Tulane Football Gameweek Preview: Memphis

TULANE TO HONOR 17 STUDENT-ATHLETES ON SENIOR DAY
• The Green Wave return home on Saturday for their final regular season game of the year, as they welcome Memphis to Yulman Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
• Prior to its matchup with Memphis, Tulane will honor its 17-member 2020 senior class.
• Tulane enters its matchup with Memphis with wins in three of its last four games.
• The Green Wave will face Memphis for the 37th time in program history. Memphis holds an 23-12-1 all-time series lead.
• Tulane and Memphis have split the last two meetings, with the Green Wave earning a 40-24 win in 2018, while the Tigers won 47-17 in 2019. Prior to the 2018 season, Tulane had not defeated the Tigers since 2000.
• Tulane has not defeated Memphis in back-to-back home games since the Green Wave defeated the Tigers in the 1988 and 1989 seasons in New Orleans.

FIRST AND 10
1. This year’s senior class has won 24 games since 2017. The 24 wins among this year’s senior class are the most for any four-year group this century.
2. Defensive linemen Patrick Johnson made history three weeks ago at ECU, as he tied a career high with three sacks to set the all-time career sacks record at Tulane. He surpassed Kenan Blackman who had held the mark since 2002.
3. Johnson currently leads the nation in total sacks with 10. He has also logged a sack in five of the last eight games.
4. True freshman Michael Pratt became just the seventh true freshman to start at quarterback since 1975. Pratt became the first true freshman to earn a win as a starter since 1985 (Terrence Jones in 1985 was the last). His 16 touchdown passes are the most by a true freshman in program history.
5. Tulane enters its matchup with Memphis having scored 30-or-more points in seven of its last eight games, including a 66-point outburst back on Sept. 26 against Southern Miss. Tulane has not scored 30-or-more points in seven games in the same season since the 1998 campaign.
6. The Green Wave rank third nationally and first in the American Athletic Conference as a team with 33.0 sacks on the year. Tulane’s 33.0 sacks rank ninth all-time in a single season in program history.
7. Redshirt sophomore running back Cam Carroll has rushed for a touchdown in five of the Green Wave’s 10 games this season. He has also rushed for two or more touchdowns in four games this season. Against Southern Miss, Carroll scored four touchdowns. Carroll ranks 15th in the nation and ranks second in The American in total touchdowns with 11.
8. Tulane’s special teams’ unit ranks as one of the best in The American. The Green Wave rank third in the league in kick return average (25.3) and rank fourth in punt return average (12.4). In addition, Ryan Wright leads The American and ranks eighth nationally in punting, averaging 46.1 yards per punt.
9. Tulane has rushed for over 100 yards in 62 of its last 63 games. Tulane had its 56-game streak of rushing for at least 100 yards snapped at Houston back on Oct. 8.
10. The Green Wave have also surpassed 200 yards rushing in 15 of their last 23 games dating back to the start of the 2019 season. Tulane ranks second in the American in rushing yards per game, averaging 224.3 per game.

SCOUTING MEMPHIS
• The Tigers enter their matchup with Tulane after earning a hard fought 10-7 win at Navy this past Saturday.
• Since joining The American in 2013, Memphis has posted a 66-34 overall record and a 41-21 record in league play.
• Memphis has posted 63 victories since 2014, giving the Tigers the 10th-most wins in the FBS in that span. The 63 wins are the most among American Athletic Conference schools during that stretch.
• Quarterback Brady White leads the way for the Tigers offensively, as he has thrown for 23 touchdowns and 2,397 yards. Throughout his career, White has thrown for 9,707 career yards.
• Defensively, Quindell Johnson leads the way. The reigning AAC Defensive Player of the Week has collected a team-best 60 tackles (45 solo).
• As a team, Memphis averages 488.1 yards per game.
• Head coach Ryan Silverfield is in his first full season on the sidelines for the Tigers. Silverfield (6-3) has been the head coach for eight games, beginning with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl in 2019.
• He is one of five former offensive line coaches that are now an FBS head coach (Shawn Clark – Appalachian State, Mario Cristobal – Oregon, Shawn Elliott – Georgia State and Sam Pittman – Arkansas).
• Memphis was picked to finish third in the preseason.