Guerry- Haven't heard anything recently, but any word on Darius Black or Darius Williams? The 28th of August was the last day to confirm class registration. So, are they in school? Any chance to play this year? Plan to enroll for the spring term? The football staff has to know something by now, I'd think.

Thanks

Guerry-It looks like you had it pegged correctly pretty much all the way. A couple of minor surprises, but probably based on the packages they intend to run, as you stated. You were spot on concerning Zach Harris.
Does Monroe as primary punt returner surprise you? Looks like CJ is still undecided about what P/K to use when. You have really done a great job keeping up with fall camp for us. It make opening day even more exciting.

On Thursday night, a much anticipated season starts and I am still conflicted on how good we'll be.

At QB, I think Lee will have a good year. I expect about 20 TD’s and ten or fewer INT’s. We’ll see. If he is hurt, I think we are in real trouble. I don’t see Powell or Cuiellette as 1st string FBS-level QB’s. They are far behind Lee in my view, though Cuiellette has time to develop. If he doesn’t play this year, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Powell move on as a graduated redshirt senior.

I think we’re good at running back. I don’t believe we have any “All Americans” or, super backs like Matt Forte, but we’ve got solid guys, some real speed, and lots of depth. Play calling and good use of each back’s individual skill set will be important, maybe crucial, to success.

I like our tight ends. We’re not as big, nor possibly as fast, as a lot of teams, but we’ve got some guys who would play on some of the better teams in the country. I still don’t see much blocking coming from this group, however, and they need some consistency in catching the ball.

I don’t see the talent that some see in our woefully thin wide receiver corps. Veal looks like the best but he would not be the #1 receiver on many teams in the entire country (my view). Breaux continues to have a lot of potential. And, though CJ seems to be happy with Encalade, I, for one, didn’t see much last year and he hasn’t “jumped off the page” for unbiased observers in camp. I hope he proves me wrong. The two freshmen seem to be struggling so far, but they’ll have to contribute. That Coach Johnson has failed to recruit better at “his” position is perplexing to say the least.

Can our running backs and tight ends shore up the receiving corps? That is a big question in my mind. When (if) we go to four and five receivers, they’ll obviously have to contribute. But then, a lot will depend on the QB’s ability to read the defense and the offensive line’s ability to give him time to find 2nd and 3rd receivers. We’ve certainly got some quick backs who could do some damage in the open field, but if we need them to stay in to block, their ability to go out for passes will be hampered.

As for the offensive line, it looks like we will line up five guys with at least two letters each and a great deal of time playing together. We made marginal improvements each of the past two years, but, in my mind, we were still well below average (up from horrendous). If we can get average performance from the line (meaning equal to roughly half of FBS teams), our offense could shine. I think that is “doable.”

Our defensive line should be fine. The two tackles could have big years with a year of experience playing together and if LeFrance can “come to play every down,” he’ll make all-conference. We have some talent at the other end, but it’s unproven. And our depth is a real question mark. Redwine is a career back up and, from reports, Edwards still looks fat and slow. Thomas doesn’t appear to have returned to his freshman form and our backups at the ends might not be quite ready. Depth should improve as the current freshmen class gets experience, but it could take a while, maybe a full year. Still, I’m pretty happy with the starters.

Line backing should be OK if Marley and Thomas retain their health. Both are undersized (meaning short) and tend to overrun some plays due to being overly aggressive. But that’s an error I can live with. Backing them up are guys who look good on paper (possibly better than the two starters) but haven’t shown it yet on the field.

Assuming we play 5-6 backs most of the time like we have the past couple of years, we are short on experience but, I believe, long on athleticism. The latter does not make up, however, if we can’t tackle, “bite on 1st moves,” or get out of position. Nickerson was fabulous last year playing in a very experienced secondary. Can he repeat that performance with “newbies” all around him? I hope so. Franklin appears ready to step in at the nickel and Allen, hopefully, with two years of experience, can establish himself at the opposite corner from “Nick.” We still need a strong safety. How much will we miss Scofield, Doss, Nixon, LeBeau and Leonard Davis? It could be a lot. Hopefully not.

At punter, Picerelli has been “up and down” but not tragically bad. I expect a solid year from him.

I also expect more yardage from our return team than we’ve seen in recent years. We’ve got some fast guys and some athletic guys, but so has everyone we play. We’ll see.

On the defensive side of returns, I’ll be thrilled if we can keep up the play of the past couple of years. Guys like Carthon and Wadleigh have been great, though I haven’t heard Carthon’s name a lot this fall. Hopefully, some of our freshmen can step in to replace the departed special teamers.

As far as our kicking, I have no idea if we’re in for another year of watching a “clown act” or if we can expect improvement. Camp reports have not been encouraging—at best “up and down.” Hoping for more “ups” than “downs.”

Coaching will be very important. We hear a lot of talk about what we’re “going” to do or “plan” to do or “might” do. Unfortunately, we simply don’t have the talent to say, “go out there and beat those guys.” We need to be better conditioned than the opposition. While that requires individual discipline, it also falls to coaching. We need to get our “fast guys” in space against their slow guys and not allow them to do the same to us. That’s coaching. We need to give our QB options that our offensive line can give him the time to execute. That’s coaching. During the final scrimmage, according to the official site, Tanner Lee was 17 for 22 passing for 111 yards, which included a 35 yard completion. That means his other 16 completions averaged less than five yards each. While the completion percentage was great, we need to gain more yards per pass than that. Receivers need to get open "down field."

And we need to put our defense in the position to make “big plays,” create turnovers, provide field position, and score a few points. Again, that’s coaching. While I think we’ve seen that on the defensive side of the line, I’d argue that we’ve not seen that on the offensive side during CJ’s tenure. I doubt many would disagree. For him to establish a long career at Tulane, that must change. Here’s hoping it starts on Thursday. In looking forward to the season, I waffle between 3 and 8 wins. I’m now predicting a five win season and hoping (again that term) for more. With a little luck, and maybe a pleasant surprise or two from our players, we could do better, a lot better.

Roll Wave!!!

This is a reminder to myself as much as anyone. Will post 1st week games tonight or tomorrow morning.

please forgive me, but Fudge produced this from the film room...

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...On the AAC coaches teleconference today. It is DiRocco.Logan got hurt and could not kick at practice last night.

"We got it a little bit by default. Logan got hurt. He pulled a muscle, so it will be DiRocco. I am agreeing with Eric Price that it is erasable, but the first game it will definitely be DiRocco."

Logan apparently injured himself at practice yesterday but he kicked like something was wrong Saturday.

CJ said Simms will kick long field goals and was very accurate last night.

Guerry-The Duke Depth Chart has been posted and you pretty much had everything pegged correctly. A couple of minor surprises, but nothing major. Probably based on what packages they intend to run, as you stated. You were spot on in your observation on Zach Harris. You must have seen something you really liked about him. Monroe as primary punt returner. Does this surprise you? Looks like CJ is still is undecided about the P/K or he just isn't telling.

Well, so much for Steven Logan’s hot streak. Tulane created a different type of pressure during Saturday night’s practice by assigning the defense one kicker and the offense the other kicker and having Logan and Andrew DiRocco’s accuracy determine which group had to run after practice

Logan did not handle it well, making only one field goal in about five tries. I could not tell the distances because I was standing on the sideline and the players blocked my view of the kickers. DiRocco made most of his attempts.

“I was a little disappointed in the kicking,” CJ said. “I gave Logan a chance and he made I think one field, so we’ll try it again tomorrow night and see where it goes.”

My best guess, and I’ve waffled so much I should be put in a toaster, is DiRocco will get the nod. He has not been very good in the preseason, but he is a little more consistent than Logan, who has had a couple of awful days and some awful kicks on days when he performed better. But if Logan outperforms him on Sunday, it will be a close call. The Wave will be off Monday, and from what CJ said earlier in the week, he wants to know by then what the plan is at kicker.

Here are CJ’s other quotes after practice:

“Night practice is a little bit different. I think the ball got on a couple of guys early on in practice before they adjusted. I like the way the defense ran around. There’s a little more excitement when you practice at night.”


Are you having the night practices because the Duke game starts at night?

“Yeah, absolutely. Actually we were going to practice last night, but when the Saints bumped us, we moved it (to Saturday and Sunday night workouts). We definitely didn’t want to practice against them.”

What is the biggest benefit of getting an extra practice in before the Duke game (five preparation practices instead of the usual four)?

“We can kind of tweak the game plan. We’ve got probably a little bit more than what we need in, so tomorrow will just be a repeat of what we did today. It will be good.”

I talked to Ade Aruna after practice, and here are his quotes:

My eyes and the coaches’ words say you have had an excellent camp. What are you doing a lot better now than at this time a year ago?

“I know more about the defense now, and I am learning a little from my d-line coach (Kwahn Drake), getting my pad level down and using my hands very well.”

You’ve been tough to block in the scrimmages on pass rush.

“I feel good about that. When I came here, I could rush the passer, but playing the run was a problem for me. Now I feel good about everything.”

How could can the defensive line be?

“We just have to play as a team. If we play as a team, we can really do good things this year. It’s not a one-man show. We just have to come together as a D-line, and if we play like one family, then everything is going to be good for us.”

Before you arrived two years ago, former defensive line coach Jon Sumrall said he expected you to play as a true freshman even though you were raw. But when you had problems with the NCAA Clearinghouse that delayed your enrollment, you ended up redshirting. Did that help or hurt your development?

“It allowed me to learn much about the defense. That was the one thing. If I don’t know the defense, I can’t play. Playing a little bit last year allowed me to get in a rhythm and get how the defense works, so now I’m not thinking about what to do all the time, which is what I did when I came here. I just go out there and play.”

All indications are you will be a starter at end against Duke. How good a feeling is that?

“That’s a good feeling, but at the same time it’s all about team. It’s all about how we’re going to win. If the coaches feel I should start, I’m cool with it. I just want us to win.”

How much did you play in the Duke game last year?

“I played a little bit. I didn’t play that much, mostly on third down for a couple of snaps. One time I got a one-on-one pass rush and pushed the tackle to the quarterback and almost got a sack, but before I got there he passed the ball already. That’s the only play I remember.”

Duke beat you 47-13 last year, but do you expect a complete different experience this time?

“We are a lot more experienced and we have the crowd. They are coming to our house this time, so it’s going to be a different ball game. I was there last year and saw how it was. They beat us last year, and it’s not going to be the same this year. We are more prepared. Not like we didn’t prepare last year, but it was a different game for us last year. We are confident as a defense this year. We are going to give it to them this time.”

The fall baseball roster is out ( http://www.tulanegreenwave.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/tul-m-basebl-mtt.html ) and according to it, we have 42 players currently on the team. That means we’ll need to “cut” at least seven to get down to the NCAA maximum of 35 by the spring. Along with the three graduating seniors, Gandolfo, Deschamps, Wilson, and Gibault, who went pro, Tulane lost six other players who were on last year’s roster: Nico Symington, Hunter Lapeyre, Rainer Ausmus, Tyler Zamjahn, Troy Ward, and Brandon Sequeira.

We’ve got 12 seniors (or graduate students), ten juniors, six sophomores, and 14 freshmen or redshirt freshmen. Some names I had not heard before include a right handed pitcher, Evan Rutter, who was an all-state selection in high school in Texas before pitching for Rice. He pitched sparingly his Freshman and Sophomore years and, due to injury, he only pitched on the first weekend and the final game of the season in 2014, his junior year. That he came in with the score tied in the ninth inning on the last game of the season suggests Coach Graham had some confidence in him. Over the three years he pitched 25 innings for Rice with an ERA of 2.16 He also threw 49 innings over two summers in the Cape Cod League with an ERA of 2.76 before spending the summer of ’14 in the California Collegiate League where he recorded an ERA of 2.31 in 23.1 innings while saving six games. When he’s healthy he’s been very good. But, he did not pitch in 2015 so, while he is immediately eligible, I’m not sure of his health. Healthy, he could be a big help out of the pen.

Christian Colletti is another interesting case. A left handed pitcher, he was rated a 9.5 by Perfect Game out of high school and signed with UCONN. He threw quite a bit as a freshman, 43 innings, but with an ERA of 5.86. As a sophomore, he started very well, zero earned runs over his first 7.2 innings of relief, before being injured. He apparently missed his junior year before transferring to Indian River State College in Florida, where he pitched in 2015—poorly I might add, with an ERA of 15.83 in 9.2 innings. Can he come back? I guess that’s what we’re banking on.

Will Johnston of Sacred Heart Prep in California is a left handed pitcher/outfielder who I couldn’t find much on other than an article (http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2015/05/26/ccs-baseball-will-johnston-pitches-sacred-heart-prep-by-monterey-1-0/) that claims his pitching performance in his league’s playoffs will “go down in history.” I don’t know his season statistics but his fast ball apparently is only in the mid 80’s, so who knows?

Grant Matthews, who played at Country Day, hit .484 as a senior and made the Louisiana 1-A All State team. He’s a left handed hitter (that’s good) who throws right and plays both 1st and 3rd base. He didn't face great competition but his stats were terrific.

Chris Hohlstein is a big kid (6’3” and 220#) who was rated a 9.0 by Perfect Game and originally signed with Davidson, but did not play in 2015. He’s from Atlanta and judging by his college interests (Ivy League, Duke, Georgetown, etc.) is a good student. He plays shortstop and 3rd base and sounds VERY good. The roster lists him as a redshirt freshman but I wonder if he is eligible to play this year.

There are a number of other “new” players to the team but I think most of us already know something about them. Anyway, we’ll know more by Spring.

Roll Wave!!!

I watched Tulane QB commit, Jack Abraham, play last night in the Oxford-Starkville high school football game on national TV, which his team lost 20-7. I haven’t seen any official statistics and the “play-by-play” guys didn’t give any. But when I reviewed his play in slow motion today, I had him going 14-27 for 111 yards and 1 INT (a bad overthrow). His numbers should have been much better, because of his 12 incompletions, eight were “out and out” drops in my view. That said, he didn’t throw a pass all night that traveled more than ten yards beyond the line of scrimmage and his longest play was late in the game on 4th and goal from the 27, which gained 26 yards (a yard short) on a “hook and ladder.” I’ve seen him throw long on highlights, but he didn’t try any last night.

He has a very quick “read” and quick release and, based on last night, good but not great accuracy. His highlights and comments about him from coaches would suggest “great” accuracy; just not last night. He is quick in the pocket and was able to avoid the rush to get passes off on several occasions. He only ran once, on an option, and gained three yards. He could probably do more of that but, at least last night, did not. He was sacked one time in which he had no chance. Two defensive ends converged on him before he could even set his feet.

The other issue is his height. I’ve seen him listed at 6’0” and HUDL has him at 6’1.” I doubt both. For example two backs who lined up next to him appeared to be about his height, with one possibly an inch or so taller. According to HUDL, they are 5’10” and 5’11,” so that’s about what I’d guess Abraham is as well. I’m not concerned about that because a lot of very good QB’s have been short of 6’0” (Shaun King for example), but it probably is one reason he’s received relatively little recruiting attention.

I’ve got to be honest; I was a little disappointed in what I saw. I have believed he was a “sure thing” based on highlights and comments I’ve seen about the kid, but I’m now less sure. He didn’t show the “big arm” on long passes, nor the kind of “zip” I’d like to see on 10-15 yard passes, though he had good touch on “check downs” to backs. It’s only one game and I still think the kid has a world of potential. I hope to see at least one more of his games this year to get a better read.

The announcers mentioned his recent offer from California and, at least to me, seemed to infer that "such a better offer" couldn't be ignored. I hope he keeps his commitment to Tulane and gets the kind of guidance and attention he needs during Spring practice. I think he is our only commit slated to check in early.

Roll Wave!!!

With Tulane getting into game-week practice mode, this could be the last detailed practice update, particularly since the Green Wave will practice at 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. Those are inconvenient times for me.

The best news today was the field goal drills. Granted, this is what should happen every single time when kickers kick without facing a rush on the practice field, but Steven Logan, Andrew DiRocco and Trevor Simms combined to make 12 of 15 or 13 of 15 field goals today (I'm not totally sure about a DiRocco kick I marked down as a miss originally but decided it probably went through). The breakdown:

DiRocco: good extra point, good 28-yarder from the left hash, good 32-yarder from the right hash, good 38-yader from the left hash (watching where the ball bounced, it looked wide right of the upright, but the angle he kicked it on would have placed it wide by the time it landed), 42-yarder that hit the left upright from the right hash.

Logan: Good extra point, good 28-yarder from the left hash, good 32-yarder from the right hash despite a bad snap and shaky hold, good 38-yader from the left hash (did not clear the cross bar by a lot), good 42-yarder from the right hash.

Simms: Good 43-yarder from the left hash, good 43-yarder from the left hash again, good 47-yarder from the right hash, wide right 47-yarder from the right hash, good 52-yarder from the middle (the kick split the uprights) to finish the drill, earning cheers from his teammates.

Analysis: Well, neither Logan or DiRocco achieved separation, but they had to get a little confidence seeing the ball going through the uprights.

"Here I'm getting ready to settle on a kicker, and now all of a sudden they are making them all," CJ said. "They are killing me. That just makes it worse (he was joking). At least I know they can do it. That's what I told them--you've exposed yourself. You can do it. Now let's just do it."

They separated into scout teams after the field goal drill, and I watched the personnel on defense carefully against the scout-team offense. The first team is the same as it's been the past week, with Donnie Lewis Jr. at strong safety. Ade Aruna has been practicing with the first team exclusively for at least two weeks. The other guys have been starters since day 1 of preseason camp when healthy. Both Parry Nickerson and Richard Allen participated.

The second-team defense had the usual suspects on the line--Daren Williams, Corey Redwine, Calvin Thomas and Robert Kennedy, but Zach Harris moved up to second team at middle linebacker, with Rae Juan Marbley at weakside linebacker. The nickel was Stephon Lofton, which also is new. The cornerbacks were Dedrick Shy instead of Lofton, and Taris Shenall. The safeties remained unchanged with Tristan Cooper and Roderic Teamer.

The third-team defense had some of the same guys because Tulane is not preparing 33 players to play, but the ends were a rotation of Peter Woullard, Quinlan Carroll and Luke Jackson. The tackles were Jason Stewart and Eric Bell (who I would have expected to be on the scout team). Eric Bowie was one of the linebackers. The nickelback was Malik Eugene. Watching from the sideline instead of working with the scout team was Eldrick Washington, who has made a late move. I'm sure he got a couple of reps with the third team because Kwahn Drake praised him when I talked to him after practice.

When the Wave went to a dime look, Cooper was the extra cornerback. Zach Harris got some reps with the first unit in that formation instead of Thomas at MLB.

When the Wave showed a three-man front, it was Tanzel Smart flanked by Royce LaFrance and Aruna. No surprise there.

Notables on the scout-team defense, which means they likely will not play anything other than special teams, were Sam Davis at strong safety (so much for him being the second-team nickel) and William Townsend and Rene Fleury at LB. Jeremie Francis and Richard Carthon were the CBs, with the suspended Leonard Davis at free safety. The linemen were John Washington and Braynon Edwards at tackle along with a pair of walk-on ends.

CJ confirmed Teddy Veal would be the punt returner, but he added he had a lot of confidence in Darion Mornoe and that he would be used, too, because he "catches the ball every time." CJ said the top kickoff returner would be Sherman Badie, which leads me to believe that Josh Rounds will be the other deep guy. Badie and Rounds worked as a unit, and so did Devon Breaux and Dontrell Hilliard.

Here are the rest of CJ's quotes from today:

"Practice went well. The offense played very well. Tanner threw it well again. We have a couple of things we're still cleaning up. The defense ran around pretty good over there. They had a couple of mistakes, but that's why we're practicing. It was a good day."

On Zach Harris:

"He is playing better. He's still a little edgy, but he's playing better and he's definitely going to play this week."

On challenge of playing Thursday game:

"I really used today as a bonus day. Normally we'd be off, but we get a chance to get a couple more practices in, which really helps us especially early on. It's a good chance to get more kids in the game plan. We had a lot of 2s playing today because we have an extra day."

On Aruna:

"He has a chance to have a real breakout season. He has a chance. Now he hasn't played much ball, but knock on wood, this kid is going to be a really good player for us. That's one of the positions that you have to say is a strength."

Tulane conducted a walkthrough for the Duke game today instead of regular practice, not even putting helmets on.

Here's what CJ said afterward:

"We needed to just see who was in and out and make those guys award of when we need to substitute. We hadn't done it this year, and it's a week before we play the game so we played a mock game to get through all the situations that we had to. We've been out here about an hour, longer than I wanted to be, but the kids were pretty sharp and for the most part they did what they were supposed. to. Malik (Eugene) was the only one that was a little lazy about it, but everyone else was real good."

How do you feel about the team a week away from the opener?

"I feel really good about the team. The energy is up and they are in very good shape.The mental part we still have to get some stuff cleaned up, but they practiced hard, had a good spring, a good fall. I like what we're doing."

You have seven or eight guys at running back that can contribute at the D1 level.. How do you manage their carries?

"As you know, we're a little bit limited at receiver, so we have some certain guys playing in the slot. We'll get the ball in their hands. All those guys will get some touches. Some games guys will have four or five touches and some games they will have 10 or 11 touches. It just depends on the game."

How do you keep them happy through that?

"I think they understand if you are going to be a successful team, you've got to put winning more than anything. These guys want to win, and we always are reminded about what happened last year (with multiple injuries at running back) when I looked around and I thought I was going to have to get one of you guys to go in the game because we didn't have any running backs."

Badie said recently each running back had a role and a package, making it easier to handle the rotation.

"Once you know your role, and those guys are mature and want to win. They understand when it's their time, they have to go out and perform well."

You have no true freshmen who are slated to start this year even though you like the class. Is that a good thing?

"This will be my first year that we don't have to start a true freshman. The program is getting better. We're getting better and better each year, but I expect these freshmen to make a heavy contribution. They may start depending on what package they are in."

What is the timetable for Kenneth Santa Marina to come back?

"I don't know. I really don't know. I hope he will be back for the game, but it doesn't look like it. We've got to hope. It may be longer than I want it to be. (C.J. said it was an ankle, not a knee, that is hurt)"

Is anything settled at kicker?

"No, but we're going to settle it in the next couple of days."

Tulane is at the bottom end of the AAC in the cost-of-attendance figures that have been released, like a lot of private schools are. Are you concerned it will affect recruiting?

"Not quite as much because the price of education here and some of the benefits we have hear are not included, like you can go anywhere you want to and ride a bus for free. They are not doing those things. It's a give and a take and a tradeoff, and I think the kids kind of understand."

You know opposing schools will try to use the cost of attendance numbers against you.

"They definitely will, but when you line up the benefits that we have, you'd say 'I'll take that.' If I don't have to buy gas and I can go wherever I want to on a bus or a van or a car, I'm telling you, those kids have a chauffeur anywhere you want to go, so that's a benefit. Some of those things we've been doing."

I showed up at "practice" yesterday and no one was here. Then I checked my schedule and realized they were off, something CJ forgot, too, when he said they would get the problems of Monday's practice corrected "tomorrow." Now that classes have started, Tulane has to have one off day per week, and with Duke coming up next Thursday, they chose Tuesday for this week and will work every day until that game.

This will be a short report because I'm covering the Saints for AP today and will not be able to stick around for interviews. Kenneth Santa Marina, as expected, is in a boot on his left leg and not practicing. I will see if I can get Ted Lewis of The Advocate to ask about him (he will be here to do a story for tomorrow's paper) for me. As they did Monday, John Leglue is lining up as the second-team right tackle and Devon Johnson is the second team rlght tackle.

After watching Saturday's scrimmage, I'd say right tackle is Tulane's concern on the line. The coaches say Todd Jacquet has been outstanding in preseason camp, but he did not look good on Saturday. I would not be surprised if Leglue ends up getting a lot of time as a starter, but we'll see.

Parry Nickerson is practicing in 11-on-11 work today, so CJ's timetable for his return was right on the mark. They are not in full pads today but are having plenty of contact at the line of scrimmage. Nickerson just jumped a route for Terren Encalade but had the ball bounce right off his hands and go to Encalade for a completion on the sideline. That could easily have been a pick six.

Here are my predictions for Tulane's reception leaders this year, in order.

1) Dontrell Hilliard--He could catch upward of 50 passes because he is the best pure receiver of the running backs. Some will come out of the backfield and some will come out of the slot.

2) Teddy Veal--He is by far the best wideout on the team and a lot more comfortable than last year. If the offense is like last year's he will lead the team in catches, but I am expecting a lot more throws to the backs and tight ends.

3) Trey Scott--He has looked terrific all camp and caught just about everything thrown his way. Lee looks for him short and long on seam routes. He could be a huge mismatch.

4) Terren Encalade --He has come on in the last week. I'm still not as high on him as CJ because he has trouble getting separation, but he presents a big target and has gotten much more fundamentally sound.

5) Sherman Badie--Again, this is predicated on them throwing a lot to the backs. He will catch a lot of swing passes, allowing him to show his ability to make the first guy miss in the open field, and he also is dangerous in the red zone.

6) Rob Kelley --They need to throw to the backs. A lot. Think I've stressed this point enough? Kelley is a solid receiver who scored the winning touchdown against SMU three years ago on a reception over the middle.

7) Charles Jones--He has not been targeted nearly as much as Scott in preseason camp, but he is good on quick routes and is faster than he looks. Again, this is predicated on them changing the offense to go heavily to the tight ends and backs.

8) Devon Breaux--Hopefully I'm dead wrong on this because he has a lot of ability and probably will start a season opener for the third consecutive year. But he still needs to show better ball awareness and route running and concentration.

9) Larry Dace--He does everything right but has trouble getting separation. His favorite play is a down and out where he shields the defender and catches the ball just before going out of bounds.


With Nickerson back, Taris Shenall and Stephon Lofton are the backup cornerbacks. Dedrick Shy looks the part but is not as advanced as Shenall yet.

Sam Davis is still working with the second-team defense at nickelback, so even though he spent some time on the scout team defense Monday, he is still in the picture for playing time. Jarrod Franklin figures to play almost every down, but if he needs a breather, Davis remains the guy behind him. Coaches hesitate truly trusting walk-ons, though.

Jordy Joseph just threw a beautiful pass to Dace for a touchdown in a two-minute drill. Dace dove in the end zone to catch it. If he translates what he is doing in practice into games, he will finish higher than I have him on the receiver chart.

They just completed the field goal drill. Picerelli hit from 33 yards from the left hash, then had a 40 harder blocked by Richard Allen off the edge.

Logan made a 37 harder from the left hash then was short from 43 yards from the left hash. You cannot be short from that distance.

Simms then tried five longer field goals, making one from 46 yards from the left hash, having a 49 harder blocked because it was ridiculously low, then missing wide on three straight kicks from the right hash, going left on the first two (a bad snap hurt the first one) and right on the third one. Only the third one was close.

Gotta go. This should be one of the only conflicts I have with Saints practice this year. I'm filling in for an AP writer who is on jury duty today.

Tulane conducted some special teams work early in practice today. On punts, it's clear that Teddy Veal will be the No. 1 returner. He fielded almost all of them.

The kicking drill was much better than Thursday, with Andrew DiRocco and Steven Logan trying shorter field goals and Trevor Simms trying longer ones. Clearly, the competition is down to DiRocco and Logan for the main kicker, with Simms handling long ones. Zach Block did not have any attempts.

The kick rush defense was on the field for the kicks, but they were not allowed to rush. It was just snap, hold and kick. Here's how they did:

DiRocco: good from 34 yards on the left hash, good from 39 yards on the left hash, good from 42 yards on the right hash, good from 36 yards on the right hash.

Logan: Good from 36 yards on the left hash, wide right from 39 yards on the left hash (bad snap), good from 44 yards on the left hash, good from 39 yards on the right hash.

Simms: Good from 46 yards on the left hash, low, short and wide left from 49 yards on the right hash (the ball landed at the 4-yard line), wide left from 46 yard on the right hash.

Analysis: DiRocco and Logan were much better today and were given shorter kicks than on Thursday, but it could be a different story in live game action. One or the other will be Tulane's kicker for anything about 42 yards and in versus Duke. Simms is capable of knocking in field goals from past 50 yards, but look for the Wave to go for it or punt in those situations unless it desperately needs a field goal. He has too many inaccurate kicks, and some of them are dreadful.

Next was a short goal-line drill from the 1-yard line. The offense scored on the first one, Josh Rounds got stuffed on the second one, Devin Powell threw too late and too low after play action on the third, allowing Rene Fleury to knock it down in the middle of the end zone, and Nigel Anderson was stuffed on the last attempt.

Anderson redeemed himself with a long run in a controlled 11-on-11 drill a little later. He raced about 80 yards to the end zone, but since tackling was not allowed, it's hard to say how far he would have gotten in a live drill.

The regular scrimmage started with the 1s going each other but no tackling, with the referees blowing the play dead where they thought the tackle would have occurred. That helped the offense because it's hard for the defense to play 100 percent when it can't hit anyone. The referees also were very generous in marking the ball and in not declaring sacks.

Neither starting cornerback played, with Parry Nickerson sitting out for the sixth consecutive day and Richard Allen watching due to an unspecified minor injury. With the Duke game 12 days away, the coaches did not want to take any risks with guys' health. Taris Shenall continued to start in place of Nickerson, but Stephon Lofton replaced Dedrick Shy as the No. 1 corner for Allen. Tristan Cooper was at strong safety. The rest of the starters on offense and defense were the normal ones

1-10-20: Sherman Badie gain of 15
1-10-35: INC off Terren Encalade's hands
2-10-35: Complete to Rob Kelley, 8 yards.
3-2-43: Complete to Trey Scott, 5 yards.
1-10-48: Complete to Teddy Veal, 4 yards.
2-6-48: Complete to Encalade, 2 yards.
3-4-46: Complete to Badie, 5 yards (generous spot)
1-10-41: Dontrell Hilliard rush for 5 yards
2-5-36: Penalty, illegal procedure (looked like Nathan Shienle had wrong snap count)
2-10-41: Complete to Devon Breaux, 12 yards on comeback route
1-10-29: Complete to Kelley, 4 yards
2-6-25: Josh Rounds rush for 3 yards
3-3-22: INC--Royce LaFrance bats down

(They awarded the offense a first down anyway to keep the drive alive without moving the ball, and I missed the next two plays because I was trying to figure out what was going on)

3-2-14: HIlliard stuffed for no gain (but they moved the sticks anyway without moving the ball)

1-10-14: PENALTY illegal procedure
1-15-19: Kelley no gain
2-15-19: INC-pressure throwaway
3-15-19: PENALTY--blatant hold of Ade Aruna by Arturo Uzdavinis to prevent a sack

(they called off the drive there and started going the other way, with the 1s still going against each other but the defense mixing in some backups like Daren Williams, who is close behind Aruna)

1-10-20: Complete to Badie, swing pass 3 yards
2-7-23: Complete to Hilliard, 5 yards
3-2-28: Tanner Lee read option, 5 yards
1-10-33: INT --Williams picked off pass that went right to him.

(they started another series right at the 33)

1-10-33: Complete to Kelley, 7 yards
2-3-40: INC
3-3-40: Lee scramble for 5 yards (generous spot)
1-10-45: Complete to Kelley, 4 yards
2-6-49: Complete to Teddy Veal, beautiful strike down the right sideline, 35 yards
1-10-16: Complete to Badie, loss of 1
2-11-17: Complete to Scott, 3 yards
3-8-14: Lee scramble 9 yards
1-G-5: Kelley loss of 2 yards
2-G-7: Complete to Badie over the middle, he knifes into end zone for 7-yard TD

Analysis: Aside from his bad throw that Williams picked off, Lee was in control, spreading the ball around and not forcing it. His pass to Veal was picture perfect, hitting him in stride against the backup secondary, and the TD came on a nice play that Tulane figures to use a lot near the goal line. Still, with no tackling, the refs were generous in deciding how far the offensive players would have gotten before being brought down.

Powell came in for the next series in a matchup of the 2s. Devon Johnson replaced John Leglue as the backup left tackle, but I wouldn't read anything into that. Leglue was probably being held out. The second-team D had Robert Kennedy and Williams at end, Calvin Thomas and Corey Redwine at tackle, Sam Davis at nickelback, William Towsend at WLB and Eric Bowie at MLB (Rae Juan Marbley also got some LB reps with this unit), Jeremie Francis and Lofton at CB, Malik Eugene at strong safety and Roderic Teamer at free safety.

It was not a good series for freshman wideout Andrew Hicks. Powell overthrew him on one play when he did not appear to be running at full speed at the end of the play, and he dropped the next pass. Devin Glenn caught a pass in the flat but got gobbled up by the turf monster, tripping. Rickey Preston had a 17-yard reception, but the drive stalled when Nigel Anderson dropped a short pass on third-and-10.

Glen Cuillete replaced Powel at that point with the ball staying at the 40. His first three plays netted five yards but they made it a first down at the 35 anyway. Cuillette hit Marshall Wadleigh with two short throws, showed quick feet on a 5-yard scramble and hit Larry Dace at the 10 for first-and-goal. On the next play, he connected with Dace again for a score.

Jordy Joseph entered for the next series, and the Wave received a scare a few plays later when Devin Glenn could not get up after being tackled on the sideline (with the young guys in, they started allowing tackling). He was holding his left shoulder and did not return to the scrimmage, but he also never left the field.

"He’s OK," CJ said. "He was telling me he’s not soft, I’m not soft. Welll I know he’s not soft."

After several Rounds runs, Joseph finished off the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sydie London after almost being sacked.

Cuillette returned for a series that went nowhere, with a holding penalty and a pass batted down by Robert Kennedy. Then Powell returned, completing a third-and-13 pass to Hicks for 16 yards to keep the drive alive and an 11-yard pass to Dave before throwing behind a receiver and allowing Lofton to come up with an interception on the final play of the scrimmage. Of possible note, Corey Redwine went down with an arm injury during the drive and appeared to be in some pain. I'll get an update Monday when Tulane practices in the morning (the Wave is off tomorrow).

I don't try to read too much into a scrimmage without live tackling, but Lee definitely appears to have a better command of the offense. I also have a better feeling about the receivers because there are so many running backs who can be effective as pass-catchers (Hilliard, Badie, Kelley, Rounds, Glenn) that it takes the pressure off the wideouts. Other than Veal, I still am not impressed by the wideouts, although Breaux has potential.

If Nickerson turns out to OK, and CJ insists he is fine, the defense looks pretty sound. Strong safety remains a concern that won't be answered until the opener against Duke, and depth is a question across the board defensively, but the starters are good.

Guerry,

It's being said that 106.1 won't be broadcasting sports anymore. Is that true and if so is there any plan in place to get our radio coverage elsewhere ?

Tulane practiced in shorts and shoulder pads today, and CJ was in a very ornery mood from the start. Maybe it's my cynicism after covering college football coaches for 25 years, but it seems like there's a coaches' handbook out there somewhere that tells coaches to be tough on their team after giving everyone a day off, as CJ did Sunday.

After hearing an inspiring speech from former FSU All-America/Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle on Sunday and seeing the movie Straight Outta Compton in only their second day off since the start of preseason camp, the Green Wave defense drew CJ's ire for a lack of hustle. After Lazedrick Thompson ran through a big hole in 11-on-11 work )there was no tackling allowed), CJ benched the entire first-team defense and had the second-team D play the next 10 snaps or so in their place.

"They weren't running to the ball," CJ said after practice. "The one thing about defense, nine guys can mess up and one guy can make the tackle, but if you're not going to hustle and you're going to jog around, I'll play the 2s. We may get killed, but we're not going against my philosophy of running to the ball and doing the right things. We will do the right thing in this program."

Repeatedly during practice he screamed at players to hustle more, and when freshman wideout Rickey Preston dropped an easy pass, he was sent to the sidleline to catch throws from walk-on QB Dylan Richman as punishment.

"It was sloppy," CJ said. "We gave them the day off and took them to a nice movie, and then we come back and we're not running to the ball. I was at Tulsa last year, and saw the defense didn't run to the ball. I was at Duke last year and I saw what the offense did, turning the ball over. We're not going to do that, and if we do that, we won't win any games."

Local WGNO reporter Ed Daniels then asked CJ what number he was on the ticked off scale from 1 to 20, and CJ said "25."

"We regressed today," he said. "We should never do that."

CJ was then asked how concerned he was about a practice like that less than two weeks before his opener.

"It's a concern. We have to be fired up and ready to go every day. We're not the New England Patriots where we can come out here and kick a field goal at the end and win. That's not us. We have to come out here and go to work. I don't think we came to work today."

He was then asked how he would correct it.

"We'll be out here probably tomorrow morning and it will be tougher. It will get right tomorrow morning, guaranteed."

CJ added he would start lightening the load when regular game-week preparation for Duke arrived, playing a mock game on Thursday and then beginning the normal season routine on Friday.

CJ was a one-topic person today. When Daniels asked him about the kicking situation, he said Zach Block might have the job if he did something in the next couple of weeks and that he was competing with Trevor Simms for the long field goal role at worst. One problem: Block did not kick at all in the field goal drill during practice and is not in the running for the job at this point. It remains a competition between Andrew DiRocco and Steven Logan for the regular field goals, with Simms the option for long kicks.

Daniels' pet topic (we all have them) is Tulane's poor pass protection last year, so he asked a series of questions about how it would improve. CJ's response:

"Some of it was the receivers, some of it was Tanner (Lee) and some of it was the offensive linemen. The one thing we're going to do this year is protect Tanner, without a doubt. He's not going to get hit like he did last year. The protection really has gotten better."

CJ definitely has been tougher on his players this preseason than in the past. Asked by Daniels if he was hard enough on the team last year, he responded:

"I couldn't be (as tough last year). They were too young. When you have a bunch of freshmen playing, some of those kids had never gotten on an airplane before. I couldn't put much in. My friends were on me about you didn't do much on offense, you are a better offensive coach, well I couldn't do much because of what I was playing with. I had more freshmen than anything else, so now it's time to grow up a little bit.

"Last year, if I yelled at them, those guys would call their mom, and I'd have a two-hour conversation with mothers and fathers. Now they've grown up, they've been around me enough and they know I care about them and I want to win."

OK, on to practice. One thing that also probably had CJ irate was the field goal drill, which was not good. Actually, DiRocco kicked pretty well, making a 37-yarder from the right hash, a 39-yarder from the right hash, a 39-yarder from the left hash and a 40-yarder from the left hash while missing wide left on a 38-yarder from the right hash. His first kick, from 33 yards, was close and I could not tell whether it went through.

Logan struggled after making his initial 33-yarder from the left hash. He was wide right on a 36-yarder from the left hash, wide right on a 39-yarder from the right hash and duck hooked a 42-yarder from the right hash. When a kicker misses as badly as he did trying to kick too hard, it takes away a lot of belief.

Simms missed wide left from 42 yards, made a 42-yarder from the left hash and drilled a 47-yarder before coming up well short on a 51-yarder, something you rarely see from him unless he duck hooks it. Almost all of his kicks have the distance, but accuracy is the overriding problem.

"We just have to find the right guy," CJ said. "Hopefully it's just one. I wish Cairo (Santos) would come back, but he's doing too well. For the vast majority of camp, we (the entire team) have been moving in the right direction. We've just got to make some kicks. That's part of football."

Tulane may have had its first serious injury of the preseason when backup right tackle Kenneth Santa Marina went down and writhed on the ground for a few minutes, screaming in pain with a hurt left knee. I was in the upper deck, so I did not get a good view of exactly what they working on. CJ will have an update tomorrow, but I whiffed after practice because Daniels asked about 15 questions in a row, my mind drifted and I forgot to ask about Santa Marina. I also did not see him leave the field because I was watching the other end of the practice field by then, so I can't tell you how he looked. Todd Jacquet, who has supplanted him as the starter, walked up to him while has on the ground and patted him on the stomach. With Santa Marina out, John Leglue moved from left tackle to right tackle on the second unit and Devon Johnson entered at left tackle.

A little later, Sean Wilson went down, but he got up and was able to walk slowly. He had some injury issues in the spring, but I don't think this one will be significant.

Some quick depth chart notes: Donnie Lewis Jr. ran with the first unit at strong safety for almost the entire time. My new favorite Sam Davis worked with the second team at nickelback in 11 on 11 work midway through practice but practiced with the scout team defense at the end. The other notable on the scout team was William Townsend, and linebackers coach Doug Lichtenberger confirmed Townsend's primary role this year would be on special teams. As a converted DB, he still has a lot to learn about linebacker play. True freshman DT John Washington was on the scout team, too, with Corey Redwine and Calvin Thomas the second-team tackles.

Parry Nickerson returned to practice on a limited basis, getting reps at CB in individual drills before they put their jerseys or helmets on and also taking reps fielding onside kicks in a special drill. He did not get any time with the defense during 11-on-11 work, staying on the sideline, but the other starting CB, Richard Allen. was full go today. Taris Shenall continued to work with the first team in place of Nickerson, with Stephon Lofton and Dedrick Shy on the second team.

I previously posted threads on the above subject. Forget about the cost of attendance figure for the power 5 conferences, which are higher.

Cincy-$6082
Memphis-$5373.
Central Florida-$4944.
Houston-$4544.
South Florida-$4100.-additional expenses under university and NCAA rules can allow this to increase to $4500.
East Carolina-$4025.
Uconn-$3350.
SMU-$2676.
TULANE,Temple,Tulsa-$2500.

Here is another recruiting disadvantage for Tulane. I still do not know how Pell Grants will fit into this.

Interesting to note that the Cost of ATTENDANCE AT LSU IS HIGHER THAN TULANE.
LSU-$3800--TULANE-$2500.

With three years in the books. Coach Johnson finally has a team that can be called “his.” In his first year, all but a handful of freshmen he recruited were holdovers from the Toledo regime. During the bowl season, many of the key contributors had been signed or recruited by Toledo. This included Grant, Shackleford, Rush, Uzdavinus, Morgan, Mares, Donnelly, Darkwa, Kelley, Butler, Santos, Warmsley, Sullen, Schofield, Doss, Strozier, Kyle Davis, Zach Davis, and Dominique Robertson. This past year, 21 of the scholarship lettermen were “Toledo guys.” So, for good or bad, in the two 3-9 years and the 7-6 season, much of the team that CJ had to work with were not “his” guys in the sense he had not recruited and signed them. This year is different.

Of the 52 returning lettermen, including two “walk-ons” (Simms and Wadleigh), only nine were signed or committed prior to CJ’s arrival: Arturo Uzdavinus, Colton Hanson, Bob Bradley, Todd Jacquet, Robert Kelley, Lazedrick Thompson, and Devon Breaux on offense. Additionally, Jordy Joseph was a walk on with Toledo and recently offered a scholarship by Coach Johnson. On defense, only Cory Redwine predates CJ’s tenure. So, with the exception of the offensive line, it’s pretty much CJ’s recruits on the team now.

And, in my view, this is a huge year for the future of Tulane football. I doubt anything but a season with 3-wins or fewer would put CJ on the true “hot seat” regarding his job. But, his long term future will depend on success sooner rather than later.

Compared to our completion, I don’t think we have a particularly good recruiting class coming in next year. But there are some players with real potential in my view. A good season will secure them and, depending on attrition, possibly gain a couple more “top end” guys closer to signing day. More important from the recruiting standpoint are the 2017 and 2018 classes we are working right now. In 2017, we should have close to a full class—at least 20 scholarships. With 26 current scholarship sophomores on the roster, 2018 will undoubtedly see us signing 25 kids, maybe more if we can get some early entrees. If we’re to progress in the “recruiting wars,” the time to start is now. We should be better in 2016 than this year. So, if we can get to a bowl this season, 2016 should be fun and the local kids will start seeing the kind of success most of them experience in high school. Here’s hoping.

Roll Wave!!!!

His high school team plays Starksville Miss. high school in the egg bowl on Friday Aug 28. The game will be televised on ESPN Friday evening.

They are in shorts and shoulder pads today but practiced without jerseys and helmets until 9.

In a 7 on 7 drill, the second-team MLB remained Eric Bowie and the second team WLB remained Rae Juan Marbley. This is an area of concern because no one has really stepped up behind Nico Marley and Eric Thomas. LBs don't get subbed out very often, but when they do or in the case of injury, the Wave needs some capable backups.

Robert Kennedy appears to be the No. 4 end, and if he holds on to that spot, he should get substantial playing time backing up Royce LaFrance. Luke Jackson is on the third unit with, today, Quinlan Carroll, while Peter Woullard was on the fourth unit with walk-on Trey Camissa. And Jason Stewart is lining up as a third-team defensive tackle along with freshman Eric Bell. Braynon Edwards is dressed but not getting any reps.

They had their daily period practicing the option. I think it's smart that they are working on it almost every day. We'll see if that preparation pays off when they face Georgia Tech, Navy and Army, all on the road. Even though they gave up more than 300 rushing yards to Georgia Tech last year, the Wave D did a pretty good job against the option, but the offensive and special teams ineptitude eliminated any chance of an upset. Georgia Tech actually gained more than half of its rushing yards in the first half, but the Yellow Jackets had to work for their yards.

They just had their field goal drill at the end of the special teams portion, and all four kickers each got five attempts with no rush and no defenders at all, just a snap and a hold and a kick.

Here are the results:

Andrew DiRocco: 2 for 5 (good from 34 yards on left hash, wide left from 40 yards left hash, barely long enough from 46 yards left hash, short from 52 yards left hash, short from 49 yards left hash.

Trevor Simms: 3 for 5 (good from 34 yards right hash, wide right from 40 yards left hash, good from 46 yards right hash, good easily from 52 yards right hash, wide right from 49 yards left hash)

Steven Logan: 2 for 5 (good from 34 yards left hash, good from 43 yards left hash, wide right from 49 yards left hash, shorts and wide right from 52 yards right hash, short and wide right from 46 yards right hash.

Zach Block: 2 for 5 (good from 34 yards right hash, duck hook from 43 yards right hash, good from 49 yards right hash, short from 49 yards left hash, wide right from 46 yards left hash.

Analysis: At least they all made it from 34 yards. After that it was ugly. Simms was the best, and he's proven he can't be trusted to kick it straight. He nailed a 52-yarder than would have been good from 60. The other three kickers were poor. Logan's three from long range had no chance. DiRocco went 1 for 40 outside 40 yards, and the one he made barely crept over the cross bar. After a couple of days of good kicking from Logan, it's back to being a scary situation.

Parry Nickerson is not practicing for the third consecutive day, standing on the sideline without his helmet.

In 11 on 11 work, when Darion Monroe sat out a few plays, Tristan Cooper replaced him, with Donnie Lewis Jr. handling strong safety. Cooper had been working at the first-team strong safety today after sitting out the 2-minute drill entirely yesterday.

It was hard to glean much from the 11-on-11 work, but second-string safety Roderic Teamer picked off a pass when Terren Encalade fell down and cornerback Jeremie Francis intercepted a bad Glen Cuillette pass.

In the 2-minute drill that closed practice, Tristan Cooper was back with the first-team defense at strong safety after getting replaced by Donnie Lewis Jr. on Wednesday. That race is too close for the coaches to call at this point.

“It’s very even, co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Jason Rollins said. “It’s going to be a last-minute decision depending on how they grade out.”

Rollins added that freshman Malik Eugene was next in line along with Roderic Teamer, who has spent most of his time as the second-team free safety.

Strong safety probably is the biggest concern on defense since neither Cooper nor Lewis have played appreciable downs in college (Cooper was on special teams last year).

“They just need more time on the job,” Rollins said. “They have all the skills and the tools to get it done. We’re trying to put them in every game simulation position that they could possible be in.”

Lewis actually got some reps at cornerback today because Richard Allen and Nickerson were on the sideline. Allen looked fine, and CJ did not mention an injury.

Walk-on Sam Davis continued to work as the second-team nickekback, and he is an interesting story. He arrived as a total unknown from Overland Park, Kan, and walked on in the summer, impressing teammates when he worked out with them. This is a guy who the coaches had never heard of at that point.

Now, for the last two days, he has played with the second unit.

“We are very impressed,” Rollins said. “He came in in the summer and started doing seven-on-seven and we were like, who is this kid? We kept hearing about him because all the players would come back and say, ‘Sam Davis, Sam Davis.’ So our first opportunity to see him was the first day of camp, and he was really impressive.

“He came on his own, and we were like, wow. No one knew who he was. It’s awesome. He has a great opportunity to play. He’s so smart. He has great instincts and a great feel for the game. He’s tough and he’s always around the ball. He’s a great player all around. He doesn’t do anything bad.

“No one knew him. He came here and said I played football in high school and I’d like to give it a shot in college.”

Other notes:

--William Townsend got some time at middle linebacker on the second unit. Yesterday he said he was the top backup at the nickel, WLB and MLB and while there’s no evidence of that being accurate, he has gotten reps at all three spots. The truth is the coaches are still searching for the right backup at all three spots, and nothing has been determined. Eric Bowlie and Rae Juan Marbley are in the running for the two linebacker spots, and Rene Fleury is in the picture, too. He made a heck of a deflection of a Cuillette pass in the 2-minute drill, leaping high to reach the ball.

--Josh Rounds made a one-handed effort when he should have used two hands to try to bring in a pass on a downfield route in the 2-minute drill. With all of the competition at running back, he cannot afford to make mistakes like that.

--Devon Breaux dropped a hard throw by Devin Powell that was on target. Breaux has not dropped many this preseason, but he should have held on to that one.

--Devon Johnson played with the second-team offensive line at left tackle in the 2-minute drill. That’s his first action with the second team in a while.

--I was too harsh on Encalade yesterday. CJ said he may be the top wide receiver on the roster, even ahead of Teddy Veal. That doesn’t jibe with what I’ve seen, but I certainly don’t see everything. I had Encalade at No. 5 among the wide receivers, and that definitely is not the case

--Larry Dace made a nice diving catch, dragging his feet just before he went out of bounds inside the 5-yard line near the end of the 2-minute drill.

--CJ said Saturday’s “scrimmage” really would be like a regular practice with a scrimmage of the younger players at the end.

The closed practice was this morning at Saints facility. Open practice at 3:30 this afternoon at Yulman.

They are in shorts today for practice No. 15 of the preseason after going in full pads Monday for their morning workout at the Saints facility and working out again at the Saints facility in the afternoon.

They are doing 1 on 1 drills with the receivers and DBs. Larry Dace just burned Jarrod Franklin for a long catch. Donnie Lewis Jr. stayed right with Rickey Preston and knocked down a long pass in the end zone. I will be surprised if Lewis does not earn the starting job at strong safety. He showed potential as a cornerback in preseason drills last year when he got reps with the first unit while Doss and a couple of other guys were injured, Tristan Cooper may be a year older, but neither of them has any game experience, and Lewis appears to have better ball sense.

They are practicing the option at the moment, which makes sense since they have to play three triple option teams this year in Georgia Tech, Navy and Army. Facing the option is bears no resemblance to anything else a team will face during the season, and Tulane plays every option team in the country this year except for New Mexico. Georgia Tech and Navy were 1-2 in rushing yards last season, and Army finished fifth. Slowing down the option, which Tulane did pretty well against Georgia last year despite giving up a lot of rushing yards by the end, will be a key to the season. Bob Toledo's teams were awful at it.

It looks like Teddy Veal will be Tulane's No. 1 punt returner again. He was not good last year, muffing at least two in critical situations, but he's a year older and has the work ethic and toughness to learn from his past mistakes. I'm not thrilled with having a key starter in the role unless he's a difference maker on punt returns, though, and I'm not sure Veal is. Darion Monroe is the No. 2 punt returner, and Donnie Lewis Jr. is third, Terren Encalade fourth and Sherman Badie fifth if you go by the order they started the drill.

The punt block unit just blocked a PIcerelli punt coming up the middle. I did not see who did it, but it might have been Rene Fleury. Larry Dace just blocked a punt right off the foot of Picerelli after a high snap. Dace is a player. I don't know if he can get separation consistently as a receiver, but he has excellent football instincts.

Robert Kennedy, who got injured early in Saturday's scrimmage and was down for a while before walking off the field, is not practicing today. I'll get an update after practice. It looks like he and cornerback Parry Nickerson are the only potential contributor not practicing. Anthony Taylor has been out for a while and Richard Carthon has not practiced at all this preseason, but neither was pushing for playing time.

EDIT: Kennedy returned for 1 on 1 pass rushing drills and was out there for the 2-minute drill for a few plays, something I had in my original report but which disappeared during my computer glitch. I'm sure there were a few other tidbits that disappeared, too.

I just charted the entire field goal drill, and my feature guy from The Advocate this morning performed best again. Steven Logan led off the drill for the first time and hit a 33-yarder from the right hash. Andrew DiRocco then missed from the same distance from the left hash, sending it wide right.

Zach Block hit a 36 harder, and Trevor Simms had his 36-yarder blocked by Richard Allen.

DiRocco then missed a 39-yarder wide left from the left hash and Logan connected from 39 yards from the right hash.

Simms, who is really struggling, missed wide right from 42 yards from the right hash before DiRocco was wide right from the same distance.

Logan, who has consistent range up to 40 yards according to special teams coach Doug Lichtenberger, then completely botched a 45-yarder, sending a duck hook to the left from the right hash. DiRocco nailed his 45-yarder from the same spot.

From 48 yards, Block came up short and Simms was wide right.

From 52 yards, DiRocco was short and Logan barely short with a much better effort than his 45-yarder.

They went back to 49 yards, and Simms was wide right before Block hit a beauty threw the uprights with plenty of room to spare.

Logan capped off his effort by hitting a 46-yarder before DiRocco was wide right from 49 yards.

By my count, Logan was 3 for 5, Block was 2 for 3, DiRocco was 1 for 6 and and Simms was 0 for 4. All of Logan's kicks were straight,. He clearly will struggle on long range kicks, but Tulane needs a guy who can be trusted from 40 yards and in. He appears to have the best shot to do it.

I had Internet and computer issues at practice and at home, but here's the end of the report now that I have working internet at a coffee shop.

Eric Bowie and Rae Juan Marbly are competing for the backup MLB spot. CJ said yesterday no one had stepped up at MLB other than starter Eric Thomas.

On the first play of 11-on-11 work, tight end Trey Scott beat Tristan Cooper for a good gain. Right after the play, Cooper initiated a conversation with Jarrod Franklin about something.

They quickly moved on to a long 2-minute drill. The starting defense was the same as always except for Taris Shenall subbing for Nickerson at one cornerback spot. Ade Aruna was on the unit too, ahead of Daren Williams., but Aruna appeared to get sick midway through the drill and had to lie on the sideline for several minutes with a trainer working on him.

John Leglue worked with the first-team offensive line at right tackle during the drill while Todd Jacquet and Kenneth Santa Marina watched from the sideline. Jacquet had gotten all the reps with the first unit until that point. Running back Dontrell Hilliard had a rare dropped pass, and Royce LaFrance batted down a Lee throw. Sherman Badie made a nice grab of a throw on a swing pass that was in front of him, making sure he held on while not breaking stride. When the offense got near the goal line, Shenall defended a fade pass to Breaux beautifully, getting both hands on the ball but not bringing it in for the interception. On the next play, tight end Trey Scott got his hands on a low throw in traffic in the back of the end zone, could not hold on and then came up asking for interference, at which point tight ends coach David Johnson screamed at him to catch the ball and stop complaining about something that never happened.

They apparently are trying to build the confidence of the offense because the scoreboard read Tulane 28, Duke 21 with 11:04 left in the third quarter.

CJ was not happy at the end of practice, saying the defense did not hustle enough. He then ripped into the team, saying that playing hard did not guarantee winning but not playing hard guaranteed losing. He also was upset about the locker room being too messy, which appears to be his annual complaint, so he made every player do crab walks at the end of practice, which went long a little past 11 a.m. It was hot by that point, and offensive linemen Keeyon Smart was the last to reach the goal line (finish line) in the punishment.

CJ said Rob Kelley threw up during practice, and he appeared irritated at how his players handled the heat. He was fairly mild when he talked to me but saved his ire for the team a minute later. He quoted Dock Rivers as he excoriated everyone out there and told them they needed to be tougher and show more pride in the way they maintained the locker room.

I'll have his official quotes (not those, which were not intended to be on the record) in a few minutes.

They are in pads today and Parry Nickerson is being held out again.

Donnie Lewis has replaced Tristan Cooper as the first string strong safety. The rest of the starters on both sides are the same as usual on both sides of the ball, including Ade Aruna at right defensive end and Taris Shenall replacing Nickerson at right cornerback.

I predict that Dontrell Hilliard will lead Tulane in receptions this year. He has good hands and knows how to get open.

They are not going live in the 2-minute drill--no tackling--but Tanner Lee just capped off his drive with a TD pass to Trey Scott. I would not be surprised if Scott is second on the team in receptions in a close competition with Teddy Veal. Tight ends coach David Johnson said Scott was the second fastest player on the team yesterday behind Devin Glenn. I'm not sure about the validity, but he in incredibly fast for a "tight end."

The second-team defense, keeping in mind that Nickerson is out, is Robert Kennedy at left end, Corey Redwine and Calvin Thomas at tackles and Daren Williams at right end. The linebackers are Eric Bowie at MLB and Rae Juan Marbley at WLB. The nickelback is Sam Davis, a walk-on practicing with the 2s for the second straight day. He is from Overland Park, Kansas, and CJ commented on his surprising rise after practice.

"He's one of these guys who appeared at camp, and he's been eye-opening throughout the whole camp," CJ said. "In the scrimmage he made a couple of plays and he made some plays yesterday, so he's getting more and more time. I'l play Sam if he continues to progress and do what he's doing. I like what he's doing now. He's a good little DB for us."

The cornerbacks are Jeremie Francis (normally a 3 when Nickerson plays) and Stephon Lofton. The safeties are Roderic Teamer and Malik Eugene. Cooper, who worked with the 1s yesterday, is standing on the sideline in uniform and has not received any reps during the 2-minute drill. Luke Jackson rotated in at right end with the second unit during the drive.

The first-team OL is the same, but Junior Diaz replaced Nathan Shienle at center during the 2-minute drill.

The second team offensive line is Kenneth Santa Marina, Leeward Brown, Diaz, Brandon Godfrey and John Leglue. No changes there.

The third team OL is Keyshawn Mcleod, Leeward Brown, Godfrey at center, Keeyon Smart and Devon Johnson. Notice no mention of Jason Stewart, and there's a reason for that. He's been moved to the defensive line.

"We're trying him at D-line," CJ said. "We have a couple of injuries at D-line and we're trying to get bigger up front, so he's one of those guys that we feel maybe can help us."

I don't know who the injured players are, but Stewart clearly needs to shed serious pounds and was making zero progress on the offensive line depth chart. I'll check tomorrow to see what DTs are not practicing, but I saw Brian Webb on the third-team unit today, so the injury candidates are Braynon Edwards, John Washington and Eldrick Washington. I got to practice late today and it ended early, barely after 10 a.m., so basically all I saw was the 2-minute drill at the end. Regardless, it would be a shock if Stewart got on the field at DT this year. He's not quick enough.

Rob Kelley, one of three excellent receivers among the running back corps (Hilliard and Sherman Badie are the others), dropped a pass from Tanner Lee in the 2-minute drill on a slant. The pass was slightly behind him, but he should have held on to it. Drops like that have been rare for the running backs or the tight ends.

Wide receiver Terren Encalade has some work to do to get in the rotation. Receivers coach Carter Sheridan told him he needed to get in better shape while working with him after practice.

The T-P made a rare appearance at practice today, which meant CJ heard a different voice asking questions (I've been the sole reporter there most days).

Here is his Q&A aside from the two quotes I've already given.

What are your thoughts on practice?

"I like how practice went today. We picked it up. Yesterday we were a little lax and had to go a lot longer, but today the practice was a lot snappier, we threw the ball well and caught the ball well. The quarterbacks are having an outstanding camp. All those guys are doing excellent. The defense ran around, but the penalties, the jumping offsides (has to stop).

"I still don't know who my kicker is. I thought it was Logan, but then he started missing and DiRocco started making them. I'm going to throw a rabbit in the hat and hope one of them comes out. I'll take any suggestions or any help I can get with these guys. We've just got to be prepared to go for it on fourth down if we need to or punt it."

EDITORIAL COMMENT: I missed the kicking drill today, but that's as discouraging a quote as you're going to hear. Tulane does not have the margin for error to have a good year without being able to make routine kicks.

How many freshmen do you see making an impact this year?

"Almost all the kids in the secondary have to play. I like Malik (Eugene), (Taris) Shanell, (Dedrick) Shy, (Roderic) Teamer. At running back Nigel and Jet (Devin Glenn), you just watch them and you glow watching those kids play. The receivers are catching the ball. I don't know who's not going to play right now."

Does it look like Nigel Anderson is picking up things really quickly after coming in late?

"He's smarter than you would think. I know he played some quarterback in high school. He's big, he's physical, he's fast. He's everything you want in a back. Jet is just so daggone fast. You see him run through the holes and catch the ball. He can do a variety of things for us."

Did you expect Glenn to be able to come here and find his way so quickly?

"You never what to expect, but I knew he could run and was very fast. I didn't know he was as tough as he was and as nifty as he is, and that kind of brings an added dimension. He can do some stuff for us in the passing game also because he's a heck of a receiver."

The UCF Alumni Chapter of NYC invites all of our partners in the AAC alumni community to this event. This is a meet & greet and gives our conference alumni community the opportunity to mingle and network as well "pep rally" for the upcoming football season. We encourage all of those attending to wear their Tulane colors/gear. You are welcome to bring any display items - flags, banners etc. . Please pass this along to your Tulane alumni mates in NYC.

"American Conference Takes Manhattan"
Aug 22
12-4pm
Starting at Jolly Monk on 48th St. & 9 Ave
1pm to Pony Bar on 45th St. & 10 Ave
2pm to Rudys on 44th St. & 9 Ave

EDIT: My computer had a glitch during practice and messed up the long post I was continually updating. At least I had saved it elsewhere. Check out the other thread for my full practice report, and sorry for the issue.