Anderson stars in Tulane scrimmage
August 21, 2008
Anderson stars in Tulane scrimmage - Tulane Beat - Times-Picayune - NOLA.com
Posted by Ted Lewis, Times-Picayune August 20, 2008 8:41PM
Categories: FootballAndre Anderson had three touchdowns in Tulane’s scrimmage on Wednesday.
That’s three times as much as he did last year when the Green Wave junior was the backup to Matt Forte’.Sometimes lost in the hoopla over Forte’s 2,127 rushing yards were his school record 23 touchdowns. Yards mean little if they’re not converted into points, and with Anderson now the starter, he’ll be getting those opportunities this time around.
“You’ve got to have a knack for finding the end zone,” Anderson said. “It’s something you’ve got to feel and you’ve got to want to get in there and somehow just find a way.
“It felt pretty good today.”
Anderson’s longest touchdown came on a 64-play run near the end of the 100-play scrimmage that saw him get loose around the left side and then break through two would-be tacklers when he appeared stopped around the 20.
The other two were a little more standard -covering 14 and nine yards. For the day, Anderson had eight carries for 121 yards plus 16-yard reception.
“Andre’s getting into playing shape, so we’re giving him reps without trying to get him hurt,” Tulane Coach Bob Toledo said. “He looked pretty good today.
“The difference between Andre and our younger guys is that when they get hit, they go down. We tell our backs the play’s not over until your feet are over your head, and that’s what helped Andre make that long run.”
Anderson’s efforts came on a day when the team emphasized the running game while still looking for the right combinations in the interior line. Redshirt freshman Joey Ray got a long look at center where Michael Parenton has been playing and Tyler Rice was back with the first unit at left guard after being the backup center in last Saturday’s scrimmage.
Also freshman fullback Kasey Stelly and sophomore tight end Cody Sparks saw extensive time with the ones.
“We’re still looking for depth,” Toledo said. “And we wanted to get a good look at the younger guys today.
“There’s a plan going here, and you’ll see more of it Saturday.”
Regardless of who’s in the game, Anderson said, he feels that the offense can produce the kind of running game it did last year.
“For the most part it looks pretty good,” Anderson said. “The offensive line opened some big holes out there today.
“We’d have guys in one play, out the next play. We just kept going.”
Anderson is secure as the starter, but freshman Albert Williams continued to impress - this time with a screen pass he turned into a 62-yard gain that featured his breaking two tackles about 10 yards downfield and then gaining an extra 10 yards or so at the end with a spin move that left two more defenders grasping at the air.
“He can show you some things,” Anderson said. “It’s nice to have somebody that can make people miss like that.”
The Down Side - While the running of Anderson and Williams were the day’s bright spots, Toledo was less than pleased with the rest of the effort, especially that of the defense.
“We’re not in playing shape,” he said. “We were dragging at the end today, which we shouldn’t be, but at least we are way ahead where we were last year.
“But we didn’t tackle well today and we’ve got some areas to clean up there.”
There were two interceptions returned for touchdowns, by cornerback Phillip Davis and by safety David Skehan, who was seeing his first extended action after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia in the summer. Both came off backup Joe Kemp.
Skehan was playing in place of Chinonso Echebelem (bruised shoulder). Starting defensive end Adam Kwentua also was held out, although defensive coordinator O’Neill Gilbert said it had nothing to do with Kwentua’s back condition which kept him inactive over the summer.
With starting tackle Tony Bryant moving over to end for the day, freshmen Chris Asumnu and Casey Blum saw extensive time with the first unit.
Sun Belt Schedule Guide
August 20, 2008
If you were planning the ultimate Sun Belt football adventure, this should be your itinerary.
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Wave dodges raindrops again
August 19, 2008
Wave dodges raindrops again - Tulane Beat - Times-Picayune - NOLA.com
Posted by Ted Lewis, Times-Picayune August 19, 2008 6:36PM
Categories: FootballFor the sixth straight day Tuesday, Tulane’s practice was affected rain. Heavier showers shortened the morning session by one period and it rained on and off throughout the afternoon session.
“Unbelievable,” Tualne Coach Toledo said. “I thought about saying ‘Let’s go two on Monday,’ but we took a chance and lucked out.
The key, Toledo said, is not losing time.
“You’ve got to practice,” he said. “When the ball is wet and you can’t complete passes, it’s bad and but as long as guys don’t get hurt and you can get through it, you’re OK.
“At least we have field turf. If it were grass, we’d be out on the street.”
Despite the rain, Toledo said it was a productive day.
“We did some good things,” he said. “Football is a game of situations, and we’re getting in more situational work every day.”
The Wave used the Saints Indoor Facility last Saturday to avoid the threat of rain and the Superdome is usually available, but Toledo said the costs of arranging buses made that an alternative only in extreme situations.
Scrimmage Set - The team will have a 90 minute scrimmage at the end of Wednesday afternoon’s practice.
“We need to get some young guys evaluated,” Toledo said. “We’re going to use a bunch of young guys this year, maybe not starting, but I want to see them more in scrimmage reps.”
The team will scrimmage again on Saturday for about 90 minutes and then have one last shorter session next week.“This is going to be a big evaluation day,” Toledo said. “We’ve got to make decisions because after next Wednesday, we’re getting into game plans.”
Practice begins at 3:30 p.m. and is open to the public.
Tempo Continues To Pick Up As Tulane Football Takes Field For Day 11
August 19, 2008
The scene early Monday morning at the Westfield Practice Facility was one of peace and serenity.
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Tempo Continues To Pick Up As Tulane Football Takes Field For Day 11
August 19, 2008
Tempo Continues To Pick Up As Tulane Football Takes Field For Day 11 - Tulane Sports - NOLA.com
Posted by Tulane Athletic Communications August 18, 2008 5:08PM
Categories: FootballLearning the playbook remains the focus around Green Wave camp; team to hold double session on Tuesday
NEW ORLEANS - The scene early Monday morning at the Westfield Practice Facility was one of peace and serenity. Following a light rain in the New Orleans area, the scene was almost something out of Thoreau’s Walden as the sun crept across the turf and the sounds of birds chirping and dogs barking echoed from the distance.
At 9 a.m., however, there was a very different sound erupting from the facility as the Green Wave football team opened day 11 of preseason camp. Gone were the birds and pets. In their place was the sounds of grunts, popping of shoulder pads and clashing of helmets and facemasks as gridiron gladiators took the field in full pads. And the sun went from gentle to a sweltering menace.
While the temperature crept higher and higher in uptown New Orleans, so did the intensity of practice as head coach Bob Toledo and his staff continued to introduce new plays and new formations to a team. And when the final horn sounded following the Green Wave’s last conditioning run, Toledo was once again all smiles as his team continues preparation for the season opener at Alabama on Sept. 6.
“I think we did some good thing,” Toledo said. “We woke them up a little bit, calling a ’sudden change’ right after PAT/field goal. That’s a scrimmage situation, and then we had an inside run drill where we didn’t huddle. We just went on the line, called plays, lined up the No. 1 defense and said ‘Here are the plays.’ We just ran the plays and that was part of a conditioning thing.”
The “sudden change” drill is something Toledo has thrown at his team in the past, and has often come at all different times during practice. With a blast of his whistle, the offense lines up against the defense and the two sides battle for supremacy. On this particular occasion, the defense held the upper hand by holding on fourth down.
That really set the tone for the rest of the day as members of the Green Wave defense were flying to the ball throughout practice. Junior linebacker David Kirksey was all over the field on Monday, making big hits, knocking down passes and even recording a sack. In seven-on-sevens, junior safety Corey Sonnier had an interception. Later in the drill, junior defensive back Chinonso Echebelem broke up a pass down the middle intended for linebacker-turned-tight end Cody Sparks.
“I thought, for the most part, they did a nice job,” Toledo said. “We’ve got a ways to go because No. 1, we’re putting in a lot of things, and No. 2, we’ve got a lot of young guys - including freshmen - that really don’t know everything. It’s hard. It’s not a game-plan week where we limit the number of things you do and you rep those things. This is about learning the playbook. There’s a lot to learn and a lot to do out here.”
One of the players that has really caught the attention of the coaching staff so far in camp is true freshman fullback Kasey Stelly. A native of Lafayette, La., and 2008 graduate of St. Thomas More, Stelly has been a one-man wrecking machine out of the backfield. On Monday, he delivered several crushing blocks that drew rave reviews from the coaches and his teammates, and he has shown solid hands coming out of the backfield on pass patterns.
“He’s lighting people up,” Toledo said of Stelly. “He’s given three concussions to guys. He’s broken some helmets and several face masks. He is really doing an outstanding job. He’s learning pretty fast. He can block like heck. He can catch the football. He’s going to play a lot of football here.”
That kind of play, Toledo said, is beginning to rub off on some of Stelly’s fellow freshmen and upperclassmen alike.
“I think they see (what Stelly has done so far),” Toledo said. “It’s like I was telling the guys out there (after practice), show us. And he’s showing us. There are a lot of freshmen that are going to play for us this year. I think majority of them are going to play.”
The Green Wave return to action on Tuesday, Aug. 19, when they hold their third two-a-day practice of preseason drills. The Tulane team will take the field at 9:30 a.m. before coming back out at 3:35 p.m. Following the Sept. 6 season-opener, the Green Wave open the home portion of their schedule on Saturday, Sept. 13, when Tulane plays host to Conference USA opponent East Carolina in the Louisiana Superdome.
Season tickets for the 2008 Tulane football season are now on sale through the Tulane Athletics Ticket Office. For more information on 2008 Tulane football tickets or tickets to any future Green Wave home athletic event, contact the Ticket Office at (504) 861-WAVE.
HEAD COACH BOB TOLEDO’S COMMENTS FOLLOWING MONDAY’S PRACTICES
On having to move a scheduled afternoon practice to the morning
“It’s hard because you’re watching The Weather Channel and you’re trying to beat the lightning. It hasn’t hurt us from a practice standpoint because we are only going to have one practice. All we have to do is move what we had scheduled for the afternoon to the morning and move our morning plans back to the afternoon. We got it in. That’s my main concern that we got the practice in. I don’t like moving things around. I like being pretty consistent, but they said there might be lightning this afternoon and I didn’t want to take a chance.”On his team’s overall performance on Monday
“I think we did some good thing. We woke them up a little bit, calling a ’sudden change’ right after PAT/field goal. That’s a scrimmage situation, and then we had an inside run drill where we didn’t huddle. We just went on the line, called plays, lined up the No. 1 defense and said ‘Here are the plays.’ We just ran the plays and that was part of a conditioning thing. We also had some scrimmage situations today where we actually did some live scrimmaging. I thought, for the most part, they did a nice job. We’ve got a ways to go because No. 1, we’re putting in a lot of things, and No. 2, we’ve got a lot of young guys - including freshmen - that really don’t know everything. It’s hard. It’s not a game-plan week where we limit the number of things you do and you rep those things. This is about learning the playbook. There’s a lot to learn and a lot to do out here.”On the team’s performance on defense
“I think they were flying around. In the middle drill, it’s all run, and in the passing drills, it’s all pass. It’s a little easier there. The key is how they respond when it’s a normal situation in a scrimmage in run/pass. We’re doing a lot of things. We’re pressuring a lot and hopefully, we can hold up coverage-wise.”On the performance of freshman fullback Kasey Stelly so far in preseason camp
“He’s lighting people up. I’ll tell you what. He’s given three concussions to guys. He’s broken some helmets and several face masks. He is really doing an outstanding job. He’s learning pretty fast. He can block like heck. He can catch the football. He’s going to play a lot of football here.”On if Stelly’s performance has been a bit of a surprise
“We knew he could block. We didn’t know how good of a blocker he was going to be, but he’s not afraid to stick it in there and knock people out. A lot of freshmen can be timid and shy. He’s not timid and shy at all. He’s going to bring it.”On if Stelly’s play has provided inspiration for some of the other freshmen
“I think they see that. It’s like I was telling the guys out there (after practice), show us. And he’s showing us. There are a lot of freshmen that are going to play for us this year. I think majority of them are going to play.”On having Kadeem Taylor and Emmauel Aluko on the field on Monday
“They’re both out there, but they’re both still in that transitionary period where they can only have helmets and shoulder pads on. (Taylor) will be able to go in full pads on Wednesday. (Aluko) has been cleared to practice, they are evaluating everything and he’ll know before school starts. In their opinion, they feel very good about it at this point.”
Getting to know the Green Wave
August 19, 2008
Getting to know the Green Wave - David Gladow - New Orleans Sports
Posted by David Gladow August 16, 2007 9:52AM
Categories: College Sports, TulaneHead coach: Bob Toledo (0-0. 78-68 overall)
Toledo joins the Green Wave after previous coaching stints at Cal Riverside, University of the Pacific, and most famously, UCLA. His stint with the Bruins was marked with inconsistency, but he did lead the team to seven New Year’s Day bowl games - a nice credential for any head coach to have. Without question, Toledo brings instant recognition and a national presence to the Tulane program, which could use all the marketing and promotion it can get. Whether he’ll also bring wins is another matter.
Offense:
Optimism abounds on offense, where the Green Wave has great potential at the skill positions.
Of chief importance is tailback Matt Forte, a player who is expected to carry the lion’s share of the offensive burden. Forte, who averaged 5.3 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns in ‘06, seems up to the challenge.
“He’s having a great camp,” Toledo said of Forte. “You see in conditioning, he’s the first guy to finish. Every time he gets the ball, he runs it all the way to the goal line. He’s really a self-motivated guy.”
A player to watch at wideout is Jeremy Williams, who was an honorable mention Freshman All American last year after catching 40 passes. Still, Toledo knows that all of his receivers have a chance to make contributions and is very pleased with the depth there.
“(Senior wide receiver Kenneth) Guidroz is another guy who didn’t participate in the spring and he’s shown quite a bit,” Toledo said. “I thought (Dunn) did a really nice job … but I’m excited about the top six receivers right now,” Toledo said. “I thought they’re all doing a nice job. Some of them are still in summer school and had to go to class, and that gave for a guy like Dunn to step in and show what he can do in the team work.”
The biggest question is quarterback, where junior Scott Elliott, sophomore Anthony Scelfo and redshirt freshman Kevin Moore all look to take over the starting reigns. Elliott is the early favorite.
Defense:
Eliot Kamenitz / Times-Picayune
Defensive linemen Avery Williams and Frank Morton run drills.Eight starters return for a unit that struggled in 2006 but could see improvement in ‘07. The defensive line trio of Antonio Harris, Frank Morton and Avery Williams will look to lead the way. If they can do their part, it lessons the burden on the rest of the defense, raising everyone’s performance. To say they may be the keys to this year’s defense is probably an understatement. For what it’s worth, Harris and Morton were honorable mention All-Conference USA last year.
Also keep an eye on the safeties, David Skehan and Joe Goosby, who are experienced, talented players and figure to be true leaders for a secondary that is still growing.
Overall, look for Toledo to try to blend the experience on the roster with some talented youth.
“The freshman (defensive lineman Justin) Adams is a guy who is going to play a lot as a true freshman, and (defensive back Devin) Holland has shown an awful lot.” Toledo said. “He’ll play on special teams and maybe in the secondary … But (sophomore cornerback) Matt Harding is a guy who didn’t show up in the spring due to surgery, but he’s been very impressive.”
Outlook:
Is a quick turnaround possible? The team thinks so, pointing to the Rice Owls, who went from 1-10 to 7-6 under a first-year head coach last year.
“Why not?” Goosby said. “We’re looking on it as this is going to be our year. If Rice can do it, anybody can.”
Anything is possible, and fans definitely have reason to be optimistic that they’ll see a much better product on the field in 2007. Still, it may be difficult for this team to make progress in the win column. Figuring out how to win, after four consecutive losing seasons, is not an easy thing for any team to do. Getting his players to understand winning habits would go a long way toward a successful first season for Toledo.
Boomer’s to Host 2008 Let’s Talk Tulane Football on August 24
August 19, 2008
Boomer’s to Host 2008 Let’s Talk Tulane Football on August 24 - Tulane Sports - NOLA.com
Posted by By Tulane Athletic Communications August 17, 2008 3:38PM
Categories: FootballGreen Wave head coach Bob Toledo will discuss the upcoming season
New Orleans - The sixth annual “Let’s Talk Tulane Football,” sponsored by the Ray Hester Chapter of the Tulane Athletics Fund, will take place at Boomers, located on the premises of Boomtown Casino, on Sunday, August 24, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. The event is open to the public and tickets are $15 per person.
Tulane second-year head football coach Bob Toledo and the Green Wave football staff will spend the evening talking with fans about TU’s 2008 squad and upcoming campaign. Cocktail food and drinks will be available free of charge. Along with football discussion, the event will also feature a live auction of unique Tulane items, including trips with the team and official Tulane Green Wave merchandise.
The event is sponsored by the Ray Hester Chapter of the Tulane Athletics Fund. Boomtown is located on 4132 Peters Road in Harvey, La. For more information, please contact Scott Holt at (504) 575-6098, or email scottholt@tulanegreenwave.com.
BYU football: Defense bounces back after bad day
August 18, 2008
The first priority in today’s 10 a.m. scrimmage at LaVell Edwards Stadium for the BYU Cougars will be to get starting quarterback Max Hall enough snaps to keep him game-ready, coach Bronco Mendenhall said.
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College football: Around the state
August 17, 2008
NORTHWESTERN STATE: Junior quarterback John Hundley threw four touchdown passes, two to senior tight end Kedrin Seastrunk, but otherwise Tuesday evening the Purple Swarm defense controlled the first major …
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College Football: Crimson Tide plans to test mettle in 2nd scrimmage
August 16, 2008
TUSCALOOSA — Alabama will hold its final preseason scrimmage this afternoon at Bryant-Denny Stadium, trying to fine-tune some areas before starting preparation for the Aug.
