This is Scelfo’s first job as a head coach, but he has spent most of his career with winning programs. Losing does not sit well with him.
His career started as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma, where he spent two years. He was then part of Marshall’s climb from Division I-AA power status to Division I-A, spending his last three seasons as the Thundering Herd’s offensive coordinator.
Scelfo then went to Georgia, where he was assistant head coach.
It has been no picnic for Scelfo at Tulane. Not when you’re taking over for a guy like Tommy Bowden, whose 1998 team took an 11-0 record to the Liberty Bowl.
When Bowden was hired by Clemson in December of that year, Scelfo took over the Green Wave and coached it to a 23-20 victory in the Liberty Bowl.
After going 3-8 in his first full season, Scelfo’s second team won its last three games and finished 6-5. There was much optimism entering 2001.
The Green Wave’s hopes for a big season were dashed early when it gave up an average of 56.3 points in its first three games, losses to BYU, LSU and East Carolina.
Central Florida then handed the Green Wave its first late-game defeat, scoring a touchdown with 2:20 left for a 36-29 victory.
Tulane then posted its first victory of the season, beating Southern, 41-7.
In its sixth game, the Green Wave rallied to within six points against Cincinnati late in the game, but the Bearcats scored with less than a minute left and sealed the victory.
In the eighth game, UAB outscored the Green Wave 10-3 in the fourth quarter and won by seven points. The next week, Army continued the Green Wave’s fourth-quarter woes. The Cadets outscored the Green Wave, 21-14, in the fourth quarter and won by seven.
Tulane lost two of its last three games by decisive scores to Louisville and Southern Mississippi, but posted a 42-28 victory over Navy in the 11th game of the season.
Scelfo said the 2001 season gave the team some off-season incentives.
QUARTERBACKS
So long, Patrick Ramsey. The successor to current Tampa Bay Buccaneer Shaun King became the Green Wave’s first NFL first-round draft choice in 41 seasons when he was chosen by the Washington Redskins with the last pick of the first round, the 32nd overall.
Ramsey set 30 school records in his three years as the starter. Last season, he completed 57.1 percent of his passes for 2,935 yards and 22 touchdowns with only 13 interceptions. He ranked 10th in the nation in completions per game (23.3) but was only seventh in the conference in pass efficiency, completing 256-of-448 passes.
Tulane, meanwhile, is anxious to see what junior J.P. Losman (6-3, 202) can do now that the starting quarterback’s job belongs to him.
Losman started one game in each of the last two seasons and was limited by a knee injury for most of 2001. In three games last season, Losman completed 31-of-49 passes for 487 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.
Against Army, Losman completed 25-of-39 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns.
During the 2000 season, Losman played in 10 games and completed 58-of-115 passes for 722 yards and four touchdowns. He was intercepted twice. He rushed for 133 yards, third on the team, that year.
Senior Derrick Joseph (5-11, 187) and red-shirt freshman Dayne Ashley (6-3, 213) are Loosman’s backups.
RUNNING BACKS
The Green Wave has one of the best backs in the conference -- if not the nation -- in junior Mewelde Moore (6-1, 203).
Last season, Moore, chosen to the All-C-USA first team, became the first player in NCAA Division I-A history to rush for more than 1,250 yards and catch 60 passes in a season. He broke Tulane’s 53-year-old record for single-season rushing yardage when he gained 1,421 yards while breaking the school and conference record for all-purpose yards in a season with 2,259.
Moore, who averaged 5.4 yards per carry, became the first player in school history to gain 100 yards in rushing and receiving in the same game. He rushed for 131 yards and had 130 receiving yards against Navy last season. He led Tulane in receptions with 65 and had two 100-yard receiving games and seven 100-yard rushing games. He finished with 756 receiving yards, averaging 11.6 yards per catch. He rushed for eight touchdowns and caught seven touchdown passes.
Moore’s 15 touchdowns are the second most for a Tulane player in a single season and his 65 catches are the most for a running back at Tulane. He became the first Tulane player to gain more than 2,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a career.
Junior Brant Hocke (5-8, 190), the backup for Moore, had only four carries last season. Junior fullback Kris Coleman (6-0, 249) was the team’s second-leading rusher last season with 101 yards and two touchdowns. Coleman averaged 3.2 yards per on 32 carries.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
Losman will have plenty of talented targets, as most of the receiving corps returns.
Leading the way will be junior Roydell Williams (6-2, 171), who led Tulane receivers with 56 catches for 886 yards. He had a team-high 11 touchdowns and team-high 15.8 yards per catch. He ranked in the top 10 in C-USA in catches per game and yardage per game.
In the spring, Williams joined the Green Wave baseball team. A former fifth-round draft pick by the Cincinnati Reds, Williams is a backup outfielder and pinch runner for Tulane. His great speed makes him an outstanding base runner.
The key loss from the 2001 receivers was Terrell Harris, third on the team in catches 53 for 623 yards. He caught three touchdown passes.
Sophomore Carl Davis (5-11, 172) is one of Tulane’s top young receivers. Davis caught 25 passes for 277 yards and one touchdown last season as a starter.
Others slotted as starters at the end of the spring were sophomore Chris Bush (6-1, 189) and junior Nick Narcisse (6-0, 181). Backups were junior James Dunn (5-8, 166), sophomore Tristan Smith (6-0, 185) and freshman Cletus McGee (6-1, 190).
Smith caught 22 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown in only seven games last season.
Dnn had 18 catches for 169 yards and Narcisse 16 catches for 126 yards and one touchdown in only eight games.
Sophomore Bobby Hoover (6-4, 252) returns as the starting tight end. His backups at the end of spring were freshman Jerome Landry (6-4, 236), junior Stephen Hedemann (6-3, 231) and sophomore Laine Sambrooks (6-5, 255).
OFFENSIVE LINE
The biggest losses offensively were on the line, where four starters have departed. Gone are tackles Chrys Bullock and Corey Sewell, center Torie Taulli, and guard Charles Caldwell.
Taulli was the best of the bunch. He was chosen to the All-C-USA first team in 2001. His likely successor will be junior Brendon Drysdale (6-1, 309) with freshman Joe Traina (6-3, 269) as the backup. Drysdale, a former walk-on, gained some experience last season as Taulli’s backup.
The lone returning starter on the line is senior right guard Seth Zaunbrecher (6-4, 299). His backup at the end of spring was junior Joe Mitchell (6-3, 324).
At left guard, senior Derick Bugg (6-3, 297) has ample experience, having played in seven games last season with two starts. Red-shirt freshman Matt Traina (6-3, 269) was Bugg’s backup in the spring.
Red-shirt freshman Chris McGee (6-4, 255) was slotted as the starting left tackle in the spring and Bugg was the backup.
At right tackle, sophomore Jimmy Kosienski (6-7, 264) was the starter and junior Renzi Sandras (6-2, 299) was the backup.
KICKERS
Senior Seth Marler (6-0, 195) returns as the top place-kicker in C-USA, having earned All-C-USA and All-American honors in 2001. Marler, the winner of the 2001 Lou Groza Award, became Tulane’s first All-America first-team player since Marc Zeno in 1987 and only the 17th in the school’s history.
Marler made 15-of-16 field-goal attempts, ranking second in the nation with a .937 percentage (kickers must have kicked 14 or more attempts to be ranked). His only miss was a 28-yarder in the next-to-last game of the season against Navy.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Perhaps the strength of the defense is on the line, where all four starters return. Three of them are seniors -- ends Kenan Blackmon (6-5, 252) and Floyd Dorsey (6-0, 256) and tackle Roxie Shelvin (6-2, 289). The other returning starter is sophomore tackle Wallace Mateen (6-0, 287).
Blackmon has been Tulane’s sack leader two of the last three seasons. In 2001, Blackmon had 53 tackles and team-highs in tackles for loss with 14 and sacks with eight. In C-USA, Blackmon ranked fifth in sacks and 11th in tackles for loss. He also had three pass breakups and three forced fumbles.
Sophomore Brandon Rottmayer (6-5, 257) was Blackmon’s backup with freshman Willie Christian (6-5, 255) slotted third at that end.
Senior Chris Washington (6-2, 237) was Dorsey’s backup at the end of the spring.
One player to watch on the line will be sophomore Jay Ashton (6-3, 252), who was chosen to the C-USA All-Freshman team last year. Ashton and Washington were actually slotted as co-backups behind Dorsey in the spring.
LINEBACKERS
Several changes have taken place within the linebackers, the biggest of which had senior Terry Fontenot (5-11, 210) moving from strong safety to strong-side linebacker. He will compete for the starting job with junior Wesley Heath (6-0, 215), who started at weak-side linebacker last year, and junior Daniel Nevil (6-1, 219).
Nevil was second on the team in tackles last season with 112 and was second in tackles for loss with 12. He also had five sacks, tied for second on the team.
Fontenot played in 11 games and had 36 tackles. Heath was fourth on the team in tackles with 67 and had six tackles for loss and one sack. Also in the mix at strong-side linebacker is sophomore Chris Williams (6-3, 218).
It appears the strong-side linebacker spot is loaded with talent and experience, and the Green Wave will likely do some rotating at that position.
Clearly, the Green Wave would like to have Nevil on the field.
At middle linebacker, junior Emmanuel Sewell (6-1, 230), slowed by injuries last season, will battle sophomore Blake Baker (5-10, 22). Sewell played in eight games last season and had 10 tackles. Baker played sparingly in nine games.
Sophomore Brandon Spincer (6-2, 215), one of the top freshman linebackers in C-USA last season, is the likely starter at weak-side linebacker.
As a freshman, Spincer was fifth on the team in tackles with 65 and had three tackles for loss and one sack. Against UAB, Spincer had a huge game, making 14 tackles, including seven solo tackles.
Freshman Antonio Mason (6-0, 212) will probably be Spincer’s backup at weak-side linebacker.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Senior free safety Adrian Mitchell (5-10, 193) leads the secondary, which returns three of the four starters, but Mitchell was moved to strong safety in the spring.
Both cornerbacks return -- junior Lynaris Elpheage (5-9, 170) on the left side and senior Jeff Sanchez (5-10, 176) on the right side.
Mitchell, however, is the marquee guy in the back of the defense. Last season, Mitchell led the team in tackles with 138 and had five tackles for loss and one sack. He also intercepted two passes, had 10 pass breakups, recovered two fumbles and forced two fumbles.
Mitchell ranked fourth in C-USA in tackles and his 138 stops were the most for a Tulane player in 16 seasons, since Burnell Dent had 139 in 1984.
In seven games, Mitchell led the team in tackles and he had double-figure tackles in eight games. He had a season-high 16 tackles against Army, including 13 solo tackles. He was chosen as Tulane’s defensive MVP.
In the 2000 season, Mitchell played in all 11 games and started the last five games at free safety. He had 19 tackles against Navy, the most for a C-USA player in the 2000 season.
Senior Quentin Brown (5-9, 175) was slotted as the starter at free safety in the spring and sophomore Joey Dawson (6-2, 185) was his backup.
Freshman Bruce Youmans (5-10, 179) was Elpheage’s backup at left corner. Mitchell’s backups were sophomore Tra Boger (6-1, 203), junior Winfred Brown (5-9, 183) and sophomore Gerald Brobbey (5-9, 184).
Sanchez will be backed up by sophomore Darren Sapp (6-0, 185) and freshman Bart Grasso (6-0, 182).
Of the backups, Boger could play the biggest role. He was chosen to the C-USA All-Freshman team after playing in 12 games and starting seven. He ranked sixth on the team in tackles with 60, including 42 solo tackles, and had three tackles for loss.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Marler is one of the best place-kickers in the nation, and it appears he will be doing the punting this season, too. That’s a bit of a risk.
Elpheage was the primary returner last season, and that probably won’t change in 2002. He averaged 7.0 yards on 19 punt returns a year go. None of his teammates returned a punt.
Against Southern, Elpheage’s 64-yard punt return for a touchdown was Tulane’s first since 1988. He also returned a punt 33 yards against Navy. His 59-yard return against Central Florida was the team’s longest since 1997, but that was bested by his return against Southern the next week.
Elpheage was also the top kick returner, averaging 22 yards on 17 returns.
Sanchez, the defensive back, returned 12 kickoffs for a 16.4-yard average and Hocke had 10 returns for a 19.6-yard average.
Moore and Smith each returned five kicks; Moore averaged 16.4 yards and Smith averaged 18.4.
RECRUITING CLASS
Scelfo signed 23 players in 2002, 11 of whom earned all-state honors in Louisiana, Texas or Georgia.
"We addressed some obvious needs with this class," Scelfo said. "This group will be a good supplement to our present team. We were fortunate to draw kids from many different areas that fit the profile of Tulane University."
The Green Wave signed at least one player for every position except kicker. Offensively, it signed five linemen, two quarterbacks, three wide receivers, one tight end, one tight end/lineman and one running back.
Defensively, the Green Wave signed three linebackers, two linemen, two cornerbacks, one safety and one end. One players signed as listed as an athlete.
The quarterbacks are Nick Cannon (6-3, 198) of Hahnville (La.) High School and Billy Don Malone (6-2, 180) of North Lamar High in Blossom, Texas.
Cannon was a finalist for the Wendy’s High School Heisman and was chosen one of the state’s top 100 recruits by Louisiana Football Magazine. He threw for 2,730 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior and was intercepted only six times. He also rushed for 428 yards and three touchdowns.
Malone was chosen as one of the state’s top 100 recruits by the Waco Tribune-Herald and the Dallas Morning News, which listed him No. 28. As a senior, Malone threw for 1,896 yards and 18 touchdowns with eight interceptions.
Jovan Jackson (5-11, 210) of Gibbs Senior High in St. Petersburg, Fla., was the lone running back signed. Jackson rushed for 1,200 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior. He also played linebacker and had 112 tackles, two interceptions and nine sacks. In the Palm Pinellas All-Star Classic, Jackson intercepted a pass and returned it for the winning touchdown.
"I think we addressed a need at every position," Scelfo said. "The amount of scholarships we had available allowed us to fulfill that goal."
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
Ramsey was able to keep Tulane in some games last season with his prolific passing. Now that he’s gone, what will the Green Wave do?
For starters, it has Moore, one of the best running backs in the country in terms of rushing and catching the football.
Scelfo had to rebuild his offensive line, which lost four starters. Scelfo believes the two quarterbacks who will try to fill the void left by Ramsey can do the job. Losman ended the spring as the No. 1 quarterback and Joseph was No. 2.
"As we move forward I’m very excited about the upcoming season, about the potential we have," Scelfo said at the end of spring practice. "We’ve got good leadership on the defensive side of the ball with several seniors starting for us who’ve been playing. Offensively we’re looking for some guys to rise up and obviously with a new quarterback there in J.P. Losman and Derrick Joseph I feel that’s a situation that has a tremendous amount of potential."
There are plenty of holes to be filled on the offensive side and plenty that need to be filled defensively. If the Green Wave is going to improve on last year’s 3-9 record, it starts with defense.
It was a porous defense in 2001, one that ranked last in C-USA in total defense (490.3), last in scoring defense (41.3) and last in rushing defense (249.1).
Sure, all the starters return, but with the lack of success the unit had last season, some changes are probably in order.
Scelfo says the difference in the defense this year is leadership. The Green Wave led the conference in total offense and passing offense last season and ranked fourth in scoring offense. Getting that kind of production will be difficult, so the defense must improve considerably.
"The big thing is that we have senior leadership on defense this year," Scelfo said. "We potentially could start seven seniors and two fifth-year seniors, so there is some experience and maturity there that we’ve lacked.
"Our confidence level on defense was impressive every day during the spring and that’s gong to be critical to our success next year."
