-
NEW ORELANS -- Ah yes, Tulane football. Where were we? That's right, on our way to a West Championship, I hope. We can take a mulligan any week and still make the Championship game. But, if we want to do it, we'll have to contain a dangerous UCF team, that will be even more dangerous next year (2011, my homer pick to win the conference next year). Anyways, it's been a week, so am I rusty? Let's find out..
1ST QUARTER
UCF won the toss and said, "Let's show them some offense", and they chose to recieve. And show their offense, they did. Brynn Harvey caught a 20 yard pass from Clabrese, before getting 11 yards on the ground, but three incomplete passes after two first downs ending UCF's drive.
We'd copy the end of UCF's drive, in a a way. Barnett would take an outside handoff. Nothing. Inside handoff. 2 yards. Kemp to Mitchell. 4 yards. Punt.
The Golden Knights offensive train warmed up, Clabrese hit Nissley for nine, then Brynn Harvey gets back-to-back thirteen yard gains, then catches a six yard pass, then runs for three, and then Clabrese would be pressured, throw across the field to the endzone..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...gon/UCF1-1.jpg
.. where Jackson makes the 7 yard TD. 7-0 UCF.
Joe Kemp and the Green Wave would try to fight back. Barnett got six yards, then Kemp hit Banks for 11, Barnett got seven more, Duplessis got one, then Kemp hit Figaro for 18 on 3rd & 2, then Mitchell for 7, and Barnett for 11, as the Gunslinger warmed up his arm. He then hit Figaro for four more, Barnett went back to work for eight, and then this next play is presented by Staples:
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...gon/UCF2-1.jpg
.. you can't get any more wide open than that. Easy TD pass, 2 yards, to Antoine Duplessis. 7-7.
UCF gets a first down, the quarter ends.
2ND QUARTER
Welcome to the second quarter! Let's recap:
UCF punt
Tulane three first downs, missed field goal
UCF punt
Tulane punt
UCF punt down to our 2 yard line
So we'd have to get it out of there. And we couldn't. On a play action from our own 4 yard line (yes, PLAY ACTION), Joe Kemp is murdered in the endzone by three players. Genius play calling by me. Safety.. the first of the dynasty. 9-7 UCF.
UCF missed a long field goal.
Halftime. 9-7.
3RD QUARTER
We'd get the ball first and kneeldown in the endzone for a touchback. We'd get our offense train moving. Barnett would get twelve, we'd pass four straight times, Barnett and Duplessis gained some more, Kemp got fourteen, and then Barnett..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...gon/UCF3-1.jpg
.. gets a four yard TD. 14-9 TULANE.
UCF would get two first downs, then go for it on fourth and five and Kristifer Rhymes would break up the pass at our 35 yard line.
We'd go back to the ground game. Barnett got two, Kemp got 11, but after that first down, we could only gain three yards in three plays. Punt.
UCF ends the quarter with a first down.
4TH QUARTER
UCF would get another first down riding Brynn Harvey, then would lose four yards, and have two incomplete passes. Punt.
Barnett time. Barnett would get four. False start on second down. Second and 11. He would get seven. 3rd & 4. Barnett on a toss to the right, he had some open field.. spun away from one tackler, and took the carry THIRTY FIVE yards to the UCF 33. First big run of the day on a critical third down.
Barnett would then get 6 more, McDonald would get the first with a 5 yard gain, Barnett got 7 more on two more carries, then McDonald got the first down with a 3 yard carry as Tulane ate the clock up. Barnett would lose one, then get 7 yards on 2nd down, putting us at the UCF 7.. third down, and we need a score to put this defensive struggle to an end. Barnett would get the toss to the left with two wideouts to the left to block. He'd get back to the line of scrimmage, looked for the hole inside.. and then HE WOULD BREAK IT OUTSIDE.. TOUCHDOWN TULANE!
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...gon/ucf4-1.jpg
.. Super Barnett leaps in celebration. The extra point is good with 1:38 to go. 21-9 Tulane. Nice defensive struggle. UCF still had time and needed to find it's first half offense.
After two incomplete passes, Clabrese hit Nissley for seven, and then they would hand it off to Harvey on fourth and three and he got twelve. Not so fast my friend. Clabrese got seven more through the air and it was fourth and three (and game), again.. Clabrese looked, he had a man..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...gon/UCF5-1.jpg
.. but Tulane got to him first. Ballgame.
FINAL SCORE: 21-9 TULANE
What looked like it could have been an offensive shootout turned into a defensive struggle. We allowed Clabrese to have almost 200 passing yards and Harvey to have over 100 yards on the ground, but we stopped them when we needed it most (3rd, 4th downs). The "Gunslinger" who had less than double the yards in a full game than he had last week, but we ran a more ball control style offense this week. Barnett had a slow first half, but got moving, increasing his 3.1 ypc first half into a 4.9 ypc game with two TD's. Next week we have Marshall.. if we win that game, that puts us at 5 conference wins. We just need seven.
PLAYER STATS
Joe Kemp: 132.6 QB Rating, 17-for-25 passing, 153 yards, TD, 0 rushing yards
Stephen Barnett: 31 rush att, 153 yards, 4.9 avg, 2 TD, 11 yards rec
Antoine Duplessis: 2 rush att, 4 yards, Rec TD
Alan Mitchell: 6 rec, 62 yards / Devin Figaro: 4 rec, 35 yards
D.J. Banks: 2 rec, 19 yards / Casey Robottom: 1 rec, 9 yards / George Harrison: 1 rec, 9 yards
Kristifer Rhymes, JJ Black: 6 tackles each
Darryl Farley, Alex Wacha: 5 tackles each
Cody Leford, Devin Williams: 4 tackles each (Williams one tackle for loss)
Oscar Ponce De Leon: 4 tackles, 2 sacks
Dezmen Moses: 3 tackles, 2 TFL
Gregory Hallinsworth, Sammy Bourdeaux: 2 tackles each
UP NEXT: Week Eight Around the NCAA
-
Last week, which was last week, number two and number three lost, last week. Anyways, this week's version is a little smaller and quicker.
C-USA SCORES
Marshall 42, UTEP 39 OT... Marshall 6-2, 4-0 | UTEP 3-4, 0-4
Southern Miss 34, UAB 10... USM 3-4, 3-1 | UAB 3-5, 2-2
Michigan 35, Rice 14 ... UM 3-3, 1-2 Big Ten | Rice 0-7, 0-3
Memphis 34, ECU 14 ... Memphis 5-2, 3-2 | ECU 2-5, 2-2
Tulsa 28, SMU 13 ... Tulsa 3-4, 2-3 | SMU 0-7, 0-5
NCAA (NOTABLE) SCORES
#1 Oklahoma 41, Colorado 31
#12 Nebraska 43, #5 Texas 41
Oregon State 23, #13 USC 16
UNLV 21, #3 Utah 20 (UNLV TD pass with :16 left)
THE TOP 10
BCS
1. Oklahoma (7-0)
2. Boise State (6-0)
3. Nebraska (8-0)
4. Florida (5-1)
5. TCU (8-0)
6. Virginia Tech (7-1)
7. West Virginia (6-1)
8. LSU (6-1)
9. North Carolina (6-1)
10. Ole Miss (5-1)
11. Notre Dame (7-0)
14. Western Michigan (7-0)
HEISMAN: Helu, Washington, Dalton, Bradford
UP NEXT: IT'S A TRAP. On the road at Marshall (6-2, 4-0).. hey that's our record! Marshall is a C+ OVR.
-
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1025/tulane.png
Injury update: Richardson upgraded from Doubtful to Questionable for Marshall game
NEW ORLEANS -- Donny Richardson will travel with the team and could play Saturday in West Virginia at Marshall. Richardson's season has been small but productive. Richardson has played in three games, with 9 carries for 59 yards (6.6 avg), with one rush TD.
Richardson has been out for a few weeks and is up to Questionable for this week's game. Team doctors said that he is back to 80% percent and is starting to practice a little bit again. Earlier this season, Stephen Barnett was injured earlier this season and played a full game after being docked with "Probable" and ended up having a pretty good game.
Richardson would like to play this upcoming week but may be held out because coach Ron Draggo does not want Richardson to re-injure a lingering MCL sprain.
-
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1025/tulane.png
The Mid-Season Championship Game: Tulane (6-2, 4-0 C-USA) @ Marshall (6-2, 4-0 C-USA)
Huntington, West Virginia --- This is Marshall's best start to a season since 2001, when they were in the MAC, when they started 10-1 before dropping the MAC Championship Game to Toledo, and then beat ECU in the GMAC Bowl 64-61 (which is a bowl record for points, I believe), and finished 11-2. (Marshall's lone "regular" season loss was at Florida). And crapfully enough, this is Tulane's best start since 1998, when they went 12-0 and finished #7. Tulane and Marshall lead their respective divisions. These two teams could meet again in West Virginia or New Orelans in just a few weeks if things continue to go for each team. ANYWAYS, onto the game..
Donny Richardson: will not play
1ST HALF
Yes, first half, combining the first and second quarters.
Marshall had the ball first, drove into Tulane territory, stalled, went for a puntrooksie and failed. Tulane went three and out. Marshall got one first down, but not a second. Then here came Tulane. Barnett got 14 yards on three carries, Kemp hit Mitchell for 16, Barnett got 17, Kemp to Harrison for 23, then to Figaro for 9.. and then Barnett:
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...agon/Herd1.jpg
.. got a 5 yard walk-in TD. 7-0 TULANE.
Marshall got a first down thanks to a facemask, then didn't get another and punted. The quarter ended on a 19 yard punt return by Jordan Sullen.
The Tulane train got going again. 8 yards for Barnett, Kemp found him then twice for 15 yards, Duplessis got 10, McDonald got 7, Barnett got one. Third down. Incomplete pass. Ubekista would try a 40 yard field goal from the left hash mark. It went down the middle, and off the bottom crossbar. Damn.
Marshall got two first downs and then punted after they couldn't get a fourth. They pinned us to our own six. McDonald got 5 to get us to the 11 for a 3rd down, where, Kemp hit Banks for 10, then Figaro two plays later for 34, Robottom for 5, then he'd go for Robottom again who got 37 yards after breaking free from his defender. Almost got six. The very next play..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...agon/Herd2.jpg
... and there's the Robottom TD. 3 yards. Rule 1: Never let him get open, rule 2: NEVER EVER let him get open in the endzone. Marshall broke both of these rules. 14-0 TULANE.
That'd be the score at the half.
3RD QUARTER
Three and out Tulane. Marshall started to drive, then on a backwards pass to Darius Marshall from Anderson, Marshall broke free:
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...agon/Herd3.jpg
.. for a 32 yard TD run (or a 37 yard TD pass, the game says it's a TD run, which it is). 14-7 Tulane.
And then we come back out:
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...agon/Herd4.jpg
.. and Kemp gets picked off. If he had some more strength behind that pass, that would have been a LONG TD pass.
Marshall gets into field goal range, stalls, and kicks a 30 yard field goal. We'd then get one first down. And then Stephen BARNETT goes down. He would not return. And to make things better, we would not get another first down, but we pinned Marshall to their own 6. Tulane would call a heavy crash blitz. Darius Marshall got a carry, broke a tackle behind the line of scrimmage, then another. At this time, Ron Draggo preceded to notice the huge area of open field. Here is Marshall inside his own 20.
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...agon/Herd5.jpg
.. needless to say, we got eaten alive by one player. That would be a 94 yard TD run. Shit. 17-14 MARSHALL. 17 unanswered. Well.. let's just drive down the field.. right? Right??
Wrong. Joe Kemp after a 17 yard run by McDonald got picked off. Oh great. Marshall luckily went three and out and punted for a touchback.
4TH QUARTER
McDonald now has to take the load. 2 yard run. Kemp hits Robottom for 4. McDonald got 6 more, then 5 more, then broke a 17 yard run, then got 5 more, then four more, Nathan Austin checks in and gets nine. Then McDonald loses 5 on a toss. Now we'd pass, heavy blitz by Marshall, Duplessis is wide open.. breaks a tackle.. and THERE HE GOES!
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...agon/Herd6.jpg
.. and that is a 33 yard TD pass to Duplessis, the fullback. 21-17 Tulane.
Marshall went three and out. Sullen's 18 yard punt return put us just yards out of field goal range. We'd get there and we would stall. Ubekista hits a 38 yard field goal. 24-17 Tulane.
deRochement then skanks the kickoff, and it's returned to the Marshall 48. 2:23 to play. Marshall lost two. Anderson passed for 10, Marshall got six. Anderson hit Spann for 19. Marshall got five more. Third down from our sixteen yard line.
Anderson overthrows his man. Fourth down. Anderson throws to Spann.. we go for the swat and miss.. he's got a catchable ball...
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...agon/Herd7.jpg
.. DROPPED! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! He catches it and he could have scored. Someone took their mind of the football. Tulane will hold on after getting two first downs. Whew.
FINAL SCORE: Tulane 24-17
What a game. Kemp and company had a great first half, let Marshall get the lead with 17 unanswered, then Kemp shook off two INT's and threw a great TD pass to Duplessis and then we hung on from there. Marshall could have tied the game with a minute left and Spann, their top reciever makes a foolish mistake and drops the probable TD. Stephen Barnett went down in the 3rd, after a rough day besides his TD run. McDonald with one less carry hit 101 yards, while Barnett had 18 carries and only got 67. Barnett should be good to go for the Rice game since we have a BYE. Kevin Moore will most likely be probable for the game, so he could be ready to go or he could be back on week 12. Two more wins.. one mulligan to spare as of now.
PLAYER STATS
Joe Kemp: 155.2 QB Rating, 15-for-22, 197 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, no sacks
Stephen Barnett: 18 rush att, 67 yards, TD, 15 rec yards
J.T. McDonald: 17 rush att, 101 yards, 3 rec yards
Antoine Duplessis: 2 rush att, 17 yards, 1 rec, 33 yards, TD
Casey Robottom: 4 rec, 49 yards, TD
Devin Figaro: 2 rec, 43 yards
Gregory Hallinsworth: 9 tackles
Tony Bryant: 7 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 Sacks
Darryl Farley: 7 tackles, TFL
Kristifer Rhymes: 4 tackles
Dezmen Moses: 4 tackles, TFL
Samuel Brooks: 3 tackles
JJ Black: 2 tackles
Sammy Boudreaux: Tackle
Jordan Sullen: 21.0 avg on kick returns, 14.5 avg on punt returns
[Darius Marshall: 23 rush att, 176 yards, 2 TD, 2 rec yards]
UP NEXT: Week Nine Around the NCAA
-
Last week #3 Utah lost to UNLV on a late score. USC also lost.
C-USA SCORES
Rice 39, UTEP 36 ... Rice gets it's first win on the year. UTEP is 0-5 in C-USA play.
Houston 31, Southern Miss 6... USM might miss a bowl game. Houston up to 6-1. Keeping the pressure on us.
NC State 29, Tulsa 21 ... Tulsa was in it but they never led the game.
Memphis 35, #8 LSU 21 ... What is it with Memphis and upsetting teams from the SEC?? Jordan Jefferson's 4 INTs certainly did not help LSU.
UCF 45, ECU 10 ... ECU is definitely not going to make a bowl.
NCAA SCORES
UConn 35, #13 Western Michigan 13 ... [glare]. Oh Western Michigan. WHY NOW.
Nothing else major happened.
TOP 25
BCS
1. Oklahoma (1.000)
2. Nebraska (0.994)
3. Boise State (0.989)
4. TCU(0.980)
5. Florida
6. Virginia Tech
7. Notre Dame (0.964)
8. West Virginia
9. North Carolina
10. Ole Miss
11. Texas
12. Wisconsin
13. Minnesota
14. Alabama
15. Utah
16. LSU
17. aTm
18. Northwestern
19. USF
20. Ohio State
21. USC
22. Iowa
23. Oregon State
24. Arizona
25. Cincinnati
Lingering Teams: Western Michigan, Oregon, Georgia Tech, Cal, Memphis, Rutgers, Colorado, Louisville
Heisman: Roy Helu, LaTravis Washington (QB, Nebraska), Sam Bradford, Scotty McKnight, Jeremy Kerley
UP NEXT: Probably Week 10 Around the NCAA, since we have a BYE.
-
Western Michigan lost last week. We have a BYE.
C-USA SCORES
Navy 37, ECU 6 ... ECU is now offically not going to a bowl. Navy gets it's second win of the year.
Memphis 41, UAB 17 ... Memphis ran for four TD's and kicked four field goals.
UTEP 34, Tulsa 30 ... UTEP gets it's first conference win, thanks to a 24-8 second half run.
Rice 30, SMU 14 ... Rice gets it's second straight win, while SMU falls to 0-8.
Southern Miss 36, Marshall 30 ... And just like that, Southern Miss takes the East lead. USM held a 30-10 3rd quarter lead.
Houston 14, UCF 10 ... Houston keeps the pressure alive on us. Keenum's TD with 5:38 left gave Houston the close victory.
NCAA SCORES
#22 Iowa 32, #12 Wisconsin 0 ... The 8-1 Hawkeyes should move up a bit.
#2 Nebraska 59, Missouri 13 ... The #2 Cornhuskers put up 59 points on Missouri in just 42 minutes. Latravis threw for 5 TD's.
Virginia 52, #18 USF 14 ... Oh my.
#20 Ohio State 33, #13 Minnesota 14 ... The Buckeyes are returning to usual form thanks to Pryor's 4 TD day.
#25 Arizona 33, #21 USC 28 ... How long has it been since USC has been unranked?
#14 Utah 29, Wyoming 28 ... Utah needed 23 points in the second half to beat the Cowboys.
#1 Oklahoma 40, #15 aTm 20 ... Total offense: 386-174 in favor of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma State 40, #11 Texas 19 ... The sub .500 Cowboys beat up on Texas. Cate had 5 INT's for Okie State, but Texas had 4. Dez Bryant had 2 TD's.
Tennessee 31, #10 Ole Miss 7 .. Oh my.
Eastern Michigan 30, Western Michigan 10 ... Where did things go wrong so fast?
- Tulane nabs two commits including a 2-star punter and that elusive four-star player..
TOP 25 - BCS
1. Oklahoma
2. Nebraska
3. Boise
4. Notre Dame
5. Florida
6. TCU
7. Virginia Tech
8. WVU
9. North Carolina
10. 'Bama
11. tOSU (up NINE spots)
12. LSU
13. Utah
14. Iowa (up EIGHT spots)
15. Wisconsin
16. Minnesota
17. aTm
18. Ole Miss
19. Arizona
20. Oregon State
21. Cincy
22. Texas
23. Georgia Tech
24. USC (unranked in Coaches, AP, computers saved them)
25. Northwestern
The Lingering Teams: Oregon, Memphis, Rutgers, Colorado, Houston (WHAT!!!!), Tennessee, Illinois
HEISMAN: Latravis Washington, Sam Bradford, Roy Helu, Scotty McKnight, Andy Dalton
AWARD LEADERS
Maxwell: Latravis Washington
Bednarik: Zach Brown, UNC
O'Brien: Latravis Washington
Walker: Roy Helu (Barnett 12th)
Best WR: Scotty McKnight
Mackey: Eric Mensik, Oklahoma
Best OL: Donald Stephenson, Oklahoma
Rimington: Keenan Stevens, Colorado
Lombardi: Jason Worilds, VT
Best LB: Garrick Williams, TAMU
Thrope: Blake Gideon, Texas
Groza: Ross Evans, TCU
Best P: Ryan Peterson, Virginia Tech (FR)
Best RET: Sidney Stewart, Northwestern
UP NEXT: Rice (2-7), C- OVR. Rice's lone wins are over UTEP and SMU, coming in the last two weeks. Rice has lost FIVE games by under 12 points.
-
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1025/tulane.png
Ponder moves back to QB, possibly moves to third string QB to finish season
NEW ORLEANS -- D.J. Ponder like many speculated is going to compete for the QB starting job next year. And this week he moved back to QB after switching to WR prior to the 2009 season. Ponder found his time at WR to only work out on kick returns, but he now knows the wide receivers better than he probably would if he were playing QB.
That could give him an advantage in 2011. Ponder's speed could really open up Tulane's offense if he plays in 2010 and if he were to start in 2011. He'll definitely challenge for it.
Ponder may see time this year if any games turn ugly in the 2nd half. However, with Kevin Moore's return, Ponder will not have a shot at being Tulane's no. 2 QB for their upcoming game against Rice.
-
>>TULANE FAST FORWARD>>
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...on/Riceum0.jpg
Casey Robottom's TD catch set the standard for today's game versus Rice.
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...on/Riceum1.jpg
D.J. Ponder as our new third string QB scores.
TULANE 45, RICE 0
The lowly Rice Owls rolled into town as 28-point underdogs. Rice's turnovers and the return of Kevin Moore sunk the Owls early as Moore only needed to play one half to leave his mark on Rice. Rice's first possession went into Tulane territory but Tulane forced a stop on fourth down and a handful of plays later Moore found Casey Robottom wide open for a TD. Alex Wacha recovered a fumble and Kristifer Rhymes had an INT in the first quarter. Tulane on the opening play of the second quarter, Moore found Robottom again for TD #2. After Leford's pick of Fanuzzi, Moore finds a wide open J.T. McDonald for a 28 yard strike. Tulane took a 24-0 halftime lead with a 52 yard field goal by Darren deRochement (which had the distance from 60).
Tulane rolled in the 2nd half, as well. Joe Kemp found Wilson Van Hooser for a 67 yard gain to the three, and the very next play Stephen Barnett scored. After a poor drive by Rice, Jordan Sullen had a great punt return, and J.T. McDonald had a 34 yard TD run right up the gut where he somehow managed to go untouched to the house to give Tulane a 38-0 lead.
Tulane played ball control offense for mainly the rest of the game and D.J. Ponder saw time at QB. He led Tulane down the field and then on an option keeper he went 15 yards to the house to the left side (very similar to Ryan Griffin's WTF TD run in 2009 against McNeese State.). Tulane pulled a shutout and improved to 8-2, 6-0 with a possibility of receiving votes in the polls this upcoming week.
Kevin Moore threw for 179 yards going ten out of fourteen with 3 TD's. D.J. Ponder went 2-of-2 for 13 yards, and 28 yards rushing and a TD. Stephen Barnett and J.T. McDonald also scored TDs on the ground. McDonald had a recieving TD along with Robottom's pair of TDs. Devin Williams led the defense with 7 tackles and four, yes FOUR sacks. Rhymes and Leford had INT's while Wacha forced and recovered a fumble.
___________________________
TOP TEN
1. Nebraska
2. Oklahoma
3. Notre Dame
4. Boise State
5. Florida
6. TCU
7. Virginia Tech
8. West Virginia
9. North Carolina
10. Alabama
(Coaches: Tulane #30, AP #32)
UP NEXT: Road night game on TV at Tulsa (3-7, 2-5).. a win gives Tulane a berth to the CCG. Tulane is also going for win #500 in school history..
-
Tulane headed for C-USA title game, cruises to 42-0 lead, celebrates...
...then uncelebrates as Tulsa scares Tulane but falls short, 42-28
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/10Tulsa1.jpg
D.J. Banks first Q TD catch.
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/10Tulsa2.jpg
Leford INT.
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/10Tulsa3.jpg
Who needs to see to score?
Tulane headed to Tulsa, Oklahoma to take on the 3-7 Golden Hurricane, and expected somewhat of a fight. Tulsa can score points, but on this day, they could only do it with players like Alan Mitchell (3rd WR) as our 3rd CB in the 4th quarter as Tulane's third string secondary penciled in out of position players. Darryl Farley should not play safety.
Kevin Moore returned and tied his career best against Army last year, with similar numbers.. 5 TD's and 1 INT. His 5th TD, he didn't realize he had thrown, as it came on an option play where he somehow managed to throw it forward behind the LOS and it counted as a TD pass to Donny Richardson.Moore's four other TD passes went to D.J. Banks, 22 yards in the 1st.. Brock Sanders, 65 yards in the 1st.. almost all of it YAC (video here!) an 8 yarder to Figaro in the 2nd, and a 47 yarder to Robottom in the 2nd.
Tulane cakewalked to a 42-0 lead thanks to Nathan Austin's TD run, but DeMaris Johnson kept it interesting with 3 4th quarter TD's, two recieving and one returning. Tulsa's lack of covering onside kicks cost them a potential comeback as Tulane's offense went flat and so did their defense. However, their win over Tulsa does mean one thing - they are going to be playing for the C-USA title at home - since they will finish with the most conference wins despite their game against Southern Miss yet to be played - at 7-1, they would still lead the conference.
Moore's statline: 317.6 QB Rating, 12/14 passing, 214 yards, 5 TD, INT .. Barnett got 131 on 16 carries .. Austin ran for 52 and a TD. Richardson ran for 14 and had a TD reception. Boudreaux led the tacklers with 7. Farley and Leford (in position) had INTs on Tulsa's QB.
With the win, Tulane improves to 9-2 (7-0), and nine straight wins.
-
C-USA NEWS
>> Tulane headed for C-USA title <<
Southern Miss falls to Memphis, 35-33.
>> East Title Game: Memphis (8-3) at Marshall (7-4), winner faces Tulane. Tulane beat Marshall 24-17 earlier this season, and did not play Memphis. <<
Recruiting update: Tulane gets three commits, five soft commits.
NCAA NOTES & POLLS
Top 5 unchanged and still undefeated: Nebraska, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Boise State, TCU
Ranked teams left to play for those teams (minus CCGs), NU 1, Oklahoma 1, ND 2, Boise 0, TCU 1
Houston (9-1, lone loss to the Green Wave) jumps into the AP at #24, while Tulane sits at #30 in the AP. Houston is 26th in the Coaches, and Tulane is 29th.
- Sam Bradford leads the Heisman race, after a 633 yard performance at Baylor.
- The Big XII holds all the top 5 spots in the Heisman race right now.
Tulane's current bowl projection: Arkansas (5-5, Arkansas needs to beat LSU or San Diego State to be bowl elligible).
UP NEXT: Tulane takes on Southern Miss (4-6, 4-3) at home in the battle for the Bell. If Tulane loses, they hold the tiebreaker over Houston in the C-USA West, and will play Memphis/Marshall for the C-USA. A win gives Tulane their first ten win season since 1998.
-
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/5233/newbannerh.png
The twelve club
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/...n/2096517.jpeg
NEW ORLEANS -- Tulane after it's 0-2 start wondered if they would see a bowl game again this season after last year's surprising Texas Bowl bid season which ended in a loss to Missouri.
Since then, the Green Wave have rolled out 9 straight wins - none over BCS opponents which has most likely kept them out of the top 25 for now which they have not been in since their no. 7 ranking in 1998.
Twelve years ago. That team had twelve wins. Twelve straight wins.
This year, the Green Wave have a chance to match the twelve-win season that the Green Wave did twelve years ago. Tulane has to get through Southern Miss, then the C-USA Championship and then their bowl game. Which could be a hard task. In 1998, Tulane played BYU in the Liberty Bowl. If Tulane does win out, they'll have to get through a BCS opponent to get that elusive twelfth win.
Twelve years after their lone 12-win season. Can the Green Wave repeat the 12-win season in 2010, 12 years after the original?
The twelve club is waiting if they do.
-
There you go TGT, some more Tulane action for you all.
Some of the greatest dynasty games are just around the corner..
-
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/5233/newbannerh.png
THE BATTLE FOR THE BELL
I'll just tell you now, Southern Miss can put up the points and if your a fan of defensive battles, this isn't going to be a game you like. Iron Dragon's unoffical over/under line was 52 points. Over. Way over. And if you like passing, you'd like this ballgame. There was alot of it. Now onto the action..
Southern Miss would lose the toss and got it first. On the first play out, Kristifer Rhymes sacks Austin Davis for a six yard loss and USM could not get the first down, just four yards in the Birds' next two plays.
Moore started up the passing attack.. 14 yards to Mitchell, some runs by Barnett, including an 18 yard one, too, but in the end going a perfect 5-for-5 on the drive, Moore throws to the endzone..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...Dragon/101.jpg
.. and George Harrison makes a nice catch for six. 7-0 TULANE.
USM three and out. Tulane three and out. Two drops.
USM would find their way down the field, converting a fourth and short, then on a quick pass Davis hit Pierce for a 20 yard score. 7-7.
Tulane looked like they were going to go three and out until a pass interference gave the Wave a first down.
That kept the offensive train a'moving and Stephen Barnett found the endzone two minutes into the second quarter from 4 yards out.
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...Dragon/103.jpg
14-7 Tulane.
USM and their offense responds. After two runs of nothing, Davis throws on third down.. JJ Black gets the deflection and celebrates..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...Dragon/102.jpg
... and that's why your a true freshman. KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE BALL! Or maybe it's just a great catch. Two plays later, Davis hits his RB Duckworth and Wacha epic fails on the TD-saving tackle and he quacks his way into the endzone. 14-14.
We'd get one first down but not another.
We'd hit a terrible punt of just 35 yards, and USM would return it 19 yards down to midfield. Duckworth got 14, then Davis hit Duckworth for 13, then a loss of 2, then hits Rue for 22.. then JJ Black would cover the corner route into the endzone..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...Dragon/104.jpg
.. and that's why your a true freshman. JJ Black thinks it's headed out of the endzone, and Southern Miss bites him again with another great catch. 21-14 SOUTHERN MISS.
Now, with 1:22 left.. we can A) run out the clock, B) try to get downfield. What are we, losers? B it is. Barnett runs for 13, Moore hits Robottom for 13, then Figaro loses one, and then Robottom drops one. Damnit. Fourth down. Ah well, a little trickery never hurt.. we'd fake the punt and throw it, and GEORGE HARRISON brings the pass in for a 19 yard gain to the 25 yard line. What are we, Boise State?
That momentum-changing catch led to this dumbfounded move by USM's secondary..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...Dragon/105.jpg
.. never leave the other team's best wide receiver open. 21-21. 25 yard TD for Robottom.
... AT THE HALF: 21-21
Three and out. Tulane. USM wouldn't, they'd stall but Estes, the kicker with a leg to hit 50 yards. He hit a 41 yarder. 24-21 USM.
The passing train opened.. 10 to Mitchell, 2 to Banks, 11 to Figaro, 20 to Mitchell. Harrison for 11. And then a fade route after a couple runs..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...Dragon/106.jpg
.. and Robottom's got it!! Touchdown Tulane! 10 yard strike. 28-24 TULANE. Three and out USM. This was our game now, after runs and a first down, Tulane would fail to convert a third down as the clock struck 0:00. One quarter to go.
Now to hold USM, they need 65 yards to get to the endzone. And they would get 43 of it on the first play. Shit. After a 7 yard sack, Davis hits DeAndre Brown for a 29 yard TD. Double shit. 31-28 USM. 6:18.
Barnett got six yards twice, Moore then broke off 12 yards, then one more yard. Incomplete pass on second, but a 25 yard pass to George Harrison on third. Clutch freshman TE. Duplessis got eight. Another pass to Harrison and dropped. Damn. Barnett got one. 4th and one. We could kick the field goal, but coach Draggo has balls and goes for it. Duplessis got seven. Barnett got 8 more to the six yard line. Quick pass is called..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...Dragon/107.jpg
.. and FB Duplessis is wide open for six. 35-31 TULANE. 3:27 to hold the Dirty Birds.
And by hold them, did you mean allow a 93 yard kick return? Why yes, DeAndre Brown makes our special teams look like epic fail shit and takes the kickoff back to the house. 38-35 USM.
Kevin Moore now needed heroics and no drops. Tulane had dropped six passes already. Moore should be at 30+ completions and he's not.
Van Hooser takes the kick back to the 36. Barnett got the first on the ground. Moore then throws a PA pass to Robottom.. and he's got his man beat.. DROPPED. Shit. 7 drops today by the WR core. Not good. Barnett lost a yard. Third and ten-and-a-half. Moore runs for 6 with NO one open. 4th & 4 it's marked.
"This is where legends are made", said Coach to Moore.
And Moore made a play. He broke a tackle and threw a nice strike to D.J. Banks for a ten yard gain and a first down. But oh so soon it was third and nine. Once again, he breaks through a sack, plants his feet and this time Robottom doesn't miss it. 26 yard gain inside the ten. First and goal. 59 seconds left.
Barnett gets three, Richardson gets five. Play action pass. Moore fakes the handoff, then would find Barnett.. who cannot break the tackle and is dragged back for a loss. Shit. Maybe not the best play inside the five. Tinzen Ubekista now has to tie it up. Five seconds left. USM ices him three times.
Good snap, good hold, the kick is up from the right hash mark.. and he nails it! Overtime. 38-38.
END OF REGULATION: 38-38.
We won the toss and went on defense. And this is how we started OT:
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...Dragon/108.jpg
.. not the best of starts. 45-38 SOUTHERN MISS.
Moore hits Barnett who uses his RB skills to go for 22 yards. Good start. Moore then takes it up the middle for a 3 yard TD run. Ubekista onto kick the XP.. and he almost misses it. Whew. 45-45. 2OT.
Incomplete pass. 5 yard gain. One yard pass. Fourth and four. Draggo goes for it. Moore doesn't see that Robottom is open in the endzone and throws to Mitchell and it's knocked down. Oh shit.
USM passes for a 17 yard gain. Oh shitcakes. Next play, USM passes it.. Davis is brought down and HE FUMBLES IT!! USM would recover it but that is a loss of 15 yards! Not so fast my friend!! USM ran for five yards, then would pass on third and very long goal.. and Davis would be sacked again for a 7 yard loss on the RIGHT hashmark. Oh my. John Estes on to kick the game winning field goal. 41 yards. His first was an easy one down the middle. This one, not so much.
The snap was good, the hold was good...
and the kick had the length....
... and it looked good...
... but it bounces OFF THE RIGHT CROSSBAR!! HOLY SHIT!! NO GOOD!! Three overtimes, here we come!
USM would have to score now. They wasted no time to get to our two yard line. Duckworth runs up the gut, loss of one. Again up the gut, loss of one. 3rd and goal. Pitch to Duckworth, he picks up yards, fights for the endzone and does not make it! Three yard gain to the one. This time Estes makes it from 18 yards out. 48-45 USM.
After eight drops on the day, Kevin Moore had this statline: 34-for-48 passing, 296 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT, 16 yards rushing, TD. That's quite a statline, if I say my self.
Barnett got nine. Duplessis got eight. Barnett got one. Second and goal, Moore steps back to throw.. looks...
.. TO ROBOTTOM WHO MAKES AN AMAZING CATCH AND HE SCORES TULANE WINS IT TULANE WINS IT IN THREE OVERTIMES DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?????? Holy shit. That's all I got to say. D.J Banks made a miracle own tipped catch against Hawaii in the clutch to set up OT, and today Casey Robottom somehow makes a backhanded grab for the game winning touchdown. Ten and two baby. Ten and two!
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...ragon/1010.jpg
What a catch. What a play.
FINAL SCORE: 51-48 TULANE 3 OT's
Kevin Moore: 157.3 QBR, 35-for-49 passing, 305 yards, 5 TD, Rush TD (8 drops by core)
Stephen Barnett: 25 rush att, 129 yards, TD (surpasses 1500 yards), 35 rec yards
Casey Robottom: 6 receptions, 93 yards, 3 TD
George Harrison: 5 receptions, 72 yards, TD
Antoine Duplessis: 34 rush yards, TD catch
Alan Mitchell: 6-54 / D.J. Banks: 5-37 (10 different players with a catch)
Darryl Farley: 9 tackles, TFL
JJ Black: 7 tackles
Gregory Hallinsworth: 6 tackles
Tony Bryant: 5 tackles, 3 TFL, 2 Sack
Kristifer Rhymes: 4tackles, 3 TFL, 2 Sack
Samuel Brooks: 4 tackles, TFL
Sammy Boudreaux: 2 tackles
Tinzen Ubeksita: 1/1 FG, 6/6 XP
Jordan Sullen: 142 ret yards
USM: Austin Davis 20/27, 305 yards, 5 TD / Duckworth: 36 rush yards, 47 rec yards, TD / Quentin Pierce: 2 rec TD / DeAndre Brown: 36 rec yards, TD, 198 return yards, TD / Josh Johnson (true freshman): 13 tackles (TFL)
UP NEXT: The final weeks of the regular season wrapped up, who does Tulane face in the C-USA title? Do we crack the top 25? Find out..
-
WEEK 13
C-USA NEWS:
- Memphis topples Marshall 42-35, team's QBs combine for 9 TD's. Memphis takes TD deficit into 42-28 lead and holds off Marshall's offense in final minutes.
- Houston gets it's tenth win over ten loss Rice, 41-27.. Not as close as the score looks, UH held a 41-10 lead in the 4th.
- The June Jones era in SMU ended last week with a mid-season boot and the interim head coach gives SMU's it's first win over UTEP, 38-17. UTEP slips from a bowl game most likely.
- ECU finishes with a win over UAB, but has a 4-8 (4-4) season. Not expected.
NCAA NEWS:
- The Rich Rod era ends in Ann Arbor with a 27-21 loss to the Buckeyes after blwoing a 21-0 lead. Michigan is 3-8, OSU 10-2.
- #1 Nebraska, #2 Oklahoma perfect 12-0 seasons with wins over top 20 teams (Oklahoma beats #8 UNC on the road 45-21)
- #3 Notre Dame held scoreless against USC, national title hopes gone
- #6 Florida falls to Florida State, 10-9
- #7 WVU escapes PITT, 7-3 .. teams combined for 241 offensive yards, 21 punts and 7-of-35 on third downs.
>> Tulane gets six more commits. <<
>> Tulane also ranked for the first time in twelve years, at #24 in the Coaches / Houston #21 <<
WEEK 14
C-USA NEWS:
- #20 Houston rolls up 62 on SJSU, Keenum with 5 TD passes
- Interim HC 2-0: SMU stuns Tennessee, 31-24
NCAA NEWS:
- Notre Dame football, ur doing it wrong: 9-0 to 9-2: #12 Utah upsets #7 Notre Dame 44-31.
- Beavers BCS bound: #13 Oregon State beats Oregon, 28-16, Oregon State 9-0 in Pac-10
- Boise State escapes: #4 Boise State 40, Virginia (4-8) 34 2OT
- Navy beats Army
>> Tulane gets another commit, gets another four-star commit to soft (first one did commit), Tulane up to #21, Houston #19 <<
WEEK 15
Dead week. No major games.
PRE-CCG TOP 10 & NOTABLES
1. Oklahoma(37)
2. Nebraska(23)
3. TCU(1)
4. Boise State
5. West Virginia
6. Alabama
7. Ohio State
8. Iowa
9. Utah
10. Wisconsin
19. Houston (#21 BCS, #18 AP)
21. Tulane (#22 BCS, #22 AP)
27. Memphis
28. Rutgers
HEISMAN WATCH:
Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
LaTravis Washington, QB, Nebraska
Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
Roy Helu, RB, Nebraska
(whoever plays the best of these four in the Big XII will win the Heisman probably. Broyles will probably need 200 rec. yards and 2 TD's though.)
Tulane currently projected for Liberty Bowl vs Arkansas.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
C-USA: #27 Memphis at #21 Tulane (New Orleans, LA)
ACC: #24 USF vs #15 Virginia Tech
SEC: #14 Florida vs #6 Alabama
Big XII: #2 Nebraska vs #1 Oklahoma
MAC: Akron vs Western Michigan (9-3)
UP NEXT: C-USA CCG preview and other stuff, I'd suppose
-
C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44...AA/cusa_cg.pnghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44...AA/memphis.png
Time: 5:00pm Eastern
Stadium: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
TV: ESPN
Match-up: Memphis at #21 Tulane
Memphis Overview
Memphis put up a 9-3 (6-2) season and found it's way into the CCG thanks to wins over Southern Miss and Memphis by less than a touchdown in both games. Memphis looked to be on a roll with a 4-0 start until a crushing 31-14 loss at the hands of UCF and then a 38-0 blanking at home against now #19 Houston. The Tigers recovered with 3 straight wins including a stunning victory over LSU, 35-21 (the Tigers may not make a bowl game), rolled to two more conference victories and then dropped one to Tennessee, 28-22. Then they beat USM and Marshall to finish with a 9-3 effort.
Memphis is led by first-year duel-threat QB Tyler Bass. Bass has passed for an impressive 2920 yards and 25 TD's along with 13 INT's, but leads the Tigers with 10 rushing TD's and 839 yards. Bass averages over 300 yards a game of offense.
When not running it with Bass, they give it off to Lance Smith who has 848 yards and 4 TD's this year. Brandon Ross also has decent carries for the Tigers. Memphis also starts a true freshman in Jon Ginn at FB but he only has 10 carries this year.
Lance Smith, however, also lines up at receiver. He has 28 catches and 7 TD's, a team-high, so we need to look for him both ways. Also on the recieving core for Memphis is Cam Baker, who has 80 catches for 961 yards this year with 6 TD's. Marcus Rucker also has 6 TD's recieving. Memphis will also pass it to Billy Foster who has 45 catches this year, and Devan Onarheim, the team captain who is the TE and has 34 catches and 4 scores this year. Memphis' offensive line is led by senior Brad Paul at RT who has 31 'cakes on the year.
Memphis' defense is led by their three linebackers: Winston Bowers (SR), Jamon Hughes (FR), and Corderick Govan (SR). Bowens has a team-high 69 tackles, Hughes has 60 tackles and Govan has 58 and is tied for second for INT's on the team. The defensive line is led by David Adams, a TRUE freshman RE who has 57 tackles, 14 for loss, and 7 sacks this year.
Memphis on special teams has Tony Walton (true freshman), who is 17-for-28 on field goals this year, with a long of 50 yards. However, his leg can be a bit inaccurate at times as he's missed two field goals from inside thirty yards, and six between 30 and 39, he's 4/6 from 40 to 49, and 2/3 from 50. Jimmy Jackson, also a true freshman is the punter and kickoff specialist. He averages 42.9 yards a punt and has 13 touchbacks on 72 kickoffs.
Lance Smith also returns kicks, he has 740 yards on KRs, and 567 on punt returns. Cam Baker also helps with returns.
__________________________________
http://williams.prestosports.com/ima...os/GameDay.jpg
COLLEGE GAMEDAY ANALYSIS
Desmond: Well, I gotta tell you.. Tulane is on a roll, they are in the top 25 for the first time in a long time, they are on a hot streak. This game is a home game for them and they'll take the C-USA title here. I like Tulane by two scores.
Kirk: Well, Desmond.. I disagree, I think Memphis is gonna come in fired up. They have a great team, everyone forgets about how they beat LSU and almost beat Tennessee, because people look at the losses to UCF and Houston. I think Tyler Bass beats Tulane with his arm and his legs, they'll come in upset-minded and take this one by a field goal.
Lee: Not so fast my friend! Tulane is the #21 team in the nation, and they should be higher, the only home game they lost this year was against LSU on week 1 when this team was looking for it's identity, and they found it, and Tulane will win the C-USA title by a touchdown. Kevin Moore played the game of his career against Southern Miss and he'll keep it going today.
UP NEXT: The C-USA Championship Game
-
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...ANNERnew-1.png
THE C-USA CHAMPIONSHIP: Memphis (9-3) at #21 Tulane (10-2)
Tulane is back and fights for the C-USA title for the first time (there was no conference championship game in 1998.) and they get to do it at home. Basically, Senior Saturday version II. This is Kevin Moore, Casey Robottom, Alan Mitchell, Andrew Neirman, Pete Hendrickson, Alex Wacha, Justin Adams, Dezmen Moses, Tony Bryant, Oscar P.D.L and Darren deRochemont's last games at home. And this one means more than any game they've ever played. This is the first time we're playing Memphis under Ron Draggo's tenure at Tulane.
1ST QUARTER
Memphis won the toss and took the ball, and they wasted no time whatsoever. As on their second play, Tyler Bass found star WR Cam Baker on a 23 yard TD pass.. that's not the last we'll here out of Baker today..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...ragon/CCG1.jpg
7-0 Memphis. Kevin Moore came out firing, hitting Brock Sanders who was mismatched with a end playing linebacker and got 33 yards. Then he hit Mitchell for 6. Then Harrison for 14. Duplessis got eight, Barnett got three on the ground and then five more as he scored on a TD. 7-7. Not too shabby, I'd say.
Memphis punted after two first downs, Moore hit Harrison for 12 and Banks for 10 and then hit Memphis' SS Davis for a pick. Memphis would drive down and MISS a 38 yard field goal.. that's not the lass we'll here out of those kicking woes today.
2ND QUARTER
A minute into the 2nd quarter at Memphis' 40 yard line.. Moore dropped back and looked deep for Robottom..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...ragon/CCG2.jpg
.. who made a great grab for a 40 yard touchdown. 14-7 TULANE. Too bad Memphis didn't care and Tyler Bass went 5-for-5 for 64 yards and a TD on their ensuing drive. 14-14. Then we got a first down and then didn't get another and punted for a touchback.
Then Bass hits Cam Baker..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...ragon/CCG3.jpg
.. can you say blown coverage? 80 yard TD. Damn. Speaking of kicking woes, Memphis misses the extra point. 20-14 MEMPHIS.
It's like Kevin Moore didn't even care. He hit Banks for 18, Harrison for 13. Barnett got 22 on the ground and then Moore goes for six again..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...ragon/CCG4.jpg
.. and D.J. Banks is there to get the 26 yard TD. 21-20 TULANE. Tulane's defense came alive and Bass threw a perfect pass to Cody Leford. Barnett got 20 (16 recieving), Moore hit Robottom for 8. Then with fifteen seconds left in the half..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...ragon/CCG5.jpg
.. he hits Banks in the corner of the endzone who drags a foot for six. 28-20 TULANE on the 27 yard TD.
3RD QUARTER
Memphis kicked a field goal. That's all I got. 28-23 Tulane.
4TH QUARTER
.. And so did we. Ubekista hits a 28 yarder. 31-23 Tulane. Memphis would start to drive but Devin Williams 2nd sack of the day pushed them back to a 3rd & 20 and Bass threw two incomplete passes. 4:42 to play.
With 3:09 to play, deRochemont punts for a touchback. Bass then hits Rucker twice for 41 total, Smith got six, Bass hit Foster for 11, then McKenzie for 4, then an offsides on Tulane, Smith got ten more, and then backup RB Ross rumbles it in for Memphis. 31-29. Two point conversion..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...ragon/CCG6.jpg
.. look who it is. 31-31. 1:42 to play.
And this is where legends can be made. Sullen returns the kick to our 34. Barnett got 11, then 10, then 1, then Richardson got 11, then Barnett got three, Richardson got seven more and keeping the ball on the ground, we got to Memphis's 23-yard line. Timeout. :04 to play. Ubekista comes on. This can be a chip shot for him. All he has to do is get this and we win it. Memphis calls not one, not two but all three of their timeouts. A true freshman kicker. From fourty yards.. for the ballgame.
The snap was good. And the hold was good. And the blocking, well, it was good. The kick was a great one. It had the distance. It looked good! Ubekista was going to win it!! Tulane was ready to run and celebrate.
And then it hooked right.
No good.
Overtime. Here we go.
OVERTIME
Memphis loss the toss and we went on defense. I think they watched the Southern Miss game. Memphis ball..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...ragon/CCG7.jpg
.. and that's what you call a 25 yard TD. That's Baker's 4th catch in the endzone and third for six. 38-31 MEMPHIS. Well, it was the second play this time, actually.
No problem for Tulane. Moore hit Robottom for 15, Barnett got 5, Richardson got two..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...ragon/CCG8.jpg
.. and then three more on the next play for six. Ubekista hits the XP. 38-38.
2OT
It's like one wasn't enough. Moore went back to pass and hit Donny Richardson who was at the fifteen, ten, five.... taken down at the one yard line. That was easy. Barnett punches it in for six. 45-38 Tulane.
Now it's Tyler Bass and Memphis' turn. Bass would throw.. and it's incomplete. Flag. Pass interference. Defense. 1st and Goal. Incomplete pass. Four yard loss. 3rd and goal. Devin Williams wants to end this. He sacks Bass before he can find anyone. His fourth of the day. Yes, his fourth sack of the day. Fourth and game and 18 yards to go. Tulane once again kneeled on the sideline and hoped and prayed that this time they can run and celebrate.
Bass had plenty of time.. and he had a man open. He threw it to #9, WR Jermaine McKenzie. He was on a WR screen. He had speed and he had room. And he got to the ten. Wacha for the game winning tackle. Missed. To the seven. To the six. To the five... inside the five...
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...ragon/CCG9.jpg
... TACKLED BY DAVID PHILLIPS AT THE TWO!! LET'S PARTY TULANE!!! 45-38 in double overtime, the Green Wave hold on and beat the fiesty Tigers from Memphis!
FINAL SCORE: #21 TULANE 45-38 2OT
Oh my god.
Kevin Moore: 199 QB Rating, 22/29 passing, 328 yards, 3 TD, INT
Stephen Barnett: 27 carries, 100 yards, 2 TD
Donny Richardson: 11 carries, 70 yards, TD, 24 rec yards
Casey Robottom: 8 catches, 127 yards, TD
D.J. Banks: 4 catches, 81 yards, 2 TD
George Harrison: 3 catches, 39 yards
Lawrence Abrams: 5 pancakes (r-FR)
Darryl Farley: 8 tackles
Devin Williams: 8 tackles, 5 TFL, 4 SACKS
Gregory Hallinsworth: 7 tackles
Kristifer Rhymes: 6 tackles, TFL
Samuel Brooks: 6 tackles
Cody Leford: 4 tackles, 2 TFL, INT
Oscar P.D.L: Sack
Memphis: Bass 22/32-359-4 TD-INT / Baker 3-128-3 TD, 2pt catch / Darius Davis 14 tackles, INT
>> UP NEXT: Conference Championship, Heisman, Awards Wrap-Up .. bowl games etc. <<
-
PRE-BOWLS WRAP-UP
MAC Championship: Akron (8-4) vs Western Michigan (formerly ranked, 9-3)
>> WMU held a 15-7 lead on the Zips thanks to two Amheim TD passes, until Akron's QB Wackerly went off on the Broncos and threw 6 TD's as he led the Zips to a 43-33 win over Western Michigan. Even wackier is that WR Brown caught 19 passes, for 220 yards and 4 TD's. That's pretty good if I do say so myself.
ACC Championship: #24 USF (9-3, 5-3) vs #15 Virginia Tech (10-2)
>> USF is already in the ACC's title game in just their second year. Virginia Tech took care of business with QB Clayton as he threw 3 first half TD's to give the Hokies a 21-0 halftime lead. The Bulls fought back with a safety in the 3rd (21-2), and then two TD passes for Landi to Mitchell which got the bulls only down 21-15 in the mid-4th. But the VT defense held and kept the 21-15 mid-4th score and made it the final score.
SEC Championship: #14 Florida vs #6 Alabama
>> John Brantley led the Gators to a 14-3 halftime lead in this SEC defensive fest, both to Debose, as the Gators held Alabama to 198 total yards. Florida won it 14-9 thanks to holding Greg McElroy to a 8-for-31 passing day, which isn't what you'd call good.
BIG XII Championship (AKA this season's national title as the winner will play TCU and probably win): #2 Nebraska (12-0) vs #1 Oklahoma (12-0)
>> Nebraska came out fired up with a 17-0 run to start the game with two LaTravis Washington TD passes as he looked to hoist the Heisman. However, Sam Bradford led Oklahoma on a charge with a TD pass and a Mossis Madu TD run along with a 23 yard field goal tied the game. Nebraska's Henery hit a 30 yard field goal to make it 20-17 in the 4th, and then Oklahoma would need to stop Nebraska once they got the ball back late in the fourth up 3. They couldn't. Roy Helu broke a 80 yard TD run with 2:22 left as Nebraska would win it 27-17 and will probably play TCU in the National Title. Congrats on 14-0, Nebraska.
Despite losing conference title, Sam Bradford becomes second two-time Heisman winner
2008: Heisman
2009: Injury.
2010: Heisman
2009 was not a good year for Bradford but the years around his injury last year are two Heisman trophies, joining Archie Griffin of Ohio State as the NCAA's only two time heisman winners. Bradford beat out LaTravis Washington of Nebraska, Scotty McKnight of Colorado, Roy Helu of Nebraska and his own Ryan Broyles in the all-Big XII Heisman ceremony. Bradford had 336 1st place votes and 1627 total, as Washington had 1297. Bradford's season stats: 312/470, 4153 yards, 395 rush yards, 40 Total TD's
Tulane headed for Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2nd against 7-5 Arkansas
Arkansas (7-5, all losses to bowl teams) will take on C-USA champion #22 Tulane (11-2) in the Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2nd at 4:30pm on ESPN. The Razorbacks lost to 5 bowl teams and beat LSU while Tulane lost to LSU and Rutgers in their first two games of the year. Arkansas averages 25.2 points a game, and has the nation's 44th best defense via total yards.
#2 TCU (12-0) and #1 Nebraska (13-0) to meet for national title
Other BCS Bowls
Rose: #6 Iowa vs. #13 Oregon State
Sugar: #8 Florida vs. #5 West Virginia
Orange: #15 Virginia Tech vs. #4 Oklahoma
Fiesta: #3 Boise State vs. #7 Ohio State
Boudreaux, Sullen make Freshman AA team
CB Sammy Boudreaux made the Freshman All-American team at the DB position along with CB Jimmy George out of UTEP. Jordan Sullen as Tulane's kick returner.. despite only playing returner for a few games.
All C-USA honors
1st team: Stephen Barnett, Harris Howard, Andrew Neirman, Devin Williams, Tony Bryant
2nd team: George Harrison, Darryl Farley
UP NEXT: Liberty Bowl Preview
-
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44...A/arkansas.pnghttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44...ls/liberty.png
LIBERTY BOWL PREVIEW
- Arkansas: 7-5 record (4-4 SEC, t-5th)
- Key Wins: LSU (31-12)
- Key Losses: at Texas A&M (24-42), at #12 Alabama (28-35), at Georgia (28-35)
- Season overlook: After a rough start at aTm and an OT win over 2-10 Purdue, the Razorbacks looked like crap. They fell to 2-4 but rebounded with a 5-1 record to close the season but almost lost to 2-win San Diego State at home (only won by 5). The Razorbacks did not have to play Florida, another reason they managed to make a winning record.
TEAM PREVIEW
Arkansas should have a great offense. The key word is SHOULD. Instead, they have the #23 ranked defense and the #57 ranked offense. You'd think those would be the other way around. The good thing is.. Tulane is pretty crappy at pass defense and is #2 at rush defense. However, Tulane can basically outscore you. But so should Arkansas.
Ryan Mallett is the QB for Arkansas, the former transfer from Michigan. Mallett has thrown for 23 TD's and 12 INT's this year. His completion rating is 46 percent and normally throws about 38 passes a game.
Arkansas also has a good rushing game. Broderick Green ran for 1115 yards and 5 TD's this year, at 4.3 yards a carry and 93 yards a game. However, he's broken one run of more than 20 yards, and that was an 87 yard TD.
Jarius Wright is Mallett's main target. He has 1078 recieving yards and 13 TD's. 514 of his yards are YAC and gains 13.3 yards a catch. If it's not Wright, it's Carlton Salters who has 52 catches, 585 yards and 8 TD's this year. If it's not him, it might be Arkansas' top rated player D.J. Williams, a TE, who has 48 grabs for 637 yards and 3 TDs. He's not your normal TE. He has 86 SPD, 91 AWR, 87 CTH, and 86 BTK. Those are Mallett's main targets but a dumpoff to Green or backup RB Dennis Johnson isn't unlikely.
DeMarcus Love is the workhouse of Arkansas' O-Line at 97 OVR, he's all around o-lineman greatness with 36 pancakes this year. Arkansas' o-line has a sack problem up the middle (center and guards have allowed 22 sacks this year).
The leader of the Razorbacks defense is linebacker Jerry Franklin who has 77 tackles (20 for loss), 7 sacks, a pick, 8 deflections, a FF and 2 FR's along with one TD. He is everywhere on the field. Jelani Smith, another linebacker has 58 tackles, 14 TFL, 4 sacks and 3 INTs. Their defense is a sack-happy group, with 37 sacks on the year.
Alex Tejada is Arkansas' kicker who is 19/26 on FG's this year, but has not kicked one from 49+. He's 5-for-7 from 40-49. Tejada also punts for the Razorbacks and averages 40.7 yards a boot. He also has 13 touchbacks on 64 kickoffs this year. Jarius Wright returns kicks and punts for Arkansas and has not found the endzone this year. His long on either kick or punt returns is 40 yards.
____________________
THE LINE: Tulane by 3
The game could go many ways.. Tulane could dominate, Arkansas could dominate or it can be a close game going either way. However, the chances are this one's going to have some points.. my points forecast is: 77 total points.
Kirk and Lee from College GameDay believe Tulane will win.
UP NEXT: The Liberty Bowl <<
-
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...ANNERnew-1.png
Liberty Bowl: Arkansas (7-5, 4-4 SEC) vs #22 Tulane (11-2, 9-0 C-USA, Champions)
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE -- Tulane can get win number 12 today, and that'd be the first time in twelve years. Yada yada yada. Tulane's last two games have been settled in more than one overtime, including hometown to Memphis, Memphis, obviously in the C-USA title game. This is Kevin Moore's time to shine, along with Casey Robottom. These guys have to shine if they want to play on sundays next year and beyond. Can they? I hope they can. A national stage against a pretty dangerous SEC team. Time to put up or shut up.
1ST QUARTER
Arkansas won the toss and took the ball. Mallett and company went to work. Mallett went perfect on the team's opening drive up to the 3 yard line of Tulane.. Mallett stepped back, Tulane with heavy pressure, Mallett fires a nice one..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...nDragon/L1.jpg
.. but JJ Black intercepts the ball as Jarius Wright misruns his route into the corner of the endzone, the freshman has some speed though...
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...nDragon/L2.jpg
.. and he will take it 101 yards for the touchdown. 7-0 TULANE.
Mallett and Arkansas went back to work on a 3rd & 5 he throws a 34 yard pass, then they'd battle into a 1st and goal situation but three handoffs to Broderick Green could not reach the goal line. Tejada's 21 yard field goal is good. 7-3 TULANE. More than half of the 1st is gone, Tulane leads by 44 and they have 0 total yards.
A great return by Van Hooser gets Tulane to it's own 40. Moore went to work.. a 13 yard pass to Barnett, Barnett then runs for 7, two pass plays for less than two yards and deRochement is called on to.. kick the field goal? Yes, we'd go for the 57 yard field goal. deRochement hits this one long enough for 63 or 64 but it bounces off the right upright. Ugh. Arkansas at our 40.
2ND QUARTER
It then became the Broderick Green show and a minute and a half into the 2nd he finds the endzone..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...nDragon/L3.jpg
4 yards out. 10-7 Arkansas. Tulane goes three and out. So does Arkansas. Moore would then hit Duplessis for 13, Harrsion for 17, but the next three plays go for a loss of 3 yards. Punt. The punt goes to Arkansas' 4 yard line. Green loses one, gains two. Green then gets 11 for the first down. Mallett then fires a 12 yard pass, and then a 42 yard pass thanks to blown coverage. Uh oh. Three plays later, Mallett hits Jarius Wright for a 9 yard TD. This time, he makes the right route. Arkansas, however, misses the XP. 16-7 Arkansas.
First play out for Tulane.. 23 yard run by Barnett. 4 more on the next 1st down. Two incomplete passes. Fourth and six. 12 yards to Robottom. Another incompletion. Loss of two. Moore to Barnett for six. Fourth and six again. We'll go for it. Robottom makes the 11 yard first down grab. Twenty seconds to go. Moore goes for the home run..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...nDragon/L4.jpg
.. and D.J. Banks grabs the 19 yard TD pass with :14 to go! 16-14 Arkansas with the XP. Halftime.
3RD QUARTER
Sullen with a good return, Tulane's offense is not there, deRochement hits an ugly punt. Childs gets 20 for the Razorbacks, Mallett and Green get the Razorbacks inside our ten for first and goal. Incomplete pass. Dropped TD. Loss of one. Field goal from 23 yards...
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...nDragon/L5.jpg
no good! Tejada misses it.
Barnett gets 16, Moore to Robottom for 10, incomplete pass, loss of two, 7 yard gain. Punt. Barnett goes down. He will NOT return.
Arkansas would chew their way down the field and this time Tejada makes a 41 yard field goal. 19-14 Arkansas. 1:55 to play.
Kevin Moore and McDonald run the option and McDonald misreads the pitch..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...nDragon/L6.jpg
.. and the Razorback defender reads the pitch and picks it off. Two plays later.. Mallett to Jarius Wright TD. 26-14 Arkansas.
We'd get our running game going, we got 18 yards on four runs. Moore hits Harrison for 17, then a deep ball to Robottom.. got him. 31 yards.
4TH QUARTER
10 yards to go. McDonald gets two. Second and goal..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...nDragon/L7.jpg
.. and it's an easy TD catch for the senior Alan Mitchell.. an 8 yard catch and run. 26-21 Arkansas. We're not done yet...
... unless Mallett has something to say, and he does. 3 passes, 46 yards. Damn. They get to our twelve yard line like it's nothing. 3 plays, 8 yards. Arkansas should try the field goal here and go up by eight.. and they won't. 4th and 2. Mallett will throw it..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...nDragon/L8.jpg
.. and he puts way too much into this one. Incomplete. Turnover on downs and Tulane is 96 yards away. McDonald gets 11. Then a dump pass to McDonald for 5. McDonald gets 8. Robottom catches one for two. McDonald for seven, Duplessis pounds it for three. Robottom gets the 18 yard catch. McDonald for 6 more, Moore hits Sanders for ten.. hall of fame drive, here.. then to Banks for 2. Then a facemask on Arkansas to put us at the 12. Duplessis grabs one for seven. Then four more on the ground to the one.. and then from the one..
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...nDragon/L9.jpg
.. and Antoine Duplessis scores. Easy TD. Tulane leads it!! 27-26 Tulane! We'd go for two.. the pass is complete to Robottom to the one yard line. Darn. 1:32 to play.
Jarius Wright gets a 39 yard return on an awful kick and it's into Tulane territory. Arkansas pounds the rock, and is stopped and kicks a 30 yard field goal with :47 left. 29-27 Arkansas. Tulane with one timeout and :47 seconds.
Tulane returns it to the 41. Incomplete pass. Moore to Banks for 19. Timeout. :24. Incomplete pass. To Robottom to the middle of the field for 7. No timeouts, tick tock tick tock.. Spiked with :03 left. deRochement will kick this 52 yard field goal. For the game. Ubekista won't kick it, he doesn't have the leg and our 50+ kicker does. Here we go.. for the win.
The snap was good.
The hold was good.
The blocking was good.
The kick was up, it had the distance from 60-ish again.
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...Dragon/L10.jpg
... but the kick was not good. WIDE RIGHT. Arkansas wins. The winning streak is over. Fiddlesticks.
Can't blame this loss on deRochement. Arkansas is a great team and better than Tulane. Couldn't get the victory and we drop to 0-2 in bowls.
FINAL SCORE: Arkansas 29-27
SENIORS in bold
Kevin Moore: 133.1 QB rating, 24/38 pass, 238 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
J.T. McDonald: 10 rush, 45 yards, 5 rec yards / Barnett: 9 rush, 49 yards (inj.), 26 rec yards / Duplessis: 13 yards rushing, TD, 20 rec yards
Casey Robottom: 8 catches, 86 yards / Alan Mitchell: 3 rec, 17 yards, TD
D.J. Banks: 3 rec, 40 yards / George Harrison: 3 rec, 34 yards
(Remember: Jarmon Forston will be elligible next year as a r-JR.. that's a name we haven't talked about)
Darryl Farley: 12 tackles
Samuel Brooks: 10 tackles
Cody Leford: 8 tackles (TFL)
Alex Wacha: 7 tackles (Kristifer Rhymes also with 7 tackles)
Dezmen Moses: 6 tackles
Gregory Hallinsworth: 6 tackles
Tony Bryant: 5 tackles (TFL), Sack
JJ Black: 4 tackles, INT, Def TD
Sammy Boudreaux: 2 tackles
Darren deRochment: 0-2 FG (52, 57), 4 punts, 152 yards, 2 inside 20
ARK: Mallett 27/34, 368 yards, 2 TD, INT / Jarius Wright 7-73-2 TD
UP NEXT: The Season Wrap-Up.. who wins the BCS bowls and the BCS Championship?
-
(I had originally typed up a full bowl report and Firefox crashed (damnit!)
NOTABLE & BCS BOWL RESULTS
New Orleans Bowl: UCF 45, Troy 14
Hawai'i Bowl: #20 Houston 31, Hawai'i 21
Liberty Bowl: Arkansas 29, #22 Tulane 27
Texas Bowl: Kansas 44, Marshall 24
GMAC Bowl: CMU 30, Memphis 27
Rose Bowl: #7 Iowa 31, #12 Oregon State 24 [Ricky Stanzi 3yd TD run with 1:11 left]
Sugar Bowl Yawn-Fest 2011: #11 Florida 6, #5 West Virginia 2 [311 combined yards, 8 combined points]
FedEx Orange Bowl: #4 Oklahoma 24, #15 Virginia Tech 17 [Sam Bradford 9yd TD pass with :38 left]
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: #3 Boise State 34, #6 Ohio State 33 [Boise State miracle in the Desert, pt. 2: After falling behind 33-19, Kellen Moore throws an early 4th Q. TD pass to Potter (58 yards), and then with :10 left he throws a 53 yard TD pass to Potter, the Broncos only need one to tie or two to win it, they go for it all and Moore runs for two and the Broncos flex their muscle again.]
BCS NATIONAL TITLE: #2 TCU completes perfect season, rallies to beat #1 Nebraska 34-30.. TCU trailed 23-7 at the half, got the ball first in the second and used two 3rd qtr. TD passes to cut the lead to 23-21, Nebraska takes a 30-21 lead, Dalton runs for a 6 yard TD, then throws a 40 yard TD pass with 1:52 to play as the Horned Frogs STUN Nebraska 34-30, many people did not believe that TCU should have been here and they proved that the BCS busters reigned in 2010. Andy Dalton goes an impressive 29/41 for 405 yards, 4 TD's, 0 INT's and a rushing TD. What a year for TCU.
Draggo says 'no' to Michigan, signs 5-year extension with Tulane
FINAL TOP 25: Rise of the non-BCS schools
1. TCU(61) (13-0)
2. Boise State (13-0)
3. Nebraska
4. Oklahoma
5. Iowa
6. Florida
7. West Virginia
8. Alabama
9. Ohio State
10. Notre Dame
11. Wisconsin
12. Georgia Tech
13. Oregon State
14. Utah
15. Houston
16. North Carolina
17. Virginia Tech
18. Texas
19. Washington (beat #9 Utah)
20. Colorado
21. Texas A&M
22. Florida State
23. Rutgers
24. LSU
25. USC
27. TULANE (12-2)
UP NEXT: A look at the final stats, goodbye to seniors, the start of the off-season yada yada yada
