TULANE RETURNS HOME TO TAKE ON TEMPLE
- The Green Wave return to Yulman Stadium on Saturday for an 11 a.m. (CT) kickoff against Temple. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
- Tulane’s matchup with Temple marks the second straight season that the Green Wave have played the Owls. The last time Tulane and Temple met in back-to-back seasons was in 2015 and 2016.
- The Green Wave welcomes Temple to Yulman Stadium for the first time in five years.
- The Green Wave will faceoff against Temple for just the sixth time program history. Temple holds a 4-1 all-time series lead. Tulane has not defeated Temple since the two teams met in the 1934 Sugar Bowl which was held inside Tulane Stadium. Tulane won the first all-time matchup 20-14.
FIRST AND 10
1. Tulane will be in search of its first home win on the year. Since the start of the 2017 season, the Green Wave have posted a 13-7 mark at Yulman Stadium.
2. True freshman Michael Pratt will once again get the start at quarterback. He is just the seventh true freshman to start at quarterback since 1975.
3. Pratt will look to become the first true freshman to earn a win as a starter since 1985 (Terrence Jones was the last).
4. Tulane enters its matchup with Temple after scoring 30-or-more points in four straight games, including a 66-point outburst back on Sept. 26 against Southern Miss.
5. Tulane’s three-point loss at home back on Oct. 16 to SMU marked the team’s third straight loss at home by three points or less.
6. Redshirt sophomore running back Cam Carroll has rushed for no less than two touchdowns in three of the Green Wave’s six games this season. Against Southern Miss, Carroll scored four touchdowns. Carroll ranks ninth in the nation in total touchdowns and leads The American.
7. Tulane’s special teams’ unit ranks as one of the best in The American. The Green Wave rank third in the league in kick return average (25.7) and rank second in punt return average (16.7). In addition, Ryan Wright leads The American in punting, averaging 46.5 yards per punt.
8. Tulane has rushed for over 100 yards in 58 of its last 59 games. Tulane had its 56-game streak of rushing for at least 100 yards snapped at Houston back on Oct. 8.
9. The Green Wave have also surpassed 200 yards rushing in 12 of their last 19 games dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
10. Defensive linemen Patrick Johnson ranks 12th in the nation and first in The American in sacks per game. He has also logged a sack in three of the last four games. Johnson was recognized in the preseason as a Top 250 prospect by the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
- Last week at Memphis, Temple dropped a 41-29 decision to the Tigers. The Owls held a 15-10 halftime lead, but suffered consecutive turnovers on its first two drives of the second half, which led to 17 straight Memphis points.
- Temple leads the American Athletic Conference in pass defense, holding opponents to just 180.7 yards per game.
- Offensively, Temple is led by quarterback graduate transfer Anthony Russo. In three games for the Owls, Russo has thrown for 863 yards and nine touchdowns.
- Defensively, graduate transfer William Kwenkeu leads the Owls with 23 tackles. Temple also has received a strong effort from redshirt junior Arnold Ebiketie, who lead the way with 4.5 tackles for loss.
- Temple has not had a losing season since 2013. Since then, the Owls have gone 49-30 over the last six seasons. This marks the longest streak in Temple history. A streak that started with Matt Rhule and carried over by Geoff Collins, Rod Carey has certainly done his part so far as well.
- Rod Carey is in his second year as Temple’s head coach. In his first season at Temple, Carey led the Owls to an 8-5 record and a berth in the 2019 Military Bowl. That extended Temple’s streak to five straight bowl games, the longest in school history and owns a 24-6 record.
- Temple was picked in the preseason to finish eighth in The American.
{Courtesy: Press Release from Tulane Athletics}
