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Oct. 31, 2007

By Eddie Timanus
USA TODAY

Link To USA Today website

Forte (FOR-tay): Adj. Loud -- used as a direction in music.

K, so Matt Forté's soft-spoken manner and humble nature don't jibe with that definition of his surname. But the Tulane tailback's performance on the field is certainly making noise.

Forté, a 6-2, 223-pounder from nearby Slidell, La., has gained more than 200 yards in each of his last four outings and five of the last six. He has rushed for more than 300 yards twice this season, including a 342-yard outing Oct. 20 against Southern Methodist.

If he surpasses the double-century mark for a fifth consecutive time Saturday in the Green Wave's home contest against Tulsa, he'll become only the fourth player in major-college history to accomplish the feat. The others are Jamario Thomas of North Texas (2004) and a couple of Heisman Trophy winners, Marcus Allen of Southern California (1981) and Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State (1988).

Forté's recent surge has him on top of the I-A (Bowl Subdivision) rushing list with an average of 192.38 yards a game, more than 40 yards a game better than Central Florida's Kevin Smith.

Forté is also first in all-purpose yards with 218.38 and ranks fourth in the country in scoring average with 15 touchdowns in eight games. He broke current Minnesota Vikings player Mewelde Moore's school season record last week in his 278-yard outing against Memphis, giving him 1,539 for the year.

"I've been saying ever since the preseason, 'This kid is a great running back,' " first-year Green Wave head coach Bob Toledo says. "I don't tell everybody, 'You're great,' but I've been around awhile and I know what a great back is."

Indeed, Toledo was on the USC staff when Allen was there. He also had players with next-level talent under his tutelage while leading UCLA in the 1990s.

"If I was at UCLA and had Matt, he'd be a Heisman candidate," he says. "If he's not the best back in the country right now, I'd like to see who is. He definitely should be an All-American, and if he isn't, there's no point in having an All-America award."

Forté already had a solid résumé through three seasons with 2,138 career rushing yards. His junior campaign was cut short by a knee injury after nine games. He was limited in spring drills after surgery, but even then the incoming coach saw Forté's ability.

"I could tell just seeing him run through plays and just how hard he was working, even though we weren't going through scrimmages with full contact," Toledo says. "He's big, he's fast, he's quick, he can catch. He is the total package, and that includes great character and great morals."

Forté's accomplishments have provided a bright spot for a program and a city in need of good news. Little has gone well for Tulane, 2-6 this year, since Hurricane Katrina blew through New Orleans two years ago. The storm and subsequent flooding of the city when the levees failed left the Green Wave without a home field for the 2005 season. Tulane went 2-9 that year and 4-8 in 2006.

"This team has gone through about everything a team can go through," Forté says. "From being displaced to having a few tough seasons and losing some close games. To keep playing hard and trying to turn our season around shows our team is resilient."

Tulane's 2-6 record is somewhat deceptive; three of the losses were by five points or fewer. The Green Wave were within a point of LSU at halftime. But a couple of the losses were particularly excruciating. A touchdown pass by a backup quarterback with no time left in regulation led to an overtime loss at Army last month, and the clock ran out on a potential game-winning drive in Saturday's 28-27 heartbreaker against Memphis. (The school filed a formal complaint, later rejected, with Conference USA because officials didn't stop the clock on a sideline reception in the final 17 seconds.)

"It's bittersweet," Forté says. "It's good that we're running the ball really well, but we've got to turn that performance into wins. We know we should have won those games."

But he found words of encouragement for his coach after Saturday's loss. "Matt said to me after the game, 'I know you guys (coaches) are going to get it done here,' " Toledo says. "No question we'll miss him, though."

Forté will graduate with a degree in finance this year. He says he isn't ready to give stock tips, but Toledo says Forté will be making a lot of money himself in the NFL soon. "You might want to ask him for a loan," Toledo quips. "There's no question in my mind he'll be playing on Sundays. You can take that one to the bank."