Tulane Green
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Preview 2008 - Defense
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2008 CFN Tulane Preview
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2008 CFN Tulane Offense
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2008 CFN Tulane
Defense
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2008 Tulane Depth
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2007 CFN Tulane Preview
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2006 CFN Tulane
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What you need to know:
Now that
coordinator Thom Kaumeyer is gone, it’s up to O’Neill Gilbert to
keep the defensive momentum going from last season. Gilbert
inherits seven starters and a stern mandate to improve the pass
defense. The Green Wave secondary got toasted for 17 touchdown
passes over last year’s final six games in a league that got
more pass-happy with the offseason hirings of June Jones, Kevin
Sumlin, and Larry Fedora. There are also concerns at defensive
tackle, where last year’s top three performers have run out of
eligibility. Tulane will try to compensate for its suspect
corners with a pass rush that’s fueled by all-league-caliber
ends Reggie Scott and Adam Kwentua. At linebacker, last year’s
leading tackler Evan Lee will be joined by David Skehan, a
veteran making the switch from safety.
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Returning
Leaders
Tackles:
Evan
Lee, 99
Sacks:
Adam Kwentua, Reggie Scott, 4
Interceptions: David Skehan, 4
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Star of the
defense:
Senior LB David Skehan
Player who has to step up and become a star: Sophomore CB
Phillip Davis
Unsung star on the rise: Junior DE Adam Kwentua
Best pro prospect: Senior DE Reggie Scott
Top three all-star candidates: 1) Skehan, 2) Scott, 3)
Senior LB Evan Lee
Strength of the defense: The ends, the linebackers
Weakness of the defense: Pass defense, interior of the
line
Defensive Line
Projected Starters: The glass is only half full
for the defensive line heading into the season. While a pair of
starters return on the outside, the interior of the line has
been decimated by graduation. At the end spots, senior
Reggie Scott and junior Adam Kwentua are back to try
and build on last year. Finally healthy for a full season,
Scott showed a glimpse of his sizable potential, making 27
tackles, nine tackles for loss, and four sacks. At 6-4 and 258
pounds, he plays with a great motor and is a natural pass
rusher, hoping to save his best season for his final season.
The 6-3, 259-pound Kwentua is built like a linebacker and moves
like one as well. While not especially effective as a run
defender, he has a sudden burst off the snap and can beat
opposing tackles off the edge to get into the backfield. In the
most extensive action of his career, he made 20 tackles, five
tackles for loss, and four sacks.
After losing Avery Williams, Antonio Harris, and Frank Morton to
graduation, Tulane is facing a crisis situation at defensive
tackle. The responsibility of plugging the middle of the line
now rests with senior NT Julian Shives-Sams and sophomore
Tony Bryant, neither of whom has extensive starting
experience. Shives-Sams is a veteran 6-3, 280-pounder with a
couple of letters to his name. He had nine tackles and two
tackles for loss in 11 games last year, and showed the quickness
in the spring needed to make plays behind the line of scrimmage.
Bryant played sparingly in his first season, but turned the
corner in March and April, catching the attention of the
coaching staff throughout the spring. Very quick and agile at
only 6-3 and 256 pounds, he consistently beat offensive linemen,
quietly for now concerns about his size in the trenches.
Projected Top Reserves: Not far behind Kwentua is
junior Logan Kelly, a pure speed rusher who’ll be used in
specific situations to get pressure on the quarterback.
Lightning fast at 6-2 and 245 pounds, he had 17 tackles, five
tackles for loss, and three sacks as a part-timer. Kelly’s too
disruptive to not have an important role in the rotation at
defensive end.
While no threat to Shives-Sams at the nose, sophomore Justin
Adams will be on the field a lot this fall. A potential
liability at only 5-11 and 255 pounds, he gained valuable
experience in his first season, appearing in 11 games and
getting in on 14 tackles. Adams has excellent lower body
strength, but still needs to beef up in order to handle a more
expanded role.
Watch Out For… the Green Wave to have severe
problems stopping the run. After leading the conference in run
defense a year ago, Tulane is about to take a tumble. The
program just doesn’t have enough girth in the middle of the
line, something opponents will surely attempt to victimize.
Strength: Speed on the outside. Scott and Kwentua
are a couple of quality athletes who’ve flashed an ability to
get off the blocks quickly and pressure the quarterback. After
combining for eight sacks in 2007, they’re looking to double
that number this fall.
Weakness: The interior. The departures of three
long-time contributors mean Tulane will be starting a senior
that’s been unable to get into the lineup and an untested
256-pound sophomore. The reserves offer no more solace for a
unit that could be the downfall of the defense.
Outlook: The Green Wave is going to spend much of
the year trying to cover for a middle of the defense that’s
going to get pushed around by physical offensive lines. The
bright spot is Scott, who’ll make a run for all-league honors if
he can remain healthy for a second straight season.
Rating: 5
Linebackers
Projected Starters: A concern just one year ago,
the linebackers welcome back seven letterwinners and stands to
be the strength of the defense. Even senior Evan Lee, who
had a team-high 99 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and two
sacks, is getting challenged at middle linebacker, an indication
of Tulane’s improving depth. At 6-1 and 224 pounds, Lee is an
explosive athlete who can pack a punch and make plays all over
the field. He plays with passion and intensity, often traveling
from one sideline to the next to make a stop.
Former safety David Skehan, a two-year starter, is making
the move to strongside linebacker. The defensive staff wants
more athleticism and better pass coverage at the position in a
league that depends so heavily on the vertical game. On the cusp
of being an all-league player, Skehan had 66 tackles, four
tackles for loss, four picks, and 10 passes broken up.
By a narrow margin, the front-runner at weakside is junior
Travis Burks, who has used his speed and coverage skills to
scale the depth chart. In a part-time role, the 6-0, 208-pound
former defensive back collected 20 tackles, a number he could
surpass before the end of September.
Projected Top Reserves: Coming off a terrific
spring, junior David Kirksey is hot on Lee’s heels,
essentially qualifying as a fourth starter on the unit. The two
will continue their battle in August in the most closely-watched
competition this side of the quarterbacks. The 6-1, 225-pound
Kirksey had 27 tackles and two tackles for loss a year ago,
displaying the speed and instincts that have him demanding more
playing time.
For a third straight year, senior James Dillard will earn
plenty of reps at weakside, while trying to bump Burks from the
pole position. A 6-2, 226-pound veteran with the range and
athleticism of a safety, he’s had 94 tackles the last two
seasons, second only to Lee among linebackers.
A top recruit from 2005, senior Jordan Ellis has settled
in as a valuable reserve at all three linebacker spots and a
member of the special teams unit. Solid in run defense, he’ll
back up Skehan a year after collecting 22 tackles and recovering
a fumble.
Watch Out For… an improvement in pass defense.
Skehan’s move from safety and the challenges being made by
Kirksey and Burks for starting jobs are designed at increasing
the number of batted balls and picks produced by the
linebackers.
Strength: Middle linebacker. Lee and Kirksey are
neck-and-neck in the race to man the middle in 2008. Regardless
of who actually wins the job, the Green Wave can take solace in
the fact that it has multiple players good enough to handle the
starting role.
Weakness: Size. Tulane likes its linebackers to
be small and active, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a beast that
won’t back down from a 290-pound pulling guard that slips
through to the second level. Currently, the Green Wave two-deep
averages just 6-1 and 220 pounds, numbers more fitting for a
safety.
Outlook: The linebackers are a deep and athletic
bunch that’s going to benefit from the competition that rages on
in the summer. With the concerns that exist up front, Tulane is
an ideal candidate to mix in the occasional 3-4 defensive sets.
Rating: 6
Secondary
Projected Starters: Now that Skehan has left the
secondary, junior Chinonso Echebelem is ready to become
the new leader of the secondary. A sporadic starter since the
final month of his true freshman season, he’s slotted in to be
the guy at free safety. The most physical of the defensive
backs, the 6-1, 208-pound Echebelem was fifth on the team with
61 tackles, adding three for loss and three forced fumbles.
Lining up at strong safety for the Green Wave will be 5-10,
195-pound junior Corey Sonnier, a heavy hitter with
cornerback speed. A career backup who had just four tackles a
year ago, he’ll be making a substantial step up in weight class
by entering the starting lineup.
The starting cornerbacks will consist of senior Josh Lumar
and sophomore Phillip Davis. The team’s best cover
corner, Lumar quietly did an outstanding job in his season as a
regular in the secondary. Despite being just 5-10 and 176
pounds, he wasn’t afraid to get physical, making 73 tackles to
go along with 3.5 tackles for loss, two picks, and 12 passes
broken up. Lumar makes nice breaks on the balls, and should be
even more opportunistic in his second season as the starter.
Davis played extensively in his rookie year, making 32 tackles
and breaking up a couple of passes. At just 5-10 and 160
pounds, he’s got the athletic skills of an eventual playmaker,
but needs to add some more upper strength in order to handle
bigger receivers at the line and when the ball is in the air.
Projected Top Reserves: At cornerback, 6-3,
171-pound senior Charles Harris has intriguing size and
speed, but it hasn’t translated into ample production for the
Green Wave defense. A question mark in pass defense, he had 11
tackles in a few cameos last year, and will be Davis’ primary
backup.
Sophomore SS Devin Holland is making sure that Sonnier
has to work to keep his spot atop the depth chart. A 6-0,
198-pounder, he lettered as a freshman, starting the Houston
game, and chipped in with 24 tackles. Holland will continue his
pursuit of a starting job in the summer, or at worst, contend to
be the team’s nickel back.
Watch Out For… Sophomore defensive back Alex
Wacha. Injuries over the last couple of seasons have Wacha
playing catch up and buried on the depth chart, but he’s too
good of an athlete not to compete now that he’s healthy. Tulane
needs more depth chart at cornerback, which Wacha is capable of
bolstering.
Strength: Echebelem. Now that he’s no longer
fighting for a job, the hard-hitting junior is set to become an
all-league type player in the second half of his career.
Echebelem gives the Tulane secondary a presence that’s been
sorely lacking.
Weakness: Pass defense. The Green Wave is just too
soft in pass coverage, allowing a whopping 65% of passes to be
completed last year and three times as many touchdowns through
the air as interceptions. Lumar will make plays, but Tulane
needs two or three more players like him.
Outlook: Don’t expect dramatically different
results than 2007, when Tulane was 112th nationally
in pass efficiency defense. In a league that’s becoming
increasingly wide-open, the program simply doesn’t have enough
stoppers that can keep opposing receivers from running wild.
Rating: 4.5
Special
Teams
Projected Starters: Junior Ross Thevenot
shows signs of developing into a reliable kicker a year after
converting 13-of-18 field goals and showing improved pop in his
leg. He also split time as the Green Wave’s punter, averaging
38.9 yards, but is currently running behind sophomore Darren
deRochemont in the competition for the job.
deRochemont did little to distinguish himself a year ago,
averaging just 38.7 yards and showing poor hang time on his
punts. While he’s the guy for now, he’ll need to make progress
in the summer in order to prevent Thevenot from performing
double duties. deRochemont will also be the backup kicker and
handle kickoffs.
Sophomore Jeremy Williams looked like a natural returning
kicks in the spring, and is expected to be the full-time
replacement for Ade Tuyo. Tulane is looking to redshirt freshman
Dominique Dade to spark a punt return team that ranked
among the most futile in the country. He and sophomore Casey
Robottom are expected to field the majority of the punts
this season.
Watch Out For… deRochemont’s development in his
second season on the job. He actually arrived on the Bayou with
advanced billing, but failed to live up to expectations in his
debut. Although the coaches are giving him another chance to
excel, they’ll also have a quick hook if he continues to
disappoint.
Strength: Thevenot. In two seasons, the junior
has proven to be versatile and steady when attempting field
goals inside 50 yards. If Thevenot can make similar strides to
last year, he’ll be on the verge of joining Conference USA’s top
kickers.
Weakness: The return game. Tulane was 115th
nationally in punt returns and 114th on kickoffs,
providing no support to the offense. The staff will be trying
new returners in both areas in an effort to light a spark on
special teams and improve the school’s field position.
Outlook: By every measurement, Tulane ranks among
the country’s least effective special teams units. They’re awful
in the return game, don’t cover kicks particularly well, and
have an issue with the punting game. Thevenot is the long
bright spot in an otherwise shaky situation.
Rating: 4