Inside Tulane football
Friday October 17, 2003
Records: Tulane 3-3, 1-2 Conference USA. Louisville 5-1, 1-1.
Coaches: Tulane's Chris Scelfo (24-30, fifth season). Louisville's Bobby Petrino (5-1, first season)
TV/Radio: ESPN. 94.3-FM and 690-AM
Series: Louisville leads 7-2. Louisville won the most recent matchup in 2001, 52-7.
Players to watch: Tulane's Mewelde Moore, the school's all-time leading rusher, is coming off two of his best running games of 2003 -- 114 yards at Texas and 115 against Houston. Moore is also a threat as a receiver -- with 27 catches this season, second-most on the team -- but has caught only two passes in the last two games. Louisville quarterback Stefan LeFors had his best game last week, throwing for 406 yards. Cardinals linebacker Robert McCune has been on a tear, making 19 tackles two weeks ago and making his first career interception last week. His 76 tackles lead Louisville and are third in Conference USA.
Keys to the game: The Wave must stop the run, not an easy task for a team downtrodden by injuries and second-to-last in C-USA in run defense. Louisville -- first in C-USA in run offense -- has an intriguing run attack, led by Florida State transfer Eric Shelton. He averages 82.3 yards per game and leads C-USA backs with six touchdowns. Louisville will try to disrupt Tulane's offense and make sure Wave quarterback J.P. Losman doesn't get rolling. The Wave has scored in spurts, especially in the second half and most notably against Houston, scoring on five straight drives. Louisville will try to keep its offense on the field. Tulane has the second-lowest time of possession average in C-USA.
Notable: Tulane's defensive line is depleted after losing starters Bamm Mateen and Daniel Nevil to injury. The Wave is last in the nation in total defense, allowing 493.3 yards per game. . . . Both teams have explosive scoring offenses -- Tulane 33.8 points per game, Louisville 32.5, No. 1 and 2, respectively, in C-USA. . . . Louisville has won 16 of its last 19 games at home, including four straight dating to last year. . . . Cardinals receiver J.R. Russell leads a talented group of receivers with 89.2 yards per game, second-best in C-USA. . . . Tulane defensive tackle Taurean Brown's father, Gary Brown, played college basketball at Louisville.
From the coach's mouth: "We've been inconsistent. And most of that has been the lack of continuity. Offensively, I think we've been relatively consistent in spurts, but we need to do it for four quarters. Defensively, we haven't had any consistency. It goes back to what has happened on that side of the ball. You come in and have some guys whose roles change overnight. We just have to fight through that." -- Wave coach Chris Scelfo
Friday October 17, 2003
Records: Tulane 3-3, 1-2 Conference USA. Louisville 5-1, 1-1.
Coaches: Tulane's Chris Scelfo (24-30, fifth season). Louisville's Bobby Petrino (5-1, first season)
TV/Radio: ESPN. 94.3-FM and 690-AM
Series: Louisville leads 7-2. Louisville won the most recent matchup in 2001, 52-7.
Players to watch: Tulane's Mewelde Moore, the school's all-time leading rusher, is coming off two of his best running games of 2003 -- 114 yards at Texas and 115 against Houston. Moore is also a threat as a receiver -- with 27 catches this season, second-most on the team -- but has caught only two passes in the last two games. Louisville quarterback Stefan LeFors had his best game last week, throwing for 406 yards. Cardinals linebacker Robert McCune has been on a tear, making 19 tackles two weeks ago and making his first career interception last week. His 76 tackles lead Louisville and are third in Conference USA.
Keys to the game: The Wave must stop the run, not an easy task for a team downtrodden by injuries and second-to-last in C-USA in run defense. Louisville -- first in C-USA in run offense -- has an intriguing run attack, led by Florida State transfer Eric Shelton. He averages 82.3 yards per game and leads C-USA backs with six touchdowns. Louisville will try to disrupt Tulane's offense and make sure Wave quarterback J.P. Losman doesn't get rolling. The Wave has scored in spurts, especially in the second half and most notably against Houston, scoring on five straight drives. Louisville will try to keep its offense on the field. Tulane has the second-lowest time of possession average in C-USA.
Notable: Tulane's defensive line is depleted after losing starters Bamm Mateen and Daniel Nevil to injury. The Wave is last in the nation in total defense, allowing 493.3 yards per game. . . . Both teams have explosive scoring offenses -- Tulane 33.8 points per game, Louisville 32.5, No. 1 and 2, respectively, in C-USA. . . . Louisville has won 16 of its last 19 games at home, including four straight dating to last year. . . . Cardinals receiver J.R. Russell leads a talented group of receivers with 89.2 yards per game, second-best in C-USA. . . . Tulane defensive tackle Taurean Brown's father, Gary Brown, played college basketball at Louisville.
From the coach's mouth: "We've been inconsistent. And most of that has been the lack of continuity. Offensively, I think we've been relatively consistent in spurts, but we need to do it for four quarters. Defensively, we haven't had any consistency. It goes back to what has happened on that side of the ball. You come in and have some guys whose roles change overnight. We just have to fight through that." -- Wave coach Chris Scelfo
