Tulane taking no chances (Can you blame it?)
Ken Rogers
Tulane’s football team’s visit to Tuscaloosa for next Saturday’s Alabama home opener has turned into a college road trip.
In advance of Tropical Storm Gustav, Tulane’s athletic department has evacuated its student-athletes, coaches and staff out of New Orleans.
The university closed at noon today and classes will resume on Thursday, Sept. 4.
The football team, which will play in Bryant-Denny Stadium next Saturday night at 6 p.m., will leave for Birmingham on Saturday and practice all week in the Magic City.
“We have an annually revised plan that assures the safety of our 280 student-athletes, which is our top priority,” Director of Athletics Rick Dickson said in a statement released by the university. “It gives us the flexibility of determining the manner in which we evacuate. We chose the option of sending two of our active teams—football and volleyball—to their competition sites earlier in light of the fact that classes are cancelled through next Wednesday. Additionally, an efficient model of tracking every out-of-season student-athlete will occur at the conclusion of classes on Friday. This tracking system is monitored by our athletic staff and coaches and assures that all our student-athletes reach safe harbor.”
The TU volleyball team flew out of New Orleans on Thursday for their season opener at the BYU Molten Classic in Provo, Utah, and will remain on a West Coast road trip. It will travel directly to its next tournament, the Paso Robles Marriott Invitational, Sept. 5-6, at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
The Green Wave women’s golf and tennis teams, along with the men’s and women’s cross country teams, will relocate as well on Saturday, but to the campus of Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss.
Tulane has cancelled both the Green Wave Invitational cross country meet, which was scheduled for Friday afternoon at City Park, and the TU volleyball home opener against Florida A&M on Monday, Sept. 1.
Tulane was crippled in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. As Gustav gains strength in the Gulf of Mexico, school leaders clearly want to be as proactive as possible. Being reactive after Katrina simply didn’t work. Can’t blame them for thinking safety first. They’ve seen what can happen if you wait. Nobody wants to go through that again.
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/29 at 02:08 PM
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Fanuzzi enrolls at Rice
Ken Rogers
Fifth-string quarterback Nick Fanuzzi, who informed Nick Saban of his decision to transfer last weekend, has enrolled at Rice and will be eligible to play next season.
Fanuzzi, from San Antonio, Texas, told Moisekapenda Bower of the Houston Chronicle that things didn’t work out the way he planned at Alabama.
“The opportunity to come to a place like this (where) the coaches and players are one unit is not a hard decision to make,” Fanuzzi said.
Fanuzzi will have three seasons of eligibility at Rice.
Rice uses the spread offense, similar to what Fanuzzi ran in high school.
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/28 at 10:46 AM
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Tommy Bowden: Koenning was just kidding
Ken Rogers
A day after Clemson defensive coordinator Vic Koenning all but suggested recruiting improprieties at Alabama, Tigers head coach Tommy Bowden tried to clean up the mess by saying the coach was kidding.
Koenning, a former head coach at Wyoming and former Troy University assistant, recruits the Mobile area for the Tigers. Monday, he was asked about Alabama freshman Julio Jones and if Koenning had talked with him recently.
Koenning, in front of about half a dozen reporters, said:
“Julio? You know what, I actually ran into Julio in the spring recruiting. I said hello to him and said, ‘I guess I’ll be seeing you at the end of August.’ Then he got out and got in his (Cadillac) Escalade and drove off. That’s (being) serious. And then I went over and watched (Alabama freshman athlete signee) Burton Scott at Vigor High School at the track over there, and Burton Scott was running around. He went and got in his Escalade out at track practice and drove off. So I’m familiar with those two guys.”
Later, Koenning asked Clemson sports information director Tim Bourret to let the reporters know he wasn’t being serious.
He needs better jokes. You’d think a guy who recruited football players in the state of Alabama would know that recruiting is not a joking matter. I’m sure Nick Saban is doubled over in laughter.
Tommy Bowden said he was surprised everyone is blowing Koenning’s comments out of proportion.
“I’ve been here for 10 years and recruited against Alabama in the state of Alabama for 10 years, and have never had a problem with Alabama or Auburn either one,” Bowden said. “That’s why I was surprised such a big thing was made (of Koenning’s comments). Vic coached at Troy; he’s got friends in the state. I’ve got friends in the state, have never had a problem with either school.
“And the guy makes an off-the-cuff comment, and I know we’re really looking for things to write about, talk about on the Internet and talk shows. If we’d had some bad blood in the past (with Alabama) — but here’s a school that has had zero bad blood and has recruited that state actively. That’s why I was kind of surprised about all that got made of it that it did. I didn’t say anything to (Koenning), but he was kidding.
“We didn’t even recruit him, Julio Jones. That shows how insignificant the statement is.”
OK. But Koenning, who should have known better if he was joking, might have introduced a bit of bad blood with his comment.
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/26 at 01:15 PM
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Fanuzzi will transfer; Tide releases depth chart
Ken Rogers
Alabama has a depth chart, and quarterback Nick Fanuzzi isn’t on it.
Tide head coach Nick Saban said Fanuzzi, a 6-3, 207-pound redshirt freshman from San Antonio, has left the team and will look for some playing time.
Saban said Fanuzzi is a great kid, hard worker and did everything coaches asked. Still, Fanuzzi, who was running the Clemson offense for the scout team at practice last week, wasn’t going to get on the field. Senior John Parker Wilson is the starter, backed up by Greg McElroy. Star Jackson and Thomas Darrah are still competing for the No. 3 slot. Saban said he wishes Fanuzzi well and offered to help him find a better situation.
Saban’s depth chart answers some questions in the defensive front seven. Defensive ends will be Bobby Greenwood, Lorenzo Washington and Brandon Deaderick. Saban said he considers all three starters. Terrence Cody and Josh Chapman are at nose tackle. Rolando McClain is the mike linebaacker, backed up by Charlie Higgenbotham and the suspended Prince Hall. Also inside, at the will position, is true freshman Don’ta Hightower, then Chris Jordan and Jennings Hester. At the jack linebacker is Brandon Fanny, then Eryk Anders and freshman Courtney Upshaw. At the sam linebacker is Cory Reamer, then freshman Jerrell Harris or Chavis Williams.
The secondary has Javier Arenas and Kareem Jackson at the corners, Justin Woodall at strong safety, and Rashad Johnson at free safety.
Freshman sensation Julio Jones will start at wide receiver, and also return kickoffs, Saban said. Mike McCoy will start on the other side.
Behind Wilson will be Glen Coffee, who is one of four in a running back rotation—with freshman Mark Ingram, Terry Grant and Roy Upchurch.
Travis McCall is listed first among five tight ends, along with Nick Walker, Chris Underwood, Preston Dial or Brad Smelley.
Up front, Andre Smith is at left tackle, Mike Johnson at guard, Antoine Caldwell at center, Marlon Davis at right guard and Drew Davis at right tackle. Backups, from left tackle to right, are Barrett Jones or Tyler Love, Brian Motley at left guard, Evan Cardwell or William Vlachos at center, David Ross at right guard and John Michael Boswell or Taylor Pharr at right tackle.
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/25 at 12:58 PM
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Officials encourage public transportation to Clemson-Bama game
Ken Rogers
News flash: There is road construction in Atlanta.
OK, maybe that’s not a surprise to anyone who’s visit Georgia’s capital city, say, in the last 30 years.
But it could particularly bad this weekend. If you have a ticket to the Alabama-Clemson game, game officials are eager to spread the word about public transportation options.
Major lane closures are scheduled on the downtown connector, so officials are encouraging fans to take MARTA rapid transit system to the game at the Georgia Dome.
For $1.75 each way, customers can take the East/West rail line and walk directly into the Dome or to Centennial Olympic Park. Customers taking the North/South rain line will need to transfer to the West Line at Five Points rail station and travel one stop to the Dome/GWCC, Philips Arena/CNN Center Station.
Train service runs from 5 a.m. until 1 a.m. Parking for less than 24 hours is free at all Marta parking facilities. Fans traveling on I-85 North from Alabama can park at Exit 72 (Camp Creek Parkway). Travel a block past I-85 and turn right at the College Park Station sign. Continue through two traffic lights and turn left in the College Park Station.
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/24 at 06:44 PM
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