As always, the Tulane game counts double, home teams are listed first and the point spread come from VegasInsider.com consensus. It's the second straight cruddy week nationally before a series of big games arrive in November.

Memphis (-31.5) Tulane
Temple (+10.5) Notre Dame
Florida (-2.5) Georgia (Jacksonville)
Houston (-12) Vanderbilt
Auburn (+7) Ole Miss
Washington State (+11.5) Stanford
Navy (-7) South Florida
SMU (+3.5) Tulsa

Only three people picked Tulane, which got a backdoor cover after Navy appeared to have its own undeserved cover. No one got more than five points.

5

Guerry
MNAlum
DrBox

4

winwave
LSU Law Greenie
wavetime

3

kettrade1
Golfer81
jjstock2005
Rcnut

2

WaveON

1

nyoscar

OVERALL STANDINGS

Guerry: 38.5
winwave: 33.5
MNAlum: 33.5
DrBox: 32.5
kettrade1: 31.5
wavetime: 31.5
Rcnut: 30.5
WaveOn: 27.5
jjstock2005: 27.5
Golfer81: 26.5
Dew99: 26.5 (missed 2 weeks)
LSU Law Greenie: 26.5
nyoscar: 23.5
p8kpev: 22.5 (missed 1 week)

Week 7 game-by-game results

Tulane: 3 (out of 12)
Tennessee: 3
Ole Miss: 3
USC: 2
LSU: 5
Clemson: 11
Georgia Tech: 2
Houston: 10

First, I apologize for being absent since Wednesday for the most part. If you check The Adovcate, I wrote 11 stores this week--the most ever--including three on the Saints (usually it's zero), two on basketball, one on baseball and five on Tulane football (counting the advance and Next Level stories that will run Saturday morning). My head was spinning.

Anyway, comparing Tulane to Memphis should be interesting since the Tigers have an outside shot at the college football playoff and the Wave has been one of the worst teams in the country.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

Memphis: Paxton Lynch, a redshirt junior, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.5 but with few significant offers

Tulane: Jordy Joseph, a no-star redshirt senior former walk-on, had an offer from Louisiana College.

RUNNING BACK

Memphis: Doroland Dorceus, a redshirt sophomore, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.3. Jarvis Cooper, a sophomore, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.5. Sam Craft, a junior, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.7 and the No. 50-rated athlete in the country.

Tulane: Sherman Badie, a redshirt sophomore, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.5. Dontrell Hilliard, a sophomore, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4; Rob Kelley, a senior, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.5.

WIDE RECEIVER

Memphis: Tevin Jones, a redshirt senior, was unrated but in the Rivals database; Phil Mayhue, a sophomore, was not in the Rivals database. Mose Frazier, a redshirt senior, was in the Rivals database but not rated. Anthony Miller, a redshirt sophomore, was in the Rivals database but unrated.

Tulane: Teddy Veal, a sophomore, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.6. Devon Breaux, a redshirt junior, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.3. Rickey Preston, a true freshman, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4

TIGHT END

Memphis: Alan Cross, a redshirt senior, was not in the Rivals database.

Tulane: Charles Jones, a sophomore, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.2, Trey Scott, a sophomore, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.3.

LEFT TACKLE

Memphis: Taylor Fallin, a redshirt senior, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4

Tulane: Todd Jacquet, a redshirt junior, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.5.

LEFT GUARD

Christopher Roberson, a redshirt junior, was not in the Rivals database.

Colton Hanson, a redshirt junior, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4.

CENTER

Memphis: Drew Kyser, a true freshman, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4.

Nathan Shienle, a redshirt junior, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4

RIGHT GUARD

Memphis: Gabe Kuhn, a redshirt sophomore, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.2.

Tulane: Chris Taylor, a junior, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.6 and the No. 38 guard nationally.

RIGHT TACKLE

Memphis: Ryan Mack, a senior, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.6. He transferred from Louisville.

Tulane: John Leglue, a redshirt freshman, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.2.

ANALYSIS: Aside from a talented backfield, Memphis has thrived with marginal recruits, including three no-star wide receivers and a line with only one 3-star guy, a 2-star true freshman and an unrated left guard. Tulane's wide receivers were rated higher and three of its offensive linemen were rated higher. Yet two teams cannot be any more different in terms of performance.

DEFENSE

LEFT END

Memphis: Christian Johnson, a redshirt sophomore, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.2.

Tulane: Royce LaFrance, a senior, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.5.

NOSE TACKLE/LEFT TACKLE

Memphis: Donald Pennington, a redshirt junior, was a 2-star recruit from Amite rated 5.4.

Tulane: Tanzel Smart, a junior, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.5.

RIGHT END/RIGHT TACKLE

Memphis: Ernest Suttles, a redshirt sophomore, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.5. Transferred from Nebraska.

Tulane: Corey Redwine, a redshirt senior, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4.

OLB/RIGHT END

Memphis: Jackson Dillon, a junior, was a 3-star recruit rated 5.5. His other offers were Ark St. and Tulsa.

Tulane: Sean Wilson, a sophomore, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4. Ade Aruna, a redshirt sophomore, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4.

WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER

Memphis: Genard Avery, a sophomore, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.3.

Tulane: Nico Marley, a junior, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.2.

MIDDLE LINEBACKER

Memphis: Leonard Pegues, a senior, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.2.

Tulane: Eric Thomas, a junior was a 2-star recruit rated 5.3.

STRONGSIDE LINEBACKER/NICKELBACK

Memphis: Wynton McManis, a senior, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4.

Tulane: Jarrod Franklin, a redshirt sophomore, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.3.

CORNERBACK

Memphis: Dontrell Nelson, a junior, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.3.
: Chauncey Lanier, a redshirt junior, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4.

Tulane: Parry Nickerson, a redshirt sophomore, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4.
: Taris Shenall, a freshman, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4.

STRONG SAFETY

Memphis: Chris Morley, a redshirt junior, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4.

Tulane: Darion Monroe, a senior, was a 4-star recruit rated 5.8 and the No. 23 CB nationally.

FREE SAFETY

Memphis: Reggis Ball, a redshirt senior, was a 3-star recruit at outside linebacker rated 5.5.

Tulane: Roderic Teamer, a freshman, was a 2-star recruit rated 5.3.

ANALYSIS: There's no difference. Both teams have two 3-star guys and two 2-star guys on the defensive line, all 2-star recruits at linebacker and one highly rated member of the secondary. In truth. Tulane's defense has played better overall than Memphis, allowing 5.63 yards per play to the Tigers' 5.99.

The gargantuan difference between these teams comes entirely on offense, and although Paxton Lynch gives the Tigers an advantage over almost anyone, the discrepancy in player develop goes much, much deeper.

Other than tossing the ball with an assistant on the side of the field during special teams drills, Tanner Lee did not get any reps in the last hour of practice today. It's going to be Jordy Joseph's game this Saturday against Memphis. Check out my Q&A with him on the front page.

"Jordy looked good," CJ said. "He moves the ball well and he understands the offense probably better than some of us. He does a great job getting the ball where it should be. If he were three or four inches taller, he may be the (full time) starter, but he he really knows how to operate and knows how to do all those things."

"That touchdown against Navy game him a shot of confidence, and even the Houston drive at the end of that game, he got some confidence. It will be different. this is a good football team and they'll be ready to roll, but it's good to watch him."

CJ said Devin Powell would be available, but he has not thrown much since coming out of the Houston game with an arm injury.

Rob Kelley passed the concussion protocol and will play Saturday. The Wave will needs his pass protection because the solution for Arturo Uzdavinis being out with a concussion is Todd Jacquet moving to left tackle and John Leglue playing right tackle. Uzdavinis, who ran on the sideline today, has not been ruled out.

I did not see cornerback Richard Allen, the third member of the concussion brigade. He almost certainly will not play Saturday, with true freshman Taris Shenall likely starting in his place.

I got to practice late today, and the only QB taking reps was Jordy Joseph, but I was told Tanner Lee, who was standing next to the other quarterbacks in full pads and a helmet, worked earlier, and Curtis Johnson said he was OK.

Lee was not sacked in the first three quarters of Tulane's 31-14 loss to Navy, but after Tulane fell behind 24-7 in the fourth, he got driven to the ground when a rusher came around the edge untouched and forced a fumble on a sack. Right tackle Todd Jacquet watched the guy move from inside him to his outside before the snap but inexplicably made no adjustment, getting into a blocking stance after the snap and purposely not touching the rusher, blocking air in front of him while Lee got crushed.

"He's fine," CJ said. "It's nothing to do with his head. It's just some other stuff."

I asked CJ a few other questions, although the first one was actually a comment.

That was a heck of a defensive effort wasted there.

"I don't know if it was a waste. It was something to grow on. I thought we played well. We moved the ball pretty good. I'd like to get those third-and fourth-down plays, but the defense played outstanding. It was a winnable game, but we just don't have the mentality quite yet. We'll come up one of these weeks and win one and then win two, win three, four, five and move on."

How do you get the guys to build off an effort where they really were a few plays away from having a real chance to win unlike the other losses when they got blown out?

"The one thing we did, we watched a lot of film and we talked to them a lot about it. They're right there. I think they are right there. Navy's a really good team."

Can the defense apply what it did against Navy against Memphis and the rest of the opponents other than Army even though the systems are completely different?

"The defense has to play with the same energy and has to play with the same effort. I'd like the offense to run it a little more. Navy's defense was outstanding. You watch them against everybody and they play well. We have the same challenges this week. This offense (Memphis) is explosive and the defense is good, too."

What's Lazedrick Thompson's status?

"I hope he can play. I say the same thing every week. I'm tired talking about him."

For the first time in a while Tulane played a game worth watching. It didn’t start very well when Preston fumbled the opening kickoff and we couldn’t move out of the hole. Then, despite forcing a couple of fourth downs, our defense couldn’t hold Navy out of the end zone.

Through three quarters I though our offense played pretty well. That we only scored seven points suggests that playing “pretty well” simply isn’t anywhere near good enough. Some untimely penalties, Breaux’s drop in the end zone, and Lee’s fumble at the one yard line kept us from scoring at least 21 by early in the fourth quarter. I thought that would have been a better reflection of our offense today. All that said, the O-Line, which I though played above their talent for three quarters, fell apart in the fourth. Lee was under tremendous pressure on his interception and the fumble/sack was caused by a Navy guy having a straight shot at Lee when he was looking the other direction. We still need much better OLine play for four quarters.

I thought play calling was also better. We used the tight end more and in different ways than previously. I think that’s good. Veal had a really good game and I’m starting to think he could play for a lot of BCS teams, though still not as their #1 threat. Breaux is more athletic, but simply makes too many mistakes to be a play-in, play-out, threat. Preston and Hicks would have redshirted most other places.

Hilliard had another good game and Rounds had a solid game from a statistical standpoint, but I don’t understand how Badie can be standing on the sidelines for 75%+ of our offensive plays. Somehow, we need to get him in the game and open in space. He’s an underused, yet tremendous, weapon.

Until the three turnovers in the fourth quarter, Tanner Lee looked like the QB he has the potential to be. Whether he ever gets there is still in question, but for three-quarter, he looked good—smart decisions, generally good throws, and confident demeanor.

Punting was weak again, but at least we didn’t allow any long returns or drop any snaps—hardly a high bar for success. We still can’t return kicks or punts, but we haven’t done that for years.

Simms field goal effort should probably be his last, but his kickoffs were solid. I know he’s working with the baseball team and that, hopefully, will prove to be “his sport.”

Defense was terrific against the run. Going to a five man line (LaFrance, Smart, Redwine, Wilson, and Aduna) seemed to work. It looked to me like Monroe was covering the pitch man on most plays and did a really good job. We had four sacks among 11 tackles for losses which put Navy in long yardage positions more often than they usually encounter. But “selling out” to stop the run also hurt us when they chose to pass. They were 8-12 passing for 158 yards picking on first Allen and then Nickerson for long gainers. Our small corners, despite good speed, don’t seem to be able to cover bigger receivers.

The good news: I didn’t see any “quit” in our team. It was also nice, but meaningless, that Jordy Joseph led the team to a TD near the end of the game against Navy reserves. Jordy won’t be back after this year, which is getting close to over from a competitive standpoint.

I don’t know what to expect the rest of the year. I don’t see any way we can stop Memphis from scoring at least 40 next week. Our “top end” might be about 21. UCONN and Tulsa will be tough for us and SMU can score against anyone, so none of those are “gimmies.” Army runs essentially the same offense as Navy, so I think we can stop them with the kind of effort we saw today. A loss at West Point would be bad; really bad.

Whether CJ comes back for next year probably depends more on how quickly we sign a new Athletic Director than the results of the next five games. Before the season, I didn’t think Dickson would fire him unless we won less than three games. With Dickson leaving, I’m not sure he’d take it on himself, going out the door, to fire CJ even if he didn’t win another game. It’s a sad situation.

Roll Wave!!!

MONROE

How well did you feel like the game plan worked against Navy's triple option?

"It worked very well. We held those guys to like 34 yards going into halftime, so we had a good game plan, but we lost the momentum and things started going down and people started going down. We had some turnovers at key points of the game, so we just have to collect some things and do better next week. The defensive line played very well."

Nobody had slowed down Navy on the ground until you did. How much confidence did the defense gain?

"That showed you the spurts that we can have on defense. We can be a great defense. We can be one of the best defenses in this conference, if not in the country, and that showed in 2013. It peaked its head a little bit against that team, but they did a heck of a job. That quarterback was awesome, and their coaches did a good job of adjusting to what we did, but I think the game plan was perfect."

Do you feel like the talent on the defense has been wasted this year with Tulane at 2-5, and how frustrating is that?

"It's not frustrating because I look at it as I'm trying to leave a legacy for these guys to look up to when I'm gone. I'm trying to teach as much as I can, and guys like Taris Shenall and Rod Teamer, those guys are going to be good players at Tulane for years to come."

Are the heads of your defensive teammates still up going into Memphis?

"A lot of guys' heads are up. We've just got to keep Tanner up because of what's going on with him and we have to get behind the offense and just praise those guys and get their heads up. As you can see, this practice was pretty high energy."

The offense played better but could not finish against Navy. Are you encouraged at all?

"Yeah, they had a lot of progress. They moved the ball very well. We had some unfortunate things happen in the red zone in drives where we had momentum. That's how the game goes, though. Things are not going our way this year."

You went out for a couple of plays in the second half and Navy went 45 yards in two plays for a touchdowns. What happened to you?

"I actually had a cramp. I cramped up, and I was trying to get back as soon as possible. That's why I was yelling at the equipment staff, saying come on, let's hurry up. And as soon as I walked in the tunnel, I heard the touchdown. I was like, damn, I can't be out like that."

Memphis has the best offense you've played. What do you have to do to slow Paxton Lynch down?

"He's a great quarterback. He's progressed a lot since last year. We watched the film from last year and he made some errant throws, but if you watch the film from this year he's spot on. They are doing a lot of things to protect their offensive line and what they do, and those running backs are doing a great job, so you can't really key on their pass game because they are going to run the ball on you."

Lynch is a good runner but he's nowhere near as fast as Houston QB Greg Ward. Do you feel better in that aspect?

"Greg Ward is a special runner. He's a receiver playing quarterback, but he can also throw the ball. He's a great athlete. This guy would rather pass the ball, but he has the ability to run it, so that's what makes him so special. That's why he's one of the top players in the draft this year. I think our defensive ends will do a great job because he's not as fast as Greg Ward, so he's not going to get you outside. Greg Ward will go 10 yards backwards and then gain 30 yards forward. That's one thing about him that's different."


MARLEY

Cj called the Navy game one that got away. Do you feel the same way?

"Yeah, definitely. We left some points on the field. We definitely should have won that game. It's just little things here and there we can't give up."

Nobody has done a job on that Navy offense like you guys did that year. There are no moral victories, but how good do you feel about you guys played and the things you accomplished?

"Oh man, if there was no scoreboard it would be perfect. I'm saying that as far as watching our defense play so gap sound and so disciplined, listening to everything the coaches said. They made adjustments on the sideline and it was like we practiced it the whole week. Everything was flowing so smoothly."

How do you keep that going against Memphis?

"We are going to find out Saturday, but I think we got it together. We definitely have it together as a team with the communication, being disciplined, gap sound."

The difference from Navy and to Memphis is as drastic a swing in offensive styles as you can get, right?

"Definitely. Navy ran, ran, ran, and Memphis is going to run it, but they have the best quarterback in the nation, so we definitely are seeing two sides of the spectrum."

Memphis averages 49 points. How much of a challenge is it, and what's the first thing you need to stop?

"You have to take away what they like to do. You can't let them have anything they want, so you have to make them one-dimensional. We have to stop the run and make them one-dimensional and make their best player win the game for them."

What does Paxton Lynch do that other quarterbacks don't?

"He puts the ball right where it's supposed to be every time and he has some legs on him, too. He can run, and he doesn't make a lot of mistakes. He has only one interception on the year, so he's making the right decisions, throwing the ball right where it's supposed to be put, so it's a great challenge for us."

He's not as fast as Greg Ward, the one guy who simply outran your defense. Does that make the matchup easier at all?

"I wouldn't say outrun our defense. I wouldn't go as far as to say that, but Houston's quarterback, his speed is in a different league than a lot of different players. Memphis' quarterback is fast, too, but Houston's quarterback has track speed."

I caught up to co-defensive coordinator Jason Rollins after practice. Here's the Q&A.

You held Navy to 133 rushing yards and fewer than 300 total yards, something no team has done in the Keenan Reynolds four-year era except for a game when he went out with a concussion in the first quarter. What can you apply from that defensive performance to non-option opponents?

"It just let us know that we actually are a good, fundamentally sound, disciplined defense. In order to play against them, you have to have great eye discipline, great team discipline and great mental discipline. We were able to take from that that we can play four quarters of disciplined football and play hard."

Why did you decide to install that five-man line with three defensive tackles, and had you ever done that before?

"No we had not. We wanted to use our strengths against their strengths, so their strength was the inside run with their fullback and our strength was our defensive line. So we had to match strength on strength and see which team is the strongest."

The defense started slowly this year, but do you feel good about the rest of the season now?

"Yes, for sure. They actually are getting their confidence up. We were moving guys in and out and around, and some of them were unhealthy. Now they are all getting healthy at the same time, so we found just the right combination of how many snaps each guy should get so they could play with a maximum effort for the full game."

Memphis is a totally different challenge than Navy for the defense, and the Tigers have pretty much destroyed everyone offensively. What's the toughest thing about that offense?

'It's just the tempo. They move so fast, and they are playing with a lot of confidence. It's really a tempo and what they do out of it, and the quarterback, he is really good."

The pass coverage has struggled this year. What needs to change in the secondary?

"The more you play. A lot of it is maturity and experience. We lost a lot of experience back there, and the more they play, the more experience they are going to get. When you play those young guys, each game is a different game and a different type of offense, so they have to see it more than once. It's going to be better."

Are you going to go back to your regular defensive alignment against Memphis, with Roderic Teamer at free safety and Jarrod Frankln at nickelback?

"Probably so, yes, we are."

Teamer has made some mistakes since getting into the starting lineup after a good performance against UCF. What does he need to work on?

"When we played Houston, we started the game with two true freshmen. He needs to make his play and not play outside of himself. You can't try to make a play. You have to let it come to you."

Without Darion Monroe, the defense showed no discipline against Georgia Tech's offense. With him, it played with discipline for 60 minutes. Talk about that difference.

"When you lose your leader in the back end and you are two to three guys down on the defensive line with sean Wilson not playing and you are playing a converted cornerback (Donnie Lewis) at free safety and then a true freshman (Teamer) comes in after, it tends to make a difference in the discipline. And when they move faster, you start to lose your eyes and it snowballs from there."

This is what I wrote about Tulane after it fell to 3-7 last year, getting clobbered by Memphis. To put it mildly, the path to success I outlined has not panned out as the teams prepare to meet again with the Wave a 30-point underdog.

https://tulane.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1705406&PT=4&PR=2

Our opponents went 7-5 this week. Temple, Houston, and Memphis remained undefeated, and the overall record of our opponents is now 47-40. Five teams are 31-2 between them and the rest are 16-38. To the games:

Duke (6-1) beat Virginia Tech (3-5) in four overtimes, 45-43. In as evenly played game as you could imagine, both teams passed for exactly 270 yards while VaTech rushed for 182 to Duke’s 170. Neither team turned the ball over. In the fourth overtime, both teams scored TD’s, but “the Hokies” failed on their mandatory 2 point attempt, while the “Blue Devils” made theirs.

Georgia Tech (3-5) upset Florida State (6-1) 22-16. In a miracle finish, Tech blocked a long field goal attempt on the last play of the game that would have won the contest for FSU. After some confusion, a Georgia Tech player picked up the ball and raced 78 yards for the game-winning touchdown. It was very reminiscent of the Auburn victory a couple of years back over Alabama when the exact same thing happened. Prior to that play, the game was evenly played with no team possessing more than a ten-point lead.

Maine (3-4) beat Stoney Brook (2-4) 23-10. If anyone really cares, the Black Bears were trailing 10-3 at the half before coming back to win.

Temple (7-0) beat East Carolina (4-5) 24-14 despite being outgained 378-322. It was a penalty-filled game in which Temple was penalized 12 times for 114 yards and ECU was “flagged” 9 times for 99 yards. Temple missed two field goals in the game but won the turnover battle 2-0. Trailing 14-10 into the fourth quarter, the "Owls" drove for two touchdowns in the final five minutes of the game to put away the win and remain unbeaten.

Houston (7-0) mauled hapless UCF (0-8) 59-10, rolling up 599 total yards, while allowing 268. UCF even held a three point lead early (10-7) before being overwhelmed. Glad Houston is behind us.

Navy (5-1) beat Tulane (2-5) 31-14 in a game I thought was a lot closer than the score.

Memphis (7-0) beat Tulsa (3-4) 66-42 to remain unbeaten. As the score suggests, this was a wild one in which Memphis racked up 704 yards to Tulsa’s 534. This was also yet another game filled with penalties as the Tigers were whistled 12 times for 120 yards and the Golden Hurricanes were penalized 11 times for 76 yards. The Memphis QB, Paxton Lynch, was 32-44 passing for 447 yards and 4 TD’s, while Tulsa’s Dane Evans threw 36 times, 24 complete, for 421 yards and 4TD’s. He was intercepted once. The big difference was Memphis’ running game in which Doroland Dorceus and Jamarius Henderson, between them, rushed 44 times for 250 yards and four TD’s.. Both teams will be major challenges for the Wave defense in the coming weeks.

UCONN (3-5) lost to Cincinnati (4-3) 37-13 on the road. Although the “Huskies” scored a TD on the game’s opening drive, it was all Cincinnati after that. The “Bearcats” dominated the game with 622 total yards to UCONN’s 266. But for 105 yards in penalties against Cincinnati, the score would have been worse.

Army (2-6) lost to Rice (4-3) 38-31. In this one Army dominated time of possession and gained 378 yards on the ground. They were only 2-10 passing for 18 yards, however, and Rice outgained them overall with 432 total yards. Army never gave up despite falling behind by 14 points on two occasions and tied the game with two minutes to go prior to allowing a quick 75 yard TD drive by Rice.

SMU (1-6 ) lost to South Florida (4-3) 38-14. The game was statistically pretty even and SMU dominated time of possession, but an 82 yard punt return by USF and three lost fumbles by ”the Ponies” resulted in an easy victory. SMU has now lost five straight, while giving up 240 points (48.0 points/game) along the way.

Final thoughts: With five games to play, four of our opponents are already bowl eligible and, other than FCS’ Maine, only UCF has “clinched” non-bowl status. Navy will almost surely make a bowl while everyone else has significant work to do and pretty formidable hills to climb. Should Tulane get to 6-6, as unlikely as that may be, our “blow out” losses could make us one of the last ones in or first ones out if bowl “eligibles” exceed bowl openings. Of course, should we win the last four (despite the level of competition), that streak would be in our favor.

Roll Wave!!!

As we reach the mid-season point, six games down and six to go, I thought it might be interesting to check our statistics according to the NCAA. As I suspected, our offense statistics reflect performance on the field-- #118 in scoring, #123 in total offense, and # 123 in yards per play. We’re also #122 in 3rd down conversion percentage. Our passing offense (yards) is #89; our passing yards per completion is #93; and our passing yards per attempt is #107. The rushing side of the offense fares even worse-- #123 overall and #126 in yards per attempt. Of course, sacks, a variety of bad snaps and dropped snaps have caused those statistics to be somewhat worse than I’d expect. But, if we eliminated all lost yards for whatever reason, and no one else changed position (a silly proposition at best), our rushing position would only rise to #94—still terrible.

Defense, which most consider the strength of our team, both in personnel and coaching, is, as expected, ranked higher than our offense—but not enough to get excited about. We’re #118 in scoring defense #95 in total defense, and #91 in allowing yards/play. We’re also #108 defending on 3rd downs.

Breaking it down further, and a little more heartening, we are #81 in rush defense and #71 in allowing yards per rush. We’re much more susceptible to the pass, ranking #92 in pass defense, #110 in passing yards per attempt and #100 in yards per completion. Somewhere between talent and coaching, we’re not getting it done on defense either.

Special teams is to no one’s surprise also terrible. Not surprisingly, we are #125 in net punting. That doesn’t even reflect the fumbled snaps, but does include the poor punts, the blocked punts, and the breakdowns in coverage. We’re also #125 in kickoff coverage and #121 in punt coverage. On the offensive side, we’re #115 in kick return average and #101 in punt return average. I couldn’t find any statistics on field goal kicking, but at four for five on the year (Simms missed a 47 yarder), we’ve probably got a good percentage on very few, and very short, kicks.

It’s not a pretty picture but, hopefully, the second half of the season will go better. We may have played the two worst teams on our schedule but, while there are a couple of good teams left to play, there are plenty of bad ones in front of us, also.

Roll Wave!!

As always, home teams are listed first, the Tulane game counts double and all point spreads are from VegasInsider.com consensus. It's an incredibly weak slate of games across the country.

Navy (-23.5) Tulane
Alabama (-15.5) Tennessee
Ole Miss (-6) Texas A&M
Southern Cal (-3.5) Utah
LSU (-16.5) Western Kentucky
Miami (+6.5) Clemson
Georgia Tech (+6.5) Florida State
UCF (+21.5) Houston

I will not do a full comparison of Tulane and Navy in the recruiting rankings this week because it's pointless. With a 5-year commitment after college, Navy never gets highly rated recruits. That program is all about developing talent and discipline.

The Middies also have incredible experience on offense, with 10 senior starters and one junior starter at wide receiver, including a four-year starting QB.

OFFENSE

Quarterback Keenan Reynolds was in the Rivals database but unrated

Running back Quentin Ezell was a 2-star recruit

Right guard Ben Tamburello was a 2-star recruit who committed to Sanford, then changed his mind.

Left guard E.K. Binns was a 2-star recruit

Left tackle Joey Gaston was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4

DEFENSE

Left end William Anthony was a 2-star recruit

MLB Micah Thomas was a 2-star recruit rated 5.4

CB Brendon Clements was a 2-star recruit

A few other guys were in the Rivals database but unrated, so the total is 7 2-star recruits, with only two rated higher than 5.3.

But I keep coming back to the offensive line, where Navy does not have a 300-pounder but is dramatically better than Tulane. Gaston has started 21 straight games and Binns has 25 career starts, but the other guys were primarily career backups who are getting their turn as starters in their final year. They really aren't any more experienced than Tulane's crew of a redshirt senior, three redshirt juniors and a true junior. The Wave has a host of issues, but it all comes back to the very poor offensive line play, which is sabotaging any chance for success and even getting the defense frustrated and off its game when the offense continues to have three-and-outs. It's a sad situation.

The AAC is performing tremendously on the field, with Houston, Memphis and Temple remaining undefeated and likely to stay that way at least another week thanks to the Owls' fourth-quarter comeback against East Carolina last night.

But the Rivals recruiting rankings don't bear out Mike Aresco's contention that the AAC is closer to the Power Five conferences than the other Group of Five leagues are to the AAC. I understand the rankings can be skewed to the power programs, whose individual sites have the most subscribers and whose publishers have the most clout, but they are still relevant.

At this point, Houston, which is ranked 42, is the only AAC program with a four-star commitment (it has two). The Cougars also have eight 3-star commitments.

SMU is ranked 50th based on quantity rather than quality. The Mustangs have 23 commitments, but 19 of them are 2-star guys and the other four are 3-star guys.

Tulane is third in a tie for 74th with 18 commitments and two 3-star guys, followed by USF (77th), Cincinnati (78th), Memphis (87th), East Carolina and Navy (tie for 89th), Temple (92nd), Tulsa (94th), UConn (100th) and UCF (106th). USF has seven 3-star guys in its 10 commitments, but no one else other than Houston has more than SMU's four 3-star recruits.

With classes being completed earlier every year, the low ratings are surprising to me. Any thoughts?

Guerry I would like to strongly suggest to you that at this point there is a whole lot more interest in the AD search than the football season. I would hope that that is where you will be putting your resources over the next 30-45 critical days in the history of Tulane athletics.

Thanks in advance.

I'm scheduled to talk to Doug Hertz, the AD search committee head, at 2:30 today. Look for an update tomorrow there.

Eldrick Washington, who went down with a knee injury yesterday, just walked in on crutches, so the Wave will be down a defensive tackle against Navy. That could be significant. Washington has played pretty well in a reserve role this year.

"it's a high ankle sprain," CJ said after practice today. "He's going to be out for a while."

Look for Calvin Thomas to get more playing time as Tulane rotates tackles. Eric Bell should get some time, too, as Tulane tries to get everyone who can play in there to keep the guys fresh.

"We're getting a little thin," CJ said. "We're playing a little better competition, but we're ready. Calvin's definitely going to have to play."

Tulane will debut a new look defensively against Navy. I don't think I'm allowed to reveal it, but it won't be the 4-2-5 the Wave has played with in the past. Clearly, something has to change from the approach against Georgia Tech. It looks like the coaches are trying to get the right combination of athletes, size and experience on the field for the base unit to contend with Navy's powerful option, which has rushed for more than 300 yards against everyone, including Notre Dame, this year.

Richard Allen is practicing with the first team and should start against Navy. Tulane may not have any true freshmen starters defensively, with experience very important against disciplined teams like the Midshipmen who make you pay big time for any assignment busts or gap control issues. Roderic Teamer had a terrific performance against UCF but has struggled against Temple and Houston. Jarrod Franklin likely will fill the second safety role at the start against Navy. Although Franklin made some mistakes against Georgia Tech, he was around the ball a lot, and he's faced option teams before, unlike Teamer.

"The last two days Richard practiced outstanding," CJ said. "We just need assignment guys. Now the freshmen are going to have to play during the course of this game. All of a sudden this guy goes out, but you like older guys (against the option)."

So what is the scenario for Tulane to have its best shot?

"If we can stop their fullback and their quarterback on offense and make those guys throw it a little bit in longer-yardage situations," CJ said. "Offensively we just have to be patient and be able to run it. If we can run it and be patient and not have any turnovers, we'll have a chance."

Almost all of us picked Houston to cover, and all of us got at least five points, picking at least half of the games right. We would have made a killing in Vegas. I had a feeling Dew99, who always picks on Saturdays just before the first game, might not enter.

8

winwave
WaveON

7

Guerry

6

kettrade1
MNAlum
Golfer81
DrBox

5

nyoscar
LSU Law Greenie
p8kpev
jjstock2005
Rcnut
Wavetime

OVERALL STANDINGS

33.5

Guerry

29.5

winwave

28.5

kettrade1
MNAlum

27.5

Rcnut
wavetime
DrBox

26.5

Dew99 (missed 1 week)

25.5

WaveON

24.5

jjstock2005

23.5

Golfer81

22.5

nyoscar
LSU Law Greenie
p8kpev

Charlamange8 has missed 4 weeks (10.5), as has paliii (7)

Week 6 game by game results

Houston 10 out of 13
Memphis 8
UCF 5
Florida 6
Alabama 11
Michigan State 6
Notre Dame 13
Iowa 8

Not here, but on another message board, people were ripping CJ for saying he does not believe in chastising players. I don't know whether it was an error by Tulane's official twitter account or just a wrong interpretation, but what he said was he did not believe in other players chastising players on the field during a game, saying it was the coaches' job.

He did, however, say he wanted a schedule where he could win all the non-conference games and win a few more to get bowl eligible. I knew that would cause problems the second the words came out of his mouth.

So much for Jordy Joseph having a chance to make his first career start.

C.J. and everyone on the team is breathing a sigh of relief.

"Tanner looked good," CJ said. "He's cleared. The offense never looks good (without Lee in practice), but when he's in there, it looks good no matter what. All of a sudden you see a throw where he hits a guy in a tight spot."

Devin Powell did not practice today, so it looks like he will not be ready, leaving Joseph as the backup.

"Let's don't get Tanner hit," CJ said. "With him out there, we know what we're doing, and it was pretty smooth today. If we can match (Navy's) intensity on offense with our defense, we might be able to get some stuff on the defense. We can move it."

In other news, cornerback/safety Donnie Lewis Jr. emerged from the Houston game with a stinger and will not play against Navy. Richard Allen, who has missed the last two games with an ankle injury, practiced today but is not certain to be ready to play Saturday. Either he or true freshman Taris Shenall will start opposite Parry Nickerson, and if it's Shenall, that means Tulane will have two true freshman starters in the secondary (Roderic Teamer) against a team where experience helps.

CJ was optimistic about Allen.

"It's about time. It's been like a M.A.S.H. unit, but I think he'll be ready."

The middle of Tulane's line will be pivotal against Navy, which pounds teams with its fullbacks and basically cannot lose if they have effective days. On paper, Tulane matches up well with Tanzel Smart, Sean Wilson and Corey Redwine at tackle (although Wilson may play end), but the intensity and every-down focus need to be strong. Eldrick Washington, the fourth tackle who has played well, went down with a right knee injury in practice today (it's the first in-season practice injury I've seen this year) and may not be available. I will check on his status tomorrow. He was on the trainer's table on the side of the practice field for the rest of today's workout.

CJ said he was upset with Zach Block not for his tackling effort on the punt Houston returned for a TD, but because he had been ordered to make a directional kick and had kicked it right to Demarcus Ayers.

"You can't kick it flat," he said. "And then if you kick it like that, you better go tackle him."

1) Tulane's defense has been a little out of control for CJ's entire tenure, including 2013, when it talked too much on the field but at least backed it up. Tonight was the first time it was completely out of control, though. The lack of discipline was disgraceful.

2) Devin Powell should not play again. It's not just that he can't throw an accurate pass or make a good decision. It's that he appears OK with playing like crap. It's all good, his demeanor says constantly. If Lee is unavailable for the Navy game, go with Jordy Joseph and maybe even Cuillette, although he's never looked even close to ready to me. Anything is better than Powell. To think some people thought he should start over Lee is incredible.

3) Never mind the coaching issues and discipline issues, which are intertwined. Like the Rugers game last year, Tulane looked far less talented than its opponent. No one could keep up with Ward, and it looked like Houston might score on every kick and punt return because it's dude was faster than Tulane's dudes. That's a problem by itself.

4) The first personal foul call on Marley and the one on, I believe, Quinlan Carroll, were cheap and should not have been made. But they could have taken the flag out of the equation by, in Marley's case, pulling up, and in Carroll's case, not needlessly falling on a player.

5) Tulane forced its 100th turnover of the CJ era when Marley got that interception. Anyone want to celebrate?

This is a live practice update with a little analysis throw in.

Tanner Lee is practicing today.

If he plays Saturday, at least Tulane will have a fighting chance when the game starts. I do not think Tulane will win, and I doubt it will be close by the end, but this is the last chance to get a win in the four-game gauntlet to close October. There's no scenario on earth that gets the Wave a win at Memphis next week But Navy? Navy is not as stout defensively as Temple and Houston, which are in the top 12 nationally in rushing defense. Navy is 52nd, allowing about 150 rushing yards a game, so Tulane might have a chance to get its ground game going a little bit, which would open up the passing game. The Middies have only three interceptions for the year.

Three players are working with a trainer on the side of the field and not practicing: Lazedrick Thopmson, Zachery Harris and Peter Woullard.

Nathan Shienle is practicing today but he did not start with the first unit. The first-team O-line had Diaz at center while Shienle worked with the second unit at center. A little late, Shienle replaced Colton Hanson as first-team left guard. I think they liked Diaz' performance against Houston.

As if frequently the case, depth has been a problem on the defensive line, particularly at end. When Houston QB Greg Ward scored the second touchdown on Friday, Tulane had Luke Jackson and Robert Kennedy at end. Kennedy got pushed inside easily, allowing Ward to get to the corner with no resistance. Jackson was not involved in the play but got engulfed anyway. Neither Kennedy nor Jackson had a tackle in the game, and Kennedy looks lost every time I watch him play.

I've never put much stock into enthusiasm at practice, but I did note after the Georgia Tech debacle that Tulane's practices were very lively the next week. This one is flat. I'm not sensing any energy.

Talked to CJ briefly after practice and before he speaks at his weekly media luncheon.

On Lee

"I was glad to get him back. He looked good today. It's not 100 percent (chance he will play), but what is a hundred at this time of the season, but I feel confident. I loved what he was doing today. I'd love to see him in that game."

On Diaz' performance:

"He played good. Shienle's still got the little arm problem, but he (Diaz) played pretty good for what they did. We had two sacks, and we should have thrown both of them probably. They sacked us once on a Hail Mary, but I thought they protected well. We just have to make sure we're blocking guys up front."

On whether Eldrick Washington got kicked out of game after getting in ref's face:

"No, no, no. I kicked him out. He was arguing. He was being immature. We have to mature up a little bit."

On Thompson still being out with an ankle injury:

"I hope we get him tomorrow, but I don't know."

I also talked to Diaz. Here's that interview.

It was a tough game overall, but did you feel pretty good about the way you played?

"I feel like I played pretty good. I feel like I could have done better myself and we could have done better as a unit, but we're working on it and we'll be better next week."

Do you expect to start against Navy?

"I'm just taking it day by day. They called my name, so I'm just trying to step up and do whatever I can to help the team."

Where have you improved the most since you arrived in the spring of 2014?

"I feel like I've gotten better mentally. A lot of my problem was the mental side, so I've been watching a lot of film. Other guys and the coaches have helped me out a lot. I've also practiced a lot with my run blocks. That's a big thing I needed to work on. I feel like I've gotten a lot better at that."

You're not a big guy. How do you compensate?

"I compensate with hard work. I just try to outwork the guy I'm going against. I try to be as physical as possible and just compete with them the best that I can."

How frustrating have the constant run game problems been for the offensive line?

"It's been pretty frustrating. Us as a line, we take a lot of that heat. We just try to keep working at that and do a lot of drills that will help us with that. I feel like we'll step up a lot this game."

People are really down on the team right now, and you're a huge underdog to Navy. Do you feel like guys are ready mentally for this one?

"Yeah, I feel like we're ready. We had a good team talk. Everybody's motivated for this game. We're kind of tired of losing, so I think that should change this week based on what I see when we're practicing."

Please take 90 seconds and fill out this survey. Here's a chance to send some real data/feedback to the search committee.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6QP86JM

Our opponents went 3-3 this week. Temple, Houston, and Memphis remained undefeated, and the overall record of our opponents is 40-35. Of course, six teams are 30-5 and the other six are 10-30, so we’re playing a very “split” schedule. Those we’ve played are 21-17 and those remaining are 19-18, pretty even. To the games:

Duke (5-1) had a bye

Georgia Tech (2-5) lost their fifth straight, this time to Pitt, 31-28. Tech gained a “potload” of yards (376 rushing and 106 passing) but also gave up a total of 391. Two turnovers cost them while Pitt played turnover-free ball. A late 56 yard field goal won the game for Pitt. With several tough games to go, the “Jackets”, after their big start, might not be “bowl eligible” this year.

Maine (2-4) lost to “mighty” Yale, 21-10 after leading 10-9 after three quarters. It was their first meeting in almost 80 years. Fortunately, even I’m not old enough to remember the last encounter.

Temple (6-0) beat UCF (0-7), 30-16, after trailing 16-14 going into the 4th quarter. The Owls were hurt by four turnovers, one of which was an interception returned 80 yards for a TD. The Temple defense held UCF to only 139 net yards on offense while its own offense gained 361 yards. The two teams appear to be going in violently different directions.

Houston (6-0) had their way with Tulane 42-7 to remain unbeaten.

Navy (4-1) had a bye.

Memphis (6-0) won a big game against nationally ranked Ole Miss, 37-24. I watched most of the game and it was a real “passing show” with the two teams throwing 101, 73 complete, for 824 yards. Our game against the “Tigers” could get ugly. They looked very good against a tough team.

UCONN (3-4) lost to South Florida 28-20 in another wild offensive show. UCONN had 528 yards of offense to 461 for USF. UCONN won everyplace but the scoreboard: first downs, turnovers, and time of possession.

Army (2-5) needed a late rally to avoid the embarrassment of losing to a second FCS team this year. They beat Bucknell 21-14 when a reserve QB came in to run for two TD’s and throw for one. Despite losing the turnover battle, 3-1, Army’s ground game (61-263) and 114 through the air allowed them to dominate time of possession and hold on to win.

SMU (1-5 ) had a bye.

Tulsa (3-3) lost to East Carolina (4-3) 30-17. The game was not that close as ECU held a 23-0 lead going into the fourth quarter and Tulsa’s final score came with 30 seconds left in the game. Nonetheless, Tulsa put up 463 yards of total offense to 382 for the “Pirates,” while losing the turnover battle 2-0.

Final thoughts: Houston, Memphis, and Temple continue to be undefeated and real contenders for the G5 “Access” Bowl bid. Houston and Memphis meet on Nov 24th which could be a major factor in who might go. Houston has Vandy, Cincinnati, Navy, and UCONN to play besides Memphis. With one win against P5 Louisville, winning out (and winning the conference championship) would probably do it. Memphis has a similar road to the championship with Tulsa, Tulane, Navy, Temple and SMU remaining in the regular season. Temple has the tougher road with ECU this weekend, followed by Notre Dame, SMU, USF, Memphis, and UCONN. An undefeated conference champion will undoubtedly get the bid and even one loss might do it. The only other undefeated G5 team is Toledo who has beaten both Iowa State and Arkansas of the P5. Their road forward includes only four games, all against MAC competition and the conference championship. If they should stumble somewhere, the door will be wide open for the AAC.

Hopefully, some year, Tulane will be in that position.

Roll Wave!!!

I like it. A home series with Super Regional team Illinois and Pepperdine, a trip to California for a tourney, a road series with Texas, two games with ULL and no weekend series with RPI-killing bottom feeders, at least on paper.

The two weakest weekend series are against Furman (RPI of 200 last year) and Illinois State (133). There were 301 D1 teams last year, and the only games Tulane has against the bottom third are single contests with Alabama A&M (229) and Southern (257) and the home-and-home with UNO (270).

David Pierce knows how to schedule, giving him an automatic advantage on Rick Jones, who never figured it out.

The game at LSU is Tuesday, March 29, and the LSU game at Turchin is Tuesday, April 26.

Tulane has only one week with two midweek games, playing UNO and Southern in May.

I vote yes. Watched too many players yell back at him to his face.