INSIDE SLANT

It’s a hard line to walk for Tulane coach Bob Toledo these days.

With the Green Wave eliminated from bowl contention, there are still two games to play on the schedule, and the way to play those games is certainly open for interpretation.

Toledo could take the approach that he wants to send his seniors out with lots of playing time, especially running back Andre Anderson and wide receiver Jeremy Williams, the two most consistent players on the team this year and stars for the team for a number of seasons.

Or, Toledo could decide to try to go young, giving players on the team that will be around next year more experience to build on to try to make the Green Wave better next year.

Of course, with his win total of nine wins in his three seasons on the job, Toledo may feel some pressure to try to go all out for wins to try to pad his record and help his chances in case the athletic department may be thinking of making a change with the football program.

More than likely, though, Toledo will try for a combination of the three, trying to showcase his seniors will working in some younger players, but definitely going for wins.

“I don’t think there is quit in these guys,” Toledo said. “I really believe that. The mantra is we’re playing for pride and self respect. We need to see if we can win a couple of more games down the road. We have to play for pride. You don’t want to walk onto the field and just let people beat on you. We’ve got to try and win these football games. We want to go out and perform well.”

Of course, victories can fill the needs of all three approaches. The seniors would like to go out on a winning note, the underclassmen would like to have some momentum heading into next season, and Toledo would like to better the four wins he had in his first season with the Green Wave.

It’s easier said than done, but it seems Tulane is planning to play to win the rest of the way.

NOTES, QUOTES

• WR Jeremy Williams enters the UCF game just eight receiving yards from 1,000 for the season, while RB Andre Anderson comes in needing 87 yards to reach 1,000 yards rushing. If both accomplish the feat this year, it will be the first time in school history that the Green Wave have had a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver in the same season.

• QB Ryan Griffin is on his way to becoming just the third freshman to lead Tulane in passing since freshmen became eligible in 1970. Griffin has 1,099 yards through 10 games, putting him on pace to join Shaun King (1995) and Roch Hontas (1976) in the exclusive club.

• S Chinonso Echebelem leads Tulane in tackles with 9.3 per game, which ranks seventh in Conference USA and 30th nationally. He leads all Conference USA players and ranks fifth nationally in forced fumbles with four.

• SERIES HISTORY: UCF 2-Tulane 1 (last meeting, 2006, 10-9, Tulane).

Scouting The Offense:   There is balance on the Tulane offense with QB Ryan Griffin becoming more and more comfortable under center. Griffin has been able to throw the ball and get WRs Jeremy Williams and Casey Robottom involved in the offense quite a bit. RB Andre Anderson has also been solid with the football, putting together some solid games at the end of his senior season. The problem comes with finishing off drives, which has been the team’s Achilles’ heel all season.

Scouting The Defense:   The Green Wave have been very good against the pass all season long, although injuries are starting to take their toll a bit. Leading tackler Chinonso Echebelem is questionable against UCF, which means other players are going to need to pick up the pace. The defensive line shows glimpses of being a dominant group, but Tulane coaches would like to see more consistency out of the group.

Quote To Note:   “I think it would be neat and great for them. I’m all about breaking records, not bad records, but good records. If I had a kid that’s close to something, I’m going to try and get it for him. I’ll help a young man try and establish his place in the record books. I think they will get it and I think it will be a nice little bonus for them and for our program.”—Coach Bob Toledo on WR Jeremy Williams and RB Andre Anderson trying to become the first duo to have 1,000-yard receiving and 1,000-yard rushing seasons in the same campaign.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

This Week  ‘S GAME:

Tulane at UCF, Nov. 21—The Green Wave may have caught the Golden Knights at the right time, as UCF comes off an upset victory over Houston and may be overlooking Tulane. But, UCF could come in with a ton of confidence and be very difficult to beat. The Green Wave need to get their offense going early and try to continue to apply pressure on the Knights. QB Brett Hodges comes off one of his best games for UCF, completing 21-of-25 for 241 yards and a touchdown against Houston.

Keys To The Game:   Tulane needs to get pressure on Hodges and make him make some mistakes in the passing game. The Green Wave could use their own passing game to get things going early, with Jeremy Williams trying to get a couple of big plays. If Tulane gets a lead, look for Andre Anderson to get the ball a lot as the Green Wave look to control the ball and keep it away from the high-powered Knights offense.

Players To Watch:  

QB Ryan Griffin—The redshirt freshman has improved every week and hasn’t made too many costly mistakes. He’ll need to continue that trend this week as Tulane will need some points to keep up with UCF.

RB Andre Anderson—The Knights were able to shut down Houston’s running game for the most part, but Anderson is hoping to get some big runs against UCF. Anderson has gone over 100 yards rushing in the last two games and over 90 in five of the last six contests.

FS Alex Wacha—Back on the field after a minor injury, Wacha has been very productive this year, tying for the team lead in pass breakups, ranking second in forced fumbles and placing third in tackles. Wacha will need to be a big part of Tulane’s defensive effort if the Wave hope to shut down the Knights.

Roster Report:  

• LB David Kirksey has been nursing a groin injury and missed the Green Wave’s loss to Rice. He’s considered questionable for the contest with UCF.

• RB J.T. McDonald missed the Rice game after his father passed away a couple days prior to the contest. McDonald is also expected to miss the UCF game.

• Ankle sprains are making their way through the Tulane lineup, with S Chinonso Echebelem, OG Zach Morgan, LB James McMurchy and FB Antoine Duplessis all considered doubtful for the UCF game with the same injury.