Coming off a 10-point win last Thursday night, Temple is back home to host Tulane Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon and the game will be televised on ESPNU.
Tuesday was a time for Owls head coach Rod Carey and several of his players to talk about being bowl eligible for the sixth straight season and what Temple can expect Saturday against the Green Wave.
Here are OwlScoop.com's observations and notes from Tuesday’s weekly media session at Chodoff Field and Edberg-Olson Hall. You can watch and listen to the interviews here.
Tulane - What to know
Temple and Tulane, which hold identical 6-3 records overall and 3-2 in conference play, have played each other three times since joining the American Athletic Conference. Tulane is in search of its first win at Temple.
The last time Temple and Tulane faced off was Nov 19, 2016. The Owls dominated the Green Wave and secured a 31-0 win in New Orleans. The last time Temple and Tulane faced off at Lincoln Financial Field was Oct 10, 2015. The Owls won 49-10.
Temple has outscored Tulane 104-33 overall in the four-game series.
The Green Wave are led by senior quarterback Justin McMillan, an LSU transfer who is 11-4 as a career starter.
“I think he’s a fantastic quarterback,” Carey said Tuesday. “He throws it well, too, which makes him extremely dangerous. He’s got a cannon for an arm, so he can throw it really deep, too. He can extend plays even when they’re not running him or when it’s not zone-read. He runs the offense effectively, you can tell with all the backs behind him, it doesn’t change. He has complete control of the offense.”
McMillian leads the Green Wave with 12 rushing touchdowns. He is one of only three quarterbacks in the FBS that has rushed for 12 or more touchdowns. McMillian is tied for 11th nationally among all players.
In Will Hall’s first season as offensive coordinator, Tulane has tallied 500 yards or more total offense in five games this season. Since 2016, Tulane has only surpassed 500 yards of total offense in two games prior to this season.
Tulane currently ranks 22nd in the nation in total offense and fourth in The American, averaging 473.6 yards per game and 6.81 yards per play. Tulane’s 6.81 yards per play average ranks 13th in the nation and third in The Amercian.
The Owls will have their hands full in the running game yet again. Tulane enters its matchup with Temple with the nation’s 10th-ranked rushing attack, averaging 261.2 yards per game. The Green Wave is the only team in the conference to have six running backs rush for 200 or more yards this season
“They’re going to keep running fresh bodies at you, so that’s the biggest challenge,” Carey said. “They’re really good players obviously, because they wouldn’t play them if they weren’t all good players.”
Redshirt senior running back Corey Dauphine is second on the team in rushing with 455 yards and leads the team with a 9.9 yards-per-carry mark. Senior running back Darius Bradwell ranks third on the team in rushing with 347 yards (4.8 yards per carry). Bradwell needs just 76 yards to become the 13th running back in program history to surpass 2,000 career rushing yards. Sophomore running back Amare Jones is fourth for Tulane with 267 rushing yards, while redshirt freshman Cameron Carroll has rushed for 248 yards and one touchdown.
Jones ranks fifth in The American with 126.3 all-purpose yards per game. With 54 return yards against Tulsa, Jones eclipsed 1,000 all-purpose yards for his career and now has 1,030. He’s also third in The American and 35th in the nation in kickoff return yards, averaging 23.2 yards per return.
At receiver, senior Darnell Mooney and graduate transfer Jalen McCleskey have combined for 4,610 receiving yards over their collegiate careers. Mooney (2,395 yards) and McCleskey (2,215 yards) are the wide receivers in the FBS that have suprasses 2,100 career receiving yards. Mooney (19) and McCleskey (19) also have combined for 38 total touchdowns over their collegiate careers.
On the other side of the football, Tulane’s defensive unit has held six of its nine opponents - FIU, Auburn, Missouri State, Army, UConn and Tulsa - under their season average in total yards .
“They’re very disciplined, fundamentally sound,” Temple quarterback Anthony Russo said. “They have a good D-Line. They’re going to play a lot of press-coverage, a lot of man-coverage, so it’s another opportunity for our wideouts to be able to work in space. They know their system well and they don’t make too many mistakes.”
“They have pretty consistent fronts, as far as what they do schematically,” center Matt Hennesy said of Tulane’s defense. “As far as personnel, they have some super talented guys. Guys who play really hard, especially on the edges. They have a big guy inside, who is an absolute load, so it will definitely be a challenge for us up front.”
The Green Wave secondary is limiting opponents to just 196.9 passing yards per game - a figure which ranks third in The American and 32nd among FBS teams.
The College Football phenomenon of awarding players who come away with a turnover got a little New Orleans flair as the Green Wave introduced the nation to the Takeaway Beads back in 2018.
Tulane’s beads made their return in 2019, as senior cornerback Thakarius Keys and Cameron Sample each came away with turnovers in the Green Wave’s 2019 season opener against FIU.
Tulane has returned two interceptions for touchdowns and one fumble for a score this season. Tulane has forced 12 turnovers, and its eight interceptions ranks fourth in The American and rank 45th nationally.
Going bowling
The Owls are bowl eligible for the sixth straight season after beating USF 17-7 last Thursday.
“I think in a macro-perspective, it shows how far the program has come,” Hennessy said. “Doing it consistently, it’s almost an expectation at this point, which is awesome.”
Against USF, Temple got back on track. The Owls scored the only touchdown of the first half on a one-yard touchdown pass from Todd Centeio to tight end Kenny Yeboah. The touchdown was set up by a 57-yard run from Jager Gardner. Jadan Blue led all receivers with 11 catches for 121 yards. It was his third 100-yard receiving performance of the season.
“They accounted for me for the run and left the whole side of the field empty and then he ran down the sideline,” Ceneio said of Gardner’s 57-yard run. “You guys didn’t peep it, me and Blue were hauling down the field trying to block for him. Like I said, Jager did a great job last game. He came in there and does what we know he can do.”
The front four caused problems for the USF offense all night. The defense held USF to 61 yards rushing and 286 total yards in the contest and recorded nine sacks. Defensive end Quincy Roche had a career-high 3.5 sacks, fellow defensive end DeAndre Kelly had a strip sack for the second time this season, and Dana Levine had 1.5 sacks. Cornerback Christian Braswell also had a forced fumble that was scooped by linebacker Sam Franklin, who took it 39 yards for a touchdown.
Replacing Picozzi
The Owls will be without one of their better offensive linemen for the remainder of the season. Vincent Picozzi is out for the season after suffering an injury in Thursday’s win over USF.
“It’s tough because not only is he a great player for us, great offensive linemen, but just his presence out on the field,” Russo said. “He’s a guy that’s played a lot of games for us. He’s a leader out on the field.”
“That’s certainly tough,” Henessey said. “He’s a guy who's started a bunch of games now. One of the really great players we have on the offensive line and a great dude off the field as well. Hate to see it happen to him. I know he’s going to rehab well and get back to it and get back to doing what he does.”
Carey echoed that the Owls will miss Picozzi, but that they have been working their depth for moments like these. He mentions players like Leon Pinto, Joseph Hooper, David Nwaogwugwu and Griffin Sestili as players who are engaged in a battle to help replace Picozzi on the offensive line.
Injuries
In addition to Picozzi, linebacker Isaiah Graham-Mobley is out for the season as well. He suffered an injury in Temple’s loss to UCF and underwent surgery after the game.
“He got clipped, he got rolled up on,” Carey said. “He had surgery, so he’s done for the year.”
William Kwenkeu is an option to help fill Graham-Mobley’s void, as well as Audley Isaacs and George Reid. Kwenekeu will redshirt this season, but due to NCAA rules, he can still play because he has not surpassed the four-game threshold. The Owls have three games remaining and he has not appeared in a game this season.
Kwenkeu has dealt with a nagging thumb injury and he’s back practicing for the first time in multiple weeks, according to Carey. He will need to see an increase in reps to make it back on the field, but Carey has “high hopes” that he come back and play.
Carey was more optimistic that running back Re’Mahn Davis (high ankle sprain) and safety Benny Walls (undisclosed upper body injury) would be ready for Saturday’s contest.
“Really hopeful,” Carey said of Davis. “He’s practiced, he’s looked good. I would expect him to play. Benny practiced today full for the first time. I’m probably a little more reserved on him, but certainly would like to see tomorrow and how the rest of the week progresses.”
Extra Points: - Temple vs. Tulane is a rematch of the first ever Sugar Bowl that took place on New Year’s Day 1935. The Owls will be wearing throwback jerseys to commemorate the game.
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