It is no subterfuge or motivational ploy. Less than a month after fracturing a fibula, linebacker Sam Howard fully intends to become a modern-day Jack Youngblood and play in Tulane’s must-win game at Memphis on Friday night.

Never mind that Howard and his coaches are too young to be familiar with Youngblood, a five-team All-Pro defensive end and two-time sacks leader in the NFL during a 14-year career with the Los Angeles Rams.

Jon Sumrall, 43, was two years away from being born when Youngblood cracked a fibula in a 1979 playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys and still sacked Roger Staubach to clinch a 21-19 win in the fourth quarter. When Youngblood played the following week in a 9-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that propelled the Rams to their first Super Bowl, it was mor

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