Tulane entered the spring with two primary goals and took positive steps toward addressing both areas.

The first goal was to find someone to replace tailback Matt Forte', the nation's second-leading rusher in 2007 and a second-round pick of the Chicago Bears in the 2008 NFL Draft.

Between injuries and suspensions to other players, junior Andre' Anderson saw a lot of reps in the spring and took a lot of hits, but he showed plenty of signs he'll be able to carry the load in 2008.

"I wanted to come out this spring and establish myself as somebody that can be the man, be the guy who could carry the load," Anderson told The Times-Picayune. "It was really good letting everybody see we don't have to worry about a running back. We have somebody that can step up and do what he needs to do."

The Green Wave also needed to make progress in the passing game and appeared to do that. Last year, the lack of consistent productivity in the passing game forced Forte to run against stacked fronts.

In the spring, sophomore quarterback Kevin Moore and junior receiver Jeremy Williams teamed up to form the makings of an effecting passing combination. Redshirt freshman Joe Kemp also showed signs of being an able and willing competitor for the starting quarterback job in the preseason.

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