Tulane once again was without two starters in practice today, with right offensive tackle John Leglue sitting out and defensive end Cameron Sample nowhere to be found (likely concussion protocol). The offensive line performed OK without Leglue for most of the night against ECU, with Keyshawn McLeod playing right tackle. Sample probably would not start if he were healthy with the way Robert Kennedy has come on in the last two weeks. Kennedy had four tackles against ECU, giving him nine in the last two weeks after coming back from ACL surgery. That total is three more than the next nearest lineman--the resurgent Ade Aruna, who as other posters have pointed out, appeared to be galvanized by his deflected pass on fourth down that likely saved a touchdown on Saturday.
Glen Cuiellette was a first-class interview last year, so while the performance-related reasons for his demotion were totally understandable at the beginning of preseason drills, his quotes have been missed. Today I talked to him for the first time this season after his perfect pass on a fake punt turned out to be the most important play in regulation against ECU. He even got reps in team drills at the end of practice today, something that has happened rarely since the beginning of August, when he began camp as the fifth-string quarterback after starting 10 games a year ago. While he clearly was not a good fit for the Willie Fritz offense, he has a better arm than he's given credit for and was zipping passes down the field. He just missed Devin Glenn deep when Glenn did not appear to play the ball right, and he overthrew Mooney on a deep sideline route by about a yard. Predictably, he did not look good running the option on one play, but if Tulane falls behind Houston and Banks gets hurt--two things no one wants to see--I would not be surprised if Cuiellette played Saturday. They don't just give QBs reps in team drills out of kindness, and the Wave is going to need to throw the ball to win.
Here's the interview:
How much fun was it to execute that fake punt, and how much pressure did you feel?
"I didn't really have time to think too much about it. It happened really fast. Coach notified me while they were signaling right on that third down, and as soon as the ball was incomplete, I had to rush over and get my helmet, so I didn't really have time to think too much. All I did was look out there, and I knew we had it based on the structure. I knew it was going to work out, but it was really close actually. I thought he (Darnell Mooney) didn't make it at first (because he ran the route too short)."
How often had you practiced that fake?
"It's actually been for about five weeks. We just never ran it. We've been waiting for the right time, and we got the right moment."
How nice was it to be part of one of the most important plays in the game?
"People were telling me that it was a game-changer, but it didn't really dawn on me until the end. Like I said, I really didn't have time to think about it. It was second nature and I had to go out and execute a play we'd been working on. I really didn't think much of it afterwards."
It's been a frustrating year for you in a lot of ways, but how would you characterize it?
"It's a really big learning experience for me because when we grow up, we're not all going to have everything we want and there's going to be sometimes we have to take a step back and take a different role. That's a big learning experience for me. I feel like I'm doing a really good job of it and it's kind of natural for me because I've been in different roles my whole life and I'm not really a 'me' kind of guy. I'm all about the team. I care about and love these guys a lot, so that makes it easy, too."
It was obvious from day 1 you weren't in the picture at quarterback. Were you told ahead of camp or did you find out in the first practice?
"Yeah, they notified me before. All they said was we're trying to go a different direction and the reason they brought (Jonathan) Banks in. I understood. I don't blame them."
You're starting to get some reps in practice. How does that feel?
"It feels good to get it again, but it feels like second nature. It felt like I didn't miss a beat. Kind of being away helped me recover and restore a little bit physically. I'm not as worn down as some guys, so I feel good when I'm running around."
You're also the holder. What's that been like?
"It's been good. Getting these kickers trying to get their head right and just comforting them before a kick because it is nerve-wracking out there for them. It's harder than it looks, and I get to see a point of view from them and perspective from them. I appreciate holding. It's a good skill."
Had you done it before you started doing it here?
"I hadn't done it since junior or sophomore year of high school, and that was only about a week or two. I didn't have much experience prior to this year or last year."
Do you know what your plans are for the future?
"I don't really know what I'm doing so far. I just want to get through the season right now, but me and my family are going to talk about it and see what I want to do and talk to coach Fritz about potentially being a part of the staff in the future."
Parry Nickerson also talked after practice today. Every time I watch his interception against ECU, I'm more impressed. That was one incredibly athletic play, moving him to 14 career interceptions and one behind Lorenzo Doss for second place on Tulane's all-time list.
He said he was ready for ECU to go deep on the first play after a Banks interception.
"You've got to expect trick plays or something like that after sudden changes of possession," he said. "That's what I was basically focusing on. They had the momentum, so something big was about to come. Coach (defensive coordinator Jack Curtis) called the right defense, and we executed it."
It looked like Nickerson jumped a little too early, but he made it work, catching the ball easily before crashing to the ground in front of wideout Davon Grayson.
"A lot of people told me I could have had like two more steps and could have caught it on my feet," he said. "It looked like I did a 360 catching it. As soon as I saw the ball, I knew that I had it."
Grayson actually complimented Nickerson for the play.
"The next series we were out there, he was like, man, that was a great catch you did," Nickerson said.
Between Nickerson's interception and Donnie Lewis' six deflections, the cornerbacks played the way they had been wanting to play all year.
"We are just feeding off of each other," Nickerson said. "Donnie had his chances and got his hands on a couple of balls, but it was great plays to stop the receivers from catching the ball, and we just need to carry that over to these last two games."
Nickerson is excited about still having a chance to go to a bowl, which will require Tulane to play its best games of the year against Houston and SMU.
"It feels great," he said. "To finish this phenomenal time I had here at Tulane with the seniors that I came in, I want to leave my legacy here, and having that great last game be a memorable moment for me. It will be great to beat Houston, and after that win last week everybody is on the same page. We are on the same mission."
Nickerson had two interceptions, including the game-sealer in the end zone on the final play, when Tulane beat Houston 31-24 three years ago, the same score as it beat East Carolina on Saturday.
"We just have to keep feeding off of each other and have faith in each other and just stay positive about every situation," he said. "I just want to have one of the best games of my college career. I know the record for interceptions is like 17 (actually 18 by Paul Ellis). If we get these two wins and go to a bowl game, I've got three chances."
Glen Cuiellette was a first-class interview last year, so while the performance-related reasons for his demotion were totally understandable at the beginning of preseason drills, his quotes have been missed. Today I talked to him for the first time this season after his perfect pass on a fake punt turned out to be the most important play in regulation against ECU. He even got reps in team drills at the end of practice today, something that has happened rarely since the beginning of August, when he began camp as the fifth-string quarterback after starting 10 games a year ago. While he clearly was not a good fit for the Willie Fritz offense, he has a better arm than he's given credit for and was zipping passes down the field. He just missed Devin Glenn deep when Glenn did not appear to play the ball right, and he overthrew Mooney on a deep sideline route by about a yard. Predictably, he did not look good running the option on one play, but if Tulane falls behind Houston and Banks gets hurt--two things no one wants to see--I would not be surprised if Cuiellette played Saturday. They don't just give QBs reps in team drills out of kindness, and the Wave is going to need to throw the ball to win.
Here's the interview:
How much fun was it to execute that fake punt, and how much pressure did you feel?
"I didn't really have time to think too much about it. It happened really fast. Coach notified me while they were signaling right on that third down, and as soon as the ball was incomplete, I had to rush over and get my helmet, so I didn't really have time to think too much. All I did was look out there, and I knew we had it based on the structure. I knew it was going to work out, but it was really close actually. I thought he (Darnell Mooney) didn't make it at first (because he ran the route too short)."
How often had you practiced that fake?
"It's actually been for about five weeks. We just never ran it. We've been waiting for the right time, and we got the right moment."
How nice was it to be part of one of the most important plays in the game?
"People were telling me that it was a game-changer, but it didn't really dawn on me until the end. Like I said, I really didn't have time to think about it. It was second nature and I had to go out and execute a play we'd been working on. I really didn't think much of it afterwards."
It's been a frustrating year for you in a lot of ways, but how would you characterize it?
"It's a really big learning experience for me because when we grow up, we're not all going to have everything we want and there's going to be sometimes we have to take a step back and take a different role. That's a big learning experience for me. I feel like I'm doing a really good job of it and it's kind of natural for me because I've been in different roles my whole life and I'm not really a 'me' kind of guy. I'm all about the team. I care about and love these guys a lot, so that makes it easy, too."
It was obvious from day 1 you weren't in the picture at quarterback. Were you told ahead of camp or did you find out in the first practice?
"Yeah, they notified me before. All they said was we're trying to go a different direction and the reason they brought (Jonathan) Banks in. I understood. I don't blame them."
You're starting to get some reps in practice. How does that feel?
"It feels good to get it again, but it feels like second nature. It felt like I didn't miss a beat. Kind of being away helped me recover and restore a little bit physically. I'm not as worn down as some guys, so I feel good when I'm running around."
You're also the holder. What's that been like?
"It's been good. Getting these kickers trying to get their head right and just comforting them before a kick because it is nerve-wracking out there for them. It's harder than it looks, and I get to see a point of view from them and perspective from them. I appreciate holding. It's a good skill."
Had you done it before you started doing it here?
"I hadn't done it since junior or sophomore year of high school, and that was only about a week or two. I didn't have much experience prior to this year or last year."
Do you know what your plans are for the future?
"I don't really know what I'm doing so far. I just want to get through the season right now, but me and my family are going to talk about it and see what I want to do and talk to coach Fritz about potentially being a part of the staff in the future."
Parry Nickerson also talked after practice today. Every time I watch his interception against ECU, I'm more impressed. That was one incredibly athletic play, moving him to 14 career interceptions and one behind Lorenzo Doss for second place on Tulane's all-time list.
He said he was ready for ECU to go deep on the first play after a Banks interception.
"You've got to expect trick plays or something like that after sudden changes of possession," he said. "That's what I was basically focusing on. They had the momentum, so something big was about to come. Coach (defensive coordinator Jack Curtis) called the right defense, and we executed it."
It looked like Nickerson jumped a little too early, but he made it work, catching the ball easily before crashing to the ground in front of wideout Davon Grayson.
"A lot of people told me I could have had like two more steps and could have caught it on my feet," he said. "It looked like I did a 360 catching it. As soon as I saw the ball, I knew that I had it."
Grayson actually complimented Nickerson for the play.
"The next series we were out there, he was like, man, that was a great catch you did," Nickerson said.
Between Nickerson's interception and Donnie Lewis' six deflections, the cornerbacks played the way they had been wanting to play all year.
"We are just feeding off of each other," Nickerson said. "Donnie had his chances and got his hands on a couple of balls, but it was great plays to stop the receivers from catching the ball, and we just need to carry that over to these last two games."
Nickerson is excited about still having a chance to go to a bowl, which will require Tulane to play its best games of the year against Houston and SMU.
"It feels great," he said. "To finish this phenomenal time I had here at Tulane with the seniors that I came in, I want to leave my legacy here, and having that great last game be a memorable moment for me. It will be great to beat Houston, and after that win last week everybody is on the same page. We are on the same mission."
Nickerson had two interceptions, including the game-sealer in the end zone on the final play, when Tulane beat Houston 31-24 three years ago, the same score as it beat East Carolina on Saturday.
"We just have to keep feeding off of each other and have faith in each other and just stay positive about every situation," he said. "I just want to have one of the best games of my college career. I know the record for interceptions is like 17 (actually 18 by Paul Ellis). If we get these two wins and go to a bowl game, I've got three chances."