Alright, 13 games down from the 5th season, and with Maryland and Texas yet to play their conference championship games, what happens to the Green Wave?
We shall see..
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Alright, 13 games down from the 5th season, and with Maryland and Texas yet to play their conference championship games, what happens to the Green Wave?
We shall see..
AFTER THE C-USA TITLE GAME..
Knowing of Texas' Garrett Gilbert being injured early in Texas' game against Nebraska in the Big XII title game, they needed a Nebraska victory. They were shown the highlights of Nebraska being tied with Texas 31-31. Nebraska's K Gary Miller was on to try a game-winning 42 yard FG with 5 seconds to go. Tulane players sat to watch the game and edged out of their seats a bit..
"For the Big XII title game and a BCS berth, the snap's good.. hold's good.. the kick is up..
..AND IT'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!! NEBRASKA WINS!!!"
Immediately the Tulane locker room turned completely upside down as Tulane players celebrated as the #2 team in the land had been upset by #10 Nebraska. Immediately players started to think of Pasadena, but who would they face?
Well, it could be #5 Florida who smacked #6 Alabama 32-7 in the SEC title game. Suddenly, some conversation came up, could Florida jump us?
The eyes of Tulane, however, not caring too much, turned to the ACC title game where #7 North Carolina led 28-14 over #1 Maryland in the early 4th after UNC had scored three TDs in the 3rd quarter to take the lead. However, Maryland cut the lead to 28-21 with a TD pass, and then just seconds later, UNC loses the ball at Maryland's 11 yard line and it is scooped and scored tying the game at 28. Finally, with 32 seconds to go, Maryland's K Holden kicks the game-winning 23 yard field goal, and seals their national title game appearance.
After the game, Maryland head coach said, "We're ready to head to Pasadena and take on the Green Wave, we know they are a good team, but we're better, not thinking about that yet though, we're gonna celebrate our perfect season and this ACC title."
Game on, Maryland. But first, we had a Heisman ceremony to get too.
[MAC championship game: 9-3 Ball State beats 10-2 Akron]
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Despite injury in Big XII championship game, Gilbert takes 2013 Heisman by 205 votes
NEW YORK --- Well, that's what we kinda expected. Garrett Gilbert is your 2013 Heisman winner. Marcus Minor 2nd. Gilbert had been the Heisman leader for more than half of the season, but the late-charging Marcus Minor, despite better stats, could be held with the non-BCS card, and the Heisman was delivered to Garrett Gilbert, QB, of Texas.
Looking at the votes, it was really a two-man race to the end as Manny Fountain took home third and Carlos Hyde was fourth. Looking at where the guys end up in January, Texas takes on Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl while Tulane heads to Pasadena to take on #1 Maryland for the BCS championship.
However, when you compare the two players stats - who had a better year? Gilbert also took the O'Brien and the Maxwell with Minor second in both.
When you look at their numbers, they are very much similar but Minor had 5 more TDs, but Gilbert had 3 less INTs, but he only threw 4 passes in the Big XII title game, so he could have thrown who knows how many TDs in that game. However, at the end of the day, Gilbert won and Minor didn't.
Pre-Bowl NCAA Update
TOP 25
1. Maryland (34) [1498]
2. Tulane (27) [1293]
3. Florida [1178]
4. Ohio State [1122]
5. Texas
6. Nebraska
7. Georgia Tech
8. Oklahoma
9. USC
10. Fresno State
11. UNC
12. Wisky
13. Alabama
14. UCLA
15. Arizona State
16. Ole Miss
17. Michigan
18. Penn State
19. OK State
20. Iowa
21. Tennessee
22. Notre Dame
23. Utah
24. Boston College
25. Minnesota
Conference Champions (Conf. Record/Outcome)
ACC: #1 Maryland (def. North Carolina)
Big XII: #5 Nebraska (def. Texas)
Big East: #25 Boston College (7-0)
Big Ten: #4 Ohio State (8-0)
C-USA: Tulane (def. ECU)
Independents: Army (8-4)
MAC: Ball State (def. Akron)
Mountain West: #23 Utah (7-1)
Pac-10: #14 UCLA (7-2)
SEC: #3 Florida (def. Alabama)
Sun Belt: UL-Lafayette (6-2, 6-6 on the year)
WAC: #11 Fresno State (7-1)
Tulane All-Americans
1st-team
QB Marcus Minor
RB2 O.J. Clarke
2nd-team
WR Wilson Van Hooser
DT Marlin Nelson
Freshman
WR Taylor Mackey
DT Marlin Nelson
*both true freshman
Award Winners
Coach of the Year: Ron Draggo, Tulane
Maxwell: Garrett Gilbert, QB, Texas [Marcus Minor 2nd]
Bednarik: Boo Anderson, Utah
O'Brien: Garrett Gilbert, Texas [Marcus Minor 2nd]
Walker: Carlos Hyde, Ohio St. [O.J. Clarke 5th]
Biletkinoff: Manny Fountain, Texas [Wilson Van Hooser 3rd]
Mackey: Jason Wilson, Oklahoma
Rimington: Ty Sanders, Fresno St.
Lombardi: Blake Cary, Alabama
Butkus: Boo Anderson, Utah
Thorpe: Trevor Williams, Minnesota
Groza: Luke Holden, Maryland [Tinzen Ubekista 9th]
Guy: Blake Johnson, Fresno
Desmond Howard: Adam Herring, Mizzou [only player with 3 RET TDs]
UP NEXT: Bowl game results
Bowl Game Results
New Mexico Bowl: Boise State 27, TCU 16
St. Petersburg Bowl: UTEP 23, BYU 7
EagleBank Bowl: Army 27, Kent State 14 :D
New Orleans Bowl: Memphis 30, UL-Lafayette 3
Las Vegas Bowl: #21 Utah 32, Oregon 31
Poinsettia Bowl: Hawai'i 27, Colorado St. 10
Hawai'i Bowl: UCF 24, #11 Fresno St. 3
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: #18 Penn State 41, Ball State 7
Emerald Bowl: Arizona 23, WF 16
Meineke Car Care Bowl: Miami (FL) 26, FAU 3
Champs Sports Bowl: #17 Michigan 24, VT 13
Independence Bowl: Baylor 37, Air Force 17
Papajohns.com Bowl: Louisiana Tech 30, West Virginia 9 [wow]
Roady's Humanitarian Bowl: NC State 13, Nevada 12
GMAC Bowl*: Buffalo 14, Houston 7 [glare]
Texas Bowl: Marshall 22, A&M 15 [wow]
Holiday Bowl: #16 Arizona State 27, Missouri 17
Armed Forces Bowl: #22 Notre Dame 38, SDSU 23
Brut Sun Bowl: PITT 45, Stanford 17
Music City Bowl: Georgia 41, Clemson 17
Chick-fil-A Bowl: #10 UNC 20, Auburn 10
Insight Bowl: Kansas 38, Indiana 24
Outback Bowl: #23 Tennessee 27, #13 Wisky 13
Gator Bowl: Mid Tenn State 17, Florida State 16 [wow][wow]
Capital One Bowl: #12 'Bama 21, #24 Minnesota 14
Cotton Bowl: #7 Oklahoma 34, #15 Ole Miss 28
Liberty Bowl: ECU 30, Idaho 27
Alamo Bowl: #20 Iowa 13, #19 Oklahoma St. 10
International Bowl: Akron 35, Louisville 21
*C-USA would be undefeated in bowl games if not for Houston!!
BCS BOWL GAMES
Rose Bowl: #4 Ohio State 23, #14 UCLA 20 OT
Sugar Bowl: #3 Florida 30, #9 USC 0 [How the heck did a 6-3 Pac-10 team get this bid again?]
Fiesta Bowl: #25 Boston College 42, #5 Nebraska 31 [How the heck was BC only ranked #25 with two losses?]
Orange Bowl: #6 Texas 31, #8 Georgia Tech 6 [Once again, 3 losses in conference and creamed in BCS bowl]
UP NEXT: BCS National Championship Game preview
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2013 BCS National Title Preview
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#1 Maryland Terrapins [Terps] (13-0, 9-0 in ACC, ACC Champions)
Date: Tuesday, January 7th, 2014, 8:00PM
Stadium: Rose Bowl Stadium - Pasadena, CA
Coverage: ABC
Previous Meetings: None
Previous BCS Bowl Appearances: Tulane - 2011 / Maryland - 2002
Previous National Championships: Tulane - never / Maryland - none since 1953 (none in Modern Era)
Average Attendances: Tulane - 45,833 / Maryland - 51,957 (lowest combined in BCS National Championship history)
TALE OF THE TAPE
Since the dynasty has begun..
Maryland five to watch - offense:
87 OVR QB Danny O'Brien - r-SR - 2470 pass yards, 21 TD, 20 INT, 139 rush yards (72 SPD, 87 THP, 88 THA)
90 OVR RB Avery Graham - r-SR - 884 rush yards, 5 TD, 211 rec yards, TD, 27.4 yards/KR, 7.3/PR (96 SPD, 99 ACC)
86 OVR WR Dave Stinebaugh - r-SR - 74 rec, 969 yards, 11 TD (86 OVR, 88 SPD, 84 CTH)
85 OVR AA TE James Morton - JR - 53 rec, 632 yards, 8 TD (84 SPD, 78 CTH, great blocker)
91 OVR RT Nick Klemm - 32 pancakes - 97 RBF, 93 IMP
Maryland injuries
95 OVR LT Pete DeSouza - Probable - if he plays, he gives Maryland's offense a HUGE boost.
Maryland starting lineup
UP NEXT: 2013 BCS National Title Game
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THE BCS NATIONAL TITLE GAME
PASADENA, CA --- We've finally made it after all. The Rose Bowl. National Title game. Against Maryland, of all teams. The Terps/Terrapins are 13-0, we're 13-0. Only one team could leave the Rose Bowl 14-0. Heisman runner-up Marcus Minor looked to lead Tulane to their biggest victory in school history.
The game started out with Tulane winning.... the toss. They deferred. Wind is a bit of a factor blowing between 15 and 25mph. Kicks will be either deep or short tonight. After two straight runs, Maryland picks up a first down, then a third run where the ball is stripped by JJ Black and recovered by Erik Madison, a freak of the defense in the last couple games to end the season. Maryland forgets to cover Brandon Palmer and gives up 22 easy yards at the end of the drive, then Minor connects with Chad Flowers for a 1 yard score where the TE was left wide open thinking that RB Blake Walters had the ball. 7-0 Tulane.
Then, QB Danny O'Brien for Maryland gets hit on the option and hurts his hip. Out for the game. So in comes redshirt freshman backup QB Brian Jackson to take the reigns of the offense. First pass.. PICKED OFF BY ERIK MADISON and returned inside the five! Two plays later, TD O.J. Clarke - 4 yards. 14-0 Tulane with only 2:58 gone! What in the world??
Jackson and RB Avery Graham starts to find their groove, as Jackson hits Wood for a 23 yard TD. 14-7. Then Tulane goes three and out. Maryland gets 16 on the opening carry, but then goes three and out. End of 1. Minor starts quarter #2 with a 26 yard gain. Nice. However, three plays later he is intercepted. Not nice. Maryland goes three and out. Clarke gets 25, then Minor gets picked AGAIN. Maryland goes three and out. Five plays into Tulane's drive, Minor is Todd Boeckman'd and gets brutually murdered and the ball flies out of his hands for a pick. 3 INTs in one half of a quarter. Ron Draggo has a long talk with Minor and his O-Line who is giving him no time to do anything suddenly. But the defense for Tulane continues to rock Maryland and shuts them out on fourth down and one.
Then, Jordan Sullen opens the game up with a huge play, a 60 yard gain on a WR sweep where Maryland was completely lost. One play later, Sullen catches a five-yard TD. 21-7 Tulane. Brian Jackson and Maryland respond with a 13 yard TD pass with 36 seconds to go before the break. Tulane runs down the clock and it's halftime. 21-14 Tulane.
In the third now, we go three and out. Maryland's Avery Graham takes 6 staright carries at the end of the drive and they get six points. 21-21. Minor starts to get going, 14 yard rush, 4 to Hooser, 29 to Sullen, 5 to Mackey, 12 to Palmer and then a 5 yard TD run on a QB Draw. 28-21 Tulane. Maryland gets one first down and not another. A very quick and bland third quarter comes to an end. Tulane has 3 sacks in the quarter, Maryland 2.
To start the 4th, Tulane is punting. Avery Graham takes the game on his shoulders. 4 yard gain, then a 12 yard gain, then a 19 yard gain, two passes to Foster from Jackson for a combined 11, then 8 more yards, and finally a 3 yard diving TD as Graham passes 100 yards. 28-28 as the workhorse speed prototype RB gets Maryland into the ballgame once more. Now Tulane looks to drive down the field. Minor finds a wide open Chad Flowers on an all-out blitz, who breaks two tackles, spins and trips up but not after 42 yards. However, two plays later, Minor is looking to pass, is sacked but the ball comes loose, and Maryland's senior OLB Isaiah Ross picks up the fumble and NO ONE'S GONNA CATCH HIM.. MARYLAND LEADS, are you kidding me?? Down 21-7, Maryland now leads it 35-28. My oh my.
Tulane can only muster up 5 yards on the next three plays and is forced to punt. Terrapins feeling good. Graham's two carries make it a third and three. Easy call right? Run the ball again? Wrong. Maryland decided to pass on third down. Bad idea. Brian Jackson throws to a covered TE and is picked off by JJ BLACK! Why would you abandon the run to throw the ball up 7? *Dejavu for ID With the strange call, this gives Tulane the ball down 7 with great field position with 2:48 left.
Minor hits Sullen for 17. Runs for 9. Clarke for four. Marquardt gets 7, Clarke loses one. So it's third and goal. Four yard line. Minor, another QB draw. No one touches him. TOUCHDOWN TULANE. Tie ballgame. 35-35. However, Maryland has 1:47 and all three timeouts left with 14mph wind at their back. Their Groza-winning kicker is gettin' warmed up.
Kick was returned to the 26. Jackson passes twice for 12 yards. 79 seconds left. Jackson throws to a wide open man towards midfield.. BUT THE BALL IS STRIPPED BY GREGORY HALLINSWORTH AND RECOVERED BY JJ BLACK!! JJ Black makes another huge play ripping the ball away from another Maryland WR off the forced fumble!! Tulane ball at Maryland's 46 yard line.
Tulane goes into give it to Clarke mode. 4 yard gain. 16 YARD GAIN. Field goal range. 14 more yards! Marquardt comes in, 2 yards, 1 yard. Just shortening it up. Minor spikes the ball with 4 seconds to go. Tulane's got the ball in the middle of the field at Maryland's 18. The only problem is a 15mph wind that we're gonna kick into. Tinzen Ubekista on to try the game-winning field goal. The senior. For all the marbles. Maryland tries to ice him with their last timeout.
Here it was. Tulane kneeled on the sideline. Coach Ron Draggo was about to pee himself in excitement. Tinzen Ubekista walks up like the coolest cucumber in the world. Gotta remember, he's missed a field goal like this before in Provo. Don't think of that though. So here it was. John Stegall lines up to hold the ball. Snaps have been clean all year as Anthony Patterson has no troubles with that. Tulane signaled they were ready and Maryland would try to block it. This was it. For the national title.
FROM 35 YARDS.. UBEKISTA..
UP...
AND GOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!! TULANE WINS!! THEY'VE DONE IT!!
Ron Draggo's Tulane Green Wave - NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! They did it! They did it! They did it! 38-35 over the Terps of Maryland! Tulane is #1 and your 2013 National Champions!
"I had no worries I was gonna miss it as soon as I kicked it - I knew I had it - icing doesn't face me - I'm gonna celebrate this one for a long time. I love this team and this is unbelievable.", said Tinzen Ubekista.
Maryland played a great game and Brian Jackson, for being a redshirt freshman, played his heart out to relieve Danny O'Brien, however his efforts came up one fumble and three points short.
__________________________________________________ _
MVPs:
Offense - Marcus Minor 12-for-22 passing 150 yards 2 TD 3 INT 37 rush yards 2 TD
Defense - Terrance Carr 14 tackles 5 TFL 2 sacks & JJ Black 6 tackles 1 sack INT FF FR & Gregory Hallinsworth 8 tackles 2 FF
Other Stats
O.J. Clarke: 20 car, 89 yards, TD
Jordan Sullen: 3 rec, 51 yards, TD, 60 yard WR sweep (play of the game?)
Chad Flowers: 2 rec, 43 yards, TD
Wilson Van Hooser: 3 rec, 17 yards
Derek Larson: 6 tkl, 2 TFL, 2 sacks
Harry CiGar: 6 tkl, 2 TFL, Sack
Kyle Dickson: 4 tkl Sack
Erik Madison: 4 TKL INT
Marlin Nelson: 4 tkl, Sack
Tinzen Ubekista: GW 35 yard FG, 5/5 XP
Terps: Backup rFR QB Brian Jackson 18-for-30 214 yards 2 TD 2 INT
Avery Graham: 30 car 140 yards 2 TD 2 rec 27 yards
Vince Foster: 8 rec 80 yards TD
Isaiah Ross: 12 tackles 3 TFL FR Def TD
David Phillips: 6 tackles 4 TFL 2 Sack
UP NEXT: ???
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2013 SEASON WRAP-UP
Ron Draggo says 'no thanks' to USC, North Carolina jobs
He's the hottest coach in the nation and he has once more turned down BCS conference jobs. Ron Draggo will not become the head coach of USC or North Carolina, reportedly turning down offers from both schools. He said, "I'm happy in the Big Easy and I'm not leaving."
Marcus Minor's 3718 yard, 37 TD year gives him Tulane records
Sophomore QB Marcus Minor is now Tulane's all-time leading passer for one season in yards. His 3718 yards are 318 more than the original record previously set back in 1999. He also broke the passing TD record with 37 pass TDs, one more than 1998.
TOP 25
1. TULANE
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. Maryland
5. Ohio State (win the Rose Bowl and drop in the rankings?)
6. Oklahoma
7. North Carolina
8. Alabama
9. Nebraska
10. Arizona State
11. Fresno State
12. Michigan
13. Georgia Tech
14. Penn State
15. UCLA
16. Tennessee
17. USC
18. Iowa
19. Boston College
20. Notre Dame
21. Utah
22. Wisconsin
23. Mississippi
24. Boise State
25. UCF
29. Akron
31. Marshall
32. Army
UP NEXT: We're leaving the dang C-USA!!! But to where?
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Tulane to replace Texas Tech in Big XII starting immediately; Texas Tech to C-USA?
NEW ORLEANS, LA -- There will be no five-peat in the C-USA for Tulane. The Green Wave are headed to greener pastures - that is the Big XII, and unlike originally thought, the Big XII wants Tulane and they want them now.
Tulane was expected to have one final year in the C-USA, that is, until Texas Tech decided to drop out the same day Tulane received the invite to the Big XII. Texas Tech reportedly was in talks to join the SEC, but Tech over assumed and went ahead and left the Big XII only to find out that the SEC doesn't plan to expand until at least after the 2016 season (two years from now), so where does Tech go now? They formally resigned from the Big XII, and now are an independent. The C-USA is down to 11 schools, so unfortunately for Tech - they've got no where to go. C-USA's commishioner would be glad to send an invite to the Texas school - which would give the C-USA five - SMU, Houston, Rice, and UTEP already reign in the C-USA. And it would make the West division all Texas schools except for Tulsa. "This may be the biggest mistake in college sports history. Tech left a BCS conference planning to join another one - a more 'prestigious' according to the school - only to wind up without an invite and the 12th spot in the Big XII filled by Tulane. What is Tech left to do but join the C-USA?", said ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit. No one really knew why Texas Tech's AD strangely stepped down four days ago, but now it's all making sense. He was the one behind the 'deal' that was actually 'no deal'.
For Tulane, Texas Tech's misfortune is their fortune. Even if Tech hadn't left, Tulane would have become the Big XII's 13th member next year, but this just speeds up the process. Ron Draggo stated, "I am very grateful to join the Big XII and accept their invite. The C-USA has been a great conference for us, but we proved that non-BCS schools can make it in the college football world and I hope that teams like Fresno State, Boise State, Akron and others who had great seasons to get to move into the higher playing field. We are excited for the upcoming seasons in the Big XII. We can not thank the C-USA enough, they are a great conference and best of luck to them and the 11 members of the conference. I am proud to say that the Green Wave are a proud member of the Big XII Conference and I cannot wait for the season to start."
Immediately everything changes for Tulane. The Green Wave planned to play Kansas State and Texas A&M anyways this year and they already planned a mid-season showdown with LSU - which is now off-set with their Big XII schedule, so they will have to reschedule and find two or three new OOC opponents for 2014. Tulane may end up getting Southern Miss - a rivalry game to start out the season, but we will have to see how things turn out.
DYNASTY STATUS
(written on June 28th)
Well, I planned on ending the dynasty after the national championship win. I planned on posting the final top 25 and Ron Draggo resigning from Tulane. I had accidentally simmed ahead past that the other night and didn't receive a conference invite, so I said, I guess it will be the end. So today, when I was reporting, I posted the top 25, advanced, and a conference invite came up to join the Big XII, and I was surprised, shocked actually.
And that invite (which I accepted, of course) has intrigued me to keep on going with Tulane.. into NCAA '11 even.
Now here's my problem. There's just two weeks until the game drops, and I can rush to finish this season, then do a TeamBuilder copy of Tulane and start the 2015 season on NCAA '11 right away (I wouldn't need rosters, I'd just sim the names because, we don't need Garrett Gilbert winning the 2013 and 2017 Heismans etc.), and we'll roll on from there.
So here's how we stand.. 14 days to NCAA '11 and I could be playing 14 games, although I will be adjusting the slider set for this, we gotta have more of a challenge.. so here we go.
As for the reporting, the last season on NCAA '10 will be kinda bland. The seasons on NCAA '11 will return to what this dynasty's reporting was back in the earlier years (pictures, videos, quarter-by-quarter), but a little shorter.
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One-year wonder QB Marcus Minor to enter the NFL Draft
New Orleans, LA -- What?
That's right, Marcus Minor has decided to skip his final two years at Tulane as the redshirt sophomore is going pro after just one year of starting. "There was no talking to him about coming back. I wanted to speak with him for a few minutes but he declined because he had his heart already set out no matter what - he said he had already hired an agent and there was no turning back. I wish him the best of luck in his pro career. He was a great player.", said Ron Draggo.
NFL Draft scouts call Minor one of the biggest surprises to come out after an abysmal BCS National Title game throwing the ball despite showing good duel-threat abilities and some leadership, Minor's worst day as a Tulane QB was his last. Minor according to scouts showed that against major pass rush Minor has no idea what to do with the ball through the air, as 11 of his 12 INT's this past season came against a heavy blitz, showing his inexperience, as he only started 14 games in college. Minor has a good size at 6'3", but is not expected to go in the first two days of the draft pre-combine, but if he works out well, he could be a late 2nd day pick at best. Garrett Gilbert, the Heisman winning QB from Texas is probably the top prospect overall and the top QB in the draft. Minor rates out #11 according to ESPN.com, and only a 7th round pick. Most scouts say that they would take Jordan Luallen over Minor, who came out of a triple option system at Georgia Tech and only threw 19 career TDs but started over 25 games. Some see Minor going after Bryce Petty, a backup QB from Ole Miss who lost his starting job prior to the season. It's a shaky situation at this point for Minor as he could end up like some unlikely underclassmen every year, and go undrafted.
We'll have to wait and see. And now a HUGE question for Tulane is do they have a QB ready to go? John Stegall, a four-star QB last year from Texas looks to be the current favorite with the lone other QB on the roster - Jamal Burns, a redshirt freshman backing him up.
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PLAYERS LEAVING
NFL DRAFT
QB #8 Marcus Minor - 83 OVR r-SO
Best year: 2013 - 257/395, 3718 yards*, 37 TD*, 12 INT, 140 carries, 501 yards, 9 Rush TD
Notes: Minor would have broken more records in Tulane's history if he had stuck around. I really hoped that Minor could have joined us in the Big XII as he would have really helped. Couldn't wait to see what he could do in two more years, but what's not to say if he returned this year if he wouldn't leave next year? He only started one season and he fit our style on offense perfectly. He was probably the dynasty's best QB stat-wise so far and he only played one year.
SENIORS
LE #93 Christian Martindale - 79 OVR
Best year: 2012 - 14 tackles, 2 sacks
Notes: Career backup on the line.
FS #23 Samuel Brooks - 79 OVR
Best year: 2010 - 64 tackles, 3 TFL, INT, TD, 3 PD
Notes: Started all four years but missed most of 2010 with injury, was a good player in the secondary, only 2 career INTs though, a great and dependable tackler.
HB #31 Payton Jason - 79 OVR
Best year: 2011 - 12 carries, 57 yards
Notes: Never scored a TD.
TE #80 George Harrison - 80 OVR
Best year: 2011 - 40 catches, 455 yards, 4 TD
Notes: Every year in his four years as a starter, he caught at least 30 balls for at least 372 yards, with at least 3 TDs. His longest reception came against ECU - which was a crazy 82 yard TD. TEs in our style of offense don't have big years, unless they were quicker, but Harrison just had good hands.
FB #41 Eric Jones - 80 OVR
Best year - 2012 - 9 car, 27 yards, 13 rec, 121 yards, TD
Notes: He was only around for two years and like Harrison, TEs and FBs only really are good in our offense if they have some ability to break away. Jones wasn't that quick, unlike Blake Walters, who backed him up.
CB/RET #13 Shakiel Smith - 82 OVR
Best year - as a DB: 2011 - 24 tackles, TFl, 3 PD / as a RET: 2013 - 31 KR, 724 yards, TD
Notes: Career backup at DB who became our starting KR this past year, and I wish I had him there earlier because he was pretty good at it. He could make it at the next level as a returner because that's his best skills at this point.
LE #53 Harry CiGar - Utopian - 83 OVR
Best year - 2012 - 51 tackles, 16 TFL, 5 sacks
Notes: Injuries plagued his final season in a Tulane uniform but he was a great pass rusher ending up with 43 TFLs and 13 sacks in his career. He also had 2 INTs back in 2011, and forced a fumble this past season.
DB #21 Sammy Bordeaux - 84 OVR
Best year - 2013 - 27 tackles, 2 INT, TD, 3 PDs, FF, FR
Notes: Never really picked off passes or forced fumbles (3 career INT, 2 FF, 2 FR) but he did wind up with 144 tackles and 18 PDs after starting in and out for four years. He was one of those guys who you could count on to make the tackle all the time as he rarely missed one.
WR #1 - Jordan Sullen - 84 OVR
Best year - as a RET: 2010 - 20.3 avg/KR - as a WR: 2013 - 42 catches, 719 yards, 6 TD, 60 yard run in BCS NC
Notes: Quite possibly the best play he ever made was a 60 yard gain on a WR sweep. Sullen was a career backup until he became a senior and he had a pretty good year as our #2 WR. He caught 6 TDs as Minor's no. 2 target, and had some good speed.
WR #9 - Wilson Van Hooser - 84 OVR
Best year - 2013: 75 catches, 1212 yards, 13 TD
Notes: Came just shy of Jarmon Fortson's record for receiving yards in a season with a low-yardage BCS NC game. Van Hooser was a one-year starter who back in 2010 I thought his only catch was going to be his 67 yarder when he was a sophomore. Van Hooser was Minor's go-to man and he didn't let him down getting 16.2 yards a catch and having 86 yards a game. Great WR who stepped up with his opportunity to start.
SS #33 - Gregory Hallinsworth - 86 OVR
Best year - 2012: 48 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 Sacks, 3 INT, 4 PDs, 2 TDs
Notes: Four-year starter who racked up 222 tackles and 16 PDs as our starting strong safety. Hallinsworth matched up very well with whoever he was covering due to his good size. I can defiently see him at the next level having a career. Hallinsworth was a great player.
CB #26 - JJ Black - 87 OVR
Best year - 2013: 54 tackles, TFL, 2 Sacks, 2 INT, PD, FF, FR, BCS NC Defensive MVP
Notes: JJ Black had 21 deflections his first three years before turning into a secondary star his senior season with his most memorable performance in the 4th quarter against Maryland for all the marbles with a INT and a FR which changed the game completely. 184 tackles and 5 INTs in his career. Great player.
K/P #12 - Tinzen Ubekista - 87 OVR
Best year - 2013 - 22/26 FG, long of 62, 29 Touchbacks, 46.5/avg punt, long of 76
Notes: 3 year punter, 4 year kicker. Incredible power on his kicks and punts. Long of 62 on field goals and a 76-yard boot punting. Don't think he ever missed an XP and he got better and better as his career progressed. He was a 70% FG kicker 3 years in a row before being a 80% this year. He hit 46.5 yards a punt this year and 34 of his 130 career punts were inside the 20 and 25 were touchbacks. His net average was only 7 yards below his avg YDs per punt, too.
RT #72 Rio Mares - 91 OVR
Best year - 2012 - 12 'cakes, 3 SA
Notes: Great OL. That's all I gotta say.
LT #77 Lawrence Abrams - 97 OVR
Best year - 2010 - 25 'cakes, 3 SA
Notes: There is no way Abrams will not be a first round pick in this year's draft. Perfect size, great abilities and the ability to be a leader to the rest of the line. He was probably the best OL I've had yet.
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Tulane hauls in #5 class, Big XII foe Texas #1
New Orelans, LA -- Tulane hauled in the #5 recruiting class, possibly thanks to being the Big XII's newest member and big-time recruits are now paying attention to Tulane. The recruiting class of 2014 is headlined by 5* defensive back Shaun Fontaine, who was the nation's 17th overall player accoring to Russell Athletic. Fontaine is 6'2" and weighs in at 170 and runs a 4.44 40 time (94 SPD), and could return kicks for the Green Wave along with being their no. 3 DB behind Erik Madison and Wade Brooks. Fontaine was Tulane's only five-star commit, and only the third under Ron Draggo as head coach (Kyle Dickson and Terrance Carr are the other two).
Here is a position-by-position breakdown of Tulane's incoming freshman:
:r3star: QB Rich Nelson - 72 OVR, 80 SPD, 81 THP, 74 THA (Marcus Minor clone?)
:r4star: RB Chuck Graham - 80 OVR, 90 SPD
:r3star: RB Matt Redd - 77 OVR, 245lbs (future powerback?)
3-star FB Tyler Rollins - 69 OVR, 75 SPD, 74 CAR, 77 CTH
3-star WR DeShawn Larsen - 79 OVR, 71 CTH, 84 RR, 80 CIT
4-star JUCO-SO WR David Tyler - 76 OVR, 87 SPD, 84 RR
3-star JUCO-SO WR Victor Harris - 75 OVR, 87 SPD
:r4star: TE Brian Bailey - 74 OVR, 77 CTH, 75 SPD
:r4star: G Derrick Wright - 77 OVR
:r3star: G Kenneth Woods - 70 OVR
:r4star: OLB Aaron Talley - 77 OVR, 82 SPD, 87 HPW
:r4star: MLB Garrett Jones - 78 OVR, 87 SPD, 83 TKL
:r5star: DB Shaun Fontaine - 85 OVR, 94 SPD, 83 MCV, 87 ZCV, 93 ACC
3-star DB Kendall Thomas - 80 OVR, 90 SPD, 93 MCV, 87 ACC
3-star FS Jason Cleveland - 77 OVR, 90 AGI
4-star FS Keith Franklin - 75 OVR, 79 SPD, 88 ZCV
3-star SS Jamaal Archer - 75 OVR, 84 SPD, 81 MCV
Walk-On K/P Abraham Ubekista - 81 OVR, 86 KPW, 84 KAC
And that's it!
UP NEXT: 2014 Season Preview, Schedule, Roster.. time for Big XII Football.
Colorado, Nebraska leaving Big XII at end of year / Texas Tech joins C-USA
In order to correspond with real life events, Colorado and Nebraska's final season in the Big XII is this one, as when NCAA '11 comes, Colorado will be in the Pac-10 (will replace Washington State) and Nebraska will be in the Big Ten (will replace with Indiana), despite the fact that the moves don't happen until 2011/2012 actually. However, the Big XII will take Utah instead of the Pac-10/12, so yeah. In other news, Texas Tech will be joining the C-USA this season and gets them back to 12 members.
Here's how I'm planning to get things to work in '11:
Boise State for San Diego State
Nebraska for Indiana, then Tulsa for Indiana to Big XII, Tulsa for Utah to Mountain West
Colorado for Washington State, then Washington State for TCU to Big XII, Washington State joins Mountain West
Boston College for USF (Done in '10, as well)
North Texas for Louisiana Tech (Done in '10, as well)
Northern Illinois will be back (replaced by EKU in '10)
So in summary, the Big XII gets Utah and TCU, Pac-10 gets Colorado, Big Ten gets Nebraska, C-USA gets Indiana and Texas Tech, Mountain West gets Tulsa and Washington State. It might not make sense, but it gets done what I wanted with some logic. Tulsa's a good fit talent-wise for the Mtn. West since Utah and TCU will be gone.
So now that we have that straightened out, back to NCAA '10.
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2014 College Football Preview
HEADLINES
> Tulane to Big XII is top news, of course, can they repeat or will they fall flat on their face with a basically brand-new offense?
> Texas #1 in polls after #1 recruiting class.
> Can Maryland win the ACC again?
> With Tulane in a BCS conference, does Fresno State become the new BCS buster?
> Can LSU bounce back with Les Miles on the hot seat?
> Can Texas Tech beat teams like UCF, Houston and Marshall in the C-USA?
TOP 25 POLL & OTHERS
1. Texas(38)
2. Florida(22)
3. Ohio State(1)
4. Oklahoma
5. Alabama
6. Nebraska
7. North Carolina
8. Maryland
9. Tulane (a bit overrated with what we lost)
10. Arizona State
11. Tennessee
12. Penn State
13. USC
14. Georgia Tech
15. Michigan
16. UCLA
17. Wisconsin
18. Miami
19. Notre Dame
20. Fresno State
21. Ole Miss
22. Georgia
23. Utah
24. Iowa
25. Boston College
26. Oklahoma State
29. Baylor
32. Kansas
36. UCF
40. Missouri
43. A&M
44. Colorado
60. Kansas State
62. Army
64. Iowa State
(No one in the Big XII is lower than #64)
67. LSU
91. Texas Tech
120. Arkansas State
Preseason All-Americans
Tulane 1st-team AAs:
O.J. Clarke, RB
Marlin Nelson, DT
Tulane 2nd-team AAs: None
Tulane 1st-team Big XII:
O.J. Clarke, RB
Marlin Nelson, DT
Erik Madison, CB
Tulane 2nd-team Big XII: None
Big XII Conference Prediction
1. Texas (A- OVR)
2. Oklahoma (A+ OVR)
3. Nebraska (B+ OVR)
4. Tulane (B+ OVR)
5. Oklahoma State (B OVR)
6. Baylor (B- OVR)
7. Kansas (B OVR)
8. Missouri (B OVR)
9. A&M (B+ OVR)
10. Colorado (B+ OVR)
11. K-State (B OVR)
12. Iowa State (B- OVR)
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Road Trip, anyone? First five of seven games have Tulane on the road in '14
Here is Tulane's 2014 schedule, not an easy one with road trips to Cal, Auburn and Texas A&M in three straight weeks, we also get #1 Texas, but we get them at home, but we do have to face #4 Oklahoma on the road. The season ends with LSU in the dome.
WEEK 1 - BYE
WEEK 2 - North Texas - 3:30pm - C/D/B-
WEEK 3 - at California - 5:00pm - A-/B/A
WEEK 4 - at Auburn - 12:30pm - B/B-/B
WEEK 5 - at Texas A&M - 6:00pm - B+/B-/A
WEEK 6 - Missouri - 8:00pm - B/B-/B
WEEK 7 - at Colorado - 12:30pm - B+/B/A
WEEK 8 - at Iowa State - 8:00pm - B-/C/B
WEEK 9 - #1 Texas - 8:00pm - A-/B/A
WEEK 10 - Baylor - 8:00pm - B-/C+/B
WEEK 11 - at #4 Oklahoma - 3:30pm - A+/B+/A+
WEEK 12 - Oklahoma State - 12:30pm - B/B/B
WEEK 13 - BYE
WEEK 14 - LSU - 6:00pm - B+/B/A-
WEEK 15 - BYE
CCG - ??
BOWL - ??
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2014 Active Roster
Non-redshirts only shown.
OFFENSE
QB #9 SO John Stegall - 81 OVR, 83 THP, 85 THA
QB #5 rSO Jamal Burns - 78 OVR, 78 SPD, 88 THP, 73 THA
RB #25 JR O.J. Clarke - 91 OVR, 93 SPD, 95 ACC
RB #37 rSO Mike Marquardt - 86 OVR, 87 SPD, 87 BTK
RB #10 rSR Dan Thomas - 85 OVR, 88 SPD, 91 ACC
FB #28 rSO Blake Walters - 80 OVR, 82 SPD
WR #2 rSR Brandon Palmer - 87 OVR, 89 SPD, 79 CTH
WR #84 SO Taylor Mackey - 80 OVR, 70 CTH, 81 RR, 80 CIT
WR #7 rSO J.D. Williams - 80 OVR, 81 RR, 78 CIT
WR #88 rFR Adrian Anderson - 79 OVR
TE #83 rJR Chad Flowers - 80 OVR, 81 CTH, 78 CIT
TE #85 FR Brian Bailey - 74 OVR, 75 SPD, 77 CTH
TE #81 rFR Vernon Blair - 72 OVR, 79 SPD, 88 IMP
LT #78 SO Brandon Lewis - 83 OVR
LT #75 rJR Reggie Ross - 81 OVR
LG #63 SR Michael Landry - 89 OVR
LG #61 FR Derrik Wright - 77 OVR
C #70 rSR Anthony Patterson - 99 OVR, 99 PBK, 92 RBK, 94 PBS
C #65 rJR Ron Daniels - 87 OVR
C #67 rFR Joel Ferwerda - 81 OVR
RG #60 rSR Jeff Keyes - 85 OVR
RG #79 rFR Nick Butler - 80 OVR
RG #68 rSO Scott Rogers - 79 OVR
RT #64 rSR Chris White - 87 OVR
RT #62 rJR John Williams - 83 OVR
Seniors: 6
DEFENSE
LE #95 JR Dwayne Horne - 85 OVR, 85 SPD
LE #93 rJR Dustin Peterson - 80 OVR, 86 TKL
LE #98 rFR Dwayne Johnson - 76 OVR, 81 TKL
RE #66 JR Stephen Harris - 87 OVR, 88 STR, 88 TKL, 89 PMV
RE #91 rFR Glen Wilkinson - 79 OVR, 84 SPD, 86 TKL
RE #52 rJR Cedric Kemp - 77 OVR, 84 TKL
DT #71 SO Marlin Nelson - 89 OVR, 84 SPD, 87 TKL
DT #58 rJR Derek Larson - 88 OVR, 78 SPD, 87 PUR
DT #90 rJR Melvin Dickson - 85 OVR, 83 STR
DT #96 rSO Jared McCoy - 81 OVR
DT #99 rFR David Blair - 79 OVR
LOLB #45 rSR Kyle Dickson - 93 OVR, 87 SPD, 89 TKL, 98 HPW
LOLB #51 JR Jay Kerr - 85 OVR, 87 SPD, 89 BSH
LOLB #94 rFR Matt West - 78 OVR, 78 SPD, 87 ACC
MLB #50 JR Terrance Carr - 93 OVR, 89 SPD, 88 TLK, 94 POW
MLB #54 rSO Brandon Lewis - 83 OVR, 72 SPD
MLB #59 rJR Ralph Hall - 83 OVR, 76 SPD
ROLB #55 SR Jason Nolen - 89 OVR, 92 ACC, 86 TKL
ROLB #57 SO Frank Davis - 83 OVR, 84 PRC
ROLB #56 rJR Lamont Coleman - 83 OVR, 86 SPD, 86 BSH
ROLB #97 rFR Bruce Meade - 77 OVR, 85 PUR
CB #6 rJR Erik Madison - 90 OVR, 83 SPD, 96 MCV, 96 ZCV
CB #39 rSO Wade Brooks - 86 OVR, 87 SPD, 92 MCV, 88 PRS
CB #11 FR Shaun Fontaine - 85 OVR, 94 SPD, 87 ZCV
CB #20 rSO Corey Bratton - 83 OVR, 93 ACC
CB #35 rJR Keenan Tate - 81 OVR, 90 MCV
FS #48 SO Kasey Capps - 85 OVR, 90 TKL, 91 ZCV
FS #22 FR Jason Cleveland - 77 OVR, 83 SPD
SS #30 JR Scott Barrett - 86 OVR, 91 ZCV
SS #36 rFR Brad Chase - 82 OVR, 88 SPD, 96 MCV
Seniors: 2
K/P/KOS #19 JR Abraham Ubekista - 81 OVR, 86 KPW, 84 KAC
KR: Shaun Fontaine (DB, FR) & Corey Bratton (DB, rSO)
PR: Shaun Fontaine (DB, FR)
UP NEXT: Week 1 Around The NCAA
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Around the NCAA: Week 1
BIG XII SCORES
Missouri 23, Toledo 20
Iowa State 28, Air Force 21
Kansas State 18, Virginia Tech 0
Colorado 30, Colorado State 3
Arkansas 20, Texas A&M 15 (aTm doesn't complete the week 1 sweep)
TOP 25/NCAA SCORES
USF 26, #13 USC 20 (USF ended game on 13-0 run)
Texas Tech 38, #14 Georgia Tech 17 (TT proves that they are a force this year, shutting down GT to only 3 yards a carry)
#8 Maryland 21, Temple 18 (Maryland almost upset by Temple?!)
Southern Miss 27, North Texas 17
LSU 30, TCU 23 (future Big XII member TCU falls short at LSU)
TOP 25 MOVEMENT: USC and Georgia Tech both dropped out (USC 27th, GT 30th). Oklahoma State to #24, PITT to #25.
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NORTH TEXAS PREVIEW
Record: 0-1 (0-0 WAC)
Meeting: 1st of dynasty
Notes: North Texas starts a true freshman QB. Their senior RB Curtis Johnson ran for only 25 yards last week. They don't really have any stars on offense. O-Line leads the offense by far. Defense is led by SR LB Adam Clark who already has 14 tackles and 2 TFL and 2 PDs this year. They have a great young kicker with 93 KAC, his career long is 52, he also hits 45 yards a punt, so they have no problem there.
Projected outcome: Tulane by 3+ TDs.
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NO CONTEST
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Freshman CB Shaun Fontaine got his first taste of Tulane football by returning a 3rd quarter kickoff the distance in Tulane's 51-3 rout of North Texas.
NEW ORLEANS, LA -- What else do they really gotta say? North Texas isn't that good. Their offense struggles and their defense struggles to make big plays. North Texas only racked up 5 rushing yards and their true freshman QB had a rough day going 7-for-30 for 102 yards with one INT and he was sacked seven times. Really, his numbers are decieving. North Texas dropped eight of the freshman's passes, and Tulane had guys in the freshman's face all game long. "I don't know what they tried to do but they put the ball in the hands of the true freshman way too much. It's his first road game and they expect him to go for 40 throws on offense against a stellar defense. He's a good player but he's way too unexperienced for that kind of day.", said one Green Wave analyst.
Meanwhile, Tulane's QB John Stegall had a great opening day as a starting QB. "I felt really comfortable for my first start.", said Stegall after the game. Stegall had a great first start going 19-for-26 for 307 yards and 2 early TDs. Stegall was pulled midway through the third for Jamal Burns as his day had gone on long enough with the game in hand. Burns was a decent 6-for-11 but threw an INT. Stegall seems to be a better passer than Marcus Minor but has a lack of running ability getting just one good rush all day - a 10 yard gain. Actually, WR Brandon Palmer had the longest carry of the day - 12 yards. North Texas commonly had 7 or 8 in the box and blitzed alot allowing Stegall to make easy throws with his recievers.
Tulane's rushing game was not so good due to the 7 or 8 in the box approach as O.J. Clarke only got 64 yards on 17 carries. Marquardt had 34 on 9 carries. But still, Clarke, Dan Thomas and FB Blake Walters all had TD runs. Clarke also had a receiving TD as both of his scores came in the game's 1st quarter. Stegall then hooked up with J.D. Williams to give Tulane a 21-0 advantage then Blake Walters' TD made it 28-0 and then Abraham Ubekista's 27 yard FG made it 31-0 at the half. Ubekista hit two 3rd quarter field goals to make it 37-0, then North Texas got on the board with a 47 yard FG. However, the ensuing kickoff was returned back 86 yards for a TD by Shaun Fontaine who showed his returning skills very early in his Tulane career as he is the fastest player on Tulane's roster. Dan Thomas's 5 yard TD run in the 4th was the game's final score in the 51-3 blowout.
PLAYER STATS
John Stegall: 197.6 QB Rating, 19-for-26 passing, 307 yards, 2 TD, 1 yard rushing (sacked twice, once for 11 yards)
O.J. Clarke: 17 carries, 64 yards, TD, rec TD
Brandon Palmer: 8 receptions, 154 yards
J.D. Williams: 5 receptions, 67 yards
Taylor Mackey: 3 receptions, 48 yards
Marlin Nelson: 4 tackles, 3 TFL, Sack
Dwayne Horne: 2 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 Sacks
Stephen Harris: Sack
Cedric Kemp: Sack
Derek Larson: Sack
Scott Barrett: INT
UP NEXT: Week 2 Around the NCAA
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WEEK 2
BIG XII SCORES
#1 Texas 33, UConn 10
Texas A&M 31, Cal Poly 0
Kansas State 17, Auburn 10
Oregon 31, Colorado 28
#24 Okie St. 20, Ball St 13
#6 Nebraska 24, #18 Fresno State 14
#22 Iowa 39, Iowa State 16
Boise State 37, Baylor 27
Florida Atlantic 17, Missouri 15 [oops]
#4 Oklahoma 30, #11 Tennessee 16
TOP 25/NCAA SCORES
NC State 23, #23 Boston College 10
#5 Alabama 38, #19 Ole Miss 10
#13 Michigan 18, #17 Notre Dame 13
Army 24, Michigan St. 17
TOP 25 UPDATE
Top 10 unchanged
NC State in, Boston College out
CAL PREVIEW
Record: 1-0 (0-0 Pac-10)
Meeting: 1st of dynasty
Notes: Cal beat Louisiana Tech 31-7 in week one. Cal is a team looking to bounce back. Cal has a very good RB with 92 SPD and 95 ACC, and his backup who has 99 ACC had 93 yards last week. Cal's WRs are very good. Cal's o-line is led by senior AA LT 99 OVR Bryant Andrews. Cal's lowest rated starter on defense is 86 and that is at DT and SS. Their defensive is led by their 93 & 94 OVR OLB and MLB who both have great speed and all-around linebacker skills. Cal's kicker is a bit iffy as his career long is only 49 yards and he's missed a field goal inside 30 yards already this year. Cal is a very dangerous team with a great defense and a good offense, and on the road it's gonna be tough.
Prediction: The win streak ends but very, very close game.