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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Game Notes
8/27/2000 | Football
Aug. 27, 2000
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Game 1 - Tulane Green Wave (3-8, 1-5 C-USA) at #18/18 Ole Miss Rebels (8-4, 4-4 SEC)
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
DATE: Saturday, September 2, 2000
TIME: 11:30 a.m.
SITE: Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollings-worth Field (50,577) in Oxford, Mississippi
TV: Jefferson Pilot (Dave Neal, play-by-play, Dave Rowe, color analysis, Charles Davis, sideline reporter, Rob Reichley, producer).
RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network (David Kellum, play-by-play, Pete Cordelli, color analyst, Stan Sandroni, sideline reporter).
RECORDS: Ole Miss went 8-4 in 1999, including 4-4 in the SEC and a 27-25 win over Oklahoma in the Sanford Independence Bowl. Tulane was 3-8 overall a year ago, and 1-5 inside Conference USA.
RANKINGS: Ole Miss is ranked No. 18 in both the pre-season Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25 polls. The Rebels finished the 1999 season at No. 22 in both polls. Tulane is not ranked entering the season.
COACHES: David Cutcliffe is entering his second full season as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. He is 9-4 at Ole Miss and has guided the Rebels to victories in the 1998 and 1999 Sanford Independence Bowls. He made his Ole Miss debut and recorded his first career win in the Rebels' 35-18 win over Texas Tech in the 1998 Sanford Independence Bowl. Ole Miss is Cutcliffe's first career head coaching assignment. He is 1-0 versus Tulane and Green Wave head coach Chris Scelfo, as Ole Miss defeated Tulane 20-13 last year in Oxford ... Chris Scelfo is also entering his second full year as Tulane's head coach. Like Cutcliffe, Scelfo took over the Green Wave prior to its 1998 Liberty Bowl appearance. He guided Tulane to a 41-27 win over BYU in the Liberty Bowl. Last year, Scelfo went 3-8 in his first full season at Tulane and is 4-8 in his career. Scelfo is 0-1 against Ole Miss and Cutcliffe.
STORYLINES:
* Today's game marks the start of 106th season of Ole Miss football dating back to 1893 when the Rebels defeated SWBU, 56-0, in their first-ever game on Nov. 11 in Oxford.
* Ole Miss carries a 19-game win streak against non-conference opponents into Saturday's game.
* Pre-season All-America RB and Heisman Trophy candidate Deuce McAllister (Morton, Miss.) enters Saturday's game 361 yards shy of Kayo Dottley's (1947-50) school career-rushing record of 2,654 yards. McAllister needs 30 yards to surpass Dou Innocent (1991-92, 1994-95) for second-place.
* Senior QB Romaro Miller (Shannon, Miss.) is entering his third season as the Rebels' starter. He has compiled a 15-8 record as a starter, and has led Ole Miss to bowl wins in both 1998 and 1999.
SERIES INFO
Ole Miss leads 40-28
Last meeting: 1999 in Oxford with Ole Miss winning 20-13.
In Oxford: Ole Miss leads 11-2
In New Orleans: Series tied 25-25
In Jackson, Miss: Ole Miss leads 4-1
Largest Ole Miss win: 50-0 in New Orleans, 1957.
Largest Tulane win: 49-15 in New Orleans, 1979.
Longest Ole Miss win streak: 10, 1957-1974.
Longest Tulane win streak: 12, 1919-1939.
NOTES: The two teams played almost yearly while Tulane was a member of the SEC from 1933-1965. The series resumed in 1974 and the two teams have played 22 times since, with the Rebels winning 16 of 22 on-the-field meetings., including eight straight. Ole Miss was awarded a win by forfeit for a 27-23 loss in New Orleans back in 1983.
GAME NOTES
OPENERS: Saturday's game marks Ole Miss' 106th season-opener dating back to 1893 when the Rebels played their first-ever game, a 56-0 win over SWBU in Oxford on Nov. 11. Ole Miss is 77-23-5 (.757 winning percentage) in season-openers. The Rebels have won their last four season-openers with their last loss to start a season coming at Auburn on Sept. 2, 1995, 46-13. Ole Miss won last year's opener at Memphis, 3-0, on a Les Binkley 40-yard FG with 7:47 left in the fourth quarter.
HOME OPENERS: In home-openers, the Rebels are an impressive 87-12-5 (.861 winning percentage). Ole Miss has won its last 12 home-openers, with the last home-opening loss coming on Sept. 12, 1987, 31-10 to Arkansas in Jackson (Ole Miss used to play some home games in both Jackson and Memphis). When playing their home-opener in Oxford, the Rebels are 64-5-4 (.904 winning percentage). Ole Miss opened its home slate last year with a 38-14 win against Arkansas State on Sept. 11.
WHEN THEY'RE ONE IN THE SAME: When Ole Miss' season and home-openers are one in the same, the Rebels are 53-3-3 (.924 winning percentage). Ole Miss has won nine consecutive season/home-openers, with their last loss coming to Texas A&M on Sept. 6, 1980, 23-20 in Jackson.
REBELS VS. CONFERENCE USA: Ole Miss has an all-time record of 114-45-2 (.714 winning percentage) against schools that are currently members of Conference USA. The Rebels were 2-0 against C-USA in 1999, edging Memphis 3-0 in last year's season-opener in the Liberty Bowl, and defeating Tulane 20-13 on Oct. 9 in Oxford, which was the Rebels' Homecoming game. The following chart shows how the Rebels have fared against individual Conference USA opponents:
School W-L-T Pct. Houston 15-3-0 .833 Memphis 41-8-2 .823 Southern Miss 18-6-0 .750 Tulane 40-28-0 .588
19 AND COUNTING: Ole Miss carries a 19-game win streak against non-conference opponents into Saturday's season-opener with Tulane. The last time the Rebels lost a non-conference game was against Memphis, 17-16, in Oxford back on Nov. 5, 1994. During the 19-game streak, Ole Miss' average margin of victory has been 16.1 points, outscoring its non-conference foes 608-303. The Rebels have played Tulane four times during the streak, including a 38-0 shutout of the Green Wave on Nov. 12, 1994 to start the string. Last season, Ole Miss was 4-0 versus non-conference opponents last season, defeating Memphis (3-0), Arkansas State (38-14), Tulane (20-13) and Oklahoma (27-25) in the 1999 Sanford Independence Bowl. The following chart shows Ole Miss' 19-game win streak against non-conference opponents:
Date Opponent Result 12-31-99 vs. Oklahoma@ W, 27-25 10-9-99 Tulane W, 20-13 9-11-99 Arkansas State W, 38-14 9-4-99 at Memphis W, 3-0 12-31-98 vs. Texas Tech@ W, 35-18 10-24-98 Arkansas State W, 30-17 9-26-98 at SMU W, 48-41 (OT) 9-5-98 Memphis W, 30-10 12-26-97 vs. Marshall# W, 34-31 11-15-97 at Tulane W, 41-24 9-6-97 SMU W, 23-15 8-30-97 Central Florida W, 24-23 (OT) 10-26-96 Arkansas State W, 38-21 9-7-96 VMI W, 31-7 8-31-96 Idaho State W, 38-14 11-4-95 at Memphis W, 34-3 10-7-95 Tulane W, 20-17 9-9-95 Indiana State W, 56-10 11-12-94 at Tulane W, 38-0 @ - Sanford Independence Bowl (Shreveport, La.) #- Ford Motor City Bowl (Pontiac, Mich.)
SEVEN HOME GAMES IN 2000: Ole Miss will play seven home games for the first time since 1996, however, the Rebels played a home game in Jackson and Memphis that season. The 2000 season will mark the first time that Ole Miss has played seven home games all in Oxford. In addition to Tulane visiting Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field to open the year, the Rebels will host Auburn (Sept. 9), Kentucky (Sept. 30), Arkansas State (Oct. 7), UNLV (Oct. 28), LSU (Nov. 11) and Mississippi State (Nov. 23).
NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS THINK HIGHLY OF REBELS: With 16 returning staters on offense and defense, Ole Miss has been highly thought of in the national pre-season college football previews. The Rebels have been ranked in several pre-season Top 25s, receiving a ranking as high as No. 12. The following is a list of pre-season Top 25 rankings for Ole Miss in national college football previews:
#12- GIL's College Football 2000
#14- College Football News
#15- CNNSI.com, Lindy's
#16- Street & Smith's, ESPN The Magazine
#17- Blue Ribbon, FOXSports.com,
Sports Illustrated
#19- Athlon, The Sporting News
REBELS ON TV: Saturday's game with Tulane is the first of four scheduled televised games for the Rebels in 2000. Jefferson Pilot is scheduled to carry the Tulane game at 11:30 a.m. On Sept. 9, Ole Miss will host Auburn on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m. JP will carry the Rebels' game at Vanderbilt on Sept. 16 at 11:30 a.m., and ESPN will show the annual season-ending Egg Bowl battle with Mississippi State on Thanksgiving Night, Nov. 23, at 7:00 p.m. It will be the third consecutive year that ESPN will televise the Egg Bowl on Thanksgiving.
Overall, the Tulane game will mark the Rebels' 105th TV appearance dating back to Ole Miss' first network TV appearance in the 1953 Sugar Bowl against Georgia Tech. The Rebels are 47-55-2 (.462 winning percentage) in TV games. Ole Miss is 8-9 all-time on Jefferson Pilot. Against Tulane, the Rebels are 3-1 in TV games.
Last year, Ole Miss appeared on TV seven times, tying the school record set in 1997.
REBELS TABBED SECOND IN THE SEC WEST AT SEC MEDIA DAYS: Ole Miss was picked second in the SEC Western Division behind pre-season favorite Alabama by a panel of 89 voters at the SEC Media Days in Birmingham, Ala. The Rebels garnered three first-place votes and were a solid second, finishing 159 points ahead of third-place Mississippi State in the voting. Ole Miss also received two votes to win the SEC championship.
The Rebels were also picked second in the SEC West by Athlon, Lindy's, College Football News, The Sporting News and Street & Smith's in its 2000 previews.
NATION'S BEST BACKFIELD: Ole Miss' offensive backfield was rated as the best in the nation by The Sporting News in its 2000 college football preview. The Rebels return their top five rushers, including junior Joe Gunn (Amory, Miss./182 att., 951 yds., 5 TDs in 1999) and senior Deuce McAllister (151-809-12), and fullback Charles Stackhouse (West Memphis, Ark.) from last year's team that finished second in the SEC in rushing with an average of 182.5 yards per game. Gunn and McAllister last year combined to rush for 1,760 yards to form the nation's fourth-best rushing tandem. Senior QB Romaro Miller returns for his third-year as the Rebels' starting QB and was one passing yard shy last year of becoming the first signal-caller in school history to record back-to-back seasons with at least 2,000 yards passing. The following is a list of The Sporting News' top five offensive backfields: 1. Ole Miss, 2. Florida State, 3. Nebraska, 4. Miami (FL), 5. Texas
REBELS LOOK TO CONTINUE STREAKS: Ole Miss will be aiming for its fourth straight winning season and bowl appearance in 2000. The Rebels have gone 8-4, 7-5, and 8-4 the past three years, and recorded wins in the 1997 Ford Motor City Bowl and the 1998 and 1999 Sanford Independence Bowls.
The three consecutive winning seasons is the most by Ole Miss since recording seven straight from 1965-1971 (NOTE: The Rebels went 5-6 on-the-field in 1976 and 1977, but were later awarded forfeit wins in losses to Mississippi State in 1976 and 1977 to go 6-5 both years).
The three straight bowl appearances is the longest streak by the Rebels since going 15 consecutive seasons with a bowl appearance from 1957-1971. Ole Miss is the only team from the SEC Western Division to appear in a bowl game in each of the past three seasons, and joins Florida, Georgia and Tennessee as the only other SEC teams to do so.
BOWL SUCCESS: Overall, Ole Miss has won four straight bowl games as the Rebels blanked Air Force 13-0 in the 1992 Liberty Bowl before earning a bowl win in each of the last three seasons. The four-game bowl win streak is the longest by the Rebels since winning a school-record five straight under John Vaught from 1956-1961.
The four-game bowl winning streak is also tied for the second-longest active streak in the nation with North Carolina (UNC's last bowl appearance came in the 1998 Las Vegas Bowl). Colorado owns the longest active bowl win streak at six games (1993 Aloha, 1995 Fiesta, 1996 Cotton, 1996 Holiday, 1998 Aloha and 1999 Insight.com).
However, only Ole Miss, Georgia and Michigan have won a bowl game in each of the past three seasons.
STRONG ON BUTKUS AWARD "WATCH LIST": Junior LB Eddie Strong (Batesville, Miss.) is one of 10 SEC players to be named to the 2000 Butkus Award "Watch List". The Butkus Award is given to the nation's top collegiate linebacker. The list will be trimmed to 10 semi-finalists on Oct. 19. Three finalists will be named on a national teleconference on Nov. 9, and the winner will be announced Dec. 8 during the Butkus Award Gala.
Strong has appeared in 22 career games, making 15 starts. He has tallied 138 career tackles, including 90 solo, 13 TFLs for 63 yards and 6.5 QB sacks for 47 yards.
TAYLOR ON THORPE AWARD "WATCH LIST": Junior FS Syniker Taylor (Gulfport, Miss.) is one of five SEC defensive backs to be listed on the 2000 pre-season Jim Thorpe Award "Watch List." The award has been presented annually since 1986 to the best defensive back in college football by the Jim Thorpe Association. Finalists for the award will be invited to ESPN's College Football Awards Show at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., where the winner will be announced Dec. 7. A formal presentation of the award will be at a banquet held in February in Oklahoma City.
In two seasons at Ole Miss, Taylor has recorded 84 tackles -- 57 solo -- in 18 career games. He has also registered 11 pass break-ups, four TFLs for 12 yards and four interceptions.
DEUCE ON DOAK WALKER AWARD "WATCH LIST": Deuce McAllister is one of 35 pre-season candidates for the 2000 Doak Walker Award Presented by Vectrix, which is award annually to the nation's top college running back. The Southwestern Bell-SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will select eight semifinalists on Nov. 8, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will ultimately vote on the winner in late November. The National Selection Committee consists of former All-Pro and All-America running backs, print and electronic media members and selected special representatives.
The winner of the 2000 Doak Walker Award Presented by Vectrix will be announced live on ESPN's Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 7. The Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet will be held at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas on Jan. 30, 2001.
DEUCE RATED AS TOP SENIOR FOR THE 2001 NFL DRAFT: In addition to all of his numerous pre-season accolades, Deuce McAllister has been rated by National Football Scouting, Inc., as the No. 1 rated college senior for next April's NFL Draft. National Football Scouting, Inc., is one of two combine services that provide analysis to 27 NFL teams. The other, Blesto, rated Deuce as the No. 2 college senior.
ALL-PURPOSE DEUCE: Deuce McAllister led the SEC and finished seventh nationally in all-purpose yards in 1999, averaging 169.2 yards per game. His total of 1,692 all-purpose yards broke Parker Hall's 61-year school record of 1,529.
In five of the Rebels' final six games, including the Independence Bowl victory over Oklahoma, McAllister eclipsed the 200-all-purpose-yard mark. Against Arkansas on Nov. 6, McAllister set a school single-game record by accumulating 317 all-purpose yards. The following chart shows a breakdown of McAllister's 200-all-purpose-yard games in 1999:
Opponent Rush Rec. KR PR Total Alabama 63 54 152 0 269 LSU 140 16 73 29 258 Arkansas 125 34 158 0 317* Miss. State 134 6 71 0 211 Oklahoma (1) 121 55 63 0 239 * - denotes Ole Miss single-game record. (1) - 1999 Sanford Independence Bowl
CHECKLIST ON DEUCE: As Deuce McAllister prepares for his senior season, the Morton, Miss., native holds or is closing in on several school career records. He enters the 2000 campaign as the SEC's active career leader in rushing yards (2,293), rushing TDs (23) and total TDs scored (24). McAllister is also the SEC's third active leading scorer with 144 points, and is one of two returning players in the country to have over 500 career touches and average over 6.0 yards per touch (6.42). The following is a list of school records that McAllister holds or is close to breaking entering 2000:
* Ole Miss' career leader in all-purpose yards with 3,401.
* Third on the Ole Miss career rushing list with 2,293 yards, 361 yards shy of Kayo Dottley's record of 2,654.
* Second with nine career 100-yard rushing games, one shy of Dou Innocent's record of 10.
* 23 career rushing TDs ranks second at Ole Miss, two behind Archie Manning's mark of 25.
* 144 career points scored is eighth best at Ole Miss, 63 shy of the record held by Brian Lee.
* His 652 career kickoff return yards is 481 yards shy of the mark held by Paul Hofer with 1,133.
THE DEUCE IS LOOSE.COM: Ole Miss' official Deuce McAllister for Heisman website, www.thedeuceisloose.com, has been ranked by Sports Illustrated in its 2000 college football preview as the top website by a school promoting a player for the annual award. The Associated Press also named the site as one of the top five Heisman websites to bookmark for the upcoming college football season.
CHECKLIST ON MILLER: The 2000 season will mark senior QB Romaro Miller's third-year starting behind center for the Rebels. Miller has quarterbacked Ole Miss to back-to-back Independence Bowl wins and is 15-8 (.652 winning percentage) as a starter.
He enters his senior season ranked in the top five in several Ole Miss career categories and with a legitimate shot to re-write the school's record book. The following is a list where Miller ranks on the school's career charts and other career achievements:
* Fifth in career passing with 4,299 yards, 1,885 yards behind Kent Austin's 6,184.
* Fifth in career total offense with 4,314, 2,399 yards behind John Fourcade's 6,713.
* First with 13 career 200-yard passing games.
* Fourth in career 250-yard passing games with five, two shy of Kent Austin's record of seven.
* Second in career 300-yard passing games with two, one shy of Archie Manning's record of three.
* Tied for fifth in career TD passes with 25, six shy of the mark held by Kent Austin, Mark Young and Archie Manning.
* Tied Archie Manning's school record last year with a TD pass in eight straight games.
* Has thrown a TD pass in 18-of-23 career starts.
* Is the only Rebel QB to record at least five 200-yard passing games in back-to-back seasons.
* The SEC's second active career leader in passing yards (4,299), completions (336) and is third in TD passes (25).
VETERAN LEADER: Coaches will often tell you that you can't put a value on the price of a veteran quarterback. Well, did you know that Ole Miss signal-caller Romaro Miller is just one of 10 NCAA Division I-A quarterbacks to have made 20 or more career starts. The following list shows the 10 NCAA Division I-A QBs heading into 2000 with 20 or more career starts:
Quarterback, School Starts. 1. Ryan Kealy (Sr.), Arizona St. 31* Jay Stoner (Sr.), Wyoming 31 3. Jason McKinley (Sr.), Houston 30** 4. Cleo Lemon (Sr.), Arkansas St. 28 5. Drew Brees (Sr.), Purdue 25** 6. Quincy Carter (Jr.), Georgia 24** 7. Major Applewhite (Jr.), Texas 23 8. Mike Bath (Sr.), Miami (OH) 22** Chris Weinke (Sr.), Florida State 22 10. Romaro Miller (Sr.), Ole Miss 21 *- Kealy has been suspended for the Sun Devils' first two games of 2000. **- Consecutive starts.
GOOD WORK!: Senior QB Romaro Miller has been named to the 2000 SEC Good Works team and will be featured at halftime of Jefferson Pilot's Saturday telecast of the Ole Miss-Tulane game.
SMOKIN' GUNN: While almost everyone has heard about the exploits of senior RB Deuce McAllister, Deuce's backfield-mate, junior RB Joe Gunn, is the SEC's top returning rusher coming into 2000. Gunn was the conference's second-leading rusher in 1999, behind Alabama's Shaun Alexander, averaging 86.5 yards per game. He finished the season with 951 yards on 182 carries -- an average of 5.2 ypc -- with five TDs. Gunn entered the regular-season finale at Mississippi State 59 yards away from the 1,000-mark but an ankle injury limited him to just two carries against the Bulldogs. Gunn enters the 2000 campaign as the SEC's fifth-leading active career rusher with 1,497 yards.
MAGEE TO WEAR CHUCKY MIULLINS' NO. 38 IN 2000: Senior SS Anthony Magee (Collins, Miss.) will wear No. 38 this season as he is the recipient of this year's Chucky Mullins' Courage Award. The award was started in the spring of 1990 by the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity at Ole Miss and is awarded annually to the Rebels' most outstanding defensive player.
In three seasons with Ole Miss, Magee has recorded 79 tackles, 51 solo, seven pass break-ups and has intercepted six passes.
SACK ATTACK: Ole Miss sacked Oklahoma QB Josh Heupel three times in the 1999 Sanford Independence Bowl to extend its streak to 24 games with at least one sack. The last time Ole Miss did not record a sack was in the 1997 Ford Motor City Bowl versus Marshall. The Rebels registered 37 sacks as a team during thre regular-season, tying for the third in the SEC. The 37 sacks was also the most by an Ole Miss team since being credited with 39 in 1992. DT Kendrick Clancy, a third-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers in last April's NFL Draft, led the team in sacks in 1999 with seven for 39 yards.
REBELS IN SEPTEMBER: Ole Miss has an all-time record of 126-55-7 (.689 winning percentage) during the month of September. Last year, Ole Miss went 3-1 in September to mark the fourth straight year that the Rebels have finished with an above .500-record for the month. The last time Ole Miss recorded a losing record in September was back in 1988, going 1-2. During the decade of the 1990s, Ole Miss was 25-13 (.657 winning percentage) in the month of September.
MILLENIUM COUNTDOWN: While there are those who argue whether the year 2000 or 2001 is actually the start of a new millenium, the Ole Miss football program will enter a new millenium in 2000 -- in terms of games played. The Rebels' Sept. 16 game at Vanderbillt will mark the 1,000th game in the program's history dating back to 1893. Entering Saturday's game with Tulane -- the 998th -- Ole Miss has an all-time record of 552-410-35 (.571 winning percentage).
2000 CAPTAINS: Seniors DE Derrick Burgess (Riverdale, Md.), Shane Elam (Covington, Tenn.), RB Deuce McAllister and QB Romaro Miller have been named Ole Miss' captains for the 2000 season.
LOUISIANA REBELS: Ole Miss has three players that call the state of Louisiana home, including two from New Orleans: junior DT Kenny Jackson (New Orleans, La.), redshirt freshman DB Cohen Landry (Gretna, La.), and redshirt freshman QB Eli Manning (New Orleans, La.).
MISSISSIPPI GREEN WAVE: According to its 2000 media guide, Tulane has two players on its roster that call Mississippi their home state: redshirt freshman OL Joseph Fouche (Jackson, Miss.) and freshman TE Kory Thigpen (Taylorsville, Miss.)
EXTRA POINTS:
* Senior PK Les Binkley (Memphis, Tenn.) enters the 2000 season with a streak of 36 consecutive made extra points. The Ole Miss school record is 59 set by Steve Lavinghouze (1973-1975).
* PK Les Binkley set a new Ole Miss single-season record for points by a kicker last season with 78, bettering the previous mark of 70 set by Brian Lee in 1992.
* Ole Miss concluded the decade of the 1990s with a 67-48 record (.583 winning percentage) to mark the Rebels' most successful decade since winning 77 games in the 1960s.
* The Rebels' average of 182.5 yards rushing per game in 1999 was the most by an Ole Miss team since 1990 when averaging 208.2 yards per game.
SCOUTING TULANE (3-8, 1-5 C-USA)
-- Coaching Staff --
Head Coach: Chris Scelfo
Record at School/Years: 4-8 (1 year)
Career Record/Years: 4-8 (1 year)
Assistant Head Coach/QB: Frank Scelfo
Wide Receivers: Trooper Taylor
Tight Ends: David Oliver
Offensive Line: Don Mahoney
Def. Coordinator/ILBs: Pete McGinnis
Secondary: Joey Houston
Outside Linebackers: Garret Chachere
Defensive Line: Giff Smith
-- Schedule/Results --
Sept. 2 at Ole Miss 11:30 am Sept. 16 at East Carolina* TBA Sept. 23 at SMU 6 p.m. SEPT. 30 CINCINNATI* 5 P.M. Oct. 7 at UL-Lafayette 4 p.m. OCT. 14 SOUTHERN MISS* 2:30 P.M. Oct. 21 at Army* 11 a.m. Oct. 28 at Louisville* 1 p.m. NOV. 4 HOUSTON* 5 P.M. NOV. 11 NAVY 5 P.M. NOV. 18 MEMPHIS* 5 P.M.HOME GAMES BOLD CAPS *- Conference USA game All times Central
-- Scouting Report --
OFFENSE: Last year, Tulane averaged 420.5 yards of offense per game, including 327.3 yards passing, and 25.4 points per game. Junior QB Patrick Ramsey returns for his second year as the Green Wave's starting signal-caller. He threw for 3,410 yards last season with 25 TDs and 24 INTs. Senior WR Adrian Burnette caught 79 passes for 1,095 yards and seven TDs. Sophomore WR Derrick Joseph is Tulane's top returning rusher after gaining 227 yards on 38 carries with one TD.
DEFENSE: The Green Wave defense surrendered 450.1 yards and 36.3 points per game last year. Tulane yielded an average of 243.9 yards rushing and 206.2 yards through the air. Senior LB Noel Ellis led the defense with 106 tackles (65 UT, 41 AT), 11 TFLs for 46 yards and 4.0 QB sacks for 33 yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Sophomore PK Seth Marler led Tulane in scoring last season with 75 points, connecting on 15-of-21 FGs and 30-of-31 extra points. Junior P Casey Roussel averaged 44.2 yards on 55 punts. Senior John Wilson averaged 8.4 yards on 29 punt returns and Adrian Burnette had five kickoff returns for 62 yards.
