Tulane is picked sixth, which would not bode well for Travis Jewett if it came to fruition. The Wave has no player on the 14-man ALL-AAC team.

The order:

1) ECU
2) Houston
3) UConn
4) UCF
5) USF
6) Tulane
7) Wichita State
8) Cincinnati
9) Memphis


The order of finish last year:

1) Houston
2) USF
3) ECU
4) UConn
5) UCF
6) Cincinnati
7) Wichita State
8) Tulane
9) Memphis

http://theamerican.org/news/2018/12...nference-baseball-preseason-coaches-poll.aspx

Kanyon Walker, a DB from Wildwood High in Florida who visited two weeks ago, has committed and will be a January enrollee.

Look for Kevin Hester Jr, who visited this past weekend, to become the seventh commitment from that group and the 16th overall.

Hope all of our loyal diehards are having a wonderful Christmas day and are given the gift of many Tulane victories to come!!!

ROLLWAVEROLL!!!

didnt someone remark that DB Lewis is Tulane’s to lose Guerry and what about Tyler Scott?

Keeping in mind that Tyjae Spears received an offer from Kansas State and visited there recently and Darius Hodges has been wavering a bit despite continuing to tweet about Tulane, the Wave has 16 commitments and two transfers (Jalen McCleskey and Christian Montano), leaving room for seven more to sign Wednesday.

Here is the list of incoming players by position:

Ton'Quez Ball: safety
Tyler Judson: safety
Kanyon Walker: CB
Levi Williams: CB
Armoni Dixon: LB
Darius Hodges: LB
Eric Hicks: DT
Jalen McCleskey: WR
Tyrek Presley: WR
Jha’Quan Jackson: WR
Keshon Williams: TE
Conner Richardson: TE
Tyjae Spears: RB
Christian Montano: OL
Colby Orgeron: OL
Sincere Haynesworth: OL
Jackson Fort: OL
Kiland Harrison: ATH

Here are the possibilities based on who visited in the last two recruiting weekends. Jakson Thomson, who committed to Louisiana Tech, and Neal Johnson, who committed to ULL, are off the board.

1) Tyrone Lewis, a 3-star, 5-10, 168-pound CB from Hammond High

Comment: Tulane appears to be battling Kansas State and Iowa State for him.

Nate Clifton, a 2-star, 6-5, 250-pound OT from Brentwood Academy in Tennessee

Comment: Vanderbilt and Tulane

EDIT: COMMITTED TO VANDY TODAY

2) Zane Heemsoth, a no-star, 6-5, 235-pound DE/TE from York High in Elmshurst, Illinois

Comment: If Tulane wants him, he's in. Fordham and Dartmouth (Buddy Teevens) are other pursuers.

3) Jake, Swope, an unrated 6-7, 255-pound OT from West Plains High in Missouri

Comment: Again, he's Tulane's if the offer stands. Northern Iowa is his other pursuer.

4) Zach Edwards, a 3-star, 6-3, 217-pound OLB from Starkville (Miss.) High rated the No. 19 prospect at his position nationally and the No. 17 overall prospect in Mississippi.

Comment: Memphis and Tulane appear to be in the front. Miss St. also may be in picture.

5) Chandler Whitfield, a 2-star, 5-8, 157-pound WR from Zachary High

Comment: If academics are OK, this guy can be difference-maker despite size. Nicholls commit. Also took unofficial visit for Navy game. I love this guy's potential. Again, if his character is good, worst-case scenario is he turns into another Devin Glenn, who made two big tackles on special teams Saturday. Glenn has incredible character, but I have a hard time believing Whitfield, with his outlandish production, is not a better talent.

6) Jalil Clemons, a 3-star, 6-3, 240-pound DE from Starkville High in Mississippi. Rated the No. 23 overall prospect in the state.

Comment: SIGNED WITH MEMPHIS

7) Tyler Guidry, a 3-star, 6-3, 225-pound ATH from Southern Lab in Baton Rouge

Comment: SIGNED WITH ULL

8) Dalvin Hutchinson, a 2-star, 6-2, 307-pound DT from Wossman High in Monroe.

Comment: Committed to ULL in August, dark on twitter in recent weeks.

9) Marcus Harris, a 2-star, 6-2, 236-pound DE from Park Crossing High in Montgomery, Ala.

Comment: tweets about Tulane a lot.

10) Jakoby Jones, a no-star, 6-3, 290-pound OT from East Mississippi CC.

Comment: nothing on twitter since before his visit to Tulane. Who knows?

Guerry- it's been said on the yoggie board that Camel and Le'Dedric Jackson are no longer on the roster. Any information on that ?

Haven’t seen it confirmed but I’ve read that we’re getting a former UGA QB who will be getting an academic scholarship. Did a google search and found this and it must be him.

Apparently he’s very fast, runs a 4.5. Certainly cerebral enough, he’s a great student.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.da...ett-iv-has-decided-on-his-football-future/amp

I caught up with Montano this afternoon. He is slated to come in as grad transfer from Brown and start at center next season, allowing Corey Dublin to go back to guard. If Montano is as good as advertised, I like that move because Dublin' snapping was average and the snapping needs to be perfect.

Coaches are not allowed to talk about grad transfers until they arrive on campus, so Willie Fritz could not comment on Montano this morning.

What were the main reasons you decided to come to Tulane as a grad transfer?

"So the whole thing that happened was this originally was going to be my fifth year at Brown. I was a redshirt senior this year, but I had a foot injury which sort of ended my season right there in the first quarter of the first game. At that point I knew I wanted to continue playing football. My dream was always to play in the NFL, so in order to continue playing I needed to try to get a sixth year in order to get the film and have a good redshirt senior season. Thankfully through the compliance office at Brown and just working with my coaches there, they were able to get me in touch with some other schools. It sort of just came across Tulane. It was always a school that I was interested in based on its level of athletics and academics. When I visited two weekends ago, I had a great time with coach Atkins and coach Fritz. It really felt like home, and I know my mom and I, we really liked the city itself."

What do you do best as an offensive lineman and as a center in particular?

"I had great coaches at Brown and they really taught me the intellectual side of football, being able to identify defenses, being able to see what you think the defense is going to do next so you're not just reacting to it. You're able to anticipate it and then sort of have a better first step. Definitely one of my strong suits is being able to read defenses. It helps the entire offense out a bit more."

What other schools did you consider?

"I looked at Villanova a bit. I looked at Northwestern. I looked at Vanderbilt."

So you played center every year except last year, when you played tackle, right? Is that your most natural spot?

"Correct. I played center every year except for my redshirt junior. I think I'm just a little more of the size of a center, being around 6-foot-4. Against better pass rushers on the edge I could struggle, and also I just like having the ball in my hands, being able to control the pace of things, being able to be sort of the middle and see both sides of the defense, the left and right side of the field."

People have images of the level of football in the Ivy League. When I found out you were transferring, I texted somebody wanting to know if you would be a scholarship player or a walk-on. They texted me back that you would be one of the best linemen on the team, so scholarship. How do you feel like you'll be able to handle the adjustment?

"I think the FCS and Ivy League in particular does get a little bit underrated there. I've obviously a bit biased. I've been here the past four years, but I've really enjoyed it and I think it is a great level of football. If the winner of the Ivy League got a bid to the FCS playoffs, I bet you they'd be a quarterfinalist every year at least. They really do get some good recruits up there. But the step up from the FCS to the FBS is probably one of the things I'm most excited about for this coming season. I'm really excited to play against what they call Power Six guys, and we'll play Auburn next year, so I'll get to be down there at a big SEC school at a big stadium. The challenge is what makes it exciting and what makes it fresh."

Tulane is going to be expected to reach another bowl game next year. How exciting is that prospect?

"That's awesome. The day that I told coach Atkins I'd be happy to be a part of the team, I told him that next year we ought to get the American Conference championship and then get that bowl game afterwards. He was right on board with me there, so that's what he's most excited about."

Are you arriving for the beginning of the spring semester?

"Correct. Classes start the 14th for us, so I'll be down the 10th or the 12th to move in."

What is your graduate degree going to be?

'I'm going to be an MBA. My undergraduate degree is economics."

How important is your education to you?

"The education is the most important part of it all. At the end of the day, if I make it to a rookie camp in the NFL and have a great, successful career, I'm going to have something beyond football and I'd love to be in a great position to have a good business career afterwards."

How soon did you start at Brown?

"I was in the two deep until our fourth game when our starting center went out with a concussion. Then I finished the rest of our season, six more games."

Did you play every game since then until the foot injury?

"I missed two games with a concussion, but otherwise, yes, I made them all."

I have no inside info but I suspect that Tyrone Lewis is one of the 3 silent commitments that we’ve heard Fritz has been keeping under wraps. Any speculation as to who you all think they are?

I will have my usual signing day live coverage here in the morning, but check out the Armoni Dixon story on the front page first. After missing phone connections with him for two weeks, I finally reached him last night.

As Willie Fritz said after the game, Tulane always makes its interesting and close. In what was an absolute butt kicking at the line of scrimmage, the Wave led by 17 early and late but had to survive some tight moments in the fourth quarter in a game that could have been 48-14 if not for a late interception in the first half.

All in all, it was an outstanding win for the Wave, which tied its record for most points in a bowl and broke its record for most lopsided victory in a bowl, both set by the 1998 undefeated team against BYU in the Liberty Bowl (41-27) and also the 1970 team against Colorado (17-3). Aside from the interception, if Willie Fritz could draw up a perfect day of how he wants to win games, this would be it.

WILLIE FRITZ

"I'm just really proud of our football program and the university supporting us. These guys worked their tails off. I'm especially proud of our seniors. We've had some tough times here at Tulane. These guys have just worked through everything. Every game this season was kind of fourth and inches where every one of them was tough. To start the year off at 2-5 and come back and win this game is very, very special."

How pivotal was that drive when they cut the deficit to 3? You converted a fourth-and-7 with the pass to Charles Jones and another third down along the way.

"That was huge. It was a big catch by Chuck, but another big play he had was at the end of the first half when he made that tackle (on ULL's long interception return). It was really a 4-point play. If he doesn't make that tackle, they probably take it back 99 yards for a touchdown and they had to settle for a field goal.

"On the (fourth-down conversion), that was good protection and a good call. I thought Alex Atkins did an excellent job the first time ever calling plays in a game. He really prepared the guys well. It was a nice play call and good execution. The pass wasn't right on the money. Chuck had to move for it a little bit. He made a big catch to really kind of seal the game for us."

I know the plan going in was not to give the ball to Bradwell 35 times. Corey Dauphine got dinged up, but what were your thoughts on Bradwell's performance?

"Well, we just kept feeding him. He did a nice job of hitting it vertical. There were a couple of times they ran some twists inside and caught us on some fourth and short situations, but for the most part he did a really nice job of seeing the hole and getting vertical and he's a hard guy to arm tackle. He's about 235 pounds, has great strength and always runs with forward lean."

You did a little hurry-up offense at times. Was that Will Hall's influence?

"No, coach Hall was really just a consultant the last week-and-a-half. That was something we've done a little bit throughout the season and we did a little bit more this game."

Can you talk about how important it was to get those points on the board early?

"It was huge. They take the opening drive and go right down the field and score on us. We didn't fit up a counter play very well. We just went right down the field and scored and got a lot of confidence. At the end of the first half if we had gotten a touchdown, that would have really put us in the driver's seat and put us up 31-7 or get a field goal out of it. We made it tough, but we did a great job moving the football. We held the ball for twice as much as them, almost 41 minutes. If you do that, normally you're going to win pretty good if you're not giving up big plays, which for the most part we did. Offensively it was a great job chewing it up. When we're on the sideline defensively, we always playing pretty good defense. It was good ball control offense today."

You were 2-5 at one point. How night and day does that seem to you considering where you are now?

"Oh it's great. It's tough. You get in those kinds of situations and the natural thing to do is doubt yourself. We really all stayed positive and kept working through it. There was a chance when we were 2-5 that we could have easily been 5-2. We had some really close games. It was just a great job of a bunch of guys believing in each other and accomplishing their goals that they wanted to accomplish. They've been very easy to work with. I've had very few problems with these young men. They are real credit to Tulane University. They represent the university in a class manner."

When Bradwell was running the ball so well early in the game and then they started stopping him a little bit, how difficult was it to resist the temptation to go away from him?

"We've kind of done running back by committee most of the season, but we've tried to get the ball to the guy who's hot, and he was hot, so we gave him the ball a bunch."

What does it mean for him to go over 1,000 yards?

"That was big. He was 13 or 14 yards away when the game began (actually 16) and now he's over 1,100 yards. That's a heck of an accomplishment in the college game, particularly in a league like this. The American is an excellent conference with a lot of good defenses. You think it's an individual accomplishment, but it's a team accomplishment. The offensive line, the tight ends, the other running backs, the quarterback. It's great for our team."

You went 2-0 in Florida this year (after the program had lost 13 in a row in Florida) and that first win in Tampa (41-15 over USF) seemed to be the game that propelled you to this spot. Can you talk about the back end of the schedule overall?

"That was a big win for us. We went down to Tampa and got the win against South Florida, but every game's different. The guys just prepared well. I was looking at we had one penalty for five yards. Normally when you take off a little bit of time, you're a little rusty and you might have a penalty or two, but the guys were pretty sharp for the most part."

On the fourth-and-8 conversion, what were your thoughts on that and did you consider taking a field goal?

"You kick a field goal in that situation and it doesn't help you a lot because it puts you up 6 and gets them in four-down territory to go down the field, and they know they have to score a touchdown. We were pretty intent on going for it unless it would have been a little bit further than that. It was a nice play by Justin to Chuck."

Your team had a season high for first downs and set a bowl record as well. What do you think drove that productivity?

"We were able to run the ball and mix up just enough throwing that they had to play honest. We had a good game plan. We did a lot of check with me calls from the sideline and saw what they were getting into and making the appropriate call based on their front and coverage. Alex and the offensive staff did a great job with that."

DARIUS BRADWELL

You had 35 carries for 150 yards. You're previous high for carries had been 19. How much fun was this game for you and how tired were you by the end of it?

"I wasn't too tired. Thirty-five carries is the most I've ever received in a game, but I'm just happy for the seniors. This whole season went to the seniors."

How important was that drive when you got your second touchdown? You guys converted a fourth down and a third down as well. What was your perspective?

"I knew we had to score and we all knew we had to score. We just had faith and played our game. That was our whole mentality--we have to score this drive, so that's we did out there."

What was your thought on how Justin McMillan played? That was a pretty big fourth-down pass.

"I'm very proud of Justin. He had an interception early in the game but he kept fighting and he kept leading. As a quarterback, everybody is looking at that, so I'm just proud of him and how he led this team."

Give me your top five guys in this class.

My list does not include guys who might sign tomorrow, but if you want to project, that's fine.

1) Jeffery Johnson--fills a huge need with the potential to be a superstar if gets in prime shape
2) NIk Hogan--Hard for true freshmen to play right away on OL, but he'll have a chance
3) Larry Brooks--outstanding production, could be difference-maker on returns.
4) Damien Tate--Far better than his rating, says everyone I know who covers high school football.
5) Jamiran James--similar story to Tate.
5A) Davon Wright--lots of potential at an area of need.

Just about every regular poster here is more qualified than I am to do a list like this, so let's see what you come up with.

Let them give us a scare but then took care of business. We get a rare Bowl win and get a winning season in the process. Good lead in to signing day.

We put the Wumbo Wave on them!!!

Looking forward to seeing our offense under Hall. We used his tempo approach today to our advantage.

ROLLWAVEROLL!

On Media Day, I caught up with Hunter Knighton, who will began full time work in the real world on Monday right after his college career ends. Knighton feels fortunate to be alive after a heat stroke during an offseason workout at the University Miami left him in a coma for 12 days.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...-hurricanes-college-football-center/32511701/

Knighton, who has been a grad transfer at Tulane the last two years and backs up Corey Dublin at center, talked about his career and his future.

So you're starting a job on Monday?

"Yes, I'm starting a full-time job Monday. Honestly, the best benefit I've had from football is getting a free education these last six years. It's really setting me up for my future, so I was really able to land my dream job. It's a natural gas company up in Ponchatoula. I'm really excited about that. They monitor natural gas pipelines and I do the data analytics."

What are your degrees?

"Underrgrad I was an economics major and my concentration was finance and date analytics."

What got you interested in this field?

"Before I came to Tulane I didn't know anything about it, but they actually started a master's course in this. Getting exposed to it in the MBA program really opened my eyes and got me interested in it. Without coming here, I probably would have never thought about doing this."

So that wasn't a factor when you came to Tulane from Miami?

"Yeah, but I knew the Freeman business school is a great school and I kind of just got exposed to it in my classes, and then I decided I wanted to pursue something like this."

My grandmother lived in Ponchatoula for a while before moving to New Orleans. Do you like it?

"I've been up there sometimes and I like it, but I'm going to commute. I live in Elmwood, so I'm going to commute from right now."

When did you learn you were getting the job?

"About two weeks ago. Thanksgiving week."

How have your two years been at Tulane?

"They've been great. I'm just really getting into the city. I love New Orleans. It's really become my new home. I love it hear. Coach Fritz runs a great program. I have a lot of respect for him and the way he's treated me since I've come in here. This team is just great. I love the guys on the team. The past few years I've made some of the best friends in my life in a short time, so I really love it."

There are a handful of guys on this team who have been on bowl games at other schools, but I believe you and Noah Fisher are the only ones to actually play in a bowl game.

"I played in one, the Sun Bowl in El Paso. It was great going to a bowl game. Playing a team that's not on your schedule year in and year out is really interesting and challenging, and just to experience this different type of game feels like a championship game or something more than just a regular season game."

How many guys have asked you what it's like to play in a bowl game?

"Yeah, there's talk about what's going to happen, especially the whole week and the whole process because it's not the same preparation wise as a normal opponent, so it's a lot of work beforehand, and you get here and it's a lot of distractions and stuff like that. I really told them do a lot of the work when we're back in New Orleans. it's really important to get ahead. The schedule here has been crazy so far, and we don't have a lot of time to prepare once you get here, so I told them to stay focused (in New Orleans practices) and do a lot of work then and have fun when it's time to have fun but when we're at practice and meetings, make sure to focus because we have to win."

Because of the scare at Miami, you're lucky to be alive. How did it change you?

"It just really increased my gratitude. Football is a really hard game and you can get bogged down on a lot. I've grateful that I'm able to play a sport that's given me all these experiences. I'm really happy for that and just not taking it for granted and knowing that Saturday is going to be my last game ever, I'm really just happy I got to experience that."

Do you feel you had taken things for granted before?

"Yeah, definitely. Just getting in that grind day in and day out, going to practice and all that stuff. I wasn't able to do anything for 18 months, and you're like, wow, I really miss this and I really wish I could do it again, not knowing for the majority of the time if I wouldn't or would, it really makes me think about taking advantage of all the opportunities."

Your career did not go as expected as heavily recruited as you were coming into college, but are you happy with the way everything has worked out?

"Yeah, definitely. Obviously God has different plans for us than what we might think, but I'm grateful that I have been able to experience college football in the way I have. It's definitely changed my life. It's definitely changed my life and changed my outlook on it, but I wouldn't change a thing. I have a great wife, a great education."

Did you meet your wife in Miami?

"Yeah. We got married here. She graduated the semester after me and we got engaged my first semester at Tulane and we got married in June last year."

How great an experience has it been for you?

"It's been awesome. Some of the closest relationships I'll have for the rest of my life are with people I played football with. This game has given so much back to me as far as the education experience, and it's changed my character. I'm really tight with John (Leglue), Joey (Claybrook), Corey (Dublin) and coach (Alex) Atkins and Mack Helms, our G.A. They are great mentors not just for football matters but life problems that you encounter and how to handle that."

I watched 3 days of championship football from the superdome and out of all the recruits named before each game for each team, not one was committed to Tulane! there was one who was offered a "preferred walk on" and that was theQB from Catholic High of Baton Rouge! Can someone tell me how we are not on anyone from the championship teams in Louisiana? I have never seen recruiting this bad in our own state! We are offering 0 stars, 2 star recruits from out of state, surely we can do better with instate recruits! Has it gotten so bad that no athletes want to come to Tulane?

i got a text from someone who covers Ole Miss today that the Rebels are going after Will Hall as offensive coordinator.

He was at Tulane's practice today, but considering his background in the state of Mississippi, this is something that could have legs. I asked Fritz about it after his bowl interview and he said he had not heard anything about it.

Until this becomes or doesn't become a story, keep that under your hats. This is not for others to see.

I see it reported elsewhere that Christian Montano, an Offensive lineman from Brown, will be a graduate transfer to Tulane next season. According to the Brown official site, he played on the JV team in 2014, the varsity in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and was injured in the first game of 2018 and missed the rest of the season. That’s five years. Has he been granted a sixth year? If so, great for him. Whether he can help our depleted line is a different question but he’s obviously smart and, for what it’s worth was a pre-season all Ivy player.

Roll Wave!!!

With the Cure Bowl coming up next Saturday, Tulane loaded up on official visitors for what will be its last weekend of hosting prospects before the Dec. 19 signing day. They come from a wide-ranging geography.

ALREADY COMMITTED TO TULANE

RB Tyjae Spears

GRAD TRANSFER

Christian Montano, a 6-4, 310-pound OT/C from Brown University.

Comment: Four-year starter, but suffered season-ending foot injury in season opener this year after entering year as first-team All-Conference selection. Was second-team pick as junior. Honor roll student at Ivy League school. Played center as freshman and sophomore, moved to tackle as junior and was back at center before getting hurt this year.

UNCOMMITTED

1) Tyrone Lewis, a 3-star, 5-10, 168-pound CB from Hammond High

Comment: Has offers from a host of SEC schools, though not LSU, among others. Rated the No. 34 overall prospect in Louisiana.

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2) Tyler Judson, a 3-star, 5-11, 180-pound safety from Zachary High

Comment: Has offers from Baylor, Ole Miss and Houston. Zachary plays West Monroe for the Class 5A state championship in the Superdome on Saturday night. He has played safety and cornerback this year.

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3) Jakson Thomson, a 3-star, 6-3, 200-pound pro-style QB from Lake Highlands High in Dallas

Comment: Visited La Tech last weekend, has offer from Syracuse. I can't find any stats on him. His team scored more than 30 points in every game except for the two when it was blanked, including a 76-0 loss.

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4) Keshon Williams, a 3-star, 6-4, 230-pound TE from Pine Tree High in Longview, Texas.

Comment: Has offers from Iowa State and USM among others. Visiting UTEP next weekend. Caught 13 passes for 289 yards and a TD and rushed for 260 yards and 7 TDs on 37 carries. Listed as ATH by Rivals but Tulane wants him to play TE.

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5) Nate Clifton, a 2-star, 6-5, 250-pound OT from Brentwood Academy in Tennessee

Comment: Considering Cincinnati, Navy and Army among others.

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6) Zane Heemsoth, a no-star, 6-5, 235-pound DE/TE from York High in Elmshurst, Illinois

Comment: Tulane and Ball State are the only FBS schools with known offers. Offensive line coach Alex Atkins visited several prospects in Illinois, with Armoni Dixon already committing. Listed as ILB by Rivals but Tulane is recruiting him as DE/TE.

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7) Eric Hicks, a 2-star, 6-3, 260-pound DT from Benedictine Military School in Savannah, Ga.

Comment: Has offers from UCF and Rutgers among others. Had 47 tackles and 3 sacks according to MaxPreps.com.

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8) Tyrek Presley, a 2-star, 6-3, 187-pound WR from Charles Drew High in Riverdale, Ga.

Comment: Offers from Kansas, ECU and a bunch of MAC, CUSA and Sun Belt schools. Had 34 catches for 935 yards and 7 TDs for a 3-8 team according to Maxpreps.

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9) Jake Swope, an unrated 6-7, 255-pound OT from West Plains High in Missouri

Comment: Can't find much on him, but his team won every game by at least 31 points until losing 26-0 in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs to the eventual undefeated champion.

http://www.hudl.com/profile/5568494/Jake-Swope

10) Caleb Thomas, a no-star, 6-3, 270-pound DT/OT from Righetti High in Santa Maria, Calif.

Comment: Only reported offer is from San Jose State. Had 63 tackles and 14 sacks according to Maxpreps, for team that went 10-3.

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11) Dorian Williams, a 2-star, 6-2, 195-pound LB from Indian Land High in Fort Mill, S.C.

Comment: Offers from Troy and Coastal Carolina. Listed as safety by Rivals, but Tulane is recruiting him as an LB.

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12) Kevin Hester, a no-star, 6-5, 238-pound defensive lineman from North Cobb High in Marietta, Ga.

Comment: Listed as tight end by Rivals, but Tulane wants him as a defensive lineman. Has offers from Wake Forest, Boston College, ECU, UConn and USM among others.

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2019/kevin-hester-225761

COMMITTED ELSEWHERE

1) Dalvin Hutchinson, a 2-star, 6-2, 307-pound DT from Wossman High in Monroe.

Comment: Committed to ULL in August. Has offers from Memphis and SMU among others. He had 57 tackles and 9 sacks as a junior, earning Class 5A All-State honors. Squatted 655 pounds and bench pressed 415. He said he was solidly committed to ULL.

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https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/s...in-hutchinson-commits-ul-lafayette/865679002/

2) Chandler Whitfield, a 2-star, 5-8, 157-pound WR from Zachary High

Comment: Committed to Nicholls State in June. Does not have a reported FBS offer. Zachary has scored 176 points in four playoff games as a No. 6 seed, including a 67-57 semifinal win over Destrehan when Whitfield had four catches for 101 yards and a 67-yard TD, an 81-yard TD run and a 93-yard kickoff return for a score, finishing with 301 all-purpose yards. He had 54 catches for 1,244 and 13 TDs entering Zachary's Class 5A title game against West Monroe, which Zachary won 24-20.

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3) Nick Anderson, a no-star, 5-11, 235-pound ILB from Jones County JC in Ellisville, Miss.

Comment: Committed to South Alabama on Nov. 28, also considering ULM. Led his team with 74 tackles. Jones County lost 19-14 to eventual national champion East Mississippi in division championship game, committing six turnovers.

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2019/nick-anderson-234432

Donnie Lewis and John Leglue spoke yesterday after practice.

LEWIS

How significant is this game?

The bowl game is way bigger. It's against an in-state team. It's kind of a big deal to us as players. We take it personally with two in-state teams coming to Orlando. We're definitely ready to get after it."

Do you know anybody well on that team?

"I know Levi (Lewis), the quarterback. I played him a lot growing up. He's a big friend. We're pretty cool. He went to Scotlandville, so we played a lot in high school. We haven't talked about the game, but when I see him it's all brotherly love. We'll joke around and whatnot."

How would you describe his game?

"I would compare him to the Houston quarterback with his feet, moreso with his feet than with his arm."

They have a really good ground game. How do you match up?

"They have a pretty good run game and we hold ourselves high on the run stop. We are going to come out, load that box and play on our side. We are going to stick to our game plan we've been playing all year."

How much pride do you take in your tackling?

"Personally I've taken a lot of pride in my tackling. I actually got pulled from starting my freshman year because of tackling. Ever since then I've just been big on wrapping up, tackling and being more aggressive, so I definitely take a lot of pride into that."

When you got this bowl bid, Willie Fritz put his hand near the floor and said having fun was near the bottom of the priorities. How do you balance that this week?

"It's a lot of emotions being our first bowl game in a long time and also with the location that we're going to, we're going to a place that it's easy to get distracted. Coach Fritz's whole thing was at the end of the day it's still a business trip. We're coming to win the game, so we're going to have our little vacation time but at the end of the day we're coming to win."

If you win, you finish with a winning record, and if you lose, you finish with a losing record. How important is it for your legacy?

"I don't know how long it's been since Tulane's had an actual winning season (the players do not appear aware of 2013), but it's been some years. Like I spoke to you all year, we want to turn it around and have that winning legacy. We're still after the same goal, so we have to get it."

How hard is it to balance final exams with football right now? It's not something you've had to do.

"It's very, very difficult, especially being here at Tulane with academics being so high. We come in like I practice in the morning and we get a lot of tutors testing us throughout the day. We find time for our tutors and studying and whatnot, so we can balance it out pretty well."

When are you exams?

"My exam isn't until I get back from the bowl game, so I have nothing to worry about before the bowl and then I'll worry about it after the game.

Have they moved exams to accommodate the team?

"Some players. The foreign language department got together and we all decided that everybody was going to take it once we got back, but as far as other players, they've had exams and we've been doing workouts and practice based around those exams so we can get everybody practicing together."

What is your exam?

"I have a Spanish III exam."

What makes coach Curtis a good defensive coordinator?

"Coach Curtis is a good defensive coordinator because he trusts his guys. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses. It would be easier for a coach if the DBs were like, hey, coach, let's just play man, so that's what we are. We communicate very well. We have a very good player-coach relationship, all the players and all the coaches. He just trusts us and knows our strengths and lets us come out and play."

What's he like personally?

"You never know what you're going to get with him on the field. He's a very competitive guy, and he wears his emotions on his sleeve. He walks around screaming to the top of his lungs, but it's all love at the end of the day. Some things might come out of his mouth, but at the end of the day it's all towards winning."

LEGLUE

What have the last couple of weeks been like getting ready for a bowl game for the first time?

"For the first time it's a great experience. Being able to come out here and practice with my brothers for a few more weeks is awesome. Us fifth-year seniors and fourth-year seniors have been striving to go to a bowl game and win a bowl game, so this week we've been having the right mindset to go out there and have success this weekend."

Willie Fritz said having fun on the bowl trip was at the bottom of the list of priorities. How do you balance that going into this game?

"Everybody on the team understands it's a business trip. The reason why we're able to go out there is we won six games and we just have to keep progressing each and every week. Us fifth-year seniors want to leave the foundation for the underclassmen, so that's what we're planning to do."

It's the difference between having a winning record and a losing record. Does that give it extra significance?

"Oh for sure. Everybody, especially all the seniors, wants to go out as a winner. Everybody has been practicing well this week and we're planning on going out and executing."

Donnie Lewis talked about the importance of beating an in-state opponent. You're from Alexandria. Do you feel any kind of wanting to show some dominance in the state also?

"A hundred percent. I was committed to Lafayette. I really want to go out there and beat them. I have a lot of kin in Lafayette. It's an hour away. I grew up going to Lafayette all the time, so I really want to go out there and do my job. Everybody needs to do their jobs."

Did you commit to Tulane around the time of the bowl game?

"I ended up committing a week before signing day. Tulane offered me late, and my parents told me it's all about the 40-year experience post graduation because football's going to end one day. I just trusted my parents and it ended up paying off. I was able to get a master's from Tulane."

How excited are you to really leave your mark on this program with a win in Florida?

"The whole experience has been phenomenal. Everybody came here to a new stadium and a new conference and everything, and this is just a huge testimonial to coach Fritz. We were able to go out there and work every day and come out as winners, and we really want to leave that foundation."

What has the journey been like from the first game at Yulman Stadium to your last game in Orlando?

It's crazy. I remember running out my freshman year, I knew I was redshirting but I was so amped up. It was a great crowd for that Georgia Tech game, and then for my Senior Day it was a great turnout. At the end of the fourth quarter after we scored that 2-point conversion, that's the loudest I've ever heard Yulman. It was a great experience, and I have a feeling we'll travel well to Orlando and there will be a lot of Tulane supporters supporting us through all the success we've had this season."

Did you see Joey Claybrook's celebration?

"Yeah, I was celebrating too and the moment, and when I saw the video, I said 'that's what I'm talking about.' Offensive linemen never really get credit, so any time we have an opportunity to celebrate we all love hopping into the party."

The last Tulane football practice I will cover in New Orleans until spring drills took place in frigid weather (by local standards) this morning. The Green Wave will work out at Yulman Stadium again tomorrow morning, but my flight to Florida leaves at 7 a.m, so I will be gone.

Considering it was the last practice I will cover fully, I took inventory, and the only injured players that have not already been declared out for the year are linebacker K.J. Vault, who I did not see, and wide receiver Jacob Robertson, who attended practice in shorts (he had to be cold) but was not in uniform. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember mentioning that Vault was hurt at any time this year. I noticed when I looked at the stats this morning that he had missed the last six games.

Jamiran James, who is being redshirted, no longer has the cast on his hand and received reps today, but defensive coordinator Jack Curtis told me it was very unlikely he would play in the Cure Bowl because the Wave does not need him with DeAndre Williams, Jeffery Johnson and Davon Wright rotating in the middle. Christian Daniels was not there, either, but he has been out for some time with a knee injury. Peter Woullard, who received a medical hardship earlier this year and never will play football again, also was there.

It looks like Jonathan Banks will be the backup QB to Justin McMillan. Banks, who has not played since the SMU game, received more reps today than he did at the end of the regular season.

When I got there, they were doing a kickoff coverage drill. Amare Jones was fielding the kicks while holding a ball in one of his hands, but he still caught the kickoff one-handed three out of four times when I was watching. He made it look easy. Normally, the player does not bother trying to catch the ball in the drill because it is all about the coaches watching the kickoff guys in their coverage lanes, but he put on an impressive display.

The coaches definitely are coaching hard. One defensive coach ripped a scout-team receiver for lolly-gagging, screaming "Run a route!"

With the exception of Robertson, all of the receivers who played this year practiced today. That means Brian Newman, Jaetavian Toles, Jorrien Vallien and Ygenio Booker and tight ends Tyrick James, Will Wallace and Kendall Ardoin in addition to the normal starters. Toles made a big play against Navy. Maybe one of the other guys will do something against ULL.

One thing I forgot when I wrote about Patrick Johnson for The Advocate is his new position coach this year was Jack Curtis, who coached the safeties last season. Johnson has a ton of ability, but Curtis also got the most out of him after moving to outside linebacker coach with the hiring of J.J. McCleskey.

Here is Willie Fritz from today:

How has the week gone?

"Oh, I think we've had a really good week. We needed this extra time both for recruiting and we're also doing a few new things offensively from coach (Will) Hall. It's helping us be a little more diverse, so that's good. The time helps. We kind of get all the new stuff in and be able to go down to Orlando and kind of enjoy ourselves and have a good time but also lock in on Friday and get ready for the game."

What do you tell offensive players you are recruiting about what to expect from this offense in 2019?

"Signing Day is a week from Wednesday and we're going to probably be done a week from Wednesday, which is good. We were close to being done last year and I believe 91 percent of Division I players signed in the early signing period. The thing we're doing, I like what Will's doing. There are some things he was already doing before when he was a head coach and play-caller. There are some similarities to what they're doing up there at Memphis and there are some things we're doing already that are similar, but the tempo stuff is what he's really helped us with. We do a little bit of tempo but we've been working on doing quite a bit more, and he's helped us incorporate that into what we're doing in a really simplified manner. It's not as complicated maybe as what I once thought it was."

What are those complications?

"A big part of it is the play call and what you're going to do and getting lined up and doing things. A lot of people are doing this, but one word tells you how to line up and the play call and everything. That's something that has been easy for us to pick up, and with the extra time that's helped as well. There are some wrinkles with run and the pass. too."

How much tempo did you do this year?

"We did I'd probably say for the whole season we may have done 15 plays where we tried to do some tempo, and that's something we can evolve in."

What will coach Hall's role be on game day?

"He's going to be on the field there. He will be another coach helping. Alex Atkins does a super job with preparation and engraining what we're doing and also taking some input from Will and some of the other offensive coaches as well."

What is the bowl experience like for you and how have you managed it?

"I had somebody call me last night and talk about the difference between a playoff and FBS bowl game. One thing is you're playing every week (in the FCS playoffs), and really the FCS level, probably most of their signees are going to occur in the later signing period. That's a big difference. It's win or go home. The thing that I thought was tough was the championship game was about a month after the semifinal, so that was difficult. With what we were doing at the time (in 2011 and 2012 with Sam Houston State, I thought that gave an advantage to the team we were playing (North Dakota State). They had a month to prepare for us rather than a week. The recruiting part is just much more emphasized at the FBS level because more of the kids are going to sign early than late. To me that's the big difference."

Do you prepare differently for a bowl game than the regular season?

One thing I think's good is we're going to be the first game I believe. There are some school playing the first week of January and that's difficult. How much time do you give a guy off. You get used to game speed. We've done a lot of good on good over the last few days, and then the little bit of extra time we had helped us implement some of the new strategies we are going to use offensively."

Have you been to get some of your younger kids additional reps in the bowl practices?

"A bunch. When we go good on good, we play everybody. First group, second group, third group. Last week we were going 32 plays a team, 32 plays of pass skellie and one day we did 24 plays of inside period. We got a chance to really work with the young guys doing our stuff instead of trying to replicate the opponent that we're going to play. That's been good. Really those guys have probably gotten in a week's worth of practice on our stuff. For me as the head coach and general manager of our team, it allows me to evaluate those guys further so that when we're signing people I kind of know where that guy's at right now and if we really do need somebody at that position, what our true depth is."

Your defense ended up ranked in the top half of the conference in every statistical category (except passing yards allowed) and second in rushing defense. How pleased are you with the way that group has performed?

"We've gotten much better. We switched from an even to an odd defense last year and whenever you do that there are going to be some growing pains. Right now coach Curtis and his staff really have a great handle on what we're doing and really showed great improvement. Rush defense we did a very nice job, and we are one of the nation's leader in completion percentage against. We had a tough time sacking the quarterback (last year) and we're doing a really good job of getting after the quarterback as well, so very good progress."

Editors note: Tulane was fourth in scoring defense, fourth in total defense, second in rush defense, ninth in pass defense, sixth in pass efficiency defense, sixth in interceptions, tied for first in sacks, fourth in opponents first downs, second in opponents third down conversion percentage, fifth in opponents fourth down conversion percentage and second in red zone defense.

Darius Bradwell was not a running back when he came here. He will be a 1,000-yard rusher after the bowl game if he gets 16 yards. How has he come along?

"Excellent. He's a big guy. He's 235 pounds. He's got excellent strength and does a good job the majority of the time getting north and south, putting his foot in the ground. I really think the sky's the limit for him. He's going to keep improving as a runner, but there's other facets of his game that he can really amp up as well with the blocking and the receiving. There are a lot of things he can do that we're tinkering with right now."

Tulane's only had one runner/receiver combo with 1,000 yards in the same year (Andre Anderson and Jeremy Williams in 2009), but Bradwell and Darnell Mooney almost certainly will do it this year. How much does that help the offense?

"That helps out a bunch. Darnell's had a fabulous year. I'm disappointed that he didn't make any type of All-Conference mention. He was very deserving of that. He runs great routes. He has super hands. He's very competitive. He comes to work every day. You get an honest day's work out of him every single day. He's a guy I always put upon a pedestal for our guys to emulate because he's just such a good practice guy day in and day out."

ROD TEAMER

The last two games, was it a lingering injury that knocked you out because I did not see anything on the last play for you in both games?

"The situation was against Houston I suffered a concussion. We had some extra time so we figured I'd be better for Navy, but as I got into the first couple of series I wasn't feeling myself. I notified the trainers and they pulled me immediately."

How much does it mean to get to play one more g?ame as a four-year big-time contributor

"Of course, whenever the injury was first suffered we discussed being smart about it. Head injuries are something you don't play around with, but we took the right amount of time and I'm pleased with the way the staff handled it and I'm fine."

Were you able to watch the Navy game from the sideline after being pulled?

"When they first pulled me, they took me to the locker room just to kind of calm me down. I was real upset about not being able to play. In the beginning of the fourth quarter they let me come back outside."

How nerve-wracking was it to watch?

"It was very nerve-wracking but I kept faith in my teammates and those guys, Tirise (Barge) and Chase (Kuerschen), they did a great job. I was proud of them."

What does it mean for your legacy to be playing in a bowl?

"It means everything because this is something that we've talked about for years now, is achieving this goal that we have. I'm excited for the program. I'm excited to see what's going to happen next year because things change after you win bowl games for the better. When you don't win, things change for the worse. I'm happy to see the strides Tulane's going to make, getting a new OC. It's exciting for the program, so I'm really excited for it."

So how big a difference is it between winning and losing the Cure Bowl?

"That's something you don't really want to think about too much. It is a bowl game but the goal is to have a winning season, so obviously we're not out here playing around. It's the same intensity for a bowl game of course."

What makes Jack Curtis a good coach?

"Coach Curtis is an extremely smart guy. He pays extreme attention to details, and the focus that he brings to meetings and the intensity is the same on the field. Before this year he was my position coach. He was actually with the safeties, so since he's been here I've been in the meeting room with him. I've learned so much from him. The biggest thing he talked about with me was transitioning from the board to the field. The things that you learn in meetings, it doesn't matter if you know it but you can't execute it, so that was the biggest thing with me. Coach Curtis is big with schemes."

What's his personality like?

"He's real intense but he knows how to have fun. He's a down-south guy, real old school. I used to joke with him a lot and he didn't like it. I told him he reminded me of my grandfather. Nobody wants to be prepared to a grandpa, but I like my grandpa. That says a lot about coach Curtis to me."

You guys are in the top half of the AAC in virtually every defensive stat even though the defense as a whole is young. What does that say about Curtis and the staff?

"It starts from the top down, leadership from the top down. Everything on defense starts with coach Curtis because he's our DC, and whatever methods he relays to his coaches, they relay to us and we we're going to execute and do what he wishes."

With recruiting going on and Fritz missing a practice and other coaches not being around, how have the bowl practices gone?

"It was more of a captain-led practice, older guys leading position groups, but our team is mature. We have a lot of young guys as you know, but we're a mature team and when it's time to work, we work."

How good are the young guys on the defensive line going to be?

"Those guys have come a long way, and that's a huge testament to coach Peoples. He's real intense as well, so they don't really have a choice but to focus and get it in with coach Peoples, but I'm proud of those guys. A lot of those guys really haven't gotten a lot of reps and in the bowl game could potentially help us out a lot, so I'm excited about that."

Patrick Johnson had no sacks after three games this year and finished with 10, becoming the third player in school history with double-digit sacks in a season. What makes him the player he is?

"This is what I'll tell you, and Patrick is sitting right over there. I told Patrick he needed to get it together (laughs). But you know, Patrick moved to a different position, and I feel like that was a lot to do with it. It was an adjustment, and I told him once you get comfortable, you are going to be able to do what you do, so don't get frustrated. Just keep grinding, keep balling and I'm right behind you because we were on the same side of the field so I could communicate with him pretty easily. I'm proud of him and I'm excited to see how he's going to take over next year when I'm gone."

per his twitter

I could figure out how to DM you. Maybe your profile is limited...?

Either way I had a quick question if your able to reach out to me.

Thanks

New Tulane offensive coordinator Will Hall met the team today and attended practice, starting to get a familiarity with the team. He will not coach in the Cure Bowl but stood next to interim offensive coordinator Alex Atkins for much of practice this morning at Yulman Stadium before talking to reporters when it was over.

Hall is a Mississippi native with boyish looks and a country accent.

Here is his interview:

What was the process like for you?

"I've got a lot of respect for coach Fritz. He's actually kind of been one of my heroes because he's a guy that rose through the smaller college ranks like I've had to do. I've just always had a tremendous amount of respect for him. I got to know him several years ago like he said when I was the offensive coordinator at Southwest Baptist. I stayed in contact with him. I became a head coach at a young age at the Division II level, and I always confided in him and would call him. We just developed a really good relationship. This kind of happened fast. I was really excited about the opportunity. Obviously I came down here when Memphis played here (Tulane won 40-24) and saw what this place had to offer. Of course I know a lot about Willie Fritz and what he's about as a person. His values, his beliefs definitely marry up with mine, and I'm excited about getting here. We've got some good players, some good things to work with. I'm excited about getting to know the staff. This is a unique advantage for me because I get to sit here and watch them practice, evaluate talent, evaluate where I feel like they fit in, jump in on the recruiting process and give my input on that as far as personnel and where we want to go in that direction. This is my first day here. I'm just taking it all in and looking forward to getting this thing going."

How did your relationship start?

"We played them in 05-06, and I was a part of a really bad program at the time and he was part of a really good program, and I guess we did some things offensively that he thought were pretty good. He came up to me after the game and told me what a good job he thought that we had done, and from that, just really kept the relationship going. I had a lot of respect for him. I knew who he was, knew what he had done at that time on the junior college level and just kept the relationship going."

When did you get here and when did coach Fritz introduce you to the team?

"I got here late last night and he introduced me to the team this morning."

What are your first thoughts in seeing what you've got out there?

"I knew a little about it because we played you guys this year, and so I was familiar with the talent from that standpoint, familiar with a lot of the players through recruiting through the years. I think everything's in place here. Coach Fritz and the staff have done a phenomenal job getting the program to this point, getting to a bowl game, which is a huge step in the right direction. We've got to get a little bit better, and that's what I'm here for, is to help. This is a program that has a great foundation laid and is moving in the right direction. I'm here to help try to get it to the next step, and hopefully I'll be able to do that."

What are your core values as a coordinator?

"Football wise, number one is get the ball to the good players, the guys that can do something with it. We've got to give those guys the ball and get it to them in multiple ways. Then after that, you've got to be able to run the football. Nobody's putting a ring on their finger without running the football, and then being very efficient in the passing game. Being efficient in the passing game is not throwing it 80 times a game. Being efficient is completing passes for yardage. We want to get over the top of people's head. We want to create explosive plays, and then we want to be very multiple. We want to be very multiple with what I call hybrid-type athletes--guys that are tight ends that can line up in a lot of different spots and then running backs that can line up in a lot of different spots. Those are the guys that allow you to give the defense a lot of different pictures and not exactly know what you're going to be in, so that's the direction we are going to move."

In terms of pace, where are you on that?

"We want to be able to play really, really fast. We'll build it on playing really fast. We'll build it with tempo. We want to always have the ability to slow down, but it's easy to slow down. It's not easy to speed up. So we'll build this thing from day one on going as fast as you can possibly go, knowing we'll always have the ability to slow down. It's like coach said--to win football games you've got to be able to play complementary football, so we want to go do that."

When did Willie talk to you about the job and when did you accept?

"That was late last week and I did not accept the job until we met in person after our game last week."

Did you meet here in New Orleans?

"Yes."

You had six years as a Division II head coach. How much did that help you?

"Being a football coach is something I've always wanted to do. My dad was a coach. I got dropped off at the field house when I was 5 years old and have been doing it every day since. I was blessed to work under Bobby Wallace at West Alabama, who won three national titles as a D2 coach. When he retired (before 2011) I was elevated to head coach at age 30 and hit the ground running. We were blessed to do some things at that program that had never been done and then moved on to West Georgia and had a good run there. I think it gave me the ability to see things from a whole. As a head coach I always called the plays and ran the offense, but we led the league in defense all six years. I've always believed in playing good, winning football, and I think that's another thing that drew me and coach Fritz together, is the similar beliefs in that."

Your dad (Bobby Hall) is one of the most accomplished high school coaches in the history of Mississippi. How much of an influence was he?

"Yeah, he was my first hero. I grew up in a household where you won almost every Friday night you played. That obviously impacted me the way he touched kids' lives, the way he always impacted people in a positive way. Very rarely did you run into Bobby Hall and not have a better day because of it. I saw how he touched lives, and it captivated me early on and that's why I've always wanted to do what I'm doing."

You were a very successful quarterback. How much does that help in teaching quarterbacks?

"Maybe. It was a long time ago. The thing I like to joke about is I'm not very tall and had the ability to overcome it. In life I guess I've always been an overachiever. People tell you you can't do something, you've got to find a way to get it done anyway."

How tall are you?

"Not very. Y'all can tell me, man. I've got no idea."

How about your play-calling experience?

"I've called plays every year I've coached football except for this past year. Every year. I came right out of college and started calling plays my first year in '04 at Presybyterian, so I'd called them every year I coached up until this past year."

How tough was that for you to not be able to call plays as tight ends coach at Memphis?

"It was a great experience. Coach (Mike) Norvell was good to me. It was great to be a part of that program. I was very familiar with that program because my college roommate was Chip Long, who's at Notre Dame now. He had been with coach Norvell forever, so I was familiar with what they were doing and it gave me the ability to kind of sit back and view it from the outside in and gather some thoughts on what I would do the next opportunity, and fortunately that came fast."

This will be short because The Advocate has me covering the Pelicans tonight, but Rod Teamer and P.J. Hall practiced today, meaning Tulane will be close to full strength when it faces ULL next Saturday.

Teamer told me his problem in the last two games was a concussion, which makes sense. He took a nasty, legal block in the end zone against Houston in the first half, and although he continued to play for a few downs, the effects forced him to be ruled out the rest of the way.

Cleared to play against Navy, he self-reported that he was not feeling right after playing in the first quarter. HIs last play was the down before Navy missed a chip shot field goal, and he was taken to the locker room for observation, ruled out and did not return to the sideline until the fourth quarter. He's given Tulane everything he has the last four years, so he deserves to go out healthy in the bowl game.

I was surprised Hall was out there given the severity of the ankle sprain (or apparent severity) that kept him out of the Navy game, but I do not anticipate him starting against ULL. The Cajuns like to run, and Chase Kuerschen excels against that type of team. Kuerschen practiced with the ones today while Hall worked with the twos.

Justin McMillan kept trying to connect with Darnell Mooney on a bomb to the corner of the end zone. The first time he overthrew him by a yard and Mooney jumped on to the padding next to the room where we conduct interviews on the side of the end zone. The next time, Mooney got his hands on it, but Taris Shenall stuck his hand in there and knocked it away. Mooney was seriously angry at not making the catch, jumping on the same padding and screaming "Hell."

Both throws were from beyond the 40-yard line and to the corner. If Mooney and McMillan get a little more comfortable with each other in the offseason, that play will be money.

The next open practice to reporters is Tuesday.