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Oct. 8, 2007

NEW ORLEANS, La. - Senior running back Matt Forté, sophomore defensive end Adam Kwentua and sophomore defensive back Chinonso Echebelem were named the Tulane University football team's Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week, respectively, Tulane head coach Bob Toledo announced Monday.

The weekly honors are the fifth of the year for Tulane as the Green Wave dropped a heart-breaking 20-17 overtime decision at Army over the weekend in West Point, N.Y. Forté's selection was his second of the 2007 season and fourth of his career, while Kwentua and Echebelem earned the first weekly honors of their respective careers.

A native of Slidell, La., and 2004 graduate of Slidell High School, Forté ran for 202 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries while hauling in a team-leading five passes for 45 yards Saturday at Army. His rushing total was the second 200-plus yard effort of the season and the third of his career, which is a Tulane record.

He had 10 yards on five carries in the first quarter, 61 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in the second, 82 yards and a score on seven carries in the third, and 49 yards on eight carries in the fourth quarter. Forté averaged 6.3 yards per carry and had catches of four, six, eight, 13 and 14 yards.

Kwentua posted three tackles against the Black Knights on Saturday, including a career-best two sacks for 10 yards lost. Playing his first season as a collegiate defensive lineman after playing last year at linebacker, he helped lead a defensive effort that limited Army to just 240 yards (a Tulane opponent season-low), including just 47 yards on the ground.

A native of Baton Rouge, La., and 2006 graduate of University High, Kwentua helped the Green Wave post their third consecutive game with at least five sacks on Saturday. Tulane's 19 sacks in 2007 already ties the total of a year ago, leads Conference USA and ranks eighth in the NCAA.

Echebelem, meanwhile, claimed special teams honors after posting three tackles (one solo, two assists) last weekend and was a member of the kickoff, kickoff return, punt, punt return and field goal/PAT units. A native of Duncanville, Texas, and 2006 graduate of Duncanville High, Echebelem helped punter Ross Thevenot post a career-best 41.1 yard average, including two punts downed inside the 20-yard line and one fair catch.

Forté, Kwentua, Echebelem and the Green Wave return to action on Saturday, Oct. 13, when Tulane travels to Birmingham, Ala., to take on Conference USA foe UAB at 6 p.m. at Legion Field. The contest against the Blazers is the second of a three-game road swing for Tulane, which returns home on Oct. 27, for Homecoming 2007 against Memphis at 2 p.m. in the Louisiana Superdome.

Single-game tickets for the 2007 Green Wave season remain on sale through the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office. Tickets can be purchased in person, over the telephone at (504) 861-WAVE or via the internet at www.TulaneGreenWave.com.