MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / September 8, 1999

NEW ORLEANS – When starting free safety Sammy Knight went down early with a sprained knee in Tulane’s next-to-last game of the season in 1998 against Houston, the undefeated Green Wave were looking for someone to step up to replace their leading tackler in the secondary.

That someone proved to be Meldon Barnes, a redshirt freshman out of St.

James High School. Barnes came off the bench to make 21 tackles in thegame, 11 solo, earning Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week honors after helping Tulane to a 48-20 victory that clinched the conference title for the Green Wave.

“I was on the sidelines and I saw when Sammy go down and I knew I was going to have to step up,” Barnes said. “I went in the game but I reallydidn’t expect to do as well as Sammy did and I made 21 tackles.

“That felt pretty good,” Barnes said of winning the Defensive Player of the Week honor. “Being a redshirt freshman and my first time getting a lotof action and I get player of the week. I think I did a good job ofrepresenting the players and my coaches.”With Knight still out the following week, Barnes got the start against Louisiana Tech and record-setting quarterback Tim Rattay. Barnes saidKnight was a big help in his getting prepared for his first start.

“It wasn’t really pressure because I had paid a lot of attention to Sammy in practice and he helped me out and encouraged me so when it was my turn to play, I was pretty much ready,” Barnes said.

Barnes made five tackles, three solo, as Tulane defeated Louisiana Tech, 63-30, to finish the season undefeated.

“Houston ran the ball pretty much,” Barnes said. “That’s how I got thechance to get 21 tackles. But Louisiana Tech passed the ball a lot so I gota lot of action.”The Green Wave went on to defeat BYU, 41-27, in the Liberty Bowl to cap a 12-0 season and a No. 7 national ranking.Barnes, who had played most of the first half of the season on special teams, played in 11 games, recording 33 tackles, including 21 solos, and was named to the Conference USA all-Freshman squad.

Barnes went to the Green Wave after starting three years at St. James. Hewas twice named to the all-district team and was a member of the coaches’ all-state team his senior year after recording 49 tackles, including 38 solos and two for losses, with an interception, 10 pass breakups and a caused fumble.

“I had a lot playing at St. James,” Barnes said. “We had good coaches. I hada real good career there.”Barnes was recruited by a number of Louisiana schools but decided on Tulane because of its reputation for academics and for the chance to play a higher level of competition.

“I was recruited by a lot of in-state schools but this was the only Division I-A school that recruited me,” Barnes said. “I really want to playD-I ball because it would be better competition and I would learn more.

Plus the education from Tulane could take me far in life.”Barnes was redshirted his true freshman season after an injury limited him in camp. He said it was a good decision in that he probably would haveseen limited action that year anyway and that it helped him get adjusted to the college game.

“I think it helped me a lot,” Barnes said. “I learned a lot my redshirt year.How to make the adjustment from high school to college. You learn a lotmore technique and about the game.” Barnes will start at free safety this season after playing cornerback his final two years at St. James.”There wasn’t that much of an adjustment,” Barnes said. “I just had tobecome a little more physical playing safety.”The Green Wave loses eight starters on defense from a year ago, including cornerbacks Michael Jordan and Alphonso Roundtree and strong safety Tellius Carr. Knight is moving over to strong safety to fill by Carr.”I think we look pretty good,” Barnes said of the defense. “The coacheshave done a real good job of getting us prepared to play. We lost a lot ofkey players from last year but we are doing what he have to do to win.

(Spring and fall) went pretty good. The coaches did a pretty good job ofinstalling the new defense and the players did a good job of learning it.”Tulane head coach Chris Scelfo, who took over for Tommy Bowden at the end of the regular season in 1998 and led the Green Wave to the Liberty Bowl victory, said Barnes has to step up again this year.

“Meldon’s got to play tremendously well for us from the free safety standpoint,” Scelfo said. “I think if he rises to the challenge he will be agood player.”Tulane enters the 1999 season with a 13-game winning streak, tied for the nation’s longest with defending national champion Tennes-see. Thatstreak will be put to a stern test Monday as the Green Wave travels to Hattiesburg to play preseason conference favorite Southern Mississippi in the season opener for both teams. The game will be television by FoxSports with kickoff scheduled for 2 p.m.”This is really a big challenge,” Barnes said. “Opening up, getting to playthe conference favorite, you can decide how the season is going to look from the first game.”Barnes and the Green Wave secondary will also be tested. The GoldenEagles have a new quarterback, junior Cable Davis, who passed for over 4,800 yards and 47 touchdowns the last two years at Butte (Calif.)Community College.

Senior wide receiver Sherrod Gideon owns every season and career receiving record at the school and is an all-American and Biletnikoff award candidate. Senior receiver Todd Pinkston combines with Gideon togive the Eagles one of their best receiving duos, having gained over 800 yards last season. And sophomore running back Derrick Nix had the 19thbest rushing season by a freshman in NCAA history last year with 1,180 yards.

Barnes said the team recognizes the challenge it will face and that it has to put last year behind them.

“That’s in the past,” Barnes said. “It’s a new season and we are lookingforward to doing as well as we did last year.”

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