|
CB
Sean Lucas (Tulane Athletics Media Relations) |
|
2002
Statistics
|
Coach:
Chris Scelfo
21-27,
4 years |
2002
Record: 8-5
|
|
SOUTHERN
UNIV. |
WON
37-19 |
at
Houston |
WON
34-13 |
at
East Carolina |
LOST
20-24 |
at
Memphis |
LOST
10-38 |
TEXAS |
LOST
0-49 |
at
Louis-Monroe |
WON
52-9 |
CINCINNATI |
WON
35-17 |
UAB |
WON
35-14 |
NAVY |
WON
51-30 |
at
TCU |
LOST
10-17 |
ARMY |
LOST
10-14 |
SOUTHERN
MISS |
WON
31-10 |
HAWAII
BOWL
|
Hawaii |
WON
36-28 |
|
2002 Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR
|
2003
Outlook
|
Through
the dorms, into the weight room and up and
down the roster, there's a hungry attitude
running through the football program at
Tulane University. And why not?
For
starters, there will BE football at Tulane
University. The school's trustees voted
June 10 not to eliminate the program, although
the program must help the athletic department
reduce a $7 million debt to $2 million by
2007 by increasing its fan base and financial
support.
As
a certain indicted domestic doyenne might
say, it's a good thing. Particularly for
head coach Chris Scelfo, one of the bright
young minds in the game. The decision of
the trustees, on the heels of last year's
winning season, brings optimism to the campus.
The
Green Wave turned in a surprising 8-5 record
in 2002, capped by a win over Hawaii in
the ConAgra Foods Hawaii Bowl. Yet it was
a successful and disappointing season at
the same time.
Losses
to 4-8 East Carolina, 3-9 Memphis and 1-11
Army sabotaged what could have been an even
better year, hence the desire to eliminate
the physical and mental mistakes that might
have been the difference in at least two
of those games. Tulane doesn't want to get
to the end of another season and wonder
what could have been, and that's an admirable
attitude. But the Green Wave probably won't
have enough on the defensive side of the
ball to even get to that point.
Defense,
and a wicked schedule, will conspire to
keep Tulane at the .500 mark in 2003. Oh,
the offense will be there, to be sure. Quarterback
J.P. Losman is back for his senior season,
backed by an array of solid, if not spectacular,
receivers, as well as one of the nation's
best all-purpose backs in Mewelde Moore.
But
the defense needs work. All four starting
linemen, including all-time sack leader
Kenan Blackmon and first-team All Conference
USA DE Floyd Dorsey, are gone. All four
starting defensive backs are also gone,
including CB Lynaris Elpheage, who led the
conference in interceptions. It's tough
enough to rebuild an entire unit, let alone
two, but there is a great deal of faith
in defensive coordinator Eric Schumann.
One of the big reasons why Tulane went from
3-9 in 2001 to 8-5 last season was Schumann,
who helped turn a horrid defense into one
that led the nation in forced turnovers.
But
the schedule does the Green Wave no favors.
Tulane begins with three consecutive home
games in the Superdome. But the opener is
against Texas Christian, the likely preseason
favorite to win the Conference USA championship,
and the third game is a non-conference tilt
vs. the SEC's Mississippi State. Tulane
gets a break in between vs. Northwestern
(La.) State. The first road game is against
Army - normally a gimme, except that the
Green Wave lost to the Black Knights last
year - and that game is followed by a trip
to Texas. Tulane could very well be looking
at a 2-3 or 1-4 start, and has three of
its last four games also on the road.
Projected
2003 record: 5-7
|
|
|
TULANE
*POWER RATINGS
|
Offense
|
Defense
|
QB
- 3.5 |
DL
- 1 |
RB
- 4 |
LB
- 3 |
WR
- 3 |
DB
- 1.5 |
OL
- 1.5 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS
|
Passing:
J.P. Losman, 401-230-10, 2468 yds., 19 TD
Rushing: Mewelde Moore, 288 att.,
1138 yds., 6 TD
Receiving: Mewelde Moore, 52 rec.,
545 yds., 3 TD
Scoring: Mewelde Moore, 9 TD, 1 two
pt. conv., 56 pts.
Punting: none
Kicking: none
Tackles: Anthony Cannon, 114 tot.,
67 solo
Sacks: Blake Baker, 5 sacks
Interceptions: Sean Lucas, 2 for
119 yds.
Kickoff returns: Tristan Smith, 3
ret., 23.7 avg.
Punt returns: none
|
|
|
|
QB
J.P. Losman (Tulane Athletics Media Relations)
|
|
|
|
OFFENSE
- 9
|
----RETURNING
STARTERS----
|
DEFENSE
- 3
|
|
KEY
LOSSES
|
OFFENSE:
Brendon Drysdale-C, Seth Zaunbrecher-OG, Seth
Marler-K/P |
DEFENSE:
Kenan
Blackmon-DE, Quentin Brown-FS, Floyd Dorsey-DE,
Lynaris Elpheage-CB, Adrian Mitchell-SS, Jeff
Sanchez-CB, Roxie Shelvin-DT, Marlon Tickles-DT |
|
|
2003
OFFENSE
|
written
by Rich Thomaselli
This
is where Tulane stays in games or wins the shootouts,
with an offense that is blessed with the return
of some terrific skill position players and one
that didn't suffer dramatic losses on the line,
although that remains a concern.
Senior
RB Moore is the best returning all-purpose back
in college football. In fact, Moore has more rushing
and receiving yards (3,860) in the last two seasons
than any other returning player in the nation.
He has a quarterback's vision of the field, able
to see and analyze defenses with a thought process
that seemingly comes in nanoseconds, and then
he has the physical attributes to execute what
he wants to do. "He excels at everything
he puts his mind to," Scelfo said.
Does
that include a Heisman Trophy? Well, it's certainly
a longshot. You know the drill - small school,
little press coverage, no major television appearances,
and a buzz that will have to be built in the first
month of the season rather than have preceded
his senior year. Still, Moore should be on the
long list at the beginning of September. His partner
in crime, FB Kris Coleman, opens huge holes.
Moore
isn't Tulane's only weapon. Losman was thrown
in at quarterback and told to learn the ropes
as a full-time starter. He responded with an eight-win
season that included 2,468 yards passing, a 57.4%
completion percentage, 19 TDs and 10 INTs. Losman
is a big kid (6-3, 215) that NFL scouts are in
love with. He'll surely play at the next level.
And
he'll have a plethora of options to throw to.
While Moore is Losman's most prolific returning
receiver in terms of balls caught, WRs Tristan
Smith, Nick Dunn, Chris Bush, Nick Narcisse and
TE Bobby Hoover are all back. But the biggest
return might be WR Roydell Williams, who fractured
his ankle in the third game of the season against
East Carolina and missed the remainder of the
year. But Williams, who did not participate in
spring ball, was granted a medical hardship and
returns as a junior. He gives Losman yet another
target to work with. Suffice to say, the receiving
corps is not a question mark for Tulane, although
Scelfo wants to see them do more after the catch.
Half
of the line will be a question mark, however.
Losman's blind side is fortunately protected by
the return of LT Chris McGee and LG Matt Traina.
Jimmy Kosienski, a 6-7, 280-pound junior, will
anchor the right side at RT. But Tulane will be
breaking in a new C in Will Blaylock or Joe Traina,
both sophomores, and at RG with Donald Madlock,
also a sophomore. Making matters worse, both Blaylock
and Madlock had their progress hindered this spring
with nagging injuries. The good news, however,
is that no matter who ends up in these two positions
it's likely, because of Losman's passing and Moore's
ability to run outside, opposing defenses won't
be able to flood the box. That should help in
grooming a new center and right guard.
|
|
RB
Mewelde Moore (Tulane Athletics Media Relations)
|
TULANE
2003 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
|
OFFENSE
|
QB |
J.P.
Losman-Sr |
Billy
Don Malone-Fr |
FB |
Kris
Coleman-Sr |
Quintin
Jones-Fr |
RB |
Mewelde
Moore-Sr |
Jovon
Jackson-So |
WR |
Tristan
Smith-Jr |
James
Dunn-Sr |
WR |
Nick
Narcisse-Sr |
Roydell
Williams-Jr |
TE |
Bobby
Hoover-Jr |
Jerome
Landry-So |
OT |
Chris
McGee-So |
Willie
Christian-So |
OG |
Matt
Traina-So |
Mark
Burgess-Fr |
C |
Will
Blaylock-So |
Joe
Traina-So |
OG |
Donald
Madlock-So |
Joe
Mitchell-Sr |
OT |
Jimmy
Kosienski-Jr |
Derek
Rogers-Fr |
K |
Barrett
Pepper-Fr |
.. |
|
|
2003
DEFENSE
|
written
by Rich Thomaselli
It's
the worst of times and the worst of times for
the Green Wave defense.
You
figure a weak pass rush can be overcome by blanket
coverage in the secondary. Conversely, problems
with the defensive backs can be disguised by constant
pressure up front.
Unfortunately
for Tulane, it starts the season with neither.
All four starting defensive linemen and all four
starters in the secondary are gone, and while
a strong set of returning linebackers known for
quick reads and recognition, they'll need help.
But,
there's a reason why Alabama's Mike Price pursued
Tulane defensive coordinator Schumann so heavily
when Price first got the job he eventually lost
without ever coaching a game. Schumann, in his
first season at Tulane in 2002, not only created
a defense that led the nation in forced turnovers,
but one that gave up 21.7 points per game - almost
20 less than the previous year. So expect Schumann
to come up with a few wrinkles to cover the Green
Wave's lack of experience on the line and in the
defensive backfield.
Start
up front, where true linebacker Daniel Nevin moves
to defensive end. At 6-1, 220, Nevin doesn't have
the size of his predecessors but certainly has
the speed. And that's what Schumann is looking
for, someone at rush end to get into the backfield
and create a bit of havoc. Nevin will have a bit
of a clone on the opposite side in 6-3, 245-pound
sophomore Michael Roberts, whom Scelfo praised
for having a solid spring. In between, Tulane
will have some beef in tackles Terrence Tarver
and Wallace Mateen. Despite losing all four starters
last year, the defensive line wasn't exactly a
great run-stopping unit as it gave up 180.1 yards
rushing per game. That was only good for 93rd
out of 117 Division I-A teams. Perhaps Schumann
will find a surprise in a totally rebuilt line.
All
three starting linebackers - strongside 'backer
Wesley Heath, MLB Brandt Quick (and he is), and
Anthony Cannon - return. Cannon is a stud, a sophomore
who led the team in tackles and was first in the
conference and second in the nation in tackles
by a true freshman. Though he operates from the
weak side, that's in name only. Cannon can change
a game. As a unit, all three have the ability
to overcome the mistakes of those in front of
them, a key attribute for a defense breaking in
four new starters on the line. An added boost
is the return of Brandon Spincer, an all-conference
freshman performer in 2001 who sat out last year
due to academic reasons.
Said
Scelfo coming out of spring ball, "Our strength
on defense has got to be our linebackers. We've
got some experience coming back there. We've got
some guys that can run. We've increased our speed,
and the leadership has to come from that group."
The
most opportunistic defense in the country was
led by a secondary that produced 23 interceptions,
fourth best in the nation. But 19 of those 23
picks left with the players who left the program.
Still, the cupboard is not entirely bare. The
four INTs that do return come in the person of
sophomore Sean Lucas and junior Trawick Boger.
Fellow sophomore Bruce Youmans joins Lucas on
the corner and junior Joey Dawson is the projected
starting free safety. Lucas, Boger and Youmans
each played in all 13 games; Dawson played in
12. That experience will come in handy, for the
quicker the secondary gels and develops, the quicker
the entire defense will come together.
|
|
LB
Anthony Cannon (Tulane Athletics Media Relations)
|
TULANE
2003 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
|
DEFENSE
|
DE |
Michael
Roberts-So |
Laine
Sambrooks-Jr |
DT |
Terrence
Tarver-Sr |
Taurean
Brown-Fr |
DT |
Wallace
Mateen-Jr |
Michael
Purcell-Fr |
DE |
Daniel
Nevil-Sr |
Taylor
Bertin-Fr |
SLB |
Wesley
Heath-Sr |
Antonio
Mason-So |
MLB |
Brandt
Quick-Sr |
Blake
Baker-Jr |
WLB |
Anthony
Cannon-So |
Brandon
Spincer-So |
CB |
Bruce
Youmans-So |
Jeremy
Foreman-Fr |
CB |
Sean
Lucas-So |
Darren
Sapp-So |
SS |
Tra
Boger-Jr |
Winfred
Brown-Sr |
FS |
Joey
Dawson-Jr |
Tommy
Griffin-So |
P |
Chris
Beckman-Fr |
.. |
|
|
|
2003
SPECIAL TEAMS
|
This
is where the Green Wave must hope the babes will lead.
Seth Marler pulled double duty last year, serving as
Tulane's placekicker and punter. His 72 punts went an
average of 42.9 yards, and none were blocked. He was
also 20-for-33 on field goals. Freshmen Barrett Pepper
and Chris Beckman take over the kicking and punting
duties, respectively. With Lynaris Elpheage having declared
early, his kick and punt returns will be sorely missed
(he returned one each for a touchdown while averaging
more than 25 yards per kickoff and 16 per punt). Tristan
Smith is a junior, albeit one with little experience.
He returned only three kickoffs last year and zero punts,
but gets first crack at being Tulane's return man.
|
|
|
|
|