Tulane practiced at Legion Field today. They did not make any players available on the Zoom call, but there have been more reporters on the last two days than any others this year.
FRITZ
"We just had our Wednesday practice. We were very fortunate to go out there on Legion Field. A bunch of people have contacted me and given me their well wishes. I just got off the phone with coach O over at LSU. We were comparing notes about what they were doing and what we were doing, but it's been really an outpouring of support from the football community. As I said yesterday, we were able to go over and practice at Alabama's facility. We are lifting weights at a high school here in town, Mountain Brook HIgh School where one of my coaches (Chip Long) went to high school, and they are letting us use the facility at Legion Field and Oklahoma people have been great, so we are very fortunate that we got all this help."
On if he hopes to return to New Orleans next week:
"I doubt it. Our administration's going to make the decision about if and when we return. It sounds like things are going better in the city. We want to get back, but we want to make sure we're safe when we get back, too."
On if he had heard anything about power being restored on campus:
"No, I haven't. I've been going from 6 in the morning to 10:30 at night. I know we have a lot of people here who are talking constantly with people in New Orleans. Some of the guys went back yesterday to get some things. There's a lot of equipment we didn't have that we needed. Headphones, game shoes and uniforms, some things that are fairly important when you go play a game (laughs). So they went back and picked all that up. They said the football stadium was in pretty good shape. The power's out on campus and there's some damage in different places. I'll let the people who know what they're doing take chjarge of all those things."
On what week has been like and it is anywhere close to routine:
"No, it's totally different. They have a nice downtown area right around this hotel. We're really fortunate Tulane had this plan for us. President Fitts did a phenomenal job last year during COVID and he's done an unreal job during this hardship as well, and then our athletic staff has done a great job. This plan was in place long before I got to Tulane. After Katrina they knew we had to have a great plan in case this occurs again. We practiced it every year. As a matter of fact, we had a call amongst our whole staff a couple days before Ida hit, so we were very fortunate. I talked to Michael Parenton with the Saints and Matt Forte about their experience in Katrina. It was totally different because that was much more unexpected, but we're staying in a very nice hotel (instead of, eventually, an abandoned, condemned dorm). We've got great supervision. We've got great security here. Our university has really done a great job of taking care of the student-athletes."
On if team would have extra motivation playing for the city on Saturday:
"Well, we've all talked about that. I've got so many guys on the team from New Orleans, and everybody on the team knows someone from New Orleans well. It sounds as if we stayed away from the really bad things that could have happened, but we have some houses that have taken some big hits with some of our players and some of our coaches. We all love New Orleans and want the city to get back as quickly as possible. We wish we could get back to help out a little bit."
On his house (at English Turn):
"Everything's good with us. We are very fortunate. The power got knocked out like everybody else, but the house is fine. We're very fortunate."
On the coaches who had damage to houses:
"Coach Fobbs had a foot of water in his house. He lives out in LaPlace. Coach Hampton got a hole in his roof and some windows broken and things like that and some of the other coaches, but by and large, all those things can be replaced."
On communication between Troy Dannen and Joe Castiglione making this game happen:
"I haven't talked to Troy a whole lot. I know they have known each other for a long time. When Ida occurred in New Orleans, I think they started having some communication. Once they found out we were able to get everybody over here, they worked it out for us to be able to go up there and play a game this weekend."
On why Mykel Jones injury forced medical staff to disqualify him:
"He did his ACL. Usually that's a nine to 12-month process to recover, and unfortunately he did it in the last regular-season game in the first week of December and he'd done that injury before. Mike gave it a go, and he really was the one that didn't feel more comfortable with it, and so did the doctors. He's a sharp guy. He has a lot of options in life. He's got an OU degree and a Tulane master's degree, so he's working on the next part of his life. He tried everything he could to get back. Unfortunately it just didn't work."
On Oklahoma defense:
"Coach (Alex) Grinch has done a super, super job with the defense. They play extremely hard and obviously they have great athletes. They are an aggressive defense. They are not a sit and watch you, but they can mix it up. It's a good, aggressive front. They have a lot of things they do at the second level. They are not afraid to play a bunch of man coverage. I don't see any similarities from when we played them a few years back and what they are doing now. They've done an outstanding job."
On his offense:
"We want an explosive offense when we arrive in Norman. That would be good. We believe in running the ball. Every place I've been I've liked to run. I believe if you run the ball and control the clock, you've got an opportunity to get big plays in the kicking game. We are going to have to do a good job on clock management on Saturday. We are going to have to go fast and also go slow at times, depending on the situation. There are some things we are doing this year that are very similar to what we did last year, but there are also some things that are a lot different, so that's good. In a week 1 game you want to have some things that are a little bit different than maybe what the opponent is planning for."
On why he was attracted to Tulane:
"I really enjoyed my visit with Troy Dannen. I love the challenge of taking over a program that hasn't been real successful and getting it turned around. That's what we've done at all the places we've been. Obviously this was a big challenge, but I do believe you can have high-end academics and also have a big-time Division I football program as well. We still have a ways to go to accomplish the goals we want to accomplish. This is a tough league. The AAC is a tough league, but we like that competition."
On defensive ends needing to get pressure:
"They do a nice job of protection. They've got a lot of plays and route combinations that take a long time to develop and get open. If they can protect it, it is tough to cover it for a long time. They've already got a great quarterback, and that makes it even better being able to stand back there and survey the field. We are going to have to get some pressure. We can't let him sit back there and pat the ball. That's not going to be good for the Green Wave."
On NIck Anderson's sister being in car accident:
"There's a lot. I've got a bunch of these guys. The thing that was tough, especially the first few days, was all the cell service was out in New Orleans, and a lot of these guys couldn't get in contact with their people and couldn't talk to them. So there was an unknown, and we were trying to keep their spirits up and telling them that things were going to be good and look on the bright side, but that's hard duty for an 18-, 19- or 20-year old. And then you got the situation with Nick and his sister. It sounds like she's getting out of the woods right now and getting better. We have a lot of stuff going on. You're away from home. The one good thing is we're all with each other. We're all helping each other out. I've got a pretty darn mature team. We've got good people in our program. I have very few problems. Ninety-nine percent of these guys are low maintenance, and that's what you're looking for, especially in tough times."
FRITZ
"We just had our Wednesday practice. We were very fortunate to go out there on Legion Field. A bunch of people have contacted me and given me their well wishes. I just got off the phone with coach O over at LSU. We were comparing notes about what they were doing and what we were doing, but it's been really an outpouring of support from the football community. As I said yesterday, we were able to go over and practice at Alabama's facility. We are lifting weights at a high school here in town, Mountain Brook HIgh School where one of my coaches (Chip Long) went to high school, and they are letting us use the facility at Legion Field and Oklahoma people have been great, so we are very fortunate that we got all this help."
On if he hopes to return to New Orleans next week:
"I doubt it. Our administration's going to make the decision about if and when we return. It sounds like things are going better in the city. We want to get back, but we want to make sure we're safe when we get back, too."
On if he had heard anything about power being restored on campus:
"No, I haven't. I've been going from 6 in the morning to 10:30 at night. I know we have a lot of people here who are talking constantly with people in New Orleans. Some of the guys went back yesterday to get some things. There's a lot of equipment we didn't have that we needed. Headphones, game shoes and uniforms, some things that are fairly important when you go play a game (laughs). So they went back and picked all that up. They said the football stadium was in pretty good shape. The power's out on campus and there's some damage in different places. I'll let the people who know what they're doing take chjarge of all those things."
On what week has been like and it is anywhere close to routine:
"No, it's totally different. They have a nice downtown area right around this hotel. We're really fortunate Tulane had this plan for us. President Fitts did a phenomenal job last year during COVID and he's done an unreal job during this hardship as well, and then our athletic staff has done a great job. This plan was in place long before I got to Tulane. After Katrina they knew we had to have a great plan in case this occurs again. We practiced it every year. As a matter of fact, we had a call amongst our whole staff a couple days before Ida hit, so we were very fortunate. I talked to Michael Parenton with the Saints and Matt Forte about their experience in Katrina. It was totally different because that was much more unexpected, but we're staying in a very nice hotel (instead of, eventually, an abandoned, condemned dorm). We've got great supervision. We've got great security here. Our university has really done a great job of taking care of the student-athletes."
On if team would have extra motivation playing for the city on Saturday:
"Well, we've all talked about that. I've got so many guys on the team from New Orleans, and everybody on the team knows someone from New Orleans well. It sounds as if we stayed away from the really bad things that could have happened, but we have some houses that have taken some big hits with some of our players and some of our coaches. We all love New Orleans and want the city to get back as quickly as possible. We wish we could get back to help out a little bit."
On his house (at English Turn):
"Everything's good with us. We are very fortunate. The power got knocked out like everybody else, but the house is fine. We're very fortunate."
On the coaches who had damage to houses:
"Coach Fobbs had a foot of water in his house. He lives out in LaPlace. Coach Hampton got a hole in his roof and some windows broken and things like that and some of the other coaches, but by and large, all those things can be replaced."
On communication between Troy Dannen and Joe Castiglione making this game happen:
"I haven't talked to Troy a whole lot. I know they have known each other for a long time. When Ida occurred in New Orleans, I think they started having some communication. Once they found out we were able to get everybody over here, they worked it out for us to be able to go up there and play a game this weekend."
On why Mykel Jones injury forced medical staff to disqualify him:
"He did his ACL. Usually that's a nine to 12-month process to recover, and unfortunately he did it in the last regular-season game in the first week of December and he'd done that injury before. Mike gave it a go, and he really was the one that didn't feel more comfortable with it, and so did the doctors. He's a sharp guy. He has a lot of options in life. He's got an OU degree and a Tulane master's degree, so he's working on the next part of his life. He tried everything he could to get back. Unfortunately it just didn't work."
On Oklahoma defense:
"Coach (Alex) Grinch has done a super, super job with the defense. They play extremely hard and obviously they have great athletes. They are an aggressive defense. They are not a sit and watch you, but they can mix it up. It's a good, aggressive front. They have a lot of things they do at the second level. They are not afraid to play a bunch of man coverage. I don't see any similarities from when we played them a few years back and what they are doing now. They've done an outstanding job."
On his offense:
"We want an explosive offense when we arrive in Norman. That would be good. We believe in running the ball. Every place I've been I've liked to run. I believe if you run the ball and control the clock, you've got an opportunity to get big plays in the kicking game. We are going to have to do a good job on clock management on Saturday. We are going to have to go fast and also go slow at times, depending on the situation. There are some things we are doing this year that are very similar to what we did last year, but there are also some things that are a lot different, so that's good. In a week 1 game you want to have some things that are a little bit different than maybe what the opponent is planning for."
On why he was attracted to Tulane:
"I really enjoyed my visit with Troy Dannen. I love the challenge of taking over a program that hasn't been real successful and getting it turned around. That's what we've done at all the places we've been. Obviously this was a big challenge, but I do believe you can have high-end academics and also have a big-time Division I football program as well. We still have a ways to go to accomplish the goals we want to accomplish. This is a tough league. The AAC is a tough league, but we like that competition."
On defensive ends needing to get pressure:
"They do a nice job of protection. They've got a lot of plays and route combinations that take a long time to develop and get open. If they can protect it, it is tough to cover it for a long time. They've already got a great quarterback, and that makes it even better being able to stand back there and survey the field. We are going to have to get some pressure. We can't let him sit back there and pat the ball. That's not going to be good for the Green Wave."
On NIck Anderson's sister being in car accident:
"There's a lot. I've got a bunch of these guys. The thing that was tough, especially the first few days, was all the cell service was out in New Orleans, and a lot of these guys couldn't get in contact with their people and couldn't talk to them. So there was an unknown, and we were trying to keep their spirits up and telling them that things were going to be good and look on the bright side, but that's hard duty for an 18-, 19- or 20-year old. And then you got the situation with Nick and his sister. It sounds like she's getting out of the woods right now and getting better. We have a lot of stuff going on. You're away from home. The one good thing is we're all with each other. We're all helping each other out. I've got a pretty darn mature team. We've got good people in our program. I have very few problems. Ninety-nine percent of these guys are low maintenance, and that's what you're looking for, especially in tough times."
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