I was convinced I would be right on Iowa State over Texas and was not even close to being right as my late-season push fizzled.

WEEK 11 RESULTS

7

Golfer81

6

LSU Law Greenie
highwave
Harahan Wave

5

winwave
wavetime
St Amant Wave

4

paliii
Guerry

3

mono41
GretnaGreen
sscald
chigoyboy
WaveON

2

diverdo
Kettrade1

0

DrBox


OVERALL RESULTS

59

winwave

52

paliii
LSU Law Greenie

51

mono41
GretnaGreen

50

sscald (missed 1 week)
Guerry
WaveON

49

Golfer81

48

Wavetime (missed 1 week)
highwave

47

Kettrade1

44

St Amant Wave

43

diverdo
chigoyboy

41

charlamange8 (missed 1 week)

31

DrBox (missed 1 week)


GAME-BY-GAME RESULTS

Houston 1 of 17
Memphis 9
UCF 11
Notre Dame 10
Texas A&M 11
Texas 9
Pittsburgh 8
Missouri 7

Here it is:

Opening statement:

“Last Thursday evening, we had a national stage and played a game and we didn’t play real well. A few guys played well but not enough to be able to come out of there with the win. I want to give Houston an awful lot of credit. They played real well on all three sides of the ball. The big thing we’ve got to do is learn from it, which we did when we evaluated the team. We’ve got to move on and get ready for Navy because it’s a vastly different offense than you see from week to week. That’s what we’ve been prepping for the last few days. Big opportunity for us on Saturday. Obviously, a win gets us in a bowl game. If Memphis does some things on Friday it might even get us in a tie for winning the West championship. The main thing we’ve got to do is play well and take care of business on Saturday.”

On what getting to a bowl game would mean to the program:

“It would be big for the program. We’ve increased our conference wins. Getting to a bowl game would be big for us. It’s always a goal we’re going to have. I think it would be excellent for the program.”

On the difference this week with Thanksgiving holiday:

“It allows us to spend a bit more time on football which is good when you’re playing a team with a totally different offense than you see the other 11 games. Everybody else you play there’s something similar that they do that this team did or that team did or our team does. That’s not the case with these guys. I think the main thing is just having consistent preparation. We talked a little bit on Monday about, ‘Hey, this is what’s at stake here.’ The guys knew that. I just think there’s a little bit more time off. We’ve got to use that for rest and recovery. We get 12 weeks into the season, there’s nobody who feels the same as they did before preseason camp. So we want our guys to be as healthy as we can when we walk out there and play.”

On specific things Tulane is doing with two extra days:

“I think No. 1 is rest. We did take off Friday and Saturday. But I also think it’s just prep. We had the gameplan together – we (the staff) worked Friday and Saturday – when the kids came back in.”

On whether he can learn anything from last year’s final game where Tulane was also 5-6 and apply it to Saturday’s game against Navy:

“No, I don’t think so. I thought our guys brought outstanding effort last year in that particular game and just came up short. We know what’s at stake. I think all the guys understand that. We need to play, we need to play physical. They’re a very, very, very physical football team. We’ve got to come out and answer that physicality from the get-go.”

On the potential for fewer offensive possessions because Navy controls the clock:

“I hope we have more than that, than three. But you’re right, normally we have right around 13 possessions in a game. They’re around nine to 10. So you’ve got to take advantage, you’ve got to score points. You’ve got to take advantage when you have the ball. You’ve got to do a really good job in the kicking game where they’ve got to go long distances so you can give up some first downs, get a stop and they’re still having to punt the football. Once they cross midfield, they’re almost in four-down situations.”

On what caused defensive troubles against the run at Houston, and was it tackling:

“We missed a bunch of tackles. We did not tackle very well at all. That’s across the board: D-line, linebackers and the secondary. We’re going to have to tackle extremely well on Saturday.”

On whether Cameron Sample will be available to play Saturday:

“Yes.”

On whether Roderic Teamer Jr. will be available to play Saturday:

“I think so.”

On field goal kicking when down at the 30 or 25-yard line and whether he will be more aggressive this week:

“Well, it all depends on the situation, where you’re at and kind of what the book tells you. If it tells you to go for it, we’re gonna go for it. If it tells you to kick a field goal, we’re going to kick a field goal. I take the guesswork out of the equation there. But, also I know – and I don’t really start looking at the book until tomorrow – but it’s going to have us be more aggressive.”

On Navy’s quarterback:

“He’s a big guy. You’ve got to really bring it to get him down. He’s a very physical runner. They run a lot of quarterback follow play with him. You look up, you think you defended it well, it’s second-and-7, and they’re smiling because it’s a good down and distance for them. He’s a very experienced quarterback. You’ve got to mix some minus plays in there. When they do decide to throw the ball, you’ve got do a good job of covering those guys and transitioning into pass rushers – that’s something they don’t do a whole lot of – and get them in some long-yardage situations.”

On whether he’s worried about a hangover effect following the Houston loss:

“I sure hope not. And that’s probably one of the good things about playing on a Thursday instead of a Saturday. It seems like a month ago to me.”

On whether Saturday is a litmus test to see how the team responds:

“I think so. I think it is. I certainly think we should have everyone’s full attention this week. There’s no doubt about it. We’ve got to be out there and ready to play from the get-go. This is going to be physical football.”

On whether poor tackling means more tackling drills:

“A lot of tackling well is your approach to tackling. How you get to where you’re going to tackle the guy from Point A to Point B. We did a poor job of that. And they also did a very nice job of getting their fast guys, their quick guys the ball out in space. That makes it more difficult to tackle guys. These guys (Navy) are going to play a little bit more football in a phone booth. There’s going to be a lot more close tackling, but you’ve got to get knockbacks and not have them fall forward. So instead of second-and-7 it’s got to be second-and-9. So it’s important to really have a great approach and do a good job owning your leverage and get knockbacks because you’re going to be in small, confined spaces rather than out in space.”

On whether the reasons for struggling with tackling last week would not apply this week because of the difference in opponent:

“It’s going to be a lot different. It’s going to be more physical, and there’s going to be times where they’re going to run the ball outside the hash and there’s going to be 22 guys outside the hash. And then run it outside [the opposite] hash and there’s going to be 22 guys outside that hash.”

On Zachery Harris saying he likes this kind of football:

“Well for a linebacker, and certainly for a competitor like Zach, this is what you’ve gotta want to play. We’ve got to have everybody tackling. It’s all hands on deck. Corners, safeties, linebackers, D-line. Everybody’s got to tackle.”

Winning streak was fun while it lasted. As I've said all along being one dimensional isn't going to get it done. TOP is a meaningless stat as many know. Teams can score quick which is why I said if we were going to be good this year we'd have to win shoot outs. That's college football today especially for programs like ours that will never get the linemen you need to be able to say we are going to run and you can't stop us. The recruiting needs to pick up big time. We need QB'a and at least 3 quality grad/JC offensive line transfers and of course some receivers. The offensive staff needs to go but I don't think anyone believes Fritz will do that.

Defensively we did well against some bad offenses but get exposed against teams with quality QB's.

ST's continue to have issues.

Reality check. We're a good ways away.

If you want to see what good coaches do look at Cincy. They had that big jump in year 2.

With a huge chance to become bowl eligible this Saturday against Navy, Tulane can cap off an up-and-down year on a high note and guarantee itself a bunch more practices and an extra game. In my view, the Wave has played very well three times this season, very poorly three times and average to mediocre five times. In the past, that would translate to a 3-8 or 4-7 record, but Willie Fritz has gotten the program to the point where it is competitive most weeks no matter how it is playing.

Here's my list from best to worst:

1) Tulane 40, Memphis 24

This was a tour de force for the Tulane defense, which held the Tigers to 277 yards, 101 below their next worst total of the season, and that one came in the rain at Navy. Darrell Henderson has killed just about everyone Memphis has faced, and although he scored two long touchdowns against the Wave, he did next to nothing the rest of the night. Memphis, the preseason favorite to win the West, likely will reach that goal. Two of its three conference losses were by 1 point. Tulane was winning 40-10 before garbage time in a rout.

2) Tulane 41, South Florida 15

The Bulls weren't ready to play, but when has Tulane beaten anyone like this on the road? The defense, despite losing Cameron Sample on the opening series as USF went ahead 3-0, shut out the Bulls for a long time after that as the Wave went ahead 34-3 with a running game the Bulls could not stop. Corey Dauphine and Darius Bradwell each rushed for more than 100 yards, Tulane rushed for five touchdowns and 365 yards overall and became the first team to hold USF under 20 points in three years.

3) Tulane 42, Nicholls 17

Tulane did what an FBS team is supposed to do to a good FCS team--put it in its place. A lot of people were worried about Nicholls, but the Wave used its overall talent advantage to win comfortably in what would have been a wipeout if Jonathan Banks had not lost a fumble that turned into a touchdown right before halftime. Dauphine was transcendent, and Tulane was in control from start to finish against a team that was coming off an upset of Kansas.

4) UAB 31, Tulane 24

I know, I know. This was the game that turned a lot of people against Fritz. But I said at the time, long before UAB became a (brief) top 25 team, that UAB looked like a good team that day and Tulane played pretty well. The Blazers hit the Wave with an alignment they had not seen at the beginning of the game and rode it to a two-touchdown lead behind tough running back Spencer Brown. The Wave fought back on a hot day when the players had overlooked the Blazers a bit and probably would have won without a holding call on Terren Encalade that negated a go-ahead TD by Bradwell. Fritz questioned the validity of the call. I never saw the replay. Then UAB ran it down a tired defense's throat for the winning TD. One other thing. Anyone who says Texas A&M exposed UAB as a fraud did not watch the game. UAB gave up a TD return on fumbled kickoff to start the game and missed three field goals. Otherwise that was about a 10-point game.

5) Tulane 24, ECU 18

Now we enter the morass of mediocrity. I give bonus points to Tulane winning a game it has so frequently lost in the past with a chance to set up something positive down the road. I also gibe points to Tulane when an opponent bottled up the Wave's bread-and-butter running game. The offense was ugly for most of the night, but Justin McMillan threw a pair of perfect passes to Darnell Mooney on slants and Encalade made a terrific individual effort with the help of a crushing block by Will Wallace on the third long TD pass. ECU's freshman QB has put up big passing totals against everyone he has faced, while not being particularly efficient, except for Tulane, which limited him to 21 of 67 passing. The secondary was very solid that night.

6) Tulane 24, Tulsa 17

The main positive here is Tulane won. On the road. And executed well down the stretch. The first half was a debacle for both teams, and when an inadvertent face mask penalty on Robert Kennedy on what would have been a three-and-out led to a long TD drive that put Tulsa ahead 17-7 in the third quarter, the outlook was bleak for the 2-5 Wave. Facing a bad team, Tulane showed toughness and came back to win 24-17, getting 107 yards from Dauphine and a beautiful game-winning TD run from McMillan.

7) SMU 27, Tulane 23

Tulane should have won this game but did not play well, struggling to move on a weak SMU defense while quarterback Jonathan Banks was careless with the ball in what almostcertainly will be his final game with the Wave. Tulane handled the SMU offense pretty well and was in good shape with a 23-14 fourth quarter lead, but a decision to blitz and leave P.J. Hall in single coverage with the Mustangs' best receiver resulted in a back-breaking 67-yard touchdown with 1:15 left. Hall, interestingly, has played much better since that point.

8) Wake Forest 23, Tulane 17 (OT)

This is another game where past Tulane teams would have been blown out. Wake Forest is mediocre, but its freshman quarterback had a hot night against some soft coverages that Tulane abandoned soon afterward in favor of man-to-man defense. The Tulane offense was a complete mess, but Banks bailed it out with a couple of long touchdown passes to Encalade, one of which was a brilliant individual play by Banks. Tulane had a chance to win it in regulation, but as it had done all night, could not go anywhere after getting close to scoring territory. The overtime was an abject disaster. Tulane's penalty-plagued, inefficient performance was a harbinger of things to come.

9) Ohio State 49, Tulane 6

This game was irrelevant. Tulane had zero chance to slow down Ohio State's passing attack, but considering the way the Buckeyes have struggled to stop anyone, Tulane's inept offensive performance looks worse in hindsight. it looked like Ohio State could hang close to a hundred on Tulane if it had kept its starting unit in for the whole game and been aggressive.

10) Cincinnati 37, Tulane 21

The score is not embarrassing how good Cincinnati turned out to be, but Tulane gets downgraded here for mental belief. Coming off a terrific win against Memphis, the Wave was not read to fight hard enough to hang with the Bearcats on the road. Cincinnati is physical on offense and talented on defense, but the Bearcats also out-competed the Wave, winning comfortably.

11) Houston 48, Tulane 17

Tulane was not ready for the big moment and ill-equipped offensively to hang close in a shootout. Clearly missing Sample and Patrick Johnson, the defense allowed 201 rushing yards in the first half and tackled horribly, far worse than in any other game. McMillan went into the jar after his first interception on a tip drill and received little help from a sub-standard receiving corps. Just think what might have happened if Tulane had been close and D'Eriq King, an incredible athlete, had still gone down with a season-ending injury before halftime. Instead, Houston already was up 28-9 and in position to score again when he got hurt. It was a disappointing night all around. Tulane entered with a chance to earn a shot at undefeated UCF in the AAC championship game and exited with a blowout loss to a talented, but injury-riddled opponent.

This one was bad. Really bad. Personally, I think Tulane lost it on the opening two possessions when it failed to pick up a first down after the defense stuffed Houston and sacked D'Eriq King twice. Tulane needed to get on top of Houston and run the ball down its throat from the start.

That did not happen, and Tulane is not equipped to win against good teams without a dominant running game. The Wave proceeded to play poorly in just about every possible way, and it is not automatic that this will rebound emotionally against Navy next Saturday. Unlike Houston, Navy cannot out-athlete Tulane, but the focus has to be there from start to finish to avoid a second consecutive 5-7 season.

Here's what Willie Fritz, Darius Bradwell and Zach Harris had to say aftter the lopsided loss that took Tulane out of the running for the AAC championship game:

FRITZ

"Congratulations to Houston. They did a great job. I thought they were well prepared and really played well in all three phases, particularly offensively and I thought they did a good job defensively. I'm disappointed in how we played. We obviously didn't have our guys prepared as well as we needed to. I thought we had some really shoddy tackling defensively. We lost leverage and didn't fit up run plays well. The pace hurt us. We've seen some teams with fast pace, and we didn't match it. Offensively a couple of times we needed to convert and put ourselves back in the game. We couldn't. That was a big fourth-and-1 we didn't get (on the opening drive of the third quarter). When we get behind, we just don't have the type of offense that can score points quickly.

"So we didn't coach real well and we didn't play real well."

Justin McMillan struggled as a passer. What did you see?

"As I've said many times before, it's a combination of a lot of things. When the quarterback doesn't have a great game, sometimes it might be the quarterback and sometimes the routes we're running aren't exactly the depth they were supposed to be run at and we didn't have great protection, whatever the case me be. You have to go back and look at it to really be able to give an honest assessment."

You'd faced up tempo offenses in some other games this year. Was it something about Houston?

"They did a nice job of getting the play in there and ran the ball effectively. I thought they were going to have a tough time running the ball on us. We knew they were going to do it with their quarterback, but not the conventional one-back running plays."

You still have a chance to go to a bowl game. What do you tell the team?

"We've gotta regroup. We just have to regroup. We have to learn from this, we have to put it aside, flush it down the toilet and go on to the next game. It's a part of football and a part of life. When you get adversity, you have to fight through it, improve yourself and learn from your mistakes."

There were a couple of crucial penalties that cost you more points in the first half. How frustrating was that?

"It was disappointing. We've talked about that many times. We've got some young guys playing for us, but they are not young anymore. We're quite a few games into the season. We've played 11 games. Believe me, we don't coach it. We preach the heck out of it, but sometimes you get out there in the moment and don't make the proper decision. We've got to do a better job of that."

The sequence where you were trading scores early, did you feel you had the offense to compete?

"Yeah, we had the big pass play to Terren (Encalade), but after that we just didn't match very well. We had some minus plays that hurt us."

Was Cam Sample close to playing?

"He went out there and warmed up and we just didn't think he was quite ready to go."

D'Eriq King got carted off at halftime, but what did he do in the first half?

"He's an awesome quarterback. He can beat you with his feet, his arm and he's smart. He doesn't have many minus plays. He's a really dynamic quarterback."

How disappointed were you with the tackling and not just on KIng?

"It was disappointing. We tackled really poorly. We didn't play with the physicality we needed to."

What's the reason for the poor tackling?

"We were going against some pretty good players, number one. And number two, you have to have the mindset. You can usually tell that first series or two the way the guys tackle how you're going to play defensively. We do a good job of working on it like crazy, and tonight we didn't do a good job at all. There were a lot of one-on-one situations. Obviously those are more difficult tackles, but we've made our share of those this season."

BRADWELL

What did you feel like you were doing well early when you stayed close?

"Just running the ball downhill, finish our blocks and everything. At the beginning of the game that's what we were doing."

Did that change?

"Just turnovers. We can't turn over the ball. We're not that good of a team to turn over the ball. We have to take care of the ball."

Fritz said you are the type of offense, when you fall behind it's tough for you to come back and start quickly.

"Yeah, our offense has to start off fast. When we got behind, we didn't start off fast and make good blocks and everything."

How tough was halftime? You didn't expect to be down 31-9.

"I don't think it was tough. Things just didn't go our way this game, and when it didn't go our way, some people got their heads down and everything. The emphasis for the rest of the week is just keep pushing. We have one more game."

That game is for a bowl. How hard or how easy will it be to flush this one?

"It's hard, but you have to. You can't stay in the past. You have to keep move forward. We've got one more game. We've got another opportunity to reach our goal. Obviously we didn't reach our goal to play in the conference championship, but we still can keep a bowl game. We just have to regroup and know that our goal is still ahead of us to play in a bowl game."

When you were 2-5, you won three in a row. Is there anything to draw on from that experience?

"We've got a bunch of fighters on this team, so that's our mentality. It's crazy that we are in the same predicament we were in last year going down to the last game. Since we've been in this position before, we know what to do. We've got to execute and have confidence in what we're doing."

What did the defense do to stop you in the passing game?

"They just played hard. Jumping off the ball. We made some wrong reads, but they were just playing hard. They were fighting for the same thing we were fighting for."

The tipped interception could have gone either way.

"It could have gone any way. It could have hit the ground. Plenty of times this year a ball got tipped and one of our guys caught it. We just have to regroup, get back to the fundamentals of what got us in this position in the first place, compete for the bowl game. If we do that, we can still accomplish our goals."

What was the message from coach Fritz after the game?

"Stay together. Pull together. We have a couple of days to regroup, get healed up and everything since this was a short week. Just stay together and be a winner. No matter what the score is on that board, you can be a winner every day of your life. He does a great job teaching us to be a winner on the field and off the field. That's what we got to do--be a team, love each other and love this game, and if we do that, we'll have good results."

Getting it up early since the Tulane game is Thursday. As always, the Tulane game counts double, home teams are listed first, neutral games are designated and the point spreads come from VegasInsider.com consensus:

Houston (-10.5) Tulane
SMU (+8.5) Memphis
UCF (-7.5) Cincinnati
Notre Dame (-9) Syracuse (Yankee Stadium)
Texas A&M (-16) UAB
Texas (-3) Iowa State
Wake Forest (+4.5) Pittsburgh
Tennessee (+6) Missouri

It's kind of strange that before Tulane's biggest football game in 20 years, I did not see one second of practice. The Green Wave worked out at the Superdome today because the Saints indoor facility was unavailable--an outdoor practice would have been useless in this weather--and I couldn't make it.

In a game of this magnitude, I doubt I would have been authorized to give an injury status of Cam Sample and Terren Encalade anyway, but then we made matters worse by collectively (as reporters) forgetting to ask about them at Willie Fritz's presser. Like almost all coaches these days, he is circumspect about giving out injury info, but someone still should have asked. I forgot we would not have access tomorrow since it is a travel day and we never have access the day before the game.

They brought John Leglue, Donnie Lewis and Justin McMillan to the interview room. Lewis in particular was very candid about the importance of this game. You can see it in his eyes how much this will be a legacy game for him. The seniors have talked about changing the culture since Fritz arrived, and they know winning the AAC West would be a fantastic last impression.

I think Tulane is going to beat Houston. Maybe D'Eriq King and the playmakers around him will come out and put up too many points, but the way both teams are playing and the way Houston cannot stop the run, I like this matchup for the Wave and I like the look in these players. We'll see in two nights.

LEGLUE

How do you make sure not to get too pumped up going into the biggest game any of you have played in at Tulane?

"We prepare every week the same. Each game's important. Each game you need that one win to get close to the bowl game and a conference championship, so we came in this week preparing like we do every week."

What do you do to try to contain Ed Oliver if he plays?

"He's a great player. The way coach (Alex) Atkins and coach (Mack) Helms and coach (Doug) Ruse teach everything, you've just got to execute the plan. However they draw up the play, we've just got to execute and get the job done."

Have you seen many players that look as good as him?

"I've played against him the last two years and he's a great player. Each team has a few guys that are really good. Ed's one of them and Houston has a lot of other good guys, too. East Carolina is good on defense as well. You just have to prepare each week for each game and have the right mindset going out there."

If he plays, do you double-team him or what do you do?

"We won't adjust the scheme specifically for one player. If the play calls for a double team, we'll make it happen, but we have confidence in all of our players. He's a great player and everybody knows that. It's more on scheme opposed to just double-teaming him. Whatever coach Ruse dials up, we are going to try to execute the play."

You had run for more than 300 yards in two straight games before ECU held you in check in that department. Do you feel confident you can get back to what you were doing before?

"Without a doubt. It was great what the receivers did for us last week. It was complementary football. If they are stopping the run, then we have to pass the ball and Justin McMillan and all the receivers have done a great job. I feel like each week we have the same mindset to go out there and establish the run. That's what we're looking forward to do."

Were you impressed with the way the offense got the passing game going when ECU slowed down the run?

"During the practice that week we were ready for whatever they could throw at us, and they played similar to what they did last year, so we just continued to do the same thing and executed what we'd done in practice. The way the offensive coaches teach everything, it's very easy to adjust on the fly."

You were 2-5 three weeks ago. What do you attribute to being able to get back to the position where you are now?

"We were one play away from the other games previously, so we're finally finishing and coming out early and everybody has the same mindset to go out each week and give it their all. The coaches have been putting us in position to get the job done."

How important is it to reach this benchmark of becoming bowl eligible?

"For sure, without a doubt. All the seniors, a lot of them have been here for five years, and our whole goal this year has been making a bowl game and compete for a conference championship game. We put ourselves in this position and we look forward to going and play Thursday and do what we can in our power to control everything."

Does the short week physically make any difference or is it a non-issue?

"It's really not that big of an issue. Everybody came out with the right mindset. We came out to work Sunday and Monday and today we had a great practice. I just look forward to playing on Saturday, I mean Thursday."

What is the key to winning a week like this?

"Just to fully buy into everything the coaches are telling you. Everybody's getting enough rest and taking care of their bodies so we can be fresh for Thursday."

Other than you, the starting offensive linemen have only been here for two years. How has it been able to get to this point?

"We're a really tight-knit group. Everybody's bought in to having each other's back. They can call me any time if they ever need anything and I feel the same way. It's a brotherhood. We've got everybody's back."

How much more equipped do you feel like you guys are to keep up if you get into a shootout?

"We don't expect that. Our defense has been playing well. They have a great test ahead of them this week. The quarterback from Houston is a great player and their offense is really good. If it is that situation, we're ready for the battle."

(I WILL GET THE OTHER TWO GUYS UP AFTER DOING SOME RADIO INTERVIEWS)

Most of us were clustered together with four or five points, although winwave stretches his lead at the top as one of the two people with six points. The LSU-Arkansas game was decided when the LSU RB went on his own and fell down on purpose to avoid scoring twice in the final minute before being stopped legitimately from the 1 on the final play. Strange.

sscald did not hit the post button, but we get to drop our lowest score, so he is still in the running.

WEEK 10 RESULTS

6

winwave
Golfer81

5

LSU Law Greenie
charlamange8
Kettrade1
Guerry
WaveON

4

mono41
paliii
wavetime
DrBox
highwave
GretnaGreen
chigoyboy
St Amant Wave

3

diverdo


OVERALL STANDINGS

54

winwave

48

mono41
GretnaGreen
paliii

47

sscald (missed 1 week)
WaveON
Guerry

46

LSU Law Greenie

45

Kettrade1

43

Wavetime (missed 1 week)

42

Golfer81
highwave

41

diverdo
charlamange8

40

chigoyboy

39

St Amant Wave

31

DrBox (missed 1 week)


GAME BY GAME RESULTS

ECU 4 of 16
Temple 11
South Florida 5
Ohio State 16
Georgia 13
South Carolina 3
Arkansas 4
Texas 12

Tulane has two players on official visits this weekend.

One of them is Jalen McCleskey (5-10, 170), DB coach J.J. McCleskey's son, who left Oklahoma State after four games this year with 167 career catches for 1,865 yards and 17 TDs. He will be a graduate transfer, and you have to like the odds of Tulane getting him with his dad on the staff.

The other is J'Coryan Anderson, a 6-3. 202-pound 2-star ILB from Fulton High in Knoxville, Tennessee with offers from at least nine G5 schools. He has good size that bodes well for his development.

Tulane commitments Colby Orgeron (no relation to Ed, but a relation to my mom's former physical therapist who kept giving her the scoop on his recruitment), Tyjae Spears, Kiland Harrison and Connor Richardson will on hand.

Somehow Harrison slipped past my attention when he committed in October. He is a 5-11, 165-pound WR from St. Joseph High in Madison, Miss. The story I just pulled up on him erroneously said he was from Kansas, which is strange. The same story had him running a 4.25 40 at Tulane's camp, which is hard to believe, but he definitely is very fast. He is in the Rivals database with zero stars. After whiffing on him, I will get more info on him in the coming week.

Here are the other players taking unofficial visits:

1) Jha'Quan Jackson, a 3-star, 5-10, 173-pound WR from Hahnville High who committed to SMU in June.

Comment: He also had an offer from West Virginia and Memphis.

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2) Tyrone Lewis, a 3-star, 5-10, 168-pound CB from Hammond who is rated the No. 34 overall prospect in Louisiana.

Comment: He has had offers from numerous P5 schools, including about half the SEC.

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3) Swayze Bozeman, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound safety from Copiah-Lincoln CC in Mississippi. He is the database but has no stars. According to the school's website, he leads the team with 91 tackles.

Comment: Tulane is recruiting him as an LB. Copiah-Lincoln is 6-4 this year. He has offers from USM and Rice among others.

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4) Martin Butcher, a 6-1, 190-pound QB from Newman in New Orleans. He is in the database but has no stars.

Comment: UAB is the other school that has offered him according to Rivals. He was named Metro Prep Player of the Week at the end of October after going 17 of 30 for 288 yards with five TDS against Assumption. Newman is 9-1 (the lone loss was to Country Day 35-31) and has scored at least 28 points in every game entering the state playoffs, where it is the No. 5 seed in Division III.

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5) Desmyn Baker, a 6-2, 220-pound TE from Clinton, Miss.

Comment: He is not in the Rivals database but 247Sports has him. No offers yet from FBS schools.

6) Markel Cotton, a 6-2, 190-pound ATH from Pine High in Franklinton.

Comment: He is committed to McNeese State but is not in the Rivals or 247Sports database.

https://ww.hudl.com/profile/6455430/Markel-Cotton

There also will be three players from Catholic High in Baton Rouge who are being looked at as preferred walk-ons: 6-0, 170-pound safety Jonathan Mestayer (who is in the Rivals database) and DE Elijah Reames and QB Cameron Dartez (who aren't).

Here are the 2020 recruits who will be at the game:

Patrick Jenkins, DT, John Ehret (3 stars, 6-2, 270; offers from Ole Miss and Colorado)
Khi Matheiu, safety, St. Aug (3 stars, 5-1. 165; offers from La Tech and USM)

Josh Remetich, OL, Holy Cross (in database)
Corey Smooth, DB, Rummel
Quinton Cage, DB, Rummel
Donovan Kaufman, DB, Rummel
Edgerin Cooper, LB, Covington (in database)
Jarmone Sutherland, WR, Newman (in database)
Taylor Thompson, WR, Prattville, Ala. (in database)
Jett Duncan, OL, Woodlands, TX
Miles Stewart, RB, Lusher
Israel Whitmore, LB, Choctaw County High (Miss).

I haven't posted this the last two weeks, but here's the latest AAC Power Poll.

First, my votes

1) UCF
2) Cincinnati
3) Temple
4) Houston
5) Tulane
6) SMU
7) Memphis
8) South Florida
9) East Carolina
10) Tulsa
11) Navy
12) UConn

Entering this week, SMU, Houston and Tulane are in a three-way tie in the West at 4-2, with Memphis one game back at 3-3. Houston and Tulane meet Thursday night, while SMU and Memphis play Friday.

On Saturday, unbeaten Central Florida and Cincinnati meet to determine the East winner.

Here is how the league stacks up, according to power rankings compiled by reporters from every conference school, heading into Week 12:

1. UCF

Previous ranking: 1 | Points: 144

Record:9-0 (6-0 AAC)

Last week: defeated Navy, 35-24

This week: vs. Cincinnati

Trajectory: Steady. Quarterback McKenzie Milton was an efficient 17-of-21 for 200 yards and two touchdowns while former walk-on Greg McCrae rushed for a team-high 101 yards and a score as UCF extended its streak of 22 straight games with a win, the longest streak in the nation.

Did you know? McKenzie Milton’s 62 yards rushing against the Midshipmen helped him supplant former Knights great Daunte Culpepper as the school’s all-time leading rushing quarterback with 1,056 career yards.

- Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

2) Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 2 | Points: 129

Record: 9-1 (5-1 AAC)

Last week: defeated USF, 35-23

This week: at UCF

Trajectory: Surging. RB Michael Warren II Warren set the single-season UC record for touchdowns (18), including four touchdowns in the win over USF. The Bearcats defense held USF rushers to 81 yards on 29 carries. UC carries a three-game win streak into its showdown at UCF this week.

Did you know? Warren broke the season TD record shared by former UC running backs DeMarco McCleskey (2002) and David Small (1993), who both scored 17 times in a season.

- Tom Groeschen, Cincinnati Enquirer

3) Temple

Previous ranking: 4 | Points: 112

Record: 6-4, (5-1 AAC)

Last week: defeated Houston, 59-49.

This week: vs. USF

Trajectory: Surging. The Owls are now bowl eligible and trail UCF by one game in the East standings. Ryquell Armstead was AAC offensive player of the week after rushing for 210 yards and six touchdowns on 30 carries against Houston. The Owls played without their best offensive lineman, center Matt Hennessy, who was out with injury.

Did you know? Temple is now bowl eligible for the fifth straight year, although the first year, 2014, the Owls went 6-6 but didn’t receiver a bowl bid.

--Marc Narducci, Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News

4) SMU

Previous ranking: 5 | Points: 92

Record: 5-5 (4-2 AAC)

Last week: defeated UConn, 62-50.

This week: vs. Memphis

Trajectory: Surging. After 0-3 start, SMU is at .500 for the first time this season and one win away from becoming bowl eligible in coach Sonny Dykes’ first season. The Mustangs are also in a three-way tie for first place in the AAC West with Houston and Tulane. The offense has produced 107 points and 1,008 yards during a two-game winning streak.

Did you know? In the last two games, wins over Houston and Connecticut, QB Ben Hicks has completed 65 percent of his passes for 594 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions.

--Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

5) Houston

Previous ranking: 3 | Points: 89

Record: 7-3 (4-2 AAC)

Last week: lost to Temple, 59-49

This week: vs. Tulane (Thursday)

Trajectory: Skidding. A once two-game division lead has vanished, as the Cougars face a must-win against Tulane to stay in the AAC West race. Defensively, the Cougars are on pace for one of the worst seasons in program history, leaving open the possibility that a change could be coming at coordinator at the end of the season. No area has been hit harder by injuries than the defensive line, which has already lost Isaiah Chambers and Jerard Carter for the season, and faces the uncertainty whether All-America tackle Ed Oliver has played his final college game.

Did you know? With at least three games remaining,QB D’Eriq King has set the AAC single-season record for touchdowns responsible for with 48.

--Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

6) USF

Previous ranking: 6 | Points: 73

Record:7-3 (3-3 AAC)

Last week: lost to Cincinnati, 35-23

This week: at Temple

Trajectory: Skidding. The Bulls, mired in their first three-game losing streak since 2015, head to frigid Philadelphia with an uncertain quarterback situation. Starter Blake Barnett (shoulder soreness) missed the Cincinnati game; whether he returns this week is anyone's guess. In his place, third-year sophomore Chris Oladokun (10-for-22, 165 yards, two TDs) and fourth-year junior Brett Kean (4-for-10, 67 yards, one TD) were steady if not spectacular.

Did you know? The loss at Cincy formally eliminated USF from East Division contention, marking the earliest they have been bounced from the race since 2014.

- Joey Knight, Tampa Bay Times

7) Tulane

Previous ranking: 7 | Points: 70

Record: 5-5 (4-2 AAC)

Last week: defeated East Carolina, 24-18

This week: at Houston (Thursday)

Trajectory: Surging. Tulane set up the biggest game for the program in 20 years, limiting ECU QB Holton Ahlers to 21 of 67 completions with an NCAA-record 20 pass break-ups (the stat started being kept in 2000). If it wins at defensively challenged Houston on Thursday and SMU loses to Memphis on Friday, Tulane will have sole possession of first place in the AAC West.

Did you know? The five teams that beat Tulane (Wake Forest, UAB, Ohio State, Cincinnati, SMU) have a composite record of 37-13.

--Guerry Smith, The New Orleans Advocate

8) Memphis

Previous ranking: 8 | Points: 61

Record: 6-4 (3-3 AAC)

Last week: defeated Tulsa, 47-21

This week: at SMU

Trajectory: Steady. Memphis’ defense shut out Tulsa in the first half and finished with season highs in tackles for loss (11) and sacks (five). Darrell Henderson added another strong running day (166 yards, 2 TDs) and the Tigers remain in the hunt for the AAC West title with two games left.

Did you know? John “Pop” Williams’ 72-yard punt return TD against Tulsa was Memphis’ first punt return TD since 2015.

--Evan Barnes, The Commercial Appeal

9) Navy

Previous ranking: 9 | Points: 39

Record: 2-8 (1-5 AAC)

Last week: lost to UCF, 35-24

This week: vs. Tulsa

Trajectory: Skidding. Navy now has its longest losing streak since 2002, a dismal year that concluded with a 2-10 record. There was a silver lining on Saturday as quarterback Zach Abey directed three touchdown drives in the second half with the triple-option looking the way it is supposed to for the first time all season. The Midshipmen hope to snap their skid when they host Tulsa on Senior Day at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.

Did you know? Navy has won 15 consecutive games on Senior Day. The Midshipmen have not sent the seniors out with a loss since 2002.

--Bill Wagner, Baltimore Sun Media Group

10) Tulsa

Previous ranking: 10 | Points: 36

Record: 2-8 (1-5 AAC)

Last week: lost to Memphis, 47-21

This week: at Navy

Trajectory: Skidding. After a potential breakthrough performance against UConn the previous week, the Hurricane took a giant step backward with Saturday's dismal defeat at Memphis. Tulsa was bad on both sides of the ball, recording a season-low 252 yards while allowing a season-high 499 yards.

Did you know? Tulsa has dropped 11 consecutive road games dating to the 2016 season.

--Kelly Hines, Tulsa World

11) East Carolina

Previous ranking: 11 | Points: 25

Record: 2-7 (0-6 AAC)

Last week: lost to Tulane, 24-18

This week: vs. Connecticut

Trajectory: Skidding. ECU’s latest loss was significant in that in knocked the Pirates out of bowl consideration and ensured a fourth straight losing season. Freshman quarterback Holton Ahlers continues to be a bright spot, but wins are lacking for the Pirates and third-year coach Scottie Montgomery.

Did you know? Ahlers has led the Pirates in rushing in seven straight games.

- Ronnie Woodward, Greenville (N.C.) Daily Reflector

12) Connecticut

Previous ranking: 12 | Points: 12

Record: 1-9 (0-6 AAC)

Last week: lost to SMU, 62-50

This week: at East Carolina

Trajectory: Steady. UConn's offense submitted maybe its best performance of the year against SMU, gaining 583 total yards, including 368 on the ground. Alas, the defense faltered for the Huskies again, leaving Randy Edsall's team only two more chances to pick up a second win.

Did you know? Quarterback David Pindell leads all FBS quarterbacks (and ranks ninth among all players) in rushing yards.

- Alex Putterman, Hartford Courant

I did some research last night to find out how road teams fare with short rest in AAC games, the situation Tulane faces entering its monumental clash with Houston on Thursday night.

I only checked games when both teams had the same rest, playing Saturday games the week before and then Thursday. Just because I felt like it, I also checked teams that had six days in between games to get a larger sample size.

The news is better than I expected for Tulane. Since the Green Wave joined the AAC in 2014, there have been nine Thursday games between teams that also played the previous Saturday. The home team is 5-4 in those games.

1) 2018: Temple (home) 31, Tulsa 17 (Temple was favored by 7.5)

Comment: Temple is at least two TDs better than Tulsa anyway, so it does not appear like the short rest for the road team made a difference.

2) 2017: Memphis 42, Houston (home) 38

Comment: Houston was a 2-point favorite and lost, so again, no advantage for the home team.

3) 2016: Houston 40, Cincinnati (home) 16 (Houston was favored by 7)

Comment: Cincinnati actually was winning at the start of the fourth quarter. I remember the game well because I had fallen hard for Houston as a legitimate playoff contender after it beat Oklahoma in its opener, and I defended the Cougars against critics who dismissed them for struggling for three quarters against Cincy. I was wrong. The more I watched Houston that year, the more I realized that team was nothing special with an offensive scheme under Tom Herman I did not like. They ended up losing three AAC games. But I digress. For the purposes of this post, it was the home team that wilted late rather than the road team.

4) 2016: Navy 66, East Carolina (home) 31 (Navy was favored by 8)

Comment: Once again, the road team had no issues. The oddsmakers still had not come to grips with how bad ECU was. This was a mismatch. Navy would have won on 4 days rest if ECU had had two weeks to prepare.

5) 2016: Memphis (home) 34, Temple 27 (Memphis was favored by 10)

Comment: Again, the road team covered, although Temple turned out to be better than Memphis and ended up winning the AAC. That was the only conference game the Middies lost.

6) 2016: Houston (home) 42, UConn 14 (Houston was favored by 28)

Comment: Nothing to see here. Another mismatch that played out just as expected.

7) 2015: Memphis (home) 53, Cincinnati 46 (Memphis was favored by 7)

Comment: Again, the home team won by the exact amount it was supposed to win. Memphis turned out to be significantly better than Cincy that year.

8) 2015: Temple 24, ECU (home) 14 (ECU was favored by 3)

Comment: The Owls were a ranked underdog agains a team that finished with a losing record, and the Owls took care of business.

9) Houston (home) 48, SMU 28 (Houston was favored by 21)

Comment: The Cougars were really good that year and still failed to cover at home, by a point.

There were no Saturday to Thursday short-rest games in 2014, so the final tally is home teams 5, road teams 4. Against the spread, though, the home teams are 1-6-2, with the one victory the result of a dubious spread, so my intuitive thought that short rest benefits the home team clearly is not born out by the results.

For what it is worth, when AAC teams play each six days after their previous games, the home team is 17-13 straight up. Again, nothing special, but I have not broken it down by who was favored.

Houston has major, major trouble on a defense that is in disarray due to injuries and incompetence.

This from Houston Chronicle beat writer Joseph Duarte:

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sp...hite-must-find-way-to-bolster-13384160.php?ut

The Green Wave practiced at the Saints indoor facility again today because of anticipated bad weather that did not arrived until well after practice was done, and I did not make it out there.

I talked to Fritz, defensive coordinator Jack Curtis and linebackers Lawrence Graham and Zach Harris at the Wilson Center when they returned to campus. All of that material will get posted by tomorrow morning, but here is Fritz.

FRITZ

It's hard to hold teams under 20 points, and you've done it three straight games (Tulane is one of only five teams on that current streak, joining heady company with Michigan, Clemson, Georgia and California). How well is the defense playing?

"It's really playing well. We've really done a good of figuring out what our guys are good and each player sometimes, getting into different fronts and coverages based on down and distances and personnel groupings. Coach Curtis and the defensive staff have really got a good grasp of what we're doing now. They are doing an excellent job."

D'Eriq King had 141 yards on 10 carries against you last year (in a 20-17 Tulane win). What's the key to slowing that team down?

"Well, the big thing is we've got to do a nice job of competing on every pass play and do a good job with our rush lanes and play fast because they are going to go at an extremely fast pace. They are much faster than anybody we've played this year, so you have to get lined up, you have to know the call and you have to execute the call as quickly as possible. That's a big deal for us."

Where are most of King's rushing yards coming from this year--scrambles or designed runs?

"Both. He'll tuck it and go. If you don't have good rush lanes, he's going to take off, and they have designed runs for him that he's very good at. He's a dynamic player."

Do you feel equipped to slow him down?

"The big thing is you've got to play with leverage on him and not let him get out of the box. When he does, you have to use the leverage that you have and the sideline that you have to make it not a big play. When he crosses your face and breaks your leverage, it's a big play. You can't allow him to do that and you have to have a good team approach to tackling him."

Is Cam Sample going to play?

"I hope so. He did a little bit more today than he did yesterday. Thursday is a long ways away."

Their defense has a ton of injuries up front. How important will it be to control the clock in this game?

"We need to do that. We need to get our defense off the field and do a good job with the clock offensively, but we've got to also play our game and not be so concerned about slowing it down and doing something we haven't done all season. There's a time and place for changing tempos."

Have you ever had a game you won when the offense did not have more than three first downs on any drive before East Carolina?

"Well, we had some big plays, and you have to with how they were defending us. They were out-populating you, and that opens up some big-play opportunities in the pass game. We had a few of them and then we missed on a few of them, too. There were a few balls we'd like to have back and a few drops. You just never know what the script's going to be until you get out there and play."

This is the biggest game this program's had in a long time. How do you make sure these guys aren't too pumped up going into it?

"Oh, I think they know already. I don't need to tell them all that. We just put all of our focus on Houston and getting prepared for that in a short week. You have to be careful about overdoing it in a short week. You've got to be careful about trying to throw too many things in there that you haven't done. We'll have some wrinkles and they'll have some wrinkles, but by and large, that's a mistake if you do too much stuff."

Rod Teamer was named AAC Defensive Player of the Week. How valuable is he for you?

"He's a really good player. He's playing at an extremely high level. I think he's an All-Conference guy. We have that motto of recruit, retain, develop, and he has developed. Part of it's injuries. He's been banged up the first couple of years I was here, but he just is a real student of the game. If you watch him practice, he's locked in all the time. There's no funny business out there. He's enjoying himself and having fun, but you don't ever see him being silly. He's just really a student of the game, and it translates into his play. He deserves all the accolades that he's getting."

No doubt it wasn't the prettiest but we won. Beats the hell out of the alternative. Impressive performance by the D that went in without Sample and then lost Johnson but kept coming. Offense needs work but the receivers made big plays. ST's still has issues.

Houston is more than beatable. Nice set up.

After watching the targeting call against Johnson something occured to me about the penalty inforcement. I went the the NCAA guidlines and it says the penalty is 15 yards and DQ. for the player. It further states that if the foul occurs in the first half the player must sit out the second half. If the foul occurs in the second half the player must sit out the first half on the next game.
Here is where I see a problem with fairness. If the foul should occur on the first play of either half the penalty is twice as bad as if it occurs on the last play of either half. That is, first play ejection, and you miss an entire game. Last play, ejection, and you miss only half a game.
Would it not be more fair if you missed two quarters of either game(current game, or next game) from the time of the infraction.
Should this be something the NCAA should look at.

Since I'm the king of carelessness, having left stuff in the press box before, I know Tulane is one of the only places that does not block access to the press box when it is not in use. The baseball stadium was open for practice this morning, allowing me access to Yulman Stadium, where the wheelchair entrance allows you to get to the press box elevator, bypassing the locked doors.

My tape recorder was on the floor next to my seat.

DARNELL MOONEY

Did you know going into the game you were going to have some openings?

"I feel good every game. It's just the normal. I go and catch the ball. They just kept playing the same way. Leverage wise, they kept on playing to the side and giving me the inside route."

So when you saw how when they were playing, did you have an idea you would be open?

"The first one they didn't play too much inside, but I knew I was going to get open. The second one I had to set up a little bit and veer outside and then come back inside. They just kept giving it to me. Even when I didn't get that ball when we ran that play, they still gave it to me."

You won the last two games with a dominant running game and won today with long touchdown passes. What does that say about this team on a day.

"It just shows that we're good in every aspect of the game. Running wise, passing wise we're good at everything."

ROD TEAMER

The defense played a ton of downs today and had to keep going back out there and ended up with 20 pass breakups. What was the mindset?

"Coming into the game we knew there goal as an offense was to run a lot of plays and air it out. They've gotten a spark in the last couple of weeks starting with a true freshman quarterback, and he's come in making plays for them. We knew we were going to be on the field. We like games where we drive it out and let our offense kind of run the clock. But they get on the field and go tempo and we're out there, we have to get stops. And if our offense gets stopped, we have to go out and make another stop. We are a team."

The last couple of weeks you've had a strong running game. Did you know coming in today this was how it would be?

"Yeah, their last two games they put up 400 yards throwing the ball, so we knew that's what they were going to try to come out and do. Typically in those type of games, it prolongs the game, more stoppages of the clock and things like that, so we knew we were going to be out there regardless of if our offense got going or not. We went into with the mindset we have to play a full four quarters. We went to overtime with those guys last year. We knew they had a strong team."

You looked like you had a pretty good bead on what they were doing on most plays. Did you have a pretty good idea where they were throwing?

"Yeah, our coaches do a great job of giving us tips and reminders, and as the game goes on and teams start making tendencies and getting into their habits, we can figure out what they are going to do."

Before the last time you had to make a stop, you made a terrific play downing a punt at the 2 in the final minute. How big was that?

"It was very important. Obviously they only had one timeout or no timeouts, I'm not sure (they had none), but we wanted to make them go as long as we could down the field. On the play coach Fritz told me just try to get down there and down it if I could, and the punter (Zach Block) did a great job putting it right on me."

What about the job Donnie Lewis did for much of the night defending the league's leading receiver?

"Donnie is a great cornerback. He (Trevon Brown) is a great receiver. He's going to make his plays. Donnie is going to make his plays. We always knew we had to have amnesia. Great players make great plays, and we have to come back and stop them. That's one thing I commend Donnie on. Donnie had to follow him around a couple of times in the game, and he made some catches, but Donnie made some plays as well and he made more plays than (Brown)."

You are one win away from bowl eligibility and also are right there in the AAC West. What are your thoughts about your positioning with two games left?

"It's playoffs. We know what we've got to do. Every week we have to come out and fight. We don't look past anybody. We're not even really looking forward to the bowl game or the conference championship. We are looking forward to playing Houston on Thursday night. If we get that win and get the next win, that's going to put us where we want to get."

What did you think of the targeting call on Patrick Johnson?

"Obviously I haven't had a chance to really look a the penalty or anything like that. We have a lot of guys at that position who can make plays. Carlos Hatcher has sacks this year. Juan Monjarres has sacks this year as well, so we are going to miss Patrick, but those guys are going to step up. I'm confident in them."

How much better is the depth now? You didn't have Cam Sample and played without Patrick Johnson down the stretch and you were still getting tons of pressure.

"You just answered your own question. We were still getting our pass rush, so there isn't too much to talk about there. Juan and Carlos and the rest of the D-line come in and it's next man up."

There quarterback went 21 of 67. I don't think I've ever seen a QB complete that few passes when he throws that many times. How confident is this whole defense right now?

"Our confidence level is increasing with the wins obviously and playing solid football. It's no secret now weeks into the season. Everybody knows that we are going to play man and we are going to try to stop the run. That's our game plan. I've got to commend those young like Willie Langham and Chris Joyce. You saw those guys play significant reps tonight in man to man coverage, and it was 21 completions out of 67. I'm proud of those guys, obviously Donnie on the outside, Jaylon (Monroe) out there, P.J. (Hall) locking up. That's just what we expect of our secondary. We knew they were going to try to throw the ball all around the yard. We had to cover."

JUSTIN MCMILLAN

You had 12 completions for well over 300 yards. What were you seeing?

"I was seeing a lot of matchups. My hat's off to that man right here (Mooney). He's a guy I like throwing to right now. He helps me a lot. He gets open and he's just making my job easy. I can give half of my yards to him for him just making plays and getting the yards after the catch like that. I thank my receivers and my O-line. We had a game plan and it really speaks to how our O-line did. Their D-line is really good. We've seen it on film, and they showed today they are a really good D-line. That's what they pride themselves on. They said they were going to stop the run, so we had to beat them in the air. Darnell did a great job. If I have him one-on-one, I'm going to get him the ball as quick as I can and let him make plays."

Can you talk about the touchdown by Terren Encalade?

"Like I said, my receivers helped me out and my offensive line pretty much gave me a clean, easy job. All I had to do was get the ball in the air and get the ball to my playmakers. It hurt to have Terren go down, but players like Jorrien (Vallien) have to step up. He'll be a great receiver for us."

It seemed like they were so keyed up to stop the run, they left the receivers in one-on-one coverage most of the time.

"Coming after the USF game we had, I probably would have done the same thing. Force McMillan to pass, stop Dauphine and Bradwell and see how well we can do. We're versatile. You can't lock in on the pass or the run. With how dominant our running has been and us not passing much, it's all game plan. If they want to go man, zero coverage, we'll beat them in the air. If they want to go high safety shell with a lot of space and gaps, we are going to gash them. Our offense did a great job today."

As always, the Tulane game counts double, home teams are listed first and the point spreads come from VegasInsider.com consensus.

Tulane (-13.5) East Carolina
Houston (-4.5) Temple
Cincinnati (-13) South Florida
Michigan State (+3.5) Ohio State
Georgia (-14) Auburn
Florida (-6.5) South Carolina
Arkansas (+13.5) LSU
Texas Tech (+2) Texas

It appears I left one of my tape recorders in the press box because the one I used to tape Rod Teamer, Justin McMillan and Darnell Mooney did not make it back to the house. The one I taped Willie Fritz with did make it back.

I'll have to pick the other one up tomorrow morning, but here is Fritz.

"I told the team downstairs that it had been a while since Tulane's had an ugly victory. We didn't play real well. We made too many mistakes, made way too many penalties. We had some opportunities to really put this game away and we didn't do it. I was very impressed with our guys' effort. We played hard throughout the game. Defensively we gave up some yards now. The guy threw the ball 68 times (actually 67 from Holton Ahlers and one from a RB on a trick play that did not work) and they had a bunch of yards, but we got the stops when we needed to, so excellent effort by Darnell Mooney. It was outstanding, big catches. Justin McMillan did a super job showing poise throughout the game, and it is just a good win to have. We've been on the other side of some of these games, so we'll take this."

The way East Carolina stopped the run, you had to hit some big passing plays to give yourself a chance and you did. How key was that?

"Oh, it was huge. They really packed the box. They've got an excellent front four. We had a hard time moving them and getting creases and seams. They played a lot of man coverage out there, and we missed about three or four. We had a few drops as well that could have been some big plays. The big play by Terren Encalade, I was impressed that we were able to throw the ball effectively."

What does it say about your team to be able to win a game in this fashion after running the ball like you did the last two weeks?

"You don't know what the script's going to be. Every week it's a little bit different. Sometimes that's based on how they're playing you. They did a nice job. We knew they were going to pack the box. We were hoping we were going to be able to get some stuff going and get to that third level and get the backs to make some guys miss and hit some runs plays, but we weren't able to. They bottled us up pretty darn good. Getting a gain of 10, 11 or 12 was big for us tonight, so we needed to throw the ball and we did it pretty effectively."

How excruciating were the last five minutes?

"We'd like to just put it away and we just didn't. There was a play down there at the end that one of our guys was hurt and one of their guys was on the ground, and they called an injury timeout and the clock was going to run (negating an ECU timeout). We had another 20 seconds there we could have gotten off the clock. We need to manage the game better as coaches and players when we get down there toward the end of the game."

You're not going to have Patrick Johnson for the first half of the Houston game. What did you see on the play he was called for targeting?

"I kind of saw it on the Jumbotron, and I knew it was going to be a close call. Anything that's close, they are going to always call it. We talk all the time about hitting the armpits and below. If you're up around their head, they are going to call it."

You didn't have him and Cam Sample down the stretch and were still getting good pressure. How good is the depth on this team?

"It's a lot better than when I first got here certainly. We probably had 15 to 20 guys that played tonight. We had some guys that played their first game. Cam Carroll unfortunately got a roughing the punter. He didn't quite know what to do when he got back in there (overrunning the punter and missing what should have been an easy blocked kick before plowing into him). He had good effort on some other plays that he was in, and (freshman defensive back) Dorian Camel played. We have some guys that are playing that are brand new. Instead of making those first-game mistakes, unfortunately we're getting some mistakes from a few new guys late in the season because of the new rule with being able to keep guys redshirted until there's four games left. We have a lot more depth than we had a few years back, which paid dividends tonight."

Darnell Mooney said they were giving him the inside routes. Was that part of the game plan?

"We had a good idea coming into the game that that was going to be the case. He did a good job of getting on his releases to make himself open inside. A lot of it was RPO, run-pass option, and he was open on it and a good job of delivering the ball by Justin. We had a few other occasions we could have had some big plays also. There was a big slant we missed that went through our hands late in the game (by Jorrien Vallien) that would have sealed the game, too."

Was Encalade a wrist?

"I think it's a wrist. I'm not sure, though."

Quick turnaround to Houston.

"Yeah, real quick. It will be tomorrow watching tape and working on Houston. The thing we have to be careful of is not trying to do too much in a short week. We'll go every day, but Monday will more like a Tuesday and Tuesday will be more like a Wednesday and then Wednesday we'll do a little bit more than we normally do (on a Friday) but the last thing we want to do is have our guys go into the game tired."

You're one game away from a bowl game and also in position to win the West. It didn't look good when you were 2-5. How nice does it feel now?

"Well, it was a long battle back to get back to .500. As I've mentioned before, we played a really tough schedule. We played some really good teams. It also makes you battle tested when you get into games like this."

The sequence before the end of the half when Dauphine fumbled but they had a penalty on the field goal and didn't score, how much momentum did that give you going into halftime?

"A little bit. The same thing happened on the first field goal they made. Their should have been another holding on that one, so we pointed that out and they watched it on the next one and they did it again. We were fortunate to get the call. That was big. They weren't able to go in with three points."

How impressed have you been with your defense being able to hold tough?

"We've gotten better. We're bending but we're not breaking. Holding people to 18 points and last week to 15 points, that's hard to do in this day and age with explosive offenses, so we're doing a good job."

I hope the haters enjoy the winning streak. See you at the bowl game.

Former Tulane star Jerald Honeycutt was at the Hertz Center today to talk as Tulane prepares to play Florida State on Sunday. Honeycutt won an ESPY for his miraculous, game-winning, buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the Superdome against the Seminoles in 1995 when he caught up to a loose ball near the sideline and baseline in the final seconds, did a 180, squaring up in midair as he spun around and swished the shot.

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Honeycutt, the first Parade All-America to sign with Tulane, led the Wave to its last NCAA tournament appearance as a sophomore in 1995 and NIT appearances in his other three years, including a third-place finish when Tulane reached Madison Square Garden in 1996. He holds the school record for points (2,209), free throws made (434), free throws attempted (646) and assists (419) and ranks second in 3-pointers made (193). He was first-team All-Conference selection three times and was inducted into the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013. He was taken No. 38 overall in the NBA draft in 1997 by the Milwaukee Bucks, playing two seasons.

What brings you back here this week?

"I come down here a lot. My brother lives down here and then when they told me we were playing Florida State, It's obvious you've got to be back for that. That's pretty much it."

That was something memorable you did against Florida State, wasn't it?

"I'll never forget it. It was one of those things I was talking about earlier where as long as it's not constantly on your mind, it's fine, but the minute this video comes on and I see Corey Childs coming up that sideline, it's like a time machine taking you back to that moment in the Superdome. It's definitely special."

What do you remember the most about that shot?

"It's funny because we used to have this thing where we would drag our toes a lot for momentum like if we were running suicides. It was kind of a way to throw your weight while stopping without completely stopping. When I first turned and shot it, it was like, ugh, but as it got medium flight, I was like, oh, you could see on my toes it was close, and when I hit it, it went crazy. I didn't know whether to run off the floor, grab my teammates, grab my coach. My high school coach always had a rule that if you hit a shot at the buzzer, go to the locker room. If you notice, I was saying let's go home, it's time to go. That was an awesome feeling, man, even after 20-something years."

What do you remember about the crowd reaction?

"It was just one of those games that if you watched the entire game, for the last two minutes it was one of those you loved to watch moreso than you liked to play in. Whenever you thought you had a big shot on one side, somebody came and hit a big shot on the other side. One team maybe got a little breathing room, the other team goes on a run, so it was one of those games that had to come down to a buzzer-beating shot."

How many times do you think you've told this story about the shot?

"Really it takes someone to bring it up because that's over two decades ago. It's not good for a 40-plus year old to be walking around talking about something he did 20 years ago, but at the same time when fans on Facebook or somebody affiliated with the team and athletics back then brings it up, it really helps you appreciate that the fans appreciate you also. It's not something that you thin about every day until somebody that was there that you haven't seen in so long, then that's the memory they have of it. It's something special."

Talk about the guys you came in with who stayed together for four years. You made some lifelong friends here.

"Oh my goodness. I can go further than that with Anthony Reed and Antonio Jackson and Kim Lewis. That's the one thing about being four freshmen coming in. Those guys had actually paved the way coming from the (self-imposed) death penalty, so they set the standard. Even though we had some postseason play and some postseason success, we still are known more for what those guys did before us, but as far as the relationship with the four freshmen I came in with or the guys we had to kind of bring along afterward, it's always something special in sports. I tell parents all the time there's nothing like the bond you will have between players and also coaches when it comes to athletics. Coach (Perry) Clark and I talked a lot more before (Clark went to) South Carolina (as an assistant), but coach Smith and I probably talk two to three times a day. If I see coach (Ron) Everhart) or coach Roc (Steve Roccaforte) somewhere, we are going to sit there and talk for hours because it is so easy to go back to that moment in time.

"Those guys know things you probably didn't ever know then. I came here as an 18-year old kid, I had a lot of responsibility. I had two children while I was here. A lot of people that knew Jerald Honeycutt here would be surprised at the Jerald Honeycutt talking now because life happens. But at the time it's tough to tell an 18-year old from Grambling, Louisiana, who was a McDonald's All-American, which never had been done, how things should be done. But when you look back on it as a junior and senior and you lose time thinking your way is the only way and you look back at the special moments. Now all of them weren't (special), but we had moments where we upset top 10 teams and we broke records that will last for a long time. It's just something special."

Auburn got dominated by Texas A&M, which has specialized in doubling opponents' yardage totals but still losing or coming close to losing, and the Aggies did it again. Those of us who had Auburn to cover 4 points got lucky when the Tigers scored two late TDs to push. Normally that would be worth a half-point for both sides, but I'm going to count that as zero for everyone because it will make no difference in the final standings. No one who did not enter last week has any chance of finishing at the top of the standings.

WEEK 9 RESULTS

7

winwave
Guerry

6

LSU Law Greenie
paliii

5

mono41
charlmange8
Kettrade1
Wavetime
DrBox
GretnaGreen
WaveON

4

diverdo
highwave
sscald

3

Golfer81
chigoyboy

2

St Amant Wave


OVERALL STANDINGS

48

winwave

47

sscald

44

mono41
GretnaGreen
paliii

42

WaveON
Guerry

41

LSU Law Greenie

40

Kettrade1

39

Wavetime (missed 1 week)

38

highwave
diverdo

36

Golfer81
chigoyboy
charlamange8

35

St Amant Wave

27

DrBox (missed 1 week)
MNAlum (missed 2 weeks)


WEEK 9 GAME-BY-GAME RESULTS

Tulane 14 of 17
Alabama 11
Georgia 9
Michigan 7
Notre Dame 11
West Virginia 12
Auburn/Texas A&M 9/8
SMU 3

Tulane's weather advisor guessed wrong Tuesday night, so the Green Wave practiced at the Saints indoor facility Wednesday morning on what turned out to a be nice day at Yulman Stadium. I did not see the practice, conducting interviews at the Wilson Center when the team returned, but Willie Fritz said Cam Sample did not participate today. They hope he can return tomorrow.

Tulane's offensive line has put together its best back-to-back games in years. The credit for that uptick can go in a lot of directions--quarterback Justin McMillan for making the right reads, a new policy of having the offensive line, running backs and tight ends meet together to improve accountability rather than meet separately and the improved play at tackle with a healthy Noah Fisher and surprisingly effective redshirt freshman Joey Claybrook. While McMillan is a definite factor, I discount the meeting-as-a-group stuff even though a few players swear by it. To me, the biggest difference is Fisher and Claybrook.
'
I talked to both of them this week along with Dominique Briggs and OL/running game coach Alex Atkins.

FISHER

You're healthy now and have played very well the last two weeks. How much better do you feel than earlier in the season?

"I feel much better than I did at the beginning of the year. Taking the week off (he did not play against Cincinnati), I really needed it, and now I can contribute to the team."

What happened to your ankle in the preseason?

"I've always had ankle problems, and it just kept getting worse and worse, so I needed to just stop and get healthy so I can play my role on the team."

How tough was it to lose your starting job after the first four games?

"It wasn't tough at all. I'm a team guy. I love helping my teammates any way I can. I have a lot of experience, so it was just a different role at that time. Now it's my turn to go out there and play. It wasn't really tough. It was actually good seeing the younger guy (Tyler Johnson) go out there and really play well."

The last two games you guys have rushed for more than 300 yards. How much are you rolling with the run game right now?

"I feel like our run game is going really well. These last couple of weeks we've come out and really as a group up front have been focusing on it, and it's been paying off."

What can you say about Corey Dauphine?

"Man, it's great blocking for him. We know that if we give him any kind of daylight and a crease, that he's going to make something of it even if there's somebody in the way. We've all seen him run through people. He's a great player and it's great blocking for him."

Darius Bradwell is having a huge year, too.

"He's the same way. Having multiple running backs that can do that keeps the running game strong. We're not losing any production when we rotate. Its great."

On the second touchdown run Corey Dauphine had against USF, you got to the linebacker to make a big block. Can you talk about that?

"Oh yeah, I was just on the back side of the zone and we did a great job pressing the run. I got to the linebacker and just pinned him. Everybody on that play made great blocks, and mine just happened to be the one that was next to the ball."

How confident is this team right now?

"We are extremely confident, but we know that each week we have to continue to put in the work. Like I said, we went 2-5, so we know nothing is guaranteed. We just have to keep building and we know we can reach our goal."

You came here for one season as a grad transfer. How comfortable do you feel now?

"I feel really comfortable now. Compared to the beginning of the season, I'm starting another system and have gotten more comfortable than I was. It was just a little different, the way we run our plays than what I'd been used to, so it took me a while to watch film and train my eyes to see how we wanted to play. About week 3 in the season was when I really started to get a feel for it because practice is a lot different than the game. The games are a lot faster."

JOEY CLAYBROOK

You came in for the third series of the Tulsa game at right tackle and it coincided with the running game really picking up. How would you assess the way you've played the last two games?

"I've played all right. There's definitely things I need to work on every single day. Our tackles really pride ourselves on making each other better and trying to help each other the best we can while we're in there. Keyshawn (McLeod, whom he displaced) helps me so much coming over and telling me what we need to fix, and I help him. It helps us a lot."

What is your best strength?

"I'd say my best strength is my pulls. I really take pride in pulling as best I can."

How much a part of this offense is the linemen getting out and pulling?

"It's a big part. With the guards and tackles, coach makes a big emphasis if we can get around, we can always have a play. We really make sure we get around and just give the backs something to work with."

You had not played much up until the Tulsa game. Did you feel like you were close or was it a surprise when they inserted you?

"It was somewhat of a surprise, but coach really makes an emphasis on all of us being ready, and I've made sure I was ready each and every week, and it really helped me out once I got in there."

How much fun is it when the team rushes for more than 300 yards as an offensive lineman?

"It's so much fun. I love it. I hope we do it every game."

Darius Bradwell mentioned the running backs, tights and linemen are meeting more together rather than just in position groups. What impact has that had?

"That's really helped us a lot I feel like because it brings everybody together to hold each other accountable with each and every position group and helps us really know what each one of us are doing. It really helps us in the run game with knowing what the tight end's job is and where the back's running and how they're reading us and where we need to take our blocks and all that. It makes our job a lot easier. Those backs are really doing a good job reading our blocks."

You need two more wins to get to a bowl game and are still in the running for the AAC West title. How do you make sure to come out with same intensity on Saturday as you did the past two weeks?

"We really need to just focus in on us and really make sure we can critique ourselves as best as possible and stay focused and not get complacent. We are really taking pride in fixing every mistake that we've made and getting better each and every day."

What do you like about coach Atkins?

"He's really helped me with my technique. Coming out of high school I didn't have much technique at all and he's helped me so much with that. I like the energy that he has every day. He's really honest to get better every single day and he really helps us with each mistake."

Did you feel like you needed to redshirt last year?

"For sure. It's totally different from high school. It's definitely a mindset out there, but if you don't have the strength and the weight to play in the trenches like that, it's a completely different game."

DOMINIQUE BRIGGS

What has clicked for the offensive line the last couple of weeks?

"I just feel like we honestly got in our groove. These last couple of weeks we've been putting in a lot of work. Like Darius said earlier in the week, we've been meeting together as a unit and not just one specific O-line position but the whole entire offense and I really feel like it's helped us keep each other accountable. That's been big for us, just really bringing the continuity together on the team."

How is it helping specifically?

"Honestly the running backs are just seeing exactly where the holes are. Not to say they weren't before, but with us being together they actually see which way we are positioned and which way the creases will go. I feel like that's big honestly. That's really been the big improvement."

Joey Claybrook has played well the last two weeks after basically not playing at all before then. How impressed have you been?

"Joey's a baby. We weren't expecting Joey to do all that, but I know he's worked hard. During the offseason me and Joey put in the extra work together after practice. He's really taken the initiiative to step up in that role. He's practicing his technique and really playing hard every day."

How much has he improved since last year?

"From last year it's night and day basically. Joey's bigger, stronger, faster, more technically sound. He's a way better player than he was last year."

How about Justin McMillan?

"Justin's a great quarterback. He's a great guy. We love him as an offensive line. I feel like he's making all the right reads and doing all the right things for us to be successful, so I feel like he's doing his best job."

Is there anything more fun for an offensive lineman than having a team run for more than 300 yards in back-to-back weeks?

"Man, it's the best thing ever. I can't imagine anything better. Every game as a offensive line you set out to rush for more than 300 yards. That's just the standard, the pinnacle, the highest level of football when you can actually just physically dominate a person and put the ball on the ground and rush for 340 yards."

How much of a difference can you sense in Noah Fisher now that he's healthy?

"Noah's been in the training room a lot. He's been hurt all this year, but he's actually getting better and he's getting healthy and you can see it on the field. Having a consistent tackle who's able to do things, just as a whole unit us having the depth that we have and the players that we have, I feel like this is one of the reasons why we're at the level we're at today."

Cameron Sample did not practice again today, and Willie Fritz said his availability would be a game-time decision. Tulane proved it could dominate without him against South Florida, but he's a heck of a player and would be missed if he cannot go. In his absence, seldom-used tackle Alfred Thomas (four games, four tackles) joined the rotation a bit today, but the main guys are starters Patrick Johnson, Robert Kennedy, De'Andre Williams and Davon Wright along with Jeffery Johnson, Carlos Hatcher and Juan Monjarres. Those eight linemen were getting the reps today.

In welcome news, cornerback Thakarius Keyes practiced full go today after missing the last two games with a leg injury. Tulane will need all DBs on deck against pass-happy East Carolina, and Keyes gives the Wave four cornerbacks who know what they are doing, joining starters Donnie Lewis and Jaylon Monroe and backup Willie (not Antonio) Langham.

Dane Ledford is going to be the backup QB to Justin McMillan again, so McMillan cannot afford to get hurt.

When the team gathered at the center of the field at Yulman Stadium at the end of Thursday morning's practice, Willie Fritz urged them to "Play the best game we've played this Saturday at 3 o'clock." Tulane does need to play well to take control against East Carolina.

In researching East Carolina, I was surprised how many playmakers there are on both sides of the ball for what amounts to a terrible team, and one stat that is concerning is the Pirates' turnover margin. They are a nation's worst minus-13, and a bad number like that can distort a team's record. Bear with me. Although turnover margin is the single most reflective stat of a team's past performance--you cannot win when you continually lose the turnover battle--it is one of the least predictive stats.

The nation's worst defense is not suddenly going to bow up and shut down an opponent. The nation's worst offense is not going to go up and down the field and be successful in the red zone.

But a team with a terrible turnover margin can turn it around any week because turnovers are a wildly fluctuating stat. If East Carolina holds on to the ball Saturday and forces a couple more turnovers than it gives up, it will look much better than its 2-7 record indicates. When the Pirates won at North Carolina 41-19, they did not commit a turnover (neither did North Carolina). When they lost to NC A&T the previous week, they were minus-3 in turnover margin. They were even against USF in a 7-point loss, minus-4 against Houston in a 22-point loss, minus-5 against UCF in a 27-point loss and minus-1 last week against Memphis in an 18-point loss. incredibly, they have not forced a turnover since getting an interception against Temple on Oct.6 and have forced three turnovers all year. They have recovered only one of their opponents' 10 fumbles while losing seven of their 10 fumbles.

No team this century has caused fewer than six turnovers in a season, so ECU is threatening to enter historical territory. The Pirates were dead last with eight forced turnovers in 2016, coach Scottie Montgomery's first year, so this obviously is not by accident. Still, there is some degree of luck to turnovers, and at some point you have to figure the Pirates will fall into a few. Hopefully for Tulane's sake, it will not be Saturday.

Here is what Fritz had to say after practice today.

How was practice this week?

"It was all right. We're facing a very unique defense in what they're doing with their ends. They are all athletic, so we'll finish our preparation tomorrow and Saturday morning and come out and play great."

ECU is last in the nation in turnover margin. Is that concerning at all since turnovers are a much more volatile stat week to week than total offense or total defense?

"There was a game a couple of weeks ago they were minus-5, and you're not going to win when you do that. That's going to be big. We need to be plus-1, plus-2, plus-3."

Does ECU has a lot of playmakers for a 2-7 team.

"They've got excellent talent. They have a good team. When we went out there and played them last year (facing current Heisman Trophy fringe candidate QB Gardner Minshew, now at Washington State), I was very impressed. They have a lot of tall, long guys. They are a very talented team."

Does wideout Trevon Brown line up at a lot of different spots or usually the same place?

"He'll go a few different spots. We're hoping we'll have a good matchup."

Will Cam Sample be a game-time decision?

"Yeah."

How about Jonathan Banks?

"Not sure."

1. The team has momentum and some positive energy.

2. The team is on a two game winning streak.

3. The team has a very realist shot for a bowl game.

4. The team has an outside shot to win its division.

5. We are a big favorite against ECU.

6. It is our Homecoming game.

7. Big crowd expected.

For my fellow long time Green Wave fans we know that any one of those things listed above would be enough to cause our team to lay an egg. Can we possibly overcome all of them at the same time. If we do then CWF certainly has changed the culture at Tulane.

Keeping my fingers crossed.