Tulane's Thursday practice ended differently than any other one this year-with a stern 10-minute lecture from coach Curtis Johnson to his entire defense.

"Lecture" might not be a strong enough word. Johnson gathered everyone in a green jersey (the color the defense wears at practice) in a circle in the middle of the field near the goal line and started talking loudly. His words weren't audible on the sideline, but his message was clear. After benching two starters for subpar effort in Saturday's 49-47 loss to Rice, he is demanding better focus.

"I'm not happy at all," Johnson said. "We jacked around today. We played around. We got too loosey goosey, and you can't get loosey goosey when you're giving up this many points. It's embarrassing."

After scout-team wide receiver Jacob Davis outfought cornerback Ryan Travis for the ball in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown, the offensive players went through an elaborate group celebration that involved a towel as a prop. The display drew laughter from the sideline, but not from Johnson, who was not happy with the defense allowing a touchdown in the first place.



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