Back on the field, there are a few more bumps. Tulane fans won t see the usual workhorse in the back

Despite all the distractions of the past week thanks to Hurricane Isaac, some absolutes remain for the Tulane football team. The Green Wave will play its season opener against Rutgers aruba all inclusive vacation packages as scheduled Saturday at 7:03 p.m. in the Mercedes-Benz aruba all inclusive vacation packages Superdome.
With Isaac sprawling itself across aruba all inclusive vacation packages the Gulf of Mexico and threatening the New Orleans area, the university sent the team to Birmingham, Ala., on Monday for four days and three nights. The team practiced as normally as possible and will go through a typical game week Friday walk-through workout before returning the metro area later Friday.
We take everything in stride, Johnson aruba all inclusive vacation packages said via cell phone from Birmingham on Thursday afternoon. It is what it is. There is nothing we can do about it. It s a natural disaster and we just have to play through it and just have the best attitude we can. I don t think it s that big of a deal (for football preparation). We handled it the best way we could.
Several coaches experienced damage to their homes in New Orleans, however. Johnson said he thought his house was probably OK but he said that quarterbacks coach Mike Neu and co-defensive coordinator Lionel Washington experienced more significant damage.
Back on the field, there are a few more bumps. Tulane fans won t see the usual workhorse in the backfield carrying the ball for the Olive and Blue. Junior running back Orleans Darkwa incurred a high ankle sprain in fall camp, but got off crutches and out of his boot after last week and was listed as the starter on the depth chart.
Darkwa has rushed for 1,849 yards and 24 touchdowns in his two seasons with the Green Wave. Darkwa holds Tulane's freshman single-season rushing record (925 yards on 184 attempts). He rushed for 924 yards in 2011 on 210 carries and scored 13 touchdowns.
Johnson said that sophomores Rob Kelley and Dante Butler will split the No. 1 spot against Rutgers. Kelley rushed for 332 yards on 74 carries last season and Butler has rushed for 68 yards on six carries in nine games.
I think it was a good week, Johnson said. We practiced as well as we possibly could. I just thought it was good that we got away, everyone was safe, we were around each other. They are good kids, the coaches are good guys.