I've barely written a word on the basketball team here, but this is the story on the freshmen I wrote for The Advocate yesterday.

https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orl...cle_07a794e2-d8ad-11e8-8c30-db4f01804edc.html

As I anticipated, Willie Fritz named Justin McMillan the starting quarterback today for the Tulsa game. I missed the entire practice at the Saints indoor facility for I think the first time this year while my son had a tooth pulled by his dentist, but I made it to the interviews at Yulman Stadium just in time to ask Fritz about the QB situation.

Unlike last week, he did not equivocate, probably because they want everyone on the team to get used to the idea of McMillan as the starter. I think it is the right decision, but time will tell. Or more specifically, whether McMillan plays well against Tulsa will tell in a game Tulane absolutely, positively needs to win.

I also asked about Banks' errant third-down throws at the end of the SMU game, and Fritz said he was not at fault for one of them, blaming the receiver instead. Checking the tape, it had to be the second one when Kendall Ardoin stopped running, then started again and could not hold on to a pass. The first one was just a very low throw to Darnell Mooney on a slant.

When I predicted Tulane would win seven games this year, I said it would average a touchdown more per game than last year. Instead, the scoring average has gone down from 27.5 to 24.7.

I've backed Banks longer than most, but it was time for a change. What I saw as his greatest strength--making big plays when it mattered most despite being inconsistent throughout games--has become his greatest weakness.

Tulsa is tied with Navy for last place in the AAC in sacks with seven. This should be a good opportunity for McMillan ahead of games against the third-place teams in sacks (USF with 21) and the first-place team (ECU with 25).

Enzo Anthony, a long snapper from Venice High in Florida, announced his commitment to Tulane this morning. He will walk on rather than being on scholarship.

Tulane's relationship with the Saints paid off again today when practiced was moved to the Saints indoor facility while a deluge hit New Orleans. There is no way the Green Wave could have worked out at Yulman Stadium.

I caught up with Willie Fritz when the team buses returned to campus.

How nice is to have the Saints indoor facility as a fallback option?

"We've missed I think seven practices this year and if we wouldn't have had the Saints facility, we probably would have missed 17 of them, so we're really fortunate to have it. It's just a great facility and it's so great to get on out there."

Tulsa's middle linebacker Cooper Edmiston has put up some terrific numbers (leading tackler, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries). What concerns you about him and the Tulsa defense?

"They run a unique defense. Their corners are a lot more active. They'll go ahead and pinch and send those guys. It looks like they've only got three down linemen and you've got the ability to run on them, but you don't. They'll recruit a ton of guys at the line of scrimmage. It's different."

Tulsa has its best defensive numbers in Philip Montgomery's tenure. What is the difference?

"They've totally changed what they were doing. They were a four-man front always. Now they are a three-man front. Their secondary and corners populate the run plays and there's not a whole lot of holes on pass plays. Based on what they're reading, it either triggers them to play run or play pass. This will be the only defense we play like this."

They have struggled passing, but what do you see in that offense?

"They really do a good job of running the football. So many people with that offense they run (the Art Briles Baylor offense) think it is just a passing offense, and that's not the case. When coach Montgomery was the offensive coordinator at Baylor, they put up huge rushing numbers as well. This guy (freshman QB Seth Boomer) does a good job running the ball. We have to do a good job being conscious of him running."

Your punting with Ryan Wright (46.0-yard average) and kickoffs with Zach Block (17 touchbacks in 29 attempts) has been really good. How much can that help?

"It helps a ton. It really helps you be a good coverage unit, both punt coverage and kickoff coverage when you get long, accurate punts and kicks. Zach is kicking the ball five to eight yards deeper than he was kicking when we first got here. He's really in a groove with his kickoffs right now."

How has the week of practices been going? It can tough when you are 2-5.

"It went pretty well, it really did. The guys have had a lot of enthusiasm. I think that's a credit to the type of young men we have. It can be difficult. Don't get me wrong. Even though this is how you are supposed to respond to adversity like this, often times people don't. I'm proud of the guys and the coaches. If you came out and watched practice, you couldn't tell any difference."

It seems like the guys who have come in the interview still believe you can win four out of your next five or win out and go to a bowl game and reach your goals. Does that permeate though the team?

"Yeah, I think so. The big thing I focus on is getting better every day. This game against Tulsa, you can't win two if you don't win one first, so we just want to do a great job this weekend. We need a win. No question about it."

Is Jonathan Banks available to play?

"Yeah."

I have NEVER posted calling for the firing of a coaching staff, but this is just toooooo much. This staff knows how to grab defeat from the jaws of victory.

I predicted the outcome at the start of the fourth quarter. And I am not that smart!

The home teams covered in six of the eight games. It should have been seven but Tulane has no ability to finish. I'm still shaking my head about Cincinnati, which had dominated the fourth quarter all year before getting dominated by Temple (outgained 173-17 before losing in OT) but could have put the game away if its kicker had not missed three consecutive field goals from 37, 49 and 39 yards.

WEEK 7 RESULTS

8

Golfer81

6

sscald

5

LSU Law Greenie

4

Kettrade1
Wavetime
paliii
GretnaGreen
Harahan Wave

3

winwave
charlamange8
diverdo
highwave
Guerry
chigoyboy
WaveON

2

mono41
St Amant Wave

1

DrBox

0

MNAlum


OVERALL STANDINGS

37

winwave

35

mono41
sscald

33

paliii

32

GretnaGreen

31

LSU Law Greenie
Kettrade1
highwave
WaveON

30

Guerry
Golfer81

28

charlamange8
diverdo
wavetime (missed 1 week)

27

MNAlum
St Amant Wave
chigoyboy

23

Gang_Green (missed 1 week)

19

DrBox (missed 1 week)


GAME-BY-GAME RESULTS

SMU 2 of 19
Temple 4
LSU 13
Clemson 11
Purdue 3
Michigan 14
Washington State 6
Utah 10

Tulane's first Saturday home game against an FBS opponent will have 13 2019 class visitors and another 13 from the class of 2020. The breakdown:

Already committed:

RB Tyjae Spears

The rest:

1) QB Kinkead Dent, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound 3-star prospect from Jackson (Miss.) Academy.

Skinny: has offers from Cincinnati and then a bunch of smaller G5 schools. Listed as a pro style rather than dual threat. Attended the Rivals camp in New Orleans.

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2) CB Greg Brooks, a 5-11, 175-pound 4-star prospect from West Jefferson rated 45 nationally at his position and 18th overall in Louisiana.

Skinny: committed to Mississippi State in June, visited Kansas State last weekend. Also has offers from Arkansas and Georgia Tech.

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

Skinny: Has offers from Utah, Florida and several other SEC schools.

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4) WR Jha'Quan Jackson, a 5-10, 173-pound 3-star prospect from Hahnville rated the No. 37 overall prospect in Louisiana.

Skinny: Committed to SMU in June, so he will be watching Tulane face his chosen team. Also has offers from West Virginia and Memphis.

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5) ATH Kiland Harrison, a 5-11, 165-pound prospect from St. Joseph Catholic in Madison, Miss. with zero stars.

Skinny: Listed as a WR by Rivals. Has an offer from Southern Miss.

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6) TE Jacoby Windmon, a 6-2, 220-pound zero star prospect from John Ehret.

Skinny: Committed to UNLV last weekend. Listed as OLB by Rivals. No other offers from FBS schools.

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7) WR Kyle Maxwell, a 6-2, 178-pound 3-star prospect from Amite rated No. 44 overall in Louisiana.

Skinny: Committed to La Tech in August. Also has offers from Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Memphis.

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8) QB Jack Mashburn, a 6-3, 208-pound unrated prospect from St. Paul's.

Skinny: He has put up good numbers for St. Paul's the past two years. He was named Metro Area player of the week after throwing for 192 yards and rushing for 129 against Northshore. He rushed for 140 and threw for 138 the following week against Covington. According to MaxPreps, he has thrown for 1,284 yards and rushed for 661 this year with six TDs in the air and 15 on the ground.

http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/jack-mashburn/sgPhUOfJEeaT-Oz0u-e-FA/gendersport/football-stats.htm

9) CB Donald Clay, a 5-11, 175-pound 3-star prospect from John Curtis rated the No. 35 overall prospect in Louisiana.

Skinny: Committed to SMU in June. Visited Arizona State and also has offer from Memphis.

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10) WR Chandler Whitfield, a 5-8, 157-pound 2-star prospect from Zachary.

Skinny: Committed to Nicholls State in June. Has no offers from FBS schools.

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11) S Jaden Henderson, a 6-0, 190-pound 2-star prospect from McDonogh 35

Skinny: Has offers from La Tech and Indiana among others.

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12) CB Jordan Jackson, a 5-10, 160-pound zero-star prospect from Dutchtown.

Skinny: Only offers are from McNeese State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff to this point.

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And the 2020 recruits:

1) DE Brandon Williams from Newman (4 stars)
2) S Donovan Johnson from Karr (3 stars)
3) DL Carlos Johnson from Spanish Fort High in Mobile, Ala. (3 stars)
4) DE Duke Coleman from Carver
5) RB Harlan Dixon from Slidell
6) OL Josh Remetich from Holy Cross
7) DB Jamie Vance from Karr
8) ATH Joseph Perkins from Madison (Miss) Ridgeland
9) QB Phillip Short from Madison (Miss) Ridgeland
10) LB Bo Spearman from Shades Valley High in Alabama
11) LB Michaiah Ross from Cleburne County High in Hefflin, Ala.
12) ATH Antwon Feagans from Oxford, Ala.
13) QB Justin Ibieta from Country Day (dad played baseball for Tulane, sister is on volleyball team)

They did not make Justin McMillan available for interviews today, but he took all of the reps with the first team in practice while I was watching. Saturday will be his game, and barring injury or a complete disaster, he will go from start to finish.

I do not believe his progress has been smooth or he would have started or at least played against SMU. Instead, the staff re-committed to Jonathan Banks in the hope he would eliminate the killer mistakes that have plagued him this year. He did not, so now it is McMillan's turn, and he needs to make the most of it if he wants to be the starting QB next year instead of Keon Howard, who appears more suited to the offense this staff prefers. It is amazing how winning creates better chemistry. Most people refer to it the other way around, saying chemistry leads to winning. That's undoubtably true to an extent, but sometimes you have to win first to get everyone on the same page. It's the chicken or the egg story in terms of what comes first, and I guess I'm on the side that winning creates chemistry more often than chemistry creates winning. Or, to put it another way, good execution is more important than chemistry to winning.

We're at the point of the year where detailed practice reports are unnecessary. What happens in practice does not matter unless it is translated to games, and McMillan has to make the same throws against Tulsa on Saturday that he makes in practice, He should have more time to throw than Banks did against SMU because of Tulsa's anemic pass rush. That's good because he did not show a lot of poise in the pocket in the second half at Cincinnati when he was under duress. Hopefully that experience, his first extensive action in college, helped him get better.

Here are a few select quotes from today. I will have all of them later:

FRITZ

on McMillan's improved timing

"I think he's always had it, but the difficulty is just having knowledge of the offense. Now he knows where he is going with the ball. For a quarterback to avoid tough plays on a pass play, you've got to have a good idea where you're going with the ball prior to the ball being snapped. If that goes to crap, you've got to be able to have an escape route and know the next thing you're going to quick. You have a couple of progressions, boom, boom and either get rid of the ball or hey, they gave me one look and then played something else, I need to go to this guy now. He does a good job getting the ball out of his hand."

On first start

"He's played a lot of meaningful games in high school, but this is the first start that he's had at the Division I level. But he's played quite a bit for us here and he's worked all week as a starter, so I think he'll do a great job. The big thing I just talked to him about is don't worry about all the other things quarterbacks do for their team as far as leadership and this, that and the other thing, and he's done an excellent job of that, but the main thing is just concentrate and focus on doing your job.

High school crowd experience

"One of the games he played in high school he played in front of 48,000. He's played in some big venues, and though he didn't play very much with LSU, he was on the road a lot in games, so he's been to a lot of different places, so that experience is valuable."

On Dauphine

"He needs to carry the ball more. He needs to carry it more, no question about that. Sometimes you get in a game and you've got different plays and maybe it matches with another guy or whatever the case may be, and the big thing for Corey is when he's locked in and knows what he's doing, he's one heck of a player. We just have to do a better job of being assignment sound in everything that we're doing."

Sorry I did not post this in the morning. I was a chaperone on my kid's field trip to Baton Rouge and then went to my mother's birthday dinner at a local restaurant and simply forgot to do it.

Andrew Hattersly of PonySports.com took the time to answer six questions about SMU. I answered five questions about Tulane in a story they put on their website earlier this week.

Guerry, I would love to get some insight from the coach on the substitutions that were going on in the SMU game. More specifically on the last few offensive series.....

Like most fans I have no idea why Dauphine is not getting more touches. He is one of the fastest guys on the field and he got 3 touches against SMU and all were runs up the middle. I have wondered if he has deficiencies in past protecting and that keeps him on the sideline but then during the SMU game I saw him sub in on two 3rd and long plays that were both passes. That would make may "pass protection" theory inaccurate. Is he injured? Is he in the doghouse for some reason? I doubt you will get a straight answer out of the coaches but this is a question most fans want to know.

I think to most observers our two best backs are Bradwell and Dauphine but we still want to give multiple touches to Huderson and Jones. In fact we are almost force feeding balls to Jones by running wildcat with him at times. That is something I will never understand. We already have a capable running QB so why bring in Jones to run the ball out of wildcat? I think Jones will become a good player for us but he is not there yet.

Lastly, during the last few offensive series that frankly cost us the game we had critical plays where Dauphine, Bradwell, Mooney, and Encalade were all on the bench. How is that possible? The season was on the line and we had true freshman Jones in at RB and a true freshman in Von Julien in at WR. I don't think he has caught a pass all year. We also decided late that we should get our former walk on Brian Newman into the game. Why were our best players not on the field? Then we get mad when Banks gets sacked and fumbles. He is a senior and should play better but at least give him some viable weapons.

In a disappointing season our offensive coaching has been the biggest head scratcher. It all started with the "drop back" version of Banks we had in the first few weeks which was an absolute failure. Now we have guys that have produced and produced big this year sitting the bench and we are giving plays away to guys who have not done nearly as much. We are a "triple option" team that rarely runs the triple option and apparently doesn't have a QB competent to run it. If you listen to quotes after the game down the stretch SMU was somehow able to stack the box to take away our run and at the same time completely blanket our receivers and take away the pass. It was a modern football miracle.

Another losing season is staring us in the face followed by an off season of excuses and promises that things will be different. We have lost 3 games this year by under 7 points that in year 3 we should know how to finish and win. That is squarely on the coaches at this point.

It was a downcast, tight-lipped group for the most part last night after Tulane pulled defeat from the jaws of victory. Willie Fritz, Cameron Sample, Patrick Johnson and John Leglue talked.

FRITZ

Where did you feel like it got away for you after leading almost all the way?

"We needed to grind out some first downs and we just couldn't do it. They did a good job defensively of stopping us. We had a hard time running the ball. They got up and pressed us and we had a hard time getting open. We didn't have great protection at times, either, so there was a lot of areas to look at."

You went with Jonathan Banks the whole game.

"At halftime he really had played pretty well. A lot of it (the offensive issues) was some other guys, so we went with him. I didn't think it was fair to try to put Justin in there late in the game. A lot of guys didn't play real well. The thing I'm most disappointed in was the penalties. We just had way too many. We didn't play very smart."

Did you see what Encalade did when he was called for a block in the back on Banks' long run in the fourth quarter?

"I didn't see it. I know they called a block in the back. I'm not sure what happened."

How do you feel Banks played?

"I'll have to go back and look at the tape. There's a lot of things that we have to look at to see if it was him, was it the protection, what was it? The first half he played pretty error free for the most part."

There was some early success running, but it dried up.

"They did a good job of packing the box, clamped us down and really did a good job defending the run."

This was a game you needed to win. How tough is the loss?

"It's really disappointing we weren't able to get the outcome we wanted."

Did you like the way the defense played?

"We played pretty well defensively. Right there at the end we were blitzing them up and unfortunately they got a safety (P.J. Hall covering James Proche) and did a good job of protection and we didn't get a whole bunch of pressure and they found the guy. They made the play when they had to and we didn't."

The touchdown they scored in the first half on the fourth-and-1 pass to the uncovered back, what happened there?

"It was a pick route. The motion man came down and picked the linebacker, and he ran a little wheel of the backfield."

Where do you go from here?

"We've just got to regroup. It's disappointing. Hopefully we've got some tough-minded coaches and players and head coach. We've got to recover."

When the defense dominates the line of scrimmage most of the way, how hard is it to not come up with the win?

"The defense played well for the most part. We had too many penalties defensively as well, but whatever it takes to win, sometimes it's got to be the offense, sometimes it's got to be on the defense. We just did not play well enough in all three phases to win."


SAMPLE

The defensive controlled the line of scrimmage. How hard is to take this loss?

"Yeah, it was definitely a tough loss. Our game plan was to control the line of scrimmage in the running game and get pressure on the quarterback. I feel like for the most part we did a pretty good job of that, but it hurts that we had some costly penalties and a couple of missed tackles. We just have to clean up some of the little things."

It's going to be tough at 2-5. How do you keep guys focused going forward?

"Yeah, definitely. We'll learn from this. Every game's a learning experience for us, but we still have a chance to achieve the goals we want to, so we'll learn from this and move on forward. It's a new week, and that's how we're going to treat it."

Do you know what happened on the fourth-and-1 touchdown?

"I'm not a hundred percent sure what happened. I'm assuming he slipped from the backfield, and the defense was probably expecting an inside run on fourth-and-1. Our eyes were probably bad. We'll look at it."

You came up with two key stops late in the fourth quarter. How tough is it to keep having to go back out there with the game on the line?

"As a defense we pride ourself on being the toughest group on the field, so we take adversity head on. We're just out there doing our job, so it's not really tough for us. We just keep playing hard all game."

They converted some key third downs in long down and distance situations. How frustrating was that?

"It's definitely a little frustrating. For our defense we just want to stop the run and get off the field on third down and then get them behind the sticks and get those third and long opportunities. Not converting on defense is definitely tough, but we just have to keep fighting and find ways to come up with a win."


JOHNSON

How do you feel like the game slipped away?

"Costly penalties like Cam said. We have to clean those up and do the little things right it. That's what it comes down to. We have to find something here that's going to work. We've got to change things to the right way. I know we've got the right players here that can do it. We just have to believe in ourselves to do it."

What were you saying when you had to go back on the field a third time with the game on the line?

"Do it again. That's what we were thinking. We have guys on the field that make plays. We just have to get the job done and that's how we went out there."

Other than penalties, where do you think you hurt yourself the most?

"We hurt ourselves. They played a cleaner game than us with penalties. That's about it. We have to d our part and play a clean game."

Why are penalties such an issue?

"Just focus. That's all you can really do. You have to know your job and go through with it. The coaches did a good job making the calls. It's on us to do it."


LEGLUE

The running game struggled. What were they doing well against your front?

"They moved here and there a couple of times. We just have to go out there and execute. We practice it during the week. We just didn't do our job."

They also got some pressure on Banks. What were the the issues there?

"As an offensive line we just have to listen to what coach (Alex) Atkins and coach (Doug) Ruse and them teach us and we have to come out and execute each and every phase."

You were up 9 in the fourth quarter. If you win, you're in second place in the AAC West, but instead you lose and fall to 2-5.

"You know, every game is tough, so we just have to keep battling each and every week, flush this and come out Monday with a new mindset."

Do you feel like you're close to not having these kinds of losses?

"For sure. We've had many opportunities and we're right at that point. This week in practice we're going to emphasize finishing. That's a big part of the way coach Fritz teaches everything is finishing in the fourth quarter, and we're going to do that this next week."

Willie Fritz does not want SMU to know what his plans are at QB for Saturday's game, which makes sense since SMU is not revealing its plans.

Logic suggests Jonathan Banks will start and his play will dictate what happens the rest of the way. Justin McMillan did not play well enough against Cincinnati to take the job away from him, but here's what Banks cannot do: throw the ball too low for his receivers to catch on a simple out route, as he did once today with Darnell Mooney against the scout-team defense.

Thursday was a light practice, but Tulane is very healthy coming off its open date. The only rotational player unavailable due to injury is backup defensive end Peter Woullard, who likely will not be back any time soon with what I believe is a leg injury. I have not seen him at practice this week. Jamiran James might have been in the rotation by now but he remains sidelined by a hand injury.

Other quick thoughts:

Look for more of Amare Jones in the backfield. He has not done much in his limited rushing opportunities, but he was terrific on kickoff returns against Cincinnati and the coaches love what he can do in open space. SMU's defense figures to give him some open spaces.

If Corey Dublin gets hurt, John Leglue will move to center instead of Hunter Knighton playing. Leglue spent a lot of time at center today working on snaps. He bounced one but was fine otherwise. They mixed and matched on the offensive line as they often do Thursday. with Joey Claybrook getting some reps at first-team right tackle and Noah Fisher getting some reps at first-team left tackle. When Leglue was at center, Dublin shifted to left guard and Dominique Briggs moved to right guard.

One of the reasons Tulane practices strength on strength quite a bit during the week (first and second teamers vs. first and second teamers) is the shakiness of the scout team offense. There just are not enough quality athletes being redshirted or not playing on that side of the ball to give the defense a good look. They went with the scout teams today, and none of those guys compare to what Tulane will see Saturday. James Poche, Nick Toppino and Ryan Thompson were targets.

Chase Kuerschen, who made five tackles against Cincinnati, continues to play a more prominent role than he did in the first five games. He won't start, but he should play a fair amount.

I did not ask much of Fritz today.

Will Jonathan Banks start today?

"We'll wait and see."

Do you have a plan for both quarterbacks?

"It's a wait and see also."

Just to be clear, this was not a testy exchange. It was friendly. I understood where Fritz was coming from. Then I asked him one more question he could answer.

How do you feel the defense is playing?

"The thing I'm excited about is we're doing a much better job up front. We're more aggressive, we're getting some minus plays and more sacks. We have not had a whole lot of sacks here. Last season we didn't, and we're starting to manufacture some tackles for loss and some sacks as well with our front, so we're much more active. We've got some good kids up there and we have some decent depth up front, too."

John Leglue got a lot of reps at center today.

"Yeah, we always have to worry about what if. We've got a few different ways we can go."

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

Tulane (-7) SMU
Temple (-3.5) Cincinnati
LSU (-6.5) Mississippi State
Clemson (-16.5) North Carolina State
Purdue (+13.5) Ohio State
Michigan State (+7) Michigan
Washington State (-2.5) Oregon
Utah (-6.5) Southern California

Guerry can the media please end the use of "Ex-LSU" QB Justin McMillian?! I get that the young man made a poor choice in where to pursue his undergraduate degree, but he is working to rectify that by coming to Tulane for grad school. We are 7 weeks into the season, does he still need to be defined as "Ex-LSU" or "Former LSU" or "LSU transfer"? Why can't he just be "Tulane" quarterback Justin McMillian?

We Tulane fans have to deal with enough pro-LSU favoritism, disparagement and downright apathy towards our teams, must LSU be mentioned even when talking about one of our own?

I will post an Engaging the Enemy with an SMU beat writer later tonight or tomorrow morning.

I researched Tulane's penalties this morning and came up with this breakdown. One flag against Cincinnati I cannot account for because I believe the stats crew made a mistake. Tulane was listed with 12 penalties for 90 yards, but it really was 11 penalties for 90 yards. Everything else checked out.

Going with the official stats, Tulane ranks tied for ninth in the AAC in penalty yards per game and tied for 106th nationally.

Interestingly, Willie Fritz's teams have been penalized for more yards than their opponents in 15 of his last 20 years as a coach, and his 2004 Central Missouri team averaged a whopping 94.3 penalty yards per game). But his teams have gotten cleaner as he has gotten older. Central Missouri was penalized less than its opponents in three of his final four years there, and none of his teams from 2013 through 2017 at three different schools averaged more than 55.1 penalty yards. The other four were below 50 yards. This year has been an aberration in that respect.

The breakdown of Tulane's 46 penalties for the season:

-- 13 false starts (3 on Briggs, 2 on Leglue and McLeod, 1 each on Tyler Johnson, Tyrick James, Bradwell, Huderson, Teamer and Bryant. The last two were on punts.

--8 personal fouls (3 on Moody, 2 on Kennedy, 1 each on Langham, Jeffrey Johnson and Graham)

-- 5 face masks on hands to the face (2 on Keyes, 1 each on Fisher. Hall and Graham)

--5 offensive holding (Encalade, Dublin, McLeod, Tyler Johnson, Briggs)

--1 clipping (Ardoin

--2 illegal blocks (Tyrick James and one that was incorrectly given to Teamer)

--5 interference (3 on Keyes, 1 each on Lewis and Hall)

--2 offside (Sample and Hall)

--2 holds on special teams (Langham, Monroe)

--1 12 men on the field

--1 ineligible man downfield (Briggs)

--1 delay of game on special teams

Fritz hates the presnap and post play penalties the most, and Tulane has gotten at least 15 of them (13 false starts, 1 delay of game that was intentional and 1 12 men on the field) plus some late hits after the whistle blew. Every offensive lineman but Dublin has gotten at least one false start, and a center really can't get a false start unless he moves his body without snapping the ball.

Other than Keyes, the secondary has done a good job avoiding making early contact.

Moody and Graham are too aggressive at times. Moody has three personal foul calls, and Graham's was really late when he hit a Cincinnati runner out of bounds. They can learn from Zach Harris, who leads the team in tackles but has no personal fouls.

While the American Athletic Conference East division remains a three-team race, Houston is in the driver’s seat as the only remaining unbeaten team in the West.

Houston, which has won its first two league games by an average 18.5 points, moved to No. 2 in the weekly power rankings compiled by 12 beat reporters from every conference school.

Here is how the league stacks up heading into Week 8:

Guerry's vote:

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

1. UCF

Previous ranking: 1|Points: 143
Record: 6-0 (3-0 AAC)
Last week: defeated Memphis, 31-30
This week: at East Carolina
Trajectory: Steady. Tailback Taj McGowan rushed for two scores including a 71-yard touchdown in the third quarter and quarterback McKenzie Milton scored on a seven-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to help UCF rally from a double-digit deficit in the first half to knock off Memphis.
Did you know? McKenzie Milton passed Blake Bortles for fourth-place all-time in program history for career passing yards (7,817).

- Matt Murschel, Orlando Sentinel

2. Houston

Previous ranking: 3|Points: 123
Record: 5-1 (2-0 AAC)
Last week: defeated East Carolina, 42-20
This week: at Navy
Trajectory: Surging. Against overmatched ECU, All-America defensive tackle Ed Oliver recorded his first two sacks of the season, tied AAC single-game record with five tackles for loss and forced a fumble that led to a touchdown. Oliver has enjoyed success against Navy, setting a career-high with 14 tackles, including 3 ½ for loss and two sacks, in last year’s meeting. “He’s always given us trouble,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said.
Did you know? Houston needs one win to become bowl eligible for the sixth consecutive season and 12th time in the last 14 years.

- Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

3. USF

Previous ranking: 2|Points: 121
Record: 6-0 (2-0 AAC)
Last week: defeated Tulsa, 25-24
This week: vs. Connecticut
Trajectory: Steady. Midway through the season, the Bulls, who have trailed or been tied entering the fourth quarter in four of their six contests, still are struggling to deliver a complete game. UConn, ranked last nationally in a number of major defensive categories, may represent the ideal antidote for USF.
Did you know? The Bulls formally became bowl-eligible Friday at Tulsa, the earliest they have achieved such status in their 22-season history.

--Joey Knight, Tampa Bay Times

4. Cincinnati

Previous ranking: 4 |Points: 117
Record: 6-0 (2-0 AAC)
Last week: Open date
This week: atTemple
Trajectory: Steady. Tight end Josiah Deguara leads UC with 21 catches for 296 yards (u14.1-yard average) and is tied for the team lead with three TD catches. Deguara is on pace to become the first Bearcats tight end to lead the team in catches since future Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Travis Kelce did it in 2012.
Did you know? UC seeks its first 7-0 start since 2009, when Brian Kelly’s final UC team went 12-0 during the regular season. UC closed that year with a Sugar Bowl loss to Florida.

- Tom Groeschen, Cincinnati Enquirer

5. Temple

Previous ranking: 5 Points: 94
Record: 4-3 (3-0 AAC)
Last week: defeated Navy, 24-17
This week: vs. Cincinnati
Trajectory: Surging. Wide receiver Ventell Bryant scored his first touchdown since the 2016 AAC championship game. He had eight receptions for 147 yards and a TD in the win over Navy. His 62-yard TD from Anthony Russo (22-31, 300 yards) was the game-winning play. RB Ryquell Armstead missed the game due to injury.
Did you know? Bryant has caught at least one pass in each of his 42 career games.

- Marc Narducci, Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News


6. Memphis

Previous ranking: 6| Points: 80
Record: 4-3 (1-3 AAC)
Last week: lost to UCF, 31-30
This week: at Missouri
Trajectory: Sliding. Memphis played one of its best halves of football against UCF, but it was before halftime. The Tigers led by as many as 16 points, but UCF came roaring back to not only win but hold Memphis scoreless in the second half. Darrell Henderson crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the season after rushing for 199 yards and a touchdown. Memphis must quickly recover for its first SEC opponent in two years.
Did you know? Darrell Henderson leads all FBS players in rushing, total TDs, all-purpose yards and yards per carry

-Evan Barnes, The Commercial Appeal

7. Tulane

Previous ranking: 7| Points: 70
Record: 2-4 (1-1 AAC)
Last week: Open date.
This week: vs. SMU
Trajectory: Steady. Coach Willie Fritz remains noncommittal about his plan at quarterback. LSU transfer Justin McMillan played the entire second half against Cincinnati on Oct. 6 while Jonathan Banks watched from the sideline. The winner of Tulane-SMU gets sole possession of second place in the AAC West at worst.
Did you know? Tulane (nine TDs, two field goals) is one of eight FBS teams to score every time they reach the red zone but is third-to-last nationally in number of red zone possessions (11).

- Guerry Smith, The New Orleans Advocate

8. Navy

Previous ranking: 8 Points: 58
Record: 2-4 (1-2 AAC)
Last week: lost to Temple, 24-17
This week: vs. Houston
Trajectory: Steady. The Midshipmen suffered their third straight loss and are in real danger of missing the postseason for just the second time since 2003. Navy is playing 13 games this season so it must reach seven victories in order to qualify for a bowl. That won’t be easy considering the next four opponents (Houston, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Central Florida) have a combined record of 24-1.
Did you know? Over the last five seasons, Navy is one of just seven schools at the FBS level that has not lost to a team that finished with a losing record. Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Michigan and Ohio State are the others. That streak might be in jeopardy this season as the Mids have lost to SMU (2-4) and Air Force (2-4).

-Bill Wagner, Baltimore Sun Media Group

9. SMU

Previous ranking: 9 Points: 57
Record: 2-4 (1-1 AAC)
Last week: Open date
This week: at Tulane
Trajectory: Steady. Coach Sonny Dykes said no decision has been made at quarterback between Ben Hicks and William Brown. “We’d liked to get that settled and have a clear-cut starter. I’m not sure we are there yet.” The open date should allow some injured players to return.
Did you know? SMU is ranked 115th out of 129 FBS programs in rushing at 121.7 yards per game.

-Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle

10. Tulsa

Previous ranking: 11 | Points: 32
Record: 1-5 (0-3 AAC)
Last week: lost to USF, 25-24
This week: at Arkansas
Trajectory: Steady. Another fourth-quarter lead vanished, when the Hurricane stumbled 25-24 in dramatic fashion against unbeaten USF. After going up two touchdowns, Tulsa netted zero yards on its four drives in the fourth quarter while allowing 214 yards from the Bulls.
Did you know? Despite a quarterback change, Tulsa is averaging only 172.2 passing yards per game.

-Kelly Hines, Tulsa World

11. East Carolina

Previous ranking: 10 Points: 28
Record: 2-4 (0-3 AAC)
Last week: lost to Houston, 42-20
This week: vs. UCF
Trajectory: Skidding. With No. 10 UCF up next and the Pirates’ offense sputtering, they are turning to true freshman and Greenville native Holton Ahlers to start at quarterback. The left-hander is ECU’s leading rusher and has been limited as a passer to this point, but he showed progression with a TD pass last week against Houston.
Did you know? The Pirates went 10 quarters in league play without scoring a touchdown, stopping the streak late in the fourth quarter against Houston with two TDs.

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

12. Connecticut

Previous ranking: 12| Points: 12
Record: 1-5 (0-3 AAC)
Last week: Open date
This week: at USF
Trajectory: Skidding. An off week allowed UConn to catch its breath after three straight blowout losses. The Huskies won’t win many games the rest of the season, but as the schedule gets a bit easier (following this weekend’s tough matchup with USF), coach Randy Edsall hopes they might show signs of improvement.
Did you know? USF will be the sixth undefeated opponent UConn has faced over its first seven games.

- Alex Putterman, Hartford Courant

Guerry: The obvious question -- What did Banks do (besides be ineffective early on) to warrant McMillan playing most of the game? Thanks in advance.

Jonathan Banks and Justin McMillan continued to split the reps today, with Banks going first. I have a feeling he will be the starter against SMU, but I do not have confirmation on that and it is not based on anything I have been told on or off the record.

Cameron Carroll is practicing this week after missing a lot of time with a bad case of pink eye that forced him to stay away from teammates because the condition is very contagious. Willie Fritz said he likely would be one of the guys they use in four games and then redshirt under the new NCAA rules, so don't look for him to get on the field the next few weeks.

Lawrence Graham had a good practice, deflecting a pass against the scout-team offense and being active as a pass rusher.

Cam Sample was given the day off but is fine. He watched from the sideline, giving Carlos Hatcher and Juan Monjarres, who is back from injury, more reps. Davon Wright got a lot of work in the middle. He is part of the four-man rotation with Jeffery Johnson, De'Andre Williams and Robert Kennedy at the two inside spots.

Jacob Robertson dropped a pass. Tulane desperately needs a third wideout but has not had an competent once since Freddy Canteen's shoulder injury in preseason camp. It's a huge problem. Jaetavian Toles, who probably has been the third best, practiced today after not playing against Cincinnati.

Freshman defensive lineman Alfred Thomas, who also did not play against Cincinnati, has fallen out of the rotation because of performance, not injury. He practiced today and Fritz said he has not been hurt.

I will have quotes later today.

It baffles me that we are trying to figure out our identity on offense. We are all over the place. Come out Throwing the ball ever down in the first game , to the constant rotation of backs as if they are equal. The option has disappeared and to think we tried to force cuilette to run it. So I am not one who pose issues without answers. Build the offense around your two backs , pound Bradwell early and a lot. Defenders don’t want to hit Bradwell over and over . And then bring in Dauphine and run him against a tired defense, mixed the option in a play action big plays come because linebackers and dbs are coming up because don’t want to hit these guys coming down hill .but stop with the rpos if you don’t have quick great decision makers behind center ... just my two cents

My first by the numbers story is up on the front page.

https://tulane.rivals.com/news/by-the-numbers-smu-week

Not much to report today from practice. Jonathan Banks and Justin McMillan split reps, with Banks going first just as he did in the week before the Cincinnati game, and Willie Fritz is not commenting publicly on his plans.

During practice, Fritz hollered out TEAM, then said Together Everyone Accomplishes More. The scoreboard had not rotating messages. This time it simply had #BeatSMU.

John Leglue, who got hurt late in the Cincinnati game, practiced today.

Banks threw an out pass to Jabril Clewis, but Clewis only got one hand on the ball after coming oiut of his break. He has been very disappointing this year, catching two passes.

They changed up the music today, staying away from the hip hop beats and going with lighter stuff.

I talked briefly with defensive coordinator Jack Curtis today. Here's what he said.

On SMU's offense:

"They are different depending on which quarterback they are using. Ben Hicks is not as good a runner as the freshman (William Brown). You'll probably see a little bit more passing game and the spread offense (with Hicks). They do it a a little bit with both, but Hicks is throwing the ball really well. They've got the good receivers. Fortunately they don't have the two they had last year (1,000-yard receivers Trey Quinn and Courtland Sutton), but they are still good throwing and completing the ball. We don't know what to expect at quarterback. They are playing them both. When they get into a true passing situation, Hicks comes in and tries to lead them. We're preparing for both."

On Cincinnati:

"They were good. They were big and physical on the O-line. Their back ran the ball hard. There were two missed tackles on the long run. It should have been a 3-yard gain, and then the quarterback hit us. There was a bust. Somebody was a spy on the quarterback and he followed somebody else. That was a bust. That's been our deal. We've been giving up too many big plays. We need to play fewer snaps and get more three-and-outs, although we did a decent job against Cincinnati. Of their 15 possessions, seven were three-and-outs. But play, play, play, bam, they'd hit one. We've got to be more consistent."

More on the long TD run by a back (Michael Warren) who had not had any long runs this year before then:

"He doesn't have the speed to do that, but he caught us in a zero deal and we missed two tackles. It was one of those deals. I thought our kids continued to play hard. That's a good sign. It's a sign that they believe in what we're doing."

On rebound in second half of season:

"It's a possibility, but we have to get this one and take one at a time. We have to get this one, then we have to go up there and get Tulsa. We can do it. We can still finish strong."

He gave an opening statement and was asked three questions on the AAC media teleconference (none by me because I was picking up a relative from the hospital who had minor surgery).

"It (the open date) fit right during our fall break. We did not have school on Thursday or Friday, so we practiced Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then I cut the guys loose and then we're going to have a normal week of practice beginning with today. I thought that was good for the guys after six games, the halfway point of the regular season, to be able to take a few days off. I think we'll see guys went home, the ones who are not here from New Orleans, and they had a chance to heal up. We had a good practice this morning and a lot of guys available who probably wouldn't have been if we had a game last weekend.

"I'm looking forward to SMU. I think coach (Sonny) Dykes has done a super job over there. He's had a very difficult schedule, and you see some good things from them in all three phases. They have a really explosive return game--punt returning, kick return. They are doing a really good job offensively in spreading the field and getting the ball to fast people in open spaces. Defensively they cause problems because they come at you a bunch of different angles. A lot of second-level blitzes. It's going to be a heck of a challenge for us on Saturday."

Does the NCAA need to review the targeting rule at the end of the year? So many players are being ejected when time and space is not even a consideration, especially when the ball carrier changes his angle.

"Sometimes it happens bang-bang and it's hard for a guy to change angles and maybe the helmet to helmet occurred because the offensive player changed the angle and not the defensive player. It is a great in principle. We need to get the head out of contact as much as we possibly can. Everybody agrees with that--coaches, players, administrators--but sometimes it's difficult. You certainly don't want to penalize a player for something that would have been really difficult to avoid."

What's the time frame on making a decision on who is going to start at QB or if you are going to split reps like you did the last game?

"We are going to see how the week plays out exactly what we're going to do. We had our first practice today and are going to go through the week and just see how everything goes. They are both doing a nice job though."

With the SMU game coming up, sitting at 1-1 in the conference with the preseason favorite in the West already in the rearview mirror, the winner will be no worse than second place. Can you talk about what's on the line?

"It's pretty early to start talking about that. We just need to get a win. Every ball coach talks about being 1-0 each week. We've got to make sure that we're focused on the task at hand, and obviously that's SMU. We need to play a great game Saturday. I've got a lot of respect for them. They've beaten us in a couple of close games the last couple of years and have a lot of talent and ability over there. We need to play well and put everything into this game."

Checking in on the three QBs who left at the end of last season:

1) Johnathan Brantley, who talked about being a passing QB first and a running QB second after he transferred to Eastern Illinois, has backed up his words thus far at a lower level. Remember, he played through a serious shoulder injury that limited his throwing as a freshman at Tulane and was beaten out by Jonathan Brantley (and, possibly, Khalil McClain, last year.

Playing in a passer-friendly air raid offense, he has completed 68.1 percent of his passes with 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions while sharing time with another QB. He has thrown for 1,488 yards, but EIU is 1-5 because of an awful defense, losing 55-41, 41-40 and 48-41 already this year.

2) Glen Cuiellette, who went from starter in 2016 to fourth string in 2017 after it became obvious he could not be effective in the Fritz offense, apparently got benched by Texas Southern after the first half of Saturday's loss to Grambling. He fumbled and threw an interception on his last two series. For the year, he has completed 49.7 percent of his passes with seven interceptions and seven TDs.

Texas Southern is winless in five games against FCS competition and has not scored more than 21 points in those games. It struggled to beat a lower-level team, scoring 26, in its opener, so Cuiellette's grad transfer year has not gone as he hoped.

3) Khalil McClain, who was moved to quarterback from wide receiver before his senior year of high school, left unexpectedly last year at the end of his lone season at Tulane. Clearly, it was not for the opportunity to be a starting QB because he is playing wide receiver full time for Hutchinson Community College. He leads the team with 19 catches for 346 yards and five touchdowns in a run-oriented offense. Hutchinson is 7-1.

I'm not assuming a win against SMU because Tulane is not at the point where it can assume anything yet, but if the Wave takes care of business next Saturday, it will have to play its best road game of the Fritz era to beat Tulsa.

That's not saying a ton of course, but Tulsa, which is 3-15 since the start of 2017, is better than its record this year. It lost by only 7 at Texas. It was beating USF 24-10 in the fourth quarter last night before blowing it as I predicted to family members watching the game with me even before the comeback happened. And it was ahead of Houston by 9 on the road in the fourth quarter last week before collapsing.

One thing I noticed last night was USF's receivers could not get open, which bodes poorly for Tulane, which has two functional receivers in Mooney (very good when he holds on to the ball) and Encalade (good when he holds on to the ball) and no one else who can make a play. The Wave will need to contain Tulsa's running game, which has been effective the past two years despite the team's overall struggles, and run on a defense that looks significantly better than the sieve-like unit of recent years.

I called the Memphis game the most important of the Fritz era. Then I labeled the Cincy game the most important of the Fritz era. And I will feel the same way about the Tulsa game if Tulane beats SMU. It will be an opportunity to beat a team with a pulse on the road, and regardless of what people will say about Tulsa considering its record, that team definitely has a pulse this year.