New Orleans Times-Picayune's preview

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TULANE VS. SMU: THE VITALS

Kickoff: 1 p.m. CDT at Ford Stadium in Dallas.
Records: Tulane 0-1; SMU 1-2.
Coaches: Tulane’s Chris Scelfo (31-41, seventh season); SMU’s Phil Bennett (7-31, fourth season).
TV/Radio: none/no radio in New Orleans; north shore WJSH-FM (104.7) and Baton Rouge WSKR-AM (1210)

KEEP AN EYE ON
TULANE WIDE RECEIVERS: Four receivers saw the field for the first time last week, including Preston Brown, who led the team with nine catches for 117 yards. But Tulane wasn’t too successful going deep. In fact, punter Chris Beckman threw the longest reception against Mississippi State, a 27-yarder to Brown on a fake punt. It will be interesting to see which receivers emerge on Saturdays in the next few weeks, while quarterback Lester Ricard seeks comfort with some sure-handed teammates.

SMU’S RUNNING BACK DEMYRON MARTIN: In the Mustangs’ thrilling victory against Texas Christian, Martin scurried for 118 yards on 26 carries (4.5 yards per carry), scoring two touchdowns. Seven days later at Texas A&M? Eight carries, eight yards. Sure, quarterback Jerad Romo is a scrambler, but for SMU to be successful, its running back must be a threat.

GAMEPLAN: Tulane’s defense, which had a stellar showing against Mississippi State, will have a vastly different challenge against SMU. The Bulldogs played a lot of two-back offensive sets, where the Mustangs will be running a one back, option-style offense – with a quarterback who is a confident passer. The key will be rattling SMU quarterback Romo early. Even though the Mustangs were shellacked by Texas A&M last week, Romo gained confidence after a potent first half. Tulane’s veteran linebackers will be asked to contain the elusive quarterback.
On offense, Tulane will try to take advantage of SMU’s adequate run defense. Last week, Tulane running back Matt Forte’ ran for 66 yards and averaged 3.3 yards, but his backup Jovon Jackson, who had a couple of good practices this week, averaged 4.8 yards on six carries for 29 yards. Both backs are expected to contribute against the Mustangs.
KEY MATCHUP
TULANE QUARTERBACK LESTER RICARD VS. SMU’S SECONDARY: In 2004, Lester Ricard had one of the better second halves of any quarterback in the country. But in the 2005 opener, he looked eerily similar to the inexperienced quarterback in Tulane’s 2004 opener. Ricard will have to make better decisions against an SMU secondary, which has shown some signs of success this season. The Mustangs have picked off five passes, and though it allows 245.7 pass yards per game, that number was skewed by the 405 yards thrown by Texas A&M last Saturday.

BY THE NUMBERS: Tulane senior linebacker Anthony Cannon led the team with 12 tackles last weekend, the 16th time he reached double figures in his career. With seven more tackles, he will crack Tulane's all-time top 10. …Tulane does not have one senior on its defensive line. … In three games, SMU made only three touchdown receptions – one by running back DeMyron Martin and two by Bobby Chase, its leading receiver with 10 catches.

ODDS AND ENDS: The Green Wave traveled to Dallas on Friday afternoon. … SMU will play its first game against a Conference USA team since joining the conference this season. … Tulane spent 13 days in Dallas after evacuating New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina, and the Green Wave spent a lot of time at SMU. The Green Wave ate at the Mustangs’ cafeteria, SMU coach Phil Bennett spoke to the Wave, Tulane coach Chris Scelfo spoke to the Mustangs and the Green Wave attended SMU’s opener against Baylor (the NCAA waived scouting rules for Tulane during the extenuating circumstances). Also, Bennett shared recruiting lists and evaluations with Tulane.

FROM THE COACH’S MOUTH: “Anything we can do to help Tulane, we’re going to do it – other than from (1 p.m. to 4 p.m.) on Saturday.” – SMU coach Phil Bennett.
- Compiled by Benjamin Hochman