MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / August 18, 1999

NEW ORLEANS – How do you follow up on perfection? That is the question the Tulane Green Wave face as they prepare for the 1999 season.

The Green Wave are coming off a season that exceeded all expectations, going 12-0 in 1998 for the school’s best ever record. Tulane captured theConference USA championship, its first conference title since winning the SEC title in 1949. Its No. 7 national ranking in the final polls was itshighest since finishing the 1939 season ranked fifth.

Tulane will enter the 1999 season with a 13-game winning streak, tied with Tennessee for the nation’s longest, and with a new head coach. ChrisScelfo took over the top spot after Tommy Bowden left for Clemson and led the Green Wave to a victory over Brigham Young in the Liberty Bowl.

“It’s been a smooth transition,” Scelfo said at Tulane’s Media Day Thursday. “Coaching football and relating to players and caring for kidsthat you coach is in my blood so you can do that anywhere.”Scelfo, who served as the offensive line coach at Georgia last season, said there is pressure following up on last year but that would pressure no matter what the team’s record was.

“You feel pressure whether they were 12-0 or 0-12,” Scelfo said. “You putthe pressure on yourself to be successful and be competitive and get the best out of your kids. If you do that, I think you will be successful.”One of the question marks facing the Green Wave heading into the fall was who would be the starting quarterback. Tulane must replace Shaun King,the most prolific passer in school history.

King set the NCAA single-season pass efficiency record last year and became the first Division I-A player to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for over 500 yards in an 11-game season. Currently battling for the positionis sophomore Patrick Ramsey and redshirt freshman Derrick Joseph.

“I think both bring a lot to the table in that both understand what is expected of them right now,” Scelfo said. “Derrick is a very mobilequarterback, Patrick has a very good arm. If one doesn’t jump out, I’m notopposed to playing both of them in our opener and letting the season unfold with one of them getting ahead of the other.”Junior Toney Converse returns at running back after leading the team with 871 yards in 1998. Joining (See TULANE, Page 2C) Converse is John Wilson and Genario Reshard. Another player who mightsee playing time is one familiar to River Parish fans, Jeff Sanchez, a freshman out of Archbishop Hannan.

“Toney is going to be pushed this fall,” Scelfo said. “He’s someone whoknows that he can’t rely on last year because he is the only returning back we have. We are going to play players that make plays and Toney knowsthat and I think he will make them.”Scelfo said the biggest strength on offense is at wide receiver. JaJuanDawson, a two-time all-Conference USA selection, returns after catching 68 passes for 947 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Also returning isjunior Kerwin Cook who caught four passes for 123 yards in the Liberty Bowl.

“JaJuan really has to step up and take pressure off our quarterbacks and take pressure off some of our younger kids,” Scelfo said. “But JaJuan hasbeen through the good times and the bad times and he can draw from that experience and lead our team and they will look up to him.”The offensive line also has the potential to be a strong point. East St. Johnalum Corey Sewell has been moved to right guard after starting all 12 games last year at left tackle and earning all-Freshman honors by the conference and the Football News. First team all-Conference USAselection Bernard Robertson moves to left tackle with Charles Caldwell, an all-Freshman selection two years ago, returns at right tackle after missing last season due to academics.

Third-year starter Kapua Conley is back at center while Jerry Godfrey, a second team all-conference selection last year, returns at guard.

Destrehan alum Chrys Bullock will provide depth on the line as will fellow sophomore Torie Taulli.

Tulane must replace eight starters on the defensive side of the ball, including all four starters on the defensive line. Junior Mitch Mouton willbe at left tackle with sophomore Ryan Brewer at right end. Redshirtfreshmen Jenan Blackmon and Roxie Shelvin will be at left end and right tackle, respectively.

Jerry Phillips, the team’s leading tackler a year ago, returns for his junior year at middle linebacker. Strongside backer Sedric Clemons returns withsophomores David Dorsey and Delando Davis battling for the starting role at weakside linebacker.

Two River Parish grads start in the secondary. Meldon Barnes, a St. Jamesgrad, will start at free safety after playing in the place of injured strong safety Sam Knight last year against Houston and earning conference defensive player of the week honors. Knight will resume the starting spotat strong safety. East St. John grad Ky Joseph will start at rightcornerback with Tim Carter manning the left cornerback spot.

Another River Parish alum, Casey Roussel of St. Charles Catholic, willhandle both the punting and place kicking duties. Roussel replaces BradHill and Brad Palazzo, both all-conference selections, at those positions.

“Casey has got to come through for us,” Scelfo said. “He hasn’t kickedmuch in pressure situations. But we are going to put some on him in campand we expect big things from him.” Tulane faces a tougher schedule in 1999 than it did last year with non- conference road games at Syracuse and Ole Miss. The Green Wave opens theseason at conference favorite Southern Miss.

“Very demanding schedule,” Scelfo said. “It’s one that is laid out in frontof us that you play a conference opponent first and five days later you play a very competitive SMU football team. But you play the games that are laidout to you.”Conference USA will again be competitive. The conference has had threedifferent champions the last three years.

“Top to bottom, who gets hot, who stays injury free will dictate how everyone turns out,” Scelfo said. “How the ball bounces for you willdetermine what happens in our race.””I think very positive,” Scelfo said of the team’s attitude coming out of the spring. “I think these kids playing this year want to prove to everybodythat hey, they are going to be a good football team also. Everybody soldthem short since Shaun graduated, our defense, our kickers. So everybodyhas something to prove.”

Return To Sports Stories

Copyright © 1998, Wick Communications, Inc.

Internet services provided by NeoSoft.

Best viewed with 3.0 or higher