Oct. 20, 2007

Recap |  Final Stats

Tulane 41, SMU 34 (Overtime)
Tulane Game 7
Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Dallas, Texas

• Today's game marked the 16th all-time meeting between the two teams. With today's 41-34 overtime win, the Green Wave improve to 11-5 in the all-time series, including a 5-2 mark in Dallas.

• Saturday's win snaps a seven-game road losing streak. In addition, the victory snapped an eight-game C-USA road losing streak. Tulane's last road victory came back on Sept. 16, 2006, when the Green Wave defeated Mississippi State, 32-29, in Starkville, Miss. Ironically enough, the Green Wave's last road win in C-USA play came back on Sept. 24, 2005, when Tulane downed SMU 31-10 at Ford Stadium.

• Matt Forté ran for a Tulane and Conference USA-record 342 yards and four touchdowns on 39 carries Saturday against SMU, marking the second time this season that Forté set the school and league rushing mark. Forté initially set the record with 303 yards on 40 carries against Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 22, 2007 in the Louisiana Superdome.

• Senior running back Matt Forté posted his third consecutive 200-plus yard rushing game and fourth of the season. Prior to the 2007 season, only two players - Mewelde Moore and Eddie Price - had rushed for 200-plus yards more than once in their careers with both accomplishing the feat twice. Forté now has five 200-plus yard rushing games with four this year and a 216-yard effort against Army in 2002.

• Tonight's game marked Forté's fourth 100-yard effort of the season, and the 11th of his career. Forté's 11 100-yard rushing games still ranks third in Tulane history; two behind second placed Eddie Price (13 from 1946-49) and 11 behind record-holder Mewelde Moore (22 from 2000-03).

• With 342 yards against SMU, Forté now has 1,261 yards on the season to become just the third player in Tulane history to eclipse the 1,000-yard barrier. Forté joins Eddie Price and Mewelde Moore as the only three Green Wave players to compile 1,000 yards rushing in a single season.

• Forté now ranks second in Tulane single-season history with 1,261 yards. He surpassed Eddie Price's 1,137 yards in 1949, Mewelde Moore's 1,138 yards in 2002 and Price's 1,178 yards in 1948. Forté now trails Moore's single-season mark of 1,421 (in 2001) by just 159 yards with five games left to play in 2007. At his current pace (180.28 yards/game), Forté would finish the year 2,163 yards and that would surpass Moore's single-season record by 741 yards.

• With 342 all-purpose yards against the Mustangs (all rushing) Matt Forté now has 1,454 on the year and 4,295 for his career (3,399 rushing, 885 receiving, 11 returning). He moved into second place in Tulane history in career rushing yards, surpassing second-placed Eddie Price (3,095 from 1946-49) and third place on the career all-purpose yardage listing. Forté surpassed Jeff Liggon (4,110 from 1993-96) on the day and trails Michael Pierce (4,627 from 1987-89) by just 332 yards. Mewelde Moore holds the Tulane career all-purpose yards record with 6,505 from 2000-03.

• After not recording a sack in last week's 26-21 loss at UAB, the Tulane defense had four sacks against SMU, including a sack and forced fumble by junior defensive end Reggie Scott in overtime which sealed the Tulane win. The Green Wave defense now has 23 sacks on the season, which is the most by a Tulane team since the 2004 team had 27.

• Forté's four rushing touchdowns vs. SMU gives him 32 career touchdowns, which moves him into sole possession of fourth place in the Tulane career record book. His 29 career rushing touchdowns ranks third in Tulane history, breaking a tie with Jamaican Dartez (25 from 1995-98). He is now just one behind second-placed Eddie Price (30 from 1946-49) and two behind record-holder Bill Banker (31 from 1927-29).

• Forté now has 13 rushing touchdowns in 2007, which is a Tulane single season record. He moved past Jamaican Dartez 1995, Ronny Quillian 1955, Eddie Price 1948, who each had 10 rushing touchdowns in their respective seasons, and Price's former school-record set 11 in 1949.

• Matt Forté's 157 yards on 11 first-half carries, tonight marks the third time the senior from Slidell, La., surpassed the century mark in the first 30 minutes of the ballgame. Forté had 130 on 15 carries on Sept. 22 vs. Southeastern Louisiana and had 112 yards on 21 carries last week at UAB.

• Matt Forté's 77-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was not only the longest of his career, but also made him just the third running back in Tulane history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark. His previous career long was 64 against Rice on Oct. 7, 2006.

• Junior cornerback Josh Lumar's interception of a Justin Willis pass with 6:21 left to play in the first half was the first of his career. It was the Green Wave's fifth interception of the season and the first since David Skehan picked off a pass against No. 2 LSU on Sept. 29 in the Louisiana Superdome.

• Tyler Helm's six-yard reception of a Kevin Moore pass with two minutes left in the first half was the first of his career. With the grab, 13 student-athletes have now hauled in at least one pass for the Green Wave so far in 2007.

• Freshman Darren deRochemont made his collegiate debut punting on Saturday, averaging 40.2 yards on four boots against SMU. deRochemont had previously served as the Green Wave's kickoff specialist, but handled only punting duties on Saturday.

• Freshman fullback Cody Blackwelder got his first touch of his career, carrying the ball for eight yards in the opening drive of the third quarter. Blackwelder had previously played on special teams, but Saturday's start marked his debut on offense.

• Sophomore Ross Thevenot's 47-yard field goal with 10:02 left to play in the third quarter was the longest of his career. His previous long was set earlier this season when Thevenot nailed a 46-yarder at Army on Oct. 6, 2007.

• Michael Batiste's 38-yard reception from Anthony Scelfo in the third quarter was the longest of his career.

• Junior defensive lineman Antonio Harris started his 41st consecutive game, the longest such streak on the Green Wave team and longest in the nation among NCAA Division I-Bowl Subdivision defensive linemen.

• A trio of Tulane players started their first career games on Saturday as sophomore Tyler Rice lined up at right tackle, while true freshmen Cody Blackwelder and Phillip Davis started at fullback and cornerback, respectively. In addition, sophomore wide receiver Chris Dunn started his first game of the 2007 season, replacing Brian King (turf foe).

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