Search the Community

- The team played with heart. After a terrible start - they fought back to tie the game up. The Tulane fans wet their pants. I was really proud of how the did that even though the loss still hurt. - Our fans represented very well coming from as far away as we did. I saw a lot of the right colored green on the plane, Bourbon Street and the various establishments we visited. - I thought the Bourbon Heat connection performed by Rob McKinney and the Alumni Association was one of the best organized and thought out events we have had. I didn't get to make the Friday event but from all accounts it was well attended and our fans had a great time. I was there for the pregame and it's a great place, the owner is very cordial and the beer was cold. Loved the green lighting made you feel at home. - I was able to kick it with some of our good fans. I spent a lot of time with Mo Green and AAUNT who are a lot of fun. I also got to hang out with my boy Adman and Ashton. Adman took us to some really cool places off the beaten path, in particular a neat place called Frenchman stree/district. We checked out several of the bars all of which had outstanding music and a cool vibe. Next time you are there make sure to scope this place out. - Got to share a good luck shot with Green59 and his crew. Really enjoyed that! - We formed a posse at the Frenchman with some other good fans like Keith Fever, Patrick and another nice guy whose name I forget. There's something really cool about running into other North Texas fans in a distant location. Lamenting the game with other fans you haven't seen in awhile helps the recovery process. - Got to walk to the game and have dinner after with the great SSP and her husband. Very good Mean Green fans and a lot of fun. Really glad to have them in the fold and need to get them over as a fixture in Tony's tailgate. SSP is a welcome addition to this site and the program for sure. - Tried to go to Acme but the line was too long so we tried Felix's across the street... Let me tell you Felix's is pretty damn good. Definitely can hold their own with Acme! - Got to visit with UNT90, Emmitt, Rudy, Marshall and many others before and after the game. Actually rode on the plane there with Cerebus and his lovely wife who gave me a free drink ticket. Wow man we talked so much UNT football that the trip seemed like it lasted 15 minutes. - Was able to try Mothers which was recommended by a board member. WOW -- The Ferdie sandwich is quite outstanding and they also have some turnip greens to die for. My new favorite place in New Orleans!! - Actually pulled a few slots and won a little money for once. - Found a very cool bar on Bourbon called the Old Absinthe Lounge or something like that. Actually tried absinthe -- tastes kind of like licorice. - Walked a lot. Ruined the results of that from all the food and drink I had but my legs were actually a little tight on the plane ride back tonight. YOU DO NOT NEED A CAR IN NEW ORLEANS!! Half the fun is walking around looking at everything. - Bourbon is still Bourbon -- packed as hell on Friday and Saturday night -- crazy people all over the place. It's still a lot of fun and it was cool seeing a fair amount of Mean Greeners in our old stomping grounds. - Had some drinks at Lafitte's the oldest bar in New Orleans. Tried to do the Confederate Museum with Mo Green but it was under construction. Will try that next time. For the names I have forgotten I apologize in advance... a great time. With all the flight delays I was there basically 1 day and so things are still a blur... No it wasn't a New Orleans Bowl scene but a great trip down memory lane in a great, great town. Folks -- we have some damn good fans. If we could feed them just a little sustained success it would do wonders. Thanks to everyone who made the trip and I hope you had as good a time as I did. GMG!

NORTH TEXAS QUOTES HEAD COACH DAN McCARNEY On the lack of production in the first half We didnt execute on third downs in the first half, but I want to give credit to Tulane. They really did some good things. We didnt handle the blitzes as well as we could have in the first half. We didnt come out and start revamping our offense in the second half. We simply executed and came back and played much better in the second half. My hat is off to Tulane and the job they did to finish the game. They had two huge, game changing plays - a block field goal and an inception for a touchdown. But, you still see the character of this team to come back and tie it up at 7-7, 21-21, when we are down by 14 points in the second half. There is a lot of fight and character in this team, but not enough in the end. On the number of penalties in the game The pre-snap issues are inexcusable. You just cant have the false starts. We have to do a better job coaching it. Defensively, I thought a couple of the calls were aggressive and close to being a personal fouls. But, our guys played with aggression. They played with heart. They played with toughness. On the loss of Cairo Santos father I understand that the kickers father was killed in a plane accident. My heart and all of our deepest sympathy goes out to that young man. There is a lot more that goes into this than just football when something like that happens. All of us in the Mean Green football family send out our deepest sympathy to him and his family. On the blocked field goal for a touchdown It was a protection issue, all the way. We have to do a better job protecting. They did a great job and we didnt. We work on it all of the time and take great pride in it. It rarely ever happens to us in practice or games, but it did today. They did it and we didnt. The technique was real poor by one of our guys and they got the big play. On the inception for a touchdown I just saw a guy that didnt rush. And that was a great time not to rush with the play that we had called. Whether he read it or just didnt rush, he didnt get any push in the pocket and made a great play. On the offense in the second half There are a lot of positive things in the second half. To come back and tie it up, when we were down by 14 points going into the fourth quarter, you again see the resolve of this team and how bad they wanted to win. They put so much into trying to come back. I saw a lot of good things by D.T. (Derek Thompson) and our receivers. We gave up ten points today on defense. Many times that will get you a victory. But, it didnt today because of many of those big plays Ive already talked about. It is one game. But, it is one that we wanted badly. We will digest it and hurt for 24 hours, and then we will put it behind us and get ready for a home game against Middle Tennessee State. QB DEREK THOMPSON On the last touchdown Theyd been sitting there, and we tried to throw the out ball the whole game. Darnel was the one who made the call. He calls it the double move, the out and up. He made a great move. I knew we had a free play because they were offsides. I had to stand in their tough. They were coming pretty hard so we had to make that throw. He made a great play, and it tied up the ball game. On the Game When you play like we did in the first half, we were lucky to even be in the game. We played just about as bad as we could in the first half. Things didnt go our way. When we competed in the second half, we gave ourselves an opportunity to be there at the end. Good job by them; they had a great scheme against us. On the interception returned for a touchdown It was a screen. We had run it earlier. Number 94 is a big tall guy; he got his hands up and just tipped it up in the air. Six just came in and made a play. It happens. Thats life, thats football. Its frustrating. Its upsetting. We worked so hard. We had two weeks to prepare for this team. No excuses, obviously. Its frustrating, but well go back to work this week. We seem to play well at home, and well try to do that. On the offenses overall play Its hard when we cant run the ball very well. Theyre stacking the box, and sometimes it feels like were just beating our heads against the wall. I dont know what we have to do to get it solved, but we got to start being more balanced on offense. Weve got to make it a mindset, and get it back to where we can run the football. LB DEREK AKUNNE Opening Statement We didnt do what we needed to do to get our offense back on the field and win the game for us. They made plays on the last drive, and we didnt make the plays we needed to make. Thats how the game was won. We felt that we had things going our way. We thought we would go back out, and get our offense back on the field. When it was a close game, losing sucks all the time, but losing a close game like that really hurts. On the success early We stopped them on their run, run and pass. We were getting off the field quickly too, and thats what we were doing at the beginning of the game. - See more at: http://www.sportsnola.com/sports/tulane/600463-tulane-finds-way-to-win-over-north-texas.html#sthash.nibiP22t.dpuf

We had 5 sacks in the game,,seems like it has been awhile since that happened. 2 sacks for Aaron Bellazin 1 sack for Will Wright 1 sack for Kenny Buyers 1 sack for Alex Lincoln There were 6 QB hits from Sarge who had 2 Zach Orr Aaron Bellazin Ryan Boutwell Alex Lincoln Kenny Buyers led the team with 9 tackles 8 of which were solo and 1 assist.

http://www.tulanegreenwave.com/sports/m-footbl/stats/2013-2014/tulane06.html

New Orleans, LA (SportsNetwork.com) - Cairo Santos put a 27-yard field goal attempt through the uprights as time expired to give Tulane a 24-21 win over North Texas in a Conference USA thriller at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Nick Montana completed 18-of-28 pass attempts for 132 yards and a touchdown for Tulane (4-2, 2-0 C-USA) as it secured its second win in a row. Ryan Grant made six catches for 60 yards. Lorenzo Doss had a huge day of the defensive side of the ball for the Green Wave, intercepting two passes and returning one for six points. For UNT (2-3, 0-1), Derek Thompson went 29-of-42 for 326 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Darnell Smith made eight catches for 130 yards and a score. Brelan Chancellor also made an impact with seven receptions and 103 yards. The Mean Green running game was ineffective, running for just 34 yards in the game. Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2013/10/05/3022081/recap-tulane-vs-north-texas.html#storylink=cpy

Brett Vito covers North Texas football for the Denton Record-Chronicle and the Dallas Morning News. He answered five key questions about the Mean Green in advance of Saturday's 2:35 p.m. game against Tulane in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Q: North Texas' special teams appear to be a great strength. Breakdown Brelan Chancellor's skill set and what chance Tulane has of stopping him. Vito: Chancellor is one of the unique players to come through UNT over the last few years. He’s a tiny guy by major college football standards at 5-9, 186 (a listing no one believes, including head coach Dan McCarney), but he is really fast, elusive and surprisingly strong. Chancellor is at his best when he gets the ball in space. When that happens, he can take it all the way in a hurry.Look out for him on kickoff returns. He’s in his element when he gets the ball in that situation and took one back 99 yards in UNT’s loss to Georgia. Q: How likely is it that LT Antonio Johnson plays? Do you think the off week gave him enough time to recover and return to the line? The protection seems to have been good even without him — what other strengths on the line are there? Vito: McCarney is notoriously tight-lipped about injuries and closes practice in the fall. He might have clued us in, though, when he said that no one has been ruled out among UNT’s offensive linemen this week. UNT’s offensive line is arguably the team’s best unit. The Mean Green led the nation with six sacks allowed last year and lost just one full-time starter from that group, along with one guy who rotated at right tackle. The group is just really solid overall and most all of those guys have a lot of experience. Johnson, Mason Y’Barbo, Cyril Lemon and LaChris Anyiam have all played a lot of football for UNT through the years. Read more: http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2013/10/north_texas_football_beat_writ.html

"Bigs...not sure what you mean... I would like Tulane to win every game, but I also look at the teams in an objective manner... If this game was to be played in 2014, I would switch the numbers in a heart beat..Todd Dodge the previous coach at UNT brought in some good players....as far as I am concerened Todd should be the OC at Tulane..." Read more: http://gotula.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=457

While we have a good contingent traveling to New Orleans this weekend, many of our fans could not make the trip due to work or family issues. For those who are there please share some pictures and stories from the trip here for those who aren't able to make it! Safe Travels and GMG!

http://videos.nola.com/times-picayune/2013/10/tulane_dt_julius_warmsley_talk.html

"We have to play mistake free football if we want to win this game. North Texas has the talent to put a beating on us if we play sloppy football. Unlike 4 of the 5 teams we have played already, they are not going to give us time to figure things out. If we come on flat and slow, we will not be able to fight for a comeback like we did against USA. NT can control the clock by running the football. We must come out swinging! I think Montana needs to take some shots down field to begin the game. I really don't think their secondary can handle our WR's. (That's if they play like we know they can play.) Their QB has some good experience and knows how to find his targets. We must put some heat on him. They also have two good backs, but I believe we can keep under control if our D line and LB's play like they did last week. I also think our secondary can have a big game against these guys as well. Overall, NT is playing better football than us and had a week to rest. After watching them against UGA, I think that this game will let us know where if we are ready to start talking about a bowl game. Can we win? Hell yeah! But there is a chance will can get slammed if we start screwing up on special teams and taking too long to score points. This will be a tough game, but we can win." Read more: http://gotula.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4553

Miami — Authorities on the Gulf Coast told residents Thursday to brace for a hit from Tropical Storm Karen, set to become the first named system to strike the United States this year. President Barack Obama was briefed on disaster preparations, and his administration recalled hurricane emergency workers who had been furloughed due to a government shutdown. A hurricane watch was in effect from Grand Isle, Louisiana, eastward to Indian Pass, Florida, forecasters said. The city of New Orleans -- devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 -- was under a tropical storm watch, according to the National Hurricane Center. "Gulf Coast residents in potentially impacted areas should take steps now to be prepared and follow the direction of local officials," said Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Households should stock up on essentials such as water, non-perishable food and medication, as well as cell phone chargers and extra batteries for radios and flashlights, FEMA said. Obama directed his team to ensure that federal resources and manpower needed to help state and local officials was in place, his spokesman Jay Carney said. "The president directed his team to keep him apprised as weather conditions change and as preparations continue," he said. "He urged residents in potentially affected areas to follow the instructions of local response and law enforcement officials." Karen -- expected to be at or near hurricane strength on Friday -- could approach land within the hurricane watch area on Saturday, the Miami-based forecasters said. Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jnALKqD6GqlU5RXzpTorRnaeBrTw?docId=fa7ed5f8-6325-41f0-adab-01eb1bc44d47

THE CHEAT SHEET—What you need to know about Tulane’s opponent this week Opponent: North Texas Record: 2-2, 0-0 in Conference USA Biggest win this season: Sept. 14’s 34-27 win against Ball State Worst loss: The 27-21 loss to Ohio. UNT’s Biggest threat: For the second straight week, Tulane faces a veteran quarterback who had had great success. North Texas passer Derek Thompson has passed for 1,020 yards in four games – the highest total through four games at the school since 2007. Thompson directed a scoring drive against No. 9 Georgia Sept. 21 to help the Mean Green tie the score at 21 in the third quarter. “He’s a great player,” co-defensive coordinator Jon Sumrall said. “He doesn’t throw a lot of interceptions, doesn’t take a lot of sacks, the offensive line helps protect him. This offense play is extremely balanced.” Thompson isn’t afraid of a hole. The Mean Green got down 20-3 to Ball State, but his 31-of-47 for 274-yard afternoon helped. He even threw in a 26-yard touchdown run—which won the game-- late in the fourth quarter. Biggest weakness: Without questions, it’s pass defense. North Texas is ranked last in Conference USA in the category, allowing an average of 314.2 passing yards a game. Some of that has to do with opponent’s strengths, but the Mean Green has plenty of room for improvement in the secondary. Also some videos that include Tulane Coaches and QB Nick Montana's thoughts on North Texas... Read more: http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2013/10/the_cheat_sheet_what_you_need_1.html

The defining walls of Tulane’s new on-campus stadium are up, forming a strong geometric backdrop outside Green Wave athletic director Rick Dickson’s third-story office windows in the Wilson Center. The walkway connecting the Hertz Center to under the new football stands is already there. Around campus, preparations are underway for the Helluva Hullabaloo Auction, an annual athletic department fundraiser that raised $800,000 for the athletic fund last year, and homecoming. Inside the Wilson Center, Tulane’s most talented football team in a decade readies for homecoming opponent North Texas (2-2, 0-0 in C-USA), a new Conference USA foe. But this weekend couldn’t be less about who Tulane (3-2, 1-0 in C-USA) is playing. It’s about where the program is and whether football is finally turning a corner after more than 10 years of a bowl drought. “This is probably the one weekend each year that with the nature with kids and alums from Tulane hailing from all 50 states, it’s the one weekend that we capture more of them literally back in New Orleans and at our game than any other weekend all year,” Dickson said. “So to be able to demonstrate that progress to people – that would be a real plus.” Tulane football has another chance to prove to its fan base that hopes for a better season can be measured in something more substantial than words uttered at the coaching press conference podium. Even transfer quarterback Nick Montana knows that. You'll have to forgive the passer who arrived in January for not knowing that Tulane hasn’t won a homecoming game since 2006 against Army until this week when the topic came up. read more: http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2013/10/tulane_football_program_in_spo.html

Rest of the Six-Pack: North Texas (2-2) at Tulane (3-2, 1-0 C-USA); Saturday 3:30pm ET on Fox College Sports: Tulane has won a two games over teams from the state of Louisiana and has built some positive momentum to their season. North Texas has an impressive win over Ball State to their credit and gave Georgia a challenge before the Bulldogs finally pulled away at home. The Mean Green come in with a great passing attack, one that ranks 35th nationally (277.8 yards/game) and is lead by quarterback Derek Thompson. He is completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 1,020 yards and has just six touchdowns and three interceptions. Tulane's stats make you question how they are an owner of a winning record, ranking in the 90's nationally in both passing and rushing—meaning both parts of the ball aren't humming along too well. Sure, Nick Montana has nine touchdown passes, but he isn't doing much else all that well. I'll take North Texas on the road in this one and it has more to do with their offense than the defense, as both teams are bad on that side of the ball...at least that's what the numbers say. Prediction: North Texas 31, Tulane 27 Read more: http://www.bloguin.com/crystalballrun/2013-articles/october/bcs-buster-watch-2013-week-6.html

The good news is that all players were practicing on Thursday but receiver Marc Edwards, who was there but held out with a leg injury. Skidmore to defense Tulane OG Adam Skidmore moved to defense on Thursday. He met with the defensive line, though line coach Jon Sumrall said he will not play there this week. He will help with depth for now, Johnson said. "Yeah, he's helping them out some on the d-line," Johnson said. "We just need some bigger guys over there. We're getting to the point where we got teams coming up, nice-size defensive line and you got East Carolina and Tulsa does too." Read more: http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2013/10/quick_thursday_practice_report.html

SMASH BACK Tulane is facing a smash-mouth North Texas team that isn’t pulling many punches with fancy schemes and moving fronts. The Mean Green hit hard, are fundamentally sound and will challenge Tulane physically. It’s up to the Green Wave to rise to the occasion and match the intensity. The team made some big hits and forced turnovers against ULM with its physicality. Can it sustain that level of intensity on a homecoming week where there are plenty of distractions? “This offense that we are playing is extremely balanced and they are really good,” Tulane co-defensive coordinator Jon Sumrall said. “They run the ball more effectively than people realize because there have been couple of games where they have fallen behind … and had to throw it.” It comes down to the battle in the trenches. “We have to win the physical battle,” Sumrall said. “That’s every football game. We have to stop the run and limit big plays. If you do those things, you have a shot to win.” Read more: http://www.nola.com/tulane/index.ssf/2013/10/three_keys_for_tulane_football_6.html

FACTS & STATS: Site: Mercedes-Benz Superdome (72,003) -- New Orleans, Louisiana. Television: Fox College Sports. Home Record: North Texas 2-0, Tulane 1-1. Away Record: North Texas 0-2, Tulane 2-1. Neutral Record: North Texas 0-0, Tulane 0-0. Conference Record: North Texas 0-0, Tulane 1-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting. Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/02/4524198/north-texas-2-2-at-tulane-3-2.html#storylink=cpy GAME NOTES: In its first ever league game as a member of Conference USA, the North Texas Mean Green will head to New Orleans for a contest with the Tulane Green Wave at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Mean Green had a bye this past weekend, after going toe to toe with SEC power Georgia. Against the nationally ranked Bulldogs, the Mean Green hung tough, with the game tied at 21-21 midway through the third quarter. However, North Texas allowed Georgia to score 24 unanswered points to finish the game and take the win. North Texas has split its first four games. As for Tulane, it rebounded from an embarrassing road loss to Syracuse (52-17) with an impressive 31-14 road win over ULM this past weekend. Orleans Darkwa was the star in the contest as he picked up 118 yards and a touchdown. At 3-2, Tulane is above .500 through five games for the first time since 2003. This marks the first matchup between these two teams. Even though it has yet to play a down in C-USA action, North Texas has been holding its own in comparison to the rest of the league on the offensive side of the ball. The Mean Green rank fourth in the conference in total offense (410 ypg) and are tied for fifth in points per game (29.0). The Mean Green are a team that relies more on the passing game than the run. Derek Thompson heads up the aerial assault and has been doing so efficiently. He has thrown for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns, completing an impressive 67.6 percent of his pass attempts. Darnell Smith and Brelan Chancellor complement each other well as the top receiving duo for the Mean Green. Smith is the consistent possession receiver with a team-high 28 receptions for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Chancellor is the big-play threat with 268 yards and two scores on 17 receptions. His 15.8 yards per reception average is nearly six yards better than Smith's. Carlos Harris (17 receptions, 186 yards, TD) is also a key piece of the aerial assault. When the Mean Green do run the ball, Brandin Byrd (46 carries, 186 yards, two TDs) and Reggie Pegram (36 carries, 143 yards, two TDs) are the two top options, though neither is averaging more than 50 yards per game. Even though North Texas has a positive scoring differential on the season (+2.8), it still hasn't been an overly effective defensive team. The Mean Green are allowing teams to pick up 488.2 yards per game but have been fortunate in the red zone, allowing touchdowns on just 53 percent of the time. Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/10/02/4524198/north-texas-2-2-at-tulane-3-2.html

We are fortunate today to welcome Tammy Nunez of The Times-Picayune to the blog to provide a little insight on Tulane in advance of UNT’s Conference USA opener against the Green Wave down in New Orleans. You can find Tammy’s work on the Times-Picayune website, which is the place to go this week for all your Tulane news. Here’s her take on the UNT-Tulane matchup: 1. How much did Saturday’s win over Louisiana-Monroe mean to Tulane, especially following a win over Louisiana Tech? The ULM victory was key particularly in light of losing to the Warhawks 63-10 the season before and right on the heels of the 52-17 thrashing Tulane took at Syracuse in the previous week. It showed that Tulane could make corrections on special teams and in pass protection and win on the road. It also kept Tulane’s bowl hopes viable. The Green Wave hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2002. Three wins before October showed a program on track for a bowl game. Read more: http://meangreenblog.dentonrc.com/2013/10/qa-with-tammy-nunez-of-the-new-orleans-the-times-picayune.html/

This is a chance for Mac and the team to shake off the horrid road woe albatross this team has had.... It's huge for Tulane as they are having their first homecoming with a winning record in the last 50 years... Tulane is having a big fund raising drive this weekend for the new stadium... UNT will have a STRONG road contingent much like Houston last year...will they leave disappointed? I know if we lose we will hear, "well the C-USA is still wide open", "We weren't playing at the level we can..", "Tulane is going to win some football games now.." and etc etc.. I think I can speak for a lot of fans in that we won't have the stomach for that. I want to show the recruits that chose Tulane over us that they made a mistake...there are a LOT of them who will be starters on the field Saturday... Please Mac -- please don't let us and yourself down. This is a very, very important game for the Mean Green... we need this road win. gmg

A softer schedule and a team aided by junior college players and transfers have produced the desire effect at Tulane University. The Green Wave can at least ponder a trip to a bowl game for the first time since the Wave won the 2002 Hawaii Bowl. It would be a significant step, not a giant one, for the Tulane football program. The Green Wave's strength of schedule, #141 in the latest Sagarin ratings, must at least bring a sense of realism to what is happening uptown. Tulane second-year head coach Curtis Johnson is making solid, incremental progress. There are numbers to like. Tulane is first in Conference USA in turnover margin, interceptions and kickoff coverage. The Green Wave is 43rd in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total defense. Junior college transfer quarterback Nick Montana has done a solid job as Tulane's starter. Montana has thrown nine touchdown passes against only four interceptions. Junior college transfer defensive end Tyler Gilbert of John Curtis Christian School leads Tulane with 2.5 quarterback sacks. Defensive tackle Chris Davenport, transfer from LSU, has 1.5 quarterback sacks. For years, Tulane head football coaches have lobbied for at least some help from junior college players. Those players are helping at two of the key spots on any team, quarterback and defensive line. - See more at: http://www.sportsnola.com/sports/tulane/600331-green-wave-is-set-up-to-secure-rare-bowl-berth.html#sthash.AGzXDNCL.dpuf

http://www.711bourbonheat.com/gallery/private-parties-gallery http://vimeo.com/45826617#at=0