Halloween is less than 24 hours away, but playing Tulane is more like Christmas for Charles Scott. The senior running back has totaled 268 yards and five touchdowns in three career games against the Green Wave.Scott hopes to continue his success Saturday when No. 9 LSU (6-1, 4-1 SEC) hosts Tulane (2-5, 0-4 Conference USA) at 7 p.m. in Tiger Stadium in the last scheduled installment of an in-state rivalry dating back to 1893. LSU and Tulane mutually agreed Sept. 16 for LSU to pay $700,000 to cancel the remaining six games after this year’s matchup of a 10-year deal signed in May 2005. LSU and Tulane will meet again at a future date which has yet to be announced.The cancellation opened a spot on LSU’s 2010 schedule to pencil in North Carolina at the Chick-fil-A College Kickoff in Atlanta.”I had nothing to do with that decision,” Scott joked, referring to his annual success against Tulane. “I always thought it was a game that had tradition, so I had no idea they were going to do that.” The Tigers enter this weekend’s contest against the Green Wave averaging less than 124 yards rushing, although Scott, who leads the team with 347 yards rushing, has seen fewer carries with the emergence of sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson. Jefferson spread the ball around to eight different receivers last weekend against Auburn, who put seven and eight defenders in the box to stop the run out of the I-formation.With matchups against Alabama, Ole Miss and Arkansas lurking, LSU offensive line coach Greg Studrawa expects Scott to have a breakout game. “This time of the year, those big, strong backs like him start to go,” Studrawa said. “In those physical football games, that’s where Chuck shines.” LSU currently holds the nation’s longest non-conference winning streak at 21 games and hasn’t lost to its in-state rival Tulane since 1982, when the Green Wave staved off the Tigers for a 31-28 decision.But the Tigers aren’t taking Tulane lightly. “I can tell you that the series really takes a feel on game day,” said LSU coach Les Miles. “When that opponent steps onto the field and wants very clearly to play their best football against you, we understand that and look forward to playing those types of games.” Tulane coach Bob Toledo said at his weekly news conference he is sad to see the rivalry go, and he would continue the series between the two teams, if it was up to him. “I’d rather be playing [LSU] than Ole Miss or Alabama or somebody out of state,” Toledo said. “But again … that’s not my decision. That comes from the higher ups of both schools.” Even though Miles and Toledo expressed interest in continuing the rivalry, some LSU players thought the move to drop the series made more sense.”They should play out of state,” said senior defensive lineman Al Woods. “They should go around and play different teams and get a feel for everyone.”Sophomore cornerback Patrick Peterson agreed with Woods. “I don’t care who we play as long as we win,” Peterson said. “But I’d rather play a bigger non-conference game because of better competition.”The theme of this week’s practice was “staying focused,” making sure a repeat of 2007 wouldn’t be part of the agenda Saturday. The Green Wave has put up respectable outings in the first half against LSU in the last two years, before being outscored, 38-7, in the second half of both games.LSU only led, 10-9, at halftime two years ago at the Superdome and scrapped its way to an ugly 34-9 victory.The Tigers needed a 24-yard fumble return by defensive back Chris Hawkins before halftime during last year’s meeting to propel themselves to a 35-10 win.”Everybody’s already talking about the Alabama game, and you can’t do that,” said junior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard.  Sheppard, who leads the team with 57 tackles, said he would be lying if Alabama wasn’t in the back of his or the team’s mind.”But that’s something we have to keep in the back of our mind and keep Tulane in the front,” he said. Despite a 2-5 record and a new starting quarterback, freshman Ryan Griffin, the Tulane offense is far from limited at the skill positions. Tulane senior running back Andre Anderson, former high school teammate of Sheppard and senior linebacker Perry Riley, has compiled 646 yards and six touchdowns, while Tulane senior wide receiver Jeremy Williams has 44 catches for 662 yards and three scores. Anderson and Williams account for more than half of Tulane’s total offense, as the two accumulated 1,726 of the team’s 3,170 total yards.—-Contact a Sean Isabella at [email protected]