Inside Tulane CCG

[kgreene829]

 

 

Tulane has made history by winning their first ever American Conference Championship. They took down UCF 41-0 but still fell just short of the playoffs however they are set to play in the Military Bowl against Florida State last years National Championships runner ups. Lets not get ahead of ourselves lets go in order because a lot has happened this past week.

 

The event of the week for Tulane fans was the AAC Conference Championship game winning by a score of 41-0 everything went right for Tulane. Starting QB Bronson Morel threw for 528 yards and 5 touchdowns while top WR Fernando Thomas on 21 targets had 11 catches for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns. Everything was clicking for the offense and the defense also looked great getting 3 interceptions along with the shutout. Lets go to the interviews to see what the team has to say.

 

 

Post-Game Interviews

 

 

First up to the Podium as always is head coach Kgreene829 who made a statement before taking questions

 

"Before I take questions I just want to say how proud I am of this team going into this season our goal was to win a bowl game but standing her being the conference champions is a great feeling even if we fell just short of making the playoffs I could not be more proud of this group and while we have one game left we will be taking a week break from team practice. Players are allowed to practice on their own and set up practices with other teammates but they have played a great season and I want to give them the opportunity to relax for a week and soak it in before we start preparing for our bowl game now lets get to the questions."

 

"Hey coach QB Bronson Morel and WR Fernando Thomas are both in the discussion for Heisman what can you say about these two seniors?"

 

"They have both been great all season and are the main reason that we have been so successful this season so I am happy to see them in the discussion they both worked so hard this year and they both deserve to be in the conversation"

 

"Coach UCF has been a great defensive team all season and you have now beat them twice and put up great offensive numbers both times, why have you been able to find success against their defense while other coaches have struggled?"

 

"That is a great question I think a lot of it comes down to matchups, UCF has a great defensive line which makes it really hard to run against them but since we have a weak run game compared to our passing game we were able to exploit the fact that their pass rush has struggled all season. That allows Bronson Morel to have a lot of time to throw and since he is so smart he is able to find holes in coverage a lot. UCF is a great defensive team but looking at each of our teams I think that we have the perfect game plan and personnel to counter them without having to change anything."

 

"Coach one last question before I let you go your originally from Florida and have always been a big UM fan, if an opportunity opened up would you take it?"

 

"Well its hard to say for now I am committed to this team and I will stay with Tulane for at least another 4 seasons, however that coach at Miami now is an idiot, I cant stand him, if I was approached by UM and they told me that they would only fire the current coach if I took the job then I would do it just to get that guy out of my home. If a job did come up though and UM was going to hire somebody else no matter what I would 100% stay with Tulane we are building something great down here."

 

Next to come out was QB Bronson Morel

 

Morel "Hey guys happy to be here but please don't ask me any questions that are too hard I want to try and take it easy for a day or two before I get back to practicing."

 

"Ok I can't make the other reporters go easy but lets start you off with a really easy one, what is your favorite color and why?"

 

Morel "Hey I thought you were going to ask an easy question well since I came from Tennessee I have always been drawn to orange but Tulane has made me love green, blue, and gold so taking football out of my mind I would have to say a really bright yellow, on its own its not a great color but if its used as a highlight it can really enhance how the other colors look."

 

"Ok this will be a bit harder but you have one more game left until you start preparing for the draft what are your plans moving forward?"

 

Morel "Well this class has some great QB talent and because of that I don't think I am a top 3 QB and top 5 is a bit of a reach. If a team drafted me I will be so grateful and will put everything I have into that team like I have with Tulane. I doubt it happens but if I were to go undrafted I have told coach that I would love to come back and be involved in a coaching role not only will I be able to spend more time at Tulane but I believe that coaching could really help me become a better player so it would increase the chances of a team giving me a shot. I love football so I am going to do anything I can to be involved with it for as long as I can and if playing is not in the cards I would love to coach a team of my own but that is a long term goal."

 

"Last question you are now preparing for your last game at Tulane can you talk about what this program has done for you."

 

Morel "Oh boy, well this program has done everything for me 4 years ago I was a 3 star high school senior from Tennessee and this team has helped me grow and develop to the point where I am ready to be drafted and in the Heisman conversation. Tulane has done so much for me and I can't wait for them to do the same thing to even more student athletes."

 

Last interview we had was Fernando Thomas

 

FT "Hey guys happy to be here."

 

"Well Fernando you have over 2,600 receiving yards this year with one game left in the season you have already broken the previous record of 2,060 receiving yards in a season, there are many great WRs this year, do you think your the best one?"

 

FT "Well my mindset is always I am the best but to be honest with you I am not sure WMU has two great receivers who if were not on the same team could have similar numbers to me I can not wait to get to the league and go up against Durham Simmons and Andy Anderson. They just do so much right and each week I push myself to have a better game then them. Penn States got a dude in Richie Igwebuike I mean damn that speed is torched some defenses. Oh and don't even get me started on Oren Colon from TCU he is a beast I mean he runs the cleanest routes I have ever seen. And while I hate to say it Daniel Ennis and Ronald Cimber out of UM have looked impressive they also run some great routes but still fuck UM. I was given more targets which lead to me having more yards and TDs however I think it is a really tight race and I am so happy to have this level of competition at my position and I can't wait to see what they will do in the future but for now each week I see what they do and I try to one up them all."

 

"Ok I think we can all agree that those boys at UM suck and have a QB that is better on OnlyFans than on the field but lets look forward to the draft any teams you hope call your name on draft day?"

 

FT "Well I was born and Raised in Louisiana so it would be really special to get a call from the Saints since that has always been a childhood dream but they are not in the Market for a WR at the moment. With that being said I just want to go too a team that has the same mindset as me and that plays hard every game. I would love to play for any team but teams that jump out to me right now are the Carolina Panthers because they are putting stock in future players I believe that they can become contenders soon and I would also get to play with a lot of other young stars with all of the draft picks they have. Another team is the Baltimore Ravens that boy David Chop is a beast and James Taylor looks like a huge steal in the draft and could be a rising star just seems like a fun team to play with. Last team I will mention is the Tennessee Titans my boy Bronson Morel being from Tennessee he has gotten me invested and that look like they are a WR and a couple more small additions away from contending for a Super Bowl."

 

"Ok last question for you as your leaving Tulane what do you think about the team moving forward?"

 

FT "Well they are losing some big contributors however I am excited to see them play next year Morel was been working hard with Haloti Thomas and Paul McCullers-Sanders so not too concerned about that QB room. Treveon Love and DeVante Pina will be the leaders in the WR room and they have what it takes and Dashaun Knight has made big steps and improved a lot this season. Then you have William Henry and Jeffrey Bouthillier who have committed who look insane I look at Bouthillier and I see a lot of similarities to me. Moving on to the Defense the world is not ready to see Kevin Robles that dude is a beast and he has some other great LBs around him and bringing in Jose Hernandez will be another beast in that room and Gregory Barr could also make a big impact. I am not worried about this team and kind of wish I had another year to play with this team because we have a lot of young talented players that I would have loved to play with. I am 100% going to take a trip back and be involved in the program whenever I have time."

 

Bowl Game interview

 

Later in the week Tulane got the news that they would be playing in the Military Bowl against last years National Championship Runner ups FSU and coach was interviewed about it.

 

Coach "Hey guys any questions about our bowl game?"

 

"Well coach this is your second year with the team and now your 2nd time playing in the Military Bowl can you talk about playing in the same bowl back to back years."

 

Coach "Well its always great to take the trip to Annapolis big fan of Navy coach and everything they do over there. At first I thought it was a glitch but I am pretty happy we play back to back. Its very rare for a team to have a chance to defend their bowl game trophy so we look forward to going back to back. I might even start playing to make the Military bowl ever year now would be cool to have a lock on that bowl game."

 

"Coach you will be playing Florida State what do you have to say about that?"

 

Coach "Well Florida State were runners up National Champions last year and while the team is not the same I really look forward to playing a team that has played in a Natty. Tulsa was a tough game and the team grew a lot after beating a team that is one year off from winning the Natty and beating FSU would be a huge boost but this game will be tough. Kelly Jarwin has looked good this year and looks like he will be a great player for them I hope he can avoid the mistakes of that last QB out of FSU. A real challenge for us will be stopping the run game Clayton McGee is a monster and Franklyn Ho Kang is somebody we have to keep an eye on too. They don't have a superstar at WR but are very deep they have 7 guys that are really solid at that position. Another struggle will be that D-Line we have a bit of a problem with Pass Blocking and Alex Taijeron is a beast that I feel not enough people are talking about and then on the other side you have Hunter Smith who is also a monster. We will look to make some changes to try and give us an edge and it should be a very interesting game a great final test for this team. Oh right I didn't even mention coach @Kirby dude is a great coach he has struggled on the road so we plan to do things to constantly remind them that it is not a home game for them and that should help but it I expect Kirby to have some tricks up his sleeve to stop us."

 

"Well it seems like you have done your research on this team can you talk about game planning against other teams for us."

 

Coach "Well a lot of credit goes to the guys on the team they are great and make my job easier. I love scouting and game planning so that makes it easier but its like a puzzle you need to cancel out the opponents best players while highlighting your best players a good game plan can be the difference between 9-4 and 5-8. I have been so lucky that my team lines up with the way I like to play and that we have matched up well against a lot of teams we beat. But the reason I work so hard on the game plan is this is a great team and I want to put them in the best position to win, I don't want to lose a game and look back and say our guys did everything right if I had game planned better we could have won. At the end of the day I want the team to look back at any game they played and say 'We gave it everything we had I don't see anyway that the outcome changes' If its a win its great but its the same for a loss because that motivates them to get better so next time they can do more to get the win."

 

"Well you said some of them but any other players you are looking out for that could change the game?"

 

Coach "Oh for sure I talked about Taijeron but their MLB Allen Harrison is a beast that just blows things up in the backfield and their two DTs are also monsters that can blow up our O-line. I can go on about almost every player on that roster and why we need to lock them down but to keep things short I am just going to go over one last one that can fly under the radar and that's kicker Ike Tauchman he has only missed 2 FGs this season and a FG or two could be the difference in the game. We have our work cut out for us but I think we are up to the task."

 

"Well thanks coach that's all we have good luck preparing for this game."

 

 

AAC Honors

 

 

Well shortly after bowls were announced the AAC announced their All-Conference teams so lets take some time to honor everyone who made them but lets take a look at the Tulane members who filled up those teams. Before we get into those though we have some Awards. Stats are from the week after CCG week does not include bowl game stats.

 

First up we had WR Fernando Thomas win Offensive Player of the Year for having the NCAA Receiving Triple Crown leading the league in catches, receiving yards, and TDs.

 

In 13 games Fernando Thomas made 130 catches on 212 targets for 2,653 receiving yards and 18 TDs

 

Fernando Thomas is a WR who was born and raised in Louisiana standing at a hair shy of 6'1" and weighing 192 pounds he uses his height to get up and over the defense to make catches and while not the strongest or fastest still is great at bulldozing through defenders and outrunning them. While his routes are not the cleanest he knows the game enough to make up for it by finding holes in the coverage and is incredibly agile. He is going to be entering the draft and is projected to be a first round pick if this happens he would be the 5th Tulane player to be drafted in the first round and the first since QB J.P. Losman was drafted pick 22 by the Buffalo Bills in 2004 and would also be the first Tulane WR to be drafted in the first round as their 4 first round picks are 2 QBs and 2 RBs. Fernando Thomas is also the first Tulane player to win Offensive Player of the Year.

 

Next up we have ILB Khalid Bolt winning Defensive Player of the Year. This is the first Tulane player to win AAC Defensive Player of the Year

 

Khalid Bolt had a great season with the 3rd most tackles in the league with 93.5, 20 TFLs, 1 Sack, and 1 INT in 13 games

 

Khalid Bolt is a 6'3" ILB who weights 248 pounds born and raised in Pennsylvania he makes his money by getting into the backfield either as a pass rusher or a run defender he has incredible strength that he uses to bully opposing offensive linemen. While not the fastest defender he is surprisingly agile for his size Bolt is the whole package. He will also be entering the draft this year and while he has more work to do than Fernando Thomas he is hoping to be the first defensive player from Tulane to be picked in the 1st round of the NFL draft.

 

The final award we have to pass out is AAC Coach of The Year to head coach Kgreene829

 

In his second season as head coach Kgreene829 Tulane is 9-4 which matches his record from last year but this year he has an extra game left to play this year. Kgreene829 has taken a decent Tulane team and brought them into top 25 conversations and just shy of a CFB playoff berth. He also has been a force on the recruiting trail picking up Tulane's 1st 5 star last year and bringing in another 2 5 stars this year. Kgreene829 is the first Tulane coach to win AAC Coach of the Year.

 

Now with those out of the way lets get to the All AAC teams.

 

Tulane had 5 players on the All-AAC First Team those players were

 

QB Bronson Morel

 

 

Bronson Morel went 330 for 620 putting up 5,198 passing yards 35 passing TDs and 18 INTS

 

WR Fernando Thomas

 

 

In 13 games Fernando Thomas made 130 catches on 212 targets for 2,653 receiving yards and 18 TDs

 

OG Jack Todd

 

 

In 13 games Jack Todd had 23 pancak3es while only allowing 4 sacks

 

OLB Jason Beasley

 

 

Jason Beasley had 44.5 tackles, 6 TFLs, 7 Sacks, 2 Recovered Fumbles, and 1 Safety

 

ILB Khalid Bolt

 

 

Khalid Bolt had 93.5 Tackles, 20 TFLs, 1 Sack, and 1 INT

Tulane also had 2 players on the All-AAC Second Team

 

WR Treveon Love

 

 

Treveon Love made 96 catches on 162 targets had 1,321 yards and 9 TDs

 

OLB DeAndre Wisdom

 

 

DeAndre Wisdom had 42 tackles, 17 TFLs, and 3 Sacks

 

and finally Tulane had 2 players that were All-AAC Honorable Mentions

 

CB Xavier Beato

 

 

Xavier Beato had 52 Tackles, 1 Recovered Fumble, 4 Pass Deflections, 3 INTs, and 1 TD

 

FS Kyle Are

 

 

Kyle Are had 49 Tackles, 1 TFL, 2 Forced Fumbles, and 2 INTs

That is all we have for this weeks episode but get ready for our next edition which will be the final one of the season and then after a break we will be back win offseason content

Edited October 30, 2022 by kgreene829