NEW ORLEANS – Darius Bradwell is on a roll for Tulane, which will go for its third straight win in Saturday's American Athletic Conference game against visiting East Carolina. Bradwell has recorded a rushing touchdown in seven straight games for the Green Wave, who prevailed over the Pirates last season for their fourth win in the series and first in Greenville.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN News. LINE: Tulane -14
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Bradwell's streak of seven straight games with a touchdown matches the longest among running backs in the FBS, joining the likes of Memphis' Darrell Henderson and Travis Etienne of Clemson. The 6-1, 230-pounder out of Tallahassee, Fla., gained a season-high nine yards per carry on 15 attempts in last week's 41-15 victory over South Florida and has now racked up 752 yards on 118 carries for the season. Behind the running of Bradwell, Corey Dauphine and quarterback Justin McMillan, the Green Wave have amassed 677 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground in the last two games. Despite getting three-straight 100-yard receiving games from Trevon Brown, the Pirates have dropped four straight overall and have allowed at least 37 points in each of them, including a season-high 59 points in last week's loss to Memphis.
ABOUT EAST CAROLINA (2-6, 0-5 AAC)
With 491 yards on 33 receptions in his last three games, Brown now has 838 yards on the season and is close to extending East Carolina's streak of six straight seasons with a 1,000-yard receiver. which is double that of any other team in the FBS. The 6-2, 215-pound senior from Wilmington, N.C., stands fourth in school history in receptions (171), receiving yards (2,667) and receiving touchdowns (21), and could soon take third in the latter two categories. Deondre Farrier set career highs with 109 receiving yards against Central Florida and six receptions versus Memphis.
ABOUT TULANE (4-5, 3-2)
The resurgent rushing attack, which produced back-to-back 300-yard games for the first time since 2007 and is ranked in the top 30 in the nation in yards and rushing touchdowns, was keyed by tackles Joey Claybrook and Noah Fisher. Claybrook, a redshirt freshman, didn't play much in the first seven games before taking over for right tackle Keyshawn McLeod in the first half against Tulsa and made his first career start against USF. Fisher, a graduate transfer from South Alabama, was benched for three games because of injuries before reclaiming the starting left tackle spot against Tulsa.
EXTRA POINTS
1. East Carolina senior DE Nate Harvey has 20 tackles for loss on the season and needs two more to pass Chris Moore (2004) for the most in a season in school history.
2. With a combined 66 catches for 1,086 yards, Darnell Mooney and Terren Encalade have 66 percent of Tulane's receptions and 76 percent of its receiving yards this season.
3. Freshman QB Holton Ahlers leads the Pirates in rushing with 374 yards, which is the third-most in one season in East Carolina history, behind David Garrard (493) and Jeff Blake (414).
PREDICTION: Tulane 37, East Carolina 20