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."
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."
