Tulane Green
Wave
Preview 2007
By Richard Cirminiello
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2007 Tulane Offense Preview
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2007 Tulane Defense Preview
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2007 Tulane Depth Chart
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2006 CFN Tulane
Preview
The Green
Wave administration has a good memory. It recalls that it was only
nine years ago that high-scoring Tulane was 12-0 and a national
darling. In what it felt was a necessary step to recapture some of
that magic, the school sacked Chris Scelfo after eight mostly
forgettable seasons, replacing him with well-traveled Bob Toledo.
Toledo was, to the say the least, a curious choice to take over a
program that’s had one winning season in the last six years and is
struggling big-time to fill seats in a post-Katrina world. Looking
for one more chance to be a head coach at 60, he brings a positive
attitude, a wide-open offensive approach and a nagging desire to go
out on a high note after crashing and burning at the end of his UCLA
career. If Tulane is fortunate, it’ll have landed its Rich Brooks,
an aging coach with West Coast ties and a knack for coaching up
quarterbacks.
Head coach: Bob Toledo
1st year at Tulane
14th year overall: 78-62
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 22, Def. 24, ST 2
Lettermen Lost: 17 |
Ten
Best Tulane Players
1. RB Matt Forte, Sr.
2. FS David Skehan, Jr.
3. LB Evan Lee, Jr.
4. QB Scott Elliott, Jr.
5. SS Joe Goosby, Sr.
6. DE Antonio Harris, Sr.
7. DT Avery Williams, Sr.
8. DT Frank Morton, Sr.
9. C Aryan Barto, Sr.
10. WR Jeremy Williams, Soph. |
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Tulane
CFN Prediction:
2-10 |
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Sept. 8 |
Mississippi State |
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Sept. 15 |
Houston |
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Sept. 22 |
SE Louisiana |
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Sept. 29 |
LSU |
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Oct.
6 |
at Army |
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Oct.
13 |
at
UAB |
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Oct.
20 |
at
SMU |
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Oct.
27 |
Memphis |
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Nov.
3 |
Tulsa |
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Nov.
10 |
UTEP |
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Nov.
17 |
at
Rice |
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Nov.
24 |
at
East Carolina |
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2006
Schedule
2006 Record:
4-8 |
| 9/9 |
at Houston L 45-7 |
| 9/16 |
at Miss State W 32-29 |
| 9/23 |
at LSU L 49-7 |
| 9/30 |
SMU L 33-28 |
| 10/7 |
Rice W 38-24 |
| 10/14 |
at UTEP L 34-20 |
| 10/21 |
at Auburn
L 38-13 |
| 10/28 |
Army W 42-28 |
| 11/4 |
at Marshall L 42-21 |
| 11/11 |
Southern Miss L 31-3 |
| 11/18 |
UCF W 10-9 |
| 11/24 |
at Tulsa L 38-3 |
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The
Green Wave has many priorities in 2007, but topping the list will be to
develop a starting quarterback and a new pair of corners that can cover
in a league that increasingly likes to get vertical. Although Lester
Ricard was hardly consistent, he almost single-handedly kept Tulane in
games last year. Taking his place will likely be last year’s backup and
a veteran of three career starts, Scott Elliott.
From top to bottom, no one at Tulane is underestimating the rebuilding
job that lies ahead of it. The talent and depth is light compared to
the rest of Conference USA and the scars from the past few years haven’t
completely healed. With a few more points, a few less empty seats and a
step closer to .500, the new staff will be on the right path. These
days, progress is measured a little differently than it was a decade ago
in the Big Easy.
What to watch for on offense: If his Bruin teams provided any
clues, Toledo will sport an entertaining offense that’ll run a bunch of
trick plays and do whatever’s necessary to get vertical. If the
personnel supports it, the Green Wave will air it out and, at a minimum,
be fun to watch. Elliott has good arm strength and better mobility than
Ricard, needing now to show he can be an every-day player. His favorite
target will be Jeremy Williams who caught 40 balls as a redshirt
freshman last year. For the passing game to really click, Tulane must
work on its Forte yard dash. Matt Forte is a complete back with
1,000-yard potential, but is recovering from a knee injury that cut
short his junior season.
What to watch for on defense: Last year’s rampant breakdowns on
defense won’t go away overnight, but the staff likes what it inherited
on the front seven. Eight contributors return from last season, headed
by run-stuffing tackle Frank Morton who’ll anchor the middle and flash
all-conference quickness and potential. The unit must create pressure
to compensate for a rebuilt secondary that allowed 23 touchdown passes
and 250 yards a game in 2006.
The team will be far better if … it can dramatically improve its
turnover margin. Tulane is already fighting an uphill battle in terms
of talent and depth, but when it finishes 112th nationally in
takeaways, the Green Wave doesn’t have a fighting chance. It’s
incumbent on Thom Kaumeyer’s defense to create more unforced errors and
Elliott to limit his mistakes in the passing game.
The Schedule:
The Green Wave gets
an unheard of four straight home games to start the season, but
defending Conference USA champion Houston, Mississippi State, and LSU
are in the mix. Paying the piper, Bob Toledo's crew has to go on the
road for a three-game road stretch, but Army, UAB and SMU aren't exactly
killers. Getting Memphis and UAB from the East is a big bonus, but
finishing up the year at Rice and East Carolina means home games against
Tulsa and UTEP might be must-wins.
Best Offensive Player:
Senior RB Matt Forte. All he needs is a line in front of him to open up
a few holes. Forte is 6-2 and 225 pounds with good speed and nice hands.
He's been a major factor in the offense over the last three years, and
now he'll become the main man in the new offense until the passing game
comes around.
Best Defensive Player: Senior FS David Skehan. The former walk-on
wasn’t even considered a starter last year at this time. All he did was
lead the Green Wave with 80 tackles and four interceptions on his way to
Third Team All-Conference USA honors. He might not be the fastest or
most talented defensive back in the league, but he plays with a ton of
heart and he never misses a tackle.
Key player to a
successful season:
Sophomore WR Jeremy Williams. Someone has to emerge and
become the type of receiver who makes opposing defenses quake. Williams
showed a little bit of his potential finishing second on the team in
receiving yards and making a few big plays from the outside Y position.
If he doesn’t quickly grow into the number one receiver role, there will
be a big problem early on.
The season will be a
success if ... the Green Wave wins six games. It’s a tall order for a team and a
program still trying to pick up the pieces from almost being
non-existent a few years ago, but with the coaching change, to go along
with a not-that-awful schedule, six wins is possible if the defense
dramatically improves and the offense is efficient. Making a big stride
towards the future by being more competitive could be enough in year one
of the Toledo era.
Key game:
Sept. 15 vs. Houston.
How does Tulane measure up to the best? Houston isn't exactly the same
team it was last season, but it's still among the class of the league
and should be the favorite to win the West. The Green Wave has lost four
straight to the Cougars and hasn't even been close in the last three.
2006 Fun Stats:
- Fourth quarter scoring: Opponents 129 – Tulane 61
- Red zone touchdowns: Opponents 36 of 58 (62%) – Tulane 19 of 40 (47%)
- Kickoff return average: Opponents 23.1 yards – Tulane 17.4 yards