NCAA Football Preview - Tulane Green Wave
Sports Network | August 13, 2008
Toledo certainly has this program moving in the right direction and he expects this his team to build off last year's improvement despite a tough schedule.
"Last year, we were picked to not win a football game and we won four, and lost three by a total of nine points. This league has a very difficult non- conference schedule in that we play a lot of Southeastern Conference and Big 12 Conference type teams. On the other hand, we play a very demanding conference schedule and I believe any team can beat anybody in this league on any given day."
OFFENSE: The Green Wave relied heavily on tailback Matt Forte, who rushed for over 2,000 yards, last season and replacing him will be no easy feat. Tulane however, is confident that junior Andre Anderson has what it takes to fill the void left by Forte. The 6-0, 210-pound Anderson has only 32 career carries to his credit, but he has been impressive in practice and is expected to be the workhorse in 2008.
A solid ground game is something Tulane will desperately need, as there seems to be some uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position. Sophomore Kevin Moore appears to be the favorite to open the season as the starter and he has the coaching staff excited. The 6-5, 213-pound Moore has a canon for an arm and he got some valuable experience last season, completing 30-of-54 tosses for 432 yards and a pair of scores. Redshirt freshman Joe Kemp impressed during the spring and he could wind up with the starting job along with junior Anthony Scelfo, who took most of the snaps last season.
Whomever is under center will surely benefit from a wide receiver corps that returns four of its top five pass catchers. Junior Jeremy Williams highlights the group, as he broke through to lead Tulane with 46 catches, 773 yards and five touchdowns last season.
Up front, the Green Wave should also be solid with the return of four starters on an offensive line that helped Forte finish second nationally in rushing. Senior guard Michael Parenton is the most consistent of the team's blockers and he should contend for all-league honors.
DEFENSE: On the defensive side of the ball, Tulane returns seven starters and that should help new coordinator O'Neill Gilbert improve this unit. Getting pressure in the backfield should be a strength of this defense with the return of senior Reggie Scott and junior Adam Kwentua. The 6-4, 258-pound Scott was finally healthy for a full season and he showed a glimpse of his potential by recording 27 tackles, nine TFLs and four sacks. As for the 6-3, 259-pound Kwentua, he made five TFLs and four sacks in his first season of extensive action and could be primed for a break through in 2008.
While the line should be solid, it is the linebacking corps that is the strength of the this unit. Seven letterwinners return at the linebacker position, including standout Evan Lee. The 6-1, 224-pound senior led Tulane with 99 tackles a season ago and he is explosive and a big hitter that makes everyone around him that much better.
In the secondary, Tulane returns a pair of starters from a unit that is looking to do better than the 288 passing ypg it surrendered in 2007. Senior corner Josh Lumar (73 tackles) is the leader of the secondary and he is a superb tackler despite being just 5-10, 176 pounds.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Junior Ross Thevenot knocked through 13-of-18 field goals last season and he returns to his position. Thevenot also did some punting last season, averaging 38.9 yards, but he is currently trailing sophomore Darren deRochemont for those duties. Last season, deRochemont averaged just 38.7 yards per put and he will need to improve on that number in order to keep Thevenot from handling both kicking chores.
OUTLOOK: The Green Wave should be a more balanced team this season, although it could struggle to improve on last year's four wins. There are question marks surrounding the quarterback position and the ground game, but the defense should be vastly improved. A tough schedule won't help any, but at least the program is headed in the right direction.
