He de-committed today. Although Tulane recruited him as a wide receiver rather than a tight end, I have to think Chip Long's departure had something to do with his decision. He was one of the official visitors this past weekend.

Ok, so when do we see a RB commitment? OBTW where is Kyle Edwards and what is he up to?

It's Cadien Robinson, an under-the-radar CB from Rockwall HIgh in Texas. he has no stars from Rivals and no other FBS offers as far as I can tell.

Rockwell scored a bunch of points and gave up a bunch of points this year, losing in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs when it threw four interceptions.

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I understand the opposing point of view, but despite Tulane's 2-10 finish, I do not believe it would be in Willie Fritz's best interest to change either coordinator before 2022. First, let's get's one thing clear: I don't care a whit about history and what most schools do after seasons like this. Every situation is different, and the only one I am interested in is the current one at Tulane. What makes Tulane's situation different is it had first-year offensive and defensive coordinators. It would be one thing if these guys had been there for several years and presided over the downturn. Chris Hampton and Chip Long were in there first seasons with the Wave, so the key is projecting what their defense and offense will look like down the road.

First, I'll tackle the easier decision--Hampton.

Seven games into the season, it was hard to justify keeping him in his role no matter how popular he is with players. Tulane was coming off its second abysmal defensive performance in three games, with blown assignments, horrendous tackling and a general lack of effort against East Carolina and SMU. The Wave ranked in the bottom 10 nationally in yards allowed and points allowed and looked confused and indecisive on defense, both of which reflect on the coordinator.

But then something different happened. The Wave played well defensively in five consecutive games to end the season. I've read on other message boards that the improvement was artificial because the quality of the offenses they faced went down dramatically, and this is where I wish fans would take the time to do a little bit of research rather than spouting incorrect blather designed to support their preconceived notion. The five teams Tulane faced finished second (Tulsa), third (Memphis) fifth (Cincinnati), seventh (UCF) and ninth (USF) n the AAC in yards, so that narrative is demonstratively false. Tulane held all of them below 400 yards and held four of the five below their average for AAC games despite the offense providing little help in most of them. Those five opponents averaged 122.8 rushing yards and 3.3 yards per carry, with UCF producing its season low for rushing and Memphis its second-lowest total. The tackling was much better, with the exception of Memphis' last touchdown which came after a sudden change caused by a demoralizing fumbled kickoff. Essentially, the defense looked like the better defenses Tulane had under Fritz--stopping the run but still giving up too many big gains in the passing game. That's not a Hampton-specific issue. That's more of a talent issue.

Hampton is incredibly popular with the players and a good recruiter, so a decision to can him or demote him would come with consequences. I know for a fact Jadon Canady would not be at Tulane if Hampton had not been hired, and Canady appears to be the Wave's best DB since Parry Nickerson. Only time will tell there.

Having never been a defensive coordinator before, Hampton had a learning curve, and it hurt Tulane early this year. The jury is out on what he will be in the future, but he is highly respected by the players and fellow coaches and will get better. I frankly did not care for the numberless defensive jerseys in preseason camp--never mind that it made my job harder, which is irrelevant, but It smacked of high school type stuff to me--and I have a feeling he will move away from those gimmicks in the future. After watching the last five games, I think Tulane's defense would get worse, not better, without him.

Now on to Long, who came in with plenty of experience as a successful coordinator but some baggage because of his personal conflict with Notre Dame's coaches. I did not witness any issues with his personality--he coaches guys hard with plenty of negativity, but there's nothing wrong with that, as charlamange can tell you from his own experience. He also housed two players for much of the season because they had nowhere to go and he and his wife live very close to campus, making it convenient for them, so this idea of him being some type of ogre appears misguided regardless of his history.

The issue was his on-field coaching, which was uneven at best in my view. He abandoned the running game too quickly early in the season, admitted to a critical bad call against Houston that left Michael Pratt exposed to an unblocked hit that caused a game-changing fumble and did not seem to have a good feel for the right play calls on several occasions. I have a feeling his adjustment from calling plays at Memphis in 2016 and Notre Dame at 2017 through 2019 to calling plays at Tulane was huge because of the vast talent discrepancy at receiver and the under-performing offensive line. He is used to having playmakers on the perimeter, and he simply didn't this year. We saw flashes of terrific play-calling against Oklahoma and against Houston during the comeback (using the tight ends creatively), but when Tyrick James got banged up and opponents started focusing on the tight ends, Tulane had no other effective option. Now that he has been with the team for a year and recognized the deficiencies, I see his second year being much better than his first. He knows how good Tyjae Spears is now. He knows he must get better receivers in the offseason, and if he doesn't, he will adjust his game plan accordingly, as he did against Memphis in the finale. HIs track record of success is too good to file him after one year unless the personality conflicts that cost him at Notre Dame became a factor at Tulane, which I saw no evidence of happening.

To sum it up, I believe Tulane has a better chance for a breakthrough with Hampton and Long returning as coordinators next year than it would without one or both. Fritz gave no indication he was planning a change after the Memphis game, but we'll find out soon if he agrees with me.

Look, there is no excuse for Tulane going 2-10 in year No. 6 under Fritz. That's a given, but I'm not sure the drop-off was as dramatic as it looked. Two years ago, Tulane would have finished 2-6 in the AAC if D'Eriq King had hit an open receiver on a fade in the end zone in the final minute in the end zone instead of overthrowing him, and Tulane would have finished 2-6 this year if a kicker could have made a straight-one 26-yard field goal in the final seconds. The non-conference schedule was much tougher this year, and particularly with regard to the Ole Miss and UAB game, Ida definitely was a factor. There was nothing normal about the week the Wave spent in New Orleans before facing UAB, and the Ole Miss game being delayed for two hours with a crowded locker room at the end of a monthlong absence from New Orleans had disastrous effects.

Even before this year, Tulane had not proven it could compete with the upper echelon in the AAC under Fritz, but it has proven it can beat the bad teams. Going .500 or better for three straight years means something when a program has not accomplished it since 1979-81 and had not done it before then since 1939-41. It's certainly not the goal nor should it be--the idea that Fritz is coasting and was happy to be just .500 is false--but it is was a better starting point than Tulane had achieved in a long time.

Obviously next year is pivotal. The non-conference schedule lightens up dramatically, so Tulane should be 3-1 at worst when it begins AAC play. I really feel like the Ole Miss debacle took away the self-belief of this defense for a while because they thought they were really good and were exposed as not even been close on that night It took the return to health of spiritual leader Nick Anderson, one of the most positive players I have ever covered, to get them playing with energy again. They won't have that loss of confidence entering conference play next season, and we'll see what happens. This year, the conference schedule was released in February, and it will be interesting to see what it looks like in a few months. There is no formula for figuring out the opponents because UConn's departure changed things, but it sure would be helpful if Temple returned to the schedule. Tulane did not get to play two of three weakest opponents in the league this year, although Navy, the other one, would have been no sure win.

Howard was beyond terrible in his short stint as the QB last year, but I did not realize he was named Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year at Tennessee-Martin this season. Just shows you the difference in the caliber of competition. His numbers were not overwhelming, but his team was really good.

Unfortunately for him, he suffered a foot injury in the fourth quarter of their second-to-last game in the regular season and did not play again. They got clobbered in the first game he missed, falling out of the top 10, and beat Missouri State by 1 point in the first round of the FCS playoffs before getting bounced decisively by Montana State. Howard was a really nice, dedicated player who simply was not good enough to start in the FBS, but I'm glad he had a huge year at a lower level.

I've had a hard time reaching recent commitments, but I talked to Love last night.

Nothing significant to report right now, but let's see if we can keep future news in this thread if possible.

Freshman DB Kolby Phillips entered the portal in early November. I had heard the coaches were disenchanted with him in September, so no surprise there. Matthew Hightower entered the portal in September after being buried on the depth chart.

FIU OL Miles Frazier has an offer from Tulane. The second-year freshman started all but one game at left tackle this year and also has an offer from FSU, so he will be tough to get.

UNLV LB Jacoby Windman has an offer from Tulane. He played at John Ehret on the West Bank and led UNLV with 118 tackles this season, his third.

Charleston Southern DT Shaundre Mims has an offer from Tulane. He had a whopping nine tackles against ECU this year and is a senior.

Cornell grad transfer Hunter Nourzad has an offer from Tulane. He has started 19 games in a row at right tackle.

I’m trying to rationalize its performance but I can’t justify it. Losing to a SWAC team doesn’t appear to be a fluke

Guerry: Any inside info on the Ga. Tech OC job and Long?

Tulane had 15 visitors on the second-to-last weekend before signing day.

The guys already committed:

1) QB Carson Haggard
2) WR De'Carlo Donaldson
3) TE Blake Gunter
4) RB Jaylin Lucas
5) DL Isaiah Boyd
6) LB Taylor Love
7) LB Avery Sledge
8) WR Jalen "Speedy" Rogers

Guys they are pursuing:

1) Jackson Long, a 6-4, 222-pound 3-star TE from Henderson (Tenn.) Beech High who originally committed to Tulane in July but de-committed last month

Skinny: getting a guy to re-commit after a de-commitment is rare, but maybe this will be an exception. How will the departure of TE-friendly OC Chip Long factor in?

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2) Mahki Hughes, a 5-10, 183-pound 3-star RB from Birmingham (Ala.) Huffman who de-committed from Appalachian State on Nov. 23.

Skinny: Hughes had 210 carries for 1,680 yards (8.0 average) and 20 TDs according to MaxPreps. Team went 2-8. Has offers from Kansas and Houston among otherrs.

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3) Rayshawn Pleasant, a 6-0, 185-pound, 3-star ATHLETE from West Monroe High whom Tulane is recruiting as a DB. Missed all of 2020 after tearing his MCL and ACL.

Skinny: De-committed from La Tech after Skip Holtz was fired. Has an offer from Memphis. West Monroe lost in OT to top seed Zachary in Class 5A quarterfinals.

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4) Gerrod Henderson, a 6-1, 255-pound, 3-star DE from Spring High in Texas

Skinny: Has offers from Houston, Texas Tech, UTSA, ULL and UAB. Spring lost in the third round of the Class 6A Division I playoffs.

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5) Travious Lathan, a 3-star, 6-1, 207-pound LB from Miami Gulliver Prep who committed to West Virginia in August.

Skinny: He is the highest rated prospect among the visitors, one notch below a 4-star with offers (at least at one point) from LSU, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and FSU. Played some offense with a receiving and rushing TD, likely starting at TE. Still committed to West Virginia.

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6) Chris Brazzell, a 6-3, 170-pound, 2-star WR from Midland Legacy High in Texas who committed to FAU in June.

Skinny: Also has an offer from Pittsburgh. Had 52 catches for 859 yards and 12 TDs according to MaxPreps. His team lost in the second round of state playoffs in Class 6A, Division I.

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7) Hershey McLaurin, an unrated 6-1, 205-pound safety from Jones College in Mississippi, the same JC Nick Anderson attended.

Skinny: The only offer listed before he visited Tulane was West Virginia, which is odd. He had 36 tackles and five interceptions for an 8-2 team. He had 21 tackles and 2 interceptions in 2020.

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I wrote my annual position-by-position grades for The Advocate this week, but I don't know when the story will run or be posted online.

What are your grades for each position?

Is the new head coach at Troy.

Welp. Tyjae Spears rushed for 264 yards, the most by a Tulane player not named Matt Forte, and Tulane held Memphis to 56 rushing yards, and the Wave still lost. Says it all about this season.

The moment that caught my attention was when the Memphis receiver made back-to-back one-handed catches. Tulane's receivers struggle to catch the ball with two hands.

Michael Pratt started off well but made a series of really bad throws with no excuse (other than not being healthy) the rest of the way.

JoJo Dorceus had what should have been an easy tackle on fourth down at the beginning of the game to spur Tulane to a 14-0 lead. He didn't make it, and the game was tied at 7 a few minutes later.

Dorian Williams had an easy interception at the Tulane 5 in the third quarter, and he dropped it. Instead of a tie game, Memphis kicked a field goal for its first lead. And so on and so on.

Willie Fritz, Tyjae Spears and Dorian Williams talked after the game. Flying solo as usual, I was on deadline for the newspaper but kept them on as long as I could while still meeting deadline. It wasn't easy.

FRITZ

On losing while dominating the rushing total:

"Minus-4 was the turnover/takeaway. It's hard to win when you're minus-4. I thought we ran the ball real effectively. We had some shots that were there that we just didn't complete. Those would have been some big plays. You get a chance to hit those shots when you're running the ball effectively, which we were almost the entire game. They had a couple of different route concepts they did a nice job with, with the back out, bringing their No. 1 receiver in. It's a legal pick play, and they went to it a bunch and they did a good job on it. They hit that probably seven or eight times. Besides that I thought we did a pretty good job. Jaylon Monroe did an excellent job out on the perimeter. They challenged him probably five, six, seven times, and he came up really playing the ball well against him. The story of the game was just being minus-4."

On JoJo Dorceus not coming up with tackle on fourth-and-1 early and Dorian Williams not getting interception early in third quarter:

"We definitely without question if we had made that stop, it would have been nice, and the pick down there would have been a momentum changer as well."

On how much Pratt needs to get better in offseason and what extend being banged up played in his performance this year:

"Everybody's got to get better. Michael certainly knows that. He's been banged up all season long. He just missed a few balls that we had a chance to maybe hit. It's a tough position. Every play is a big play playing quarterback."

On Spears:

"He's a really great player. He got stronger and stronger as the season progressed. Shoot, he was IV'd at halftime and still came out and did all that. He had a fantastic game for us."

On what changes need to be made to bounce back next year:

"One thing, now that the season is over, you have an opportunity to sit back and look at what were the things you did well and what were the things you didn't do well. That's coaches, players, managers, trainers, how you work out, how you practice. I'm going to look at everything. We have to get better. We have to get back to, we felt like we were at a point where we were competitive and we wanted to take that next step. We didn't get that done this year. That's disappointing."

On if he will consider staff changes:

"No, when I talk about looking at all facets of our program, it's how can we improve, how can we get better, how can I get better as a head coach, how can my assistants get better, how can my players get better? Everything about the program we're looking at it."

On if this can be a one-year blip:

"I think so. We played well at times. It was a strange season. I loved our competitiveness throughout the year. We wanted to win these games. We had four here at the end we woulda, coulda, shoulda and didn't get it done."

SPEARS

On if he is coming back:

“Yeah, I’m coming back,. We’re going for the championship next year. I’m coming back.”

On frustrating to lose with individual historic performance:

“It’s very frustrating. I try not to focus on myself right now, but it’s very frustrating because we’re right there. That’s the story of the whole season. We’re right there. Right there. That’s something to keep in mind going into the offseason. Just remember, we’re right there."

On his game:

“I was so nervous coming into this game. I was afraid of injury, but it wasn’t me. It wasn’t me, I promise. It was God. He led me through this whole game, drive after drive after run after drive. It was God. It wasn’t me. I’m serious."

On happy to avoid that injury:

“To be honest I can tell you now my other knee kind of got banged up. It’s a blessing, having those hard practices and sitting out practices just because my body wasn’t all together and just finishing the season injury free, that’s amazing. Now I can actually go into offseason and build from January. That’s the most exciting thing of all. I can build from January.”

On overthrown pass when he was wide open in flat on fourth down:

“We can blame outside factors, but players make plays and I’ve got to make that play.”

On shock of 2-10 season:

“I never knew it was going to be this bad, but like I said before, we were that close. That close. That’s the mindset going into next offseason. We were that go close. If you want to give up on a rep, just remember we were that close. Every game we played."

On effect of Hurricane Ida:

"You can say that, but in life everything isn’t going to be perfect. You just have to adjust."

DORIAN WILLIAMS

On resemblance to other late-season losses:

"It was very similar to a lot of games we played. We just wanted to get more stops on defense and start getting off the field on third down. We have some stuff to improve on this offseason."

On dropped interception:

"It's very frustrating. That's something we wanted to key on. Every possible turnover we can get, we have to create it, and yeah, we've got to work on it. The ball came fast. I saw it come over the O-line. I just missed my opportunity."

On what major issues were for going 2-10:

"I can't put a finger on the exact problem, but everything we wanted to change and we wanted to convert like third down, run defense, converting on turnovers, those are all things we are going to work on this offseason and we'll be better next season."

On motivation of going 2-10 to fuel team next year:

"It's a lot. We have a lot of young leaders, so we are going to lead and create a change around this program."

On screens that worked:

"No. 5 (Sean Dykes, who had seven catches for 89 yards) is a great player. We just have to work on getting him down, wrapping up, squeezing, running our feet, but yeah, he's a good player."

On having wanted to end with two straight wins:

"You want the seniors to go out on top and go out on a win. The younger guys wanted it more for the seniors than for themselves, and that's always great."

On Spears:

"Tyjae’s a dog, man, but I knew that since our freshman year when he had his four games. He gives it his all every play.

This is it. With no bowl game on the horizon for Tulane, this is the final week of pick' em for 2021.

As always, the Tulane game counts double, home teams are listed first and the point spreadscome from VegasInsider.com consensus. NOTE: the Cincinnat-ECU game is Friday at 2:30 p.m., so picks need to be in by then for that game to count for you.

Memphis (-6) Tulane
Michigan (+8.5) Ohio State
Oklahoma State (-4) Oklahoma
LSU (+6.5) Texas A&M
Michigan State (+1) Penn State
Oregon (-6.5) Oregon State
East Carolina (+14) Cincinnati
SMU (-6.5) Tulsa

Jaylin Lucas had a 75-yard punt return for a TD in Karr's victory over Carver tonight.

The return of the Tulane Model appears to be on us. Guerry this is obviously a big story. You have said you were emailed information on it. Are you going to write about it in the Advocate or if you're afraid of losing access are you going to give it to the Advocate so that they can have someone cover it?

I don't like to make sweeping generalizations after a pair of exhibition games, particularly since I never get to see these guys practice, but here is my view of Ron Hunter's third team after an awful but explainable performance against NAIA Louisiana College last night, five days after an outstanding second half against ULM.

Five guys will determine the success or lack of success of this team: Jaylon Forbes, Sion James, Jalen Cook, Kevin Cross and Scott Spencer. I'm not saying other players cannot be a factor, but that quintet will form the core. Forbes, who played through illness last night, still has to be the best player on the team night in and night out. He won't have to do all the scoring this year like last season, but he remains the Alpha male on this team and a guy who can succeed against anyone. James is an all-around player who needs to hit the open shots opponents will dare him to take, as he did last night when he hit four 3s after never making more than one last year. Cook has not played well in either exhibition, but he has shown flashes of playmaking ability and is under a lot of pressure to fulfill expectations. I do not think he will be as good as Forbes this year, but he needs to round into form and be the reliable scorer Hunter believes he will be.

Cross is an outstanding passer and dribbler for his size. The key for him is hitting a high enough percentage of 3s to keep defenders honest and being able to finish on drives against better opposition than he has faced to this point. He is a difficult matchup for a lot of guys.

Spencer is a smooth shooter and has the ideal height (6-6) for a Hunter player. I can see why he shot 43.8 percent on 3s for La Salle two years ago and 44.3 percent last year. Tulane desperately needed a consistent knock-down shooter, and he has a chance to be that guy.

I am not including Tylan Pope among the top five. I did not like his body language when he was removed from the game shortly after entering in the first half, although maybe I'm reading too much into it. He can be a valuable rebounder and energy provider, but the rest of his game needs work and I'm not sure he will get there this season.

My early impression is not favorable for UNC Wilmington transfer DeVon Baker. He shoots a push shot with his hands well in front of his body, and it is tough to be successful against good competition that way. Maybe he will prove me wrong--he was pretty productive at Wilmington--but I had similar reservations about Nic Thomas two years ago because his shot had too much arch on it, making it unreliable, and he ended up shooting well under 40 percent. Baker also is only 6-2, which is not in Hunter's preferred height range.

Oton Jankovic has not lived up to Hunter's preseason praise at all in limited minutes during the exhibition games. He has a nice feel on passes, but his athleticism is lacking and he can't score. He may become a contributor, but it's hard to see him becoming a key player.

R.J. McGee has experience and an understanding of how to play the matchup defense but provides little offensively.

Nobal Days has gone from starter to role player to fringe rotation guy and has not improved his offense or rebounding.

Jadan Coleman, who was sick and did not suit up last night, is a wild card because of his shooting potential, but Hunter never once mentioned him when I asked open-ended questions about the rotation in the preseason.

I believe Forbes and Cross will be the two most important players on the team. Cross has to be consistently good as a point-five, making up for the lack of reliable big men around him.

If Sion James can score consistently against AAC competition and Cook settles down, Tulane's backcourt will be formidable. But those are ifs rather than knowns at this point.

This is the last practice report of the year because Tulane will not have media availability tomorrow for Thanksgiving.

The last 30 minutes of today's workout was similar to yesterday, but I did see the end of a two-minute drill that did not go well for the first-team offense. On the first play I saw,, Michael Pratt tried to throw a screen pass into the flat but threw it right to defensive tackle Noah Seiden, who ran 35 yards into the end zone for a touchdown. Later, Seiden told me it was his first touchdown in practice or in a game since he was 9, and he celebrated accordingly. Pratt then threw a bullet pass to the sideline that Duece Watts caught for a first down as he went to the ground, but on the next play, tight end Will Wallace and running back Iverson Celestine collided on a short pass when both thought it was their ball. The team was fortunate neither player got hurt on the incomplete pass, and I'm not sure who was at fault. Pratt then rolled out to his left and threw it away into the ground when no one was open, finishing the drill. The defense celebrated loudly.

They went to scout teams to end practice, and Pratt immediately threw a perfect deep ball to Jaetavian Toles for a TD. Toles caught it in the middle of the end zone, ran to the back and stood there with his arms folded in a pose for celebration. Clearly, Tulane is having fun this week coming off its first win since September.

JoJo Dorceus was back at practice today after missing Tuesday with an illness, and Willie Fritz said he was good to go.

Ygenio Booker had minor surgery last week for an injury Fritz refused to specify and will miss the Memphis game. He has not played since getting hurt against SMU and will have missed the final five games, a familiar refrain for a guy with a lot of talent but little durability through the first three years of his career. Hopefully next season he will be able to stay on the field.

The depth chart was the same everywhere else today. It looks like Lance Robinson will get the start at cornerback opposite Jaylon Monroe. Hopefully he will fare better than cornerbacks have in the past against the Tigers in what would be his first start since the Ole Miss game.

This game is a reverse scenario from last year, when Tulane was playing for bowl eligibility and probably played its best game of the year, winning 35-21. Memphis is playing for bowl eligibility and has outscored Tulane 315-119 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in seven meetings this century.. The teams do not like each other, and the Wave, which has won the last two at Yulman Stadium convincingly, would love to win in Memphis to close what has been a nightmarish season for the most part.

I talked to Fritz, Chris Hampton, Jaylon Monroe and Noah Seiden after practice today.

FRITZ

On reversal of bowl eligibility situation from Tulane-Memphis game last year:

"I'm sure we will get their best effort. We just need to put everything into it. i've told them every day to count down for the game and count down for the season. We have a few days left to prepare and we're looking for a very competitive game on Saturday."

On Casey Glover getting scholarship (which starts in spring):

"He does a good job in a lot of areas. He's a good teammate number one, and number two he's put in the time here. He's doing a very nice job with the kickoffs and done a nice job punting when's be's been called on to do it. We can even throw him out there and have him be the holder, and he can do that as well, He's earned it. Some guys are given a scholarship and they earn it or don't earn it. Some guys don't have one and then they earn it. He earned his."

ON YG Booker status:

"He had surgery last week. Just a minor surgery."

On his inability to stay healthy:

"He's had bumps and bruises and a few different things have happened to him. We're hopeful we can get him where he can play for an extended period of time. When he's healthy, he's a very good player for us."

CHRIS HAMPTON

On defensive turnaround in last four games:

"I just think we're executing a lot better. We're tackling better recently. We're playing with confidence, which is a big part of football. We're playing with confidence now, tackling and executing really."

On issues for first seven games:

"We had issues with sometimes lack of communication. We missed tackles. We just gave up too many big plays. We weren't playing with confidence. We were playing afraid to make a mistake, and we're playing more confident right now."

On how he got that changed:

"We actually came out against Cincinnati and just kind of executed at a high level, made some plays and played well in that game and then just built off it. The confidence just started to grow. We needed some good things to happen."

On learning curve for first-time DC:

"Yeah, there's definitely a learning curve. In coaching you always learn something each and every year and the next year you are always a lot better than you were. I've always felt that way every year. You learn week to week, situation to situation. Every game you wish there were a few things you did differently."

On simplifying defense:

"Not much really. We really didn't change much. We just stuck to things that we did well. We went in and said what do we do well and we tried to magnify those things that we do well."

On last four games assessment:

"We've done a good job. There's things we wish we did better--finish a little better against Tulsa, finish better against Central Florida. We've talked about being clutch when we have a chance to be clutch and starting faster. That's the biggest thing now is how can we start better than we have."

On Memphis in Memphis:

"Not allowing them to get big plays. That's really going to be the key is not allowing these guys to get big plays and getting off the field on third and fourth down. They go for it a bunch on fourth, so the big thing is going to be getting off the field on third and fourth down and not allowing big plays. Tulane hasn't won there since 1998, so it's been a while since we've had success up there, and the last two times we haven't played well."

On Calvin Austin:

We have to focus on him a lot. He's dangerous. He's really, really good, he's really, really fast. He's a dynamic player. He's been banged up, but he's been playing, and he's still been productive. He had over 100 yards last week on a bum ankle. You've got to know where he is each and every play."

On player support during tough times this year:

"I think I have a really good relationship with them. I really do. It's been one of the things that throughout my career I've been able to do is have a good relationship with the players. When they think you have their best interest at heart, they'll play hard for you. That's been part of it."

On not trying to be their buddy:

"It's very important that you get to know them as people. That's part of it. You get to know them as individuals, not just football players. You get to understand what they like and dislike and what makes them go, what motivates them, and just come in and not be their friend but try to tell them that if you want to reach your maximum potential, this is how you get there. If they think that you feel that way genuinely about them, they'll play hard."

On toughest aspect of year:

"The toughest thing is not being successful. It really has been. I've put a lot of work into it and the disappointment of losing and not playing well, and it took a while to figure out why. We still don't have the answer as to why we didn't play as good as we did at some times."

On Ole Miss game taking confidence away from defense:

"After that game it seemed like we weren't playing with the same amount of confidence and energy and effort that we were in fall camp or the first two games of the season. That game took a lot out of us and we've got to do a better job of bouncing back. We didn't do a good job."

On what learned this year:

"The biggest thing is that you've got to have short-term memory and let that thing go. Again, sometimes less is more, and do the things that you can do well."

Because of the Advocate's incredibly early deadlines for the paper due to Thanksgiving week (Black Friday still rules the newspaper world because of the massive ads), I had to file the story that appeared in today's paper by 2 p.m. yesterday and the story that will appear in tomorrow's paper by 4:30. The upshot is I had no time for a practice update here, so Tuesday's is coming a day late.

Tulane practices from 9:30 to 11:30 yesterday morning, moving the schedule back a bit since there are no classes this week. They worked heavily on fundamentals for the last 30 minutes (the part I saw), with the linebackers and defensive backs tackling donuts and being forced to exhibit proper form. They then had a drill for the defensive backs and Jokers where they had to slap the ball out of a runner's hands.

The only notable new absence was JoJo Dorceus, who transferred from Memphis this year for his final season but is sick. Hopefully he will be ready for the game because if there's any one he won't to miss, it's his last one against his former team. The jokers, by the way, were Darius Hodges, Keith Cooper, Armoni Dixon and Michael Lunz.

The offensive line remains unchanged, with Caleb Thomas having reclaimed his job at right guard after losing it for the Tulsa game. Josh Remeitch was the second-team right guard, and Timothy Shafter, who practiced with the first unit before the Tulsa game and started that day, is no longer in the picture. I'm not sure what that was about when he moved up.

Tyjae Spears, who appeared to be favoring his back in the fourth quarter while standing on the sideline Saturday, practiced at full speed. I did not see Ygenio Booker, who continues to be plagued by the injury bug.

Adnois Friloux has become the starting defensive tackle next to Jeffery Johnson and could be headed for a big year in 2022.

Lance Robinson got a lot of reps as a first-team cornerback instead of Ajani Kerr, which surprised me. I have not been impressed by Robinson this season, but I also missed a lot of this praxtice, so maybe Kerr was being rested.

I missed Casey Glover being awarded a scholarship at the end of practice. I was in the interview room talking to a claims adjustor for my care insurance agency trying to get my busted up car towed to body shop, so I did not hear the whooping and hollering until they put it out on twitter later in the day. It's well deserved for Glover who's had an outstanding year on kickoffs and onside kicks and who was my feature subject a couple weeks ago.

Fritz and Jaetavian Toles spoke after practice. My feature on Toles was the second story I wrote yesterday, is up on the Nola.com website and will appear in tomorrow's paper.

FRITZ

On problems at Memphis:

"A big part of it is they've had really good ball clubs. Every year we've gone up there they've won 10 games (10 in 2017 when they played for the AAC title and 12 in 2019, when they won the AAC) and maybe even more, so it's a good squad overall in offense, defense and kicking game. We are going to have to go up there and play well."

On Memphis offense the type that gives Tulane problems:

"We have to do a better job of covering, collapsing the pocket and staying over the top and not giving them easy ones, making them earn it. That's always most important thing agaisnt a good passing attack."

On Calvin Austin III, who's led the AAC in receiving for two straight years:

"He's really fast in and out of his breaks, accelerating in and out of his breaks. He's got good hands, really good movement. I'm sure he'll be playing on Sundays after next year. He's a good player."

On Memphis's freshman QB:

"Good mobility. He can run when he gets outside the pocket. He can make all the throws. He's going to be a very good quarterback in this league."

On Toles

"He’s a really good special teams player. He’s one of the better fliers, gunners, whatever you want to call them, in the country. He does a great job of getting down the field covering punts. He does a great job covering kicks. He’s returned a little bit for us. He’ll block. He’s just probably one of the better special teams players that we’ve had and in the country this year. Ryan Wright gets a lot of attention, deservedly so, for his punting skills, but without coverage it’s all for naught. Toles does a great job covering."

Why so good at that

"Want-to is a big part of it. You’ve got to take a good release and sprint as fast as you can. He’s blessed with outstanding speed and he’s tough, too. He’ll tackle guys. He’s probably made 10 to 15 big plays over the years just as a flier."

On Dorceus having big game in front of him:

"I think so. Who knows. He's sick right now so he hasn't been here, but this will be a big one for him. I think probably it being his last college game will be even bigger."

On Chris Hampton development as DC after massive defensive struggles for first seven games:

"He kept his confidence, modified things a little bit. The last four games we've played pretty darn good defense. He's come up with good game plans and calls what he has with the game plans. Some guys don't do that. I think he was 98 percent calls last week were what we worked on all week. He's done a very nice job of staying with it."

On learning curve as new DC:

"I think there is. Who knows how much. Luckily my first time I was doing it in junior college at Coffeyville, Kansas. There wasn't a whole lot of attention on me. He's doing a very nice job. He's really smart. The kids believe in him, and he makes it fun and he also keeps them accountable. Sometimes first-time coordinators who are younger guys like him, they want to be everybody's buddy.. He doesn't have to do that. He can go ahead and get after the guys and they respect him."

Even in lowest moments the players praised Hampton:

"That's what you got to have. We pride ourselves on running a disciplined program and it also involves the assistant coaches doing it. I think the kids respect him. They know that he has their best interest at heart and he's going to call it like it is, which is sometimes rare nowadays."

TOLES

Happy

"I’m very happy. I got to see some of my friends again and create more friendships with people new that came in, and even though the record isn’t what we want it to be, our team bond has really been better from other years that I’ve been here. This is the closest that everybody has been. We’re all having fun. We’re all trying to work hard to keep our progress going and keep pushing forward."

Why a good flier

"I wouldn’t give me all the props. I’d give most of it to coach JJ because he’s teaxhing a lot of the concepts, a lot of the releases and telling me what to do. Just like outside release, use the sideline as your advantage. It’s a rule that once you get forced out, they can’t keep blocking you as long as you are trying to get back into play."

Want-to

"It’s all want. A lot of people wouldn’t want to just run down there and think they can make the tackle. When I run, it’s like a race to me and I’m in a track meet."

Downing it a 1

"When I do that, I feel like I’m helping the team out, especially the defense because they help the offense out a lot, so I’m trying my best to get them on the best position on the field as I possibly can.".

Long TD

"They told me to get open and I got open. I trusted Pratt’s arm and Pratt trusted me and threw it to me. I made a play out of it."

Assess WR play

"It’s just hard work taking all the opportunities I got. Even though I got less opportunities, I still could make more. I just took it as a different approach this year."

Huge TD catch since Navy in 2018

"Just the whole moment of it, when the crowd was going like that I could take all that in. I just love that feeling. When I caught it and ran to score, I was in shock. I trusted myself and coach Conway trusted me to put me in on that play."

Best strengths

"Speed, hands and good route running."

Running

"That was fun. I love running the ball. I feel like when I have the ball in my hands, I’m pretty dangerous."

Why offense did not click this year

"Just getting the feel. We didn’t really grab that feeling of taking the wins that we were supposed to take. Sometimes we let the losses get to us as a team, Instead of just playing for each other we were just trying to figure out what was wrong. It should have been forget about it, everybody makes mistakes and let’s play. Last home game everybody was together. Nobody was worried about the mistakes they made. Everybody was picking everybody up."

Memphis struggles

"It’s very important. We want to take our last game for a W, especially after this season we had."

Emotions

"I don’t know. I don’t really see that as my last game. I see it as being here with my teammates. It’s going to be very emotional for me because it’s my last game. I’m gonna give it my all."

First off, congratulations to the seniors. Great job to get a win in your last game with the Wave.

Guerry, congratulations on your reporting all year. Thanks for the interviews and insight.

Recruiting - Guerry, big pick up with Lawrence Keys coming in. What are you hearing about how many we will take? Will anyone be entering portal? We need OL and DB’s. Any thoughts on OL and DB’s we are pursuing? Also, WR’s?

In addition, you said you worked all day on the admissions issue and couldn’t get anyone on record so you couldn’t really write anything definitive. That surely makes sense. That being said, what is your gut telling you. Will it cost us any current commitments, and has it cost us on any kids that we’re going to commit and couldn’t pass the admissions office?

Keep up the good work!

Kettrade1 continued his late charge, taking over first place. I continued my march toward history by missing the Tulane game for the 11th time in a row. One week away from infamy.


WEEK 11 RESULTS

6

ny oscar
WaveON
diverdo

5

MNAlum
Kettrade1

4

chigoyboy
winwave
Wavetime

3

charlamange8
2DatWuzAGoodDay2
DrBox

2

Guerry


OVERALL STANDINGS

51.5

Kettrade1

50.5

charlamange8
DrBox

47.5

MNAlum

45.5

diverdo (missed 1 week)

44.5

chigoyboy

42.5

2DatWuzAGoodDay2

40.5

ny oscar

39.5

winwave
WaveON

36.5

tacklethemanwiththefootball (missed 1 week)

34.5

Guerry

30.5

Wavetime (missed 2 weeks)


GAME-BY-GAME RESULTS

Tulane 10
Cincinnati 2
Ohio State 4
Clemson 5
Utah 4
Arkansas 2
Baylor 9
UAB 5