Iron Dragon's Tulane Green Wave Dynasty

[Iron Dragon]

Iron Dragon's Tulane Green Wave: Let's try to be consistent

This dynasty started back in July of '09 and after some consideration, I'm moving it onto '11 as well, so keep in mind I have six seasons of stuff to transfer over here to TGT, so bare with me. Throughout the dynasty my reporting style has changed around a bit, and I hope to keep it more consistent in '11. So here we go..

INFORMATION

• PS3, NCAA '10 --> then to NCAA '11 in July '10
• 7 minute quarters
• All-American difficulty
• Starting Rosters: Buckeye02/GatorBait2006NC's Roster with some fixes and edits (HUGE props to them).. NCAA '11: none (no repeat players needed)
• Sliders: My own sliders redone prior to season four
• Offline Dynasty
• Playbook: Tulane, 3-4

TULANE HISTORY

Tulane - believe it or not - has had three undefeated (two before the Modern Era) seasons in school history, and was originally in the SEC until the early 60's. However, Tulane has been one of the most inconsistent programs in Division I. In 1900, Tulane went undefeated (5-0-0), however just two seasons later they only won one game, and then had back to back winless seasons two years after that. Tulane went undefeated in 1929, and over a span of '29-'31 they only lost two games. However from the 40's to the 90's (including a winless season in their final year in the SEC), Tulane was up and down, throwing in winless seasons, and their best season was 9-3 in 1979.

In 1982, Tulane defeated LSU 31-28 in Baton Rouge, that is the Green Waves' last win over LSU in the Battle for Tiger Rag (the win made the series 22-51-7 all-time for Tulane), and they have only been within a touchdown of victory twice since (1987, 1990). However, Tulane and LSU did not play in 1997-2000 and then 2002-2005, but since the rivalry's renewal in '06, Tulane has only averaged 8-and-a-half points versus LSU, while LSU has averaged 40 points per game.

In 1992, Tulane hired Buddy Teevens, who won just a lowly 11 games in 5 seasons. Then came Tommy Bowden. Bowden brought the program to life from 2-9 in '96 to 7-4 in '97, but missing a bowl. The next season, Bowden led Tulane to a C-USA title and a 11-0 record before leaving before their bowl game. Tulane beat BYU under Chris Scelfo to finish off the 12-0 season, and Tulane finished #7 in the polls.

However, since then - Tulane has just reached one bowl game - in 2002 (8-5, beating Hawai'i in the Hawaii Bowl). After Scelfo left in 2006, Bob Toledo came in and went 6-18 in two years before 2009. In 2008, Tulane started off at .500, but finished the season with 8 straight losses sending them to a 2-10 record and winning just one conference game. Then in a sudden change, Iron Dragon came in and took the reigns.. and that is where the story begins of Tulane's (hopefully) new era.

Tulane all-time record (through 2008): 484-565-38 (0.462)

CONFERENCE RE-ALIGNMENTS

MAC: Eastern Kentucky for Northern Illinois
BIG EAST-ACC: Boston College / USF
WAC-SUN BELT: North Texas / Louisiana Tech

[Iron Dragon]

YEARLY RECAPS

To be updated, eventually

[Iron Dragon]

TULANE RIVALRIES

LSU: Battle for the Rag


All-time series record: 68-22-7 LSU

Current winstreak: LSU 16 straight victories

Tulane's most recent win: 1982: 31-28 in Baton Rouge

Last time Tulane has led the series: 1893 (1-0), tied the series record twice before 1945


The Battle for the Rag is a traditional college football game between the LSU Tigers and the Tulane Green Wave. The game has been played nearly every year since its inception in 1893, although there have been some notable dormant periods. In 2006 the rivalry was officially renewed, returning to yearly play for the first time since 1994. With its 34-9 win at the Louisiana Superdome on September 29, 2007, LSU continued its winning streak that began in 1983. In the most recent meeting, LSU defeated Tulane 35-10 in Baton Rouge on November 1, 2008, to bring the overall series to 68-22-7.


The "Rag"


The winner is awarded a satin trophy flag known as the Tiger Rag at LSU and the Victory Flag at Tulane. The flag is divided diagonally, with the logos of each school placed on opposite sides and the Seal of Louisiana in the center. LSU's name for the flag comes from the popular tune Tiger Rag, one of LSU's many fight songs.


The original flag was created in 1940 to foster good sportsmanship, most likely in response to growing tension between fans of the two teams that eventually escalated into a riot after Tulane's victory in 1938. It is believed that this flag was destroyed in a 1982 fire at Tulane's University Center. In 2001, LSU and Tulane worked together to create a reconstruction of the rag based upon archived photographs.


Southern Miss: The Battle for the Bell


No longer an official rivalry, but Southern Miss and Tulane played each other from 1979 up until 2006 until the C-USA split into two divisions. Following 2006, Southern Miss led the series 21-7, and the two schools did not play, however they are scheduled to play in October 2009, for the first meeting since 2006. Other future games could take place in the Conference USA championship game, as well.

[Iron Dragon]

DYNASTY RECORDS

PASSING


RUSHING


RECEIVING


BLOCKING


DEFENSIVE


SPECIAL TEAMS


OTHER RECORDS

[Iron Dragon]

TULANE DYNASTY HALL OF FAME

[Iron Dragon]

Eastern Kentucky to FBS, move to new stadium, replacing Northern Illinois in the MAC

RICHMOND, KY --- Eastern Kentucky fans, welcome to Division I, FBS football. Starting with the 2009 season, Eastern Kentucky will be playing in a larger 50,000+ capacity stadium, and will be in the MAC with their sites set on greener pastures in the FBS. EKU has done fairly well in FCS, but with Western Kentucky moving up, why not Eastern Kentucky as well?

2009 is the first year for Western Kentucky in the Sun Belt, and 2009 will be the first year for Eastern Kentucky in the MAC. These two teams have more things in common: WKU and EKU both have new stadiums. (Western Kentucky's stadium is generic, by the way) Western Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky both move out of smaller <20,000 capacity stadiums into larger 50,000+ capacity stadiums, hoping to succeed in FBS, and succeed in a fan base, as well.

Eastern Kentucky hopes that they will have a decent first season and hopes to reach a bowl game sometime in the next few years as their FBS era begins in 2009.

Two more: Louisiana Tech/North Texas, Boston College/USF swap conferences

For awhile now, people have been probably wondering? Why is Louisiana Tech in the WAC? The WAC = The Western Athletic Conference, but with LTU in it, it basically means, the West (maybe) Athletic Conference, however, today Louisiana Tech has announced that it is swapping with North Texas into the Sun Belt as North Texas makes a jump up into the WAC-ky conference, which has recently been dominated by Boise State, and challenged by Fresno State, Hawai'i and everyone's favorite under-appreciated team San Jose State.

But wait? Isn't North Texas in Texas. Why yes they are! But if you look at a map normally, North Texas is farther west than Louisiana Tech. Therefore, the WAC now makes more sense because a team in Louisiana is now in the Sun Belt where it's hot. Does this make any sense? It should.

And secondly, USF and Boston College have swapped spots. Really, USF is in the Big East. Ponder this for a second: the farthest south team in the Big East is either Louisville or West Virginia. About a fourteen hour drive south you hit USF. The Big East is now basically the Big Northeast as Boston College, one of the original members returns. However, BC left a message to USF the other day and we have the transcript:

"Yeah, hey, USF, good luck in the ACC, hope you enjoy losing four games in conference each year and have a great shot at winning the whole conference! Enjoy the Orange Bowl.. oh wait, we play in that. Well enjoy never having a chance at the National Title. Well, oh wait, the Big East has only made one national title game and that was with a team that's now in the ACC. Well, uhh.. shit. Ummmmmmm... uhhhhh. Enjoy your beaches, and enjoy your 9-4 orange bowl teams. Goodbye."

And with that, the 2009 college football season is just around the corner..

[Iron Dragon]

ESPN 2009 Season Preview

Tim Tebow looks to lead Florida to another national title, while taking another Heisman. Can he do it?


ESPNEWS HEADLINES

HOUSE OF PAIN: No team looks forward to trying to knock off LSU at home.

MAKE OR BREAK WEEKEND: (Boise State) Broncos look to come out on top over Oregon in a big opening weekend for football.

SCHOOL'S OPEN!: Virginia Tech starts the new season against Alabama in a battle of top ten teams.

SHUT DOWN D!: Alabama is out to prove that "Defense wins championships."

UP TO THE CHALLENGE: Julio Junes and Alabama look to compete for the National Title in 2009.

TOUGH TEST EARLY:Oklahoma opens the 2009 season against BYU.

GROUND ATTACK: DeMarco Murray is looking to run wild en route to the 2009 National Championship.

ATTACK MODE: Tim Tebow is embracing the opportunity to lead his team to another title.


PRESEASON TOP 25 & OTHERS





CONFERENCE PROJECTION

1. Southern Miss (Overall & East Champion)

2. Tulsa (West Champion)

3. ECU

4. Houston

5. Marshall

6. UAB

7. UCF

8. Rice

9. Memphis

10. UTEP

11. SMU

12. Tulane (6th West, by the way if you couldn't tell)


HEISMAN WATCH

1. Tim Tebow, SR, QB, Florida (2007 Heisman Winner)

2. Sam Bradford, r-JR, QB, Oklahoma (2008 Heisman Winner)

3. Colt McCoy, r-SR, QB, Texas

4. Jahvid Best, JR, RB, Cal

5. Daryll Clark, r-SR, QB, Penn State


TOP 5 TOUGHEST PLACES TO PLAY

1. "The Swamp", Florida

2. "Happy Valley", Penn State

3. "Death Valley", LSU (Guess who gets to play there)

4. "The Horseshoe", Ohio State

5. "Not Cool Enough for a Nickname", Oklahoma

[Iron Dragon]

Tulane will travel to Baton Rouge on Halloween for a night game versus LSU
TULANE 2009 SCHEDULE

Bold = C-USA Game
Red = Rivalry Game
Team's Ratings = OVR, OFF, DEF

Tulane's schedule starts out with tough games with Tulsa and #17 BYU. After a BYE week, Tulane should pick up a win over McNeese State at home. If not, we suck. We could get another win in West Point versus Army. Then four games we'll probably lose ending with a road trip to LSU. Unfortunately for the Green Wave, five of their last six games are on the road and for one of the bottom two in the C-USA, that can be a bad thing.

[Iron Dragon]

TULANE 2009 ROSTER/DEPTH CHART/PREVIEW


QUARTERBACKS



The trio of 6'4" QB's is led by starter Kevin Moore. Moore won the starting job over Joe Kemp, but could easily lose it if he flat out sucks. These QB's are pretty slow. Ryan Griffin is the fastest QB, but we're not running the option with any of these guys. These three guys are drop back and throw kind-of-guys.




RUNNINGBACKS/FULLBACKS





Andre Anderson returns from a season-ending injury in 2008 to lead the Tulane runningback core, but freshman Stephen Barnett, a younger version of Anderson basically, will see some time. Barnett will hopefully take over as the starting RB for the next three years after Anderson graduates. McDonald, Jason, and Austin will see maybe a bit of clean-up time, or if injuries happen.


Antoine Duplessis (say that five times fast), leads the two FB's and will be used here and there this year. He has 64 catching which could be helpful, too. He also has 75 Run block strength, as well. Stelly is just a blocker. If he's in at FB, he probably won't see the ball, unless he is wide open for a pass, since he has 62 catching.




WIDE RECEIVERS



Despite my first thoughts, Tulane has alot of wide receivers. Let's start with the big two. That no. 20 and that no. 19. Williams and Robottom might be our all-day guys, hopefully they are open alot. That probably won't be the case, though. Alan Mitchell is a good no. 3 man. He has better speed than 20-19, which is nice. D.J. Banks and Devin Figaro are true freshman and are going to see the field quite a bit this year. Both will be returning kicks along with D.J. Ponder (former QB, still a 75 OVR if needed at QB), and should make some catches here and there. Echols, Hooser, Davis will be on the field somewhat, Hooser might get a "did not play" redshirt. Jordan Sullen is reshirting... he needs to work on catching.


TIGHT ENDS



The three tight ends are pretty good, but Brock Sanders is going to be making the most catches of anyone. He's basically a big, slow wide reciever who can block and that equals a tight end. Brock could be a big stealer of TD's in the red zone (or inside the 10) from wide receivers with his good hands.


OFFENSIVE LINE



Starters (L to R): Nick Landry - John Landa - Andrew Neirman - Harris Howard - Pete Henderson


Our offensive line is pretty good, led by Andrew Neirman. There are a few skilled freshman and sophomores, so the line should be good this year and the next few years.. we hope.


DEFENSIVE ENDS



Our DE's are just plain average. Devin Williams will lead the left side attack as a true freshman, with Kelly and Smith backing him up. Hopefully we don't have to resort to Brooks Cunningham. Dezmen Moses and Adam Kwentua are very similar but just average, and will lead the right side.. right now Moses is the starter.


DEFENSIVE TACKLES



We have quite a few DT's. Starting with a 4-3 defense this year, Ponce de Leon and Bryant will start, and expecting to switch to a 3-4, we'll lose some of the DT love and strength after they graduate. Our DT's are better than our DE's right now, which is interesting as well.


LINEBACKERS



Here's what I got: If Rhymes, Farley, and Leford (or any of them) get injured. We're screwed. Our starters are all freshman which is awesome. Farley is the leader of these linebackers, and he's a redshirt freshman.


SECONDARY



Our secondary is led by cornerback impact player Charles Harris, who is a redshirt senior. Charles is basically the best player on this defense, and the most experienced. Phillips is quick, Wacha can play safety as well as CB, Smith, Garrett are freshman and are there if needed. Strozier is redshirting.


At safety, it's two original SS's at SS and FS. Sonnier and Echebelum. Both are very similar, and both are seniors. Their backups are led by Ian Harson, and then the two freshman who are very similar as well.


SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker: #47 Ross Thevenot, SR, 6'0", 180lbs - 82 OVR, 65 SPD, 68 ACC, 76 AWR, 84 KPW, 82 KAC

Punter: #40 Darrem deRochemont, JR, 5'8", 185lbs - 79 OVR, 62 SPD, 65 ACC, 55 AWR, 90 KPW, 74 KAC

KOS: Ross Thevenot

RET: D.J. Banks, D.J. Ponder, David Figaro will all split time between KR and PR.


TEAM RATING: D+ OVR, C OFF, D+ DEF

[Iron Dragon]

TULSA @ TULANE

NEW ORELANS -- Well, everyone, for the first time in almost a third of a year, it's time for a dynasty game with Iron Dragon at the sticks.. is he still any good? Was he ever any good? Did Tulsa forget that Andre Anderson was 7th in the NCAA in YPG before going down in the 7th game of last season? Am I foreshadowing something? Enough with the questions, let's get to the game..


1ST QUARTER


Tulane wins the toss, and defers to the second half.. let's get this party started. The opening kickoff is anything but a beauty, only traveling to the Tulsa 40 yard line, and Tulsa has the ball at midfield to start the game. Great. G.J. Kinne picks up 5 early yards, then on 3rd & 4, he would throw..




..to Darryl Farley! Interception! Tulane ball!


Tulane's drive however was not much, they picked up a first down but fell short of picking up a second and punted for a touchback. G.J. Kinne then hits fire for Tulsa, picking up 60 yards on two pass plays, to Shelley and Cawyer, and then G.J finds Shelley for an 8 yard TD to put the Golden Hurricane up 7-0.





Tulane would go three and out. Awesome. But then so would Tulsa. And then it became the running show. Andre Anderson runs for 8, 5 and 5 yard gains. Then Stephen Barnett for 3, then Duplessis for 5 and a first down, then Anderson for 2, then Kevin Moore finds Helm for a 11 yard gain, then Anderson runs for 11...


2ND QUARTER


..and then 8 more. However the drive stall and Thevenot will attempt a 41 yard field goal..




..off the bottom crossbar.


Tulsa picks up 19 yards on a 3rd down pass, but then stalls and punts. Tulane then goes three and out. Then G.J. Kinne catches on fire again, with passes of 14 and 48 yards to Shelley, then hits up Johnson for a 12 yard TD. 14-0 Tulsa. Oh boy.





Tulane then goes on rapid fire. Andre Anderson makes back-to-back wide open receptions for 30 and 13 yards, then Moore hits Jeremy Williams for a 18 yard TD... all in under 45 seconds. 14-7 Tulsa.





Tulsa gets one first down, can't get a second. Punt. Tulane has a minute to work with to try to score and tie it up.. they can not. Halftime. 14-7 Tulsa it stands.


3RD QUARTER


Tulane gets the ball first and it becomes the Andre Anderson rushing clinic. He passes up 100 yards on the ground with a 9 yard carry (his 6th of the drive), as Tulane marches down the field.. only to fall short on a failed 4th down in field goal range. Tulsa gets one first down, doesn't get another. Punt.


Welcome to the Andre Anderson show. After losing 7 yards on a sack, Moore finds Anderson for a 22 yard gain, then Robottom for a 30 yard gain, then Anderson picks up 27 yards on two runs, then scores on a 7 yard TD where he goes untouched. Tie ballgame. 14-14.





Three and out Tulsa. However, they pin us down to the 8 yard line with a 58 yard punt. And now let's return to the Andre Anderson all-purpose show from 2008: Kevin Moore will pass on first down, Anderson is open, gets into the open field, runs, runs, runs.. all the way for a NINETY-TWO YARD TD RECEPTION. 21-14, or 21 unanswered points. Tulane leads. Holy crap.


[YOUTUBE]7NgdbCprcHk[/YOUTUBE]


Not a three and out Tulsa.. Tulsa goes to the ground, picks up 46 yards on 4 carries.. and they head into the 4th quarter with the ball, driving.


4TH QUARTER


G.J. Kinne passes to Meyer down to the 2, and then Williams for Tulsa scores on a 2 yard untouched TD. 21-21. 6:35 to play.


Stephen Barnett checks in for the tired as heck Andre Anderson who is just short of 300 all-purpose yards. Barnett picks up 27 on the ground, but the drive stalls. Punt for a touchback.


Tulsa gets one first down, doesn't get another. Punt. Three and out Tulane. Punt. (Exciting, huh?)


G.J. Kinne catches fire again. After a 4 yard loss, and a incomplete pass. He hits up Johnson, he goes the distance. 60 yards to he house, leaving Tulane 3 minutes to tie the game. 28-21 Tulsa.





Tulane goes three and out with all three timeouts left. 2:15 to play. Tulsa goes three and out.. we have a shot.


We take over with 1:31 left. Jeremy Williams is the recipient of a tipped pass, almost catches it for a nice gain, but cannot. 2nd down.. Kellen Moore drops back..




..and is nailed for a 9 yard sack.


Alright that's not a bad thing.. 3rd & 19 with plenty of time and things to work with. He then overshoots Robottom. Oh crap. 4th & Game. He drops back, Tulsa with pressure from the line, he gets hit right after he throws.. it's a catchable ball.. but it's tipped and incomplete. Damnit. Well, we still have two timeouts.


Tulsa picks up a first down, wasting both of our timeouts. (cue the price is right losing horns) Damnit again. G.J. Kinne kneels out the clock.


FINAL SCORE: 28-21 TULSA


Well, I expected us to lose by around 2-3 scores, but instead we rallied back from 14-0 and took the lead 21-14, however, we stumbled late and that's what cost a shot at the "upset", I guess you could call it. This gives me confidence in this team.. or it was a total fluke and we'll get our behinds handed to us on a silver platter against BYU.




PLAYER STATS

Kevin Moore: 142.3 QB Rating, 10-for-26 passing, 243 yards, 2 TD, sacked 3 times

Andre Anderson: 24 rush att, 132 yards, TD, 8 broken tackles, 5 rec, 158 yards, TD, 123 YAC

Stephen Barnett: 8 rush att, 35 yards / Duplessis: 5 rush att, 23 yards

Jeremy Williams: 2 rec, 28 yards, TD / Robottom: 2 rec, 46 yards

Pete Hendrickson: 5 pancakes

Darryl Farley: 10 tackles, 2 TFL, Sack, INT

Chinonso Echebelum: 9 tackles

Cody Leford: 8 tackles, TFL

Tony Bryant: 6 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 Sacks

Charles Harris: 5 tackles, TFL

Devin Williams: 3 tackles, 2 TFL

De Leon: 2 tackles, Sack

Darren deRochemont: 7 punts, 314 yards, 44.8 avg, 33.7 net avg

D.J. Ponder: 101 return yards


Tulsa player of the game:

G.J. Kinne: 189.5 QBR, 18-for-27, 301 yards, 3 TD, INT

[Iron Dragon]

WEEK ONE AROUND THE NCAA

Week one is upon us! Will there be any upsets? Will any FCS <Insert Direction Here> teams win a game, despite playing about 20 games at once? Let's find out..


C-USA SCORES

• FCS <Insert Direction Here> 17, Southern Miss 41 ... USM led this game 41-3 in the final quarter.
  
• FCS <Insert Direction Here> 10, ECU 44 ... RB Lindsay runs for 145 yards and 3 TD's. ECU was 100% in the redzone.
  
• FCS <Insert Direction Here> 3, UCF 31 ... RB Harvey runs for 177 yards and 2 TD's. UCF rolls.
  
• UAB 33, Rice 10 ... C-USA Game ... UAB's 20-point 2nd quarter leads them to victory.. 584-269 in total offense.
  
• WTF ALERT: Memphis 31, #11 Ole Miss 21 ... Memphis has a dangerous offense. 80+ rated QB, RB, and like 5 80+ WR's. Did I expect them to go into Ole Miss and ruin their season on week one? No. Calhoun with 2 TD receptions.
  
• FCS <Insert Direction Here> 17, Marshall 52 ... QB Anderson for Marshall with 4 TD passes.
  
• FCS <Insert Direction Here> 0, SMU 42 ... SMU took a 35-0 lead in the first half and did not allow FCS <Direction> into the redzone.
  
• FCS <Insert Direction Here> 0, Houston 49 ... Case Keenum: 4 TDs, 0 INT. 42-0 halftime Houston lead.
  
• Buffalo 20, UTEP 6 ... UTEP didn't have any turnovers, forced two, but their offense was MIA, as they only found field goals in visits to the red zone. Both teams combined for just 7/33 on third downs, and there were 18 punts in this game.
  

NCAA Notable Scores

• #12 Oregon 23, #14 Boise State 14 ... After throwing 4 picks, Kellen Moore's late 2 TD passes made the score closer than it looks. It was 23-0 with 9 minutes to play.
  
• #7 Ohio State 30, Navy 13 ... Pryor: 20/36, 263 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
  
• #4 USC 41, San Jose State 3 ... Absolute lies. Ronald Johnson caught 3 D passes despite only having 46 rec yards.
  
• #15 Cal 38, Maryland 27 ... A game of trends: Cal 16-0, Maryland 27-16, Cal 38-27. Cal scored 22 in the final quarter, Jahvid Best had no TD's.
  
• #13 Georgia 31, #9 Oklahoma State 14 ... Zac Robinson's early injury and Dez Bryant's 6.1 ypc were two key factors.
  
• #2 Oklahoma 27, #17 BYU 20 ... Bradford had an off-day, 2 TD's and 2 INT's. BYU kept it close but fell short with a 4th quarter rally.
  
• #10 Virginia Tech 37, #6 Alabama 17 ... Greg McElroy: 4/22, 21 yards .. Star Jackson: 2/2, 106 yards, 2 TD (mop-up duty in the 4th). Who is the better QB?
  
• #5 LSU 22, Washington 20 ... LSU down 17-0 at halftime, rally with a Charles Scott TD run with :40 left + a 2pt conversion to win it.
  
• Miami FL 20, #20 Florida State 0 ... Punt fest. 23 total punts. Miami had 19 penalties for 153 yards. Realistic? You decide.
  
• Eastern Kentucky 3, Wisconsin 27 .. EKU led 3-0 after one. That's all I got.
  

Tulane commits: *2 G from Louisiana.


TOP 10 & NOTABLES:

1. Florida(32)

2. Oklahoma(22)

3. Texas(5)

4. USC(1)

5. LSU(1)

6. Ohio State

7. Virginia Tech

8. Penn State

9. Georgia

10. Oregon

11. Alabama (0-1)

22. Miami (FL)

25. USF

Ole Miss dropped 15 spots to #26, Florida State dropped to #28. Minnesota's just outside the top 25, along with ND, PITT and Boston College.


Heisman Watch: Unchanged

Performances: Tebow had 4 Total TD's. Darryl Clark had 3. Bradford had 2. McCoy had 1. Best had none.


NCAA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offense: Savier Stephens, HB, Air Force | 35 car, 178 yards, 4 TD, 22 rec yds

Defense: Korey Bosworth, DE, UCLA | 9 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 Sacks, 2 FF


UP NEXT: Tulane gets #20 BYU fresh off a disappointing loss to #2 Oklahoma. Can we pull off the upset with BYU slumped? Kirk and Lee pick BYU. Not suprising. BYU is B- OVR with a B+ OFF and a C+ DEF..

[Iron Dragon]

#20 BYU @ TULANE

NEW ORLEANS -- BYU rolls into town with their pass-happy, or maybe a little too pass-happy attack, which can score some points. Off a loss to #2 Oklahoma, the now no. 20 Cougars (0-1) comes to the Superdome as 6 recruits visit Tulane. Tulane was upset-minded, but could they even keep up with BYU's B+ offense taking on their D+ defense? We'd just have to find out..

1ST QUARTER

Two for two: Tulane wins the toss, defers to the second half and we're underway. The pass happy attack of Tulane gets underway as Max Hall finds true freshman Brent(?) Thompson, then Murphy, then Pitta leading BYU into Tulane territory and driving fast. However, just a minute into the game, Hall steps back, finds his man.. FUMBLE.. Darryl Farley with the recovery..

[YOUTUBE]Ienud4KOOvE[/youtube]


...and he goes all the way for six! Touchdown Tulane! Holy crap. 7-0 lead. BYU would then get one first down, and would not get a second. Tulane would get a first down, but it gets called back by holding. Three and out. Punt. Unga was the main man for BYU on this drive, but their drive stalls on a fourth and one and they elect to kick the field goal from 34 yards out. 7-3 Tulane.

Three and out Tulane. Awesome. And then the Max Hall show returns, Pitta gains 29 yards on 2 receptions, then Beck gets 17, and then he finds Unga for a 26 yard TD.



2ND QUARTER

Well BYU takes a completely expected lead into the 2nd quarter. And then it became the Andre Anderson show. A 6 yard run, a 3 yard run, a 22 yard reception, a 4 yard run, a 10 yard reception, a 9 yard run, a 8 yard run, and a 1 yard TD run. Boy that was pretty anti-climatic. 14-10 Tulane.

3 and out BYU. Tulane puts together another drive and Thevenot misses a 43 yard field goal. (Note to self: 40+ yard field goals = Thevenot not good) BYU gets one first down, then goes four and out. Tulane runs out the final 2 seconds of the half.

14-10 Tulane at the half. Holy shitcakes.

3RD QUARTER

And we get the ball first too, now let's just drive down the field and make this an 11-point game. Well, in perfect land, that's what would happen, here's what really did:




17-14 #20 BYU. Alright, let's not lose composure now.. and we start driving. Only to fail on a 4th down in BYU territory. But BYU would go three and out. Then Tulane's next drive is led by 21 yards from true freshman Stephen Barnett, Tulane gets in field goal range, stalls, and kicks the easy 33 yard field goal. 17-17.

BYU starts to drive, Max Hall gets a critical 1st down through the air, then another, then Harvey Unga gets them to the four of Tulane on a big run..

4TH QUARTER

..and two plays later, Unga gets a 4 yard TD run. 24-17 #20 BYU. Okay that's alright, we got the ball, all three timeouts, alot of time. Anderson gets sevem, then loses 1, then KEVIN MOORE runs for a first down (this might be the only time a QB scramble gets a first down this year), Anderson loses 4, but Moore finds Helm for 17. First down. Anderson loses 3. Barnett gains 10 on the reception. No gain on 3rd down, and we go for it. Moore throws to Barnett.. first down.. NO! He drops it! He's hit and drops the ball! DAMNIT.

Well, if we can just hold BYU... Hall to Pitta for a 19 yard gain, then to Beck for 21, then to Thompson for 1, then an incompletion, then to Kariya for 7. Field goal. 30 yards. Good. 3:34 to play. 27-17 BYU. We're still in this..

Two incompletions start the drive, but Andre Anderson gets the first down on 3rd & 10. Excellent. Then to Mitchell for 7, now a critical 3rd & 3.. Moore steps back, to Anderson.. first down and more..




*cue the losing horns* 34-17 BYU. That about does it.. but we can try. And on fourth down, Kevin Moore is sacked. This seems like last week all over again. Well, in perfect world, BYU should just run the rest of the clock out..





[glare]

41-17 BYU. Damn you Cougars. Revenge will be mine one day. Well let's see if we can get some pity points. 8 yard pass to Anderson, 30 yard pass to Williams, 26 yards to Echols, 3 yards to Mitchell.. and then this...



ah good ol' pity points against the somewhat mop-up defense of the Cougars. Final score should have been 34-17 you Cougar idiots. Instead, it's not.

We attempt an onside and fail. And in a perfect world, Max Hall should just take a knee and win the game.. and he decides he should before BYU loses -100 showdown points in sportsmanship because that obviously exists in real life.

FINAL SCORE: #20 BYU 41-24

This game's final score turned out how I expected it to be. I thought we had a shot at the upset, and we should totally blow the crap out of McNeese State next week. Starters should be out by halftime. Hopefully we can get 2 100-yard rushers. Despite two fumbles, Andre Anderson still almost got a double-double (100 rush, 100 rec yards)


PLAYER STATS
Kevin Moore: 118.9 QB Rating, 23-for-39 passing, 239 yards, TD, 0 INT, 0 rush yards (after being worst in the NCAA with -22 last week)
Andre Anderson: 28 rush att, 103 yards, TD, 2 fumbles, 5 rec, 64 yards
Stephen Barnett: 4 rush, 19 yards, 4 rec, 18 yds, 34 YAC
Tyler Helm: 5 rec, 44 yards / Alan Mitchell: 4 rec, 25 yards / Cody Sparks: 2 rec, 16 yds
Taylor Echols: 1 rec, 26 yards / Jeremy Williams (double-covered all game): reception, 30 yards / Casey Robottom: Reception, 16 yards, TD
Darryl Farley: 8 tackles, 2 TFL, FR, Def TD
Chinoso Echebelum: 8 tackles
Corey Sonnier: 8 tackles
Charles Harris: 5 tackles, TFL, FF
Alex Wacha, David Phillips: 5 tackles each
Kristifer Rhymes: 3 tackles, 2 TFL, Sack
D.J. Banks: 111 return yards / D.J. Ponder: 81 return yards

BYU:
Max "Throwing for TD's up big makes me feel good" Hall: 29/39, 339 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT.
Harvey Unga: 50 yards rushing, TD, 2 rec, 49 yards, 2 TD (Player of the Game)
Cameron Corner: 3 tackles, FR, TD

[Iron Dragon]

WEEK TWO AROUND THE NCAA

Week one's biggest upset was defiently Memphis over #11 Ole Miss. Talks of "Memphis busting the BCS" flourished and some people starting thinking of putting them in the top 25. Flashback to 2008. East Carolina got to #14 after week two. East Carolina, then lost 3 of it's next four games and finished 9-5. Just something to think about..


C-USA SCORES

• #21 West Virginia 31, ECU 6 ... Lightning does not strike twice for ECU. Noel Devine runs for 3 TD's.
  
• Virginia Tech 41, Marshall 17 ... Marshall led this game 17-7 in the opening quarter, until VT scored a nice 34 straight to finish the game.
  
• MAJOR WTF ALERT: Mid Tenn State 14, Memphis 12 .. Memphis on cloud nine after upsetting no. 11 Ole Miss, is promptly kicked off by in-state foe Middle Tennessee State. Dwight Dasher had 2 TD passes.
  
• UAB 55, SMU 38 ... UAB improves to 2-0 (2-0), even better, SMU led this game 31-7 early in the 2nd quarter, before a 48 point unanswered run by UAB.
  
• New Mexico 29, Tulsa 27 ... G.J. Kinne has 3 TDs, no INT's but Tulsa fails to win.
  
• #24 Kansas 30, UTEP 6 ... Briscoe with 3 TD receptions for KU.
  
• UCF 31, Southern Miss 24 ... RB Harvey scores the GW TD with 1:06 left for UCF.
  
• #14 Oklahoma State 22, Houston 20 ... Case Keenum ties the game for Houston on a 21 yard TD pass, but Houston fails to get the two-point conversion costing them at shot at OT.
  
• Rice 45, Texas Tech 42 ... 754 combined passing yards. Taylor Potts has 31 incompletions, but yet has 4 TD's and over 400 yards passing. Fanuzzi has 25 incompletions, but 340 pass yards and 5 TD's. When they weren't passing, they were punting, however.
  

NCAA Notable Scores

• UConn 17, #13 North Carolina 14 ... Can someone tell me why North Carolina was no. 13 again?
  
• South Carolina 41, #9 Georgia 20 ... Spurrier and his hat's offense took a 41-10 lead on Georgia with over a quarter and a half left to play in this one.
  
• Purdue 35, #10 Oregon 3 ... Week 1: Everyone please welcome Oregon to the top 10. Week 2: Everyone please welcome Oregon to the "others receiving votes" section.
  
• #5 LSU 26, Vanderbilt 20 ... Vanderbilt falls short of upsetting LSU, who was almost upset last week.
  
• #4 USC 17, #6 Ohio State 13 ... Ohio State had a 13-7 lead headed for the 4th, and USC kicked a field goal with :09 left. Why? I'm not sure.
  
• Eastern Kentucky 24, FCS <Direction> 7
  

TOP 25

1. Florida(39)

2. USC(21)

3. Oklahoma(1)

4. Texas

5. LSU

6. Virginia Tech

7. Penn State

8. Alabama (1-1)

9. Cal

10. Ohio State (1-1)

11. Oklahoma State (1-1)

12. TCU

13. Boise State (1-1)

14. Nebraska

15. Iowa

16. BYU (1-1)

17. West Virginia

18. Miami FL (Weren't you 30th two weeks ago?)

19. North Carolina (1-1)

20. Utah

21. Georgia (1-1)

22. Kansas

23. UConn

24. Georgia Tech (1-1)

25. USF

Others: Oregon, Clemson, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Notre Dame


Heisman Watch

Top 5: Tebow, Bradford, McCoy, Best, Dezmon Briscoe (WR, Kansas.. 4 TD this year)


NCAA Players of the Week

Offense: Russell Wilson, QB, North Carolina State (17/29, 345 yds, 16 car, 100 yds, 4 Total TD)

Defense: Toryan Smith, MLB, Notre Dame (14 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 Sacks, INT)


UP NEXT: McNeese State visits. D- across the board. We shouldn't have trouble in this one.. the key word is shouldn't.

[Iron Dragon]

McNeese State @ Tulane (0-2)

NEW ORLEANS --- Remember when I said that Kevin Moore getting a first down as a slow QB scrambling was a strange sight? Well, in this game, what if I told you a QB took an option keeper to the house, and that TD was 18 yards long. And he's a third stringer! Also, what if I told you Andre Anderson wasn't the leading rusher and that someone who played just about a quarter was. What if I told you we were playing a D- team that's average starting rating is about 51? Well, it's all possible against FCS... I mean McNeese State. Which is in Louisiana, if you guessed that.

And now, I present to you a touchdown highlight reel theater, because there's not much reason to do a report, due to the case that the team we played sucks:

1ST QUARTER
5:22: Casey Robottom 9 yard TD from Kevin Moore


3:58: Andre Anderson 54 yard TD run


1:54: Casey Robottom 2 yard TD from Kevin Moore


2ND QUARTER

5:00: Thevenot 24 yard field goal
1:35: Jeremy Williams 7 yard TD from Kevin Moore


0:10: D.J. Banks 19 yard TD from Joe Kemp (First TD for Banks)


3RD QUARTER

4:23: Stephen Barnett 68 yard TD run (first carry of the game)


0:58: J.T. McDonald 2 yard TD run (2nd carry of the game/season)


4TH QUARTER

6:22: Ryan Griffin 18 yard TD run (Option Keeper, 1st career Tulane TD)


3:03: Thevenot 22 yard field goal.

Add in a McNeese State TD somehow, someway.

FINAL SCORE: 62-7 TULANE

We won. We won big. Did anyone else expect otherwise? Hopefully this carries momentum into the SMU game next week. Stephen Barnett is the player of the game. Ryan Griffin wins the "WTF Did you just run for a TD award" for 2009. I'm not sure if that award exists but it does now.

PLAYER STATS
Joe Kemp: 247.8 QB Rating, 3/4 passing, 43 yards, TD
Kevin Moore: 183.4 QB Rating, 14/22 passing, 196 yards, 3 TD
(No passes in 2nd half for either)

Andre Anderson: 15 rush att, 160 yards, TD, 2 rec, 42 yards (202 total, lowest this year: 168)
Stephen Barnett: 13 rush att, 169 yards, TD
Payton Jason: 11 rush att, 51 yards / J.T. McDonald: 3 rush att, 37 yds, TD / Austin: 12 rush yards / Stelly: 8 rush yards / Griffin: 18 rush yds, TD

Jeremy Williams: 5 rec, 67 yards, TD / Casey Robottom: 3 rec, 17 yards, 2 TD (pulled at 1:35 2nd qtr.)
Tyler Helm: 3 rec, 55 yds / D.J. Banks: 2 rec, 46 yards, TD / Echols: 15 rec yds

Logan Kelly: 5 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 Sacks
Tony Bryant: 4 tackles, 2 TFL, Sack
Oscar Ponce De Leon: 3 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 Sacks
D.J. Ponder: 89 return yards

UP NEXT: Week Three Around the NCAA

[Iron Dragon]

AROUND THE NCAA WEEK THREE

Week two featured the #9 and #10 teams getting blown out by unranked teams, what would week three have in store? Could Nebraska go into Blacksburg and beat Virginia Tech and hopefully move up into the top 10? Will UAB and UCF remain undefeated?

C-USA SCORES

• #19 North Carolina 29, ECU 3 ... ECU had a painful 122 yards of offense without Pinkney at QB. Twenty-two total punts in this one. Yawn.
• UAB 19, Troy 10 ... UAB is halfway to bowl eligible and still has 2 conference wins. Solid win over a Troy team that lost to Florida last week by only 19.
• Southern Miss 27, Virginia 24 ... USM "upsets" Virginia at home, Austin Davis with three pass TD's including the game winner in the mid-4th quarter.
• Battle of I-10: New Mexico State 35, UTEP 28 ... UTEP is winless, which is surprising. 3 INT's for Vittatoe are costly in the loss.
• Memphis 41, FCS <Direction> 0 ... Calhoun: 6 rec, 161yds, 3 TD.. what is that? 6 TD's this year?
• #11 Oklahoma State 62, Rice 3 ... Zac Robinson has 6 total TD's.
• Bowling Green 35, Marshall 17 ... Bowling Green was winless. Now they aren't.
• SMU 26, Washington State 17 ... Despite being picked 11th in the C-USA, SMU is 2-1 and won at Washington State.
• UCF 38, Buffalo 3 ... UCF halfway to bowl eligibility. Doubled up Buffalo in offense yards.
• #3 Oklahoma 45, Tulsa 3 ... Bradford has 3 TD's and 0 INT's. G.J. Kinne musters up 46 total yards of offense.

NCAA NOTABLE SCORES

• #24 Georgia Tech 21, #18 Miami (FL) 13 ... Jacory Harris has 3 INT's, and no TD's for the U.
• #25 USF 38, Clemson 13 ... USF's first ACC game goes quite well. 529 yards of offense. I'd say USF is liking their new conference.
• #10 Ohio State 36, Toledo 33 2OT ... Bad day for tOSU. They lose Terrelle Pryor in the 1st quarter, then blow a 27-7 lead on the Rockets, and escape on a 25 yard TD in double OT thanks to Ray Small from Joe Bauserman.
• Baylor 44, #23 UConn 34 ... UConn's short-lived top 25 days are over, Jay Finley with 3 rush TD's for Baylor.
• Here comes another Tebow speech alert: Tennessee 28, #1 Florida 27 ... Jonathan Crompton finds Gerald(?) Jones in the endzone for a TD with :38 left to play as the Vols travel to the swamp and knock off the #1 Gators.
• #6 Virginia Tech 30, #14 Nebraska 13 ... VT finds the endzone three times in the final quarter, they entered the 4th down 13-6.
• #20 Utah 34, Oregon 27 OT ... The Ducks have went from top 10 team to losing record cooked bird. Matt Asiata with the GW score in OT.
• Florida State 31, #16 BYU 15 ... BYU took an early 9-0 lead until FSU rolled off 31 straight.

TOP 25
1. USC(38)
2. Oklahoma(21)
3. Texas(1)
4. LSU(1)
5. Virginia Tech
6. Penn State
7. Alabama
8. Cal
9. Ohio State (dumbfounded by the moving up)
10. Oklahoma State
11. TCU
12. Florida
13. Boise State
14. Iowa
15. West Virginia
16. Utah
17. North Carolina
18. Nebraska
19. Tennessee (from no votes last week)
20. Georgia
21. Georgia Tech
22. Kansas
23. USF
24. Florida State
25. Miami (I think #24 and #25 should be flipped)
OUTSIDE: BYU (with two losses, really?), Baylor, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, UConn

Heisman Watch: Tebow, Bradford, McCoy, Brizcoe, Adron Tennell (WR, Oklahoma)

NCAA Players of the Week:
Offense: Kelly Page, QB, Ball State - 20/37, 341 yards, 41 rush yards, 5 Total TD's
Defense: RJ Kieselkauhane, OLB, Hawai'i - 15 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 Sacks, INT, FR

UP NEXT: Our first road game to SMU, they are D+ OVR, C- OFF, C- DEF.. if we're going to win just one conference game, this is probably it.

[Iron Dragon]

Tulane (1-2, 0-1) @ SMU (2-1, 0-1)

DALLAS, TEXAS -- Well, it was the first road game for Tulane, the first game outdoors. An interesting fact about Tulane this year: Every time they've won the coin toss, they've lost. Every time they've lost the coin toss, they've won. SMU is led by pass happy June Jones. SMU averages 44 passes a game, and the starting running back is lucky to get to 100 yards by midway through the season. BYU and Max Hall put up some big numbers through the air (the last TD doesn't count), however this is a road game, and predicted 11th place SMU looked for a 3-1 start, while predicted 12th place Tulane looked to avoid a 1-3 start with a win only over McNeese State. SMUs' top WR isn't an impact player, but his two friends beside him are. It's the no. 8 passing attack versus the no. 1 rushing attack. How would they fare.. let's find out.

1ST QUARTER

SMU won the toss and chose to receive. Well, let's see what they can do on offense. Here's some options that they might do: 99% chance it's a pass, 0.9% it's an option/QB scramble, 0.1% chance that the halfback will get a carry. Well, the first play is actually A SACK! Good start. McDermott passes for 3 and then overshoots Lunday the runningback. 3 and out. Punt. (SMU's special teams = bad, short kicks and missed field goals (if attempted) a'hoy)

Let's see, Andre Anderson gets 19 on two carries, then D.J. Banks gets 15 on a reception, and then Casey Robottom goes deep.. and Moore throws a perfect strike, he's tackled somewhat at the 2, but keeps his footing long enough for a 38 yard TD reception! 7-0 Tulane!



Then J.J. McDermott starts to pass like crazy, going 8-for-10 on this drive, including a 10 yard TD strike to Robinson.



However, SMU's kicker MISSES the extra point, and it's 7-6 Tulane. And now, David Figaro lines up at kick returner, for the first time in his career.. it's a short kick to the 23.. Figaro.. has some blockers.. cuts up field.. he's got the lane to go.. he WILL TAKE IT ALL THE WAY BACK. 77 yard return TD on his first ever kick return. That's a 100% TD average per return for those keeping track at home. 14-6 Tulane.

Well, SMU would come back out passing, and it took them one play to find the endzone, J.J. McDermott to find Robinson again, this time for a 66 yard TD pass. Epic fail on the coverage.



Even better, McDermott finds Zimmerman for the two point conversion. 14-14 tie. Even worse, Tulane goes three and out. Even better than that, McDermott on 3rd and long finds Medford for a 72 yard TD pass, coverage fail again.


..and Tulane's coverage thinks it's going out of bounds. It didn't and he had the easy YAC and score. 21-14 SMU.

Tulane would pick up two first downs and then...

2ND QUARTER

..they would continue to milk the ground game thanks to Andre Anderson and Stephen Barnett. Eventually, Anderson finds the endzone jumping over people in a goal line set on a 3 yard TD:



21-21. SMU gets one first down passing, doesn't get a second thanks to a scramble failed by McDermott. Tulane then works the ground game again without slipping, somehow. 9 yard run by Andre, then 6, then 11, then 9 by Barnett, then 18 by Anderson, then 16 on two carries by Barnett, but once they got to 1st & Goal, Tulane struggles to pick up any yards, and Thevenot hits a 25 yard field goal, 24-21 Tulane.

That would leave SMU with over a minute to drive and try to score. It's a quick third and long.. however, McDermott knows how to throw long and he finds Zimmerman for a 67 yard score. Zimmerman gets past a missed tackle and goes untouched, 28-24 SMU.



Tulane does nothing. 28-24 at the half.

3RD QUARTER

Alright, we get the ball first.. let's just drive down the field and score here and take the lead back. Kevin Moore catches on fire with two passes for 24 yards, then one to D.J. Banks for 32.. now it's time for a handoff to Anderson, to the 1 yard line! Now let's punch this in..



Oh shit, fumble!! Hurry someone please pick it up! Instead, the big man (#47, Thomas, a defensive tackle) somehow manages to go ALL THE WAY TO THE ENDZONE untouched for a 95 yard fumble return TD. Oh shit. 35-24 SMU. Not good.

Moore gets fired up, a 25 yarder to Mitchell, then an 5 yard pass to Anderson, then 30 yards on two more passes to Mitchell, then they are in striking distance. 3rd & Goal.. Jeremy Williams to the 3. Coach Ron Draggo says, let's go for it, we gotta get back in this game. Moore looks, looks.. SACK! "Ah shit", as Draggo tosses his playbook to the ground. "That's two straight drives inside the five and SMU outscored us 7-0 on those drives." The defense who was fired up forces two bad passes and gets a sack and SMU punts from inside their own ten. Tulane starts in SMU territory looking for blood, that is the endzone.

Moore to Robottom for 22, then on 3rd down a couple plays later, Moore runs for 9 and the first down (WHAT!?!), then Anderson runs for 6, and then Stephen Barnett runs for eight yards and he...


..scores a touchdown!

35-31 SMU. SMU starts to drive.. huge 37 yard reception gets them a first on third and long and they are in scoring range...

4TH QUARTER

McDermott runs to our 2 yard line on a 5 yard gain, then he loses four. Then he throws to Sanders for five. Back to our one and on FOURTH AND GOAL.. it's a TD run for Lunday on the option! The halfback's first score of the year comes in their fourth game of the season. 42-31 SMU.

Tulane, however, was not out if it yet. Over six minutes to play and all three timeouts. Three and out and a punt. Nice. Three and out SMU. Punt. One minute went by in that fun punting game.

First play of Tulane's drive is a 10 yard pass to Helm. Helm gets a second first down on 2nd & 9 two plays later, then Kevin Moore somehow runs for a 14 yard gain (WHAT?!!), yes that's right, the field was wide open for Moore. Moore to Helm for 13, then to Williams for 7.. inside the ONE YARD line. The booth reviewed to see if he got in the endzone, he did not. Antoine Duplessis (FB) wouldn't be denied, straight up the gut for a 2 feet TD run. Tulane would go for two to make it a field goal game, and Moore overshoots freshman TE Brock Sanders. 42-37 SMU. However, the defense comes alive again and gets three incomplete passes. Punt. 3 minutes to play. Here we go.

Anderson gets one yard. Incomplete pass on 2nd. 3rd and 9 and Barnett on a toss play picks up the first win ten yards catching SMU offguard. Anderson gets 2. Barnett then gets 17! First down inside the 25 of SMU. Barnett then gets 7 more, to the 14 yard line. Then McDonald gets three, Duplessis gets 3. First down. 1:38 to play. Barnett loses 2, then gains 3 back. Third and goal and 0:59 left to play.. and here was the call.

"Moore in the shotgun, four wide recievers, Barnett is the tailback. Third and goal. 42-37 SMU. 55 seconds to go.. Moore gets the snap, he looks right.. looks right.. no one is open.. HE WILL RUN FOR IT.. MOORE WIDE OPEN FIELD.. TEN, FIVE, TOUCHDOWN TULANE! TULANE HAS SCORED! Kevin Moore the pocket passing QB has scored a 7 yard TD! Tulane leads it! Tulane has taken the lead, 43-42 over SMU! Wow!"



Tulane goes for two and they would get it as Moore finds Stephen Barnett in the endzone and he makes the grab. 47 seconds left, 45-42 Tulane.

Great kick by Thevenot, Sanders to the 28 on the return. McDermott to Lunday for 15. First down. Incomplete pass on 1st down. To Sanders for 9 on 2nd. 30 seconds. McDermott throws out of bounds, too far for Medford. FOURTH AND GAME. Fourth and just one yard to go. If SMU gets it, they will call a timeout most defiently. Here we go.. and here was the call.

"McDermott has two runningbacks and three tight ends here. Fourth and one. It's a handoff to the fullback, no it's to Lunday. Tulane IS NOT FOOLED. HE MEETS BRYANT IN THE BACKFIELD FOR THE TACKLE FOR A LOSS. TULANE WILL WIN IT! Lunday goes down two yards short of the first! Tulane wins! What a comeback and what a game! It will be 45-42 Tulane over SMU!"



Tony Bryant would make the game winning tackle and Tulane would come out, take two kneeldowns and win the game. What a comeback by the Green Wave.

FINAL SCORE: 45-42 TULANE

What a performance. SMU looked like an offensive explosion in the first half, but did not throw for a TD in the second. McDermott was a mere 25% in the second half as Tulane's defense was the key to setting up scores for the fourth quarter rally and victory. Kevin Moore is the player of the game. Still no picks by him. Incredible and surprising TD run at the end. When he started to run it seemed like he was probably trying to just shorten the fourth and goal because there was NO ONE open on that play. Everyone was covered but one player and his name is Kevin Moore. Now with our second straight win after two season starting losses, hopefully we don't lose our next eight straight like 2008 Tulane.


PLAYER STATS
Kevin Moore: 141.7 QB Rating, 18-for-33 passing, 264 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 8 rush yards, TD (9 Total TD this year, 0 turnovers)

Andre Anderson: 21 rush att, 108 yards, TD, 3 broken tackles, Fumble, 3 rec, 25 yds
Stephen Barnett: 13 rush att, 72 yards, TD, 2pt conversion catch
Antoine Duplessis: 2 rush, 3 yds, TD

Jeremy Williams: 3 rec, 24 yards, TD / Casey Robottom: 2 rec, 60 yards, TD
Tyler Helm: 4 rec, 51 yards / Alan Mitchell: 3 rec, 55 yards / D.J. Banks: 2 rec, 47 yds / McDonald: Catch, 2 yds

Cody Leford: 8 tackles, TFL
Chinoso Echebelum: 6 tackles
Kristifer Rhymes, Oscar Ponce De Leon: 3 tackles, Sack each
Adam Kwentua: 2 tackles, 2 TFL, Sack
Tony Bryant: 2 tackles, 2 TFL (GW TFL), Sack

Thevenot: 1/1 FG, 4/4 XP
David Figaro: 4 KR, 137 yards, KR TD / D.J. Banks: 5 PR, 38 yards

SMU: J.J. McDermott 22/43, 386 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT / Aldrick Robinson 2 rec, 76 yds, 2 TD / Zach Zimmerman: 2 rec, 65 yds, TD / A-Darius Medford 2 rec, 75 yds, TD

UP NEXT: Week Four Around the NCAA

[Iron Dragon]

AROUND THE NCAA WEEK FOUR

Week three brought us our first #1 team to fall, as Florida fell to unranked and now top 20 team Tennessee at home by one point. In 2008, as the number 1 team, Florida lost to unranked Ole Miss by one point at home. Tebow then had a speech that year, but this year he did not. Let's see what week four does to the NCAA..


C-USA SCORES

• Vanderbilt 31, Rice 17 ... Fanuzzi having 26 incompletions and 4 INT's really cost Rice who did really well in this one.
  
• ECU 30, UCF 6 ... UCF falls for the first time this season, as ECU goes back to .500 with Patrick Pinkney back at QB. No TD's for the NCAA's leading TD rusher Harvey.
  
• #22 Kansas 44, Southern Miss 29 ... I really thought USM had a good shot at this one. Austin Davis had a great day with 402 passing yards but only had one pass TD. USM had three turnovers, Kansas had none.
  
• Texas A&M 28, UAB 24 ... Battle of the undefeateds and UAB falls, Jerrod Johnson has 4 pass TD's for aTm.
  
• Memphis 28, Marshall 17 ... How did this team lose to Mid Tennessee State again?
  
• Tulsa 34, FCS Bologna 7 ... Tulsa is without G.J. Kinne.
  
• Houston 33, Texas Tech 19 ... Excellent OOC win for Houston. Case Keenum had 2 pass TD's. Taylor Potts was 34/69, 1 TD, and 3 INT's (6 TD/13 INT)
  
• #3 Texas 51, UTEP 10 ... UTEP completes their OOC schedule at 0-4. McCoy with 3 Total TD's.
  

NCAA NOTABLE SCORES

• Boston College 21 (Big East), #24 Florida State 7 .. BC beats former ACC team Florida State and drops them to .500.
  
• Clemson 34, #11 TCU 19 ... TCU was no. 11. Four field goals in the red zone is not what they needed.
  
• #1 USC 38, Washington State 16 ... Washington State scored one less point on USC than they did SMU. Hmm..
  
• Arkansas 32, #7 Alabama 14 ... Alabama was already overrated with a loss, and Arkansas takes out the trash.
  
• #17 North Carolina 31, #21 Georgia Tech 21 ... GT already has 2 conference losses.
  
• #6 Penn State 31, #14 Iowa 17 ... Hey, is anyone talking about Penn State? They are quietly taking care of business.
  
• Oregon 34, #8 Cal 29 ... Oregon back to .500. You still lost to Purdue by 35 at home.
  
• #23 USF 31, Wake Forest 21 ... USF is 2-0 in ACC play.
  
• #5 Virginia Tech 30, #25 Miami 14 ... Ho hum, Miami is under .500.
  
• Illinois 45, #9 Ohio State 23 ... Yeah, Juice Williams threw for 404 yards. Has this ever happened? The Buckeyes are back in 2004 mode.
  

TOP 25

1. USC(33)

2. Oklahoma(25)

3. Texas(2)

4. LSU(1)

5. Virginia Tech

6. Penn State

7. Oklahoma State (1 loss)

8. Florida (1 loss)

9. Boise State (1 loss)

10. West Virginia

11. Utah

12. Cal (1 loss)

13. North Carolina (1 loss)

14. Nebraska (1 loss)

15. Illinois (no votes to 566)

16. Tennessee (1 loss)

17. Iowa (1 loss)

18. Alabama (2 losses)

19. Ohio State (2 losses)

20. Georgia (1 loss)

21. TCU (1 loss)

22. Kansas

23. USF

24. Oregon (2 losses)

25. Clemson (1 loss)

OTHERS: BYU (2 losses), Baylor, Georgia Tech (2 losses), Ole Miss (2 losses, I think), Arkansas (1 loss)

BOLD = UNDEFEATED


Poll logic fail. Kansas and USF are buried with undefeated records behind teams who can lose to unranked teams and only lose four spots.


HEISMAN WATCH: Tebow, Bradford, Briscoe, Austin Pettis (Boise State), McCoy



PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Offense: Tim Hiller, QB, Western Michigan (27/33, 338yds, 68 rush yards, 5 Total TD)

Defense: Antonio Coleman, DE, Auburn (6 tackles (4 TFL), 2 Sacks, 2 FF)


UP NEXT: We have momentum. Now it's time for a road trip to West Point, to face Army (1-3, lone win over Duke), D OVR, C- OFF, D DEF. I smell three straight wins.. I hope.

[Iron Dragon]

TULANE (2-2) @ ARMY (1-3)


WEST POINT, NY --- Army has a crazy-styled offense. Basically a wishbone/flexbone passing/qb running/option weirdness hybrid. No camouflage today for the Cadets, however, if you are a fan of that like I am. Maybe next time if we meet again. Tulane's 3rd worst pass defense should have a good day today as Army should be on the ground more, maybe not. Speaking of passing, Kevin Moore has thrown 120 passes this year without a single interception, but yet he only has 8 pass TD's, would that increase and/or change today? Or would it be a day for the ground game like it usually is? Could Tulane get to above .500 at 3-2? We'd just have to wait and see..


1ST QUARTER


Army gets the ball first as Tulane wins the toss and defers (we're a nice 0-2 when winning the toss), and Army would drive down the field, stall and kick a 26 yard field goal.


And besides that, nothing at all happens in this quarter. It's a darn punt fest quarter. Skipping ahead to the final minute in the quarter, Tulane is driving specifically thanks to a 28 yard pass to Robottom, but Army leads after one, 3-0.


2ND QUARTER


Kevin Moore took over, on 3rd & 11 he finds Alan Mitchell for 14, then on first down for 10 yards, for a 1st and goal, then he finds TE Tyler Helm for a 7 yard strike. 7-3 Tulane.





Army then drives down the field, they manage to throw for first downs when they need too, but their drive stalls and they kick a 23 yard field goal. 7-6 Tulane. Excitement!


Then Andre Anderson picks up 55 yards on just two carries, putting Tulane at the 8 yard line, and hey, guess who scores a TD, Kevin Moore to a familiar face, TE Tyler Helm, this time for an 8 yard score. 14-6 Tulane.





Three and out Army. Punt. Tulane has a minute and a half to work with. Kevin Moore gains 24 through the air on 3 passes, Anderson gets 15 (12 rush, 3 rec), then 9 more on the ground to make it 1st & Goal. Tulane will take one shot at the endzone with 9 seconds left.. Moore throws a good strike to Jeremy Williams who catches it, is it and it goes out of his hands with two ticks left. Tulane elects for the simple 31 yard field goal to end the half. 17-6 Tulane at the break.


3RD QUARTER


Kevin Moore comes out gunslinging.. a 17 yard pass to Jeremy Williams, then a 20 yarder to Andre Anderson. Right now for those keeping track at home, Kevin Moore has thrown 137 passes without an interception to start the season (the NCAA record is 209, set in 2008 by Robert Griffin).. well that doesn't mean anything. Let's pass again shall we.. Moore is hit, well he normally throws it away from everyone or just takes the sack.. he throws it away..




..but not far enough out of the way. Intercepted! Well, it could be worse.. it's not like he's going to return it for a touchdown or anything..




..but yet he only has 25 yards of distance on everyone. Moore's first turnover of the year is an pick-six. 17-13 Tulane. No worries however. Anderson runs for 16, then Barnett runs back-to-back times for 12 yards, then Moore obviously not thinking about the last INT does this..







..he throws a beautiful TD strike to true freshman Stephen Barnett, 25 yards for the touchdown. 24-13 Tulane.


Army drives down the field, stalls again, another field goal. 29 yards this time. 24-16 Tulane.


Moore, still not thinking about the INT comes back to the field. Also, Anderson went down on the last drive - it's not serious but Coach Draggo decides it's best to let him sit on the bench to not risk a serious injury. Stephen Barbett starts the drive with a 11 yard run, then Moore to Williams for 6, then 19, then to Banks for 19.. then Barnett gets 4 and loses 2, and on second and 8, Moore steps back and finds Casey Robottom for the 17 yard TD strike. That's TD no. 4 for Moore today.





31-16 Tulane. This one is starting to turn into a comforting day for the Green Wave. Army gets one first down, does not get another. Punt.


4TH QUARTER


3 and out Tulane. Not three and out Army. They get 15 + 12 on a facemask penalty play, then 9 more, then 31 on a pass.. uh oh. Then on 2nd & Goal, their RB punches it in for the 3 yard score. Then the QB Bowden runs for two. 31-24 Tulane. Army kicks deep though. 4:50 to play.


Three and out Tulane. deRochemont boots a 55 yard punt WHICH just barely lands for a touchback, just BARELY over the line. Three and out Army. Punt.


And then the nail in the coffin drive (spoiler!), Barnett gets 5 on two carries, then Moore to Robottom for 27, then Barnett for four, then Moore to Banks for 20 yards. Barnett gets three and then on 2nd & 7 from the 13.. Moore will throw..




.. and finds Jeremy Williams in the endzone for his FIFTH TD pass of the day. That about does it. 38-24 Tulane after the XP.


Army then goes four and out, Barnett gets two first downs and seals the game as Moore takes two kneeldowns and Tulane wins.


FINAL SCORE: TULANE 38-24


Despite throwing his first INT of the year, Kevin Moore is still the hands down player of the game. Moore had the best game of his career, with 5 TD passes and all of his passes were on target today. We didn't run for a TD for the first time this year but almost had 2 100-yard rushers again. We had a season high amount in TFL's and sacks which was very good. This team has gained alot of momentum since winning our first game two weeks ago. Now we're over .500 and looking at a possible .500 season. We'll see.


PLAYER STATS

Kevin Moore: 205.9 QB Rating, 22-for-30 passing, 301 pass yards, 5 TD (1 short of Tulane record, well tying it), INT


Stephen Barnett: 17 rush att, 90 yards, 1 rec, 25 yards, TD

Andre Anderson: 16 rush att, 137 yards, 3 rec, 25 yards (played 2.5 quarters

Jeremy Williams: 5 rec, 67 yards, TD / Casey Robottom: 5 rec, 90 yards, TD

Tyler Helm: 2 rec, 15 yards, 2 TD

D.J. Banks: 4 rec, 55 yards / Alan Mitchell: 2 rec, 24 yards


Chinoso Echebelum: 11 tackles, TFL

Corey Sonnier: 10 tackles, 2 TFL, Sack

Adam Kwentua: 8 tackles, 6 TFL, Sack

Darryl Farley: 6 tackles, 3 TFL, 3 Sacks

Cody Leford: 3 tackles, Sack

Reggie Scott: TFL, Sack


Darren deRochemont: 3 punts, 154 yards, 51.3 average

Devin Figaro: 94 kick return yards


Army: Alex Carlton: 3/3 FG, 1/1 XP / Chase Prasnicki: 15 tackles / Mario Hill: 4 tackles, INT, Def TD


UP NEXT: Week Five Around the NCAA

[Iron Dragon]

AROUND THE NCAA WEEK FIVE

Week four brought us two top ten teams losing to unranked foes at home, more poll BS. And the BCS polls aren't even out yet. What will week five do? I have no clue.


C-USA SCORES

• ECU 30, Marshall 27 ... ECU's Hartman gets the game winning field goal with :30 to play (39 yards). Pinkney with 4 TD passes.
  
• Memphis 31, UCF 20 ... Memphis would be a top 25 team if they didn't lose to Middle Tennessee State. Hall with 4 TD passes.
  
• Southern Miss 38, UAB 12 .. UAB held a 9-0 lead until the third quarter and the rest of the game wasn't pretty. UAB falls to 3-2, 2-1. USM to 3-2, 1-1.
  
• Battle for the Iron Skillet: SMU 24, #21 TCU 13 ... WHAT?! Lunday has 6 yards rushing and a TD.
  
• Battle for the Williams Trophy: Tulsa 31, Rice 10 ... Rice is not the team it was a year ago. Tulsa should inherit the C-USA lead.
  
• Houston 32, UTEP 22 ... Oh UTEP, you are just one game away from no better than a .500 record. Houston to 3-1, 1-0, without Keenum.
  

NCAA Notable Scores

• Colorado 20, #10 West Virginia 9 ... There's something about losing at home to unranked teams in the lower-end of the top 10. Colorado is undefeated.
  
• Virginia 27, #13 North Carolina 7 ... When's basketball season?
  
• Indiana 28, #19 Ohio State 22 ... Ohio State slips to 11th place in the Big Ten. Indiana is somehow 4-1, 2-0. tOSU only converted 3 3rd downs.. out of 15.
  
• #1 USC 34, #12 Cal 7 ... Cal only fell 4 spots last week, should have fallen about 14.
  
• #2 Oklahoma 46, Miami FL 7 ... Miami has the lowest amount of offensive TD's in the NCAA. Even lower than Utah State who had none like two weeks ago.
  
• #6 Penn State 27, #15 Illinois 25 ... Takin' care of business, Nittany lions.
  
• #4 LSU 27, #20 Georgia 3 .. Maryland 22, #25 Clemson 21 .. not much to say about these games, but that's #19, #20, #25 probably falling out of the top 25.
  
• #23 USF 23, Florida State 20 ... USF is 3-0 in ACC play, while FSU is 2-3 overall.
  

TOP 25

1. USC(34)

2. Oklahoma(25)

3. LSU(1)

4. Texas(1)

5. Virginia Tech

6. Penn State

7. Oklahoma State

8. Florida

9. Boise State

10. Utah

11. Nebraska

12. Tennessee

13. Iowa

14. Alabama (2 losses)

15. Cal (2 losses)

16. West Virginia

17. Illinois

18. Colorado

19. Kansas

20. USF

21. Oregon (2 losses)

22. Georgia (2 losses)

23. North Carolina (2 losses)

24. BYU (2 losses)

25. Georgia Tech (2 losses)

UNDEFEATED = BOLD

Others: Ole Miss, Arkansas, UConn, Boston College, Ohio State (7 pity votes)


HEISMAN WATCH

Tim Tebow - Daryll Clark - Desmon Brizcoe - Jordan Jefferson - Austin Pettis


UP NEXT: Back at home, with nine prospects visiting versus dismal 1-4 record Marshall, C OVR, B- OFF, C DEF, maybe not as good a team as they look. Kirk/Lee pick Tulane for what it's worth.

[Iron Dragon]

Marshall (1-4, 0-2) @ Tulane (3-2, 1-1)


NEW ORLEANS -- Marshall's ratings looked good on paper. A B- offense and a runningback with the last name Marshall, Darius Marshall who could do alot of things. However, Marshall's QBs looked good, they were slow run-of-the mill pocket passers, but their numbers weren't. These team looked good but didn't have anything to show for it. Then you have Tulane, a team who started off by blowing leads in the 4th quarter to Tulsa and a ranked BYU team, beating a dismal FCS team, then going on a road trip and knocking off SMU and Army. Tulane then returns home to face the mess that is Marshall. Marshall hasn't had much success since leaving the MAC, and the days of Randy Moss. What did that mean for today, I don't know, before anyone else gets confused let's get to the action..


Tulane has alot of prospects visiting including the number 6 kicker. With promising visits and an exciting game, we could add to our 3 commits..


1ST QUARTER


Tulane wins the toss and elects to receive for a change. Andre Anderson, fresh with a newly gained impact player status started off the game with four straight runs - 6 yards, 2 yards, 8 yards and 4 yards. Then Barnett got two. On 3rd down, Moore hits Williams for a 12 yard gain, then Robottom for the same amount, then Anderson gets one more, and then 5 more, and then Duplessis gets 3. Kevin Moore then runs for 8 for some reason (when did you become dual-threat, mr. 2nd worst in the NCAA for rushing yards?), but then found Jeremy Williams for a 5 yard TD score..





7-0 Tulane. Marshall then returns the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a TD. On the ensuing kickoff, David Figaro runs the kick back 71 yards but does not get a TD (the kick was to the 5 which equals the 24 of Marshall). Anderson picks up 21 on this short field on three carries but our offense stalls, Thevenot kicks a 24 yard field goal. 10-7 Tulane.


Four and out Marshall on a fake punt.


Anderson goes back to work: 18 yard gain, 7 yard gain, then a 10 yard gain, then Barnett runs for 3..


2ND QUARTER


And then Kevin Moore hits Brock Sanders (freshman TE) for a 6 yard TD, the first of his career:





17-7 Tulane. Well, as you may know, our secondary has no interceptions this year, until today when Chinoso Echebelum reads this pass perfectly..




..and he gets the pick. And he has a great name. Stephen Barnett picks up a bunch of rushing yards on this drive but we go four and out inside the five, so therefore we get 0 points and we could have had a 13 point lead. Lucky for us, Marshall starts to drive. On a certain play, Marshall's QB goes back to pass, and Charles Harris, without an INT this year thinks, now's the time to be aggressive and get one, he lets TWO guys have a great shot an at easy wide open TD, and he does this..




.. he perfectly reads the QB's underthrow and picks it off.. Harris returns it into Marshall territory. Barnett gets 10, Anderson gets 8. And then a play later after a 0 yard pass.. Andre Anderson decides it's time to score..




..and he barely gets into the endzone, but he scores! 18 yard TD run!


24-7 Tulane. Marshall needs to drive, and they start to pass, they get deep into to Tulane territory..




.. until Phillips picks off this pass and Tulane will seal a 17-point lead into the half. (Tulane runs down the final ticks of the 1st half). 3 INT's for the defense in the first half and no offensive TD's allowed. Awesome first half by the defense.


3RD QUARTER


However, Marshall came out fired up in the 2nd half, wasting no time. Anderson threw nicely, including a 28 yard pass that put them at the 1. Darius Marshall then scores a 1 yard TD. 24-14 Tulane.


Kevin Moore and Andre Anderson lead Tulane down the field until Moore is picked off deep in Marshall territory and it's return inside the 20 of Tulane. However, Tulane's defense does a great thing, pulling off a goal line stand. Marshall had the ball on 1st & Goal at the 2, and they would go FOUR and OUT at the one yard line. They could not get the one yard they needed after a 1yd rush on first down. Tulane goes three and out however, and Darius Marshall makes us pay, after 24 passing yards by Anderson, he runs for a 22 yard TD and we've got us a ballgame. 24-21. And on top of us having a ballgame, we have a pictureless quarter. Tulane would start the final quarter with a crucial 3rd & 1.


4TH QUARTER


And they would convert that third and one, but they would not get another first down. We would punt and the ball lands at the two, but makes a second bounce into the endzone. Touchback. And then our secondary, which has been great all day long lets this gem happen:




..a 77 yard pass to the one yard line after the reciever breaks two missed tackles. Ouch. Darius Marshall gets the easy one yard TD run. And with that our 17-point lead is now a four point deficit. 28-24 MARSHALL.


Kevin Moore then went into super awesome mode. After some early run, on 3rd & 7, he finds Banks for a 12 yard gain, then on another third down, finds Mitchell for a 29 yard gain putting Tulane in striking distance. Then this:




..a 15 yard TD strike to Jeremy Williams! 31-28 Tulane. 3:45 to play.


Marshall would drive down the field, however our defense only allows them to gain one yard during 1st and goal, and they kick the field goal. 31-31. 2:18 to play.


D.J. Ponder has the return of his career, taking it from the 11 he and his white guy moves speed goes all the way to our own 48 yard line. Excellent. All we need is a field goal or a touchdown to get us out of this mess and get the victory.


Andre Anderson takes over. A 14 yard run, then a 12 yard run, then an 8 yard run and we're in field goal range. He's not done, then he gets 9 more, then 5. Barnett gets three more and we're suddenly at the 1 yard line. We still haven't used a timeout and the clock is down to it's final seconds. 15 seconds to go, we have two chances at the endzone then it's field goal. Now let's breakdown some random play in pictures shall we:




Hmm.. would you look at that, nothing up the middle, let's just cut to the right, shall we?




Hey look at that, Anderson found his way into the endzone for the winning score! What do you know! HOW ABOUT THAT! 38-31 Tulane. 10 seconds. It's not done yet.


Anderson has a long way to throw, he dumps it off to Marshall and he gets 5 and Marshall calls timeout with 1 second left. It's a prevent defense versus a hail mary offense. Who would win? Oscar Ponce de Leon would. He puts a hit on Brian Anderson as he throws and it's INCOMPLETE! The Green Wave win!


FINAL SCORE: Tulane 38-31

(GGS score was 432, I believe)


Well, well, well.. Kevin Moore had the lowest amount of passing yards he has had all year, but still throws for 3 TD's. However, Andre Anderson has a career day including the game winning TD, and now, are some people thinking Heisman talk? Anderson entered the day 7th in rushing yards in the NCAA, and probably will be higher after a 200+ day today. What a win, great day by the secondary with 3 picks, finally some turnovers for them. Marshall isn't very good right now and we almost let them come back and beat us, that wouldn't have been good for our team and our season.




PLAYER STATS

Kevin Moore: 161.8 QB Rating, 15-for-21 passing, 132 yards, 3 TD, INT, 71%comp, 14 rush yards


Andre Anderson: 34 rush att, 215 yards, 6.3 avg, 2 TD, no catches

Stephen Barnett: 14 rush att, 69 yards


Jeremy Williams: 4 rec, 37 yards, 2 TD / Casey Robottom: 3 rec, 37 yards

Brock Sanders: 1 rec, 6 yds, TD / Alan Mitchell: 2 rec, 29 yards


Darryl Farley: 8 tackles

Corey Sonnier: 7 tackles, TFL

Cody Leford: 6 tackles, TFL

Chinoso Echebelum: 6 tackles, INT

Charles Harris: 4 tackles, INT

David Phillips: Tackle, INT


(3 returns each) D.J. Ponder: 76 KR yards (25.3 avg) / Figaro: 123 KR yards (41.0 avg)


UP NEXT: Week Six Around the NCAA