GAMETIME PREVIEW: Tulane

Green Wave rolls into town before test at the Tide

Chad Jones wears his thoughts about the Tiger “D” under John Chavis. (Photo by Gail Chisum)

By BEN LOVE
Tiger Rag Acting Editor

It’s difficult to title a series a “rivalry” when one team’s batting close to .756 against the other.

Yet, that’s exactly what LSU and Tulane have been historically, despite the former’s 68-22-7 stranglehold on the overall record. The two Southern Louisiana universities first faced off on the gridiron in 1893, making Tulane the Tigers’ oldest rival.

In the early going, the New Orleans gang held its own, trailing the Ole War Skule by a slim margin, 23-18-5, through 1949. Then, Tulane left the SEC (formerly the Southern Conference), opting instead to produce top-flight doctors and lawyers in lieu of professional football players.

The result has been many lopsided affairs in subsequent meetings of the “Battle for the Rag.” The Bayou Bengals have maintained almost exclusive possession of the “Tiger Rag,” LSU’s name for the satin flag awarded the game’s winner. Ironically, Tulane refers to the contest’s prize as the “Victory Flag,” a misnomer considering the Green Wave has dropped 17 consecutive decisions in the series.

This season, the olive and blue come calling on the Tigers a week before Les Miles’ men take an all-important trip to Tuscaloosa. In looking to pull a colossal upset, Tulane (2-5 overall, 0-4 in Conference USA play) will need to slam the breaks on a three-game skid while hoping and praying for an LSU sleepwalk.

The Green Wave began its 2009 campaign with three straight visitors to the Dome, and the team was much kinder to its incoming opponents than the co-tenant Saints have been to date. In the season opener, Tulane couldn’t keep up with Tulsa quarterback G.J. Kinne, who led the Golden Hurricane to a 37-13 romp. Matters only got worse the following week, when a top-10 BYU team throttled Bob Toledo’s men 54-3. After a much-needed bye week, Tulane saved face by beating in-state opponent McNeese St., 42-32.

Traveling next to take on Army, the Wave accomplished something even Vanderbilt couldn’t - beating the service academy 17-16. Since that point, it’s been three trips to the “L” column for Tulane, falling to Marshall, Houston and Southern Miss … and losing all three by at least 21 points.

Offensively, the Green Wave takes its cues from two players ranked in the nation’s top 30 in their respective categories. Senior running back Andre Anderson, who didn’t play in last year’s LSU matchup, enters Death Valley boasting 646 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. His aerial counterpart, wide receiver Jeremy Williams, ranks 18th in the NCAA with 662 yards receiving and three scores.

Then, there’s the critical question of who’s getting these guys the ball? Prior to the Southern Miss game last Saturday, Toledo benched regular signal-caller Joe Kemp (he of the 4:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio) in favor of first-time starter Ryan Griffin. Never quite able to get his footing, Griffin stumbled through the game in Hattiesburg, fumbling the ball twice and taking six sacks during a 43-6 drumming.

Overmatched on the offensive line and turnover-happy at quarterback, this version of the Tulane “O” brings up the rear nationwide in a host of offensive categories. Tied for 95th in total offense, Tulane - and its 327.4 yards/game - actually bests LSU in this category as the Tigers have posted an average of 306.6 yards. Unlike the purple and gold, however, the Wave gives the ball away far more than it takes possession. On the season, Tulane grades out last in Conference USA and 114th in the nation in turnover margin (-1.43).

On defense, Tulane’s problems can be summed up in a number of ways. Here’s the best: The Green Wave’s top two tacklers are both defensive backs. It’s rarely a formula for success if members of a team’s back four make a high number of stops (case in point: LSU’s poor 2008 defense was led in tackles by safety Harry Coleman). The unit is deplorable against the run, giving up a shade under 196 yards an outing, and is also among the country’s bottom four teams in pass efficiency defense.

Among the key contributors defensively are safety Chinonso Echebelem - leading the team with 70 stops - and senior defensive lineman Reggie Scott, who’s racked up 4.5 tackles for loss in 2009. The group is yet to recover a fumble and currently has three interceptions on the season.

Senior punter Ross Thevenot, among the NCAA’s best last year with a 45.8 yard per punt average, has backslid during this campaign, booting 22 balls for 861 yards (39.1 yard average). He also retained place-kicking duties, and Thevenot’s excelled in that department, making 8 of 11 field goals with a long of 43 yards.

The Tulane return game is virtually non-existent on punts, but does put some bite behind its bark when bringing back kick-offs. Four players - Stephen Barnett, D.J. Banks, Payten Jason and Jeremy Williams - all have more than 155 yards in returns. Barnett is the leader of the pack, accumulating 259 yards on 13 run-backs.