. We’re over 1,300 tests now in one month. The testing has helped from a standpoint from the pre-testing before folks got here. We had five positive tests in that process. And those cases did not get into the bubble if you will. We were able to isolate those.

And what’s happened is that our student-athletes have done a really good job of masking, social distancing, the behavior that we’re being told that are important to stop the spread of the virus and not putting yourself in a position to receive the virus as much as they can. And the other thing, and people might not have thought of New Orleans as doing it, but I think the people of New Orleans have done a really good job in general with masking. You see the cases are on a pretty stable level in the city. When our student-athletes have gone out to dinner or been involved in the city, they’re in an environment that is echoing what we’re telling them to do.

That’s been a plus for us.

How many positive cases would you say it would take to shut down something like workouts or practices within a specific sport or program?

It’s an interesting question because a lot of conferences as we’re developing protocol for playing … when do you not play? How many positives is too many positives? You can argue maybe the answer is a percentage. Or you say it’s 20 cases. But what if it’s all the redshirt freshmen? Why should you not play? If there are 10 cases and it just happens to be all of our skill position players. Maybe we just don’t have the bodies to play safely. I don’t know if there’s a number from a competition standpoint.

From what’s happening on campus now and when do you shut it down, I think it’s a matter of where it’s coming from and what do you have to do to get control of it. If there’s a community spread inside of your program, that’s one thing. I know a couple of schools that have shut down on just a handful of cases. But those handful of cases have involved sports medicine or strength and conditioning coaches. Staff that’s working directly with everybody and it was just better to isolate everybody to stop it. So it’s different scenarios and different results from those scenarios. It’s hard to put a number to it.

How confident do you feel that we’re going to have fall sports?

It’s hard to look out there and see a lot of indicators that are positive to having fall sports. We’re doing all that we can — and I say we as in not Tulane but college football and college athletics in general — we’re doing all we can to be in a position to have fall sports. But that position is going to be decided as much by institutions as it is state and local governments, and the virus itself that is a factor that we have no control over. For us getting ourselves into position, I feel like we’re in a great position to be able to play. Now, will that happen? I would tell you that the number of cases in the country and if the trend lines continue in the direction of the last three or four weeks, then I don’t see it happening.

Tulane Football Names Keon Howard Starting Quarterback Sep. 4, 2020 NEW ORLEANS – Tulane football head coach Willie Fritz announced today that he has named redshirt senior Keon Howard as the starting quarterback for the 2020 season.

“I think he has had a great camp,” Fritz said of Howard. “He has taken charge and he has command of the team and the offense. He is running the ball with authority, when he does tuck it and run it. I have been very impressed with him.

We have always known that he has the great leadership skills. He was just looking for an opportunity and he’s got it right now and it seems to me that he is taking advantage of it.”

Howard is entering his third season in Uptown. He spent last season as the backup quarterback and sat out the 2018 season due to NCAA transfer rules.

“Keon Howard has worked extremely hard,” Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall said of Howard. “He has put a ton of time in it. He is at the office as much as the coaches are. He has done a great job of understanding the offense. He is a really good passer. He has great touch on the ball. He is really accurate, and he is running with a lot of force. He is in great shape, so he has had a great camp so far.”

Howard has stepped up as a leader in the locker room for the Olive and Blue this season. Both sides of the ball believe in him to lead the Green Wave.

“Keon is our guy,” senior defensive lineman Cameron Sample said. “He is a great leader. I consider myself a workaholic coming up here and getting extra film and extra work and just about every time I am up here I see his car parked outside.

He is either in here in the training room or on the field working. I just know that every day after practice he’s asking me how the defense is looking and what I saw out there. We just bounce ideas off each other. He is really a football guy. He has bought into the system and I am excited to see him work whenever we play.”

Graduate transfer wide receiver Mykel Jones has also been impressed with Howard throughout camp.

“There is a lot of talent in that quarterback room right now, but Keon Howard is for sure the leader,” Jones said of Howard. “We can tell by how he is coming out there. He is really practicing hard and really leading the guys. Like Coach Hall said, he has really been accurate and on point. He’s doing everything he has to do to be that guy, that number one guy.”

Howard is ready to step up to the challenge and lead Tulane’s offense.

“I am really, really blessed after going through everything I went through,” Howard said. “It was just a lot of unprecedented situations. But it is my senior season and I am super ready. I am ready to lead the team in a positive and productive way and try to make sure we keep going each and every day to be the best we can be as a team.”

The Laurel, Mississippi, native began his collegiate career at Southern Miss in 2016. In his first season in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Howard started two games after redshirting all season long. He was the team’s leading rusher against Old Dominion with 28 attempts for 98 yards and a touchdown. Howard added 230 yards on 12-for-24 attempts through the air.

In 2017, the 6-1, 215-pound quarterback started seven games and made nine appearances. Howard threw for 2,010 yards on 96-of-170 for eight touchdowns. He logged a career-best three touchdown passes against UTSA and Louisiana Tech.

The redshirt senior made four appearances last season for Tulane. He completed four passes for 120 yards, including an 88-yard touchdown pass at home against Missouri State.

Tulane is set to kickoff the season in Mobile, Alabama, against South Alabama on Saturday, September 12. The Green Wave are coming off a record setting 2019

campaign that was highlighted by a win in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl to give Tulane back-to-back bowl victories for the first time in program history. The Green Wave captured the AutoNation Cure Bowl in 2018.