TTULANEULANE GGREENREEN WWAVEAVE FFOOTBALLOOTBALL Contacts: Roger Dunaway (cell 504.452.2906/Office 504.862.8240), Asst. AD-Athletic Comm. • Richie Weaver (cell 504.352.5802/Office 504.314.7232), Asst. SID James W. Wilson Center, Ben Weiner Drive • New Orleans, La. 70118 [email protected] • [email protected] 2007 TULANE SCHEDULE GAME 1 (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) Tulane Green Wave vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Sept. 8, 2007 • Louisiana Superdome (69,703) • New Orleans, La. Date Opponent Time/Result 6:07 p.m. • Comcast Sports South Sept. 8 Mississippi State (CSS) 6 p.m. Sept. 15 *Houston 6 p.m. TULANE MISSISSIPPI STATE Sept. 22 SE Louisiana 7 p.m. TulaneGreenWave.com Website mstateathletics.com Sept. 29 LSU (ESPN) TBA 0-0 Record 0-1 Oct. 6 at Army (ESPN U) TBA Not Ranked Ranking Not Ranked Oct. 13 *at UAB 6 p.m. Bob Toledo Head Coach Sylvester Croom Oct. 20 *at SMU (Fox Sports Net) 7 p.m. 78-68 Overall Record 9-26 Oct. 27 *Memphis (HC) 2 p.m. 0-0 Record at School Same Nov. 3 *Tulsa (CSTV) 6:30 p.m. All-Time Series MSU Leads 29-26-2 Nov. 10 *UTEP 6 p.m. Nov. 17 *at Rice 2 p.m. TULANE HOSTS MISSISSIPPI STATE IN 2007 SEASON OPENER FOR THE Nov. 24 *at East Carolina (MASN) 12 Noon WAVE: • The much anticipated Bob Toledo era kicks off this Saturday as the Tulane Green Wave Bold denotes home games (0-0) opens the 2007 campaign at home against the Mississippi State Bulldogs (0-1). Toledo, TU’s *C-USA Game; All Times Central. first-year head coach, has generated excitement not only on the Tulane campus, but around the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana as well. Despite a resume of nearly 40 years of coaching 2007 MISSISSIPPI STATE SCHEDULE experience, Toledo has never coached a game in the Louisiana Superdome, and will make his debut (0-1, 0-1 SEC) in the ‘Dome on Saturday. The Wave will look to capture its first season opening victory since the Date Opponent Time/Result 2002 campaign, which ironically was the last time Tulane played in a postseason bowl game. Aug. 30 *LSU L, 0-45 Sept. 8 at Tulane (CSS) 6 p.m. NOTING THE GREEN WAVE: Sept. 15 *at Auburn (LF-TV) 11:30 a.m. - Tulane takes the field tonight for the first time under first-year head coach Bob Toledo. Sept. 22 Gardner-Webb 6 p.m. - TU head coach Bob Toledo has an all-time record of 8-5 in season openers, including a mark Sept. 29 *at South Carolina TBA of 2-0 at UC Riverside (1974-75), 1-3 at Pacific (1979-82) and was 5-2 at UCLA , where he lost his Oct. 6 UAB (HC) 1:30 p.m. first two openers, but won his last five straight in Westwood. Oct. 13 *Tennessee TBA - The Green Wave has an all-time mark of 21-14-1 in openers under first-year head coaches. Oct. 20 at West Virginia TBA In fact, the Wave’s last four head coaches (Chris Scelfo, Tommy Bowden, Buddy Teevens and Greg Oct. 27 *at Kentucky TBA Davis) have opened their careers at Tulane with a victory. (note: Chris Scelfo’s first game as the Nov. 10 *Alabama TBA head coach of the Wave was the 1998 Liberty Bowl) Nov. 17 *at Arkansas TBA - TU produced a mark of 3-2 at home last season. Nov. 23 Ole Miss (LF-TV) 11:30 a.m. - Tulane has won its last six straight non-conference home games in New Orleans dating back to the 2002 campaign. The Wave’s last loss to a non-conference team in the ‘Dome was to the third- Bold denotes home games ranked Texas Longhorns in 2002. *SEC Game; All Times Central. - During its non-conference win streak in the Crescent City, Tulane has a record of 4-2 in the Superdome and 2-0 at Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park. The Wave has outscored its opponents RADIO 232-129 and is averaging 38.6 points per game. TU’s victories have come against Army (2006), TULANE-ISP SPORTS NETWORK Florida A&M and Navy in 2004, Mississippi State and Northwestern State in 2003 and Navy in Live on AM 690 WIST 2002. Play-by-Play: Todd Graffagnini - The Greenies have an all-time record of 64-43-4 in home openers. - Senior Matt Forte enters the MSU contest needing just 15 rushing yards to move into sixth Color: Steve Barrios place among the school’s career rushing leaders. Forte has 2,138 career yards and will look to sur- Sideline: Seth Marler pass Marrvin Christian’s (1977-79) total of 2,152. - Senior Antonio Harris has started every game of his career and will make his 34th consecu- Internet: Live Audio at TulaneGreenWave.com tive start against the Bulldogs. - Junior quarterback Scott Elliott will make his fourth career start in the opener against Missis- TELEVISION sippi State, but the first start since his freshman year of 2005 when he started the final three games COMCAST SPORTS SOUTH against Rice, Tulsa and Southern Miss. - Saturday’s game marks the third time in the last four years and the fifth time in school history Live on DISH Network or Directv the Green Wave has opened the season against Mississippi State. Tulane began the 1984, 2004 and Play-by-Play: Bob Neal 2005 campaigns against MSU. However, the Wave is 0-3 all time against the Bulldogs in season Color: Matt Wyatt openers. Sideline: Nate Ross - TU will debut its new West Coast offense this Saturday after spending the last seven years running the spread offense under former head coach Chris Scelfo. POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE: - For the second straight year, the Green Wave was given a bye-week during the opening week- Live Video at TulaneGreenWave.com end of the college football season and will be forced to pay 12 straight games. GGreenreen WWaveave GGameame NNotesotes ABOUT THE GREEN WAVE: 2007 C-USA STANDINGS • It’s a new day for the Green Wave football program. Tulane will have a different look on both sides of the ball with new offensive and defensive schemes, TEAM C-USA ALL and with 25 newcomers on this year’s roster. The Green Wave returns a total of 48 East Division letterwinners (23 offense, 23 defense, 2 specialists), including five returning starters Southern Miss 0-0 1-0 on offense and eight on the defensive side of the ball. UCF 0-0 1-0 Junior Scott Elliott was tabbed as the starting quarterback after the first week East Carolina 0-0 0-1 of fall camp and is the top returning signal caller on the team after passing for 132 Marshall 0-0 0-1 yards last season. Senior running back Matt Forte led the team in rushing (859), Memphis 0-0 0-1 total yards (1,219) and was the fourth-leading receiver (28) a year ago. He returns after missing the final three games last season with a knee injury. UAB 0-0 0-1 Sophomore Jeremy Williams, who earned honorable mention Freshman All- America honors during his rookie season from The Sporting News, is the Wave’s top West Division returning receiver with 40 receptions for 484 yards and two scores in 2006. Tulsa 0-0 1-0 Defensively, junior David Skehan led the team in both tackles (80) and inter- UTEP 0-0 1-0 ceptions (4) last season. SMU 0-0 0-0 Tulane 0-0 0-0 SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: Houston 0-0 0-1 • Mississippi State (0-1) opened its season last Thursday at home against Rice 0-0 0-1 second-ranked LSU. The Bulldogs turned the ball over seven times, including six interceptions by starting quarterback Michael Henig and the Tigers prevailed 45-0. Henig, a junior, passed for 120 yards, while sophomore Anthony Dixon rushed for UPCOMING GAMES 29 yards. Sophomore running back Arnil Stallworth recorded three catches for lead Saturday, September 8 the bulldogs. Defensively, junior Dominic Douglas registered a team-best nine stops. (3) West Virginia at Marshall (ESPN 2), 10:10 a.m. Saturday’s contest marks the first road game of the year for the Bulldogs. Last UAB at (19) Florida State (ESPNU), 4:00 p.m. year, Mississippi State posted a 2-3 mark away from home. Following the Tulane North Carolina at East Carolina (CSTV), 5:00 p.m. game, State must travel to Southeastern Conference rival Auburn next week Memphis at Arkansas State, 6:00 p.m. Rice at Baylor, 6:00 p.m. Inside the Numbers: Tulane vs. Miss. State Mississippi State at Tulane (CSS), 6:00 p.m. Tulane (2006 totals) (2007 average per game) Miss. State 4-8 Overall Record 0-1 UTEP at Texas Tech, 6:00 p.m. 18.7 Points Scored 0 North Texas at SMU, 7:00 p.m. 33.3 Points Allowed 45 Southern Miss at (15) Tennessee, 6:00 p.m. 338.7 Total Offense 146 92.2 Rushing Yards 10 246.5 Passing Yards 136 399.7 Yards Allowed 347 149.5 Rushing Yards Allowed 198 250.2 Passing Yards Allowed 149 Conference USA Weekly Teleconference 19 First Downs 9 All 12 Conference USA head coaches will speak to the 69/173 3rd Down Conversions 3/14 media on a weekly teleconference each Monday during 63-41.3 Punts/Avg. 5/35.6 28:41 Time of Possession 27:15 the 2007 season.