Nov. 12, 2001
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TULANE AT SOUTHERN MISS
November 17, 2001
2:00 p.m. CST
Hattiesburg, Miss.
M.M. Roberts Stadium
FACTS ON THE WAVE
2001 Record: 3-8
2001 C-USA Record: 1-5
Head Coach: Chris Scelfo
Alma Mater/Year: NE Louisiana '85
Record at Tulane/Years: 13-21/3rd
Overall Record/Years: Same
Football SID: Donna Turner
SID Phone: 504-865-5506
SID Fax: 504-865-5512
SID e-mail: dturner1@tulane.edu
Website: www.TulaneGreenWave.com
FACTS ON THE EAGLES
2001 Record: 4-3
2001 C-USA Record: 2-2
Head Coach: Jeff Bower
Alma Mater/Year: Southern Miss '78
Record at USM/Years: 71-50-1/11th
Overall Record/Years: Same
Football SID: Mike Montoro
SID Phone: 601-266-4503
SID Fax: 601-266-4507
SID e-mail: michael.montoro@usm.edu
Website: www.SouthernMiss.com
THE SERIES
Overall: Southern Miss leads 16-6
In Hattiesburg: Southern Miss leads 8-3
As C-USA Members: Southern Miss leads 4-1
Last Meeting: Southern Miss 56, Tulane 24 (Oct. 14, 2000 in New
Orleans)
First Meeting: Tulane 20, Southern Miss 19 (Oct. 13, 1979 in
Hattiesburg)
Of Note: This year's game marks the 23rd consecutive season in which the
two teams have met, Tulane's longest current consecutive foe. Southern
Miss has won six of the last seven and 12 of the last 14 meetings, with
Tulane's last win coming in 1998 in the Superdome. The Green Wave's last
win in Hattiesburg was a 17-15 triumph in 1993.
TULANE HEAD COACH CHRIS SCELFO
In his third season as the Tulane head coach, Chris Scelfo, one of the
youngest head coaches in NCAA Division I-A, has a career record of
13-21. A 1985 graduate of Northeast Louisiana University (now
Louisiana-Monroe), Scelfo began his coaching career at his alma mater
and made coaching stops at Oklahoma (1986-87), Marshall (1990-95) and
Georgia (1996-98) before becoming Tulane's head coach. A native of New
Iberia, La., Scelfo moved past Mack Brown and Buddy Teevens in Tulane
victories with the win over TCU. He now ranks 13th all-time in coaching
wins at Tulane, tied with the 13 posted by Claude Simons Jr. in four
full seasons.
NOTING THE GREEN WAVE
Season Finale
Tulane concludes its 12-game 2001 campaign versus Conference USA foe
Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, completing a season-ending string during
which the Green Wave will have played four of its last five and five of
its last seven games on the road.
So Long Seniors
Tulane says goodbye to 15 seniors, including one specialist, six
defensive players and eight offensive players, 13 Louisianans and two
Floridians. Offensively, the Green Wave will lose six senior starters -
QB Patrick Ramsey, WR Terrell Harris and offensive linemen Chrys
Bullock, Charles Caldwell, Corey Sewell and Torie Taulli along with
second team running back Gee Reshard and injured WR Zander Robinson. The
senior specialist is punter Casey Roussel, while on defense, SS Meldon
Barnes, CB Jamal Jones, DE Glenn Lemoine, LBs David Dorsey and Preston
Curtis and CB Trey Godfrey make their final appearances in a Tulane
uniform.
A Season to Remember
Mewelde Moore established Tulane and Conference USA marks for single
season rushing yards with his sixth 100-yard game of the season, a
131-yard effort, last week at Navy. With 1,293 yards on the year, Moore
shattered the mark of 1,178 set 53 seasons ago by All-American Eddie
Price. Moore and Price are the only players in school history to rush
for over 1,000 yards in a single season. Moore also set a new C-USA mark
for single season rushing, breaking the record of 1,289 yards set by
Louisville's Frank Moreau in 1999. Earlier this year, the Baton Rouge
native set the Tulane records for rushing yards by a sophomore and
rushing attempts. He was the first player in the country to reach the
1,000-yard mark this season and his current total ranks second in the
nation. His 11 career 100-plus yard games (in 20 games) ranks second to
Price's 13.
Record-Breaking
Moore did a lot of rushing damage in successive weeks versus Southern
and Cincinnati with back-to-back 200-yard games, the first time that
feat has been accomplished in school history. At Cincinnati, Moore
broke the 31-year-old Tulane single game rushing record with 249 yards
on 28 carries, picking up C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors. He
also set the Conference USA and Tulane record for all-purpose yards in a
game with a total of 336 rushing (249) and receiving (87) yards. He
averaged 9.9 yards every time he touched the ball and a school record
8.9 yards per rush. The previous week, Moore gained 201 yards on 25
carries in the win over the Jaguars.
The Nation's Most Complete Back
While it's hard to overlook his rushing numbers, when combined with his
accomplishments as a receiver, it is obvious that Mewelde Moore is the
nation's most complete running back. The leading pass catcher on the
Green Wave team (62 catches), Moore became the FIRST player in school
history -- a span of over 1,000 games -- to earn over 100 yards
receiving and 100 yards rushing in the same game when he tallied 130
receiving and 131 rushing versus Navy. Moore also became the first
player in Tulane history to have 2,000 yards rushing (2,183) and 1,000
yards receiving (1,090) for his career. He has two 100-yard receiving
games this season, including a nine-catch, 168-yard day at Army that is
the highest yardage total by a Tulane player this year, ranked 13th in
school history and established a new record for receiving yards by a
running back. He has set new Tulane and C-USA single season and single
game records for all-purpose yards and ranks third in the nation in that
category.
Ramsey's TD Streak
Tulane QB Patrick Ramsey owns the nation's longest current streak of
consecutive games throwing a touchdown pass, as the senior has thrown at
least one touchdown pass in 31 straight games played, every game in
which he has started during his Green Wave career. The Ruston, La.
native has tossed at least two touchdown passes in eight of 10 games
played this season with 22 total.
All-Purpose II
As further proof of his all-around excellence, Mewelde Moore has now
recorded six of the top eight all-purpose games in Tulane history.
Marler a Groza Finalist
Named one of three finalists for the 2001 Lou Groza Award this week,
Tulane kicker Seth Marler had his string of 17 straight field goals
snapped last week at Navy when he missed a 28-yard attempt. Marler is
one of only two kickers in the country who has missed less than two
field goals with 14 or more kicked. The junior is within two
three-pointers of the Tulane career record for field goals with 46 and
is a perfect 39-of-39 on extra points, including two made from 35 yards
out. Marler continues to be perfect from 40 yards and out with three
50-yard kicks and four of more than 40, this season. He made a
career-long 53-yard field goal versus East Carolina which was the
second-longest in Tulane history.
Major Award
Even with all the records, Patrick Ramsey earned possibly the greatest
honor of his career when he was named one of eight Division I-A National
College Scholar-Athletes by the National Football Foundation and College
Football Hall of Fame. Ramsey, the first Tulane player to win the award
in its 42-year history, will win an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship and
will be honored at the Foundation's 44th Annual Awards Dinner at the
Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, Dec. 11, 2001. The award is based on
superior academic performance, outstanding football ability, strong
leadership and citizenship. A double major in accounting and finance,
Ramsey will graduate from Tulane in December with a gpa of over 3.4.
Number One
With a 10-yard touchdown pass to Roydell Williams in the third quarter,
Patrick Ramsey passed Shaun King for the Tulane record for passing
touchdowns with the 71st of his career. He added one more in the game
and enters his final collegiate game with 72 touchdown passes. Earlier
this season, Ramsey set the career records for passing yards, pass
completions and pass attempts and is now the only player in school
history to pass the 9,000-yard mark. He recorded the fourth 400-yard
passing game of his career versus Navy and is the only player in Tulane
history to reach that mark. He also has 12 games in which he passed for
300-399 yards and leads the Tulane career lists in most of the per game
averages. He owns the Top 6 single game completion marks and 11 of the
top 12 games in single game pass attempts. In all, he has broken 29
records during his stellar Tulane career.
League-Wide
Patrick Ramsey also ranks as one of the top passers in Conference USA
history. Ramsey ranks second on the C-USA charts in career passing
yards with 9,053 yards. His 779 completions are third, seven out of
second all-time, while he will finish third in passing attempts.
Ramsey's 72 career touchdown passes are second all-time in C-USA history
while he also ranks second in total offense.
Record Return
With Lynaris Elpheage's 48-yard interception return for a touchdown
versus Navy, the Green Wave defense has now returned three passes for
scores this season. That ties the school record for team interception
returns in a season, set by the 1955 and 1946 defenses. Tra Boger (25
yards versus TCU) and Jeff Sanchez (79 yards versus UAB) recorded the
other two interception return touchdowns this year.
Right Place, Right Time x 3
Tulane's Roxie Shelvin moved into the Conference USA lead for fumble
recoveries when he fell on a Navy fumble at the Tulane four-yard line to
prevent a critical touchdown chance. It marked the third straight game
that Shelvin has had a fumble recovery for the Green Wave, and the
junior's time has been limited during those games due to a sprained
ankle.
Mitchell's Tackle Totals Soar
Tulane free safety Adrian Mitchell is putting up tackle totals unseen at
Tulane in the last several seasons. With 17 tackles Saturday at Navy,
Mitchell has 128 on the season, the highest single season total for a
Green Wave defender since 1993, when Mike Staid finished the year with
133 total stops. If Mitchell hits his average of 11 tackles Saturday at
Southern Miss, he will finish with 139 tackles, which would be the most
at the school since Burnell Dent had 139 in 1984. The junior from
Alexandria has led Tulane in tackles in six games, has hit double
figures in eight games and has made 16, 12 and 17 tackles in the last
three weeks. Mitchell, who ranks fourth in Conference USA in tackles,
has 89 solo stops this year, the 10th-highest total in Tulane history
and the most by any player since 1983.
Laying it on the Line
Four senior starters on the Green Wave offensive line enter the final
game of their careers along with 11 senior classmates. The four --
tackles Corey Sewell and Chrys Bullock, guard Charles Caldwell and
center Torie Taulli -- have combined to make 118 career starts. Sewell
is the longevity leader of the group. The LaPlace, La., product will
line up for his school record 46th consecutive career start Saturday ,
having started every game of his Tulane career beginning in his rookie
season of 1998. Taulli has 32 career starts and has started every game
in the last three years except one. After missing the last two weeks
with a back injury, Caldwell has 25 career starts while left tackle
Chrys Bullock made his 16th start last week. The "youngsters" on the
2001 line are juniors Seth Zaunbrecher and Derick Bugg, and sophomore
Brendon Drysdale. Waiting in the wings are five freshmen who redshirted
this season.
On the Other Hand
On the opposite side of the line, Tulane is currently starting and
playing as many as four freshmen at one time as Wallace Mateen (DT),
Trawick Boger (SS) and Brandon Spincer (LB) have each started six games
this year while at defensive end, Jay Ashton and Brandon Rottmayer have
combined to start six games. Ashton has four-and-a-half sacks on the
season with seven tackles for loss and 32 tackles. He has forced a
team-leading four fumbles. Spincer leads the freshmen with 61 tackles
while BOger has added 56. Both have 38 solo stops on th year. Mateen's
28 tackles include three tackles for loss.
Streaking
Despite missing a game with an injury and seeing limited time in other
contests this year, Tulane receiver Terrell Harris extended his streak
of consecutive games played with a pass reception to 28 last week, tying
his season high with nine catches for 69 yards at Navy. Harris' streak
stretches back to the fourth game of the 1999 season at Syracuse.
Conference Calling
In five seasons, Tulane is 17-19 all-time in Conference USA play. After
adding a seventh conference game a year ago, the league will have an
eight-game schedule next season. In 1996, teams played five league
games, and the number stood at six from 1997-99. The league has
expanded to 10 teams with the addition of TCU in 2001. South Florida
will become C-USA's 11th football member in 2003.
"Fresh" Starters
Ten members of the 2001 signing class have started games for Tulane this
season. The 10 -- four on offense and six on defense -- have combined to
make 37 starts, including 26 on defense. DT Wallace Mateen has now
started each of the Wave's last five games and has six total starts as
do LB Brandon Spincer and SS Tra Boger. Receiver Carl Davis is next
with five starts while defensive ends Brandon Rottmayer and Jay Ashton
and tight end Bobby Hoover have started three games each. Tristan Smith
made his second start of the season last week at receiver and is tied
with nickel back Darren Sapp. Tight end Laine Sambrooks is the other
freshmen starter. The Green Wave started a total of six true freshmen on
offense and defense versus TCU and Navy while five freshmen made starts
in the UAB and Army games.
Open Date Slate
In a quirk of scheduling, seven of the Green Wave's 2001 opponents will
have or have had at least two weeks (or more) to prepare for the Wave,
including each of their last two foes. Three of Tulane's early
opponents did not play in the week prior to the TU game: BYU, the first
game for both teams, LSU, which played Tulane in its season opener, and
UCF, which had an open date due to the postponement of its Sept. 15
game. In addition, Cincinnati and TCU had the week prior to the Tulane
game off.
Looking Ahead
Tulane is scheduled to open 2002 spring drills March 2nd with 11
starters returning on defense but just three on offense. The spring game
will be held March 23rd.
ON THE AIR
Tulane-Southern Miss TV
There is no television broadcast of the Tulane-Southern Miss game.
Tulane ISP Radio Network
WTIX-FM (94.3) in New Orleans is the flagship station of Tulane's
12-station network. Jim Freeman, in his first season as the "Voice of
the Green Wave," provides play-by-play while Steve Barrios returns with
color commentary and Todd Graffagnini is the sideline reporter.
Market Station Frequency
Alexandria KDBS-AM 1410
*Amite WABL-AM 1570
*Baton Rouge WSKR-AM 1210
Bogalusa WBOX-FM 92.9
+Chattahoochee (FL) WTCL-AM 1580
*Lafayette KROF-AM 960
Lake Charles KEZM-AM 1310
*Morgan City KMRC-AM 1430
*New Orleans WTIX-FM 94.3
%New Orleans WTIX-AM 690
Shreveport KEEL-AM 710
^Thibodaux KTIB-AM 640
West Monroe KWJM-FM 92.7
*Also carries Coaches' Call-In Show
^Partial football schedule
%Simulcasts selected games
Coaches' Call-In Show
Head Coach Chris Scelfo will be the featured guest on the Tulane
Coaches' Call-In Show every Monday from 7-8 p.m. beginning August 20th.
Jim Freeman and Tulane AD Rick Dickson will co-host the show, which will
be take place live at Superior Grill on St. Charles Ave. in New Orleans.
Chris Scelfo TV Show
The Chris Scelfo Show will air weekly in New Orleans on WDSU-TV every
Sunday night at 11:05 p.m., and on Cox Cable Mondays at 8 p.m. and
Wednesdays at 7 p.m. The show will also air on Comcast Sports South.
Check local listings for those weekly times.
TulaneGreenWave.com
Tulane game broadcasts and Call-In Shows, as well as Coach Scelfo's
portion of the weekly Conference USA Coaches' Teleconference, can be
heard on the internet through Tulane's official athletic department
website, www.TulaneGreenWave.com. The site is the stop for all the
latest information on Tulane Athletics, including player features, Ask
the Coach and AD, statistics and game reports.
